NOVEL WEB Chapter 82
Of course, something happened during the internship.
But this wasn’t a disaster caused by the Evil Society or those Suicide creatures.
It was more of an accident than an incident. No one would die, but soon enough, they would wander around inside a crack for a few days, swept away by some Monster’s attack.
In the original story, Minho and Katyann were caught up in it. So, I probably shouldn’t be too worried about it.
But still, I thought I should worry a bit. Looking back at my past experiences, nothing I ever tried seemed to go right.
No, there were a few incidents that went as I wished, but about 60 to 70% of the time, things didn’t pan out the way I intended.
So, hypothetically speaking, I couldn’t rule out the possibility of getting caught up instead of Katyann.
I was attacked first during the Evil Society raid, so honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising if something like that happened to me.
Let’s think about this. What exactly went down? Entering an A-rank gate, trying to rescue Hunters.
Then suddenly, the inside of the gate was enveloped in darkness, and Minho and Katyann were teleported somewhere. Inside, they met a Monster that taunted them based on the memories of the victims…
Right, they were just messing around, pretending to be scary. Ah, yes. I remember now.
Since Katyann had more bad memories than Minho, it was practically an episode of me cheering her on as she wandered through nightmares manifested by her fears.
Moreover, due to some trick of the Monster, their abilities were sealed within the crack, allowing Katyann to talk freely.
She poured out all sorts of things to Minho that she normally wouldn’t say.
Comments about the pretty sky and such, things she could never say with a clear mind. Pretty embarrassing poetic stuff.
Minho happily welcomed it and built a relationship with her.
After spending about two days like that, what happened next?
How did they escape? Was it the power of love that made them kiss to overcome fear?
I enjoyed reading the novel, but that part was so early on that I skimmed it and didn’t remember it well.
Well, it’s not my problem, so they probably figured it out themselves in some way or other.
If I were to get swept away – well, I certainly wasn’t planning on kissing anyone before I died. Dying there would be a pathetic death, so I’d probably kiss before that.
Still, I wanted to find some other way out if possible. Admiring someone is a different feeling from loving or idolizing them.
What should I say? No matter how much respect you have for a character, you wouldn’t kiss their statue, right? It’s kind of like that.
Once we got out of the gate, Justitia seemed tired and gave us some free time, saying we should take a break.
Minho and Katyann headed straight for the facilities inside the containment area, while I walked to a nearby bench.
I had been rescuing Hunters in the containment area for four days now. The kids seemed to be getting used to this task.
After laying a heavy load on them intentionally the first day, I cleverly reduced the workload the next day to give them a sense of accomplishment.
Justitia was surprisingly cunning and devious in a subtle way.
“Chemicat, great job! Another excellent performance this time. Hehe, you could be my sidekick anytime!”
Sitting on the bench, I took a deep breath to hydrate when Justitia approached and threw a friendly joke my way.
“I don’t want to end up looking all worn out like a Scanner or Basqana at my age.”
I played along with her joke, asking if she had something to say.
“Oh, I do. It’s about your mental image, Chemicat.”
Mental image? Didn’t we wrap that discussion up already? It was pretty clear that there was no way to fix it.
As I asked this, Justitia started with, “Well, that may be true, but…”
“It’s not completely impossible to fix. There aren’t many who have mental images constituted of machines… but they do exist. So, I managed to gather some advice.”
Justitia shared some information, hoping that it might help me.
“First of all, let’s talk about mental images made of machines. Individuals with a mechanical mental image tend to see themselves as machines.”
Not exactly, I thought, but when I refuted, she added that they seem to consider their bodies like machines, ready to be repaired at any time.
“I won’t say whether that’s desirable or not; I don’t have the right to judge.”
“So, what useful information do you have?”
“Those who exhibit such tendencies generally say it’s rare to find someone like you, Chemicat, who has not a single spare part.”
“Whether it’s a massive single machine or multiple small ones, they all said the floor is typically strewn with spare parts.”
Once I heard that, I started to get a sense of what Justitia was trying to say.
“So, are you suggesting that it might be possible to take spare parts out from my production rail?”
“That’s what I gather from my guesses and theirs. But you, Chemicat, are such a special case, I can’t make any hasty judgments.”
“Thanks for the advice. Honestly, I don’t think it’ll help much, but I’ll give it a try.”
So usually, there are spare parts lying around, huh? That means I’m not typical.
…Well, I’m definitely not typical. I had my powers forcibly awakened with drugs.
Still, it seemed worth a shot. My mental image had been established for quite a while, so there should be at least one or two mistakes.
There might be unnecessary processes in there as well. Back then, I wasn’t that smart.
So, even if I didn’t completely disassemble it, maybe I could remove a screw or gear or two.
After all, I could always put them back.
“Oh! Chemicat, do you know where Maha and Power Word went? There’s been an incident that we need to jump on right away.”
“I heard they went to a convenience store to grab some food. If they’re not there, I wouldn’t know.”
“Thanks, and Chemicat, prepare yourself too. We’ll have to enter an A-rank gate!”
Justitia hurried off, urging me.
Oh right, today was the day for the A-rank gate. Hmm, could it be that I’ll end up getting dragged into this?
Thinking such carefree thoughts, I made my way to the parking lot.
“Haaahhh!!”
Sometimes, it was okay to run faster than I could handle. Like right now, delivering the final blow to a dying Monster.
I accelerated almost to the speed of sound and delivered my Rider Kick with all my might to the Monster’s head.
The Monster’s head spun in strange directions from the direct hit before it toppled over, quickly disintegrating into black particles and leaving only loot behind.
With that, I could say I was done cleaning up the Monsters in this area.
Still, just to be safe, I dragged my shoes on the ground to build up energy and sped back to where the injured and my party were.
“Blanca, we’ve wrapped up everything around here. How are those people holding up? Do they look okay?”
Blanca looked at the Hunters with a somewhat pensive expression, giving a vague reply of “Not sure…”
“For now, the bleeding has stopped, and I’ve completed the chemical cauterization of the wounds, plus they’re on painkillers… but this is just a temporary fix. Whether they live or die depends on how long they can hold on.”
“I see…”
Justitia, helping the Hunters who had been treated, directed us.
“Maha, Power Word. And Chemicat. First, let’s head for the exit.”
“But we still need to check the Boss’s room…”
“I know. But right now, the priority is to rescue those we can. If we head outside now, we might at least save their lives.”
“…Got it.”
I was frustrated. The fact that this was all I could do made me angry.
If I were a bit stronger, could I have saved everyone?
I floated up, searching the area while carrying two people under my arms. Even though I had cleared the surroundings, I never knew when a Monster might appear again.
Moreover, since Monsters could crawl out from the flames flickering around, we had to stay alert.
Fortunately, nothing happened as we neared the exit.
However, just before reaching it, the world suddenly plunged into darkness.
“Everyone?! Where are you?!”
“What the?!?”
“Is it the enemy?”
“Everyone, stay calm!”
In the sudden turn of events, everyone seemed to panic, each voicing their confusion.
…Wait a second.
Did Katyann speak up? But it didn’t feel like we were being forced into anything, right?
It definitely sounded like Katyann’s voice.
What is going on?
If that’s the case, then who was the last person to speak…?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, something damp grabbed my neck and yanked me back.
“Guh…!”
I tried to push forward, struggling not to be pulled back, but I was being dragged away at a spine-chilling speed.
What’s happening right now?
My worries didn’t last long.
The dragging sensation ended quickly.
“Ugh!”
Unlike the crazy speed at which I got pulled backward, the bounce I experienced when I was flung somewhere felt much slower.
But the floor felt soft and warm.
Amidst the confusion, I cautiously reached out to see what I had landed on.
What was this, a blob? I couldn’t see anything to be sure.
As I pondered, something hit me in the side, pushing me away.
Is this the enemy?
“…What are you touching?”
…Blanca?