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“It’s just not the same without Blanca.”

I was on the same monorail heading to the beach, just like yesterday and the day before, but the vibe was anything but cheerful.

The biggest reason, of course, was Blanca’s absence.

“Even if Lady Blanca is quiet, her presence is quite significant, don’t you think? Maybe that’s why it feels off? I can’t quite explain it, but it’s like missing a piano you rarely used…?”

Among us kids, Blanca really held a lot of weight—physically and mentally.

“I don’t know if it’s right to compare a person to an object, but… it’s not exactly wrong either…”

Lapiz seemed to agree, albeit reluctantly, and the thought felt somewhat rude; yet, looking at it this way, she kind of resembled a puppy waiting for its owner.

“She’ll be here soon, so let’s not be too gloomy! I’m sure Blanca wouldn’t want that either.”

Yeonhwa, noticing the atmosphere slowly sinking, reminded us that Blanca hadn’t completely left us.

“That’s true.”

It seemed her attempt was working a little, as Seolhwa nodded along. But even the most optimistic Yeonhwa couldn’t quite dispel Lucia’s dark mood.

“Still… I can’t shake off this anxiety… What exactly does Heros Company want with her?”

Lucia had no way of knowing the truth about Heros Company, but I could definitely understand her unease. I was feeling pretty anxious myself.

What exactly were they planning? Would they make her do something strange? Even if she was affiliated with Heros Company, wouldn’t she turn against them if treated so callously?

With such swirling worries, I really didn’t want to think about Blanca. I felt like I could throw up just from worrying.

But those worries didn’t last long. Soon enough, I couldn’t even think about what she might be up to.

“Mom, what’s that? The sky looks weird!”

A kid on the monorail pointed out, saying the sky looked strange. The boy’s mother was confused and didn’t know what he meant, but we all recognized it.

“Suicides? Why are they over there?”

Jinhyeon, upon seeing a mass of purple gates that looked like suicides were about to burst forth, was taken aback.

I was just as startled. It was so sudden that it felt ridiculous. But the kids soon began to react, asking what was going on.

Yeonhwa and Jinhyeon checked their phones for the location, while Lapiz rubbed her eyes, mumbling if she was dreaming.

In the meantime, as if a clogged pipe had burst, something black began pouring out from the gates.

Seolhwa and Ageha were ready to break the window and leap out, insisting we had to go now.

“Wait, wait! We’re almost at the station, so just hang on a bit! And how do you plan on getting out there?”

“Of course, with our abilities.”

Ageha answered nonchalantly. When she asked if it was illegal to fly in public without permission, she said she knew it was.

“Of course, I know. Do you think I chitchatted in Hero Basic Class like Minho?”

“That’s… a bit hurtful.”

“I’m saying it to be hurtful because I don’t want you to fall behind, Minho. And besides, how could I just stand still after seeing something like that?”

As Ageha said this, she mentioned that while it was indeed illegal, sometimes in urgent situations for the public good, people generally turned a blind eye.

“So, the only members who can fly at the moment are me, Minho, Seolhwa, and Jinhyeon, right?”

Ageha quickly took charge, deciding who would take whom and fly together.

Yeonhwa would be with Jinhyeon. Lucia would be with me. Seolhwa and her would team up to take Lapiz.

Everyone followed her commands without question.

Even while we were making those plans, the black mass continued to pour down. Previously, it had at least resembled the shape of a human.

When the train finally stopped at the station, Ageha took a quick photo of the station sign and suggested we move out immediately.

The kids seemed determined to go for real, conjuring ice and whipping up gusts as they began to fly one by one.

“I don’t know, me neither!”

I flew off with my hands tucked under Lucia’s arms and sped toward the scene.

I wondered what good it would do against that slime, but I kicked the walls as I went, gradually gathering energy for the artifact.

When we finally arrived at the scene…

“Blanca?!”

There was Blanca, facing off against the slime in a disturbing manner.

– – – –

The black-suited figures had likely fled; all that remained outside the building were me and the vehicles the suits had arrived in.

For a moment, I chuckled at the sight of the cowards who would’ve surely stood their ground, even to the death, but then black droplets began to fall one by one from above.

It was the slime making up the imitators. I felt like I heard them saying something just now. They were coming…

Oh, come on. This can’t be real, can it?

But my expectations were spot-on. Slime was literally pouring down from the sky.

From that purple gate, black slime burst forth as if a dam had collapsed.

Even if I could somehow control all that slime, it was obvious I’d physically die if I got caught in it, so I grit my teeth and tried to dodge the current of slime.

I barely dodged the torrent by climbing to the top of what looked like a laboratory, but the surroundings darkened frightfully fast, like my future.

“Wow… damn.”

That was all I could say. My vision was pitch black. How in the hell was I supposed to escape this nightmare? No, more than that, could I even endure it?

The slimes crawling up the building sent chills down my spine. They formed a circle around me, ready to swallow me whole, but that was all I could do.

The slime kept pouring down as if it would break the ground, but at some point, it started taking the shape of lumps and began to slowly recede.

Once it had grown in size, it resembled a huge slime about tens of stories high.

As it wiggled strangely, I thought it was finally attacking, bracing myself to dodge, but it wasn’t an attack.

It sprouted eyes and a mouth and looked right at me.

“How did you subdue that mobile species?”

The voice was so humanoid that I felt a moment of revulsion.

Can I run? If those tentacles reach out towards me, I honestly wouldn’t have the confidence to dodge. I could maybe dodge one or two, but it wouldn’t only send one or two.

If it comes barreling in with that mass, it’d be game over.

“I just hope you’ll give me an answer before I get to you.”

“Curious…?”

Trying to buy time, I engaged in conversation. Even if it was in a corner, it was still happening right in the city.

Heros Company’s forces or heroes or whoever would come soon, so I needed to buy time no matter what until then.

“I want to know because a specimen like you is rare and would surely be valuable.”

“I’ll tell you. But… before that, can I ask you one thing? Did you come over when that gate opened in this city before?”

“Are you changing the subject now?”

“I’m not changing the subject; I just want to know. Is it so wrong to know this before I die?”

“I haven’t killed anyone.”

Oh, really? You think I’d trust a thing like that from something ready to shoot its tentacles at me?

This thing clearly had no intention of letting me live. If it got a little annoyed, I’m sure it would just kill me and perform a brain scan.

The slime responded that it had emerged from the Great Rift and was nearby during its escape.

So you were the one who ripped my leash.

In hindsight, it turned out well, but my suffering along the way didn’t just disappear.

Even now, thinking back on that time sends shivers down my spine.

Having confirmed something was flying from a distance, I prepared to withdraw as I provoked the slime.

“Thanks for the info. Now, it’s my turn to answer… I don’t know, you bastard!”

I aimed a needle at its eye. At that moment, I barely dodged the slime that had come flying toward my head.

When I grabbed the tentacle reaching to pierce my head under my control, it quickly severed its own tentacle and lashed out at me en masse.

Looking at the laboratory’s exterior walls crumbling, I figured if I got hit, it’d probably be just as bad.

With them slinging me around like a slingshot, I desperately evaded, slowly bringing the approaching slimes under my control.

At some point, I was moving with those tentacles I had wrapped in my grasp rather than using my own limbs.

Support should be arriving soon, so when will they get here?

While continuing this life-or-death circus, I eagerly awaited any support. There was no way I could catch that thing on my own.

At least if there could be a meat shield, anyone would do.

When the desperately awaited support finally arrived, I almost forgot to dodge for a moment.

They were totally unexpected.

“Blanca?!”

The figures soaring toward me were my friends.

“What are you all doing here, no wait, flee!”

This certainly meant I couldn’t just fight casually and escape!

 

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