Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"..."

Am I enjoying it too much?

Who knows.

Heheh.

But Hadwin is the one at fault here. Who asked him to pick Mindblender Missy over me?

He sighs.

"Can you even use it? It's not as easy as it looks."

"Yes, yes, no problem."

Just give it to me already; it's not like you have a choice.

His brain is almost smoking as he tries to come up with a way around it. He doesn't like it at all, not even a little bit. But in the end, he sighs and slowly pulls out the weapon, offering it to me.

I shamelessly grab it. It's the first time I'm holding a handgun, and it's heavier than I thought it would be. It has a nice density to it and feels cold to the touch.

"So we have a deal?"

"Yes, we do," I nod in agreement.

Then I use [Oscillation] and cut the handgun apart. I make two swipes, and my mana cuts through the iron from the earth as if it's no denser than butter. After ensuring it's destroyed, I throw it into the forest as far as I can while strengthening myself with mana.

Hadwin's face is the funniest mix of shock and anger. He opens and closes his mouth as if he's a goldfish, and I swear I can see a vein popping up on his forehead.

Damn. He might attack me.

Wait.

He might attack me?

Please do so!

You want to hit me, right? Just do it.

If he does, I can mess him up, and later he would have to come back to me again, asking for forgiveness and for me to join him again.

Please, do it!

Just one swing.

Unfortunately, he doesn't do it in the end.

"Why..." he barely manages to say.

"So, in one hour, yes? I will be taking Tess and Kevin; you can pick the others."

I leave without even answering, feeling much better than before our conversation. It ́s finally gone!

Gun control on Floor 1 is truly excellent.

I feel as if a sword threatening to cut off my head has disappeared. The gun was the weapon I was most worried about. Other than that, I am sure no weapon any passenger has threatens me, and I am sure no one can beat me in a fight, not even if a few of them group up.

Now I just have to deal with Sophie, and the only danger will be monsters.

I can't even count how many times I shuddered when I heard Hadwin shooting his weapon. Every time, it could be a bullet going to the back of my head, and I wouldn't even be able to do anything about it, not at my current level.

I don ́t trust the man. He is too suspicious.

As for the gun's usefulness... who cares? My safety is the most important, and I am sure I can survive or run away even without the gun, even if I have to sacrifice a few people to do so.

Sophie is holding a small shield and a short sword.

"Tess will go first, and I will go right behind her."

She glances at me; I can see that she's somewhat nervous, but she agrees in the end.

Hadwin doesn't complain at all, only lifts one of his eyebrows and nods. Kevin ends up to my left, while Leon is to my right. The rest follow closely behind.

We get to the water. We collect the water.

The forest is quiet.

We are on our way back when the forest grows even quieter, and I realize that the wind has stopped.

My breathing becomes ragged, and my body feels tense.

A minute passes.

We walk in total silence.

Two minutes pass.

Our steps and breathing sound so terribly loud.

A few more minutes.

My hand hurts from squeezing my mace's handle so hard.

A few more minutes.

I feel like vomiting.

More time passes.

The air feels so dry. All of us are breathing in loudly. It feels as if there isn't enough oxygen in the air.

Two minutes away from the clearing near the bus, one of the suns disappears.

All of us start running as if we planned it.

A minute or so later, another sun disappears.

Total darkness.

Not even a speck of light.

Someone starts screaming, and then scratching sounds come from all around us.

I recognize goblins growling, and plenty of wolves start howling.

I hear a lot of trolls and some noises I don't even want to know what makes them.

Someone begs for it to stop, and I can hear sobbing.

The cries of animals and monsters become louder and louder.

I hit something and fall down.

Mana is flowing through my veins, but I don't see anything as if someone gouged out my eyes.

I just feel the mana all around me. From the ground, the sky.

I throw up. Such a monstrous amount of mana.

Then there is light.

The black sky is suddenly pierced by a bright light, which unfolds into multicolored bands reminiscent of polar lights. The greens, pinks, and blues move rhythmically, casting a dim glow that transforms the darkness into a scene resembling a muted morning.

Then we hear a bus horn and the screams of goblins and people from the clearing.