Free Web NovelChapter 24: 24 | We’re Sorry!
"Tell me, boy..."
"Are you not afraid of dying?"
Dexter eyes blinked as he felt a weight landed on his shoulder. Even with his strength, he felt his knee almost buckling and an illusion of an angry god with blue burning flames appeared behind the man.
Dexter throat perched and he opened his mouth,
But before a single word could leave his lips —
His expression changed instantly.
A sudden sharp sensation shot through his mind. It was like an ice pick driving deep into his skull. His Frost Sense, the ability that connected him to Selene’s unique energy.
Selene.
She was having another episode.
Dexter’s pupils contracted. His entire body went rigid for half a second. The old man noticed the change immediately but said nothing, only watching with curious eyes.
Without even bothering to answer the old man’s question, Dexter abruptly turned around.
"Please stay here. I’ll be right back."
And then like the pressure the old man was putting on him was nothing more than paper weight—
He vanished.
BOOM!
His body exploded forward with terrifying speed. The floor tiles beneath his previous position cracked from the sudden release of force.
Using Flame Burst, Dexter shot through the hotel pathways like a meteor. The mana around his legs combusted and propelled him forward in violent bursts.
The polished hotel corridors became a blur around him. Golden wall lamps streaked past like lines of fire. Several customers walking nearby only felt a gust of scorching wind sweep past them. One woman’s dress fluttered wildly. A man’s hat flew off his head and tumbled down the hallway.
They froze in shock, their eyes wide and mouths hanging open.
"What was that?!" one of them shouted.
But Dexter was already gone. He ignored everything. The surprised gasps, the confused shouts, all of it faded into background noise. He pushed more mana into Flame Burst. The technique roared to life with even greater intensity. His body accelerated even faster. The air around him rippled with heat.
His Brain rapidly process things and he realized the elevator would be too slow.
He immediately changed direction and sprinted straight for the stairway. His right shoulder slammed into the stairwell door, bursting it open without slowing down.
His footsteps struck the stairs like explosions.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
In seconds—
He reached the hotel room.
BANG!
And the moment Dexter stepped inside, cold air slammed into his face like a wall. The temperature had dropped so low that his skin prickled with frost.
The room had turned into an ice chamber.
Frost covered the walls in thick white layers. The windows were frozen solid, completely with ice crystals spreading in spiral patterns. The carpet crunched under his boots. The entire bed was buried under layers of ice crystals that glittered in the dim light.
And on top of the bed—
Selene was convulsing violently.
Her entire body trembled uncontrollably as freezing energy leaked from her skin in visible waves. Her face was pale as death. Her lips were blue. Her fingers clawed at the frozen sheets. Frost spread outward from her body with every convulsion, creeping across the bed and up the walls.
At the side of the bed sat Mira in her wheelchair.
Beside her was Lyra, her smart glasses resting over her eyes. The AI writing the sounds it could hear to the best of its abilities.
Both girls stared at Selene with furrowed brows, worry evident on their faces.
Dexter acted instantly.
His right hand erupted into crimson flames. The fire roared to life, casting dancing shadows across the frozen walls.
The Berserk Flame Demon Bloodline activated fully, flooding his veins with lava. The flames rapidly melted the thick ice covering parts of the room. Steam immediately rose into the air, filling the space with a thick fog.
Without hesitation, Dexter reached into his pocket and pulled out the Suppressant Serum, took her arm and injected the serum and injected the liquid into her bloodstream.
Slowly, the violent shaking stopped. Selene’s convulsing body gradually relaxed. Her breathing, turned soft as the frost spreading throughout the room began receding, pulling back toward her body.
She fell asleep. Her face, which had been twisted in pain, softened into peace.
Dexter exhaled deeply
"That was too close..."
He activated his bloodline further and heatwaves spread through the room in turning the remaining frost into water mad then into steam.
Within moments, the bed had completely dried and the temperature turned normal.
Dexter carefully covered Selene with several thick blankets. He tucked the edges around her shoulders.
He paused as he at her stunning face, her silver hair spread out across the bed.
She looked both angelic and also fragile buried under all that fabric.
Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open. And she looked directly at Dexter.
For a moment, his breath caught in his throat.
But he then relaxed when he remembered she was blind. But she definitely knew he was still there.
He inhaled and left the bed to turn to Mira and Lyra.
Both girls were staring at him silently with an unreadable expression.
The room fell silent for several seconds
Finally, Dexter spoke. His voice was calm but flat.
"If you two are hungry... I can call room service. I can order food for you."
Mira quietly shook her head. "I’m not hungry."
Lyra’s glasses flickered. The words automatically displayed across the lenses. Strangely the foodie Lyra also shook her head.
Dexter raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had almost finished the entire hotel’s food this morning and afternoon, what’s wrong now?
He didn’t bother to ask, he turned around, preparing to leave. The old man was still waiting downstairs.
But suddenly—
A very soft voice sounded behind him. So soft he almost thought he imagined it.
"...We’re sorry."
Dexter froze. His hand stopped just before reaching the door handle. For a long moment, he did not move. He did not even breathe. The words echoed in his mind, repeating over and over.
He slowly turned around. His expression was unreadable. His voice was quiet, careful.
"What did you say?"
Then—
Lyra spoke again. This time louder. Her voice was still soft, but there was strength behind it now. A strength that had not been there before.
"We’re sorry."
Dexter stood still. He looked at Lyra. Then at Mira. Both girls were looking at him directly. Not avoiding his gaze.
’Did I hear wrong? ’
For a moment, he genuinely thought he had misheard.
He had been cold towards them throughout their stay here since they didn’t care for him nor themselves, he would only take care of them, earn rewards from the system and grow stronger.
After all, they had also remained silent toward him. They had not tried to bridge the gap. So what changed?
Then Mira lowered her head. Her dark hair fell forward as she spoke quietly.
"We are sorry... for everything. And... thank you."
The words made Dexter emotional than he had he’d preferred to be.
Inside him, countless emotions surged at once, like a dam breaking. All the feelings he had suppressed came flooding back.
He wanted to complain. He wanted to yell. He wanted to ask them why they gave up so easily.
He wanted to remind them how lucky they were. They had lived normal lives for years before losing everything. They had seen the sky. They had walked on their own feet. They had experienced the world.
Meanwhile, some people were born blind. Some were born crippled. Some were born deaf. Some never once had the chance to experience life properly, not even for a single day. He wanted to say all of that. He wanted to make them understand how precious their lives were.
But somehow—
Those simple words erased all his anger.
