Free Web NovelChapter 39: Investment 39— Weird?
Jin scrambled to his feet at the marvellous sight of what felt like a nuclear explosion. The protective bubble held firm and prevented the heavy gust of wind released by the explosion.
"So this is the core members of the student council," he beamed with excitement.
Leonard’s statement immediately raised questions in all their minds—well, except Jin. He was too busy admiring them to even notice the current switch in the atmosphere.
"A bug?" Rose stood to her feet. A bug wasn’t something anyone would expect to find in a dungeon. The more troubling question was, "How did it survive the explosion when a single cell of the Minotaur wasn’t spared?"
She rubbed her fingers against her chin. Something clearly wasn’t adding up. Ever since they stepped foot in the dungeon, they kept experiencing one concerning problem after the next.
A gale of wind passed by Leonard and crushed the bug to pieces. Purple ooze splashed on the sand.
"Ewwwww." Futaba sighed. "If it’s a bug, then let’s kill it before we ask any more questions."
This was just her being very selfish. She wasn’t a fan of bugs. In fact, she was scared and irritated by them at the same time. She destroyed it to obviously save herself from the psychological stress, and they were all aware of the fact, except Jin.
"Shouldn’t we just contact Professor Dermiurge? I mean, this is getting really nasty and weird," Jin yelped.
A bright smile formed on August’s lips. "Wow! What a wonderful idea. I wonder why no one else thought of that?" he cooed mockingly. "Oh, I forgot. We are in a fucking dungeon with no means to reach the outside world."
His smile quickly turned into a frown; it was quite evident to Jin how stupid his idea was.
"We need to check the status of the other students."
Leonard stepped out of the crater created by the explosion.
"Wait a minute, Trigger."
Futaba blocked his path with a hand. For some reason, her head was turned the other way. With her other hand, she gave him a pair of new uniforms.
"You are naked." August pointed a finger at him and burst into laughter.
Leonard quickly realised and covered himself with his arm and collected the uniform from Futaba. After a few minutes, he changed fully.
He dipped a hand into his bag and removed a medium-sized tab.
"What could that be, if I may ask?" Jin pointed a finger.
"It’s a copy of the tracking tab for the instructors." Leonard continued tapping the screen of the tab. "Let’s just say I borrowed it for—"
Jin wanted to cut in, but Leonard warned him with a candid hand gesture.
"For emergencies like this," he finished his brief explanation.
While they were still in the auditorium, he happened to find a tracking tab alongside the bag that held the tracing stones.
All tracing stones were connected to a tracking tab, and with it they could monitor the activities of the other students, whether they were dead or alive, and their current locations.
"It seems nobody has been killed yet." Leonard let out a sigh of relief.
"But isn’t that weird?" Rose cleaned in-between her fingernails. "I mean, we just fought a Minotaur that could heal while gaining a level-up. Plus that bug."
She made a very valid point—It felt as if they were being targeted—by something or someone.
"Wait! There’s more." A frown formed on Leonard’s face.
"My brother and Flora are missing," he said those words while still trying to believe them.
"Well, at least their tracing stones are," he quickly composed himself.
"This is giving horror." Futaba’s eyes gleamed in excitement. "And I am all in for it," she smiled.
Leonard gave her a death stare without holding back. "You should at—"
"I should at least act a little serious." Futaba cut in before he could finish his dead-ass preaching. "I know, I know." She rolled her eyes.
"Anyways, before you eat me alive, Trigger, I sent Moohawk to do a little survey of the first floor."
Her wise and tactical decision quickly calmed the tension. Even though Leonard didn’t show it, he actually cared for his little brother—Even if he was a douchebag—Leonard still saw him as his little brother.
Futaba and the other core members were very much aware of this—They were like a family without secrets.
Futaba stretched out an arm. Moohawk came into view and landed on her shoulder.
"My lady. It seems it’s not just you that experienced a reviving monster."
Leonard’s doubts were confirmed. "So it was not just us that faced such a monster."
"Moo-chan. Who else was unlucky?" Futaba patted him on the head.
"Elliot Reingard and the Four Seasons." He snuggled into her palm. "They defeated a mutant giant crab and a weird bug-like humanoid puppet maid," he mentioned.
"Hahahaha. Those guys really are something. I bet they didn’t sustain any damage," August chuckled.
"Well, Lady Seria did sustain some damage during the fight against the bug maid, but Lady Edith patched her up immediately." Moohawk shattered the humour in August’s laugh.
"Moohawk, did you happen to know what happened to my little brother and his fiancée?" Leonard went straight to the point. He didn’t have time to spare for silly jokes.
"Yes, Mr. President. Lord Alex and Lady Flora were approached by some strange figures clad in dark robes, and they also possessed unsettling and sinister mana signatures."
Leonard was prepared to run across the first floor to find his only brother.
"But..." The word Moohawk quickly uttered reduced his anxiety a bit.
"They didn’t seem to have fought or put up any kind of struggle." This very statement came as a shock to Leonard and the others.
"They simply went with them willingly...." Moohawk shook his head. "Too willingly, as if they—"
"Futaba. Tell your summon to watch his words, will you?" Leonard’s mana stirred. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"I think you should allow him to finish. If your brother is some kind of traitor, then it’s our duty as the student council leaders to make sure he faces the appropriate consequences."
Futaba dropped her usual playful tone and held her ground firm.
"Or do you intend to fight all of us?"
She made a gesture with her hand, and the other student council leaders stepped forward. Each of them were ready for battle.
"I...I think you should all calm down." Jin shrieked. If they were all to get in a fight now, he would surely get caught in between.
The tension between the student council members only rose higher, and in another corner of the first floor, a black portal erupted forth in front of Alex and Flora.
A teenage girl with pink eyes and spiky red hair, wearing a stylish uniform, stepped out of the portal.
"I kept my end of the bargain." Alex grunted.
"Now it’s time to keep yours." He clenched his teeth.
"Don’t worry." The girl’s voice carried sweetly, but her presence was very terrifying.
"But you and your lover will be safe." She stroked her hair.
"From the slaughter!" A sinister grin formed on her lips, reaching just below each eyeball.
