Chapter 399: Ah, Great America (2)
Chapter 399: Ah, Great America (2)
After finishing his greetings with Han A-bin, Ultimate tried to do the same with Baek Si-hyun. However, Si-hyun seemed to find something unsettling about him; she kept tilting her head throughout the exchange and failed to offer a proper greeting.
In response, Ultimate simply laughed heartily, told her not to be shy, and finalized the greeting by patting her on the shoulder with his massive palm.
Still, something felt... off.
For Baek Si-hyun—a girl with sociability rivaling that of a capybara, someone who would wedge herself into any conversation—to be backing away like this was strange. It was my first time seeing her tilt her head with such genuine confusion.
However, the emotion she was projecting wasn't malice; it was closer to pure curiosity and a lack of understanding. It didn't seem like there was an actual problem with Ultimate himself.
Curious, I stuck close to Si-hyun the moment the handshake ended and whispered a question.
"What's wrong with you now?"
I kept my voice incredibly low so Ultimate wouldn't hear. Of course, I knew this was likely futile. Baek Si-hyun had no concept of stealth or secrecy; she would undoubtedly blurt out whatever was on her mind in a voice that would ring across the entire area.
But my prediction was proven wrong in an instant.
Even though I had addressed her directly, Si-hyun didn't make her usual racket. Instead, she stared blankly at the hand that had just shaken Ultimate's.
Seriously, what is up with her?
"Si-hyun. Snap out of it. If you don't, I'm pouring Liquid X down your throat."
And then she’d pass out and have nightmares.
Perhaps my threat worked. Si-hyun finally looked up at me and spoke slowly.
"Master. I have one thing to ask."
"What is it?"
Judging by her state, she was clearly dying to know something, so I figured I’d answer whatever it was. I braced myself for the question.
"That Hero, Ultimate... He’s actually strong, right?"
A bomb went off.
An overwhelming explosion of a question that I hadn't anticipated or prepared for in the slightest.
Si-hyun seemed to think she was being discreet by lowering her voice, but it was glaringly obvious that the mountain of muscle had heard her. He was currently frozen in place, whistling in a desperate attempt to pretend he hadn't heard, but the motion was incredibly awkward. Worse, he couldn't hide the way his muscles were twitching.
God dammit.
How did things get this twisted only minutes after meeting?
For now, Ultimate was showing he had a character as grand as his physique by not reacting poorly, but it was still a blatant insult. I thought I was the expert at ruining the mood, but I never expected a common-sense-defying bomb like this to drop.
How should I settle this?
Ultimate would likely wait and see how things played out, so I had to deal with Si-hyun first. Having decided on a direction, I asked my dazed Disciple A question.
"Can you tell me why you think that?"
My tone felt a bit strange, but that was probably just the stress. What did I do to deserve this?
"Um. Compared to people as strong as you, Master, or your friends... Hmm? How should I put it?"
The person responsible for this real-time disaster seemed to have no thoughts behind her eyes.
How should I know?
"Si-hyun. This is important. Just say anything, even if you have to make it up."
When I finally lost my patience and started shaking her, she blurted out:
"Ah! The aura is different! The aura! I can't really explain it, but the vibe? Something like that? Probably?"
What do you mean, "probably"? And what kind of answer is "the vibe"?
It was a completely incomprehensible response, so I grilled her a few more times, but The Queen of Nonsense had nothing more to offer.
And so...
"That's what she says."
I had no choice but to relay her answer to the Muscle Man. I figured this was outside my jurisdiction and beyond my perception, so they could just handle it themselves.
I was about to walk away and put some distance between us when—
"I see! So that's what this is about!"
Our resident muscle maniac let out a thunderous roar as if he’d reached an epiphany. He grabbed my hand and began dragging me along.
"Let go."
My mood soured instantly, and I tried to resist.
"Hahaha! It’s quite alright! Watch as I clear up this misunderstanding!"
The hot-blooded muscle pervert completely ignored me, radiating intense heat.
I wanted to scream profanities and tell them I didn't care about their misunderstanding and to settle it themselves, but before I could, I was forcibly dragged back in front of Baek Si-hyun.
"I understand exactly what you're trying to say!"
I was stuck right in the middle of a reconciliation I had zero interest in. The stifling heat radiating from the muscle pervert next to me was an unwanted bonus.
"The biggest difference between Crimson★Hammer and me! It is this!"
Thump.
The brute, who seemed to have traded his self-restraint for more mass, pounded his chest. It sounded like a gorilla drumming, sending a massive shockwave through the air.
"It has been fifteen years since the Otherworld opened! The difference is whether one has experienced those cruel battlefields or not! Since I only know of them through records, I clearly lack the specific atmosphere of those who survived that era's cruelty!"
Talk about a creative interpretation.
I also tended to think there was a difference between Old Era Heroes and modern ones, but that was a matter of mindset and the ratio of those who had reached enlightenment. If someone actually possessed power like Ultimate's, I didn't think you could distinguish between the generations like that.
For a ridiculous theory like that to work, you’d have to be a muscle-brain like him—
"Ah? Is that so? One's mindset usually shows on the outside... That makes sense!"
The world is doomed.
Baek Si-hyun fell for that con-artist logic instantly.
"So do not worry! For I am strong! If you are uncertain, how about a spar!"
As he spoke, he flexed his muscles into a Front Lat... who cares what the damn pose is. Regardless, Ultimate continued his nonsense.
I didn't care if he wanted to waste time posing, but the content of his words was the problem.
A spar? A spar?
In this busy situation?
The only reason I had endured the heat and intervened was to save time, yet here they were, trying to waste even more of it.
"You, come here for a second."
Enduring the unpleasantness, I grabbed Ultimate by the ankle and dragged him away. Once we were far enough from Si-hyun that she couldn't overhear, I snapped at him.
"Ultimate, you bastard. You were briefed on the situation before you came, weren't you?"
"Which briefing do you mean? The drugs? The hostile targets? Or is there something else I don't know? I've looked through most of the information, including the classified files."
So he had heard everything.
"If you've heard it all, then you should know. We need to move as fast as possible. We don't have time for sparring."
I turned to leave, thinking that would be enough for him to understand.
"Yes. I am well aware."
A calm voice reached me.
It was a cool, collected tone, unlike his usual boisterous heat. It wasn't particularly special; even Ultimate couldn't be loud all the time. So, I listened.
"I am clearly aware that Calavera paid a price to barely pin down their base, and that a major incident will occur if we don't move quickly."
His voice was analytical, but that very calmness made my blood boil.
A price?
Is it that simple when you put it into words?
Calavera was currently in a vegetative state. Because normal Ancestors couldn't track them, he had summoned an Ancestor that surpassed his limits, and this was the rebound. We were lucky he even caught their location; it almost ended with nothing to show for it.
"It's easy when you just say it, isn't it? If you know the situation so well, then get moving. We're leaving now."
I tried to suppress the rising anger within me, determined not to take it out on Ultimate.
"No, that is exactly why we must spar now."
"Are your ears clogged with muscle? Do I need to clear them with a nail? We. Have. To. Go. Now."
I was starting to get hotter than him.
"I know what you're thinking. This operation must not leak to the outside. That is why you are using the reliable people within your reach—your disciples."
"So what? You have a problem with that?"
"It's not a problem so much as a concern. I wonder if they are truly capable enough to carry out this mission."
I glared at him, my eyes filled with the anger blooming inside me.
"As you know, I have no intention of belittling those two Heroes. Anyone can see with a single glance that they are exceptionally well-trained. They do not bring shame to their Master's name."
"..."
I stopped speaking. I just stared him down.
"However, that is not enough. The place we are going is where a battle awaits against a powerful enemy that even you failed to eradicate. I am asking if your disciples can survive there."
I stared at him—a man who held a heat more intense than anyone else's within him, yet controlled it perfectly.
"They aren't going to be part of the main operation anyway."
"It will be too late if an accident occurs at The Enemy base."
"I'll protect them."
"They need a guarantee that they can protect themselves."
"...Was this your plan from the start?"
"The two strongest Heroes on Earth. That should be enough."
He puffed out his chest as he spoke. Just like usual.
I had nothing to say in response to his confidence and logic.
"...Finish it quickly."
I spat out those words and sat down on the ground. Hearing that, he broke into a toothy grin.
"The Master has given his permission! Now! Show me all the power you possess!"
With his usual fiery shout, he charged toward the disciples.
I sat in a corner, away from them, in a spot where the sun didn't reach, and watched blankly.
I simply chewed on thoughts of the next phase of the operation, and the fact that I truly disliked this man—who was hotter yet colder than anyone else.
By the time I had mastered my emotions and stepped back into the sunlight, the preparations for the spar were complete.
In terms of actual time, it probably hadn't been that long.
Probably.