Chapter 235
Chapter 235
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Translator: crow
Chapter 235: Mucous Membrane
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* * *
Eventually, we... no, I.
Decided to rescue Edward's sister.
With this, the rest of the group had no choice but to follow my decision. My opinion held nearly absolute sway in this group right now.
In the end, it all comes down to force.
Sure enough, in a world like this, might makes right.
Even Grace, the most vehement opponent, had no choice but to change her mind once I made my decision.
Of course, having seen me dispatch the flesh monsters with ease, she probably figured we'd snag the shelter's master key without much hassle.
"How long until we get there?"
I asked Edward.
"Uh, one hour should be plenty."
"One hour? Really?"
"Two... two hours..."
"......Should we turn back?"
I teased Edward, who looked flustered and immature.
"Ac, actually, I don't know for sure either. I didn't time it... It definitely won't take two hours."
At the mention of heading back, Edward paled and started babbling excuses.
This guy... Can he really be trusted?
"Carrie, what's with that weird suit?"
Seeing Carrie and Grace in their sleek black suits, Philip's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked.
"Huh? This? Cool, huh? Un-ho made it for me."
"Made... it for you?"
Philip tilted his head, looking puzzled.
"Yeah. It's Un-ho's superpower."
"That's a superpower?!"
"Watch."
Carrie thrust her fist toward the glass of a nearby half-wrecked sedan.
-Crack!
Her fist smashed through the car window effortlessly.
"Huh?"
She withdrew her unscratched fist and proudly showed it off to Philip.
"How's that? Pretty amazing, right?"
"........Impressive."
"Philip, you should ask Un-ho too."
"......No thanks."
Philip flatly refused Carrie's urging.
He still had his pride...
But it was a wise choice all the same.
I had no intention of making one for him anyway—he'd just get shot down.
We set off to rescue Edward's beautiful sister.
On the way, we took down a few more flesh slimes.
That's when I realized a single soy grenade wasn't enough to finish them off completely.
This was true even though the soy grenade packed more punch than Edward's lame ability.
The things endured their fiery agony thanks to their insane regeneration.
Plus, regular fire didn't catch easily.
You needed sustained flames, like from an awakener like Edward or a soy grenade.
A half-hearted attempt would just turn flesh blobs into fireballs.
Detection ability sharp enough to sense mana stones.
Force strong enough to extract the detected mana stones.
And powerful fire to put them down for good.
To handle these flesh monsters, you needed all three.
No one in our group measured up.
Edward's flame powers offered marginal help at best, while the rest were dead weight.
And there was more baggage than I'd anticipated.
Sending them back and circling around again felt iffy.
About an hour in?
A bizarre landscape unfolded before us.
We couldn't help but hesitate at the sight.
Grotesque was the word for it.
Buildings and even the ground blanketed in dark red flesh mucosa.
It felt like stepping into an entirely different world.
"Doesn't look good..."
Philip frowned as he took it in.
"Everyone. It's, it's no big deal. See?"
Seeing our reluctance plain as day, Edward hopped onto the mucosa first and put on a brave front.
"Cut it out, Edward. Don't be so reckless..."
Richard gave him a stern warning.
The ground beneath his feet writhed, nearly toppling him.
"Ugh!"
He flailed in panic before regaining his footing.
This guy hadn't stepped on it before either...
"Wasn't it like this when you escaped?"
He rolled his eyes our way, desperately plotting how to talk us out of turning back.
"....Ye, yeah. When I escaped, it wasn't this bad..."
Edward sighed dejectedly, unable to muster a better response.
"Un-ho, look over there."
Grace pointed to the boundary between the mucosa-covered areas and the clear ones. The mucosa was visibly creeping outward, inch by inch.
The sight gave even me pause.
Is this really okay?
I'll be fine.
The others are the issue.
Turning back now would be a pain...
Give up on the hot doctor lady over this?
With all this baggage, weak thoughts were creeping in unbidden. This is why I shouldn't hang around wimps like Philip.
The power I've shown them is just the tip of the iceberg.
Protecting them? No sweat.
But I knew full well they wouldn't cheer if I flexed my real strength.
The survivor camp I took over in Sejong City proved it.
To those who witnessed the takeover, I'm a figure of terror.
No respect or awe headed my way.
The Cheonbmun folks were marginally better...
But every encounter with the Sejong survivors let me feel their fear.
In a word, they barely saw me as human.
Not that it mattered if I were a monster.
Not like I was offended.
No need to win them over...
No plans to get chummy.
Hell, I didn't have enough time for my own women.
Better a monster than a pushover.
But these American girls? I wanted to get along.
First impressions are everything.
Plenty of guy-girl sparks fizzle out before they start over a bad intro.
That's why I'd been sandbagging my power a bit.
But dragging our feet here just to keep up the act? Not very manly.
I hardened my resolve.
"Let's run."
"Huh?"
"Edward, show us your resolve. How soon we arrive is on you."
With me piggybacking Carrie—the weakest physically—Edward just had to hustle.
"Un, understood."
Edward nodded gravely.
-Squelch! Squelch!
With Edward in the lead, we dashed across the mucosa.
"Huff! Huff!"
Edward was gasping hard.
I had Carrie on my back, and he wasn't a body enhancement type, so he must've been dying.
Unsettling scenery, sure.
But contrary to expectations, no major threats en route.
Might've been needless worry.
Edward's desperate sprint, fueled by thoughts of his sister, paid off.
We arrived at what must've been a massive building, fully encased in flesh mucosa. Not even an entrance in sight.
"This the place?"
"Heek! Heek! Y-Yes..."
Yet Edward looked outright panicked amid his ragged breaths.
Wasn't like this when he escaped, right?
(Isn't it... already too late?)
Carrie whispered in my ear from her perch on my back.
Could be...
Philip, Richard, and Grace scanned the surroundings tensely.
"Un-ho, we're here. Put me down."
I set Carrie on the ground.
"Ugh! Feels weird stepping on it."
She complained, but kept tapping the surface curiously, unable to hide her intrigue.
Tougher than she looked.
"Edward, how about we head back? The building's state suggests it's already..."
Grace laid it out coldly for him.
"N-No way. It has to be right around..."
-Whoosh!
Edward rejected reality, conjuring flames to scorch what looked like the entrance.
The flesh writhed as the mucosa receded.
It was working.
"Everyone! See? This is the entrance!!"
Edward beamed.
"......"
But the group's expressions remained dubious.
"Wh-Why the long faces..."
Edward probed, catching our vibes.
This guy... does he really not get it?
Who'd wanna enter a dump like that?
A pitch-black maw into the building.
It looked just like a dungeon entrance from hell.
Any normal person would balk.
"Un-ho... Do we really have to go in?"
Carrie asked with clear unease.
Fair enough...
I didn't exactly relish stepping into that filthy flesh husk either.
-Schlurp schlurp schlurp.
That's when a deeply repulsive sound echoed from somewhere.
"Fuck! What the hell is that!!"
Philip bellowed.
Maggot swarms—forearm-thick—surged from hiding spots everywhere.
Flesh maggots that turned the stomach just to look at. Jagged teeth ringed their blunt maws.
Like enormous bloodworms fitted with fangs.
Probably pissed off from Edward torching the mucosa...
No escape routes.
Well, one.
Sensing inward, the building interior seemed free of major threats.
"N-No choice. This is our only way out."
Edward's smug delivery made me wanna smack the back of his head.
'This guy's loving it...'
In the end, maggot monsters herded us right where Edward wanted—forced into the dungeon.