NOVEL NEXT Chapter 66: D-1
My phone!
Ferris stood up and patted his armor, which was still there despite tearing off his fake face a moment ago.
How do I even take this thing off?
The longer he looked at it, the less sense his armor or rather, his costume—made sense.
Some of the metal plates seemed to float in place without any straps or hinges holding them together. Some of the ornate designs weren't even carved, they were just painted on.
Did Tailoring Swift not think about basic needs? How am I supposed to take a piss in this armor…
Wait, I don't think I want to do that in this form. Ferris reluctantly held back his critic against the tailoring hero.
I already lost my facial makeup, but I still have Alaric's body to hide myself with.
Yes, Ferris could simply hide his face with a cloak, and the disguise would still somewhat work.
So right now, it was either keeping his disguise or contacting the hero.
Screw it.
Ferris placed his hands into crevices and prepared his mind to tear it apart forcefully.
Tailoring Swift said that this disguise is a part of my body.
He recalled how he tore his face off a minute ago. It was a bit painful, but there was no real damage in the end.
"Need help taking that off?" Zaku said, finally taking his eyes off from his phone. "I'll help."
The man extended his hand, staring at Ferris's bone sword.
Ferris paused to think. There was no way he'd hand over a weapon to someone he'd just met.
But if he refused, there'd be no trust between them either.
After all, every bridge between allies begins with trust.
I'm not sure how he'll help, Ferris thought, but I don't mind.
Ferris unsheathed his sword and tossed it over to Zaku.
Due to the split-second decision by Ferris, Ferris's toss came from nowhere, which startled Zaku's senses as he clumsily tried to position his body to catch the blade without cutting himself.
But, the moment Zaku made contact with the bone sword... something familiar happened.
Ferris felt the obvious shift in the atmosphere. It was the same thing he saw from before.
Slash.Slash.Slash.
Before Ferris could even think, he was already back in his normal form.
The layers of armor he once had were now reduced to nothing more than thin strings that evaporated in the air.
All that was left now was the villain's badge, which dropped onto the floor, creating a resounding clink.
It happened so fast, I didn't even notice anything!
Zaku's body tingled. He immediately dropped Ferris's sword to the floor, causing the bone material to make drumming noises. "Ouch! The hell, man?" he exclaimed.
Zaku suddenly became drowsy.
There was a visible redness in the arm he used to cut Ferris's disguise with. Zaku held it tightly as if he was injured. "Who are you? That was fucking crazy."
Zaku sat back down, looking at his reddened arm returning to its normal pigment.
"I don't think I can sell hotdogs tomorrow, thanks a lot buddy..." Zaku sneered, still feeling the drain of his body.
What's this guy's blessing? Ferris thought, but he quickly shut himself off.
Knowing Zaku's blessing will come at a later date. Right now, Ferris needed to get his head in the game.
Taking out his phone, Ferris tried connecting to the Wi-Fi, which was easy since it lacked a password.
Ding!Ding!Ding!
The pleasant dings reached his ear, so calming that it almost made him want to sleep and rest forever.
These notifications are from Prodigy Prince.
He quickly tapped on the notification bar, heading straight to the messaging app and saw his old messages.
ShiningKn1ght*_01[Need help ASAP]
ShiningKn1ght*_01[There's something wrong in the exam]Message failed to deliver . . . Tap to resend.
XxMechaUnicornxX[What happened?]
[I can't track you!]
[Hellooooooo]
. . .
What, did Prodigy Prince really just admit to tracking my location? So weird...
But that's better!
Ferris hurriedly typed on his keypad to make a response.
ShiningKn1ght*_01[I'm alive, come here!]
Ferris waited for a response, and luckily, his message was instantly seen the moment he tapped the send button.
XxMechaUnicornxX[Ok]
. . .
. . .
. . .
XxMechaUnicornxX[I got your location][Haha...][I've been tracking you, sorry if I invaded your privacy like that][Anyways, why are you all the way in city 23?]
ShiningKn1ght*_01[That's not important][Can you come here?]
XxMechaUnicornxX[I'm trying to get one of my satellites to picture you]
. . .
<Sent an attachment>
A picture?
Tapping the image, Ferris saw a highly detailed map of a city, although it was hard to see the details because it was almost night time.
XxMechaUnicornxX<Sent an attachment>
This time, there was a poorly drawn red circle in the center.
[Is this where you are?]
How would I know... I can't imagine the top view of where I am but.
Ferris explored the image, and he did see the silhouette of a large structure that resembled the museum.
But there was something strange about the picture.
Shouldn't the crimson cloud be blocking it? Why is it so clear? And the streets look a little empty...
...Maybe it's an illusion.
ShiningKn1ght*_01[There's a barrier around the city, be careful]
XxMechaUnicornxX[I figured that out just now, I'll look for a way in and contact the association][Brb]
Ferris looked at the last message sent by Prodigy Prince. He worried that him asking for the Hero Association's help would lead to something bad happening.
But there was nothing to worry about, the Hero Association has the power to silence ordinary people and even control social media.
But this is Prodigy Prince, an S-Class hero. There was no way that the Hero Association could move such a colossal figure.
They even have their own satellite too... Must be nice being rich... Ferris gloomed over a bit more on the text before closing his phone.
"Who was that?" Zaku asked while scrolling on his phone.
"...Some hero." Ferris answered. He decided to lay his torso on the wooden table for the time being.
Now that Zaku had calmed down for a bit after using his blessing, he decided to ask something. "I keep seeing heroes in my feed, how much do they get paid?"
What an odd question, but I do like it... Ferris thought of some numbers that would fit each rank, but then he remembered the actual numbers.
Salaries were included in the written exam, so he remembered the values.
D-Class: 18,000/yearC-Class: 36,000/yearB-Class: 72,000/yearA-Class: 180,000/yearS-Class: 1,200,000/year
Although it's not that high compared to other jobs, the real benefit was the popularity. The higher your rank is, the more famous you become, attracting extra bonuses through sponsorships, toy company contracts, merchandise royalties, advertisements, and brand deals. Some heroes even make more from endorsements than their base salary.
There are also additional rewards for defeating or assisting in the defeat of high-value villains or large-scale threats—often granted as lump-sum bonuses.
Of course, there were exceptions to these facts. One of them is the S-Class hero Firefly, famous for not accepting any private deals and only accepting her base salary.
She's quite a saint, no wonder Elizabeth might be a die-hard fan.
"Wow, one mil... What even is that number? Is it bigger than a hundred?"
Ferris looked at Zaku with a concerned expression when he heard those words.
Ding!
Upon hearing the notification, Ferris sat straight back up and looked at his phone.
XxMechaUnicornxX[They said that they can't do much about it because of the barrier][So useless!]
[I checked the previous data of the satellites that passed through your area.][The barrier is made up of pure essence. I'm not sure if I can forcibly break through it...][However, it does have a tiny hole near the TV tower, and... there's also one just above the old museum near you]
ShiningKn1ght*_01[So you can't come?][There's 3 demon-level villains here!]
XxMechaUnicornxX[The space is too small for my mechs. Sorry]
[If only there was a way to destroy the barrier from the inside]
Ferris's face lit up when he heard that idea.
ShiningKn1ght*_01[There's a way, I heard there's a large egg in the center of the museum, maybe it's that?]
XxMechaUnicornxX[An egg??][Whatever it is, it explains why my satellites detected a large essence signature]
A large essence signature? How did I not detect it when I came inside?
ShiningKn1ght*_01[It was created by someone called][The Mother of All Celestial Beings Born of Mortal Lands. Do you know who that is?]
XxMechaUnicornxX[Idk, funny name though]
. . .
ShiningKn1ght*_01[...]
[What should I do now?]
Ferris waited for a response. This time, it took longer than usual. He saw Prodigy Prince is typing... appear, only for it to vanish—then appear again. It repeated several times, testing Ferris's patience.
What's taking him so long? Ferris thought. Normally, Prodigy Prince replied almost instantly.
XxMechaUnicornxX[Actually...][I have one thing that can fit through the barrier][It should arrive at midnight]
ShiningKn1ght*_01[What is it?]
Message failed to deliver... Tap to resend.
"What the heck? I can't scroll anymore!" Zaku complained, swiping at his screen again and again, only for it to be stuck in loading.
Then—
Boom!
An explosion rocked the air.
The entire apartment trembled, dust raining from the ceiling as the distant echoes of battle followed—the unmistakable symphony of war erupting outside.