NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20: She shoots, she scores!
"Do you think we can afford ten portions of food after selling this? I hope there'll be a lot more left, though, so we can buy more tomorrow and the day after. Well buy a truck full, okay?"
Mark stared at her for a while, speechless, and he hated to admit it, but he was dazzled.
He thought he would die. He thought he wouldn't get to hear that crazy and nonchalant voice of hers. He thought that those words he said to her would be the last since there was no one coming to their rescue but he thought wrong.
Who could've thought that she would be the one to come to his rescue and not the other way around?
The moon seemed to be shining right behind her and so she looked radiant, carrying that mighty hammer like it was nothing. He didn't even have the strength to question her about where she got it from.
He laughed and then said,
"Yeah, I'm sure." He said and smiled. "But this time, I'll take you there directly. Let's go out to grab a nice meal, you and me. You can order whatever you want."
As soon as he said that, the ground shook again and Alice rolled her eyes. She was just about to get excited at Mark's offer to feed her all she could eat.
"What now? Can't you see I'm having a moment here?" She yelled.
From the gate, where the hydra came from, a double-headed crimson griffin, towering about ten meters with six wings, appeared, casting its menacing crimson eyes in her direction. Its mane was billowed in fiery flames as it dived towards the ground and sent shockwaves upon its landing.
Its shockwave broke most of the building in front of it. The facility was built with the finest materials, so for it to be destroyed to that extent, thanks to its landing, then it goes to show how powerful it was.
It gave out a menacing cry that almost blocked Alice's eardrum, and she cussed out.
"The heck!"
She used her third eye and scanned the griffin. It emanated an ominous red light. It was far more dangerous and far more ferocious, than th hydra which had four heads and four elements in its favor.
"Ugh, just give me a second." She said.
"You want to fight that thing?" Mark asked, alarmed, and Alice glanced down at him.
"I know right? There's this annoying voice in my head that won't shut up." She said with a comical scoff. "I just have to do what it wants if I want some peace in my head."
"Wait, what are you talking about? That's a crimson griffin. It's very dangerous." He pointed out.
Well, it was quite obvious. The whole red body, fiery mane, and six deadly wings that could stab through steel.
Yeah, it was dangerous as hell.
"Relax, Boss. What's the worst that could happen besides death, right?" She asked with a grin and leaped forward.
She carried the wind with her strong movement as she headed straight for the griffin. Just like the hydra, it looked like a vessel and its real self, its weak point, was on its head.
But not like the hydra who was not quick to react to sneak attacks, the crimson griffin was fully prepared to receive any attack wherever it was coming from.
It shot a giant fireball at her right away, and Alice thought she would burn, but the hammer in her hand served as a shield.
Well, if that was the case, she didn't have anything to worry about.
She charged into the fire as it came directly from the griffin's mouth and then it stopped. The griffin probably thought it had gotten rid of her, but she was right in front of him, her eyes glowing with excitement as she raised her hammer, ready to score a home run with it.
Alice smashed the hammer on the crimson griffin's head, and it smashed its skull completely, also throwing it off its feet and sending it flying into the building it had nearly destroyed with its roar. Thus, bringing down the building completely.
Alice landed on her feet with the hammer resting on her shoulder and gazed into the place the griffin crashed into.
"She shoots, she scores. And the crowd goes wild!" She tittered. "I always wanted to do that."
The survivors who saw this scene unfold could not help but be amazed. They never thought they would survive unless an S-class showed up and saved them.
But this girl, she was not a certified S-class but she was laughing in the monster faces.
"Miss Alice," Mark called and Alice looked back to find him leaping towards her.
"Oh, you're injured, Boss. You should get treated." Alice said but Mark has his own plans.
"Can you sit down for a moment?" He asked, and though she didn't know why he asked her to sit, she dropped her hammer on the floor, quite carelessly, as it landed and cracked the entire floor underneath it.
"My bad." She said but did not think too much of it and sat down on one of the rubble. A broken pillar. "Now what?"
To her surprise, Mark went down on one knee and took her feet. She almost forgot she was barefooted the whole time.
He tore a piece of his shirt and cleaned her feet, shocking her.
"H-hey, you don't have to do that." She said, a little flustered, and this was the first time Mark was seeing her act like an actual girl. He laughed.
"Let me." He said. He cleaned her feet and wore her feet a pair of boots he had gotten from one of his team members who had small feet. "There." He smiled at her.
"Boss, did you know that you're really good looking?" Alice asked as he got up to his feet.
"You think so?"
"Yeah. Your face could really sell well in the black market brothel." She added with a sly grin and his hopes fell.
"Ah, no thanks." He said and she chuckled.
"Hey, you're acting weird," Alice said. "Are you sure... This ain't the end of the world?" She asked and Mark looked down at her.
"I don't know. You tell me."
Well, he was acting weird and giving her the creeps with his actions but that aside, the voice in her head had suddenly gone silent.
*Alice*
'Ah, I spoke too soon.' she thought, dreading. "What is it this time?" She asked and Mark looked at her.
"What?" He asked, but she shook her head.
"Oh sorry, not you. It's this voice in my head." She said and looked away. "What do you want this time? I killed them both."
*There's more* the voice said.
"What?!"
Then, from the gate, more growls and creeks echoed. There were more monsters. Strong, big, and destructive monsters.
"So, what... What are you saying now? You want me to go in there?" She asked but the voice did not respond. "Dammit, can't we just leave it to the S-class that will be here any moment? At this point, you're just asking me to go die."
*You have to get stronger*
"And what does that have to do with entering a freaking red gate?" She asked, spited. "A RED GATE!"
*The more powerful monsters you kill, the more powerful you become, and the more powerful you become, the...*
It paused.
"W-wait, don't stop talking now. Say it. What's that last part?" She asked, getting up right away. "What happens when I become more powerful?"
Mark looked at her, wondering who she was talking to that she was getting so aggressive. It was as if she was having an actual conversation with an invisible person and not actually going crazy.
Was that the voice she said was giving her orders? But wait, what was he hearing about going into the dungeon?
"Agh, fine. You'll tell me if I survive, right? You better keep your end of the bargain." She said and picked up her hammer but Mark grabbed her arm, stopping her right away.
"Where do you think you're going?"