Maids VS Apocalypse

Extra Chapter for achieving the 2nd goal of 130 Power Stones!

This one was a little late since my sleeping schedule is a little messed up. Another 2 Chapters will follow later today.

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Mark obviously couldn’t jump down a hole that deep. The Sergeant should’ve known that already so it was a little weird that he asked him to do it.

Heaving a sigh, Ramsay scratched his head and took a step toward him. Mark got another bad feeling and retreated a step but it was already too late. The distance between them was already closed, and with a slight shove, his body was thrown inside the hole.

Lara’s eyes widened and she immediately dove down after him. Ramsay watched her go and sighed again. He then stepped inside the vent.

Mark was about to raise the output of his Force Field to the max when he saw his maid plummet toward him. She caught up in an instant, kicked off the wall, and took hold of him. She then stabbed her spear into the wall and hung stopped their fall.

Ramsay passed them just then and the look he gave them was that of disappointment. Only then did Mark notice that he was latching onto his maid like a frightened kitten.

"Don’t worry, lad! I got you covered!"

A translucent orange palm appeared a few meters under them. Mark was about to glance at his maid when she let go of the spear. The fall this time was short and the instant a solid surface was under their feet Lara let go of him and distanced herself.

The panic Mark felt from the fall was replaced by a different kind brought forth by the tight hug he just shared with the maid. For a moment the only thing on his mind was the delicate figure pressing against him.

The palm beneath them slowly descended and reached the bottom in a few seconds.

"C’mon, Newbie. You know we would’ve caught you."

Mark fixed the blonde one with a glare then turned to the Sergeant.

"I’m definitely killing you one day."

"Quit being a pussy."

Ramsay scoffed and turned to the tunnel on their left. It was dark inside which is why the big guy was carrying a large flashlight. A gentle breeze was blowing from that direction and only got stronger as they progressed. A couple of minutes later they arrived at a massive fan.

"This leads to the shelter?" Elya asked.

"Where else?" The sergeant replied.

Ben raised his right hand and grasped at the air. The translucent orange hand manifested between the blades of the fan and caught one of them, preventing it from spinning.

"Get going."

The air vent was large enough for the massive Ben to walk upright. It was made out of concrete rather than metal and started as a single tunnel then turned branched off every now and then. Ramsay led the way and rarely stopped, making it clear that he knew his way around.

There were many moments when they had to go down vertical shafts. It didn’t help that at the bottom of each one was another one of the massive fans spinning at a speed that gave the illusion that it could shred humans into pieces.

The only one who needed help getting down was Mark. It was fine at first, but by the fifth, he could no longer ignore the embarrassment. Thankfully it soon came to an end.

Ramsay gave them the signal to stop and stay quiet then went ahead to scout. He came back a couple of minutes later and going by the grim look on his face everyone guessed that the situation wasn’t good.

"They’ve already made it inside." He said.

"Already?" Franco’s surprised tone echoed how everyone else felt.

"Well, we have been late from the start," Mark commented

"I don’t need to say this a second time, right?" Ramsay’s gaze shifted from one to another then landed on him. "We go straight for the target. We get him and get out of there immediately."

They weren’t there to fight the Red Hoods or to save the civilians. Their goal was to extract Kobayashi and nothing else. Mark understood as much, but apparently, the Sergeant didn’t think he could stick to the plan.

"I know this is a little late, but..." Alex smiled wryly as he raised his hand. "Is the target someone important?"

Elya facepalmed herself so hard it echoed in the silent tunnel. The blonde one’s question confused Mark and he turned to look at Ramsay. The Sergeant had told him that the others knew mostly nothing about his game or the Quest that brought them all the way here. That made him curious about the explanation they were given.

"Did you forget already?" Franco clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "We’re doing a favor for Mr. Level 5 over here."

Mark couldn’t help but frown. That explanation told him next to nothing. Their dense companion seemed to recall the details just then as his eyes shot open.

"Right! The deal!" He turned to him. "Man, I can’t believe you forced them to do you favors just so you would join us. A Level 5 really is on an entirely different level!" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Unlike us Level 3 plebs who have to pass an exam, you get to make demands." Elya’s laugh was as dry as it could get.

"Hey now, the lad used that privilege to look for his family and friends. Show him some respect."

Only when Ben spoke up did the story become a little clear. Mark could only shake his head on the inside. It was mostly true, but he didn’t think that his motivations were as noble as they made them out to be.

The only reason he was bothering to save Kobayashi was so he could improve his System. As for his parents, though he felt compelled to look for them as their son, a big part of it was the questions he had.

"He should’ve cashed it out in the Overworld." Ramsay scoffed. "Alright, break time is over. Ready yourselves. We’re moving out."