World's Best Protagonist [BL]

After polishing our strategy, Claude arranged the items he brought out from the suitcase over a small camping table. All of us stared at him with disbelief. He prepared everything! From a portable butane stove to foldable camping chairs.

"Don’t just gawk at me and boil water."

I blinked, and then exchanged glances with Allen and Lexie. Both of them were shocked as well.

"Where did you even get all these, Captain? Are these items provided by the NSA?" Lexie inquired while twisting the cap of a water bottle, and then gave it to Allen, who was placing a casserole over the stove.

Allen took it and poured the water in.

"No. I bought them with my own money."

That explains where those boxes in my old room came from. I grabbed a water bottle and drank it full. I’ve been wanting to drink since earlier, to remove any remaining dust particles I swallowed.

We cooked cup noodles. Terrius arrived just in time and built a bonfire since the sun had already abandoned us. Then, we circled on it, slurping on the noodles while still being alert.

Just as we finished putting everything back inside the suitcase, the ground trembled. The five of us were alarmed.

"Take your positions," Claude ordered and instantly disappeared.

The other four followed, while I stood behind the bonfire. I watched the dark entrance of the cave above the dancing flames of the fire before me without blinking. I sensed a movement, then the sounds of the earth crunching, like rocks rubbing each other.

Didn’t Noir say it was a giant centipede?

A hiss echoed from the lair—low and gurgling, like stone scraped against bone. And then, it came out, shooting out like an arrow, directly toward me. But it briefly hesitated after seeing the fire.

However, it continued to lunge. I realized fire was useless since its body was made of stone.

"Duck!"

No, captain, stoned centipede!

I ducked behind a protruding stone slab. Then, an ear-splitting, screeching sound tore through the night.

The boss monster was massive and long. It was a giant centipede, but its body undulated in layered plates of stone, each segment bristling with blade-like limbs.

It was caught by the binders, but as it wriggled forcefully, the installed binders shook with the ground. Claude jumped on its back and struck it, but his sword only glared after hitting its stone-hard armour.

"Captain! The thread’s snapping!" Lexie shouted. "Throw your nets!"

Terrius and Allen threw theirs on the monster’s lower body. Claude and Lexie used theirs on the upper. Its wriggling slowed for a moment, but soon enough, the nets only got dragged by it.

Then, its head snapped toward me. Oh, it noticed me again. It screamed, more a rumble than a roar, and then surged forward.

I ran despite knowing that Allen used his Infinite Fortress on me.

"Jade, where are you going?!" Lexie yelled, chasing us.

Even with the nets caging its limbs, the monster’s strength alone snapped all the threads. The binders loosened, and its movement became faster again.

The only advantage was that, because of the heavy nets covering its body, it couldn’t move up, which helped Terrius, Claude, and Lexie to fight it on the ground while chasing me.

"To the gap!"

I jumped over a protruded rock and bumped into the mountain wall, erupting a groan from me. I remembered seeing a gap between mountain walls when we passed earlier. A pass the size of a small car can fit through.

However, as I moved away from the bonfire, the path became darker and darker. Not to mention, the looming shadow of the creature over me.

I finally reached the crevice.

I jumped in as the creature lunged after me. Its body grazed on the mountain walls, its limbs folded, yet it still moved forward.

"Oh, fuck."

I murmured when I stumbled at the solid wall. It was a dead end. I glanced up, there was no way I could climb this wall with nothing. The opening above was narrow, but I’m certain I can fit if only I can fly.

I’m trapped here, with a wriggling giant centipede next to me. Its antennae were trying to reach me, so I pushed my back on the wall, standing straight while holding my breath.

"Terrius!"

My eyes lit up after hearing Claude.

Then, all of a sudden, the temperature decreased. Ice gleamed in the darkness, freezing the lower body of the creature, which was stuck. It screamed, but it couldn’t lift its upper body because of the nets, and only its antennae were moving freely, just a foot away from my face.

"Jade, are you alright?!"

Above me was Allen, kneeling on the mountain’s surface. I shouted back, "Yeah!"

"Thank goodness. Stay still. I’m taking you out."

A few seconds later, my feet left the ground. Allen was carefully watching out for the sharp edges of the wall, so I floated slowly.

"Thanks, Allen," I muttered.

He reached out his hand like I’m some old man who needed support to land, and I took it without complaint. However, my balance was already steady and yet he still didn’t let go.

I looked up at him. Our faces were only illuminated by the starry night, yet I still noticed his pale complexion.

He squeezed my hand and murmured apologetically, "I’m sorry, Jade. I need your help immediately."

Oh, of course! He used his ace card on me. He must have run out of most of his energy.

I quickly dragged him to sit and held both of his hands. I was focused on sucking his dark energy when he suddenly opened up a conversation.

"When everything is done, what will happen to you?"

I paused. I already pondered that.

"I don’t know. I forgot to ask the World Tree."

"What’s it like?" Allen tugged my hands, signalling me to continue.

"I’m not sure. I was just stuck inside its trunk, which turned out to be the library."

"You’ll probably wish to stay inside after you fix the imbalance." He smiled, but his eyes were sad. "You like books more than anything."

"That...well, I’m not sure about that anymore..."

"Really? Have you come to like something more than them?"

I bit my lip. Have I?

"Or is it someone?"

My heart throbbed.

His grip tightened on my hand. I looked up at him and he showered me with an intense gaze flickering with hope. His green eyes were as bright as the stars above, but the shape of them was slightly droopy, like they were going to cry.

"I hope it’s me."

He dropped the bomb. And his emotions exploded right in my face.

I have no excuse to ignore them anymore. Because even if I close my eyes, his voice, his gaze, the look on his face, were already etched in my mind.

Why, Allen?

"I hope you’ll come to like me more than your books, Jade. So, you’ll have a reason to stay."