40 - Don't Argue with a Lunatic Either

"Hurry and blow the door!" Rean yelled.

I don't have to be told twice. We're running because I need to shoot in a distance.

I turn around and immediately aim, while Rean turns around with his sword ready to protect me.

Instead of targeting the door, I aim for the flooring right outside the emergency door.

The bullets I'm using is the leftover fire bullets from the first exam. I was reserving it for the boss, but I figured it's better to use it here rather than risking my points and me mauled by these monsters.

The good perk of these fire bullets is that they explode on impact. So whatever surface they come in contact with, they will explode in small area. If they're used in clusters, they can substitute a grenade.

I pull the trigger and fire three consecutive shots at the flooring. A Direwolf arrives at the spot at the same time the bullets hit the flooring. The explosion is instantly and the flooring crumbles below the beast, sending it down to the floor below it as it howls.

"Nice shot, Terrence." Rean praised. "Now, let's go!"

The damage is not as good as a normal grenade. But it results in a wide enough hole to hinder the other Direwolves from running to the next floor. It's enough.

I turn around again and the both of us runs up the emergency stairs.

"Where are the survivors?" Rean asked as we're running.

As I switch the fire bullet magazine with a normal one, I answer. "The nearest one is floor 23. Storage room."

"How do you know that?" From his voice, he really is still confused.

Of course, it's confusing. This is the pinnacle of seer that no one could understand.

"Are you serious?" Rean asked.

"Huh?" I look behind me.

"Are you… A wizard, Terrence?" He asked in all seriousness.

It surprises me so much that I stop in my track and just… "HUH!?" with a very confused face.

He also stops and shakes his head. "N-No. Floor 23 is just ahead. Let's move fast."

I narrow my eyes at him before running again. 'I was just talking to myself. Why did he suddenly ask whether I'm a wizard? Does my existence put a hole in his code too that he's now stupid?'

I shake my head. 'N-No. This is first stage Rean. He hasn't gone in a journey, so it's understandable that he's stupid.'

Unbeknownst to Terrence, Rean's real thought is: 'If he really was dying and then came back to life, it's possible that he has obtained a unique spiritual ability. Some theological books in the library stated as such. I should research about all this later if his hunch proved to be correct.'

We arrive in 23rd floor in no time, and Natalie immediately reaches us as we struggle to open the emergency door.

"23rd floor. Camera is still offline, so we cannot pinpoint if there's any survivors. And no cadets have reached here except you two." She said.

"Terrence said they're in the storage room." Rean replies.

"… Alright. Go to the end of the hallway in front of you. Then go left, and right. It's the first door on the left." She actually pauses before replying that. But it's weird that she does not question how I know about it like Rean did.

"I'm not helping you because I agree to this. I'm helping you to get you finish faster. The sooner you finish whatever idiocy this is, the sooner you join the other team." She said, as if she knows what I was wondering.

I'm not insulted at all by her comment. It's just so her, and I'm not gonna complain if she's being true to her character.

Besides, if I were her, I would also do the same with lunatics like me in this situation. The first step is letting me see that I'm wrong, and I'll do what she says right after to compensate the loss of time. Which means that if there is no survivors here like I said, I should skip the rest of the floors and go straight to the roof.

But I'm about to prove them wrong.

There were only a few Prattas reaching this side of the floor which Rean took out without a drop of sweat. That's why getting to the storage room is easy peasy.

I turn the handle and push, but the door won't budge.

I remembered this room isn't locked. But I don't know why it can't be opened.

I ram the door with my body, then Rean tries it too, but it still won't budge.

No, it looks more like it's stuck. When Rean pushed it, I can see a bit of gap that closes instantly when he stepped back.

"Something is holding the door."

I try to look past the small glass window on the door, but it's the kind of design that is blurred right in its center part so I can't see anything.

I was about to smash the glass with my gun, but Rean beat me to it by smashing it with his bare hands.

My eyes are wide as saucer when I saw him did that. "Wow. You're strong."

He ignored me and speaks into the broken window. "If there are survivors here, please speak up! We're doing an evacuation!"

There is no response.

"Hello?! I repeat. The police are evacuating this building. If there are survivors in this room, please go to the door!"

I try not to fawn over his voice but it's just so cool and clear. I'm straight but I love this game and I like the characters in it. That includes Rean. And to be able to hear his cool voice yelling in a courageous way like this, I can't help but fall in love again. With this game.

"..elp!"

We hear something inside the room and a woman's head slowly rises and appear in the window. "H-help me, please!"

It's a woman in her late 40s it seems. Her hair is grey, tan skinned and a bit wrinkly, and there's a small cut on her forehead.

"Are you alright?" Rean asked the woman.

"Y-yes! But a big shelf fell, the top tray is above the window. It's stuck between the other shelf in the back of the room! I pushed it to keep the terrorist away, but now I can't open it!"

'What a troublesome woman.' I look at her flatly. But she's still my point!

"Don't worry, mam. We'll try and figure it out!" I told her with a determined look.

She tears up and nods her head frantically. "I'm counting on you!"

Rean comes up to me. "The shelf must be heavy, and if it's stuck in between, even pushing the door will be impossible with only the two of us."

"Can your sword cut through it?" I asked.

"My sword?" Rean rubs the door's surface with his hands, then he gives it a few knocks to guess the material.

He can obviously slash through it with his ability. He had slashed through a log in the training center, so obviously, he can slash this one too.

Then Direwolves' bark echoes through the walls and reaches our position.

"What is that…?" The woman asked nervously.

"It's okay. Can you stand back, mam? Like, get away from the door?" I asked.

"Alright." She disappears from the window.

"Can you?" I urge the redhead.

"I'm not sure." Rean stands back and readies his sword. "Stand back."

I step away from him and let him do his thing.

Faint blue light swirls around his body and gathers into his sword.

'Is he going to use the Azure Slash?' I notice the way the magic is flowing around his body is the same pattern with his signature move earlier.

The light envelopes the blade, making it glow light blue. He then slashes horizontally, leaving blue neon streaks on the door.

I clench my hands. 'He used it!'

The blue streaks disappear slowly, leaving a long horizontal slash that is as long as the door's width. Then, the area around the slash mark breaks instantly and we can see inside the room through the crevices.

It's obviously too small for the woman to go through, so I immediately kick it. The barks suddenly sound closer, so Rean jumps in as well.

We both kick the door until a big hole is formed. A crowbar slides through the hole and I use it to widen the hole to get the woman out of there.

As the barks got closer, we immediately run back to the emergency exit.

I can hear Ozzie's ding after we blocked the emergency door with the crowbar.

I look at my points: 14/27.

'Man, I don't even count at this point. But I hope I didn't miss anything, because I'm sure I didn't.' I pat mt own chest to calm myself down.

"Oh no… Are those monsters?" The woman looks over the railing to the floor below.

Thankfully, the blown-up flooring stopped the Direwolves from crossing it. But the Prattas are slithering the railing to get across the hole instead. It's fine since Prattas aren't as annoying as those wolves.

"It's alright. You're safe as long as you stay with us." I guide her from the railing as Rean talks to Natalie about the current situation.

She must be so embarrassed right now because a lunatic like me just prove myself right. Just imagining the shamed look on her face makes me smile.

"Are you alright? Do you need a bandage? There's a cut on your head." I asked the woman softly. But in my mind, I had different thought. 'I can't be having my points hurt. You must be treated!'

The woman shakes her head. "N-No, I'm fine. It's just a small cut. But I'm not important!"

She grabs my hands so powerfully as tears swells up in her eyes.

Rean stops his discussion with Natalie to pay attention to crying woman. "What's wrong, ma'am?"

"Please! My young lady is somewhere in this building! You must find her and save her from danger!" She cries as I try to keep my face straight from the painful hold.

Rean looks at the woman up and down. He must've just realized that the woman is not a worker of this building. Her clothes are very different from the workers we've just saved.

She's wearing a dark green long skirt, low white collars, and her hair is styled in a bun. She does not look like an office worker at all. And by the way she talks, it seems like she comes from a higher class.

"Your mistress is missing?" Rean asked after he realized her real occupation.

She nods with hiccups, tears streaming down her face. "Please, I beg you! Find her! She must be very frightened right now!"

"Shh…" I rub the back of her hands softly with my thumbs. "Don't worry. We will find her. Can you tell me—"

But before I can continue my words, Rean cuts me. "Terrence."

I pause and looks at him in annoyance.

Then we try to communicate with our body language.

I sign him with my eyes, glancing at the woman then to him. 'She's crying!'

Rean glares at me and points to his Arrow. 'We have protocol.'

I glare back and shake my head. 'No, I won't listen to it this time too!'

His face turns annoyed and he looks like wants to strangle me. Then he points with his thumb. 'We have to go!'

I then sign with my jaw. I point to him, the woman, then I rotate my head a bit like one would stretch their neck in warm-ups. – 'You and her, go first. I will follow!'

Rean frowns slightly. He doesn't understand what Terrence just signed. He understands the part where he and the woman should go first, but the last one is incomprehensible. 'Does he hurt his neck?'

The woman looks up between hiccups, tears and snots, because she just realized the two cadets just become silent. But Terrence turns to her in time as she looks up, so she doesn't suspect anything.

"Mam. This is my friend, Rean, and he will take you to join the other survivors. I will do my best in finding the little lady, so please don't cry!" I give her the most determined look I can muster.

Rean must be clenching his hands in disagreement, along with Natalie, but what's important is my points!

The poor woman's expression brightened and her hold on my hands tightens…! Yet, again!

"Thank you! Please! May you be blessed by the Goddess for eternity!" She lets go of my hands and pats my head and face.

'Urk. My poor fingers.' –is the only thing in my mind.

Rean sighs and speaks to his Arrow. "I will escort the lady to the others. Please guide Terrence, Captain."

"U-Understood, Cadet Rean. Please get the woman safe." Natalie replies rather hesitantly.

I smile at him and gives him a thumb up, but my fingers still hurt from her hold, so it's just like a half thumb up.