Chapter 18: Underworld Bonds
We entered the Fight Club to the sound of cheering crowds as an announcer loudly gave an over-the-top introduction for a new challenger named Cold Dragon Young.
Which, unsurprisingly, turned out to be Dan Heng.
He stood inside the ring facing off against a group of robots shaped like giant fists, all while wearing the expression of a man who deeply regretted every decision that had led him here.
“That’s actually a pretty cool nickname,” I muttered with interest before turning toward March, who immediately gave me a deadpan stare. “Got any ideas for cool nicknames for us?”
March stared at me for a second before sighing heavily.
“Never mind that! Let’s just help Dan Heng already!”
“How about Joyful Marchie?” I suggested anyway, completely undeterred as I followed after her.
“Aaaargh! That’s horrible!” March pouted while running. “At least give me something cuter!”
“Berry-Blue!” I immediately fired back based entirely on her appearance.
March looked ready to reject that one too before pausing thoughtfully.
“…Hmm. Okay, that one’s actually not terrible.”
“Berry-Blue it is then~ While I shall be known as John Honkai!” I declared proudly with my hands on my hips.
“Why John? And what the heck is a Honkai!?” March asked in confusion.
Just as I was about to respond with more random Earth nonsense, we suddenly heard someone clear their throat nearby.
Turning around, both March and I came face-to-face with Dan Heng’s completely deadpan stare.
“…Please focus, you two,” Dan Heng said calmly. “If you were just going to fool around, you could’ve let me handle this myself.”
Almost in sync, both March and I awkwardly scratched the backs of our heads before March quickly recovered.
“Hey! For your information, me and Caelus have been looking for you ever since he woke up, so you could stand to be a little more thankful!” March shot back sassily. “Besides, now that we’re here, you won’t get your butt kicked anymore. You’re welcome, by the way~”
Dan Heng didn’t even dignify that with a response, which only made March pout harder.
Instead, he turned toward me.
“How are you feeling?”
Blinking at the concern hidden beneath his calm tone, I grinned and slapped him on the back.
“Feeling fully charged and ready to kick some clankers.”
Dan Heng sighed quietly, though I still noticed him relax slightly as he twirled his spear into position.
“With that response, I know you’re telling the truth.”
“Let’s end this quickly.”
“John Honkai is ready!” I yelled excitedly while March rolled her eyes playfully and pulled out her bow.
“Berry-Blue’s got your back!” she shouted right after me anyway, making my grin widen.
‘How could I not fall for this girl when she matches my energy so effortlessly?’ I thought fondly.
With the three of us working together, the clankers barely lasted more than a few moments before turning into piles of scrap metal.
“Hey, there goes Sampo!” March suddenly exclaimed in annoyance. “After him! He has a LOT of explaining to do!”
And just like that, she sprinted off again, forcing both me and Dan Heng to chase after her.
=====
A While Later
It didn’t take us long to track Sampo down, with the sleazy bastard immediately starting to spew excuses while March questioned him with an angry pout and her hands on her hips.
Honestly, she looked more like an angry pink bunny than anything intimidating.
No matter what we accused him of—ditching us to the Silvermane Guards, knocking us out with sleeping gas, or dragging us into the Underworld—the guy somehow always had an answer ready.
Trying to suck up to us, Sampo informed us that he would introduce us to Wildfire, the group currently keeping order in the Underworld after the Silvermane Guards abandoned the place.
He proceeded to drag us around Boulder Town searching for them with no success, which only made March more annoyed until she outright threatened him with violence if he was messing with us again.
After hurriedly reassuring us that he wasn’t lying, we soon stumbled across a commotion nearby.
A group of angry Underworlders had surrounded Bronya, clearly recognizing her Silvermane Guard uniform and looking less than pleased to see her.
“It looks like she’s in trouble…” March muttered with a conflicted look, showing that despite everything, she still had too kind of a heart to ignore someone in danger.
“M-My friends, don’t just stand there! This drama really doesn’t need more bystanders!” Sampo nervously said all but encouraging us to intervene.
“We should avoid drawing attention to ourselves… but we also can’t just leave her,” Dan Heng admitted reluctantly.
I, however, calmly crossed my arms after slotting in my Sharingan.
“There’s no need for us to get involved,” I said casually as I tracked a presence rapidly approaching.
“What do you mean?” March asked in confusion.
“Just watch,” I replied while nodding toward the crowd.
Right on cue, the moment one particularly brave—or stupid—Underworlder fired their weapon, a purple blur suddenly appeared between Bronya and the shot.
With a single swing of a massive scythe, the bullet was sliced cleanly into pieces.
“Whoa, that girl is fast,” March said with widened eyes as we got a proper look at the newcomer.
She had long purple hair, light violet eyes, and wore a mostly purple-and-black outfit paired with a red scarf.
Seele.
A blunt tomboy with a rough personality.
Admittedly, she was one of the girls I had never cared much for despite how pretty she was. Back then, it was easy to overlook characters when this was all just a game to me, especially since her in-game character instantly got power crept.
Now that everything was real though, I figured I should at least make an effort to properly get to know her.
‘Though something tells me my opinion probably won’t change much considering how laser-focused she already seems on Bronya… and vice versa,’ I thought blankly while ignoring their argument.
[Feat Achieved! Meet Seele]
+1 Silver Random Ticket
Blinking at the notification, I realized I now had three tickets saved up.
Since the conversation between Bronya and Seele looked like it was going to continue for a while, I decided to roll them.
[Rolling…]
[Nothing Wrong Here]
|Elite Trait|
A weaker form of normality. People instinctively rationalize your actions and become more accepting of strange behavior around you.
[Lucky Strike]
|Elite Ability|
When you use lucky strike, you can turn luck and favor your way for once, for 1 hour you are filled with extraordinary amounts of luck, and fortune of all kinds are on your side. Cooldown: 7 days, 7 hours, 7 minutes.
[Literacy]
|Uncommon Skill|
You know how to read effectively, you'd be shocked at how little people possess this skill. You know all common languages and mundane languages of the world you are in, and are very skilled at reading books and grimoires, allowing you to read them much faster and digest the information inside of them better.
The moment I read the last reward, my attention completely locked onto it.
Immediately pulling out my phone, I unlocked it and stared at the screen silently for several seconds.
Then a huge grin slowly spread across my face.
Unable to hold back my excitement anymore, I suddenly threw my hands into the air.
“I CAN READ! I’M NOT AN ILLITERATE BUM ANYMORE!” I shouted happily.
March and Dan Heng nearly jumped from the sudden outburst while everyone else nearby turned to stare at me strangely.
Thankfully, the effects of Nothing Wrong Here quickly kicked in, and moments later everyone simply returned to what they were doing as if nothing unusual had happened.
It took me a moment to calm down from the sheer joy of no longer being illiterate, and once I did, I blinked and frowned as the image of everyone suddenly ignoring my outburst replayed in my head.
‘Not gonna lie… that’s a terrifying trait I just rolled,’ I thought uneasily as I pulled up my HUD to see if there was a way to disable it. ‘It might not seem like much at first glance, but it basically makes people ignore certain actions I take, and I don’t think I like that very much.’
‘Besides, one of the last things I want is to miss out on people’s funny reactions to my antics. Those reactions give my life meaning, damn it,’ I huffed internally, slightly disappointed that March hadn’t reacted at all to my declaration.
A moment later, my eyes lit up when I realized I actually could deactivate the trait’s effects whenever I wanted.
Naturally, I immediately turned it off.
‘Going forward, I’ll probably only use it when the situation really calls for it,’ I decided with a nod. ‘Like sneaking around… or saving myself from dying of embarrassment after doing something incredibly stupid in public.’
Apparently I finished just in time too, because I suddenly felt someone’s gaze on me.
Looking up, I found Seele staring at us after apparently finishing her argument with Bronya for the moment.
“…Who are they?” Seele asked flatly while giving our group a brief once-over.
“Galactic Baseballer at your service~” I declared dramatically while pretending to tip a nonexistent hat. “We’re new to Boulder Town.”
Apparently Seele didn’t appreciate the introduction.
“…That name means nothing to me,” she replied with a completely blank expression before looking away. “At least I’m glad you’re not Silvermane Guards.”
Though reluctant, her tone did become slightly friendlier.
That was when Sampo decided to jump in with his usual sleazy charm.
“Well, it’s like this. The chief’s looking for some specific talent—urgent request and all that. So naturally, I’m bringing these fine folks to meet him~” Sampo explained with a fake smile.
Seele immediately frowned and shook her head.
“I don’t have time for this. Wildfire’s dealing with trouble at the Great Mine, and the chief’s busy,” she said dismissively. “If you really want to find him, come to the mine entrance.”
“I’m leaving.”
With that, Seele turned around and walked off with Bronya following behind her, though not before the silver-haired girl briefly glanced back at me.
The three of us silently watched them leave.
‘…Welp, at least she didn’t come across as a massive bitch. That’s already an improvement,’ I thought honestly.
“Well, she was rude,” March grumbled with a frown and her hands on her hips.
“She seemed preoccupied with whatever is happening at the mine,” Dan Heng reasoned calmly.
“Haah… guess we’re heading to the mine entrance then,” I sighed before pausing mid-step and looking around.
Then I sighed again.
“Sampo disappeared. Again.”
“Tsk! Every single time!” March immediately started ranting angrily. “Ugh, I seriously hate that guy!”
“Let’s keep moving. We already know where we’re going,” Dan Heng said as he calmly continued ahead.
It didn’t take us very long to reach our destination.
Up ahead, Seele and Bronya were already locked in another heated argument, neither looking willing to back down.
The moment they noticed us approaching, Seele turned toward us in surprise while Bronya simply looked away and pretended we didn’t exist, completely ignoring the slight glare March sent her way.
“Hey, you came. That was fast,” Seele said, her expression and tone noticeably friendlier than before.
“Of course,” I replied with a nod once we stopped in front of them. “So, mind explaining what exactly is happening at the mine?”
“…Didn’t I already tell you?” Seele sighed before continuing after seeing us shake our heads. “Long story short…”
She then went on to explain some of the Underworld’s history and how conflict had recently broken out over a newly discovered mine.
Since Geomarrow was essential to life down here, tensions had exploded quickly, and Wildfire was trying to settle things before they spiraled out of control.
By the end of her explanation, both March and Dan Heng had visibly relaxed now that Seele no longer seemed nearly as hostile as during their first meeting.
As for me, I still kept some reservations for now, but honestly, I didn’t see any major issues with becoming friends with her eventually.
“Then let’s go help,” I declared with a determined smile while March and Dan Heng voiced their agreement beside me.
Seele blinked in surprise before a small smile finally appeared on her face.
“You guys are really willing to help? …That’s actually pretty nice of you.”
“All in a day’s work for Team Trailblaze~” I declared while flashing her a peace sign.
“That’s right!” March immediately joined in with the same energy, striking her own pose with one hand on her hip. “Helping people is basically our thing, you know~?”
“Despite appearances, we really are here to help,” Dan Heng added more calmly.
“Then follow me,” Seele said with a nod before leading us forward.
Unfortunately, it only took a few seconds before she and Bronya immediately started arguing again.
Silently sighing, I caught March’s attention.
“What is it?” March whispered while moving a little closer so the others wouldn’t overhear us.
“I just have a feeling those two are going to end up attached at the hip going forward,” I whispered back while subtly gesturing toward the arguing pair ahead of us.
March hummed thoughtfully while observing them for another moment before blinking in realization.
“Huh… I kinda see what you mean. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were either future best friends or something… more,” she muttered with a small blush near the end.
I could only snort in amusement since she had accidentally hit the nail directly on the head.
“Let’s just hope neither of us ever gets stuck alone between them,” I whispered wisely. “That sounds incredibly awkward.”
After a bit more walking, we eventually came across a roadblock ahead where the familiar figure of the beautiful Natasha was waiting.
We quickly greeted her and struck up a conversation as Natasha further explained the situation, smiling softly when Seele mentioned that we had agreed to help.
“Haha, I believe we’re dealing with some very kind-hearted people here, Seele,” Natasha said warmly while looking our way.
“Compliments will get you very far with me~” I replied cheekily with my hands on my hips, earning a small giggle from the nurse and eye rolls from the other girls while Dan Heng wisely remained silent.
My smile softened a moment later as I let out a quiet sigh.
“You already helped us out a lot, Natasha. So this is the least we can do,” I said sincerely while placing a hand over my chest. “Don’t worry, we’ll help however we can.”
“That’s right,” March immediately chimed in beside me.
“I already told you that you don’t owe me anything,” Natasha replied gently with a small shake of her head. “But I truly appreciate you helping the people here.”
‘Yep… and this is exactly why Natasha is my favorite person on Jarilo-VI, closely followed by Serval,’ I thought silently. ‘She’s just way too nice for her own good.’
‘It also doesn’t hurt that she’s gorgeous.’
After saying our goodbyes to the nurse, we crossed the bridge together.
As March would say—
It was time to be heroes.