Villain Simulator-Chapter 98: Explosion

Adrian POV:

Since I had given Rachael the bag, she had been uneasy, and I could easily discern her thoughts.

From the initial bewilderment to feeling weird to growing curiosity and desire, every change in Rachael’s demeanor was apparent to me.

Charlotte might believe that Rachael was behaving this way because it was her first time in a Dungeon Crack, but that was just about 30% of the reason.

Only I knew the entire reason:

The Rubik’s cube, or more specifically, the Chaos energy stored within it, was what attracted Rachael, making her uneasy.

Similar to how Fire Dragons resided in volcanoes and were attracted to fire because of their natural affinity to fire, Rachael, a Chaos Creature, was attracted to Chaos energy.

But how could Rachael, a human being, be a Chaos creature?

In fact, she wasn’t.

Rather, the traits and Class that she was awakening to were slowly imbuing her with the characteristics of a Chaos creature.

Chaos Creatures—the dwellers of Chaos—beings of unimaginable power—even a single one of them could single-handedly overturn our foundation of physics.

Rachael’s unique Class was based on one such creature, and it was not even a normal Chaos creature.

’It happened to be "that" one.’

Since Rachael was destined to die in the novel, I thought to give the Chaos Invasion storyline more depth through her and gave her ’this’ Class.

There were various other reasons and details, but those could be discussed later.

For now, the most important thing was to give Rachael a space where our presence wouldn’t hinder her actions.

That was why I took action, giving Charlotte orders to leave and keeping myself busy around Rachael while turning my back to her.

And, as expected, Rachael soon succumbed to the innate temptation.

She was pulled towards the Chaos energy like a thirsty traveler towards an oasis in the midst of the arid wasteland.

But more often than not, giving in to temptation had always ended badly for a human, and Rachael wasn’t an exception to this.

Consequently, the moment her fingers made contact with the cube,

Zing~!!!

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The Chaos energy inside it reacted to Rachael’s presence as if it had finally found its long-lost owner.

Buzzzzz-!

It was as though a dormant beast had been awakened. The reaction was so wild that it shook the Rubik’s cube beyond its limits, causing it to crack.

Crack!

From the crack that was created, Chaos energy leaked out, rushing towards Rachael, who felt a chill run down her spine.

Shiver!

In her hand, the cube’s temperature skyrocketed, and it became searing hot, like molten lava.

This all happened in a split second.

Chaos energy threatened to consume her.

But the scorching heat of the cube hitting her fingers immediately broke Rachael free of the Chaos energy’s mental entrapment.

"AHHHHHH!!!"

Panic surged through Rachael—a frightened scream escaped her lips, and with a rush of adrenaline, she flung her hand free from the cube’s grasp.

Everything that happened was within my senses. I was on high alert.

So the moment I noticed the Rubik’s cube vibrating, I held my breath, my heart raced, and I turned around in time to see Rachael coming to her senses.

Her face was contorted in terror.

’Perfect.’

The flawless scene was staged. I cheered in my mind, but on the outside, my expression turned grave as, without hesitation, I yelled in shock.

"RACHAEL-!!!"

My voice reverberated through the subway station as I kicked the ground and rushed toward Rachael at full speed.

In that moment, as I used my senses and speed to their maximum, time seemed to slow down.

Clink!

The Rubik’s Cube dropped to the floor, and my eyes squinted to maximum.

In the nick of time, I swept Rachael into my arms and pulled her away from the Rubik’s Cube, which, not a millisecond late, detonated like a bomb behind us.

KABOOOOM!!!

Time moved normally once again as the deafening, thunderous explosion engulfed the entire subway station, sending shockwaves through the tunnel.

Bang!

Rumble!

It shattered nearby glass panels, rattling the very foundations of the station, and in an instant, it reached us.

"—Ahhhhhh!"

Rachael screamed involuntarily and clung to my body as if bracing for the impact that threatened to consume her.

The air grew thick with smoke and dust, making it difficult to see or breathe.

But at that second, I ignored it all. I held onto Rachael tightly, trying to shield her from the destruction unfolding around us, and then slowly yet gently whispered in her ear.

"Don’t worry. As long as I am here, nothing can hurt you."

Rachael’s eyes widened, and in that critical moment, I turned my body, my back facing the explosion, and I protected her as if my only concern was her safety.

BOOOM!!!

My back was seared by the impact that propelled us through the air like a rocket.

The world around me blurred, but I didn’t let go of Rachael for a second despite the excruciating pain—willing to go to any lengths to keep her safe.

Slam!

My body slammed onto a pillar and came to a stop.

’It hurts!!!’

I felt the pain of my broken bones and a second-degree burn on my back, but despite all that, my face only had a slight frown on it.

Dropping to the ground, I wanted to stumble and lie down to catch my breath, but I kept standing straight, my naked back burning red and my back upright.

Rachael in my arms was dizzy from the sudden movements, but before I could help her sit and get her back to normal, all of a sudden, I heard a loud shout.

"MASTER-!!!"

I turned around, and there she was.

Charlotte, with a look of seriousness, dread, and concern I had never seen before, came rushing towards me.

"Move aside."

Without even giving the dizzy Rachael a second glance, Charlotte pushed her aside, grabbed me by the arm, and started checking my body.

Up down, left right, front, and then when she reached the back...

"Oh no, your back... this... this is Chaos energy!"

Immediately, Charlotte helped me sit on a broken boulder to examine my back.

"Where did this come from? No, before that, we need to purify it soon. Master, let’s go to the hospital."

"There’s no need, Charlotte."

"No, it’s not the time to act tough. Please forgive and punish me later, but for now, you’re coming with me."

Without giving any warning, Charlotte wrapped her hand around my waist.

Since I wasn’t able to even budge from her grip, I understood she was serious, and I stopped her before she could lift me up.

"It’s an order, Charlotte. Leave me now."

"But Master!"

Her expression was conflicted, and I softened my tone.

"There’s no need to go to the hospital. Trust me."Charlotte’s eyes trembled, and she bit her lower lip before eventually removing her hand.

"Master!"

She stepped forward to say something again, but this time, I gently placed a finger on her lips to stop her.

"Shh! I can purify it on my own. Just bring me the boss monster of this Dungeon, alive."

I removed my finger, and Charlotte nodded solemnly.

"Okay."

Charlotte didn’t ask why I needed the monster or how I would purify the curse.

She simply stomped the ground so hard that even a full-throttle blast of a jet engine would seem weak.

Bang!

A crater formed in the ground as she flew towards the depths of the dungeon, even faster than a bullet disappearing from sight, leaving behind a trail of dust and debris.

In a matter of seconds, before I could even blink, and before the dust could settle...

Bang!

The body of a large, unconscious goblin appeared in front of me, with Charlotte grabbing it by its hair.

"Master, I am here."

I knew she was strong—extremely strong. But witnessing her strength for the first time was truly a unique experience.

Nevertheless, despite the situation, I remained unfazed thanks to my Composure (A).

"...Good work!"

I praised, then fell silent. Bending slightly as my back screamed with sharp pain, I placed my hand on the body of the Goblin and focused.

[Skill Activated: Chaos Medium]

My skill activated, and I extracted whisps of Chaos energy from my burning back, transferring them into the head of the boss goblin. Its body started convulsing.

Suddenly, the goblin’s eyes shot open in horror, along with its mouth.

But before it could make a sound...

Bang!

I finished the process and punched the goblin, ending its life.

[You have killed the Boss monster.]

[You have cleared the Dungeon.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have received the Dungeon rewards...]

Multiple system notifications filled my vision, but I ignored them all and turned to Charlotte, who, without a word, went behind me. As she looked at my back, she couldn’t help but let out a loud exclamation.

"Master! The black wisps of Chaos are gone."

"Didn’t I tell you I have a way?"

She looked at me with a hint of absurdity for a second, as if she were observing an extinct animal.

Even to her, it was the first time she had ever seen someone control Chaos energy without any side effects.

Then again, she was my trusted Shadow—she had no desire to know how I did it. She was just happy that I was safe.

However, there was one question burning in her mind.

"How did this happen, Master? Who did this?"

She spoke slowly, her eyes scanning the area, particularly Rachael in my arms, like a ferocious beast ready to rip apart the culprit.