Chapter 132: Chapter 132- Her Feelings
Chapter 132: Chapter 132- Her Feelings
That declaration made everyone look at Talon. It didn't take them a moment to understand that he meant every word he said at that moment. While the scientists didn't know how strong he was, Hyun-Jae and Chin-Hwa knew that he wasn't simply bluffing.
With how ridiculously strong he became, Talon could be considered a huge threat to the government and he was only going to get stronger as time moved. By the time they reach the new human society in Gwangju, Talon would've probably become even stronger.
'There is a very high possibility that things will spiral out of control.' Hyun-Jae sighed. 'Well, if that happens, we will have to deal with it.'
There was really no point in worrying since it didn't happen yet. For now, they had to think about a more important thing which was… How to reach Gwangju in the first place.
With hundreds of survivors with them, traveling through a desolate world was nothing short of suicide. The trip could potentially take days' worth of time, during which, all kinds of things could happen. From starvation to monster attacks and everything in between that could wipe out the entire army.
Just trying to think of the true scale of such an operation, Hyun-Jae felt a slight headache. Her body and mind were already too exhausted to think of such a problem. All she wanted at that moment was some warm food, a change of clothes, and a good night's sleep. Whatever happens after that is unimportant.
"Ugh, I think we should leave now before the entire place collapses. We're done here." Talon said as he walked toward the door.
With that, the group quickly left the building and went on their way back to where the rest of the survivors were.
"Do you need help, president?"
As they walked, Chin-Hwa approached her and asked with a worried tone.
"No. I can walk." She shook her head.
"Oh, ok."
The interaction was as awkward as it could get and Talon could see it from behind fully well.
"Do you think they will ever go back to being friends?" He asked without looking at the floating beauty next to him.
"Hmm, it depends," Acrypha responded.
"Depends on what?"
"It depends on you."
Her response made him turn around with confusion all over his face. "How so?"
"You already noticed it, didn't you?" Acrypha asked back with a mysterious look on her face. "That girl is starting to like you and I don't mean as a friend."
Her words were neutral, but Talon could hear a subtle odd tone in them. He couldn't understand what it was so he just shook his head. His expression turned serious for a moment.
"Yeah, I noticed that." He replied quietly.
"She doesn't seem to be aware of it though. But, she's growing very fond of you and it will probably continue growing with time."
"Sigh, how did this even happen?" Running his hand through his hair, Talon tried to remember if there was anything he'd done that could've made her see him this way.
This entire time, he had seen Hyun-Jae as an invaluable companion and a good friend. He could admit that she was amazingly beautiful, smart, charismatic, and even cute on many occasions and they even went along pretty well. Hell, a few weeks ago, if he had been told that the most important girl on the campus was going to like him, he would've laughed thinking it was a joke.
The two of them were simply living in two different planes.
But, he didn't know if that meant that he liked her back or not. In his heart, he valued her as a close person to him, that he was certain of.
'I was never good with this stuff…' Feeling a strong headache just thinking about it, he looked at Acrypha.
"What do you suggest?" Talon asked.
"Hmm, since she's still not aware of it. You still have some time before you can address that. Whenever she realizes it and finally confronts you, you will have to make a decision then."
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Maybe it's just the circumstances that made her think she likes me."
Talon knew that people bond far stronger during hardships, especially if they already had a chemistry between them. So, what Hyun-Jae might deem as a good quality about him, could've simply been her subconscious mind telling her that it was something worth falling in love with.
"Why do you seem so hesitant to accept her confession if it happens? Isn't she a perfect partner by human standards?" Acrypha asked curiously as she floated around Talon idly.
"Yeah, she's as close to perfect as you could go. If this happened before the integration, I would've been head over heels for her. But, I'm not the same person anymore. My entire focus is on getting stronger as fast as possible now. There are too many dangerous threats lurking and waiting for me in the future. If I don't become strong enough to face them, I will regret it heavily." Talon frowned.
He still needed to find his parents, deal with the possibility of the government antagonizing him, and then would have to embark on a journey of his own in another dimension since he reached level 25 and could only unlock future levels if he did that.
These were a few things he could remember off the top of his head and the list was guaranteed to grow bigger with each passing day. Talon had no time to really relax and think of other things like love.
"It's good that your entire focus is on getting stronger. But, don't let it be the only thing you think of. With how strong you are now, you're pretty much guaranteed to live over 100 years old. Don't let strength become the sole reason you live. It's the worst thing someone could do." Acrypha shook her head.
"Oh, are you talking from personal experience?"
"You can say so. But, a certain someone had taught me that my life's value is far more than just my own goal." She smiled amusedly as she gave Talon a meaningful smile.
"I wonder who that person is. Must've been a really great individual." Talon rolled his eyes as he replied sarcastically.
"He is. But, he doesn't seem to like to follow his own pieces of advice. Pretty silly, isn't it?" She replied as she moved to Talon and wrapped her arm around his shoulder playfully. "Shouldn't he reconsider it too?"
"Hahaha, I might really need to do that."
"..."
"Ok, ok, you got me. If I fall in love with someone in the foreseeable future, then I will follow what my heart says without making it hinder my progress."
"That's what I want to hear. Let's not make you turn into a heartless, bloodthirsty monster in the future, ok? I like you the way you are now, a breath of fresh air." She said.
"Yes, captain." Talon made a silly salute.
Acrypha chuckled amusedly for a few moments before she stared at Talon silently.
'Just stay the way you are right now. Even if you become the greatest existence in all dimensions. I want you to remain the same. The same person I want to take all for myself.' She licked her lips secretly as she floated after him.
***
With that, the group safely reached the location of the survivors. Naturally, seeing them, the students were beyond ecstatic.
They had been left alone the entire time, and their fear was taking over their hearts. The moment Talon appeared again, they felt their hope rise again.
So, using that opportunity, Talon stood in the middle of the group, surrounded by everyone else.
"The battle is over, folks!" He declared loudly, taking everyone by surprise.
"Over…?"
"Did I hear that correctly?"
"He said… Is it over?"
Confused murmurs echoed amongst the students as they looked at each other.
"The horde is no longer… It's over. We won!"
Then, it was complete silence. Nobody reacted to those words immediately. But, it didn't long for them to react.
"WOOOOOOOOOAAAAAH!!!"
"It's really over?!"
"I can't believe it!!!"
"*Sob* I'm glad!! I'm truly glad!!"
Yells of excitement, happiness, and tears of relief spread across the entire army. It was a great moment for them, as bitter as everything before it was.
Talon watched that scene with a calm expression. It was certainly a nice moment for him. But, there was still a lot to do before they could actually celebrate victory. Monsters were going to only get stronger and their enemies wouldn't remain the same mindless bunch they had been fighting. Humans will eventually join the fray.
They had to also leave this place unscathed and go back to the warehouse somehow.
'But… For now…'
"Let's celebrate this battle!!" He yelled loudly.
"WOOOOOOH!!"
A//N: Don't forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ?