A few minutes before,
Thump!
Letting out a painful grunt, Iwao Oguro opened his eyes.
His head was bursting with bouts of stinging pain so hard that he could barely see anything. Not that he could, with all the darkness in his surroundings.
He remembered a mountain falling on him, making him lose all senses.
Then, that bastard had struck him, making him lose consciousness.
Thump!!
Knowing his body well, Iron Mentor guessed that the initial increase in weight was well over a thousand kilograms.
Alexander Becking's unbridled use of his Quirk against him meant that the old-looking middle-aged man would be the greatest roadblock against their mission, especially now that he considered them Villains.
Iwao just hoped that the Leader had made good use of this info on the other side of the comm.
Good use… he repeated the words, holding his head. Just for how long I was out for…
Thump!!!
For the first time, Iwao noticed that the loud thumping noise wasn't coming from his skull, but from outside.
Each thump was louder than the next… more powerful… more… full…
Iron Mentor stood up, hoping to find some way to escape.
There was still a heaviness on his shoulders, but it was nothing compared to what had made him pass out. Perhaps that man could control the level of gravity itself?
Guessing Alexander's Quirk, Iwao looked around. But even in the darkness, he knew that this was nothing but a pipe dream. The Warden had left him here, unattended, because there was no escaping this place, it seemed.
No wonder even Dr. Blessed didn't know of this gravity-based Quirk, Iwao contemplated. That sniper must not have known, either. Hell, no staff knows about their Warden having a Quirk… and the true nature of their so-called Spatial Barrier. Shit!
THUMP!
With a snap, Iwao faced the direction.
It was like someone had exploded grenades right next to his ears.
Taking a step toward the monstrous, several-inches-thick, reinforced steel alloy door that not even the strongest of Villains could destroy, Iwao finally learned the origin of those thumps.
And just as he reached right in front of the door, Iwao's eyes widened, his innate Swindler's instincts warning of the all-annihilating danger on the other side.
Iron Mentor's inner clock ticked.
And he knew it was time for the next thump… and perhaps the last.
"FU…"
Boooooooom!!!
It was like a tank shell had hit a sheet of metal, puncturing out from the other end.
Thick sheets of the reinforced door folded inward, small metallic pieces flying past Iwao's head like Death itself saying hello.
A piercing band of white light lit up the entire Spatial Barrier Hall for a moment, making Iwao squint his eyes.
Then, he saw it enter.
The thing, towering over 12 ft in height, stood up as it entered fully. Against the blinding whiteness, the thing was but a silhouette. Still, Iwao picked up some distinct features.
Red-fleshly body.
Tiny sparks of electricity.
Metallic shine here and there.
And… all over its body and for a head, it carried…
"… Mushroom?" Iwao worded, shocked and confused.
Under the large mushroom cap, the cyborg's eyes glowed red. "… How do you know my name?"
"…"
Iwao gulped, noticing the distinct robotic tone.
Then, the cyborg stepped forward, a red sheet of light coming out of its eyes, scanning him.
Iwao balled his fingers into fists.
This was not a fight he could afford to get himself involved in right now. He wasn't sure he could even put up his best with the extra weight on himself.
No… Iwao corrected himself, his gaze landing on the giant hole in the door that even a missile couldn't create. It would be a miracle if he survived even its backhanded slap.
And, yet.
Iron Mentor's fists rose, a grin appearing on his face. "… Could have used a cigar right about now, I guess?"
The redness in Cyborg's eyes dimmed. "That would be a shame, Mr. Iron Mentor," Mushroom said, confirming it was indeed him. "I don't like hot things. How about a cup of iced Americano instead? By the way, you can address me Mushroom-nimi."
"…"
"…"
The thought struck Iwao out of the blue. "You are… You can't be…"
"We don't have time to make speculations, Mr. Iron Mentor," Mushroom said. "My Master is looking for Ms. Trick*Step. Meanwhile, he sent me to bring you out of this place. I couldn't bypass the Locking Mechanism this place has… It needs Mr. Alexander's retina scan. So…"
The Cyborg… Mushroom pointed at the hole in the door with his thumb without looking back.
"… Your Master?" Iwao had a guess who this Master was. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that Dr. Blessed could create something so… unique.
"My humor settings are still untouched," the Cyborg said. "I wish I had more time to spend with Master to explore… myself. But, according to him, I will not remain… alive… for more than a few minutes. 2 minutes and 30 seconds to be exact. 29 now. 28…"
"…"
Iwao knew that there was an Activation Limit to Dr. Blessed's Quirk now, given how the mushroom they had used to bring down the drones had stopped releasing spores after a few minutes.
Wait! Iwao's eyes suddenly widened. Mushroom… Did he…
Sighing, the Swindler nodded at the cyborg, knowing that this creation wouldn't exist past a few minutes as well.
So, they literally had no time to waste on questions and answers… or on humor settings, which seemed to be Mushroom's top priority right now.
With large steps, Iwao walked out of the hole in the door.
"Please, follow me," Mushroom said, taking the lead.
Nodding, Iwao began walking as fast as he could, noticing how light the cyborg's steps were, despite it probably weighing hundreds of kilograms. Or over a ton, perhaps?
Then, in stark contrast to their pressing situation, Iwao thought of a question.
He thought of not asking it, first, but curiosity won at last, making him approach the giant thing's side.
"Why Mushroom-nimi?!"
The Cyborg suddenly stopped and looked down at Iwao. "… I am Korean."
********************
AN: Up to 60 more chapters are available in advance across three Tiers. [Use the link in my webnovel profile to access all options]
You can even subscribe Trial Tier for just 1 dollar to have an experience of exclusive chapters for an entire month. I hope a few of you will consider supporting the work.
100 Power Stones/day: +1 Bonus Chapter next day