novelraw Chapter 88: Snake Man
Chapter 88: Snake Man
"My wish?" The woman looked at Leonardo.
"Is there anything wrong if I simply came to see you?" she asked.
"Me?" Leonardo didn’t know how to react.
Coming just to see him was obviously strange. It would be different if she wanted something he had.
It would be far more logical if she said she came to see her daughter.
Click!
The door opened again.
Leonardo was quite surprised to find that it was Linda Diaz who entered, not Emma who was supposed to be guarding the door.
She walked toward Isla with a calm expression.
"Mrs. Pendragon, your time is up," she said.
It seemed that Isla had been granted special permission, but only for a short time.
Only a few minutes had passed since she entered.
"Can I have a little more time?" Isla asked, not sounding aggressive.
"Sorry, this is my boss’s order..."
"You’re quite obedient. If you gave me more time, I would fulfill your wish. Tell me what you want."
Linda frowned slightly upon hearing that, then shook her head.
"I cannot disobey my boss’s orders."
"How interesting. It seems you really like being James’s pet... to the point that you’re afraid of being fired."
"Mrs. Pendragon, please watch your words. I’m a professional who only wants to do my job well," Linda replied, showing clear anger.
But Leonardo himself thought Isla’s words were closer to the truth.
Of course, he wouldn’t comment.
Isla responded with a faintly mocking expression.
"Fine, I’ll leave," she said, flicking her short black hair.
As she took a step, she looked at Leonardo again, gave a faint smile, and said, "You’re quite charming in my eyes. I’ll be staying in this city for a while. If you need anything, come find me."
She continued walking and tossed a business card made of gold.
It flew straight into Leonardo’s shirt pocket.
He could only freeze, staring at the woman as she left.
Meanwhile, Linda showed a strange expression toward Leonardo.
Without saying anything, she left as well.
Leonardo was left alone in confusion.
He returned to the sofa, thinking about what had just happened.
Of course, he didn’t rule out the possibility that Isla had some kind of scheme involving him.
After thinking for a moment, he sent a message to Ayumi Fujiwara.
(Do you know Margaret’s mother, Isla Pendragon?)
Fortunately, they had exchanged contacts due to their cooperation.
Even though Ayumi was Japanese, given her background and her connection with Margaret, she might know something. Moreover, her family, being powerful, must have an intelligence network that gathered important information.
In this world, no one would consider information about the Pendragon Family unimportant.
(Have you met her?) Ayumi replied quickly.
(Yes, I think she’s very strange...) Leonardo answered.
(What did she do?)
Ayumi’s question made Leonardo hesitate whether to tell the details.
But if he didn’t, she might not give him clear information.
So Leonardo wrote that the woman had touched his cheek and said strange things—things no mother would say to her daughter’s boyfriend.
(It seems she was flirting with you.)
Leonardo didn’t know how to react because Ayumi’s answer was too straightforward.
(I can’t be sure. Just be careful. That woman is... problematic. She can do whatever she wants, even if it starts as just a fleeting thought. As far as I know, the reason she and James Harvey divorced was because she had an affair with a much younger man right after giving birth to her daughter. Although there’s been no news of her having such relationships since, it’s possible she’s now interested in you.) Ayumi added.
Leonardo felt like laughing and crying at the same time.
How could something like this happen?
His life was already complicated because he caused trouble everywhere—killing and stealing. Death would be a fitting end for him, yet the problems coming his way were like this instead.
He sighed repeatedly, then remembered the business card in his pocket.
He took it out and saw that it only contained a name and a phone number engraved on the golden card.
His high Intelligence didn’t necessarily make him wise, but something simple like this was instantly memorized after just a glance.
Throwing it away would be pointless.
Maybe it would be better to discard it as a statement that he didn’t want anything to do with that woman.
However, his pragmatic side told him that there might be some benefits he could gain.
In the end, he couldn’t decide, sighing again and again.
(Boss, I can’t promise fast leveling here...)
He suddenly heard Ellie’s voice.
(Why?) Leonardo asked.
At the beginning, it was always easier because there were plenty of low-level monsters everywhere.
Even though that concept might not apply well on Floor 3, which was filled with mostly A-Class monsters and very few B-Class ones, both Ellie and Liam were SS-Class monsters.
(So far, I haven’t encountered any monsters below Level 27,) Ellie replied.
(Here, there are actually more high-level monsters. We’re still Level 21, so it’s quite difficult for us to fight them. Also, their durability is extremely high.)
’What the hell...’
Leonardo was stunned.
He truly didn’t know this.
There was no information stating this clearly—only that Floor 3 would bring a huge shock to many Awakeners who thought their journey would be easy.
Now, he realized it really wasn’t easy.
(I’ve only managed to kill one so far. The EXP I gained was quite large, but it drained me a lot,) Ellie added. (I need to rest for a bit. Of course, it would be easier if you could buff me.)
(Be patient...) Leonardo could only say that for now.
He couldn’t provide buffs all the time, but if the White Element Peacock hatched, he could replace that role.
’I need to find something to speed up its hatching,’ he thought.
Because of how high the class of the White Element Peacock was, even his buffs only helped a little.
He needed something external.
After thinking for a moment, he called Elsa.
"Ohhh, what a surprise you’re calling me," the woman answered immediately, not hiding her surprise.
"I have a task for you. I want you to find anything that can accelerate a monster’s hatching from its egg," Leonardo said, not wanting to waste time.
"That’s quite rare. How am I supposed to find that in the Monster World?"
"I mean, find someone who wants to sell it and negotiate with them," Leonardo said, raising his voice slightly.
"Ohhh... alright, but I’m not the one paying for it, right? Honestly, I’m kind of broke."
"Just contact me when you find the item."
Leonardo ended the call after that.
It wasn’t like he had never searched for this in the Harvey Family’s app—but there was nothing.
At best, he would have to ask for something later to pay for it.
***
Night came, and Leonardo began to feel hungry.
He decided to go out for a while, looking for a restaurant inside the hospital.
Emma was still there, but she had moved to the corner of the hallway. Leonardo saw her smiling to herself while looking at her phone, not even realizing that he had stepped out.
Who knew what she was looking at.
Leonardo walked toward the elevator.
Emma only realized when he opened the elevator door, and she became slightly panicked, but Leonardo pretended not to notice.
The elevator didn’t go down—it went up to the rooftop.
Up there, there was an artificial garden and several restaurants selling healthy food.
Doctors, nurses, and visitors were eating at those restaurants.
Leonardo noticed an Asian restaurant, so he chose that one, sitting at a corner table near the railing.
He ordered Southeast Asian-style noodles with broth and fried fish, along with orange juice as his drink.
The taste satisfied him quite well, and he ate heartily.
(Boss, boss, I found another Ascension Potion...)
Once again, he heard Ellie’s voice—but this time, it wasn’t a complaint.
What he heard made his back straighten instantly.
(Really? How did you find it again? How many are there?)
(I see five bottles again, Level 25. Maybe after consuming it the first time, my instincts connected with this potion, so it keeps giving me an approximate location whenever it exists.)
(Are you really sensing it through instinct?) Leonardo showed a strange expression.
Something like this sounded impossible.
(It’s true. I just followed my instinct and actually found it. This is already the second time, so what I said about my instinct must be correct.)
(Maybe...) Leonardo could only say that, then asked, (is the obstacle very difficult?)
If the obstacle wasn’t difficult, there would be no reason for Ellie to contact him. She could’ve just called Liam first.
This time might be far more difficult than before.
(It’s on the crown of a Snake Man,) Ellie replied.
(Are you serious? You encountered a Snake Man?) Leonardo was even more shocked upon hearing this—a rare S-Class monster.
In fact, Snake Men were originally humans on Earth—Awakeners who had been afflicted by a special curse on Floor 3 and transformed into half-human, half-snake monsters.
Until now, no one knew the origin of that curse.
However, aside from having the urge to kill humans, Snake Men essentially retained their complete memories and normal human minds.