*One is master of what one keeps silent and slave of what one speaks* Sigmund Freud
--Forgive me—unexpected words escaped his boss's lips. He'd expected an order, or worse; he'd never seen anyone capable of apologizing.
--The truth is, if someone was assigned to help you with your powers, since only those who use energy can help others—the boss's gaze intensified on a certain woman with greenish hair who was now drinking her liquor more quickly—that doesn't excuse my mistakes, since an employee's error stems from the incompetence of their superiors.
Turning around, he saw Flora lying on the floor, upset and waving her arms. The reason was that she didn't like training new heroes, even though she herself had once been one.
--Uh, there's no excuse, I just didn't want to do it, boss-- Flora replied, not paying attention, as her hands touched a nearby wall.
--One week, you have one week to train our new hero-- the boss replied, also not paying attention, only to feel Flora's annoyed glare.
--I don't want to, he doesn't listen to me, and what makes me think he won't run away again? -- she said, pressing herself even closer to the wall and kicking her shoes off. Silence followed, and in Arthur's mind, only one thought persisted: Flora was acting like a conceited brat in front of the boss.
--Whether you like it or not-- the boss's voice cut through the silence like a knife.
--I told you no! -- Her fingers broke through the wall, and several intertwined roots sprouted from it, pointing at the boss, but she didn't even flinch. In an instant, the lighting in the room changed and the energy in the atmosphere condensed; this naturally did not bother Flora, a high-level heroine, trivialities she thought.
What bothered her was the cold, and it wasn't the cold of the surrounding air, but the cold of the cannon pointed at her head.
"I couldn't see anything" Arthur thought quickly, before noticing a soldier beside him who, while not aiming at her, kept staring. There were 15 of them in total, a small number to stop a hero, but enough to hold him off until help arrived.
--Suspend your attack and release your energy-- the soldier's voice, pointing at Flora, was clear and firm, at least it was before her brain was pierced by a branch. As if she were a fountain, her body vibrated, and the cannon never fired, but there were no retaliatory shots. All the soldiers remained staring and aiming at the heroine in front of them, or at least most of them.
"She killed him without thinking." He knew it wasn't the first time he'd seen someone die, but it had never been so graphic. The body was still convulsing from the brevity of his death, and blood trickled from his brain to his heels, staining the dusty ground next to the branch that kept writhing, trying to escape the former soldier's brain.
--Flora, stop your tantrum now-- the chief said, annoyed by the scene before her.
"Games. For her, this is a game." Arthur, still stunned by what was happening, could only cover his ears and duck down to avoid seeing the blood. He honestly wasn't used to this; after all, blood reminded him of his childhood with his father.
/But what about blood in video games, Arthur? / the voice in Arthur's head asked, clearly confused.
"Well, I'm the top regional player in... wait, that's not important right now," he replied to the voice, annoyed.
/The best player in your house will be (and you live alone, to top it all off) / the voice continued mockingly. /Look, Arthur, I was able to think inside your head, isn't that incredible? Oh, and by the way, dodge/
"Leave my brain alone! What do you mean, dodge?" Without giving him time to think, Arthur jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a fallen root poised to impale him. In front of him, there was only blood and a few bullets scattered along the walls. Even the boss seemed unsure of what to do.
Then their eyes met, and the boss nodded, entrusting the fight to Arthur. This didn't last long, however, as small roots sprouted from all the walls, ready to attack like bullets.
"/I HATE WORK/" For the first time, the voice and Arthur spoke in unison, which disgusted them both.
Stretching out his arm and hand to generate his book, he prepared for combat.
*The worst web novel ever appeared*
/At least you didn't make a mistake this time. What a disgusting novel! / the voice confirmed.
Pen ready and his mind clear, Arthur wrote in the book
(FLORA LOSES HER POWERS)
Something curious happened for the first time: the book had been marked, and Arthur was serious, but the strange thing was that nothing had happened.
/If this confirms it, we are weak/ the voice stated.
"How disgusting," Arthur thought quickly before remembering that if he failed, he would die.
/Well, I'll have to change jobs. I'm not the captain; I can't go down with your ship, Arthur. «Author, get me out of here! » / the voice in his mind screamed, though he didn't know what it meant by "Author."
Without waiting for any more games, the branches launched themselves from the walls, ready to eliminate anything that stood in their way.
"Wait, maybe it won't work on her, but what if..." His mind raced so much that for a moment time stood still. "Yeah, maybe it'll work on me," Arthur concluded.
(Arthur is powerful)
Nothing happened
(Arthur is a god)
Nothing happened, handsome
(Arthur is a powerful mage)
Keep trying
(Arthur is handsome)
If you keep trying, I'll turn into a generic gacha character and charge you for every attempt
(Arthur is an elite hero)
Ready
*Boom! *
Dispersing all the attacks in front of him, he prepared for combat like an elite hero. Opening his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that Flora had grown; or rather, he felt small. He looked around: he had his book as always; his clothes were still in the same place and the same gloomy black.
Looking down, she saw her familiar tutu and thigh-high stockings, though something felt different, as if something was missing.
/My egg, we're missing the little egg/ with a shriek, her voice screamed.
"Egg?" Touching it for the first time, she trembled with fear; where there should have been something, there was nothing.