Healing System-Chapter 331: Hallway

Michael took a deep breath, trying to wrangle his spiraling thoughts before they got out of hand.

"Alright. So lemme get this straight," he said, counting off on his fingers. "Some psycho in a red mask kidnapped me, Kael, Arthur, Nyra over here... and even you, Miss Seraphim herself."

Irelia shot him a glare but didn't deny it.

"Sounds about right," she muttered, arms crossed, wings twitching behind her.

Nyra, still keeping a bit of distance from Irelia, tilted her head. "You know her?"

"Yeah," Michael said. "Long story. Annoying one too."

"You're one to talk," Irelia muttered under her breath.

Michael pretended not to hear it and turned his attention back to the hallway ahead. "Whatever. No point standing around. Kael and Arthur are still somewhere ahead. And considering the pattern... they're probably stuck in worse conditions than we were."

"Wait, 'we'?" Irelia raised a brow.

Michael shrugged. "You were punching the wall like a lunatic and probably would've been here another couple decades without me, so yeah, you're lumped in now."

Irelia opened her mouth to argue, thought about it, and just clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Nyra snorted quietly.

"Alright," Michael said, stretching his arms lazily. "Let's keep moving before another freak with a mask shows up. Nyra, you're with me. Irelia, try not to punch any walls unless you want the whole building coming down on us."

"You're insufferable," Irelia said flatly, but she followed anyway.

The three of them moved forward at a faster pace now. Michael took point, Nyra stuck close to him, and Irelia hung back just enough that it was obvious she didn't want to be seen as tagging along—but still didn't stray too far.

As they moved past room 860, Michael caught faint vibrations under his feet.

He stopped.

Nyra and Irelia halted behind him.

"You feel that?" he asked in a low tone.

Irelia nodded immediately, wings twitching. "Something big. Up ahead."

Nyra's tail flicked anxiously. "Someone's fighting."

Michael narrowed his eyes and picked up the pace, this time almost at a jog.

Room numbers blurred by: 865... 870... 875...

And then, near room 880, the door was barely hanging on its hinges. Deep gashes were carved into the walls around it, and scorch marks littered the floor.

Without hesitation, Michael kicked the door fully open—and was met with a sight he honestly should've expected by now.

Arthur, like the fish he was, was simply chilling by the side, not even attempting to escape or put up any bit of resistance.

He sat cross-legged, arms resting lazily on his knees, a blank look on his face like he was bored out of his mind.

Two black-masked freaks were standing nearby, awkwardly hovering like they weren't sure if they should attack, drag him somewhere, or just... leave him alone.

Michael stared at the scene for a long second, then ran a hand down his face.

"Are you fucking serious right now?" he muttered.

Arthur slowly turned his head, blinking a few times like he was waking up from a nap. When his eyes landed on Michael, a lazy grin tugged at his lips.

"Took you long enough," Arthur said, his voice dry as hell. "I was about five minutes away from dying of boredom."

Michael tilted his head, deadpan. "You couldn't have, I dunno, punched the door? Escaped? Beat the crap out of these guys?"

Arthur shrugged, completely unbothered. "And waste my energy? Nah. I figured you were coming eventually."

One of the masked figures stepped forward hesitantly, like it was still trying to do its job.

Michael gave it one look and shot a condensed mana bullet at its head.

The mask cracked in half, and the figure dropped like a sack of bricks.

The second masked being took one smart step back.

Michael pointed a lazy finger at it. "Sit."

It sat.

Nyra blinked. Irelia pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering something about idiots under her breath.

Arthur stood up, stretching dramatically, popping his shoulders. "Man... I can't even pretend I'm surprised anymore. This whole place just feels like a discount horror attraction."

Michael grinned. "Glad to see you still got that big mouth of yours."

Arthur smirked back. "And you're still ugly."

They clapped each other on the shoulder, the tension breaking just a little.

Nyra stepped in closer, looking curious. "He's... Arthur?"

"Yep," Michael said. "Resident fish. Keep him fed, and he'll be fine."

Arthur gave Nyra a polite nod, then glanced at Irelia. His smile faltered a little when he saw her.

"You're here too?" he said, sounding more wary.

Irelia didn't respond, just crossed her arms tighter.

Michael noticed the tension but decided to ignore it for now. Bigger fish to fry. Literally.

"Alright, group huddle," he said, waving them in.

Everyone awkwardly shuffled a little closer, even the black-masked freak still sitting on the ground, looking confused about whether it was included.

Michael kicked it in the side lightly. "Not you, dumbass."

It slumped over in defeat.

"Right," Michael said. "Here's the deal. We've got four of us now. No idea how many rooms are left, but we know some psycho with a red mask is running this circus. I'm betting he's got some backup too."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I say we cause mayhem until we find him."

Nyra nodded too, though she still looked a little nervous.

Irelia, however, frowned. "We need to be careful. They're not ordinary."

Michael gave her a look. "Careful's never really been my thing."

Irelia rolled her eyes so hard Michael thought she might pull a muscle.

Still, she didn't argue further.

"Alright," Michael said, feeling the adrenaline starting to pump. "First, we find a way outta this maze. Then we find red mask."

"Straightforward," Arthur said with a grin. "Why not."

Nyra smiled faintly too, drawing a dagger from her belt with a little more confidence.

Michael turned to the hallway and started walking.

"You coming, or you planning on knitting sweaters back there?" he called over his shoulder.

The others followed right behind him, no hesitation this time.

The further they went, the colder the air got.

By the time they hit room 900, it felt like they were walking into a freezer.

Michael's breath came out in little puffs of fog.

"Temperature control?" Arthur muttered, rubbing his arms. "Or just spooky villain aesthetics?"

"Either way," Michael said, cracking his neck, "I'm about done with this place."

Suddenly, a door just ahead slammed open.

A figure stepped out.

Unlike the others, this one wasn't masked.

It was... human. Or at least, looked human.

Red hair, pale skin, sharp crimson eyes that practically glowed.

And wearing a sleek black uniform which seemed to resemble one an edgelord would wear back in his old world.

He smiled at them, and spoke with a silky voice that made Michael immediately want to punch him.

"Ah," the man said. "The rats have gathered. Took you long enough."

Michael stepped forward casually.

"Yo. Are you the guy who was in the red mask?"

The red-haired guy tilted his head, amused. "And if I am?"

Michael shrugged. "Then I'd have to kill you, I'm afraid."

"Luckily for me, I'm not him then," the man replied with a chuckle. "But as a matter of fact, you five don't happen to know the way out, do you?"

"Hmm... I don't know, do I?" Michael teased, taking another step closer.

Suddenly, the man extended his hand, which soon turned into a completely red blade, threatening to cut Michael's head clean off.

Yet he was prepared for something like this to happen, so with a simple sidestep, Michael used the momentum to send a punch straight into the man's abdomen.

Due to their close proximity, and the fact that Michael was using his mana to not allow the man to move too far away, it made it impossible to dodge.

Therefore, Michael's fist soon made contact, sending the man hurtling straight into the wall beside them.

Despite that, it seemed to be a superficial wound, so the man simply stood back up and glared at Michael for a few moments.

"You're definitely not as weak as you look."

"And you weren't lying about not being the red mask. I appreciate the honesty, man," Michael replied with a chuckle. "On a side note, why did you attack me?"

"Why not? It's good to test your limits once in a while." The man shrugged. "But I do have to ask. How exactly did you escape?"

Michael tilted his head. "I killed one of the masked people. You?"

"Same. Also, you might be looking for your friend, right? I felt one individual in the room opposite to mine."

The moment his words fell, Michael halted, narrowing his eyes.

"And how do you know that exactly?"

"I overheard you talking earlier. Snooping is my strong suit, after all," the man replied with a wide grin. "Besides, you weren't exactly being very subtle."

"Hmm..." Michael turned to Irelia and nodded.

She seemed to understand the gesture; therefore, she immediately dashed beside him and slammed the man into the wall.

He wasn't able to resist since she was much stronger than him, and with that, Michael decided to walk toward a certain room.

And of course, without wasting even a second more, he opened it.