The SSS Ranked Villain's Return-Chapter 273: Aquatic Rift

He was shy at first, or more like reserved. But over time he opened up to them.

Especially to me and Zaria... Alice thought with a small smile as she waved her feet off the bridge.

They were supposed to be going down to an aquatic rift, but Lar, Asher, and Bale hadn't shown up yet.

Neraxis was always the first to arrive, and then Alice came with Zaria.

The two had become pretty good friends, even if she did seem like a creep at the start.

"Oh yeah, Neraxis, did you find a girlfriend yet?" Zaria asked out of nowhere, causing him to halt.

"...Not yet," he replied with a sigh. "I told you I find it hard to get close to anyone, after... you know."

"After that fiasco in your academy? Yeah. I understand," Zaria said as she stood up and walked closer to him. "You see, my brother also died in an accident. A rift literally spawned on top of him and tore him open right in front of my eyes."

"Yeah..." Neraxis muttered. "I guess we've both been through something."

Noticing the fuzzy atmosphere, Alice coughed, interrupting them.

"I think I see them coming, though they're using the company helicopter for some reason."

No way am I letting you two flirt while I still haven't even had my first kiss, Alice thought with a scoff.

Soon, Neraxis backed away from Zaria, and she finally put on her shoes.

It was time to head inside, and from the reports, this was supposed to be a high B+ ranked rift. There was even a slight chance it could drop down to A-.

Strength-wise, they were set, and in total, they had 6 people.

1 Healer, 5 Damage Dealers.

A terrible combination. Alice sighed. We really need someone who could tank the hits, I hate how Neraxis takes that burden all the time.

Nonetheless, the helicopter soon landed, and three people stepped out.

Lar was in the front, and Asher as well as Bale were in the back.

Bale was the new addition, and he was like a spearman, yet he had some medium-ranged thrust attacks as well.

Therefore, he was one of the people, alongside Zaria, who protected Alice.

"I'm glad everyone's gathered." Lar nodded at each of them. "I'm sure you've already briefed yourself on the contents of this rift?"

"Yep," Alice replied. "B- Steel-Tail Sharks, Killer Dolphins as mini bosses, and of course, a Colossal White Shark as the final big boss we have to kill."

"Good," Lar clapped a couple of times and turned his gaze toward the people behind her. "You two, do you mind scouting ahead?"

What? Alice froze. "Hey now... we promised to head in together for this one."

"We did." Lar shrugged. "But an unexpected situation arose, and—"

"The fuck?" Zaria scoffed. "Send in some random porter then. Why should we risk our lives, you fucking prick?"

"You're not risking your lives, as we will be right behind you. As it stands, you two are the strongest in the group, and if you can survive for five seconds and get out, then so can we," Lar replied as he pulled something out of his backpack.

"Here. I made these healing potions," he said, tossing one to Neraxis, and the other to Zaria.

All this time, Neraxis had been quiet.

It wasn't because he felt threatened, but more like he didn't exactly mind being thrown into these situations.

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Or that was what Alice had assumed, anyways.

His sister had died, and his parents vanished right after. She could only imagine how he felt.

However, in the next moment, Neraxis merely jumped up onto the bridge's railings.

"H-Hey, wait a sec. These idiots are going with us. No way in hell are only the two of us risking our lives down there," Zaria said, trying to reason with him.

However, Neraxis merely flashed her a small smile, then a wave at Alice, and then proceeded to plunge down the bridge and into the ocean below.

"Y-You idiot!" Zaria yelled as she tried running and jumping after him.

However, Alice swiftly stepped up and blocked her path.

"You can't..." Alice muttered. "Just wait a bit. If he's okay, then he should swim back up soon."

After all, the portal to the dungeon was underwater, several kilometers below them. Naturally, they had the lung capacity to survive, but it would still take a while to swim that far.

But even then, Zaria kept on resisting and trying to jump in after him.

That was why Alice had no choice but to use one of the skills she usually reserved for monsters.

<Mind Soothe - activated!>

<The target has been slept!>

The duration depended on the target's mental state, and since it was pretty unstable right now because of Neraxis, Zaria should be out for a few hours at least.

Nonetheless, Alice soon turned to Lar and flashed him a glare.

"Was this your goal from the start?"

Lar shrugged. "You know better than we do that he has what it takes to hold his ground. Plus, we always treat him fairly and give him a higher cut."

"Do you think money is enough to compensate for losing his life?" Alice shot back.

"Alice..." Lar sighed, face-palming. "If he really didn't want to do it, then why didn't he speak up?"

Alice's glare grew.

This bastard...