I WAS The Rank–1 Hero Chapter 30: What’s Happening? [2]

Sitting face to face with Ruby on the sofa, I finally broke the silence.

"Tell about the experints at Frostvile Mountain," I asked, keeping my tone as calm as ever, despite the millions of questions swirling in my head.

Ruby, was now fully composed after her earlier breakdown.

"The Frostvile Mountain?"

"Yeah."

She looked straight at , recalling and thinking, finally said, "The Hero Association has been performing experints on living humans—more specifically, young children, who haven't developed their Elental Essence yet."

'As expected.'

"What are they trying to achieve?"

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know their full scope of objectives. But. I do know one thing that, it has sothing to do with monster's regeneration."

I recalled, witnessing a monster's corpse in my dream.

I tried to pieces her words together.

Monsters ranked B and above has the ability to regenerate their limbs, and that's what makes them so damn hard to kill.

But... humans? An Experint to grant humans that regeneration ability?

I blinked, now thinking even harder.

'That's similar to my Immortality skill.'

That's exactly what I can do now.

It's similar.

My body, can now regenerate.

'Heck! My arm even grew back.'

But I know for a fact that my skill wasn't always there, since birth.

Before I died, I got injured plenty of tis. And none of those wounds were healed instantly, and let alone regenerated.

So why now?

I thought, digging even harder through every mory I could recall.

Back my ti at Hero Association, they never perford any kind operations or experints on , so how the hell did I end up with this ability?

The more I analyzed it, the less sense everything made.

But. One thing is clear.

My Immortality Skill didn't co from the Hero Association. That much I was sure of.

So the real question is, how did I get it?

My mind flashed back to few days ago, when my Immortality Skill fused with and my Quantum Manipulation Skill, was stripped away from its side effect.

I rembered hearing a voice—one that sounded similar to mine. That mont was not natural.

Before I could dive deeper, Ruby's voice snapped out of my deductions.

"Tell about this dream you had," she said, her tone now is sharp and serious. Her earlier teary face was now still with focus.

I hesitated but decided to spoke either way. "I don't fully understand what's happening to , or why I'm having these kind dreams or visions. But I know one thing that, it all started after I resurrected."

Ruby listened carefully, her eyes fixated on mine.

Then she asked, "And that's how you got know about the Hero Association's past experints?"

'Eh?'

Her question threw off.

I frowned. "What do you an, past experints?"

Ruby tilted her head.

"The experints you're talking about—the glass tubes, the children—all of that happened when I was five. The Hero Association shut the experint after everyone involved died. I was eight when they closed the experint, and I was the sole survival. That was thirteen years ago."

Her words left even more confused. "Thirteen years ago?"

Ruby nodded. " Yes."

I felt my head spinning.

"No, that's not right. ... Right?"

I told her everything, what I have seen deep underground, beneath Frostvile Mountain just few days ago—the underground facility, the massive rooms, those glass tubes.

It was real, I knew it. But, the more I rembered, the more it beca clear. I didn't sense any children last ti when I was at the mountain. Instead, I saw heroes—four-digit-ranked heroes—working together on sothing.

Ruby shook her head. "That facility is now used by the military. And no experints like that are happening today. The Hero Association failed back then, so they abandoned the project."

'None of this made sense.'

I need to think calmly.

I even closed my eyes, forcing myself to think clearly.

If the experints were from thirteen years ago, then what I saw and what I dreamt must have been from two different... tilines.

I opened my eyes.

That sudden realization hit like a punch to my gut.

"It wasn't just a dream. I saw a vision... of the past."

But why?

Why ?

Why now?

There's no point to it. It was all in the past.

Nothing can be done now.

Right?

Without wasting any seconds, I stood up from the sofa.

"Where are you going?" Ruby asked, noticing depart.

"Frostvile Mountain."

She shot to her feet. "You can't! What if they recognize you? If the Hero Association catches you, or even a hint of your identity gets reveled, it'll be over for you."

Her concern was valid, but I didn't have the luxury nor the ti to fear.

I had to know the truth.

"They won't," I said.

As those words left my mouth, I focused, absorbing the Fire Essence within .

The air around grew warr, as the Fire Essence surged through my veins.

Ruby's eyes widened as she stepped back, watching the transformation.

My once jet-black hair ignited, turning into a vivid crimson. My eyes, now glowed with an intense red, like a raging inferno.

From my Inventory Ring, I took out a sleek black tal mask and a Black leather jacket, placing it on my face.

"They won't," I repeated, turning my head to Ruby. "Because Nightmare will be saying hello to them."

I stepped towards the balcony, The Horizon building I was in stood 50 stories tall.

Placing one foot on the edge of the railing, I jumped.

"Zane Wai—"

Using the Wind Essence, I manipulated the air currents around , controlling my aerodynamics with absolute precision, lifting higher in the altitude.

As I flew through the night sky, I activated one of my unique skills.

[Elental Sense]

Instantly, a three-dinsional map of everything within 50-kiloter radius materialized in my mind.

I shifted my focused to the Frostvile Mountain, landing near the mountain's base, the picture in my mind beca sharper.

There was a facility underground.

"Hmm?"

But sothing felt... off.

There was no sign of life in the facility. Not even the faintest spark of Elental Essence of any kind.

Nothing.

Weird, What happened to those four-digit-ranked heroes.

Focusing further, I located the entrance—a cave tunnel that led to the underground.

I made my way to the tunnel.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

With each step, the heavier the silence beco.

"Look who we have here."

"!"

I halted.

The voice ca from the front.

'Wha— I didn't sense it!'

Instantly, I took out my katana. Position myself in a battle stance.

Step. Step. Step.

With each step, the figure ca into view, as the moon light fell on the figure's face.

Revealing, a beautiful won with jet black hair, and full on leather outfit.

Click! Clang! Click! Clang!

She was playing with a tallic lighter, opening and closing its lid.

'Fuck! What is she doing here!?'

I recognized her.

After all, I can't forgot her.

"Envy." I said.

End of Chapter.