Because I Am Surtr

Miss Surtr raised an eyebrow slightly, a gesture of her raised brow. She waved her hand, and the drone floating beside her detached and flew towards the unconscious Provence. Persephone, who had planned everything meticulously, had undoubtedly equipped the drone with a simple medical component. Yan Ke, however, paid no attention to the drone.

Nine meters, then seven.

"You can't beat me," Surtr stated, looking at the Bladeworks Master before her with a calm, ordinary tone. "Setting aside skill, you're no match for me in strength or speed. You're also not proficient in Originium Arts, and completely unable to counter my flames—even if I fought you as the Fire Giant King, you'd at most be able to take one of my sword strikes. You'd die on the second."

"Does a Sarkaz who can take one of your strikes qualify to join Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals?" the Bladeworks Master continued forward, the seven-meter distance shrinking to six.

"Strictly speaking, Rhodes Island isn't a military organization... probably not. But if you insist, I'll add a special note to your letter of recommendation," Surtr sighed, pressing her fingertips against the sword spine of Laevateinn, which floated behind her.

She looked up.

The Bladeworks Master's lips curled into a smile.

He took a step, lunged forward, and held his blade level.

The six-meter distance was reduced to one.

The clash of metal immediately echoed throughout the observatory.

The red longsword in the Bladeworks Master's hand shattered into hundreds of metal fragments. Sweat and heat rose from his body in torrents, transforming into blast waves that surged in all directions. He gripped the sword hilt, taking a deep breath, his face pale. He took another deep breath, his limbs growing cold. With a third breath, he collapsed with a thump at Surtr's feet. Sweat drenched the ground, and he promptly fainted.

Surtr's hand remained on the sword spine of Laevateinn, not moving an inch, but her toes had retreated half a step from her previous position.

"I already told you you couldn't beat me," the girl shook her head helplessly, reaching out. The draft calculated by Provence landed lightly in her hand—without even looking at it, she casually tossed it towards the nearest drone.

"Are you going to recruit him?" the flame-haired Sarkaz asked.

"If you need me to sign a joint recommendation letter, I won't refuse," the drone replied, catching the draft. Persephone's voice came from it.

"Alright, then at least this action wasn't a complete waste," she shrugged, showing no joy of completing a side quest. After all, even if she hadn't shown up, Yan Ke would have likely joined Rhodes Island anyway. Her arrival had merely added an extra step to the onboarding test.

She had done more work, but it was fine. They were all her Operators, after all. Spending her strength and time on them wasn't a valueless expenditure.

She walked over to Provence, picked up the unfortunate big-tailed wolf who had taken a beating, and gently placed her on the nearby researcher's seat. Feeling the soft touch on her arm, she couldn't resist grabbing the excessively developed wolf tail and giving it a good RUA.

She felt she was starting to understand Red. Lupo wolf tails... they really were quite fun to RUA.

Soft and fluffy.

She couldn't help but RUA it a few more times.

Chapter 39: Wolf and Spice (Seasoned)

Provence.

Provence was a little wolf with a big tail.

The little wolf's task was to explore and identify signs of an approaching flood.

And to report information on building dams to the Forest Sage.

I need to wake up... I have to send the parameters back...

The little wolf traversed the thorny jungle, where the animals were making a racket. She couldn't join their party, or time would surely be wasted.

So the little wolf searched, avoiding the animals' parties. She found the tallest tree and, by climbing to its treetop, could see the river channel in the distance.

I must go back... I must do it... I... I can't stop here!

The river channel overflowed, and the converging tide roared violently. The little wolf focused on observing the flood's movement, using her claws to draw the trend of the flood peak on the firm leaves.

She watched and watched, searched and searched. She discovered a sharp corner formed by rocky terrain at the edge of the forest. If a dam were built relying on that corner, it would surely block the flood steadily and effectively.

I am... Provence... Cataclysm Messenger, an Operator of Rhodes Island... I need to find Amiya, I need to tell the Doctor the parameters... I must go back...

I must go back... I must go back!

The noisy animals suddenly fell silent. The little wolf nervously made the last stroke of her record. She looked up and saw a hungry Blade Beast lurking on the other side of the treetop. Drool dripped from its dagger-like fangs, and its scarlet eyes gleamed with greed.

The little wolf, holding a leaf, tried to escape, but the Blade Beast lunged at her!

I can't die here... the data, the parameters... Chernobog... I have to go back, I must...

I... am the Cataclysm Messenger...

The Blade Beast's movements were agile and cunning. The not-yet-fully-grown little wolf was easily pinned against the tree trunk. All she could do was hide the leaf recording the flood peak beneath her. However, the Blade Beast's fangs were already at her neck.

Did I fail... Am I going to die... Wuwu, the data... the data hasn't been sent back...

I'm sorry... Amiya... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...

I...

The great tree seemed to catch fire. Flames spread, engulfed, and swallowed both the wolf and the Blade Beast. In the final moments of her memory, the little wolf only saw her own burning tail.

Provence suddenly opened her eyes, her fingers tightening sharply, almost piercing the medical sheet beneath her with several holes. She instinctively tried to jump up, but a pair of strong hands pressed her back down onto the hospital bed. She struggled, screamed, and unleashed roars from her weak body.

"Amiya! I need to see Amiya! I need to give the data to the Doctor! I—"

"It's over!" the person holding her responded in an equally loud voice. The woman's gentle tone held a hint of hoarseness. The scene before her blurred into superimposed afterimages, and then Provence felt herself being pulled into a warm embrace. "The Cataclysm is over, it ended hours ago. Someone resolved everything, everyone survived!"

"O-over?" The Cataclysm Messenger couldn't believe it.

She shook her head vigorously, and a powerful force suddenly erupted from her slender limbs. Amidst her exclamations, she broke free from the warm embrace and ran straight towards the nearest place where she could feel the wind.

She could feel light there, feel circulating airflow. It must be a window, and from there, she should be able to see the sky directly from the room.

Then—

She saw the Dusk.

Like the Milky Way, the Dusk split the gloomy azure sky in two.

The massive Cataclysm cloud was completely cleaved in half by an unknown force, tearing open a blank passage at least ten kilometers wide within the radiant Originium cloud, which had now scattered in a fish-scale pattern. Within the blankness, the stars could be faintly seen twinkling at the zenith. Then they were hidden beneath the colorful hues of the evening red clouds.

Dusk.

So it was true, it was already Dusk.

The strength in Provence's body vanished in an instant, her legs weakened, and she was about to collapse. But before that could happen, the person whose face she couldn't clearly see before held her from behind.

"It's over. I heard from others that the legendary 'World-wandering Hunt' took action and broke through the Cataclysm cloud. I had never heard before today that someone in this world dared to wrestle with a Cataclysm cloud and actually win—that madman. But thanks to them, everyone survived."

The voice babbled on, yet it held a strange familiarity. Provence remembered that she had met the owner of this voice on Rhodes Island before. And that person's name was