CHAPTER 59: DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS, SPACE ELEMENT MAGE

Among supernaturals, those who couldn’t fight were called [Defective Products].

Sometimes they froze during combat.

Others had deep-rooted trauma.

Some feared blood or the pain of hurting others.

Whatever the reason, if they couldn’t use their power properly, they were deadweight on the field.

I glanced around the room.

Mari’s eyes were also fixed on Calliope.

She had the same expression I did. She was thinking the same thing.

But to my surprise, she didn’t voice her thoughts, and instead looked at her as if feeling pity for her.

"Alright, one last thing before we leave," Zephan clapped once, his voice cutting through the awkward silence.

Everyone turned toward him.

"There’s a chance this is just a normal mission. But given Ellyn’s intuition—"

The youngest of the triplet gave a silent wave when her name was mentioned.

"—and the fact that all of us higher-ranked supernaturals just happened to end up on the same mission, I’d like to think this is [Fate]."

No one questioned him.

Everyone here had seen or heard of similar things happening in the past.

Strange coincidences, impossible timings, and moments where everything lined up like clockwork.

It was rare, but when it happened, there was usually a reason behind it.

The Rank 6 anomaly [Fate].

It didn’t control everything, but sometimes, it pulled the right strings to make things fall into place.

"If Fate’s putting us together, then this isn’t going to be a light walk. It’s probably an actual mission. Maybe even one of the harder ones.

"There’s a real chance some of us might not come back. Fatalities are common during Anomaly Hunt."

I nodded along.

Half the team dying wasn’t unusual. Sometimes, entire groups would be eliminated.

With where I stood in terms of strength, there was a chance I would be among the casualties.

Especially since I knew what anomaly we were headed toward.

’Area 51 isn’t a normal Anomaly.’

’It’s the anomaly that becomes the [First Disaster].’

I didn’t plan on going there with the team immediately.

I had already told them I would meet them in England later.

I would use the extra time to grow stronger, and prepare myself.

"Since these might be our final days, we should do ’it’," Zephan said with a mock-serious expression.

"Do what?" Selene asked.

"We should..."

Zephan paused, stretching the moment out dramatically.

"Share our bank account passwords."

Everyone blinked.

Selene looked confused. Mira squinted like she misheard. Lars tilted his head, looking at me.

I translated for him.

"I don’t have much money in my account. Should I still share it, and the password?"

"Of course—" Zephan began.

"No, you idiot. Why are you even thinking of doing that? He’s obviously trying to scam you." Mira snapped.

Zephan clutched his chest like she’d stabbed him.

"Scam? I’m deeply hurt by your words, Mira. I’m doing this to help the money."

"Help the... what now?" Mira squinted further.

Zephan held up a finger like he was about to deliver some profound wisdom.

"If we die, our money will just rot in our accounts. Right? So, if we share our passwords, our teammates can use it after we’re gone. It’s a way to keep the money alive. Money deserves a chance to live, too."

The room went quiet again.

We all stared at him.

"...I guess that’s a no," Zephan coughed.

He looked away, scratching his neck.

Still, his odd sense of humor lightened the mood.

Selene cracked a small smile and shook her head.

"Should we leave for England now?" she asked.

Before anyone could answer, Mira turned to me.

"If you’re going alone, then I’m coming with you."

I didn’t say anything right away.

She frowned. My silence clearly irritated her more than any response.

"Say something."

"I’ll come on my own."

"Didn’t you hear what the Guide just said? If Fate is involved, this mission is going to be dangerous. You could be attacked if while travelling alone."

"I can protect myself."

"You? You’re still Rank 0."

"I’m a space element mage," I replied.

She narrowed her eyes.

"A what?"

I didn’t answer. Instead, I opened a portal behind me and stepped through it.

In the next second, I appeared right behind Mira through the second portal.

"This."

She jumped, nearly stumbling like a startled cat.

She whipped around to look at me, then turned back to the spot I’d just been standing in.

The portal still hung in the air, humming quietly.

"You have an artifact to create portals?" she asked.

"I’m a space element mage," I repeated, correcting her.

A sudden stillness fell over the room.

No one spoke. The shift in the air was immediate.

"...I heard you had access to portal artifact. But I didn’t think you were an actual space element mage," Zephan finally said, rubbing his chin.

A grin spread across his face.

"If you can open portals, you’ll be pretty useful. You can go by yourself."

Mira looked like she wanted to argue, but Zephan raised a hand.

"Miss Mira, I understand your concern. But think about it rationally. He can escape instantly. Plus, if your attitude is already this hostile, he’ll have to worry about you backstabbing him if something goes wrong."

"What!? Why would I—"

"We apologize for our earlier behavior," Selene said, stepping in before the argument could spiral.

Mira clenched her jaw, turning to her sister. But then she sighed and looked away.

"...I’m sorry," she muttered.

She rummaged her pockets, and handed me a small black card.

"This has our number. If something happens and you’re in trouble, call us. We might not get there fast, but we can use our contacts to help depending on where you are."

I accepted it with a nod.

Then I turned to Zephan.

"I’ll reach the mission site in one week. Is that okay, or is it too late?"

"It’s fine. The mission’s deadline is one month."

"Thanks. I need the time to prepare several things," I said. "Where will we be meeting?"

"We’ll be staying near Castle Donington, Leicestershire. Call us on that number when you arrive."

He pointed to the card Mira had given me.

Then he looked at Lars.

I turned to Lars and explained the situation in Danish.

"Lars, I’ll head to the mission site in a week. I can take you with me, but that mean you will have to wait her until I come to pick you up. If you want, you can go now with them, but you won’t have a translator."

Lars thought about it.

Then he gave a small nod and flashed a smile.

"I’ll go with them. You probably have stuff to do if you’re going late. I don’t want to slow you down."

"Got it."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Mari watching me again.

She didn’t say anything, but the look in her eyes was clear.

’Why are you okay with taking him but not me?’

Once everything was decided, I left the room.

Just as the door closed behind me, it opened again.

Selene stepped through. I turned to her.

"Thank you for not getting angry at Mira, and I apologize for her behavior."

"It’s fine," I replied.

I had seen many veterans in my last life.

Those who survived too many battles came out changed.

Some broke. Some lost their emotions. Some feared violence. Others became overly protective.

Mira seemed like the type who was harsh because she cared too much.

"Can I ask something?" I added.

"Of course."

"Why are Dhampirs like you here?"