NOVEL NEXT Chapter 191: An Accident
Barbara let out a sigh of relief when she saw Vincent was safe. She then glared at Warren, "What the hell are you doing, stupid four-eyes! You're supposed to protect the guild master!"
"Shut up, gorilla. Just do your job. Go fight!"
"Ahhh! I will surely kill you after this!" Barbara exclaimed as she blasted the head of a dog-like primal.
Boom!
Bang!
Awoo!
Explosions and tremors occurred for a while, along with the cries of primals and an occasional 'oh-no' script from Vincent.
A few hours later, the surroundings finally regained their silence. Countless primal corpses littered the ground.
"Huff... Huff..."
"Ha… Hah…"
Barbara and Warren breathed heavily as they looked around them before collapsing on the ground. At the same time, particles of digital light bloomed out of the corpses, creating a beautiful scenery despite the massacre that had just occurred.
"Haaa… Finally~" Warren muttered as he panted, lying on his back.
Not far from him was Barbara, kneeling on the ground, drenched with sweat, also panting.
"Yeah, finally... I can kill you now!"
"Huh?"
Barbara dragged her exhausted body and lunged at Warren with a feral intensity.
Caught off guard, Warren raised his trusty Oldwood Staff to defend himself, gritting his teeth as he braced for impact.
"Fuck! You're crazy!" Warren shouted, his voice tinged with both frustration and disbelief.
"Crazy? Gorilla? Haha, that's right, this CRAZY GORILLA WILL KILL YOU!" Barbara roared, her voice a mix of anger and wild determination.
Just as Barbara's fangs were about to sink into Warren, Vincent materialized beside them, his presence calm yet commanding.
"That's enough..."
A faint wave of mental energy swept through the area, sapping their strength and forcing them to halt their struggle.
Barbara's arms trembled as exhaustion overwhelmed her. She lost her balance, and with her momentum still carrying her forward, she began to fall—directly toward Warren's face.
Time seemed to slow as their eyes widened in shock. Both wanted to avoid the collision, but their bodies were too drained to react. Inevitably, Barbara's face met Warren's.
No, to be precise, it was their lips that collided.
Their eyes locked, wide with disbelief, as the world around them seemed to freeze. The unexpected intimacy left them both stunned, their minds scrambling to process what had just happened.
Beside them, Vincent's eyes also widened, his usually composed demeanor shattered by the sheer awkwardness of the situation. He had only intended to stop their bickering, not... this.
Realizing his role in the mishap, Vincent cleared his throat awkwardly, turning his head to the side. "Well, that's it for now. You two can take a rest," he said, his voice strained as he tried to maintain his composure. Without another word, he vanished, leaving the two alone in their stunned silence.
Moments later, as they regained their senses, Warren and Barbara found the strength to stand, though they couldn't bring themselves to look at each other. Despite her tanned skin, Barbara's cheeks were flushed a deep red, her embarrassment impossible to hide. Warren, too, despite his Almaurian copper complexion, was visibly flustered, his usual confidence nowhere to be found.
"I-I'm—" Warren stammered, his voice uncharacteristically shaky.
"A-Ah—" Barbara began at the same time, her voice softer and more feminine than usual, a stark contrast to her usual rough, masculine tone.
"You—" they both started again, interrupting each other once more.
Realizing the pattern, they fell into an awkward silence, each waiting for the other to speak first. But neither dared to break the tension.
Instead, they slowly turned away, only to find themselves mirroring each other's movements once again. This time, however, they didn't overreact. Instead, they lowered their heads, their expressions a mix of hesitation and embarrassment.
Finally, Warren gestured with his hand, signaling for Barbara to speak first.
Barbara, still avoiding direct eye contact, fidgeted nervously. Her fingers traced the edge of her cheek as she spoke, her voice unusually gentle. "A-Ah, I want to apologize... I just got so pissed... If you just stopped calling me Gorilla, I wouldn't have attacked you."
Warren, still reeling from the unexpected turn of events, shook his head. "N-No, it's not your fault. I want to apologize too. I intentionally angered you so you'd focus on killing all the primals..."
Silence fell once more as they both processed the weight of their words. After a moment, their eyes finally met, and a small, tentative smile formed on their lips.
Despite Barbara towering over Warren by a head, the moment felt strangely tender, a rare glimpse of vulnerability between the two.
The atmosphere, however, was soon shattered by a faint cough.
"Ahem!" Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire
Both Warren and Barbara jolted in surprise, their heads snapping toward the source of the sound. It was Vincent, their Guild Master, who had reappeared as quietly as he had left.
"G-Guild Master?" Warren stammered, his voice betraying his lingering embarrassment.
"Ahem. Did I perhaps disturb something?" Vincent asked, his tone teasing but his expression unreadable.
"N-No!" Warren responded immediately, his voice a little too loud.
"Ha-ha. Of course not!" Barbara laughed awkwardly, her usual bravado returning in an attempt to mask her discomfort.
Vincent glanced at their flustered expressions, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "If you say so. Then, did both of you have a good rest?"
The question caught them off guard. Rest? He had only been gone for a few minutes!
Seeing their confused expressions, Vincent nodded as if everything was perfectly normal. "In that case, it's time for round 2!"
"Round 2?! W-Wait, Guild Master, we haven't had enough rest yet!" Warren protested, his voice tinged with desperation.
But Vincent simply smiled, his expression unyielding. With a flick of his finger, several umbral rats materialized and scurried into the distance, signaling the start of another grueling session.
Warren's face paled at the sight, while Barbara's eyes lit up with anticipation. Despite her exhaustion, the thrill of battle still burned within her, ready to be unleashed once more.
It just shows that no matter the situation, she was a barbarian. A being born to fight!