Only I Am A Reader

"Heyyyy!"

The source of the call was not far from Leo either, he could see one of the two familiar figures raising her hand and waving at him.

'I guess she didn't cower behind.'

The one waving her hands was none other than Aurora, and the one beside her was the lucky prey that had Aurora's protection from the start. 

Most of her body was concealed by the large shield that she held, but that was exactly what made Leo sure of her identity. It was Tina the Tank.

Considering that Aurora did most of the work as an all-rounder, the team's balance was all over the place. At the current stage, however, they did have at least one person for each basic role.

Miyu and Jane were close damage dealers, the Imaginary Archer was the ranged damage dealer, and finally, there was Tina who played the role of the vanguard… Mostly after Aurora.

Ken and Clara both had defensive abilities, but it was only helpful at certain times. Compared to Tina, their bodies were still fragile under the use of their ability, so they couldn't play her role.

Ken was more of an occasional defender, while Clara was a one-time shield.

In reality, the scam team wasn't too bad on their own, but coupled with Aurora, the effort that they put out couldn't possibly square up to what she had to do to protect them.

Not to mention that they didn't give it their all to begin with, they were no different than an expensive phone attachment that no one had a need for anyway.

"Hey! Did you also just arrive?"

Putting some distance between himself and the cocoons, Leo lightly sprinted towards Aurora and Tina. Reverting back to Ray's persona, he spoke enthusiastically with a hint of serious undertone.

"...Seems like we are all in the same situation. I'm a bit worried about the rest."

Contrary to all the changes she had shown so far, Aurora's lines still contained her standard compassion. 

Rather than even considering the possibility that they might be cowering behind the portal, she automatically assumed that some form of danger was holding them back. 

"In any case, I didn't expect our newest member to be the earliest."

However, her tone suddenly changed as she stared at Leo with interest. The worry on her face was replaced by a faint smile.

'Oh?'

The abrupt change definitely wasn't part of Aurora's character. If anything, it reminded Leo of all the changes that he observed.

The level of her worry hadn't changed, but it was like she pushed it aside to talk about another topic. 

'What an abnormal state of mind…'

Was this the realistic effect of having an ability that directly affected your mind?

"Ah, I was just trying my best to leave. I didn't expect to end up in a place like this… Are the Gates you usually enter all like this?"

"...Not really. They are usually more dangerous than normal ones, but this is the most abnormal one so far. It's our first time hearing voices inside a Gate, right Tina?"

"R-right."

The tank cowering behind her shield stuttered. Unlike her outgoing teammates, she was a shy and clumsy person. Her hair covered most of her face as if to keep her from coming into contact with others.

"Woah, so not even the great heroes have experienced something like this before?"

Leo looked around with fascination, he had been keeping up a naive facade for now, but it was soon time to shed everything away.

"Of course. Entering a new Gate means opening a whole new realm of possibilities. As long as you are willing to risk it all, exploring Gates is a great source of excitement. I do this for another reason though."

Aurora was not only strangely talkative but also a bit philosophical. With each word coming out of her mouth, she kept breaking out of character.

"A-Auror-ra, what should we do now?"

On the other hand, Tina wasn't caught in the same mood. While Leo and Aurora were chatting about the wondrous scenery, she tried her best not to bite her nails, shivering as she thought about the things that could be waiting for them in a place like this.

'I bet they are all waiting outside. Lucky them-'

If only she didn't end up with Aurora right from the start! Tina wanted to be jealous of the rest, but she quickly corrected herself. 

Comfortably staying in the shadow of a giant like Aurora… The others probably wished to be in her place. Unfortunately, that early comfort came at the cost of an even greater risk.

Compared to the basic monsters that roamed the labyrinth-like stages, whatever popped up in this bloody land was bound to be infinitely more dangerous. Perhaps even dangerous enough that Aurora's protection meant nothing!

Tina wasn't sure if she was under the influence of something, but simply being in this place terrified her. The luminous wall that they could always lean on didn't feel that dependable anymore…

If she knew that this was where the last portal led, then she would have waited behind even at the cost of upsetting Aurora!

"It seems that this Area to the front contains the last challenge's components, so we don't have that many options."

As if woken up by Tina's call, Aurora's attention was redirected back to the large illusory sphere in the distance. Since wasteland was the only other thing in sight, what the final challenge entailed was obvious. 

"We could either wait here and make as much preparation as possible, or we can approach the sphere and see if we can affect it. Maybe we can even pass through it."

Although she presented two options, from Leo's observation, he could tell that Aurora leaned more toward the latter. She looked motivated and ready to move out.

"Personally, I want to go with the second option, but…"

Aurora was happy to hear Leo's answer. Unfortunately, he wasn't done talking just yet.

"Isn't there another problem that we have to deal with first?"

"Hmmm? What problem?"

"This problem?"

Without hesitation, Leo tugged at the thread that connected him with his package, bringing it forward.

Pak.

'It's showtime.'

With a soft pop, the shadow cocoons burst open, revealing what they hid within.