Blood Nemesis-Chapter 119: Car

Oliver completed the chore he spoke of in two days. He had to hurry a lot, but he did it nonetheless because of the time constraints.

He was forced to do it to return in time for Hero Academy exams.

Although Oliver could skip the written exam, Root still had to participate in it. And just after the first round, the written exam, the second round would take place. There would only be a week’s gap between the two.

’Busy life is better than a boring one.’

Oliver stood in front of a large vehicle and thought. Nearby, Root was standing with him, gazing at the vehicle in doubt.

"That is a boat, right?" He asked, without hiding the obvious confusion in his voice.

"No. It’s the car I spoke of." Oliver smiled and replied.

Oliver had shared his thoughts on buying a car with Root, so he knew they were about to set off to Second Earth in that exact same car.

"But, it doesn’t look like a car."

"Looks can be deceiving. Never judge a book by its cover."

"Clearly...this is not a book. It’s a boat. Maybe, it can even be called a friggin submarine. But not a damn car." Exasperated, Root said.

The curved bow, the large enclosed U-shaped hull, the slightly flat bottom, the pointed tip at the front, the anti-gravity thrusters at the back. At a glance, it looked like a boat. Anyone would have thought the same.

Considering the enclosed part at the top, over the hull, it also looked like it could go underwater, like a submarine.

Root was sure that it was a boat. And the boat, the size of a large RV, was placed perfectly on a large truck.

"Hm, why don’t you believe me. Let me show you."

Meanwhile, Oliver stepped forward and took out his phone. He opened an app and pressed the screen.

Immediately, four small wheels, too small in respect to the boat’s, maybe car’s size, dropped out from its under belly and safely touched the platform it was on.

Then, it slowly slid down the elevated platform of the trailer truck and landed before Oliver and Root.

"See, it has wheels. It can roll." Oliver proudly declared.

Root covered his face in dismay, or maybe because of the second-hand embarrassment.

The trailer truck driver was looking at them weirdly. But the only one who was embarrassed was Root. Oliver was unfazed by his gaze. He strodded forward and paid for the delivery, and then, the trailer truck went away, disappearing from their view, leaving the boat/car.

"See, it’s a car," Oliver said, turning to Root.

Root, the young man, was wearing a simple plaid shirt and black pants. His body looked thin and weak compared to Oliver, who had put on a lot of muscle mass. Still, his eyes burned with fire when Oliver declared it was a car, again. It seemed like he wanted to severely admonish Oliver, who called a boat a car.

"The anti-gravity engines support the weight of the car. So, it can be maneuvered with even these small tires."

Oliver pointed towards while speaking.

"The tires are made of new technology that doesn’t need rubber or air. It can move through almost all terrain—for example, ice, rock, water, mud, or even fire, and still stay strong. It’s a great car. The best I can get with the money I had at hand."

Each word Oliver spoke made Root reconsider whether he was really as intelligent as he thought he was.

Was this guy a phony?

A scammer who somehow got through his detection?

After taking a second to think, he shook his head. The chances of that being true were extremely low.

So, was this guy joking with him?

He curiously stared at Oliver.

"The car comes with a mana engine with the fuel efficiency of 100km per fuel rod at its worst. And it has a load capacity of 2 metric tons after fitting it with the latest pieces of equipment and accessories. For now, I loaded it up with about fifty fuel rods. We can easily go 5000 km before refueling. Isn’t that cool?"

Oliver beamed.

Root, on the other hand, gave an awkward smile. When he thought about the fuel efficiency, it once again proved that it was a boat.

Fuel rods were refined mana stones compacted into a rod shape. It was a foot in length and three inches in diameter. They were a costly form of fuel because it can even be used in a mech, mana based weapon system and advanced instruments. Still, it was worth it, because on the front of efficiency, it cannot be beaten.

Unlike fossil fuels, fuel rods can be directly turned into almost all forms of energy with the right engine. In the case of the ’car’, the mana engine directly uses the mana inside the fuel rod, decreasing the energy loss, thus giving a higher fuel efficiency.

So, overall, spending ten thousand creds to buy 50 fuel rods was a good investment on Oliver’s part.

After all, a specialized fuel source like refined mana stones is hard to come by. Buying a little over the budget is always better, considering that they had to use it to traverse long distances. If they, for some reason, emptied their fuel, it would be hard to refill it in the wilderness.

Oliver continued to explain for a while about the internal modification he made to the ’car’, like beds, bathroom, and even a kitchen while boasting how thoughtful he was. Finally, after a minute or so, he came to the most important part.

"Do you know, the most important feature of the car?" He asked.

"What?"

Oliver smiled, sensing the uninterested tone of Root.

"This car can fly. It is also completely water-tight." Oliver paused for the big reveal.

However, Root already guessed what he had to say.

’It’s a friggin boat that can fly, damn it.’ Root screamed in his mind. ’Water-tight also implies that it is submersible. It’s a damn mutli environment vehicle. For gods sake, just admit it’s not a car.’ He said in his mind, frustrated.

Oliver couldn’t hear his thoughts, so he remained oblivious and continued his explanation.

With a wide grin, he introduced it as a marvel of technology capable of traversing by air, water, and ground. His grandious geature and the face asking praised was one to be seen.

Finally, he gave the introduction, and then he stopped and brought Root to the hatch on top of the ’car’. They had to climb up through an expandable ladder embedded into the side of the vehicle.

The hatch opened up, revealing a ladder to the inner area of the car. Oliver led the way and climbed down. Root followed suit with a sigh.

Once they entered, they noticed the giant array of displays.

The place they stepped in was the cockpit. The other entrance they could have entered through was the loading area, behind the car, just near the gravity drive’s tail-like protrusions.

Oliver promptly brought Root to the cockpit computer and signalled for him to register his palm onto the computer system, and then handed him a physical key.

"Root, you are going to fly it once we reach second Earth. Your job is to train under me for the next couple of weeks, improve your fighting and survival skills and return safely. And before we go on this journey, let me warn you, it will not be easy. We might face dangers that may seem impossible to over come." Oliver paused, letting Root digest what he was saying.

Root felt a chill go up his spine when Oliver spoke about danger. Despite already knowing all that and being prepared, he still felt uneasy thought gripping his heart.

"...I am almost an A-ranker. My mana quantity is about 40,000 units. We can survive almost any danger as long as we are careful. But..."

"...But in the off chance that I made a mistake, and led you to some danger. I want you to make the best possible decision to save your life, even if it is to abandon me..."

Oliver’s words sent a shockwave through Root’s mind. He stared at Oliver, perplexed. His body tensed up just thinking about it.

"You don’t need to worry about me. I have more than one way to escape alive, even from an S-ranked mana beast. So, in this training journey, your first and foremost job is to protect yourself. Remember, you have a family to protect." Oliver ended his words, reminding him of the ultimate goal—protecting his family.

Meanwhile, Root gazed at the young man, not much older than he, standing before him in disbelief. He couldn’t confirm the validity of Oliver’s words.

A B-rank superhuman escaping from an S-rank was practically impossible. And Oliver wanted him to believe that was possible and abandon him if necessary.

What was wrong with him?

"I..."

Root could find the right words to say.

"I know what you are thinking. But don’t think. Trust me on this. I am one of the hardest to kill cockroach like human being. I don’t need you to worry about me. Don’t you remember my hero name? I am the bare minimum hero, the one who takes no risks at all. If I thought there was a chance I could die, I wouldn’t have come on this trip at all."

Oliver explained and consoled the panicking young man.

Root was still young. He didn’t want him to worry much. Still, he didn’t disclose the information about his revival ability just yet.

Maybe, in the future, when he really had to, he will.

Or, Root will find out about it on his own. After all, his intelligence, combined with his ability, was on a different scale altogether.

One of the reasons Oliver gave the key to Root and asked him to pilot the ’car’ was also because of his ability.

’It is one nice ability...’

While Oliver was waiting, Root took a deep breath and nodded.

"Okay." He said.

"Great, then let’s think of a nice name for this car."

"How about Boat?"

"Rejected."

"Oh! Man. That was surely a nice name. Then, how about Submarine?"

"Rejected again." Oliver vehemently shook his head.