Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1711: My shitty luck is still shitty

Young Aether was surprised when he heard that the portal that had brought them here was about to close.

"Hell’s Gate? What’s that?"

Jonathan looked at him with a puzzled expression, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"What? You don’t know about Hell’s Gate?"

Young Aether shook his head.

"Did you forget what I told you a few minutes ago? I was reborn in a completely different Empire."

"Oh... right."

Only then did Jonathan fully process those words. However, a frown quickly formed on his face as another question surfaced.

"Wait a minute... if that’s true, then how did you even end up here?"

THUDDD!

The entire mountain trembled beneath their feet, making both of them flinch and focus on the matter first.

Both of them immediately abandoned the conversation and focused on the far more urgent problem.

They had countless questions for each other, but none of them mattered right now. If the portal closed before they escaped, they were as good as dead.

THUDDD!

THUUUDDD!!

The colossal creature continued its slow march through the valley.

Both Jonathan and Aether instinctively covered their mouths and held their breath. Neither dared to move a muscle.

The monster’s immense body towered above the landscape like a walking disaster, and even the smallest sound felt as though it might draw its attention.

Minutes passed in agonizing silence.

The only sounds were the distant tremors of its footsteps and the faint rustling of dust carried by the wind.

Fortunately, the creature never looked in their direction. It simply continued wandering forward without purpose, gradually disappearing farther into the rocky wasteland.

Only after it had moved a considerable distance away did both of them finally release the breath they had been holding.

"I need to contact the operator stationed near the portal," Jonathan muttered while scanning the horizon.

"If we’re lucky, he might still be able to help us."

His eyes searched the sky for any sign of the destruction caused by his Energy Reactor.

Far to the west, faint traces of dark smoke still lingered among the clouds. The massive explosion had occurred hours ago, so the towering plume was long gone, but thin streaks of black smoke remained spread across the sky like scars left behind by the blast.

That was enough.

At the very least, it gave them a direction.

If they kept moving toward those distant smoke trails, they might still reach the portal before it closed.

"Listen carefully, Aether," Jonathan said as he grabbed the younger boy’s shoulder, his expression unusually serious.

"Stay close to me, don’t wander off, and we’ll get out of this place alive."

Seeing that expression made Young Aether pause.

’Was this really the same Jonathan who used to cry whenever someone picked on him?’

A faint smile appeared on his face.

’I’m actually proud of him.’

The thought felt strangely similar to watching a child finally grow up.

The timid boy he remembered was nowhere to be seen. Standing before him now was someone who could remain calm even in a situation like this.

Heck, even when he was old, he acted the same! So it was kind of refreshing to see him like this.

"Aether?"

"Yeah. Let’s go."

The moment they reached the edge of the mountain and placed enough distance between themselves and the monster, both of them broke into a run.

"We need to hurry," Jonathan said while sprinting toward the smoke-marked horizon. "If that portal closes before we get there, we’re finished."

Without slowing down, he charged toward the western sky.

Meanwhile, Young Aether silently stared at his friend’s back as they ran through the desolate landscape.

"No! Don’t do it!"

The dark voice shouted inside his mind as if it knew what Young Aether was planning.

"Don’t reveal your skill for fuck’s sake!!"

Young Aether ignored it.

Normally, he would have agreed with the voice... However, this situation was different.

They were racing against time!

If they continued running at their current pace, it would take them at least another hour or two to reach the portal. By then, Hell’s Gate might already be closed, leaving them stranded in this nightmare forever.

Jonathan, who had been sprinting ahead, eventually noticed that Aether was no longer running beside him. Confusion crossed his face as he glanced over his shoulder and saw the younger boy standing several dozen meters away without moving.

"Come on, Aether!" Jonathan shouted while slowing down slightly. "What are you doing standing there? We don’t have ti..."

The rest of his words died in his throat.

Aether casually stepped forward.

Step!

Jonathan’s eyes widened so much that they almost looked ready to fall out of their sockets. One moment, Aether had been standing far behind him, and the next moment he was directly in front of him as though space itself had folded.

"W-What the fuck?!"

Jonathan nearly stumbled backwards in panic.

His heart skipped a beat while his brain desperately tried to make sense of what he had just witnessed.

Before Jonathan could say anything else, Aether grabbed his wrist.

"It’ll take forever to reach the portal at this rate," Aether said calmly. "Just hold on and try not to panic. I can get us there in a few minutes."

Before Jonathan could utter a word, Aether lifted him onto his shoulder as effortlessly as if he weighed nothing.

"Wait, wait, wait! What do you mea—"

The world exploded into motion.

Step!

Step!

Step!

Jonathan’s voice instantly transformed into a terrified scream.

"W-WHAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT!!!"

The landscape around them blurred beyond recognition.

Jagged mountains stretched into long streaks of colour. Rocky cliffs disappeared behind them in the blink of an eye. Vast stretches of wilderness flashed past so quickly that Jonathan could barely process what he was seeing before it vanished.

Violent winds battered his face and forced tears from his eyes.

His clothes whipped wildly against his body while his stomach felt as though it had been left several kilometres behind.

The journey that should have taken hours lasted less than ten minutes.

As soon as they reached their destination, Aether finally stopped and lowered Jonathan back onto solid ground.

The moment his feet touched the earth, Jonathan collapsed onto his knees.

"WAAAARRRGHHHH!"

A torrent of vomit erupted from his mouth.

Young Aether immediately took several steps backwards while covering his nose.

"Damn," he muttered. "Man... what the fuck did you eat? That shit smells so bad!"

"F-FUCK yo—wwaaahhhh!"

Another violent wave of vomit interrupted Jonathan’s attempt to insult him.

Young Aether couldn’t help chuckling quietly as he watched his friend’s suffering. However, his amusement faded when his gaze drifted toward the landscape beyond them.

Before them stretched an enormous crater that scarred the land like a wound carved into the world itself.

Only a few hours ago, this area had been covered by a dense forest filled with towering trees.

Now there was nothing.

The forest had been completely erased.

Broken earth extended as far as the eye could see while shattered remains of trees were scattered across the edges of the crater.

Even after seeing it with his own eyes, Young Aether found it difficult to comprehend the scale of destruction.

A single weapon had created this.

A single attack had transformed an entire forest into a barren wasteland.

If someone decided to use that kind of power against a city, thousands could die before they even realised what was happening.

Young Aether’s expression gradually turned colder as those thoughts passed through his mind.

For a brief moment, his eyes shifted toward Jonathan.

A dark and calculating light flickered deep within them before disappearing almost immediately.

And a familiar smile returned to his face as though nothing had just happened to him.

"Come on, man," Aether said while extending a hand toward him. "We don’t have time for this"

Jonathan accepted the hand and slowly pulled himself upright while struggling to catch his breath.

His legs felt weak, his stomach felt destroyed, and his head still spun from the absurd journey.

More importantly, he couldn’t stop thinking about what he had witnessed.

How had Aether moved that fast?

What kind of ability allowed someone to cross kilometres in mere moments?

The more he thought about it, the less sense it made.

However, despite his curiosity, Jonathan forced those questions to the back of his mind.

There would be time for answers later.

Survival came first.

The operator had said the portal might remain open for as long as five hours, though due to the instability, it might have closed already, but Jonathan desperately hoped for the best.

If even a small miracle remained waiting for them, then perhaps they still had a chance to escape this place alive.

"Y-Yeah..." Jonathan replied while wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve and forcing himself to stand upright.

After recovering slightly from the nausea, he turned toward the enormous crater that stretched across the devastated landscape. His eyes moved across the destruction while he mentally retraced the route they had taken before the explosion.

"If the crater is here, then the vehicles should be somewhere nearby," he muttered while scanning the area carefully.

His gaze suddenly locked onto something in the distance.

A red-striped black mech-suit lay partially buried beneath a mound of broken earth and shattered stone. Although most of the armour remained intact, the helmet had been split open by a devastating blow.

Jonathan’s face turned pale.

"N-No... No! It can’t be! Fuck!"

He hurried toward the mech-suit as quickly as his exhausted body allowed.

Young Aether, of course, recognised the mech-suit immediately.

It belonged to the unfortunate pilot who had been killed by the skull-headed monster earlier. As that memory resurfaced in his mind, he instinctively looked around the surrounding area, searching the ruined landscape to see whether the monster was still nearby.

Truthfully, he wasn’t sure what to do if the monster was still here and this was their only way out. He was completely freaked out on the inside, but he maintained a calm expression since his friend was here. If someone was going to freak out, it would be Jonathan doing it for both of them... just like always.

Jonathan slowly lowered his hand and released a defeated sigh.

"The suit’s damaged too."

"Do we actually need the suit?" Young Aether asked while glancing at the machine.

Jonathan nodded.

"It’s not really about the suit itself. If the pilot were alive, he could’ve transported us directly to the portal and contacted nearby forces for assistance. Even if he couldn’t help us personally, he could’ve called reinforcements and increased our chances of getting out alive."

For a brief moment, Jonathan genuinely felt as though fate had decided to toy with him. Every time a possible solution appeared, something immediately happened to destroy it before he could reach it.

Young Aether tilted his head slightly.

"What do you mean he could’ve taken us there? Don’t you know where the portal is located?"

Jonathan laughed bitterly and pointed toward the sky.

"Knowing where it is doesn’t solve the problem. Hell’s Gate isn’t on the ground. The portal hovers high above the region, and anyone who wants to enter it needs to reach that altitude first."

Young Aether followed his gaze upward.

"How high?"

"Roughly the height of a two-story building," Jonathan replied before pausing briefly. "Maybe even a little higher depending on where it’s positioned."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jonathan’s eyes slowly drifted toward Aether.

A small spark of hope began to appear within them.

After all, this was the same person who had somehow crossed an impossible distance in mere minutes while carrying another human being. If Aether possessed such absurd speed, perhaps he could also perform similarly absurd jumps.

Unfortunately, Young Aether understood exactly what that expression meant.

"Sorry, buddy," he said before Jonathan could even ask. "I can move fast, but jumping isn’t exactly my speciality."

The fragile hope inside Jonathan immediately crumbled.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead while releasing another exhausted sigh.

For several moments, neither of them spoke.

Young Aether eventually shifted his attention back toward the mech-suit.

"Can’t we use this one?" he asked while pointing at the damaged machine. "The helmet is broken, but most of the armour still looks functional."

Jonathan gave a weak smile before shaking his head.

"That’s not how mech-suits work, Aether."

He lightly knocked on the armoured chest plate.

"Every suit is connected to a specific pilot through biometric sensors, neural authentication systems, and identification protocols. Unless you’re the registered pilot, the suit won’t even acknowledge your existence. Without authorisation, this thing is basically an oversized metal statue."

Young Aether nodded thoughtfully while storing the information away for future reference.

"Fine," he said after considering the situation for a moment. "Show me the portal first. After I see it myself, I’ll figure out whether there’s another solution."

Hearing that, Jonathan blinked and shook his head.

"You always talk like everything is fine, even when the shit has already hit the fan! Fuck... It’s impossible—"

Young Aether rolled his eyes.

"Come on, jerk. Stop acting like you’re about to burst into tears."

Before Jonathan could respond, Aether grabbed the front of his collar and pulled him back onto his feet.

"Show me the place already."

Young Aether replied with a completely deadpan expression, sounding far more annoyed than worried despite their circumstances.

Jonathan released a long sigh before turning around and leading the way.

Using what remained of the surrounding landmarks, he carefully retraced the route they had originally taken through the forest.

The explosion had dramatically altered the terrain, but enough recognisable features remained for him to determine the general direction.

While following behind Jonathan, Young Aether quietly observed the surrounding area.

The more he thought about the situation, the more uncomfortable he became. Throughout their journey, they had not encountered a single monster despite travelling through territory that should have been filled with danger.

Considering everything they had experienced so far, that absence felt suspicious rather than reassuring.

He could already conclude, but...

’Fuck... I really hope I’m wrong.’

Several minutes later, Jonathan guided him toward a cluster of wrecked vehicles.

It was from this position that they finally saw the portal.

A massive crimson gateway floated high above the grassy landscape.

Young Aether immediately estimated the distance.

The portal hovered roughly thirty feet above the ground.

Reaching it would be nearly impossible through ordinary means.

Even if he and Jonathan somehow stacked themselves on top of one another, they still would not come remotely close to reaching the gateway.

Before either of them could discuss the problem further, Jonathan suddenly stopped moving.

"Shit! Hide!"

Without hesitation, he grabbed Young Aether’s arm and pulled him behind one of the overturned vehicles.

The damaged machine creaked under its own weight while sparks crackled from exposed circuitry nearby. Both of them lowered their bodies and carefully peered through gaps in the twisted wreckage.

As they looked toward the portal, they immediately saw it standing directly below it on the ground... that fucking skull-headed monster.

"..."

Young Aether parted his lips, and without making a sound, he mouthed a single word.

’FUCK!!!’

Just as he had suspected, this motherfucker was actually standing there as though it knew they would eventually come looking for the portal.

’My shitty luck is still shitty!’

Young Aether thought with an annoyed expression while staring at the creature that had conveniently positioned itself beneath their only escape route.