Chapter 139: No, it’s not
In the high villa tower of Silver Blade City, Nolan stood motionless, staring through the flickering projection of the battlefield as if he’d just seen a ghost. His brows drew low in stunned disbelief.
"What... did they just say?" he muttered.
Beside him, Lirazel, the horned and curvaceous succubus with wine-red hair that curled like coiled flame, tilted her head with a faint smile. "Something about a bloater?"
Nolan didn’t answer immediately. His mind raced, scrambling for context. A cold sweat traced the back of his neck.
Bloater.
That was a name he hadn’t expected to hear—at least, not here. Not in a real-world battlefield. Not while his students were standing toe-to-toe with a magic-enhanced demonic beast that was clearly more than just muscle and rage.
Bloater...
That was the name of the top-tier infected zombie boss from the game 27 Seconds Later. An absolute nightmare of molded flesh, acid sacks, and brutal close-quarters combat. And yes, Nolan had trained them on how to "kill" it—yesterday. Through illusion magic. In a safe zone. As a theoretical lesson.
"Don’t tell me..." he whispered, narrowing his eyes at the projected image as Calien and Erik shouted toward Chief Varros.
"What’s a bloater?" Lirazel asked again, now genuinely curious. Her wings shifted slightly, brushing his shoulder. "Is that some kind of human monster?"
Nolan rubbed the bridge of his nose, already annoyed. "No—it’s not a real monster. It’s a type of infected boss from a game in my world."