Chapter 179: Open It Already.
Larry led the way down the basement, and Dante followed closely after him. In stark contrast to the area outside and the building itself, the interior was not only clean but looked rather pristine, giving the illusion that the heavy blast door outside led to an entirely different world.
The floor tiles were uncracked and uniform, and the white walls appeared freshly painted, with not a single blemish on them. If there was a problem with the place, it would be that the silence and lighting gave it a rather unnerving atmosphere.
The ambience matched that of nightly hospitals that are used as the setting for various horror movies and video games, and though he wasn’t very familiar with such things, Dante couldn’t help but feel nervous walking through the quiet hallway, hearing only the sound of his and Larry’s footsteps.
"I... see that you renovated the place." In an attempt to reduce his nervousness, Dante tried to strike up a conversation.
"Hm?" Larry glanced over his shoulder. "No, no I didn’t."
"Seriously? I remember it was far worse last time I came here."
"Well, it has been almost two years." Lingering for a moment, Larry followed with a question. "How are you feeling?"
"I have seen better days," Dante replied.
"No doubt about that." The lanky doctor said. "I don’t know what you’ve been doing, kid, but if you keep it up, you won’t live to see next year."
"Yeah, I can tell that much."
Though he wore it for no more than a second, Type 8-5 almost crushed and ripped him apart at the same time. The strain it exerted, which was nothing compared to the lower-level versions of its type, had been greatly amplified by the use of Teleportation. Adding to that all the stress born from the extended use of Type 5-1 and its Instant Acceleration, it became another reminder that Volcan’s armors weren’t something humans were meant to wear.