Chapter 35: Machina (5)
Scarlet was climbing the steps of a building on the outskirts of Burning Duct, a small backpack slung over her shoulder.
“What the hell did she put in this thing...”
She was gasping for air, fully realizing the weight of the so-called “simple self-defense gear” inside the backpack.
She should’ve checked the contents earlier, but she’d been in too much of a rush—heading straight toward the Machina Cult without even thinking about it.
“I swear, it didn’t weigh this much when I first got it...”
It was a classic rookie mistake—Scarlet had little field experience and didn’t know what her own carrying limit really was.
“One, two. One, two.”
She regulated her breathing as she climbed the stairs, one step at a time.
Occasional gusts of wind sent her hair flying—and made the rusted iron staircase sway unnervingly beneath her feet.
When she finally reached the rooftop, she dropped the cursed backpack to the ground.
“Finally made it!”
She took a moment to scan her surroundings from the rooftop.