Chapter 101

[99.21% to Next Level]

“Almost there.”

The Gallery, notorious for its slow experience points, was now on the brink of leveling up.

I halted my munching on a Mana Pill and unwrapped the package that just arrived to pull out a drone.

What emerged was a sleek, black drone.

“Oh, yes, yes!”

-Wiiing!

Pressing the button, the four propellers whirred to life as the drone soared into the air.

Despite it being my first flight, it moved quite smoothly.

Who would’ve thought that playing with remote-control toys as a kid would come in handy like this?

“Huh?”

At that moment, Penny, just waking up, rubbed her eyes, spotted the drone, and froze.

Was she scared of something unfamiliar? It seemed like the opposite!

“Wow, wow, amazing! Where did you get it?”

Unlike her typical mature demeanor, she bounced over in excitement.

Her eyes sparkled with pure interest.

“This? I bought it from the System.”

“The System…? Like, from Juddak’s authority?”

“Well, kind of similar, I guess?”

“Awesome!”

Penny gripped my back tightly and leaned in closer to examine the drone.

After using it a few times, I got the hang of its controls.

The drone pirouetted gracefully and swiftly around the room before landing back at my feet.

Penny blinked her eyes several times, cautiously stepping closer.

Then, she gently touched the drone, muttering, “So this is Juddak’s familiar…”

“Familiar? Wait, that’s a thing?”

“Uh? Didn’t you know?”

Penny was genuinely surprised that I didn’t know.

But I’ve never heard of magicians carrying familiars like this before.

“I used to have one, too.”

“No way, really? How?”

Penny was a demon who came from beyond the Rift.

Out of curiosity about whether there were familiars in the world beyond the Rift, I asked, and Penny chuckled as she replied.

“First, you just wander around and look for a monster that catches your fancy.”

“And then you make a contract or something?”

“No, you just go down and ask.”

Ask? Can monsters even understand us, let alone fulfill our requests?

I was astounded at the notion of communication.

Perhaps the world outside isn’t the chaotic lawless realm I imagined.

“Huh, so monsters can talk, huh?”

“Sure, they tend to be hostile at first but…”

“Hmm?”

“If you sweet-talk them a bit, they’ll naturally become your familiar.”

“Oh.”

I understood now.

If you sweet-talk them (physically), they’ll willingly become a familiar (because they want to live).

Thinking back, Penny was harmless, but she was nonetheless a demon capable of tearing through the Rift.

It wasn’t that there were actual familiars, but rather they were subdued and labeled as such.

“There were a few other demons raising monsters like that too.”

It seemed to be somewhat of a trend.

I was about to clarify about the drone when I absentmindedly nodded.

“Well, it’s somewhat similar to a familiar, right?”

It does whatever I say, and through buying and selling, it became mine.

Plus, science operates through Mana and Magic, so it should be just fine even in the mist.

Though, there was one concern…

“How on earth am I going to get this to Elard?”

Hobby drones hardly go beyond a couple dozen kilometers, while war drones might reach thousands.

But the distance between Elard and Kellierhton was beyond that threshold.

“Should I give it to Paddak?”

There was the Full-Peel Elf option, but I quickly shook my head.

I could only envision it crashing down the moment it took flight if I entrusted it to the elves.

While I was brainstorming a solution, an alert popped up in the admin chat.

“I Will Not Die Even If I Am a Vampire: Should I help Juddak?”

This was from the lately quiet “I Will Not Die Even If I Am a Vampire.”

Juddak*: “Gah, I’m out of blood!”

Juddak*: “Seriously, there’s no nutrients, and I’m deficient in iron! I’ve only been having fast food since I got home, and it tastes like total garbage!”

“I Will Not Die Even If I Am a Vampire: …not really.”

As I replied in shock, a pretty moody answer came back.

Wait, isn’t blood the goal?

The next response was unexpected.

“I Will Not Die Even If I Am a Vampire: I’ll check myself.”

Juddak*: “Oh?”

She was rushing to help herself!

When she was addicted to blood, she wouldn’t help Paddak, but now she seemed eager to get back to business?

Juddak*: “Thanks, then please!”

It felt good to receive this response, and just then, a message came up from the previously quiet Felici.

“Dragon Dragon X: Juddak, don’t get fooled by that lazy bat.”

Juddak*: “Huh?”

“Dragon Dragon X: Why would that lazy bat suddenly start working hard? :)”

“I Will Not Die Even If I Am a Vampire: Be quiet.”

Now that I thought about it, she wasn’t actually lazy.

She had taken care of super-sized disruptions like Frederick.

However, she typically stayed away from minor issues.

Given how urgently she said she would help, it did feel a bit awkward.

Then Felici continued as if she knew everything.

“Dragon Dragon X: Obviously trying to impress you now. Isn’t it obvious?”

“Dragon Dragon X: Her true intentions are crystal clear. :)”

“I Will Not Die Even If I Am a Vampire: …nope.”

“Ah.”

Is she worried about the ‘Captive Bloodsucking Obsession Incident’ from the last time?

“Dragon Dragon X: (You’re being a fool, you silly dragon.)”

“I Will Not Die Even If I Am a Vampire: Kyaaaah!”

But I wasn’t too worried.

[Lilian’s Horn]

It conceals your location.

“The drying machine is a god, and I’m invincible.”

If I had the horn given by the Affectionate Konik’s drying machine, there was no way I’d get kidnapped unless I willingly went.

Regardless of the reason, wouldn’t normalizing the Gallery be a good thing?

About an hour passed when…

“I Will Not Die Even If I Am a Vampire: (A shivering toad monster gif)”

Just caught one!

The Rift wasn’t generating the mist; those things from the Rift were spewing it out.

“Oh.”

Progress was being made already.

And it seemed like the mist was coming from the monsters, not the Rift.

“I might clear this up soon.”

Just when I thought the reality cheat I possessed was taking charge to solve this problem…

“I Will Not Die Even If I Am a Vampire: Ah.”

(Toads running away gif)

…Juddak, they’re hiding.

Juddak*: “Huh?”

But as the toad monsters started hiding, the story changed.

Iona moved freely within the mist.

Yet there weren’t any monsters to hinder her progress.

Then the monsters opted to fully hide throughout the World Tree.

Even if I caught one by sheer luck, it would be a problem.

Dozens, even hundreds of them scurried away.

“I Will Not Die Even If I Am a Vampire: …should I just burn them all?”

Full-Peel Elf: “No, we can’t do that!!!”

Even if I burned them all, even the World Tree would remain untouched.

The World Tree was the elves’ piece of history and their spiritual host.

While the once meek Full-Peel Elf hesitated in surprise, she urged me against it.

“Hmm, I didn’t know the monsters would hide like this.”

This was troublesome.

If I summoned Ionia, it also might not go well.

But I couldn’t go down there and use the drone myself.

Trusting it to an elf would only lead to a scenario in which it would transform into a ‘Dwa-ron’ wreck in no time.

As I was caught up in my thoughts, a notification popped up.

[Level Up! New Ability Unlocked!]

[Paddak Totem Lv1]

Thanks to the experience points I nearly maxed out, I had leveled up.

“Paddak Totem…?”

The name felt odd, no, very odd.

But then again, there had never been any bad functions from the rewards I’ve gained from leveling up.

Surely, this would yield a feature that could help solve this situation too!

With that hope, I checked the ability…

[Paddak Totem Lv1]

You can command Paddak like a totem.

Casting Time: 1 hour.

“?”

The description was surprisingly unenthusiastic.

But that was okay.

“I’ll figure it out once I use it.”

Also, I had an easy target—a lovely blue elf slave, I mean, Full-Peel Elf.

*

“Ugh…”

With a release of power from my pupils, an elf suddenly collapsed.

Others fell one after another too.

“I can’t go any closer.”

“The mist has already spread this far…”

Elard Forest, a territory of the elves and a region safeguarded by the World Tree.

But now all of it had turned into nothing but a memory.

The elves trembled in fear as they observed the mist lurking ever closer to the city, Elardrien.

“What should we do, Captain?”

The elven knights were skilled fighters, but they could never sever the mist with swords.

Moreover, just getting close resulted in an abrupt loss of mana, sending them into slumber.

If only there were visible enemies, they could have reacted in some way, but they all lurked and weren’t showing up.

Eliana stared at the Gallery with a complicated expression.

‘If the vampire can’t do it, what can we do?’

Just then, she decided they should return to the queen and report the current situation.

“Huh!”

“Captain?”

Eliana’s ears perked up.

Pointed like antennas, she felt a strange sensation rising within her.

“This is…”

A bizarre feeling, as if a foreign energy were invading her body.

[‘Paddak Totem’ Terms of Agreement]

1. Consent to the collection and usage of personal data (mandatory).

2. Consent to share vision and utilize functions (mandatory).

3. Consent to receive summon notifications (optional).

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, strange phrases appeared before Eliana’s eyes.

She momentarily flinched at the Gallery that lit up out of nowhere.

Soon, a notification arrived from Juddak, looking as if he had been waiting.

Juddak*: “Text message feel?”

Full-Peel Elf: “What is all this?”

Full-Peel Elf: “It mentions a consent agreement, but what is this Paddak Totem?”

Juddak*: “Ah… that?”

Juddak*: “Just agree with it, yeah.”

Eliana focused her gaze back on the terms.

[We bear no responsibility for damages incurred from not properly reading the terms.]

No matter how she looked at it, the phrase seemed suspicious.

However, Eliana decided to set aside her doubts.

“Since you’re trying to help…”

Plus, she had previously gifted her a bracelet braided from her own hair.

At this point, it felt too far to doubt him.

Full-Peel Elf: “I get it! Should I check here?”

Juddak*: “Ah, thank you, dear customer! ^^”

“Hmm.”

Despite the lingering suspicion, Eliana soon pressed the approval button.

“Yikes.”

Instantly, she felt a strange sensation course throughout her body, collapsing onto the floor.

“Captain!”

“Oh, I told you to drink less at times!”

“I, I-eeeek…”

Unlike the other elves, Eliana wasn’t used to drinking, so she tried to protest.

But with her wobbly legs and overwhelming sensation, she couldn’t muster a coherent word.

-Wiiing.

“Huh?”

Just then, a serene yet alien whirring sound floated into her ears.

As the elves turned to look in the direction, something was floating next to Eliana.

It was something that felt entirely void of Mana and couldn’t be sensed, even as it approached her.

Juddak*: “Wow, this is working!”

Juddak*: “Yay!”

Suspended in the air like a lie, a peculiar metallic being floated.

It was a scouting drone.