[SP recovered, you may now wake up.]

Finally, I can open my eyes to see what awaits us. My assumption was correct; I was tied to my toad while L'arc and Eclaire took the lead. Once I woke up, I untied my hands and mounted my pet properly but was surprised when I heard it speaking in its frog form.

"Master! You have awakened!" Said the giant toad I was mounted on.

"Yeah, uh, Yumi?"

"Yes! What, Master!?"

"Uh, nothing."

An awkward silence settled as neither L'arc nor Eclaire noticed I had awakened. Whatever, it wouldn't be the end of the world until I heard them talking to each other in secret.

{Whispering}

"We'll drop the kiddo with their parents and let them hand us the reward through the adventurer's guild. I got a bad feeling around the kiddo." L'arc whispered to Eclaire.

"I know, their aura is weird. It makes me feel icky when we bathe. I know she is a girl, but her glances make me feel like you when you stare at me."

"Hey! Quit lying! I never spy on you!" Said L'arc after being bonked in the head by Eclaire.

So that was what they thought of me. I was just a money sign to these guys, and here I thought we were friends. It's somewhat comprehensible. I won't blame them for not wanting to be my friends. They barely even know me.

Besides, I'm a stupid royal brat. Who would want to be friends with someone like that?! I need another hit of that copium tank; where was it again? Oh yeah, in my memories. Let me hit it!

AHHH! Much better! I now feel like I could take over the world in a wim if I really wanted to. Now that I think of wanting things. What am I exactly trying to achieve? I know I want a gun, but what is driving me so hard? My pride alone? That can't be it! Is it? Am I the evil egoist one!?

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Meh! And what if I'm the villain! To me, the entire world is the enemy! Yet, what comes after it? Will my story settle down if I manage to kill the Goddess?! Will that be the end of it all? Ahaha! I'm probably overthinking it again. First, I need a stable weapon that won't break with less than ten uses.

Whatever happens to this world when I introduce weapons will be out of my control and not my fault. I'm only building things that will allow me access to this world's power, which is what I need to defeat this stupid system that makes people so dam dependent on magic!

In my opinion! The only thing holding this world back is magic! Why would there be any significant technological advances when there is a magical solution to any problems you might have!

In every society, niches and minor inconveniences drive progress. The search for a more convenient life is what pushes people's creativity, but in a world where magic solves it all, there is no ambition to move forward with technology.

I want to industrialize this world and thus make a name for myself! If I can prove that you can obtain a better life through technology, then I might be the spark that drives people towards a less magic-dependent lifestyle and, therefore, will no longer need the aid of the Gods who control the system! Everyone would be free from their rule!

No one can fight against the Gods because they control the power they need to fight back, so I'm choosing another route! I will use whatever there is available to defeat my opponents! If I have to do it alone with Yumi, so be it! I wasn't planning on making L'arc and Eclaire my permanent companions anyway!

It's not like I'm going to really miss them at all! I don't need them! I haven't grown attached to them and their melons I meant boobs! TwT

Let me hit that copium tank one last time.

It finally came time to surprise L'arc and Eclaire by making them aware of me waking up.

"Oh! Hey, kiddo! How was your nap? You sure like being lazy."

"L'arc, come on!" Eclaire hit him softly in the head again.

"I'm okay. I just lost all of my energy when I named Yumi."

"Oh!? Is that so? Well, you shouldn't be naming monsters. It consumes too many points and doesn't give out much reward other than ease of recall." Said L'arc.

"Yeah, you don't give all monsters free names either. It can give you a negative reputation as the church sees it as a sin." Eclaire said as she approached me.

It was about midday. We still had plenty of daylight to go, but something began to pump within me when I noticed the day was precisely noon.

{Loud internal heartbeat noises intensify.}

I opened my HUD again and noticed that my SP bar was quickly refilling from the 25% status all the way to 100%. What the hell was that all about? Am I a freak or something?! I hope it's just a one-time reference since I don't want to start saying things like...

{Anabel grows in size as an Escanor mustache appears on her face as her face shifts to a more sigma male appearance. Her body size quadruples in a matter of seconds with muscles on top of muscles.}

"You thought you won? Who decided that!? You said I'm done! Who decided that?!"