I think that I was dreaming. It’s the only way to explain the bizarre environment I found before me. I was walking across a vast expanse of all the colors of a rainbow. The ground I walked upon, the ceiling and the walls - all of it was comprised of the colors of the rainbow. The stuff happened to be mana in fact, I soon realized. It was a captivating sight, especially since the array of colors shone so brightly and there we glittering specks all over the surfaces.
I do not know for how long I walked in this corridor made out of prismatic mana, it seemed like days, or months, or maybe even for years and years. I could not really tell for sure. Time seemed to flow so differently here, don’t ask me how I figured it out I don’t have a solid enough explanation for it. It was almost as if the information was relayed to me directly somehow and made sense. And then I simply knew it as the truth of this place.
A time dilation effect was in place here. Wherever here happened to be anyway. I was fairly sure that it was not some form of afterlife since, I clearly remember making it out of that dungeon with Sara and even teleporting back to Guild Master WIllhelm. So thankfully, I’m not dead.
On that happy note, I am pleased to notice that I have come across a door. It was rather plain in design and shape with a typical round doorknob, and just like the corridor it was in it seemed to be made of the same prismatic mana as I’ve come to call it.
I grab the knob and turn it but the door seems to be locked and I am unable to open it. That was when I felt it. A great magical pressure that suddenly enveloped my entire being, as if the sky itself was pushing down on my shoulders. It was coming from beyond the door, I could feel it as clear as the heat of the sun on your skin on a summer’s day.
I have never come across a mana pool as large nor as powerful as this before, not even Cain had this much magical power within him. I could barely breath as the pressure increased. Within but mere moments though, the pressure was gone. It left me on my hands and knees panting for air.
And then from everywhere in the corridor and beyond the door, I hear a voice. A deep, powerful voice that left no room for argument.
“It seems that you are not ready. Although, you reaching this place with your current power is surprising.” The voice said to me.
I stand up as quickly as I can, and it’s on shaky legs that I am able to stay upright. I am so curious about this place. There’s no harm in engaging in conversation right? So, calmly I will...
“W-wait, excuse me but, who are you?! What is this place?!” Okay, not calmly. My bad.
I ask desperately as I can tell that this place is somewhere important, and if my guess is right regarding that power I felt… This place is definitely mysterious and of great importance, no doubt about that! I really must know!
“I am simply a remnant,” the voice rumbled, “and this place is simply a legacy left behind by an ancient being of power. If you wish to understand the importance of this place, you must take the first step. Seek out the six parts of the key to the forgotten realm.” Key to the forgotten realm? Six parts of a key? Oooh, I smell an adventure.
I should probably ask for more details though. The key could be anything. And I didn’t read about any forgotten realm in the books before. Well, that makes sense since it’s supposed to be forgotten...
“But for now, John Sparks, it’s time you woke up.” Ahhh, no! I wanted to ask more questions!
And then all around me, from the door to all the surfaces of the prismatic mana a great light starts shining, enough to blind me many times over and I close my eyes immediately in response.
I wake up with a start, sitting up from the bed I am lying down on. I notice right away that I am in a spacious room with white walls, a white ceiling and a bunch of other beds in the area. Some beds even have curtains drawn a bit. It looks like I was brought to a hospital or something. Could be a clinic but seems to big to be one, and the Adventurer’s Guild didn’t look like it had an infirmary, and if it did I doubt it would take up this much space from what I remember of the upper floor.
Therefore, logically speaking I was brought to a nearby hospital upon losing consciousness. Question is, was there anything wrong with me? I was merely physically and mentally exhausted from pushing beyond my body’s current limits wasn’t I? I was in a lot of pain recently, perhaps the healers or whoever from this place helped with that? Also, what was up with that dream I just had? I can remember it all so clearly for some reason. Prismatic mana making up a corridor with a door made of the same stuff at the end and a mysterious voice coming from behind the door and all around the corridor, and the ridiculous amount of magical power just beyond the door… What was that all about anyway?
I would have kept this line of questioning for much longer I’m sure, if it wasn’t for the fact a blue haired catgirl chose this moment to launch herself into my abdomen.
It hurt more than I would have expected from someone like Sara and given how high my stats are. Sara’s Dex sure is something, plus her weight. Though I make sure not to say that out loud.
“Joooohhnnn!” Sara shouted out at the top of her lungs, and soon enough I felt my shirt begin to get wetter and wetter by the minute. Concentrated at where her eyes should be pressing against me.
I didn’t realize that she’d be such a worrywart. Sara is a good girl though, that much is obvious. So of course, she’d care a lot about me. Saving someone’s life is no small thing now that I think about it. Naturally, I am touched by Sara showing how much she cares like this.
Of course I hugged her back, it was only natural. “It’s alright, Sara. I’m okay. See?”
“I was so worried! You were unconscious for a whole week, John!” Sara looked up from where she had her head pressed against me and it really tore at me to see her crying so much. Over me.
“Damn, a week huh? I guess I shouldn’t overclock my body like that too often…” I winced in the next moment as Sara slapped me repeatedly with all her strength. It didn’t really hurt all that much but it’s more of a natural reaction to being hit repeatedly like this.
“Stupid, stupid, stuuupppiiiddd!” With each utterance of the word Sara would pound a fist onto my chest. “I know Cain was a strong opponent and he could move insanely fast but still! You could have done other things to deal with all that! Instead of taxing your body so much like that…”
I grab onto Sara’s wrists to stop her from hitting me any further. “I realize that now, Sara. And I’m sorry, for being so reckless and for worrying you so much. I’ll be more careful from now on. I promise.”
There are still some tears at the edge of her eyes as she looks at me but, she accepts my apology with a nod. I gently wiped away the remains of her tears and gave her an encouraging smile. And then we just stare longingly (I assume) into each other’s eyes.
A cough from the direction of the doorway breaks Sara and I from our trance. What can only be described as an aged doctor in a white coat and everything is standing there, with an amused smile on his face. Sara and I stop staring in each other’s eyes and look away in embarrassment. The doctor then speaks up, looking directly at me. “John Sparks, recovery magic was casted on you to deal with your severe mental and physical exhaustion from enhancing your stats so much your body had to compensate. You’re clear for release from the hospital now. Just try to be more careful from now on, yes? If your body and mind can’t handle the strain of enhancing your stats beyond a certain level, the consequences could be more… catastrophic next time.”
“You got it, doctor.” I stand up soon after that, and I sway a little but I wave off Sara’s offer to help me stand. I should be fine in a few seconds.
“John, the Guild Master wanted to see us as soon as you were awake. He agreed to waiting until we were both present before giving him the story about how we cleared the level 160 Dungeon in just three days.” Sara informs me dutifully.
“And the reward hasn’t been handed out yet?”
“Ah no,” Sara fidgets a little bit and seems worried about something. “I thought you wouldn’t mind if I handed over the dungeon core and received the reward on my own. Was it wrong of me to do that?” Gah! She’s giving me such a vulnerable look now! Those eyes of hers are just so adorable if she looks at me like that!
“A-ah, no no.” I wave my hands to and fro in an effort to reassure her, and fast. “That’s quite alright, handing over the dungeon core as per the quest details is fine. And I trust you not to run off with all the money or anything. We’ve fought side by side quite a few times now, and I like to think I have an idea as to how good a person you are.”
Sara simply gives me a radiant smile in response.
Soon after that we went over to the main receptionist of the hospital and paid for my bill. It was a pretty steep amount of $70,000 but then again medical bills are a real pain. In any world it seems.
Speaking of cash, the Adventurer’s Guild always takes 10% as commission from the monetary rewards of quests. If I remember correctly, obtaining the dungeon core of the Dungeon of the FIrst Blade had a monetary reward only and it was $12,000,000. Since the Adventurer’s Guild deducted 10% from that, that means the Guild got $1,200,000. Leaving $10,800,000 as the quest reward. Which as far as I can tell is still quite a hefty sum and I have no complaints here.
“Hey, Sara.” I called her attention because a thought occurred to me as I was thinking about the reward money from our first quest together. “Your revolver, it’s pretty underleveled for you by now right? Shouldn’t we get some better guns for you now? We can definitely afford it.”
My catgirl partner takes on a pensive look for a few moments. Her cat ears even twitch a few times as she does this. “That’s true. I’d like to keep my old revolver for nostalgia’s sake but buying a new gun or two would be for the best.”
“Great! Before we head back to the Adventurer’s Guild we can stop by the weapons store first. It’s important after all, having to update one’s equipment.”
We could have teleported somewhere nearby to make the trip even slightly shorter but I like to think we were both content to be walking around together and taking in the sights and atmosphere of the city.
This may be the Human Kingdom of Estriel but, there was a diverse population as expected of a fantasy world. Even when I was alone before joining the Adventurer’s Guild I was able to spot some demi-humans of various animal types in various areas. Elves dressed in green outfits and leather armor. Both the regular elves and some dark elves.
Often times Sara would catch me ogling the curvaceous demi-human and elven girls, and then she would promptly pinch me at the side and pull me away by the hand. Well, holding hands like that is nice too I guess. Oh, there were dwarves present as well by the way. The blacksmith forge where Sara and I bought bullets before was even run by a middle aged dwarf. But of course, the majority in this city was still humans.
I noticed that there were in fact cars going around the city, but they seem pretty scarce. I’m guessing even the cheapest car here costs several million. So it’s a luxury for only the richest of the population. What’s nice about cars in this world is that they run on monster cores and are refueled by internal mana. So they are extremely environmentally friendly, which is a huge plus. I might get a car someday with a spatial spell cast on it so that it’s bigger on the inside. Or not, because journeying everywhere on foot is what true adventuring is like and that’s part of the romance. I’ll have to think on it more in the future.
Just like that, Sara and I reached the weapons store. It’s different from just a blacksmith’s forge in that it really is a store and they also work with magic by enchanting weapons through runes and through inserting monster cores into weapons and whatnot which no ordinary blacksmith can do.
Just like the general store it makes use of the same spatial magic that makes the place bigger on the inside, bigger than what the size of the store outside suggests.
There are shelves lining the walls in the place. Magic swords, maces, daggers, spears and various other weapons are on full display. Not all of them are enchanted I can see that they sell mundane weapons as well, the blacksmiths must supply this place rather well. Of course, Sara and I go off to the section where there are guns on display.
I generously keep casting observe which is merely another name for the appraisal spell and take in the various stats and descriptions of the various weapons in the store. Ah, that’s right it is rather strange but the weapons store and armor store are two different places. I don’t really get why weapons and armors are sold in two different stores. Maybe because even with spatial magic there seems to be an overabundance in supply? I don’t know for sure, I can only speculate at this point. And I don’t really feel like asking about it. Blacksmiths do custom jobs for weapons and armor as well as whatever other orders come in for them. Sara and I bought bullets before from a blacksmith forge since it was closer than the weapons store at the time and I think it’s cheaper if you buy directly from the supplier of such things.
Anyway, it wasn’t until I came into this store and started looking at the merchandise but there are hybrid type guns as well. Magic guns only make use of mana as ammunition, and regular guns only use bullets. Magic guns can have a monster core installed in order to imbue it with an element, and it’s amplified through runecraft and other spells. Hybrid guns however have all the aspects of a magic gun but they can be fed bullets as well, increasing the damage potential since you’d be firing enchanted bullets in essence.
It was a pair of hybrid guns that caught my attention. They were rather expensive due to their level and the quality of their make but I think they’d be perfect for Sara and that they’d last for quite a long time with proper maintenance. Oh by the way, other people with certain classes can cast the appraisal spell and they can show windows that appear before them to other people if they so choose if you’ll recall. That’s pretty much what people that work in stores and whatnot do when they need to show of the information on a particular item.
With that said, I really do think we should get these guns for Sara. So I get her attention with a gentle nudge of her shoulder. She was in the middle of admiring the various guns on display when I did that. “Ah, yes, John? Did you find something good?”
“Yeah, Sara. I think I found the perfect pair of revolvers for you that could potentially last a lifetime with proper care. And hey, I think maybe someday I could customize them for you through heavy enchantments.”
I gesture to the pair of hybrid revolvers that caught my interest. I had already cast the appraisal spell and I made sure to keep the windows open. Then I will them to be seen by other people, or in this case just Sara.
Salamander and Wolf. Rank A. Base damage: 450 each. Dual revolvers, one with a level 40 Salamander core installed and the other with a level 40 Ice Wolf core installed. Enchanted further to increase durability and elemental damage. Able to take in bullets and imbue them with the elements of fire and ice respectively. Cost: $1,400,000 per revolver for a total of $2,800,000. Can be bought separately or as a full pair.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Wow!” Sara’s eyes seemed to sparkle just then. “Aren’t they way too expensive though? I don’t want to spend so much of our hard earned money on just my weapons…”
“It’s fine, Sara. This is for the sake of your survival after all. It’s definitely worth the investment. You have the money from the quest reward in your inventory right?” She nods. “Alright then, take Salamander and Wolf and bring them up to the cashier. We still have more than enough bullets left over from what I can tell and I could always make more if ever so, we’ll just get you these guns.”
“Thank you, John. This, really means a lot to me. More than you know…” Sara says to me quietly but I can still understand her perfectly enough with my incredible sense of hearing. Even without enhancing it.
Sara picks up the guns and rushes to the cashier. I couldn’t help but get an eyeful of her swaying hips and ass. She’s wearing her purple bodysuit again and it really leaves nothing to the imagination. It’s really great.
Anyway, a new weapon huh. With the enchantment on my katana to grow in level with me I won’t need a new weapon myself for a long time. As long as the durability of my katana holds out, I’m good. Although, seeing as I’m a Summoned Hero, I should get a more suitable weapon later on. One of the more legendary variety. But that can wait. Something to look forward to in the future though, I guess.
Sara’s done paying for her new guns soon enough and so we’re off. We talked it over a bit as we made our way out of the store and agreed to save the remaining $8,000,000 from the quest reward and put it in the bank to grow.
Apparently the most powerful and well known bank in the world is the Golden Coin Bank, there are others but they have lower interest rates and have lower levels of security and whatnot when compared to the Golden Coin.
After asking around for some directions to the nearest branch of the Golden Coin we found ourselves in a rather ornate white building, it had a large golden coin as its logo. There were armored guards at the entrance and other strategic points of the place. They were mostly ranger classes, probably for being able to detect concealed presences and whatnot but there were other classes mixed in as well. The armors ranged from leather to full plate and others made of rarer materials such as mithril and even adamantite. Adamantite is the strongest and most expensive metal in this world besides otherworldly stuff that come crashing down from meteorites and it’s no wonder such a place has guards making use of such expensive armor. As expected of the number one bank in the world.
So we walked up to a receptionist, she had purple hair and was dressed in a button up shirt and pencil skirt. Even had big black glasses on. She was pretty neutral with us for the first few moments until Sara and I revealed the amount we wanted to deposit into the bank to start our shared account. It will be under the name Green Storm, so it will be accessible to members of the party.
We were lead deep underground to the main vault where our money was transferred into one of the many compartments. We had to fill out some papers after that, and then finally sign an enchanted document instating Sara and I as the primary owners of the account until more people join our Adventurer party. We were each given a black card with gold lettering, which had our names and the account number on them as well as our classes and so on. Whenever we added more people to the party we simply had to go to any branch of the Golden Coin and they would supply the new members with their own cards as well for access to the account.
The cards were to serve as proof that we were who we say we were since they are mana locked to us and if you can believe it they have Automated Teller Machines in this world. The cards were meant to be inserted into the machine and then we will have our mana scanned soon after by some sort of mechanism. That’s right they run on monster cores and if want to withdraw or make an inquiry or something then we can simply make use of an ATM of the Golden Coin Bank anywhere in the world instead of going to the branch of the bank.
So with that done, we now have $8,000,000 stored in the bank which will grow every year with an interest of 30%. We will of course be depositing money into the account every now and then.
Now, we’re ready to go meet Guild Master Willhelm.
***
There was no emergency and we weren’t in a rush so I didn’t bother using Greater Teleportation to reach Guild Master Willhelm’s office this time. Come to think of it, the teleportation arrays only lead to the major royal cities in this world. Doesn’t that mean that teleportation magic is rather rare? I probably shouldn’t flaunt it around so much. If that really is the case. Who knows, personal teleportation magic could be a thing for certain classes, not just mine.
So, we made it back to the Adventurer’s Guild. More specifically the second floor in the office of Guild Master Willhelm. It was when we arrived that I noticed how hungry I was. I went a week without any food after all.
Sir Willhelm was kind enough to order some food to be delivered up to his office for all three of us, from the resto-bar in the lower floor of the guild. He ordered ice cold water for all of us to go with cheeseburgers and onion rings. The cheeseburgers had all the usual stuff: lettuce, tomatoes, onions and so on. The onion rings went with ketchup. There were even some chicken tenders with barbecue sauce. And for dessert? Several slices of chocolate and cream pie.
It was all quite delicious, my compliments to the chef just like the first time I dined here which seems like a lifetime ago at this point.
We didn’t get down to business until after eating and drinking everything though. We made small talk about whatever we could as we dined. It just didn’t seem right to talk about the serious stuff just yet. Sir Willhelm of course didn’t say it like that but that’s basically the gist of what he meant.
Oh yeah, if you’re wondering why I’m so respectful of Sir Willhelm it’s because he’s in a position of power as the head of this branch of the adventurers guild but also, because of his level.
Willhelm Everglade
Level 245 Monk
He was stronger than even King Reginald when it came to pure stats, or so I assumed with his much higher level. I do not want to piss off someone so high leveled. Hence, I’m on my best behavior.
Sir Willhelm was just finishing up his glass of ice cold water before he brought up the main agenda. “So, John-kun, I am so glad you are up and about now. And without any complications I take it since you were discharged from the hospital. If it’s quite alright with you and Sara, would you kindly tell me everything that happened on your quest? The city is still in an uproar over the dungeon exploding in a pillar of mana!”
Ah, of course the dungeon exploding would be noticed for miles or something. It was packing a lot of energy from the looks of things and judging from Sir Willhelm’s comment it blew up into the sky as a large pillar of mana. People tend to notice such things happening so close to the royal capital no less.
And so Sara and I took turns talking about everything we could regarding what we did on the quest. We kept out anything on Sara’s curse and what happened when we tried to break it as well as my use of the dark lightning on Cain, and the details I gleaned from the First Blade but everything else seemed fair game.
Sir Willhelm had a frown on his face by the end of our tale. “Cain, was it? A dungeon boss that seemed to possess a level of sentience that only the older and more powerful monsters seem to have. How interesting. Although, I wonder why is it the dungeon ended up exploding? That’s obviously not what normally happens when a dungeon core is taken. Usually, it just respawns as well as the final boss and other monsters and whatnot in the dungeon.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Sir Willhelm. It’s all just so strange to me as well. Sara and I will probably learn more from the drop items but then again, maybe not. However, going through such items is our business alone, right?”
The guild master looks surprised for a moment before he is able to school his features. “Ah, yes, of course John-kun. I know better than to pry into the spoils of war you and Sara obtained on the quest.”
That’s great, learning more about Cain means learning more about Sara’s curse. Can’t exactly let just anybody in on stuff like that, not even Sir Willhelm. And now I can’t stop thinking about that mysterious place in my dreams with that rumbling voice. That place made out of prismatic mana. What the hell is all that about six parts of a key? And what is the forgotten realm? For some reason, I feel a strong urged to find out about these things. Is it a mental compulsion perhaps from that place? Personally though, I really do want to know… Plus, it’s obvious to me a great amount of power was stored in that place. It was like the pressure Cain’s magical energy gave off, multiplied by a million or so…
Sara holds onto my arm from where she’s sitting and looks at me with… worry? “What’s wrong? You’ve been awfully quiet for several minutes now with a huge frown on your face…”
This could go one of two ways. I tell them about that mysterious place in my dream with the prismatic mana and they either think it was a dream that doesn’t mean anything or they entertain the idea that it could actually mean something. Ah well, this may be the result of some sort of mental compulsion but I really want their input regarding what that voice said.
So, I tell Sara and Sir Willhelm about my dream that was not a dream. Of the prismatic mana corridor and door, the powerful magic pressure, the voice and its message. All of it.
It’s the guild master that has a suggestion on what to do regarding my mystery. “Well, I’m fairly sure that prismatic mana is a clear sign of advanced control over mana combined with a high affinity for various elements. As for whether or not you really spoke to some voice of an ancient being of power I can’t really say. But that bit about six parts of a key and the forgotten realm… I think there may be a way for you to find out more about that.”
And so Sir Willhelm tells Sara and I about the Grand Elder of the elves. He is the oldest living elf to this day, being more than a thousand years old and still alive and kicking. If anyone would know anything about a forgotten realm and the six parts of a key to that realm then it would be him. He’s been around a long time after all and he’s been amassing knowledge all of his life.
The thing is Estriel is on the East of the continent and the Elven Kingdom of Therion is to the West of the continent. The Grand Elder isn’t living in the royal capital so we won’t be going super far into elven territory but we’ll still be going quite a distance. The village that the Grand Elder lives in is in a heavily forested area that is about a week away from the royal capital Therion.
We’re not in any rush to complete a quest or anything at the moment so, I guess it would be alright to just go now. “Can we go, Sara? I know it may seem weird but I simply must find out what I can.”
“It’s alright, John. I go where you go.” The catgirl knows exactly what to say to make me feel better. “So, are we going to use the teleportation array in Estriel to take us to Therion? And go on foot from there?”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too!” Sara and I then start staring into each other’s eyes again. We’ve been doing that a lot since I woke up in the hospital.
“Ahem!” Sir Willhelm coughs into his hand to get our attention. “That’s all well and good but, there is one more piece of business to take care of before you go off on your little adventure.”
The guild master proceeds to pull something out from the inside of his blazer’s left inner pocket. In his hand seems to be two medals, adventurer license plates. The proof of rank for any member of the guild.
“I know that the way this is usually done is by completing a test but you two completed a major feat when you completed that S rank quest in but a few days. Therefore, John-kun and Sara, from this day forth you two have achieved the rank of Platinum in the Adventurers Guild. Congratulations!”
The guild master proclaimed as such with a huge grandfatherly smile on his face and he hands us the plates. They shine with a bright luster from the sunlight coming in through the windows. Sara and I take the plates from him carefully, shocked and awed as we were with how much we advanced through the ranks in such a short time. Well, at least I did. Sara has been in Copper rank for who knows how long. But still, she’s jumping from the lowest rank to the 4th highest rank in one fell swoop. That’s pretty amazing no matter what.
“And that’s that. You two may go now. Continue the good work for the guild, you hear? Best of luck on your journey and future plans!” Sir Willhelm gestures for us to go and so we stand up, thank him for the food, his time and his advice and leave.
Sara and I weren’t low on ingredients and other supplies at the moment but better safe than sorry. We went to the general store after leaving the guild and stocked up on the usual stuff: food, potions, medicines, and so on.
Sara divided all of the supplies equally between our inventories as well as storing what we could in our magical tent. We’re well stocked to last a whole year if we’re careful. Considering there’s only two of us at the moment anyway.
And so we with all of that taken care of, we head for the teleportation array of Estriel which is located in the very center of the city.
It’s a gigantic magic circle. Two of them. Because of course they were. One was for departures and the other was for arrivals. They were not as intricate as the summoning circle I saw when I arrived in this world but, they were still pretty complicated looking. Pretty cool design too.
There were actually quite a lot of people coming and going from the teleportation array. Sara and I had to line up for the departure circle. Now that we’re here, don’t we need some form of identification? This is like an international flight or something isn’t it?
“Sara, are they going to ask us to present anything to them? As a form of identification?”
“Ah, yes, they are. You can show one of three things when using the teleportation array: an adventurer license plate, a bank card or your personal ID which you get registered for upon birth or when you are able to at the soonest.”
“Oh, how convenient. We can just show our plates and our Golden Coin cards then?” Sara nods in affirmation.
When it is our turn and the guards ask for identification Sara and I flashed our license plates and our black bank cards. We had to answer some rudimentary questions like who we were, what our business in our destination was, what we do for a living and so on.
Within a few minutes we were allowed to be teleported to the royal capital of the Elven Kingdom, Therion.
It was a beautiful place filled with trees and lots of buildings made of white marble. Sara and I didn’t admire the structures for long though.
I quickly pulled out a map of the world that we purchased from the general store in Estriel the second time we went there and we looked up the village we had to go to.
We set foot outside of the gate soon enough and started our journey to the village of Ikuru.
It was for a week, exactly a week that Sara and I traveled. Our days fell into a sort of routine, we’d make good on traveling far on foot, kill monsters and beasts that got in our way, showered separately, ate three square meals a day and so on.
It was the next day after a week had passed that we came upon a peculiar sight. The village was but mere hours away at this point but Sara and I were so stunned we couldn’t walk another step.
A koala monster, for it had to be a monster with its blue fur and special name came running up to us.
Lulu
Level 10 Familiar
It was no threat to us whatsoever. But the reason we didn’t attack was because of what it was saying. “Lulu! Lulu lulu, luuuluu, lululululu, lulu!” Poor thing was in tears as she said this.
Yeah, she could only say the word “Lulu” which probably explains the name. But also, the system listed the koala down as a familiar so following that logic, she belonged to someone and was probably well disciplined.
Oh yeah, here’s the thing about demi-humans in this world. They were part animal and could therefore understand what beasts could say, including monsters. So, conveniently, Sara could understand everything Lulu was saying.
“What’s the little one saying, Sara?” I asked.
“Something about a plant monster attacking her friend, and she wants us to save him? Lulu also says she’ll do anything to repay us.”
“Ah, well, no harm in helping someone in need. We’re adventurers as too, so it’s only natural that we help out someone being attacked by a monster. Let’s go, Sara! Lulu, lead the way!”
As Lulu leads us to somewhere deeper into the foliage, I can’t help but feel like Sara and I have been forgetting something all this time since leaving the guild that time. Ah, we forgot to properly check for drop items from Cain! Or at least I forgot to check, and didn’t remind Sara about it. Oh well, that can wait a little longer I guess.
In a few minutes we arrive to the scene of several large man-eating plants gathered. They seemed to be fighting over who gets to eat the human in their clutches. With each plant holding onto a limb and pulling as hard as they can.
“AAAAAHHHHHHHH STUPID PLANTS, I DON’T TASTE GOOD, I SWEAR!” The one in danger screamed at the top of his lungs.
It was a spiky reddish brown-haired man dressed in hues of dark brown and dark beige I think. WIth black circular glasses on his face. I looked above his head to read his information.
Sobbie Chua
Level 1 ?????? [SEALED]
Hoh, that must be what it looks like when a person isn’t awakened, i.e. when their magic core hasn’t been activated yet.
“Sara, you go left! I go right! Lulu, stay behind us, okay?!” Lulu nods at my order and stays back, closer to the treeline.
The large man-eating plants were just level 20 so Sara and I made quick work of them. Sobbie promptly fell down with an oof as soon as the plants started dissipating into mana.
He seems to be so surprised that he wasn’t torn limb from limb. He looks to me, then to Sara. “Thanks for saving me!” He exclaims to us and then his eyes land on Lulu.
“AAAAAHHHHHH!” Sobbie begins running towards Lulu with tears falling down heavily from his eyes and Lulu does the same towards Sobbie. “LUUUULUUUUUU! YOU CAME BACK FOR ME! I’M SORRY I THOUGHT YOU RAN AWAY! WAAAAHHH!”
Sobbie and Lulu embrace each other and just keep sobbing, and crying out to each other for several minutes.
“How sweet…” Sara gushes from beside me.
Ah well, this sure seems like an interesting development. Sara and I should probably question Sobbie and Lulu regarding their circumstances. By all accounts they should be dead. This area may be only level 20 to 30 but those two are way underleveled for such a place.
But yeah, Sara and I shall wait until they’re done crying and hugging each other like that…