Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Drone Reconnaissance
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[99.21% to next level]
“Almost there.”
As levels increased, the experience required skyrocketed in the gallery too, but it was finally on the verge of leveling up.
I stopped munching on the rice cake and tore open the package that had just arrived, pulling out the drone.
What emerged was a sleek black drone.
“Oh, it works, it works.”
-Whirrr.
With the press of a button, its four propellers spun vigorously, and the drone lifted into the air.
Even for my first time flying it, the controls felt smooth enough.
Who knew that messing around with toy drones as a kid would pay off like this?
“Huh?”
Just then, Penny woke up, rubbing her eyes as she came out—and froze at the sight of the drone.
I thought maybe she was scared of the unfamiliar object, but it was the opposite.
“Wow, wow, amazing! Where’d you get it?”
Uncharacteristically childlike for her usual mature demeanor, she bounced over excitedly.
Her eyes sparkled with pure fascination.
“This? Bought it from the system.”
“System...? Like your admin privileges?”
“Something like that?”
“Amazing!”
Penny grabbed my back tightly as she inspected the drone.
After a few test runs, the controls started feeling natural.
Following my commands, the drone smoothly and swiftly circled the room before returning to land in place.
Penny blinked rapidly several times before cautiously stepping forward.
Then she gingerly touched the drone and muttered to herself.
“This is Judak’s familiar...”
“Familiar? Wait, they have those?”
“Huh? You didn’t know?”
Penny turned, surprised that I was the one in the dark.
But I’d never heard of mages walking around with familiars here.
“I had one too.”
“No way, really? How?”
Penny was a demon who’d crossed over from beyond the rift.
Curious if familiars existed on the other side, I asked—and she grinned.
“First, you wander around looking for a magic beast that catches your eye.”
“And then you make a contract or something?”
“Nope. You go down and ask nicely.”
Ask nicely? Forget whether magic beasts even speak—do they actually listen?
I was stunned that communication was possible.
It made me think the outside world might not be the total lawless wasteland I’d imagined.
“Magic beasts can actually talk, huh.”
“Well, they’re aggressive at first...”
“Hm?”
“But if you discipline them just right, they become familiars on their own.”
“Ah.”
I got it.
Discipline them just right (physically), and they become familiars (out of self-preservation).
Come to think of it, I’d overlooked it because she seemed so harmless, but Penny was a demon who’d ripped through a rift to get here.
She didn’t have a real familiar—she’d just crushed it with force and slapped the label on.
“There were other demons who raised familiars like that.”
Apparently, it was even trendy over there.
I started to correct her about the drone but just nodded vaguely instead.
“Well, it’s kinda like a familiar, right?”
It did whatever I commanded, and I’d acquired it through purchase.
Plus, science ran on tech, not mana or magic, so it should work fine in the fog.
The issue was range, though...
“How do I even get this to Elrad?”
Hobby drones maxed out at tens of kilometers; military ones went thousands.
But not enough for the distance between here and Elrad.
“Should I give it to Padak?”
There was the full elf option, but I shook my head immediately.
Hand it to the elves, and I could only picture it plummeting the second it took off.
As I pondered solutions, a notification pinged in the admin chat.
Soon-to-Die Vampire: Judak, need help?
From SoonDieVamp, who’d been quiet lately.
Judak*: Whoa, no blood here
Judak*: Fr real, no nutrition, low iron, been eating nothing but fast food since getting home, tastes like crap I swear
Soon-to-Die Vampire: ...That’s not it
I reflexively freaked out and replied, only for a deeply dejected response.
What? Blood wasn’t the goal?
Her next reply was unexpected.
Soon-to-Die Vampire: I’ll come check it out myself
Judak*: Oh?
She’d handle it personally.
Back when blood addiction hit hard, she wouldn’t even touch Padak stuff—now she was eager like old times?
Judak*: Sounds good, thanks
Thrilled, I replied—then quiet Pellisi chimed in.
Dragon Will Die: Don’t fall for that idiot bat’s tricks, Judak
Judak*: ???
Dragon Will Die: Why would that lazy bat suddenly work hard on her own? :)
Soon-to-Die Vampire: Quiet
She had a point.
SoonDieVamp wasn’t lazy.
She handled massive trolls like Frederick herself.
But she rarely stepped in for minor stuff.
And jumping in so urgently to help felt off.
Pellisi kept going, like she knew everything.
Dragon Will Die: Trying to look good to you now. Obvious, right?
Dragon Will Die: Your intentions are crystal clear :)
Soon-to-Die Vampire: ...No they’re not
“Ah.”
Was she still hung up on that imprisonment-obsession-vamp-incident?
Dragon Will Die: (You idiot stay away from dragon)
Soon-to-Die Vampire: Kyaaak!
No big worry, though.
[Lilian’s Horn]
Hides the user’s location.
“With the dryer god’s horn, I’m invincible.”
As long as I didn’t go willingly, kidnapping was off the table.
Whatever her motives, a normalized gallery was a win, right?
About an hour later.
Soon-to-Die Vampire: (Shivering toad magic beast gif)
Caught one at least.
Turns out the rift doesn’t make the fog—the beasts coming out of it do.
“Oh.”
Progress already.
Plus, fog came from the beasts, not the rifts.
“Should be solved quick?”
With real-world cheater SoonDieVamp on it, problem solved soon, right?
Soon-to-Die Vampire: Ah
(Magic beasts scampering away gif)
...Judak, they’re hiding.
Judak*: ?
But as the toad beasts started hiding, things changed.
SoonDieVamp roamed the fog freely.
No beast could stop her.
So they scattered and hid all over the World Tree instead.
Catching one lucky beast wouldn’t cut it.
Dozens, hundreds more bolted into hiding.
Soon-to-Die Vampire: ...Should I just burn them all?
Fluffy Elf: Eek nooo!!!
Burning everything? Even emptied, the sacred tree was sacred.
It was the elves’ history and spiritual pillar.
Fluffy Elf, already shrinking between top dogs Padak and SoonDie, freaked and stopped her.
“Hm, didn’t expect magic beasts to hide.”
Headache incoming.
Even SoonDieVamp couldn’t fix this easily?
I couldn’t trek there to use the drone myself.
Give it to elves? Straight to “drone wreckage” future.
What now—my brow furrowed just then.
[Level up! New feature unlocked!]
[Padak Totem Lv1]
Perfect timing—experience nearly full, so I leveled.
“Padak Totem...?”
Weird name. Very weird.
But past level-up rewards were never trash.
Surely a perfect fix for this?
Eagerly checking the ability...!
[Padak Totem Lv1]
Control Padak like totems.
Cast time: 1 hour
“?”
Barely any description.
But fine.
“I’ll figure it out using it.”
Handy blue elf slave—no, full elf—right here.
*
“Ugh...”
Pupils dilated, and one elf flopped down.
Others followed.
“...Can’t get closer.”
“The fog’s already reached here...”
Elrad Forest, elves’ turf guarded by the World Tree.
Now all lost.
Elves trembled before the fog creeping to their city, Elradrien.
“W-what now, Captain?”
Elf knights were elite, but fog wasn’t something swords could cut.
Approach, and mana drained fast—then sleep. Useless.
Enemies should be visible to fight, but all hidden.
Eliana stared at the gallery with a conflicted expression.
‘Even SoonDieVamp can’t—if she can’t, we sure can’t.’
Deciding to report to the queen—just then.
“Gasp!”
“Captain?”
Eliana’s ears perked up.
Like antennae pointed skyward, she sensed something alien.
“This is...”
A strange feeling, like foreign energy entering her body.
[‘Padak Totem’ Terms Agreement]
1. Personal info collection/use consent (Required)
2. Vision sharing/function use consent (Required)
3. Call notifications consent (Optional)
“Huh?”
Weird text scrolled before Eliana’s eyes.
She jolted at the sudden gallery pop-up.
Then a notification from Judak, like he’d been waiting.
Judak*: Get the text?
Fluffy Elf: What’s all this
Fluffy Elf: Terms agreement? What’s Padak Totem?
Judak*: Oh... that?
Judak*: Just agree lol
Eliana eyed the terms again.
[No liability for damages from not reading terms properly.]
Suspicious as hell.
But she relaxed her narrowed eyes, setting doubt aside.
“He’s trying to help...”
Plus, she’d already gifted him a bracelet braided from her hair.
Too late to doubt now.
Fluffy Elf: Got it, check here?
Judak*: Yes sir customer ^^
“Hmm.”
Still suspicious.
But Eliana hit the button.
“Eek.”
A weird sensation washed over her body, weakness hit, and she collapsed.
“C-Captain!”
“Ugh, told you to drink in moderation!”
“I-I’m not...”
Unlike other elves, Eliana rarely drank and tried protesting.
But shaky legs and weakness choked her words.
-Whirrr.
“Huh?”
A quiet, alien whir reached her ears.
Elves turned—something hovered by Eliana.
No mana at all. Came right up unnoticed.
Judak*: Whoa it works
Judak*: Jukkiyat! Hurray!
A bizarre metal creature floating effortlessly in the air.
A recon drone.