---

 

"Pearlie, I really wanna say again, thanks for looking out for Tommy!" Aurum's voice was filled with both relief, but also a tinge of anger. "I wish I was there to help the two of you against those goblins."

That was what Aurum said the moment the three of us exited the village clinic, and I had been confirmed to have a clean bill of health. She had her hand on my head, forcing me to bow to show my gratefulness too, which I did with a sigh. 

'Is this really necessary? I already told her tons of times just how thankful I was.'

I couldn't help but think it, but I also understood that it was just in Aurum's nature to care about pride and honor.

Still, her worry was both comforting and a little stifling...she really cared about me, didn't she? Enough to be angry at herself for something out of her control.

That mysterious cat-eared girl was now standing in front of us, and quickly shook her head, blushing in embarrassment at the attention. 

"N-No! I mean, you don't have to do that." Her ears perked up a little as she spoke. "If anything, I'm more thankful to him, than anything else...let's just say we helped each other."

She clarified, while giving me a shy smile. I returned it, and Aurum relaxed her hold on me, letting me stand up properly.

To be honest, I had actually  woken up a while ago. It was just that I was stuck in the village clinic for a while, getting my energy back. That fight against the goblins had been draining, both mentally and physically. I had to almost kill myself to win.

The poison was really what kept me down. Even when it was detoxified out of me, it didn't mean I could just jump up and get going again. Poison is poison, and I wasn't magically resistant to it.

But, the rewards the whole experienced yielded almost made me want to lovingly jump into the arms of goblins and (almost) solo 1v10s again.

I had already seen it tons of times, but I couldn't help staring at my status screen again.

---

---

There were two new things to note. First was that the battle had given me a major stat increase. My biggest gain, as per usual, was in Constitution. Honestly, I didn't know whether it made me happy or sad to know that my biggest stat came from how much I physically suffered...

But the other stats were great! With all my other stats either nearing or surpassing a 5, I was already heading to a level beyond starting starting stats of your average person, let alone other kids my age. 

Still, these stats were merely just stats. I was still powerless in the face of certain skills or abilities, and the true geniuses out there already had stats higher than mine thanks to their exclusive Systems and OP treasures.

So that made the most exciting thing my Skills, which were...converting into something?! I had no idea just what the hell the System was cooking up, but if it were something that could help me out some more, that would be great.

"Tommy, stop dozing off!"

Aurum's voice brought me back to reality, away from my sweet, sweet stat screen. Pearl giggled at the sight, a small smile on her face. 

Ah, right. Pearl...

---

The mysterious cat-eared girl...she had said her real name was Lulu, but she preferred for us to call her Pearl. In fact, she insisted on it. Aurum loved nicknames anyway, and I was never one to be pushy with people's comforts, so we both rolled with it.

She was the one who brought me back, and I was told she'd stay there almost all day, except for the very dead of night, when she left to go...somewhere.

I really thought she was just staying around out of sheer guilt, and at first, maybe she was. 

However, once I woke up, and I got to trying to chat with her...we became quick friends. Which is surprising, since I never become quick friends with anybody.

Let me tell you: I'm the type that can talk about something endlessly when I find it interesting. And as it turns out, so was she. Specifically, when it came to magic. She was like a magic encyclopedia, and I had way too much fun bouncing my ideas of magic as a Player off of her ideas of magic as an inhabitant of this world from day one.

I was sure that our discussions on magic theory was part of the reason why my intelligence went up by 2.5 points. Maybe that and deducing the whole 'summoned goblins' situation.

Aurum would just proudly declare that she didn't get any of it, and that made sense. She was a genius of instinct, not of knowledge. So at first, she didn't even bother talking to Pearl much.

Though, once I explained the goblin situation, and how it was likely that someone was after Pearl's life specifically, Aurum immediately became overprotective of Pearl. It was like some hidden motherly instinct she never had suddenly woke up...

It was also why, every time Pearl suddenly left at a certain time of night, Aurum would follow. Only she knew Pearl's real identity, and surprisingly, she refused to tell even me.

It did hurt me a little, but like I said, I was never too pushy of a person.

Eventually that ceased, though, as Pearl had said,

"I...got permission to stay, as long as Aurum is here."

At that point, it seemed obvious to me - someway, somehow, Pearl was a part of the royal delegation that visited alongside the crown Princess. I had no idea how, considering she wasn't even mentioned in the original game, similar to Arianwen.

---

"Anyways...Pearl, didn't you say that you had somewhere to go, while we were in the clinic?' I asked, causing Pearl to turn her attention towards me.

Observing the way her brows furrowed slightly, I could tell that even bringing it up lowered her mood. She always reacted this way when anything about the royal delegation was brought up.

"Umm...you know, don't worry about it. I won't need to leave for a little bit longer. I have...maybe another two weeks?" 

She dismissed the issue with a smile, but Aurum just pouted, going over to wrap Pearl in a hug. 

"Aaaaaw, but I never want you to leave, Pearlie! You're so much better for hugging than Tommy, and you're 1000 times better than anyone else in this old, stuffy, crappy, outdated town! You should honestly just stay..." 

Sometimes I wondered if the villagers, who admired Aurum so much, would cry if they heard how much she cursed them behind their back...

"Don't crush her now, Aurum." I called, only for the dragonling to turn and stick her tongue out at me.

"Haha...hehe..." Pearl just laughed, while surrendering herself to Aurum's bear hug. "I, you know...I can't stay, Aurum." Aurum sighed at Pearl's words, but they were true. Regardless of however she was being treated, someone important enough to come with the crown princess couldn't just "go missing."

It made me wonder, though.

'Why would they allow her to go off alone unprotected, to the point of an assassin coming after her?'

Maybe...Pearl's situation was even more complicated than I could ever imagine.

"How about we just enjoy the time we have?" She spoke optimistically, and though I could tell Aurum wanted to disagree, she eventually gave in.

"But what are we gonna do?" Aurum asked, while separating from Pearl. "The only things me and Tommy like doing these days are training together, or hanging out in my cave." She hummed, to which Pearl seemed a little downcast.

"I'm not too good at training...everyone says that my magic is pretty weak, so...I just practice casting buffs faster."

Her little hands clenched at her scarf, pulling it closer to herself. Aurum immediately rushed to her adopted little sister's aid, gently patting her head while saying 'there, there', obviously trying to comfort her.

But I had other thoughts.

By Pearl's own admission, she could only cast 'Natureless' magic. In the heat of battle I hadn't thought over it much in my head.

'Natureless' magic was just like it sounded - magic without nature. It consisted entirely of buffs and debuffs, which went as high as Lv 5. 

"She's pretty useful, then!"

You might say - but consider this:

In this game, buffs and debuffs made by player characters are usually short. They can last from one to five minutes, at most. Add to the fact that you can usually only have two buffs, and cast two debuffs on a certain enemy...add to this that most Treasure-wielders by nature were immensely powerful, and had some way to shrug off the effect of debuffs. 

Natureless buffs and debuffs, to the truly powerful, were nothing but fly-like annoyances. A much more scary prospect was someone using buffs and debuffs from other sources of magic. If I had to list their usefulness as overall magic with one being the highest, it'd be:

1. Divine and Demonic
2. Witchcraft and Spiritual
3. Elemental and Biological
4. Natureless

She was a very good academic, but from the way she phrased it, she could only use Natureless magic. Perhaps as a result of some sort of trait, or her Treasure.

That was a shame. Her casting speed, focus, and mana capacity were extremely good. If she could use just one other type of magic, she'd definitely be a genius.

Then there was that feat she had pulled off last time...it was something even I hadn't seen before. I was honestly curious to know how it could work...and if she could replicate it.

If she could, she might be able to push forward a whole new subclass of magic. And that was no exaggeration.

Something in me just couldn't leave Pearl to go off, wherever she was from, her life in danger again, and her skills unrefined. If we were going by the original story, I'd have six years before Aurum went to the Academy. I had lots of time left with her - but who knows when I'd see Pearl again?

Then now, knowing my stats could increase incredibly quickly through tough battles...

I had just one suggestion for the three of us.

"Forget training for now. How about we focus on getting some live experience?"

Aurum's head practically twisted towards me, her golden eyes sparkling like coins. Pearl seemed a lot more uncertain, her gaze wavering. 

"You mean?!"

"You mean..."

I nodded to both of them, assuming they knew exactly what I was talking about. With a smile, I slammed my fist into an open palm.

"Let's hunt some monsters."

---

"Aur!" 

I yelled, after cleanly slamming a demon boar into a nearby tree, cracking its' neck against the hard, splintering wood with a sickening thud. Immediately, I turned to start running towards Aurum, who was in-battle in the middle of a clearing in the trees.

"Got it, Tommy! Pearlie!" 

"M-mhm!"

Pearl responded briefly while Aurum, who had been distracting and getting grazing hits in on a towering Lesser Oni, essentially a demonic-looking orc with horns and tusks, stepped back. She began to retreat towards the trees, her small body allowing her to nimbly evade the blows of the wooden club that threatened to crush her at any moment.

The demonic monster seemed intent to flatten the trees if she were to escape the clearing, and it definitely could. It wasn't as strong as a full-borne Oni, but it was still damn strong, and if we were fighting at our usual capacity, even Aurum would get overwhelmed.

However...Aurum and I were not fighting at regular capacity right now. We had something that these monsters did not. Or should I say...someone?

"T-Tommy, yours are about to run out? What do I-"

"Level three, Strength Boost! Be ready to cast twice, just in case! Aurum, stop the club!"

I yelled while running towards Aurum. We seamlessly switched places, only for the Lesser Oni to slam its' club down right onto my head...

Or at least, it tried to. 

"Ancestor...! Please grant me strength...! Beyond my limits!" 

Aurum's little hands held the Lesser Oni's wooden club under her hands, her wings flapping in the air to keep her hovered slightly above my head. Her teeth were grit, her small form shuddering with unbearable strain and effort. Still, she was smiling brightly, clearly enjoying the fight, and the thrill.

With her chant to use the full power of her Treasure, her entire body glowed gold, golden-inked markings of a horned dragon appearing across her body.

Still, she was struggling. A kid was still a kid - neither her stats nor her stature were enough to completely destroy this thing in a strength contest, yet.

"Twice...Strength Boost!"

Just in time, Pearlie's incredibly quick casting came in handy, as the aura of a Level Three buff surged through both of our bodies.

"GRRRR...AAA! BREAK!"

With her already draconic levels of strength powered even further, Aurum let out a wild roar, her wings giving a powerful flap as she threw the giant club up, against the top of the Lesser Oni's head. 

Snap!

There was a cracking sound, as the wooden club slammed against a net of trees, bending and cracking them in half with its' sheer weight and momentum. However, that wasn't the only thing that snapped.

Both of its' horns broke.

'Just what I was hoping for.'

I slid under the creature's body while it fell from the force of having its' slam essentially countered.

My target was what had broken - one of its' sharp, curved broken horns that had come to rest on the ground. And just on time, like always, Aurum was right there when I needed to be. Immediately after tossing the gigantic club away, she used the last of her breath and power to rush over to me, grabbing me by my shoulders and flinging me towards the demonic creature's head.

It somehow managed to recover, and I knew it would soon be on us again, club or not. But it was already too late for the powerful monster.

With the power of Pearl's boost, and the momentum from Aurum's throw, I smashed into the Lesser Oni head-first, digging the curved horn upward, through its' eye socket, and into its' skull.

I rode the motion to tilt my body upward, taking the rest of my momentum to flip up and over the Lesser Oni's head. The only problem being...

Aurum was still recovering, and I was currently falling towards hard, rocky ground.

"I-I have you!" 

Pearl's voice came from the shadows, as she positioned herself to catch me, letting out a cute huff of effort as my body fell against her arms. She fell on her butt, sliding a little from the impact, but she did manage to absorb most of the impact.

For a magician, she was pretty strong? I assumed it came from the more bestial side of her beastkin heritage.

Aurum landed besides us with a tired groan, the golden sparks of her wings fizzling out into thin air.

The three of us watched the impossibly large giant stand still...then fall to its' knees, and then fully collapse, face-first into the forest clearing.

As soon as I was sure it was dead...I turned to the two girls with a satisfied smile.

"See? Told you we could do it."

Aurum grinned, walking over to the Lesser Oni and grabbing the horn that wasn't currently shoved into its' brain. She inspected it, and knowing her, she planned to take it back home as some kind of trophy.

"I mean...I really thought you were crazy when you picked that big scary guy to hunt, out of everything, but I guess you really knew what you were talkin' about, Tommy! Ah - I still would've followed through even if you were crazy, okay?"

Pearl nodded, a small smile forming on her own face.

"I never knew that my meager buffs could be so useful in combat...but I was more impressed seeing you use a creative way like that to kill a Lesser Oni...you really do have a creative mind, Thomas."

I shook my head, directing my gaze towards Aurum, then at Pearl. 

"I'm no strategic genius or ultra-creative person. I just know exactly how to use you and Aur's talents to the maximum. Monsters have obvious weakpoints, you just need to know how to get through them. It's you guys that are great."

Aurum rolled her eyes, turning to look back at me while waving the big horn around in her right hand. "Isn't that what you call 'being ultra creative'? Just accept the compliment, Pearlie's giving it, yknow? And she's way smarter than the both of us! And hey, who called you a strategic genius? Aren't you getting a big head?"

Pearl blushed in embarrassment at the compliments, and I couldn't help but be a little flush, too. I wasn't really used to being complimented, here or in my past life...and she had gotten me spot-on with that last jab.

"W-Whatever, Aur." I cleared my throat and tried to move on, but Aurum was not letting her teasing go without one final shot.

"Ooooh, he's blushing~! He's ashamed and embarrassed~!"

"Anyway!" I ignored the dragonling, focusing on what I really wanted to get at. "Do you guys think you can do more? Instead of stopping here, I think we could go for one...maybe two more."

Aurum grinned, tossing the horn in her hand away, which carelessly landed right in the Lesser Oni's other eye.

"Heck yeah! Using my chant tired me out a little, but I think I'm starting to get a better hang of my Treasure...I've never been able to switch so fast."

Pearl nodded in agreement, that small smile never having left her face.

"I agree with Aurum. I think...I'm coming closer to using my magic better. In a different way." Her hands held onto her scarf, though she kept her gaze locked on me. "Umm...I suggest we go after one that isn't herding demon boars next time, though."

"Alrighty, then." 

I stood back up, away from Pearl's support. "How about we go hunt us some more monsters!" 

"Hell yeah!" 

Aurum rose her fist in a guts pose, and Pearl did the same, a little bit after.

"Yeah...!"

I lowered my hand and began to walk, leading the group out past the clearing, and through the forest again. Aurum quickly caught up to walk a little ahead of me, acting as the vanguard, and Pearl situated herself in the middle.

Staring at these two girls smiling alongside me, putting their faith in me, joking around with me...I felt...genuinely happy.

This is fun.

It was maybe the first time I'd genuinely thought that since coming here.

But there was another thing I was worried about.

'Just why are there so many demonically-corrupted creatures around...?'