Continue? Chapter 2.2 : Magic and Slot Machines

The large Blue Flower was closed, still in the shape of a bud.

'What even is this?'

[Appraising...]

'...It's taking longer than usual.'

[Appraisal Complete]

[Reaper Flower {Bud}]

{The Bud of a growing Dryad. This particular Dryad is known for using Dark Magic, and is said to be a Reaper of the Forest}

{Reap Dryad : 6 Seconds}

'6 Seconds? ... Wait. A Reaper is being born!'

"Get back!"

Everybody jumps away from the Flower, waiting for what's to come.

Slowly, the Bud began to unfold.

'I don't know what's gonna happen, but I better be careful.'

As the Buds unfolded, a strong wave of Mana was being released.

Out of the Blooming Flower, a light yellow liquid began flowing out.

From the Liquid, a small humanoid creature emerged.

"A Reap Dryad. It uses Dark Magic, and it's apparently a 'Reaper of the Forest'. Be on guard." Quin readys his Knife.

The Dryad slowly touched the ground, spreading what seemed to be thin roots into the ground.

'Black Hair. I've read about a few different types of Dryads when I was bored. The Roots are most likely how they gain energy.'

The Dryad opened it's eyes, looking around, landing it's gaze on the group.

Locking it's eyes on Quin, the Dryad began to slowly move towards him.

To his surprise, the Dryad tripped... somehow.

'It... tripped? That doesn't make much sense. ...Well, it doesn't seem to be much of a threat.'

Relaxing a little, Quin walks towards the fallen Dryad.

"Hey, you okay?" Quin extended his hand.

Immediately, the Dryad launched from the ground, attaching itself to his arm.

"Quin!" Everybody began to attack.

"Wait! Hold on!" Quin shouted.

Everybody stopped in their tracks, watching intently with faces filled with worry.

[Would you like to acquire the Skill {Sapping Immunity}?]

'Yes.'

[Acquiring...]

The Dryad slowly grew confused.

"You can't sap any energy from me. Sorry, but I'm not a source of food."

Confused, the Dryad attempted to sapp with more force.

Annoyed by the sensation, Quin looks around.

Taking a Bee Corpse off the ground, he shows it to the Dryad.

The Dryad eyed the Bee up and down, then ignored it.

'No dice. What else could I use? The Liquid from the Bud would be nice, but it's probably... nectar.'

"Brother, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Sayu looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"I'm alright. I can't really move because of the Roots that go from my Arm to the Ground. Do you mind handing me the Flower Bud? Or at least just the Nectar?"

"Okay..."

Without questioning further, Sayu goes around, grabbing the large Flower that was now in Full Bloom.

"So pretty."

Admiring the Flower, Sayu brings it to Quin.

'God I hope this works.'

[Nectar to Honey]

The Yellow Liquid inside the Flower began to glimmer for a moment before fading.

The Liquid was now a darker Yellow than before.

'Did it work?'

Using his {Strong Smell I}, Quin confirmed the smell of Honey.

"Sayu, show the Flower to the Dryad."

Doing as he said, Sayu took one step closer, facing the open end of the Flower towards the Dryad.

The Dryad looked at the flower.

Realizing the sweet scent of honey, the Dryad detached from Quin's Arm, and onto the Flower.

"Hmm~"

The Dryad made a light humming noise as it enjoyed the taste of Honey.

"Looks like it worked. Thank the Gods that I managed to fight some Bees before this. Who knew that a Dryad's favourite food was Honey?" Quin, mentally exhausted, fell down, laying back on the grass below him.

'Speaking of food...'

*Grrr~*

The sound of empty stomachs filled the atmosphere.

"...I'll get to work. Remi, Sayu, watch the Dryad. Trayfi, you help me."

"Can do. I'm too hungry to be nervous right now. Sayu, wanna play with me?"

"Yeah! Let's play tag!"

'Guess I'm still on watch duty. Well, I have {Presence Sense I}, so we should be fine.'

"Let's hurry. I'm hungry, and I can't even imagine taking another moment without food."

"Eat an apple while we wait. I'll get the Boar Meat ready. Hopefully it hasn't spoiled yet."

Before he could begin, he felt a tug at his shirt.

The Dryad finished all of the Honey that was inside the Flower.

"You want more? Well, unless you can make some Nectar, I don't think I can get any more for you."

Thinking on his words, a small Flower blooms from a Vine that she created.

Tipping the flower slightly, a small stream of Nectar began flowing out.

"Nectar? If it's like this, then I can make more. However, I would like to ask you something."

The Dryad tilted her head in curiosity.

"You can't attack other people. Only attack if I say it's okay. Got it?"

Nodding her head, the Dryad looks around.

Spotting the Clay Jar that finished drying, she goes over, and begins pouring the Nectar.

'I'll get to work while she's doing that.'

"Alright, Trayfi. Let's get to work."

. . .

Dusk.

Trayfi and Remi were asleep under the Apple Tree.

Sayu and the Dryad were sitting next to Quin by the Dirt Path.

"Bother, what do we do with Little Dryad?" Sayu had the Dryad on her lap.

"I don't know much about Dryads, but I think she can be quite the asset. Let's take her with us. She can also make Nectar, so that means that I can make Honey from it. It's a win-win."

"We're gonna take her with us? Will Trayfi and Remi be okay with that?"

"Well, they don't seem to be afraid of her, so I don't see why not. But, I still don't know much about the Dryad's Dark Magic. Do you mind showing me?"

Understanding, the Dryad taps Quin on the Forehead.

Black.

Around him was nothing but empty space.

Trying to speak, no sound came out.

Trying to think, no thoughts could be heard.

[Would you like to acquire the Skill {Illusion Immunity}?]

Only being able to give body language, Quin nods.

[Acquiring...]

In an instant, everything came back to him.

'What the literal hell was that? ...That was almost gonna make me lose my mind.'

"That was... interesting. Please, never use that on someone else. At least not on purpose."

The Dryad Nodded, then suddenly looked tired.

"Little Dryad? What's wrong? Are you tired?" Sayu yawned.

"Dryads need Sunlight just like Trees and Flowers. The Sun just set. We should go to bed now."

"Okay. Let's sleep together Little Dryad."

"Goodnight you two. And make sure that the Dryad doesn't sap any energy from you."

"Goodnight~"

Sayu rested with the Dryad, next to Trayfi and Remi.

'I'm also very exhausted. But, now I know what I'm going to chose.'

[Acquire Unique Skill {Slots}?]

'Absolutely.'

[Acquiring...]

[Calculating Level Prizes...]

[Adding Beginner Bonus...]

Suddenly, a Slot Machine, or at least one one a Screen, appeared.

'Kinda thought it would be more... 3D. Anyways, there's only one slot. There's also a number up top. 14. That's my exact level. Did it add my Level 1 as a Bonus?'

There was another Window beside the Slot Machine.

[Stage 1 Prizes]

[1st Prize : Slot Upgrade]

[2nd Prize : Random Rank Equipment]

[3rd Prize : Random Potion]

'Prizes. I guess this Skill still needs some upgrades. Let's test it out.'

Pressing the Lever, the number went down from 14 to 13, and the Slot began to roll.

Slowly, it came to a stop, revealing the picture of a Bottle.

'A Potion?'

A Bottle filled with a light blue liquid appeared at his feet.

'What kind of Potion is this?'

[Appraising...]

[Appraisal Complete]

[Stat Potion]

{Gain 5-20 Stat Points}

'That is quite useful. I'm a little tired to be surprised. Let's continue.'

Quin pulled the Slots the remaining 13 Times.

What he got was :

2 Stat Potions (Not Counting the First)

3 Healing Potions - 10-50 HP

1 Mana Potion - 25-100 MP

1 Boost Potion - +10 All Stats / 1 Min.

1 Magic Potion - x2 Magic Dmg. / 1 Min.

1 Iron Dagger - Slightly Dull

2 Steel Swords - 1 Dull, 1 New Condition

1 Flare Wand - New Condition

1 Thunder Boots - New Condition (Pair)

'That's a lot of Items. I'm surprised I didn't even get the Upgrade. Well, not THAT surprised. Anyways, let's put these somewhere safe for now.'

Getting a bit of distance from the items, Quin slowly uses his Ice Magic to create a Thick Walled Igloo around the Items.

'That should do it. Now I should probably go to sleep.'

Yawning, Quin sits next to Sayu, and drifts off to sleep.

. . .

. . .

. . .

"-ello? Hellooooo?"

Can you be any louder?

"Finally! Do you know how hard it is to control this thing? It takes forever!"

You don't sound like the Goddess. Are you the one that transferred me to this world?

"Yeah... sorry about that. I didn't know the King would just snap like that. Who knew you would die in the first 5 Minutes?"

Gee, thanks. Did it have to be that castle?

"Sadly, yes. Nobody else in this world is summoning an 'Other Worlder' such as yourself."

Well, you're the one calling me. So... What's the problem now?

"Yeah... The King just summoned another Hero."

...God damn it. Now I'm gonna meet them sooner or later.

"It'll take a while, but yes. However, their circumstances are... different."

Different? What does that mean?

"...Slave Collar. It's an Item that can be found in a specific Dungeon that exists under the Castle. That's all I can tell you."

Slave Collar? ...I didn't think of that possibility. If possible, can you tell me what Unique Skill you gave them?

"Oh, that's easy. I gave them a Skill called {Plunder}."

...What?

"I don't know what it does, but it sounds cool!"

...Moron.

"And now you're just being rude. What's the problem with their Skill?"

{Plunder}, if it is what I think it is, is the Skill to take Skills. If the new Hero wanted to, they could take any Skill they wanted from another person, beast, or Hero.

"...Huh? Are... Are you sure? Are you sure you're sure?"

This is no longer a small problem. In Manga and Anime, any characters that have {Plunder} usually become overpowered. Sooner or later, they might be able to rule, or even destroy the world if they wanted to.

". . ."

...Hello?

"Oh, sorry. I was just checking the List of Skills that I'm allowed to give to the Transfers, and... {Plunder} is on the List. I don't think this is a mistake either."

So any crazy God can just give someone absolute power? What kind of balance is that?

"Says the person who can't die."

What was that? Don't make me come up there... or down. Where even are you?

"The God's Realm. I'm in Transfer Room Number... Man, that's a lot of numbers. Anyways, you can't get to me, so have fun trying!"

Hold on one mome-

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. . .