Chapter 287: New Familiars

After deciding which monsters to take in as companions, I immediately went ahead and purchased two: the Flame Hawk and the Cutting Beetle.

Both required 30,000 NP each, making them a bit expensive—but if they were going to protect this area, it was a small price to pay.

I operated the tablet and bought the two monsters.

The moment I did, the two creatures I had purchased were summoned right before my eyes.

The Flame Hawk, as its name suggests, was a cool-looking hawk-type monster with a red-and-orange color scheme.

It had a body length of about three meters, with sharp beak and claws.

On the other hand, the Cutting Beetle—about which little was known—was a large stag beetle-like monster with a jet-black body.

Its entire form was covered in spikes, and its two horns extended straight out like saw blades, jagged and menacing.

“Flame Hawk and Cutting Beetle, thank you for coming. From now on, I’ll call the Flame Hawk ‘Rei’ and the Cutting Beetle ‘Thor.’ I look forward to working with you.”

“Rei and Thor, huh? Easy to remember—nice names.”

Both Rei and Thor seemed pleased, approaching me and rubbing themselves against me.

I had expected Rei to understand language, but it was a relief that Thor seemed to understand as well.

That said, Thor’s body was incredibly hard.

It was spiky, yet glossy, and its durability was no joke.

I doubted an ordinary sword could even scratch it.

Like Lime, there was a possibility that feeding it minerals could increase its hardness further, so if it liked eating ores, I’d definitely want to give it more.

“I’ll explain what I’d like you to do tomorrow. Until then, feel free to relax or fly around the area.”

Rei and Thor seemed to understand, and the two of them flew off toward the sunset.

For a moment, I was reminded of when I lost a stag beetle I kept as a child in elementary school, and I worried whether they’d come back—but since they understood me, they should be fine.

Shaking off that thought, I decided to move on to my next purchase.

Next up: entertainment items.

First, a Switch and Smash Bros.

Then I bought a generator and prepared a large monitor as well.

I also picked up two GameCube controllers for myself, so now the gaming setup was complete.

Next, I planned to add more manga.

I bought a large batch all at once, since it had been a while and most people had already finished what we had.

I had hoped that Hunter x Hunter and One Piece might be completed by now—but unfortunately, they still weren’t finished.

For now, I decided to buy all currently released volumes of both series, along with the timeless classic Dragon Ball.

I also picked up Demon Slayer, which I had been meaning to try for a while.

Dragon Ball came as a full-color edition with 32 volumes.

Demon Slayer had 23 volumes—both relatively short and already completed.

Having completed, shorter series was convenient, and I was excited to reread Dragon Ball and read Demon Slayer for the first time.

As for One Piece, I’d be entering unfamiliar territory, which made it especially exciting.

“—Alright, purchase complete. The games themselves aren’t new, but just having another Switch makes a big difference, right?”

“That helps a lot! Soara, Luna, and even Lucia have started playing games, so everyone’s playtime was getting shorter. Just adding one more system makes a huge difference!”

“I’m glad you’re happy. I also added more manga—continuations of the previous series, plus some new ones. Please give them a read.”

“More manga, including new ones? I’m really looking forward to it!”

Sheila smiled brightly, clearly delighted.

She had said she didn’t like reading, but she kept rereading manga.

Especially Hunter x Hunter—I’d seen her go through the Chimera Ant arc multiple times.

Still, since Hunter x Hunter doesn’t have many volumes, I felt a bit bad that it might not fully satisfy her.

I also genuinely wish the story would continue, but as a reader, all I can do is wait.

With that, I carried the newly purchased items to the recreation room.

As soon as I entered, I could hear game sounds.

Moving further inside, I saw Lucia and Helena playing Smash Bros.

“Huh? It’s rare for you to come to the recreation room.”

“I actually bought some new games and manga, so I brought them here.”

“New games? Master, what game is it?”

“It’s the same game, actually. I heard there’s been a lot of waiting time, so I thought I’d add another console.”

“That’s awesome! Less waiting time!”

“I’m happy too. Though with manga around, the waiting wasn’t so bad.”

Hearing that, Soara and Luna appeared from the back, each holding a manga.

Judging by how comfortable they looked, the three Dark Elves had clearly made this place their hangout.

As for Lucia, I hadn’t expected her to get this into it—but it was a pleasant surprise.

“So, I’ll start setting things up. It might get a little noisy.”

“Master, do we need to move?”

“No, it’s fine. Just keep playing.”

While watching Lucia and Helena’s Smash Bros. match out of the corner of my eye, I set up the monitor and Switch.

After arranging the manga on the shelves, I picked up one of the newly bought volumes and started reading right away.