"FUCK!" I screamed, seeing a wall approaching fast. "Call to Arms!"
I had one ability slot. One shot at this. I activated the ability, felt it pull from the Bronze tier pool and prayed to that RNG-bastard that I got something useful.
The gacha spun in my mind, and I got:
[Puar]
|Rare Familiar|
Dragon Ball - Puar is a weird floating cat creature. Although she has little to no real combat ability, she graduated from Transformation Academy, allowing her to change her physical form to anything, ranging from objects to people, without changing her stats. She is also capable of teaching transformation to others as long as they have the talent and time.
A floating cat. I got a floating cat. At least she could shapeshift -
[Image Here]
"PUAR!" I shouted as the small blue-furred creature materialized next to me, looking confused and disoriented, her little cat ears twitching. "TRANSFORM INTO SOMETHING THAT CAN SLOW ME DOWN! BIG! NOW!"
To her credit, she didn't hesitate. Her body rippled, expanding rapidly as she transformed into a gigantic pterodactyl, wings spread wide like a parachute, and grabbed me with her claws. The sudden drag helped, her massive frame acting like an air brake, but I was still going too fast, and her grip was slipping -
Another tatami door appeared in front of us, and suddenly we were angled differently, gravity pulling sideways instead of down, and Puar managed to adjust mid-flight, using her wings to brake against the impossible geometry of the castle until finally…FINALLY we slowed down enough for her to land without killing us both.
I hit the floor hard. My whole body shook, muscles twitching from adrenaline overload, and I couldn't catch my breath. My heart felt like it was trying to escape my chest, pounding so hard it hurt. Sweat soaked through my clothes. My hands trembled uncontrollably. And my body couldn't quite believe it was still alive and in one piece.
A tatami door materialized next to me with the soft sound of wood sliding on tracks, and Nakime appeared, immediately dropping into a respectful seiza stance, her head bowed low, forehead nearly touching the ground. Her plain black kimono with white lining rustled softly, the brown-striped obi tied perfectly. She wore white socks but no shoes, and her biwa rested beside her as she maintained perfect posture.
I just stared at the ceiling, trying to process what had just happened.
"What the FUCK, RNGesus!" I shouted at nothing, my voice echoing through the infinite castle. "What kind of entertainment am I if I die on entry?! Is this funny to you?! Is this -"
A screen appeared in front of my eyes, glowing text that made me stop mid-rant:
[Feat Achieved! Survive a literal fall from Outer Void with little to no damage]
[Reward: +1 Gold Random Gacha Ticket]
I stared at the notification. Then I couldn't help but start laughing. It came out as hysterical, slightly unhinged laughter that echoed through the infinite castle.
Another ticket and I'd earned it by almost dying.
"You absolute bastard," I wheezed, still laughing. "You threw me at a planet just to see if I'd survive and earn a ticket."
The ROBs were probably losing their minds right now. The betting pool had probably exploded. And I'd just proven I could survive stupid shit through sheer luck and desperation.
I lay there for what felt like hours but what was maybe 10 minutes, not that I could tell anyway, just existing, feeling my heartbeat gradually slow from panic-sprint to something approaching normal. The adrenaline crash hit like a truck. My muscles felt like wet noodles, my thoughts scattered and unfocused. I'd survived. Somehow, against all the fucking odds, I'd survived. The relief was almost as overwhelming as the terror had been.
When I finally opened my eyes and put on my glasses, Nakime was still in her seiza stance, head bowed, waiting patiently like the dutiful demon she'd been trained to be under Muzan. Puar had transformed back into her regular small blue cat-like form and was floating around curiously, her innate levitation ability letting her explore the castle with wide-eyed wonder and occasional worried glances back at me, as if checking I was actually okay.
"Nakime," I said, my voice came hoarse. "You can raise your head. Why are you still bowing?"
"This one would not presume to rise without Master's express command," she said quietly, her voice respectful but firm.
If I'd been some normal person, I probably would've found it weird, would've acted all awkward and told her to stop. But I'd grown up with wealth, had seen how servants acted around my family, that complete submission to their employers. This wasn't new. Just... more extreme. She was a demon who'd served Upper Rank demons and the Demon King himself - this level of deference was probably second nature.
"Hey, flying squirrel," I called to Puar. "Come here for a second."
She floated over, looking indignant, her little paws crossing. "Puar's a cat, not a flying squirrel!"
The voice was higher-pitched than I expected, almost childlike.
"Yeah, whatever. Look, I need to ask you both something. Where did you come from? How did you get here?"
Puar tilted her head, thinking as her cat ears twitched. "Puar... Puar doesn't know? Puar wasn't anywhere, and then Puar heard someone calling for help, and Puar just... answered! But Puar feels really sleepy now…"
'One hour duration. Right, she's a temporary summon and would fade back soon.' I thought, stomach sinking at the thought of losing such a useful ally already.
Nakime spoke next, her head still bowed respectfully, not daring to look up. "Master, I was Upper Rank Four under Lord Muzan in my world. After I was decapitated - crushed, actually, when Lord Muzan killed me to prevent Yushiro from using my castle against him - I was offered a choice. Perish into nothingness, or serve a new master. I chose service. I chose you, Master."
I took my time and processed this. So temporary summons like Puar were given brief access to reality, just long enough to help. But permanent familiars like Nakime had full consciousness, full memories of their deaths, and were bound by absolute loyalty that went beyond even what they'd felt for their original masters.
Different mechanics. Same result - they'd help me survive.
I tried to stand up, but my legs were jelly, completely shot from adrenaline crash and terror. I wobbled and fell back on my ass, and both Nakime and Puar moved to help.
"I think I'm still in shock from being literally dropped into this world," I muttered. "Give me a minute to -"
Nakime plucked her biwa with one hand, and a tatami door opened beneath me. I fell through, landing on something incredibly soft, and found myself in a room that looked like it belonged to a feudal lord. Royal Japanese bed with silk sheets, luxury furnishings that would've cost a fortune in any era, everything decorated in that traditional aesthetic that screamed wealth and power. The room was easily the size of my entire first floor back home.
Before I could even process where I was or ask questions, exhaustion came crashing down on me. My eyelids turned to lead, my thoughts turned to soup, and my body just... gave up. Sleep took me under, and I didn't even fight it.
My last thought before unconsciousness: At least I survived day one.
The ROBs were probably disappointed I hadn't died yet.
Fuck 'em. I had a Gold ticket to roll when I woke up.
[A/N]: Support my work and get early access to 20+ chapters, exclusive content, and bonus material at my P@treon - Max_Striker.
If you wanna hang out, join my Discord server- https://discord.gg/XxGEYk2PM5