Chapter 7: progress
{Attention! Full Mana recovered!}
I groggily opened my eyes to the warmth of soft evening light brushing against my skin.
For a few brief seconds, I thought I was back home in my bedroom, wrapped under my duvet after sleeping through an entire weekend after another all nighter.
My thoughts slowly untangled themselves as I blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling above me. It wasn't concrete. It looked more like stretched hide reinforced with wooden frames.
Where am I?
Still half-asleep, I reached beside me and froze.
"…Fur?"
I sat upright immediately. Beneath me was a thick makeshift bed layered with incredibly soft pelts. I rubbed my fingers across the surface again to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
It was fresh, clean, and surprisingly luxurious.
Wait a second…
"I don't remember taking out my wolf pelts…" My brows furrowed as my mind began piecing things together. Someone must've prepared this while I was unconscious.
Which meant I had been asleep long enough for people to organize an entire recovery area around me.
That realization alone was mildly concerning. I exhaled slowly and forced myself to calm down before jumping to conclusions.
The inside of the tent was surprisingly organized. Wooden shelves lined one side, storing water skins, folded cloth, herbs, and several glowing crystals that acted as lanterns. There was even ventilation at the top of the dome-shaped structure.
Someone put actual effort into this.
Before I could process further, the entrance flap suddenly opened.
I turned my attention as a goblin girl stepped inside.
But something immediately felt… off.
Her skin retained the faint green tint goblins were known for, yet her features were far more refined than before. Her eyes were bright and expressive, her hair smooth and neatly braided, and unlike the scrawny goblins I remembered, she actually had a healthy figure with proper curves.
"…What the hell?" The words escaped before I could stop them.
The goblin girl blinked, then gasped happily.
"Oh! My lady, you're awake!"
Before I could ask a single question, she bowed hurriedly.
"I-I'm so sorry! I'll go inform Lord Ryu, Lady Haruna, and Lord Dayama immediately!"
And just like that, she rushed out of the tent. I stared blankly at the entrance flap.
"…Either I hit my head harder than I thought, or something happened while I was unconscious."
Honestly, the second option seemed more likely. A loud rustling sound interrupted my thoughts.
"MASTER!"
The next thing I knew, something slammed into me at terrifying speed.
"Gah—?!" I coughed out. The impact nearly knocked me backward into the bed again. Dust exploded around the tent as two familiar figures clung to me.
"Ryu?! Haruna?!" I blinked
"I'm so happy you're awake, Master!" Ryu buried his face against my shoulder while Haruna wrapped her arms tightly around my waist. For a moment, my brain completely stopped functioning.
Too close.
Way too close.
"G-guys… personal space…" My face burned furiously as I tried prying them off without accidentally hurting them.
Thankfully, they eventually pulled back, though reluctantly.
Haruna puffed her cheeks. "You overdid it again. Everyone was worried."
"…Sorry."i scratched my cheek awkwardly.
That wasn't even a lie.The exhaustion I felt before collapsing had been severe enough that I barely remembered passing out.
"If Ryu hadn't explained your condition, the entire settlement would've panicked," Haruna continued.
Settlement?
Before I could ask, another figure burst through the tent wall, Not the entrance.
The wall.
Wood splintered everywhere as a massive figure emerged through a cloud of dust.
"My lady! I'm overjoyed you've awakened!"
The voice was deep and powerful enough to shake the floor. I coughed while waving dust away from my face.
"Use. The. Door."
As the dust settled, my eyes slowly widened. Standing before me was an extremely muscular goblin man with dark green hair tied behind his head. His body looked like it had been carved from stone.
"…Who are you?" I gasped in disbelief.
The man blinked, then grinned proudly.
"It is I, Dayama!"
Silence.
I stared at him.
Then stared harder.
Impossible. This was the same scrawny goblin elder who looked like a gust of wind could fold him in half?
"What happened to you?!"
Dayama puffed out his chest proudly.
"Thanks to your blessing, Shiori-sama, we evolved into superior forms!"
"…We?" I rose a brow.
As if on cue, another figure entered.
Through the entrance this time, thankfully.
"Master!"
A tall young man with long navy-blue hair and wolf ears stepped inside. A fluffy tail swayed energetically behind him despite his otherwise composed expression.
"…Fang?" I blinked
"Yes, Master." His serious demeanor would've been convincing if his tail wasn't wagging like crazy.
I slowly rubbed my temples.
"I've only been awake for ten minutes and I'm already mentally exhausted…"
...…
After forcing everyone to explain things properly one at a time, the overall situation finally became clearer.
Apparently, while I was unconscious, Ryu had transported everyone into the spiritual space, as what they were now calling the Ethereal City.
More importantly…
The contracts I formed had triggered mass evolutions.
The goblins evolved into higher humanoid variants with drastically improved physiques and intelligence. The dire wolves had also evolved, gaining human forms while retaining their original wolf transformations.
Which explained why everyone suddenly looked like characters straight out of a fantasy RPG.
Honestly, I should've expected something ridiculous like this eventually.
At least now I had confirmation that naming monsters and forming contracts wasn't just symbolic—it directly affected their growth.
Interesting.
Potentially dangerous.
Definitely exploitable.
I mentally filed the information away.
Apparently jobs had already been assigned as well. Construction teams, hunters, scouts, caretakers, logistics…
They organized all this while I was asleep?
Either my subordinates were incredibly competent or I accidentally started a civilization.
Possibly both.
Although I had fully recovered, Ryu and Haruna practically banned me from doing any heavy work for the rest of the day.
So now I was trapped inside a luxury monster tent with nothing to do.
"…I'm bored." I muttered with a straight face.
"At least you're alive enough to complain."
I glanced sideways.
Ryu sat comfortably near me while staring into glowing illusion screens projected from my memories.
"…Don't you have actual responsibilities?"
"Not really," he replied casually.
"The wolves and goblins have things under control, and Haruna is supervising construction." He added
He pointed dramatically at one of the floating scenes.
"Now quiet. The protagonist is about to confess."
I deadpanned.
"Hopeless."
"Time for the next episode!" His hand reached toward my forehead again.
I narrowed my eyes immediately.
"Absolutely not."
"Aww…"
"You've been digging through my memories for hours." I said
"It's educational."
"It's trashy romance drama." I pointed out
"It's peak storytelling." He shot back
"…You are way too invested in otome games." I sigh
Ryu placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
"Master, experiencing memories directly from the source is vastly superior to recordings."
I stared at him suspiciously.
"That sounds incredibly invasive when you phrase it like that."
He ignored me completely.
"Oh, ma chérie… your beauty rivals the moonlit heavens—" he teased.
"STOP QUOTING MY GAMES!"
My entire face exploded with embarrassment while Ryu burst into laughter.
"This one is my favorite scene so far." He grinned
"You're banned from memory-viewing for today." I said
"Nooooo! Cruelty!" He immediately latched onto my arm dramatically.
I sighed deeply.
Honestly, managing monsters felt less like ruling a fantasy faction and more like babysitting highly dangerous children.
...…
Later that afternoon, after finally escaping Ryu's nonsense, I slipped out to train.
If I was going to survive in this world long-term, I needed practical combat experience—not just raw abilities.
So I tested things systematically.
Claw control.
Movement speed.
Mana efficiency.
Reaction timing.
I practiced slicing stone with reinforced claws, hunted smaller monsters to improve precision strikes, and challenged larger creatures carefully to test how my body handled extended combat.
By the end of it, my muscles burned pleasantly from exertion.
"That consumed way more stamina than expected…"
Still, the results weren't bad.
My physical abilities were improving rapidly.
Though honestly…
"I really need proper magic training."
Raw instinct could only carry me so far.
I also desperately needed information.
About races, Politics, currencies, kingdoms.
Magic systems, Everything.
Right now, I was basically improvising my way through another world with fragments of fantasy logic and blind optimism. That was not a sustainable strategy.
As I returned to the Ethereal City, I paused atop a hill overlooking the growing settlement below.
The progress was honestly impressive.
Goblins carried lumber between partially constructed buildings while wolves transported supplies efficiently across the camp. Fruit harvesters organized crates nearby while hunting groups prepared meat stockpiles.
They adapted absurdly fast. Maybe evolution had improved more than just appearance.
"You seem pleased, Shiori-sama."
I glanced beside me. Fang stood nearby in human form, calm as ever.
"Fang,"
"Yes?"
"Do you resent me?"
His eyes widened slightly. I continued before he could interrupt.
"I killed your father. Even if it was unavoidable, that doesn't disappear just because we formed a contract."
Silence lingered briefly.
I forced myself to meet his gaze steadily.
"If you're only staying because you feel obligated, I'd rather know now."
Fang stared at me for several seconds before finally sighing softly.
"You overthink too much, Shiori-sama."
"Hm?"
"It's true that I grieved for him. But resentment?" He shook his head.
"You protected our pack. Fed us. Named us. Gave us strength and purpose."
His expression softened slightly.
"You became our leader."
Something tight in my chest loosened.
"…I see."
Honestly, I hadn't realized how much that uncertainty had been bothering me until now.
"Still," I muttered quietly, "don't force yourself for my sake."
Fang's s tail wagged
"Our loyalty is genuine."
Before I could respond, Dayama suddenly approached while carrying several pieces of cloth.
Or rather…
Barely cloth.
I stared silently at the "clothing" the goblins had designed.
Fur wraps.
Only fur wraps.
My eye twitched.
"…You all seriously need fashion education."
The goblins visibly deflated.
"I-I'm sorry, Shiori-sama…" Akira mumbled.
Dayama looked utterly ashamed.
"We lacked proper materials and experience…" i pinched the bridge of my nose.
Right. Of course.
I couldn't exactly expect primitive monster tribes to suddenly invent tailored outfits overnight.
Which meant there was only one realistic solution.
"Is there a nearby town?" Everyone blinked.
Dayama nodded slowly.
"There is a market settlement called Advend Valley. Adventurers and merchants gather there frequently."
"A trading town…"
Interesting.
"Who runs it?"
"Mostly dwarves, from what I've heard."
My eyes sparkled instantly.
Dwarves.Actual fantasy dwarves.Smithing.
Craftsmanship.Commerce.Potential allies.
Potential trade partners.potential technology exchange.
"…We're going."
Everyone froze.
"Huh?" Ryu tilted his head.
"We need supplies, information, proper clothing, and economic connections," I stated matter-of-factly.
"Sitting inside the Ethereal City forever isn't realistic."
The more I thought about it, the more necessary this trip became.If I wanted this settlement to survive long-term, isolation wasn't an option.
"We leave tomorrow."
And somewhere deep down…
I was honestly excited to finally see more of this world.
According to dayam, Usually, it would take about two months to get to advend valley by foot, however thanks to fang and his pack we were able to arrive in just five days.
"Wow!" I awed as I stared at the town from a distance. We lined up with the others as we waited for our turn to enter the town.
"So we just wait here?" I asked yamada who was ahead of me.
"Yep, this place has a serious security protocol, but once inside we can do whatever we please." He replied looking ahead.
"Quite impressive " Ryu commended, Haru held my hand feeling nervous. Due to my unique clothes, I decided to wear a cloak to avoid attracting attention.
"It's ok haru" I smiled softly at her.
"Oi?! Look what we have here! Monsters trying to get in an adventurist town how laughable!"
We turned to see a group of human adventurers. They're mocking tone annoyed me but I didn't show it and just kept staring at them.
"Look, we're just here to purchase, we want no trouble." Yamada said tensed.
They laughed, until one of them turned looked at me.
"Damn! Well hello there..." He smirked staring at me but Ryu quickly stood between us.
"Tell you what, we'll leave, if! You sell us the chick?"
"My master isn't for sale, kindly leave at once!" Ryu frowned sternly.
"Alright then, if you wouldn't hand her over then we'll take her by force" their leader spat.
"Shiori-sama isn't a slave~..." Haru pouted.
Ryu started laughing cutely, just like a charming bishimon from an otume game.
" Oh master~ may I kill them?" He smiled innocently.
"Why of course " I was too busy swooning, until his words finally registered.
"Wait! No! No no no nooooo!" I called him back as he walked over, knuckles cracking and ready to smash them in to a reincarnation.
My words reached him just in time, as he hesitately came back. I sighed in annoyance by their despicable behavior.
I don't think they'll leave us be if we justignored them. I turned to Ryu and Haruna who were practically fumming.
"Yamada-kun, remember our rules.?.."I asked with a blank expression
"Yes my lady!" He replied
"All of you, cover your ears and close your eyes, don't open them no matter what." I ordered, walking forward.
"Yes! Shiori-sama!" They all turned around and did as I said, all except Ryu and Haruna.
"Listen up! For the sake of your pride I suggest you leave or at least quit bothering us.." I said
"Ha ha ha! And what's a girl like you going to do about it, hit us with a pan? Better stay behind a kitchen where you belong cause as it looks your not even a novice mage." They mocked
A tick Mark appeared on my forehead.
These sexist bastards.
"You have 10 seconds..." I warned.
"Oh well, just remembered you asked for i! Thunder spear!"they yelled was
"Crimson blast!..." " Wind spiral!.."
"Light saber!..." "Mana barrier!" They called out different spells, launching them all my way at once.
How troublesome.
{Slime manipulation activated}
I engulfed my palm with slime as I caught all the attacks like a baseball glove.
"WHAT?!" They seemed surprised. "Did, did she just catch?! Our spells?!"
"Times up, and this is yours..." I threw the attack back at them.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
the ground flew away due to the impact of their spell, while everyone else behind was fine since Ryu place a barrier just in time.
"What's going on over here?!" Some guards approached us.
Aw shit. I deadpanned wanting to disappear