《Abyss Calling ~When a Former Abysmal Gamer Is Summoned to the Worst Social Game World~》


 Prologue

    Prologue: That Game Once Again


    Translated by LyraDhani


    Edited by LyraDhani


    Whether it was a dream or an illusion, I found myself in the [Ruins of the Beginning].


    There was no warning. What came into my field of vision was a scene that would not be seen anywhere else in Japan.


    The area around me was a meadow of tall grass. Seven moons, each with a different color, shone in the indigo sky, and the air that caressed my cheeks was clearly different from what I had felt before.


    However, it was not confusion that I felt when I was suddenly thrown out of the house. It¡¯s because the scene in front of me was familiar.


    However, not in reality, but in a movie of an app game for smartphones.


    Before I could even think about why, a shock jolted my brain. The scene in front of my eyes was that vivid.


    Seven meaninglessly elaborately carved pillars built in a circle.


    In the center surrounded by the pillars was a meaninglessly complex magic circle that created a meaningless and profound atmosphere.


    One of the maps of [Abyss Calling], an RPG for smartphones.


    [Ruins of the Beginning] that the player ¨C the summoner ¨C visit after completing the tutorial.


    It was a scenery that game users must have seen before, but I just shed tears streaming down my cheeks at the sight.


    Is it a dream or an illusion? Have I really gone mad?


    I can¡¯t understand the situation at all. The only thing I can tell is that this scene is something I have been searching for.


    I looked down at my outfit.


    It¡¯s the outfit that I last remember wearing. Black jacket and jeans. Fortunately, I am properly dressed, so it shouldn¡¯t hinder my behavior. I am wearing slippers instead of shoes because I was indoors, but it¡¯s better than being completely naked.


    But right now I don¡¯t care about that either.


    The collar of my jacket pulled up against the chilly wind. Tears streaming down my cheeks. An overwhelming sense of reality. Every one of my five senses ¨C sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste ¨C are telling me that this is real.


    It¡¯s surprisingly easy for me to figure it out. It¡¯s impossible. There¡¯s no way I could have gotten into the game, no matter how much of an Abyss Calling player I was¡­


    ¡°Abyss Calling¡­ That¡¯s absurd¡­¡±


    I tried to deny it verbally, but it didn¡¯t mean anything.


    By the time I saw seven moons floating in the sky, this place was no longer Japan, the die had already been cast. Little by little, as time went by, my mind became a little calmer.


    I wiped away my tears and searched in the pocket. Some hard little pebble-like objects touch my fingertips. Just as I was about to grab them, I suddenly heard a voice.


    ¡°Huh? This place is¡­¡±


    There should have been no one there a moment ago. I hurriedly looked in the direction where the voice came from.


    A girl was there. She had black hair, black eyes, a black blazer, and a skirt, and looked like a student at first glance. She was probably in the same situation as I was as she kept anxiously looking around.


    I was sure that she had not been here before, but it was no surprise to me since I was also brought here suddenly. Rather, it wasn¡¯t strange when I was already in a place like this, so I didn¡¯t have to think about it.


    Clutching a stone, I decided to call out to the girl for now.


    Abyss Calling is a multiplayer RPG for smartphones. Of course, there is more than one player.


    Basically, it is a game that can be played alone, but you can also become friends with specific players and cooperate with them to advance the game, or you can play against them.


    However, both sides must agree to play against each other, and since the concept of the game is basically to [get along and have fun playing the game], which is favored by light players, it is safe to say that players are allies.


    If we cooperate, we can take advantage of the game and exchange information. And if I don¡¯t see any followers, it is most likely that they are early players like me.


    After confirming that there were no other people around, I called out to the girl, who hadn¡¯t noticed me and jumped up with a start.


    ¡°Nanananana¡­¡±


    Perhaps she was surprised, her eyes widened and she spewed out meaningless words.


    Looking at her closely, she¡¯s quite a beautiful girl. If we had been in the same class when we were students, she would have been an idol for sure.


    It was troublesome to say anything, so I crossed my arms for a while and waited for the girl to calm down.


    I waited for her voice to stop and started by introducing myself. There were probably more things to talk about, but I¡¯d like to make the Abyss Call as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is ¡­Blogger. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    I hesitated for a moment whether to say my real name or the username I used in the game. The current state was already out of the scope of common sense, but I shouldn¡¯t give my real name to someone I didn¡¯t know online.


    The girl froze for a moment at my words, but then she hurriedly looked around. After confirming that no one was around, she gently opened her lips.


    ¡°Um¡­ This place is¡­¡±


    No matter how you look at it, it¡¯s the [Ruins of the Beginning]! Most players should have remembered the movies played in the tutorials, which are famous for their good workmanship and cannot be skipped. The seven pillars on the seven-colored moon are simple, but not easily forgotten.


    But that doesn¡¯t matter now. I asked again without answering.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I was supposed to be at home a while ago¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°¡­Ao¡­Aoba, sir. Nanashino Aoba.¡±


    The girl answered, frightened.


    Nanashino Aoba.


    It sounds like her real name. But it can¡¯t be. Even elementary school students know that you shouldn¡¯t put your real name on the Internet nowadays. Well, this is not the Internet, but at any rate, I just need to know the name to call her.


    I smiled gently so as not to alarm her as much as possible and asked Nanashino, who was scurrying around like a small animal.


    ¡°Okay, Nanashino. Well, First of all, this is important, so I know it¡¯s impolite to ask, but¡­ Do you have any cash?¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±


    By the way, I don¡¯t have any. I searched my pockets, but all I find were five small stones.


    Nanashino said she¡¯s supposed to be at home and she ended up here before she knew it, and the same goes for me. When you¡¯re at home, you don¡¯t usually have a wallet. The last memory I have in Japan ended when I came back from the convenience store and threw my wallet and phone on my desk.


    Nanashino, at my words, gingerly shoved her hand into her skirt pocket and pulled out her hand fearfully.


    Slowly, she opened her palm. There were five small jewels.


    Stones that glowed gold. Nanashino muttered apologetically for some reason.


    ¡°This is¡­ All I have.¡±


    ¡°I see. I have the same thing.¡±


    I took out the stone I had grabbed from my pocket earlier. The golden, transparent stone shone mysteriously in the moonlight.


    It¡¯s something every Abyss Calling player will recognize.


    ¨CMagic stones.


    The game Abyss Calling won¡¯t start without it. The magic stone given to players at the very beginning of the game is a special one, but ordinary magic stones are the same in shape.


    And I was disappointed.


    The way Nanashino looked at the stone was not that of someone who knew about magic stones. I had expected this when she didn¡¯t know where this place was, but it seemed she really wasn¡¯t an Abyss Calling player.


    Then, is she an NPC? No, from what I heard, she¡¯s in the same position as me.


    I gulped once and asked her, choosing my words carefully.


    ¡°Nanashino, you. Have you ever heard of a game called Abyss Calling?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes ¡­only the name. I¡¯ve never played it¡­ but¡­¡±


    Nanashino answered in a small voice with a quizzical look.


    Just as expected. Nanashino is not a player.


    She¡¯s probably in her late teens. It was three years ago that an application called Abyss Calling took Japan by storm.


    At the time, Abyss Calling was an app game that boasted an astounding market share, with half of the population said to be playing it.


    It¡¯s not surprising that someone of Nanashino¡¯s age would be playing it ¨C in fact, it would be strange if they didn¡¯t. Abyss Calling was so popular that at the time, the news reported that even the smartphones used to play it had sold out.


    Noticing my gaze, Nanashino said like an excuse.


    ¡°That¡­ I wasn¡¯t allowed to have a smartphone, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I see. You have a hard time.¡±


    But I had lost interest in Nanashino by that time.


    While not yet confirmed, the fact that she had no knowledge of the game suggested that she was likely to be useless in this world.


    After finishing our conversation, I immediately turned to the seven pillars that stood at the [Ruins of the Beginning].


    The seven pillars correspond to each of the races that can be summoned from the other world through the Abyss Call. However, you cannot choose what you can summon.


    As I was about to head for the center of the pillars, jangling the magic stones in my palm, Nanashino called out to me in a panic.


    ¡°Wait a minute!¡±


    ¡°What? The conversation is over.¡±


    Nanashino looked shocked.


    A teenage girl alone in a strange land. I know she¡¯s worried, but I don¡¯t want her to depend on me. She needs to be independent.


    Nanashino, perhaps realizing that I was no longer interested in her, paused for a moment, then looked down at the stones and said.


    ¡°Um¡­ That¡­ It¡¯s¡­ Abyss Calling¡­ What¡¯s that?¡±


    Another difficult question.


    I stopped and thought for a moment. I was an Abyss Calling player. The density of players in Japan was so high at that time that if you threw a stone at a road, you would hit a player, but if you ask me what Abyss Calling is, there is only one answer.


    Clutching the special magic stones given to me at the end of the first tutorial¨C[Rarity 7 or higher follower magic stone], I answered in one word.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pay-to-play game.¡±


    There was once a game called Abyss Calling.


    It¡¯s an app game for smartphones that was extremely popular throughout Japan. It could be played on a PC, but most people could not stay in front of a PC all the time, so many people were absorbed in the game on buses and trains.


    In a word, it¡¯s a pay-to-play game. There are many features, such as a storyline, gameplay, cute illustrations, some characters have voices and the voice actors are gorgeous, but if you ask someone who has played such games to describe the game in one word, they will surely describe it as a [pay-to-play game].


    Abyss Calling is an RPG.


    It is an RPG in which the player must defeat the demons that appear, while also advancing through dungeon crawls and whatnot.


    The player becomes a summoner-caller and uses summoning magic to summon angels, demons, dragons, and other various [followers] from the [Abyss] and uses them and trains them to advance the storyline.


    You can summon your follower only once when you first register as a user.


    The target of the summon is random, so it is completely up to luck. Most people get a follower there that is neither poisonous nor medicinal.


    For the unlucky ones whose first summoned followers are weak, there are three ways to go.


    You can either proceed with the game as it is with a weak follower, or you can delete the game, re-register as a user, go through the tedious tutorial and try again to get a follower¨Ccommonly known as Reset Marathon.


    Or¨Ccollect new magic stones and summon them.


    Summoning can be done by consuming a certain number of items called magic stones.


    There are many ways to obtain a magic stone, but the quickest way is with real money. Magic stones can be obtained with real-world money.


    Each magic stone costs 100 yen. One summoning costs 500 yen for five pieces. What will come out depends on luck, and only God and the management know the result. Whether you feel it is expensive or cheap is up to you.


    It is what is commonly referred to as [gacha].


    Now, this is common in social games, but Abyss Calling is completely superior to other similar games in several respects.


    The rumors of the probabilities manipulation by the management!


    The game¡¯s balance requires players to pay and is equipped with an unparalleled greed sensor!


    The audacity to call itself Abyss!


    A wasteful amount of updates that will spare no effort to charge you!


    Called the strongest money collection system, it is a legendary app that has knocked down tens of millions of users to the bottom, caused a social phenomenon, promoted even the development of new laws, and was eventually crushed by the country and ended its service.


    That¡¯s Abyss Calling. It is undeniably a shitty game.


    And it is only by fate that I, a former user of such a game with no money to pay, wandered into a world that closely resembles [Abyss Calling].

 CH 1

    Will and Determination


    Translated by LyraDhani


    Edited by LyraDhani


    Abyss Calling. A social game for smartphones. Commonly known as AbyCall.


    The genre is probably RPG. It is an orthodox game where you summon followers, train them, and clear various quests.


    The game has a variety of useless quests and a training system that is so deep that even the game¡¯s management could not fully grasp it.


    The game, which was rumored to have been run with most of the profits earned, is unrivaled in terms of graphics, game system, and storyline, and above all, it is known to use magic stones like hot water ¨C the ultimate pay-to-play game.


    ¡°A pay-to-play¡­game?¡±


    Nanashino muttered these words in shock. Perhaps it was a word that was unfamiliar to her.


    I quickly raised the stone and looked at the star-filled sky.


    The seven pillars of the Ruins of the Beginning and the seven-colored moon in the sky signify the seven kinds of households that can be called up-the seven races. The Ruins of Beginnings, as the name implies, is the starting point of the game, and it is here that players will summon their first follower after completing the tutorial.


    Once the stone was raised to the heavens, I naturally understood how to summon them. For some reason, the strange sensation that shook my brain caused tears to fall from my eyes.


    Nanashino was perturbed by my expression.


    ¡°!? Eh, um, What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Nostalgia.


    It¡¯s nostalgia that I feel inside me.


    Abyss Calling is a game that had already been discontinued. It¡¯s a terrible game from a common-sense point of view. What other game would have been shut down due to legal reasons?


    Still, the game was certainly my reason for living. I was a college student at the time, and I spent all of my time, except for sleeping and eating, playing the game.


    There were happy memories. There were painful memories. There were memories of killing and feelings of emptiness. And there were things left unfinished.


    Even though the game itself is no longer playable, I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed to find myself in a world that resembles it before I know it.


    ¡°D-did you get hurt somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and die.¡±


    ¡°!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just being so emotional that I¡¯m letting my true feelings come out.¡±


    Nanashino was overwhelmed at the sudden outburst. She probably hadn¡¯t quite grasped the current situation.


    I thought about it. Nanashino is a complete liability. A person with no knowledge of games cannot play Abyss Calling satisfactorily. She probably can¡¯t even look at a strategy site and is generally stuck.


    But at the same time, if this world has the same system as Abyss Calling, it is certainly better to have other players. Abyss Calling has a huge amount of content, some of which cannot be tackled without the cooperation of other players. No matter how familiar I am with AbyCall, what I can do alone is limited.


    When it comes to that, liability is better than nothing.


    As I stared at Nanashino, information popped into my head.


    Her name, Nanashino Aoba. And below that, I saw a green bar, not an HP bar, but a stamina bar. Unlike in most RPGs,  players don¡¯t die in AbyCall.


    If she is an NPC, there would be no stamina bar, and since there are only a few NPCs with Japanese names in AbyCall, she is most likely a player.


    After thinking about it for a moment, I decided to go along with Nanashino. It would not be a big burden for me anyway.


    Maybe there are others in the same situation besides Nanashino, if there are better players, then let¡¯s quickly cut her off.


    ¡°Maybe there are things were don¡¯t understand, but let¡¯s work together to overcome them.¡±


    I smiled and held out my hand to shake hands, and Nanashino¡¯s expression changed to one that looked as if she was staring at something fishy.


    She stared at my face and looked at me reproachfully.


    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t your palm smell terrible?¡¯


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll do my best alone because it¡¯s too much trouble.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh. A lie, it was a lie! I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on at all¡­¡±


    Nanashino smiled flirtatiously, whether she was aware of it or not.


    That being said, I didn¡¯t think I have explained any of this yet.


    I looked at the summoning magic stones and then at Nanashino¡¯s face. Then I looked at Nanashino¡¯s hand, which was holding the magic stone. Nanashino, realizing that she was being watched, hid her hand behind her body as if in a panic.


    I was taken aback by the exaggerated gesture.


    ¡°I won¡¯t steal it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, the truth is it can¡¯t be stolen. At least, AbyCall didn¡¯t have that feature.¡±


    AbyCall is a ¡®healthy¡¯ game for all ages.


    Credit cards can be used up to the limit, but there is no system that allows you to unilaterally take someone else¡¯s magic stone, much less a system that allows you to take away the magic stone given at the beginning.


    Nanashino blinked a few times in confusion and looked up at me.


    ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t understand¡­ what you¡¯ve been saying since a while ago.¡±


    This is no good¡­ I have to explain it completely from scratch. What a pain in the ass.


    Well, I¡¯ll just tell her the important things¡­


    I sighed deeply and explained the situation we were in with some guesses.


    Nanashino muttered in dismay.


    ¡°The world of a game¡­ I can¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it either. Maybe, it¡¯s a dream.¡±


    But it is too realistic.


    The glow of the moon in the night sky. The scent of the night that stimulates the sense of smell, and the feel of the wind on the skin. All of them claim that this is the real world. But to begin with¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to discuss its authenticity with you.¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh¡­¡±


    I just think that this is the world of the game and move on. That¡¯s all.


    I don¡¯t think about things that can¡¯t be helped now. If this is not a dream, then there will be an opportunity to gather information.


    I added one last thing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to Nanashino to decide what to do.¡±


    There are limits to being a liability. Even if it is unavoidable to have no information, a person who escapes from reality is hardly useful.


    Nanashino closed her eyes and chewed my words.


    I waited a few seconds. When she opened his eyes again, there was light in them. She was still confused but apparently, she had made up her mind.


    She said in a muffled voice.


    ¡°Under¡­stood¡­I¡¯m going to work on that premise, too.¡±


    ¡°Sensible.¡±


    Nanashino smiled tiredly at my words.


    ¡°I¡¯m confident¡­in my comprehension!¡±


    I don¡¯t want you to have confidence in that.


    Nanashino gently held out her hand to me. Is it proof that we have decided to cooperate with each other once again?


    ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t know anything¡­ and thank you, I¡¯m looking forward to working with you. Um¡­¡±


    ¡°Blogger.¡±


    I took her hand and shook it firmly. A meaningless ritual. If anything happened, I would abandon Nanashino right away.


    Nanashino responded to the handshake with a black-and-white look in her eyes.


    ¡°Blogger¡­san¡­is that your real name?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I am pure Japanese. Blogger is the username I use when playing the game.¡±


    Black hair and eyes. My height is 170 on average, and my weight is a little lighter than average, no matter how you look at it, you can¡¯t see me as anything other than Japanese.


    At my words, Nanashino asked me fearfully.


    ¡°¡­Um¡­What¡¯s your real name?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t tell your real name to someone you don¡¯t know. Think about your manners.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m, my real name¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know anything about that. You said it on your own.¡±


    So it is your real name¡­ Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.


    Nanashino looked hurt for a moment but quickly turned her gaze to the Ruins as if giving up.


    Although the [Ruins of the Beginning] were called ruins, they didn¡¯t appear to be in disrepair.


    There was nothing in the Ruins except for the seven pillars, and the surrounding area was an endless expanse of grassland, but there was a wide road, so it should be possible to reach the town.


    She looked at the scene around for a while, but then seemed to regain her composure and looked up at me to ask.


    ¡°Um¡­ What do we have to do first?¡±¡®


    In the original AbyCall, the first thing a player would do is a tutorial. Use the follower tutorial given to capture the dungeon, and then get the first magic stone as a reward.


    But since I already have the magic stone in my hand, I guess the tutorial is now complete.


    I looked up at the seven moons once more and said as if in prayer.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s [Abyss Call].¡±


    In Abyss Calling, players, without exception, have a special job called caller.


    A caller is, simply put, a summoning mage. The reason it is not called a summoner is probably because the management wanted to create strange originality.


    A special kind of mage who uses magic stones to summon, train, and use their follower. Naturally, nothing can be done without the followers.


    The [Ruins of the Beginning] is also the place where players attempt to summon their followers after the tutorial. It¡¯s no coincidence that I found myself in this place before I knew it.


    Nanashino stared at the magic stone in her hand.


    The first five golden magic stones are special magic stones. It is no exaggeration to say that the five magic stones will determine the fate of a caller.


    Five golden magic stones. The official name of the five golden stones is [Rarity 7 or higher] and they are the stone that determines the status of the followers.


    It is like the SR fixed gacha ticket in social games.


    Each follower is ranked by their rarity.


    The original magic stone randomly summons a list of followers with a rarity level of 3 or higher, but only the first summon guarantees a follower with a rarity level of 7 or higher.


    The higher the rarity, the more powerful they are, and the lower the summoning probability, so this is the first and last big chance.


    ¡­By the way, there are up to 21 rarity levels.


    ¡°¡­Call¡­is it¡­¡±


    The moment I stood in the center of the Ruins, I had an idea in my head of what I needed to do. Perhaps Nanashino was the same.


    With a mysterious look, but without hesitation, she raised the stone to the heavens.


    I stepped back and watched the situation. At first, I was going to summon it quickly, but it wouldn¡¯t be too late after watching Nanashino. Then, Nanashino took a deep breath once and chanted the words.


    ¡°Abyss Call!!!¡±


    Looking up to the heavens, she saw the seven-colored moons with her eyes like saucers.


    One of them shone brightly. White Moon-the white moon shone as a sign that the summoned follower was classified as the Heavenly species.


    They are also commonly referred to as Angel species. It is a species that has many individual units with the attribute of light.


    And then Nanashino raised a voice that sounded as if she was floating.


    ¡°Whoa¡­ What¡¯s this. So cute-!¡±


    I looked down. A small humanoid appeared at Nanashino¡¯s feet.


    Can it really be summoned? Before I could experience surprise, I first observed its appearance.


    He was about fifty centimeters tall. A small knight only in its form, wearing a white full-face carapace protecting his head and well-polished white half-plate armor. On his back, he carried a sword as large as a kitchen knife.


    At the sound of Nanashino¡¯s voice, the figure looked up widely to the heavens to see Nanashino, and with a graceful motion, drew his sword and made a gesture as if offering it at her side.


    The gesture caused Nanashino to let out a yellow scream and twist her body. It was the exact opposite of the expression that had been on her face just a moment before.


    ¡°Wh-what is this? So cute! Hey, hey, Blogger-san. What is this? Is this my follower?¡±


    I told Nanashino, who was still excited, what it was called. I¡¯ve been an experienced player for a while, so I know most of the followers¡¯ names.


    ¡°It¡¯s Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry.¡±


    ¡°Iris? Cavalry? It doesn¡¯t seem to be a name.¡±


    Well, it¡¯s not a proper name.


    I sighed and advised her.


    ¡°Nanashino, you should do a Reset Marathon, that guy¡¯s not very rare.¡±


    Abyss Calling has a huge variety of followers. In addition, since a large number of them were added with each update, most of the followers are small fries.


    This is one of the reasons why Abyss Calling has made a name for itself as an unprecedentedly expensive game.


    ¡°Reset¡­Marathon?¡±


    ¡°After all, he¡¯s a rarity 7.¡±


    ¡°Rari¡­ty?¡±


    Nanashino muttered with a look of astonishment. Apparently, Nanashino was very unfamiliar with this type of game.


    Rarity is very important in social games.


    Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry. Rarity 7 heavenly species. A physical attack type follower whose attack, defense, agility, and all other parameters increase on average.


    Well, he is not so bad among the vast number of followers. He is well-known enough for me to remember his name, and he has unparalleled potential for a rarity 7 unit.


    But at the same time, he is definitely not for beginners.


    If I were Nanashino, I would definitely go for a Reset Marathon.


    Because the rarity level goes up to 21. In AbyCall, there is a huge variety of followers, and at the same time, the difference in ability between the top and the bottom is tremendous. If it¡¯s a magic stone with the rarity 7 or higher, I want a follower with at least rarity 15 or higher.


    Nanashino, for some reason, gave a tearful look to [Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry] who crouched at her feet, then looked up and asked fearfully.


    ¡°Um¡­Is this¡­failed?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a decent hit.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­Um¡­ Is it weak?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s very strong. In that sense, Nanashino is lucky to have drawn it, even if it is a rarity 7 unit.¡±


    The most common rare 7 unit is useless. They can fight in the first stage of the battle, but after the middle stage of the battle, the lack of power is conspicuous. Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry is one of the few followers among the rarity 7 units that have the potential to fight until the end of the game.


    Nanashino¡¯s expression turned puzzled. She looked down at her follower, who didn¡¯t even flinch.


    ¡°Then¡­why.¡±


    Nanashino¡¯s eyes were clingy.


    Most beginner users don¡¯t know what kind of followers are strong enough to play the game, so they just keep playing the game without a Reset Marathon, but Nanashino is lucky to get my advice here.


    I thought about it for a bit and told her why.


    ¡°Well¡­ That guy is pretty strong as he grows, but it¡¯s really hard to raise him.¡±


    Followers are classified according to various factors other than the rarity, and one of them is the type of training. Simply put, it is an indicator of the ease of raising.


    And Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry is a typical ¡°big-growth type¡± unit.


    By fulfilling certain conditions, a follower can be upgraded to a new evolutionary stage and acquire a new appearance and abilities, but in the case of Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry, these conditions are incomparably more difficult than those of the other rarity 7 followers.


    The final evolved version of Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry is a rare character that was rarely seen because it is too difficult for even a mid-level player to handle.


    Since it is impossible at the beginning of the game, it would be better to do a Reset Marathon and wait for a stronger follower to appear rather than growing it patiently.


    It would have been great if  [Iris], the one it protects, is the one summoned instead of [Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry]


    Nanashino, perhaps because it¡¯s the first time she had obtained a follower, sounded a bit unenthusiastic.


    ¡°But if you give it time¡­it will get stronger, right?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nanashino had fallen silent. The single cavalry stood in front of Nanashino with a dark expression on his face as if to protect her from me. However, it wasn¡¯t a wall because I still could step over it if I lift my leg¡­


    Apparently, the follower is loyal. I had a strong interest and admiration for the first moving follower I¡¯d seen, but I kept it down.


    ¡°It¡¯s not time that needs to be spent, it¡¯s effort. If you think that giving him time will make him stronger, he won¡¯t be able to evolve.¡±


    I am not trying to bully Nanashino. Rather, I¡¯m not that interested.


    There are conditions for the evolution of a follower. Whether it is level, materials, or some other unusual condition, the evolution conditions for Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry are as difficult as the evolution conditions for the rarest of units. It is too difficult for mid-level players to attempt, and top-level players have stronger units and do not care to evolve them.


    But it¡¯s not up to me to decide whether or not she wants to go for a Reset Marathon. There are different values, some people use weaker units because they are cute. The first summon is the best chance, but it is not the only chance to summon.


    All you need is the determination to know that it is a rough road and still able to move forward.


    I¡¯ve given you the information, I don¡¯t care if you falter along the way.


    Nanashino rolled her eyes in surprise. Her eyes, darker than mine, reflected my pout.


    ¡°Um¡­does that mean I can make him stronger if I work hard?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to Nanashino to decide whether to go for Reset Marathon or use him as it is.¡±


    It also means that I don¡¯t see enough value in Nanashino to force her for a Reset Marathon. If she had been my sister, I would have strongly recommended her to get a Reset Marathon as an older brother. But she¡¯s a stranger.


    Without even a moment¡¯s pause, Nanashino immediately responded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use him as it is!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s good to hear. Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    In response to the rough response, Nanashino said with a blossoming smile.


    I didn¡¯t do anything to be thanked. It was Nanashino who made the decision, and she probably misunderstood the amount of effort required. And by the time she realized this, she had already developed a strong attachment to Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry. That¡¯s how many people failed to take the choice of Reset Marathon.


    Anyway, I know now that I can summon my follower according to the game. Now it¡¯s my turn.


    Nanashino stepped back and I took her place in the center of the ruins. Then, without any resolve or determination, I performed the same summoning of followers that I had performed countless times during the game.


    ¡°Abyss Call.¡±


    I let my gaze wander to the heavens. But even without doing so, I could see it.


    One of the moons shone. It was a black moon that shone deeper in the darkness.


    Then, all five of the [Rarity 7 or higher follower magic stones] in my hand disappeared, and a sign arose.


    ¡°Nana¡­¡±


    Nanashino¡¯s mouth was agape and she made a strange noise.


    Then I lowered my face and looked at it.


    A shadow was standing there. It was a shadow in the shape of a human being. What made it different from the original shadow was that it was standing on two legs.


    It had neither eyes nor a nose. A mouth appeared on its face. The crescent-shaped mouth said to me in a noisy voice.


    ¡°Kukuku¨Cso you are my new Lord¡­¡±


    ¡°It-it spoke?¡±


    Nanashino muttered in surprise.


    The dark moon shining in the light of the other moons¨CThe black moon shining is a sign of the summoning of a follower of the Underworld species, also called the Demon species, which is the opposite of the Nanashino.


    And I recognized that appearance.


    The name of the individual, [Silent].


    Rarity 17, demon race. In addition to his high attack power, HP, and evasion rate, he has a unique ability skill that is hard to replace and is one of the followers that has a fairly good reputation even in the game.


    It was speaking to me with substance.


    ¡°My name is [Silent]. I am the one who brings true silence to this world¨C¡°


    He was saying a lot of things like he was a great person, but I listened to him and thought about it calmly.


    Silent. Silent, huh?


    It¡¯s not bad. It¡¯s certainly not bad, right? II am quite lucky to have him as the first follower, and if I had been able to summon it with a normal follower summoning Abyss Call, I would have been a little happy. It¡¯s such a good follower that there¡¯s a term for silent refugees who have trouble drawing Silents no matter how many times they summon them.


    However, I used a [Rarity 7 or higher follower magic stone]. It¡¯s a special magic stone that can only be used once. I don¡¯t feel like I can aim for a better character.


    There are many more attractive characters in AbyCall. If I am going to make my first follower, I want a pretty girl, and I have a character that I really want to summon, something I have left undone in my gaming days.


    Generally speaking, I don¡¯t like the graphics of Silent. If the performance is good, that¡¯s fine, but even if it¡¯s better, it¡¯s not the best.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget your dream. Don¡¯t disappoint me. Then your¨C¡°


    I thought about it for a second and nodded my head. Ignoring Silent who was still talking about something, I turned to Nanashino.


    Silent growled in confusion.


    ¡°Mu?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just going to do a little Reset Marathon.¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±


    Nanashino looked dumbfounded. Unlike Nanashino, I have very high ideals. Gamers don¡¯t compromise.


    Silent, as if perplexed, went silent. Leaving Nanashino with a curious look on her face, I pick up a sharp stone that had fallen to the ground.


    Really. Is it lucky or not to get Silent the first time? If it¡¯s the same rarity 17 follower, it would have been nice to get a [Bright] in the shape of a cute girl or something like that.


    I complained about it, but I couldn¡¯t help what I had already drawn.


    ¡°Oi¡­Lord? What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Reset Marathon.¡±


    ¡°??? How do you do that?¡±


    Nanashino asked.


    Abyss Calling¡¯s Reset Marathon is done by deleting your account and re-register.


    If it¡¯s a game, you have to redo the tutorial afterward, which is quite a hassle, but apparently, the tutorial is skipped, so it won¡¯t take that long this time.


    I stared at the sharp end of the stone. If it pierced me, it would hurt like hell. However, I could not turn my back on the stone.


    I tried to smash the sharp end of the stone against my eye. Nanashino gasped.


    There was no hesitation. But the moment the sharp edge filled my field of vision, my hand stopped. My vision was darkening, but I felt no pain, and no matter how much effort I put into it, it would not go any further.


    ¡°Eh¡­Eeh¡­Eeeeehhh? What are you doiiiiiiiiing?!!!?¡±


    It was Silent. Silent caught the stone.


    Its shadowy arms extended and wrapped around the stone. Silent¡¯s body looked like a shadow, but its performance was more like a close combat type.


    Silent¡¯s scream-like voice lacked any of the dignity that had been there earlier.


    I explained to Silent, whose character was quickly falling apart, while trying to stir my eyeballs with the stone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me. I am going for a Risemara.¡±


    Risemara. It¡¯s the abbreviation for Reset Marathon.


    It¡¯s common in other games as well, but it refers to starting the game over from the beginning until you get a good character or item. This much is common knowledge.


    The odds are so low in AbyCall that if you are unlucky, it will take about a week to get it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about?!¡±


    After hearing my detailed explanation, Silent screamed and shook his head no. Of course, I don¡¯t like pain either. But Reset Marathon is a gamer¡¯s prerogative.


    Considering the cause of the problem in the first place, it is Silent¡¯s fault for getting summoned.


    But I don¡¯t curse Silent. I don¡¯t put the blame on others. I will do what I can do.


    I will just start over. I will keep starting over until I find a follower that I am satisfied with.


    While Silent was shaking his head, I swung a stone down to my right eye. My mind was already occupied with the next follower.


    Nanashino, who had been stiff until then, jumped on my back and interfered with my arm.


    ¡°Blogger-san! Die, you¡¯re going to die, you know!¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    ¡°How can you guarantee that?¡±


    Nanashino screamed. But I remained calm.


    ¡°No, if it¡¯s AbyCall, Reset Marathon is a must.¡±


    ¡°What kind of common sense is that?¡±


    Rather, there¡¯s no game without Reset Marathon.

 CH 2

    A Sense of Reality


    Translated by LyraDhani


    Edited by LyraDhani


    Silent hit the ground with a bang and sounded like he was about to cry.


    ¡°Hu¡­ Master¡­ what is the problem with me¡­¡±


    Aside from Nanashino, I did not expect to be stopped from Risemara by my follower.


    After all, it should be said that games and the real world are different. Even if there is no tutorial, if I get stopped like this every time, it would be a hassle to do a Risemara.


    I sighed and decided to let Silent persuade me after all.


    Even if I can¡¯t get any more special magic stones, if this world is AbiCall, they will be a number of summoning opportunities.


    The odds may be low, but it¡¯s just a matter of making more attempts.


    I clicked my tongue loudly, looked down at Silent, and said as if to spit out.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, let¡¯s compromise with Silent for now.¡±


    ¡°Egh¡­ Th¡­thank you very much¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, Blogger-san is¡­actually crazy?¡±


    Indeed, to Nanashino, who has never even heard of the word Risemara, those who go to the trouble of deleting their accounts and risk their lives for rare characters may seem crazy. A cultural difference¡­is it?


    The first magic stone you can get is five. I have no use for the Ruins anymore. To begin with, you can summon your followers anywhere as long as you have a magic stone.


    Speaking of which, there¡¯s no summoning effect¡­ If it were the game, it would have the effect of making the player look like a fool for flipping over the trash can. I guess there are some differences.


    Nanashino, with a tense expression on her face, followed me as I left the ruins. And Silent, who looked completely exhausted, followed behind me at a slow pace. Where is his pompous tone from earlier? He doesn¡¯t look like an Underworld species at all.


    There are seven different species of followers that can be summoned by the Abyss Calling.


    Underworld


    Heavenly


    Seedless


    Dragon


    Beast


    Spirit


    Heterogenous


    The seven races are said to correspond to the seven moons in the sky. The seven pillars that remain in the [Ruins of the Beginning] are also said to be related to this, but I don¡¯t know the details. Basically, I skipped the story in the game.


    However, the Underworld is famous among the seven races for its superior attack power and excellent abilities. It is a race that can be handled from the beginning to the end of the game. The graphics are also quite cute and cool, and from that point of view, the silhouette-like Silent is a bit of a letdown.


    Nanashino stood next to me, looking a little sick. With agile movements, Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry was walking at his feet.


    ¡°Um¡­What should we do now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m heading to the town. Just like in the game.¡±


    There are several cities in AbyCall, but the city that the players visit first is called [Ancient Profondeum].


    The Caller Guild, which provides job placement services for callers, and other major facilities are located there, and in the game, players are required to do a tutorial there before making their first summons. The city can be a hometown from the beginning to the middle of the game.


    If you follow the road leading from the [Ruins of the Beginning], you will reach [Ancient Profondeum]. There is only one road, so there is no need to worry about getting lost.


    Together, two people and two units headed for the city from the [Ruins of the Beginning] in a group.


    The sky was dark, but with the seven moons still rising, the visibility was secured.


    As we were walking, Nanashino suddenly asked me.


    ¡°By the way¡­Silent? He can speak. But my Ai-chan can¡¯t.¡±


    So, you already give him a name¡­Even so, calling him Ai-chan, she really has no sense of naming things.


    Even in games, you can give nicknames to your characters. I didn¡¯t because it was too much trouble, but for now, Silent should remain Silent. It¡¯s too much trouble.


    ¡°Well¡­ Of course, little girl! Who do you think I am!¡±


    Hearing those words, Silent shouted in exasperation. His shadowy body swelled up like a balloon.


    Nanashino was startled and took my arm, using me as a shield. Don¡¯t fight with someone else¡¯s follower.


    ¡°Well, there are some unique events for the rare followers¡­¡±


    Basically, a follower is just a unit, but there are events that only occur when you have specific followers, and there are some conversational descriptions there. AbyCall is a game with a lot of attention to detail. It even comes with voices.


    Well, the conversation is only in the event, and usually, you cannot have a conversation, but it is different in reality.


    I hit the swelled-up Silent and turned my attention to Nanashino¡¯s follower.


    ¡°Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry will be able to talk too¡­but he has to evolve first.¡±


    ¡°Is-is that true?!¡±


    Nanashino¡¯s eyes lightened up. ¡­Do you want him to talk?


    By the way, as Iris¡¯s single horseman evolves, his body gets bigger and bigger, eventually becoming as big as a normal human being. Only when they get to that point do they reveal the setting that you don¡¯t want to know about the character of Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry.


    I wondered whether I should tell her that much, but it was too much trouble, so I decided not to.


    Ancient Profondeum is the oldest and the most open city in the Abyss Calling.


    The entire spacious city is surrounded by walls, with four huge gates on all sides. Although there are gates, there is very little screening. Nanashino and I were able to enter the city by simply answering a few simple questions.


    Nanashino gave a short cheer when she saw the streets.


    ¡°Whoa¡­Somehow, it¡¯s different from what I expected.¡±


    The worldview of Abyss Calling is fantasy, but it is not a typical medieval world.


    Even if it is the oldest city, it does not mean that the streets are old-fashioned.


    If I had to describe the city Ancient Profondeum which is the oldest city in the world, with a vocabulary that I lack, I would describe it as a modern European-style cityscape.


    Of course, I have never been to Europe because I have never been out of Japan, so this is just an image, but the streets are clean and the roads are paved with industrial products.


    What is different from reality is that in addition to electricity, energy called magic power is also used. And there are fantastic plants and animals that are the purveyors of fantasy.


    Although not everything that exists in the modern world has been completely recreated, I don¡¯t feel much different about the townscape.


    There are no cars on the streets, but instead, carriages pulled by strange four-legged creatures come and go frequently. I don¡¯t know the name of the strange creature. It¡¯s not a follower. I didn¡¯t see its name in the game either. What is that thing?


    Anyway, it was a common rumor among AbyCall players that the reason why the city doesn¡¯t look like an ancient city at all is because the management was too lazy to set up the historical background. Maybe they didn¡¯t care about the worldview or something. ¡­I don¡¯t care either.


    ¡°Well, I heard that in medieval Europe there were feces all over the roads, but it would be a problem if it was described as such.¡±


    ¡°Ngh?! Blogger-san, don¡¯t you have delicacy?¡±


    Checking the map that was given to me when I entered the town, I immediately headed to the Caller Guild.


    Caller Guild.


    It is an organization that arranges jobs for callers. Players will be the first to belong to it in Abyss Calling.


    In addition to job placement, the Caller Guild can buy and sell followers¡¯ items, mediate between masters and apprentices, gather information, and occasionally hold events. In the first place, it is said that one must join the Caller Guild to be recognized as a caller in the eyes of the public.


    This would be a good place for me to go, as I am not yet familiar with this world, even though I am familiar with the Abyss Calling.


    Thanks to the street lamps, my footsteps were certain. We soon arrived at the Caller Guild.


    The Caller Guild is not a very large building.


    It¡¯s still much larger than a private home, but it looks smaller than it is because it¡¯s sandwiched between the Mage Guild and the Warrior Guild, which are so huge that you can look up at them.


    In the world of AbyCall, the caller is a rare profession compared to mages and warriors.


    Since AbyCall is a game in which you become a caller, wizards and warriors only occasionally appear as one of the enemy or friendly units, but when you look at the buildings in real life, you can clearly see the difference in scale.


    It was still nighttime, but there were not a few pedestrians in front of the guild. People in fantastic armor and robes were going in and out of the guilds on both sides.


    ¡°Whoa¡­Whoa¡­¡±


    Come to think of it, where do we stay¡­ I thought about it while Nanashino was gawking at the sight.


    It¡¯s not specifically mentioned in the game. I¡¯m getting hungry and I have no money. No real money, no game money.


    Do I have to manage those troublesome aspects of reality by myself?


    What a hassle. I am not very good at such proactive actions.


    As I was making a difficult expression, a shadow that was flickering at my feet spoke to me in an arrogant manner.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my Master. As long as I am here, the Master has no enemies.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess so.¡±


    I swallowed the words, ¡®well, then, you¡¯d better find an inn, make some money, feed me, and bring me a magic stone.¡¯


    It would be pointless to tell Silent, and I was not one to do anything meaningless. Of course, it would be pointless to tell Nanashino.


    Anyway, I made a proposal to Silent, who was full of motivation.


    ¡°Silent, you¡¯re in the way, so get on my head. Can you get smaller?¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s easy.¡±


    Silent¡¯s body shimmered, changing from half my height to the size of a mouse. With a big jump, he landed on my head.


    As I had expected, Silent felt almost weightless. He¡¯s a shadow, so it¡¯s natural, but at this size, he wouldn¡¯t stand out.


    Taking a small breath, I opened the large door to the Caller Guild entrance by pressing my body against it.


    ¡°Caller Guild welcomes two new members.¡±


    The Caller Guild is open 24 hours a day. We were able to register without any problems.


    Apparently, there was no need to pay anything (not even in-game), and I was able to register my name with the guild without any difficulty. However, this is only possible because we already had a follower with us, and apparently, only callers can register to the Caller Guild, but that¡¯s not important.


    Nanashino, with a big smile on her face, wore a pendant around her neck with a seven-pointed star on it, a sign of a caller. The seven colors glittered on her moderately heaving chest.


    Female callers are probably rare, and when they are beautiful girls, their rarity value must be even higher. The men callers gathered a short distance away from the scene, casting glancing glances at each other.


    I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because she¡¯s Japanese, or if she¡¯s always been that way, or if it¡¯s because of her upbringing, but even to my not-so-savvy eye, Nanashino¡¯s appearance seems defenseless.


    You can do whatever you want, just don¡¯t bring trouble to me.


    Nanashino, who was already looking completely flirtatious from the outside, asked me in a casual tone.


    ¡°Hey, Blogger-san. What about today¡¯s lodging?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯d like to sell Nanashino out and use the money to stay at a luxury hotel.¡±


    ¡°¡­Again.¡±


    Perhaps sensing the seriousness of my words, Nanashino became a little dejected.


    Therefore, I asked her about what I was thinking for a while.


    ¡°Hey, Nanashino. I was wondering if we could survive without food. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh? Normally, we will die¡­¡±


    A cute sound came from Nanashino¡¯s belly with a well-timed squeak, and vermilion appeared on her cheeks.


    As expected¡­ You think we¡¯re going to die¡­


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have any common sense or anything, it¡¯s just that in the game there is no such thing as eating.¡±


    You don¡¯t think you¡¯ll die without eating, right? I mean, in the game, the followers die, but the players don¡¯t.


    Nanashino kept her voice down and said dismissively.


    ¡°¡­I, for one, don¡¯t think Blogger-san has enough common sense. Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±


    ¡°I am, but I think it¡¯s just my imagination.¡±


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s no way that¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°From the sound of Nanashino¡¯s stomach, it doesn¡¯t seem like that.¡±


    ¡°That!!¡±


    Now, however, if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m in trouble.


    There are two main ways to get in-game money in AbyCall.


    Receive a request in the guild, achieve it, and get a reward.


    Defeat a demon and sell its drop. If you play the game properly, you will end up with a huge surplus of money, so I was never worried about it, but it is a hassle if I have to eat.


    It was still nighttime.


    I didn¡¯t feel tired because of the tension, but I needed to rest because I had to think about the future and there were many things I had to do.


    Suddenly, my gaze turned toward the bar attached to the guild. It was night, but there were a number of drunken callers there.


    Most of them were men. I came up with a nice idea for the NPCs who seemed to be uselessly free.


    ¡°Nanashino.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you to that bar over there, hang out with the guys, and ask them for some money?¡±


    I thought I could get by with a glass of wine or light touch and a little coaxing.


    Nanashino looked blank for a moment at my words, but then her face immediately turned bright red. It was not embarrassment, but anger.


    ¡°Hah? Blogger-san, do you even know what you are saying right now?!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like it? Don¡¯t you want to?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    Biting her lip, Nanashino shook with anger. Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry drew his sword and pointed it at us.


    ¡°Rather than not wanting to do it¡­Why should I do that¨C¡°


    ¡°No, you¡¯re just following me around, you don¡¯t seem to know anything, and you¡¯re not being very helpful, so I thought I¡¯d help you out a little bit.¡±


    At this rate, it would be a long time before Nanashino became useful.


    But well, certainly, I don¡¯t have delicacy. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have said that to a girl of her age. ¡­I¡¯ll be careful.


    I lightly tapped Nanashino¡¯s shoulder, who was no longer looking at me even with murderous intent.


    ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m going to go make some money, so, Nanashino, you can rest around here for a bit. You must be tired.¡±


    ¡°¡­That, ah, yes.¡±


    Still unable to contain her anger, Nanashino replied bluntly.


    Let¡¯s go outside for now. And let¡¯s walk in the dark where there are few people. It was too much trouble to go out of the city now, but from what I¡¯d seen, there were some ruffians.


    Let¡¯s get Silent to be useful as soon as possible.

 CH 3

    Disparity in Rarity


    Translated by LyraDhani


    Edited by LyraDhani


    ¡°It¡¯s just not human to attack a person.¡±


    At my words, Silent on top of my head moved. His body was as weightless as a shadow, but somehow there was a certain feeling on my hair. Well, I am convinced that it would be unfashionable to go into detail about that.


    Silent said in a slightly dismayed tone.


    ¡°¡­Well, I don¡¯t mind if the Master is fine with that.¡±


    After completing our objective, we returned to the guild before anyone saw us.


    When I opened the door to the Caller Guild and stepped inside, I heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°No, please stop!¡±


    Nanashino was surrounded by five men as if she were a sugar cube being gathered by ants.


    Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry was walking around her feet, trying to protect her, but the men were also callers and had their followers by their side.


    Some of them were rarer than the Single Cavalry. Nanashino¡¯s untrained Single Cavalry would be very much outmatched.


    The caller¡¯s mission was to defeat monsters. Surrounding Nanashino were also strong-looking men, and Nanashino¡¯s voice was timid.


    I mumbled to myself in disgust.


    ¡°¡­What the heck, you can do it, after all.¡±


    How goofy¡­


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s amazing the Master can get that impression after seeing that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s trying to contribute money for my opinion.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s possible.¡±


    Even if you say that, I don¡¯t understand what a girl of that age is thinking. I am already twenty-four years old.


    The staff at the reception counter just looked at the situation and didn¡¯t seem to be particularly upset. There were several other NPCs in the bar, but no one seemed to be helping. They were just looking at me with a tense expression.


    From that point of view, the behavior appeared to be tacitly tolerated to some extent.


    While I was thinking about this, Nanashino looked at me and let out a scream.


    ¡°Blo-Blogger-san! Help me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel like I should just let them take me in.¡±


    You¡¯ve noticed that they¡¯re looking at you, so defend yourself.


    The expression on Nanashino¡¯s face paled at my words. Because the men were trapping her to the wall, Nanashino seemed unable to move an inch.


    I looked at the men¡¯s followers and sighed.


    ¡°I told you, you should have done a Risemara.¡±


    AbyCall is a pay-to-play game. Whoever gets the strongest followers naturally wins.


    If I had gotten a strong follower, I wouldn¡¯t have had to worry about this.


    ¡°A-are you asking me to die?!¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that you¡¯re going to die, it¡¯s that you¡¯re going to delete your account and re-register.¡±


    ¡°Ho-ho-ho-how am I going to do that!!!¡±


    In AbyCall, players do not have the concept of death. If anything, deleting an account is death.


    So, my legitimate theory is that death in this world corresponds account deletion.


    It was obvious that I and Nanashino didn¡¯t get along very well, but one of the guys approached me with a grin.


    He was the NPC who had been staring at me when I first came to the guild. He must have seen us when we were together, but he asked me deliberately.


    ¡°Hmmm? Are you with her?¡±


    ¡°No, Nanashino is my companion.¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t give a damn!¡±


    The man yelled at me.


    I am thin. The man in front of me was incomparably bigger than I was, and he was so big that it bore no resemblance to the job of a caller. His slightly faded reddish-brown robe looked like the evidence of a long battle. Behind him was his follower, a beast of some kind, about the same size as a lion.


    A pair of muddy brown eyes looked down at me.


    ¡°I am sorry, but can you get lost?¡±


    I heard a rough, rattling voice, and I thought for a moment before answering.


    ¡°Lolicon.¡±


    ¡°!?¡±


    The man blinked, and the beastly creature behind him roared.


    There is no merit in helping, but there is also no merit in not helping. But first, I have to ask something.


    ¡°Are you a player?¡±


    ¡°Hey, bastard! What did you just say!?¡±


    ¡°What, just an NPC, after all¡­¡±


    What a waste of AI.


    Most of the male characters in AbyCall are muscular men. My appearance hasn¡¯t changed since before I came here, and most of the men I have to look up to are probably not players.


    So is this a quest or¡­


    In AbyCall, I didn¡¯t get into fights with the NPC callers when there was nothing going on.


    The events that players have to tackle, such as dungeon exploration, incidents, and requests, are collectively called quests. I don¡¯t remember this kind of quest, but there are as many quests as there are types of followers, so as you can imagine, even I don¡¯t remember all the lower-level quests.


    Basically, quests are things that are received in the guild, but there are many of them that occur unexpectedly.


    I wonder if the name of the quest is to rescue the girl. Quests with combat are the most popular. This sticky situation is probably due to the quests.


    I left out the man with the red face and observed the men¡¯s followers.


    ¡°I wonder what the reward is¡­ It¡¯s not that high in terms of rank.¡±


    The opponent caller¡¯s followers¡­It¡¯s at a level where a Risemara player can win immediately after the start. You can¡¯t expect much from the quest because the rewards increase with difficulty.


    Looking closely at the followers, I could see their names, levels, and HP bars floating above their heads. Nothing was visible above the heads of the men. They looked like mob characters with no names.


    The nameless mob in front of me said with a creepy look.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s he talking about, this bastard?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the first one, so I¡¯ll take it for the time being¡­¡±


    SIlent, sensing my words, jumped down in front of me and swelled up to about the size of a humanoid.


    At that moment, another man, smaller in stature, ran up to me and stared at my face with a shocked expression.


    ¡°A-Aniki, that thing on his face¡­¡±


    I noticed something on my cheek for the first time when he pointed it out to me. I rubbed it with my fingertips, and a slippery sensation remained on my fingers.


    There was no pain. I complained to Silent about the slimy drop of blood.


    ¡°Hey, Silent, I told you not to leave a mark.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s the Master¡¯s fault for being in front of me.¡±


    Just what kind of follower complain to the master.


    I wiped off the blood with the palm of my hand and turned around. I would wash up properly later.


    ¡°Now, come on.¡±


    ¡°A¡­Aniki¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared! There are five of us over here!?¡±


    The man called Aniki yelled, spitting out the line that a frightened man would say. He seemed to have forgotten about Nanashino.


    I calmly observed them all. Finally, I paid attention to Nanashino.


    As expected, her name, player level, and stamina bar are displayed above her head.


    Nanashino Aoba. Level 1.


    I looked around but I couldn¡¯t find anyone else¡¯s name and level.


    ¡­I knew the only player was Nanashino. It would have been nice to have a more docile player.


    The men surrounded me. Nanashino, who had been freed, let out a small cry.


    I pointed at each of the followers in turn.


    ¡°Angry Hawk of the Raging Wind. Streaming Metal of Swivel Iron. The Black Banshee from Screaming Underground. The Dark Knight of Thanatos. And Elite Beast King Blade Chimera.¡±


    The names floated above their heads just as I mentioned. The men buzzed.


    They¡¯re names I¡¯ve seen so much that they rot. Basically, any follower with an ornament at the beginning of its name is an outlier. They changed the names to bulk up the variety of followers. It pissed me off.


    I sighed once and shrugged my chin.


    Then, pointing to the rarity 9 Blade Chimera, the best of the bunch that the big brother had with him, I declared.


    ¡°I will definitely do a [Risemara].¡±


    Abyss Calling is a game of hit-and-miss with a wad of cash.


    The game is instantaneous. With such a huge difference in rarity, it was no contest. The level of the men¡¯s followers had been raised to the upper limit, but there was still a difference that could not be overturned.


    They couldn¡¯t avoid Silent¡¯s arms, which instantly extended to multiple.


    After everything was over, Nanashino, who had been silent until now, gasped and muttered.


    ¡°A-amazing¡­¡±


    ¡°This is what you get when you use the power.¡±


    The followers were skewered on the floor. They were still alive, but their HP had been reduced to 90%, and they might not be able to act anymore. In AbyCall, the status and actions are penalized depending on how much the HP is depleted.


    The Masters, who had been so vigorous until a few minutes ago, were now staring at me as if they were looking at a monster.


    I had already practiced a rehearsal, so the game was easy.


    I looked around at the big brother, who was kneeling down in self-doubt.


    ¡°Where do I get my reward?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Master?¡±


    ¡°Is it just the experience? It¡¯s a lousy quest.¡±


    I doubt there¡¯s any experience point in the first place¡­


    Even though it¡¯s an early quest, it would be nice to at least get a Ruff (a unit of AbyCall¡¯s money).


    Nanashino, who had been frozen, rushed over in a daze. Glancing at the followers stitched to the floor.


    Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry was properly attached to her side. Apparently, it didn¡¯t develop into a battle, and there wasn¡¯t a scratch on him.


    It¡¯s good isn¡¯t it-, that you¡¯re not dead.


    Nanashino paused for a moment, but quickly bowed her head.


    ¡°Um¡­Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°I told you not to bother me¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I felt a number of eyes looking at me from afar. The receptionist, who had been silent until then, now looked at me with peeled eyes.


    For the time being, I told Nanashino not to worry about all the troublesome glances.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got enough money to get a place to stay, for now, so let¡¯s stay the night, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­yes.¡±


    I don¡¯t know how to get back to the original world anyway. Let¡¯s check the situation slowly.


    It was scary.


    Not the men who had made a kind of aggressive pick-up attempt. No, it was a fear Aoba have never experienced before, but she was even more afraid of the young man, Blogger, who had no interest in her.


    Nanashino Aoba was raised carefully. Born into a wealthy family, she attended elementary, junior high, and high schools that were attended by children from families of the same rank. Her parents, who were of a strict disposition, did not spoil Aoba, but even so, most of the people who naturally gathered around her, because of her good look and excellent grades, were good-natured people.


    Therefore, the first young man she met in this world who was in the same situation as her was a type of person Aoba had never met before.


    There was no affection, no decency, no delicacy, just a person who did what he wanted to do.


    Aoba was confident in her ability to look at people.


    The look that was directed at her, excited about a world never seen before, was devoid of any emotion. It was as if he was looking at an inorganic object. Compared to this, the people who came up to her with feelings closer to inferiority were still better.


    The room at the inn she entered at random looked so much like a room in the real world that it was hard to believe it was in a game world.


    As far as Aoba could see, there was little difference between this world and the real world. Japanese was spoken, and the streets were very similar. Looking at the details, there might be many differences, but for now.


    Side table on the bed. A lamp on the table. The room, complete with shower and toilet, was like a hotel and helped to slightly deceive her exhausted spirit.


    Soaking in hot water would melt away her fatigue.


    Aoba was always surrounded by friends and family. It was the first time for her to be in a situation where she didn¡¯t know anyone, but she didn¡¯t feel lonely thanks to the [follower] who was around to comfort her.


    Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry


    The follower in white metal armor was less than half the size of Aoba¡¯s, and his expression was obscured by his armor, but from his behavior alone, she could tell that he was concerned about her.


    Even though she was alone in a foreign land, Aoba was grateful to have at least one friend on her side.


    She sat down on the clean bed ¨C white sheets ¨C and stroked Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry. He was trying to protect her with his small body, and she was grateful to him for that.


    Aoba looked at Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry, who nodded his head without saying anything and murmured regretfully.


    ¡°Ai-chan¡­ I can¡¯t wait to be able to talk to you.¡±


    Blogger was a cold-hearted person, but his every move showed no sign of confusion.


    The knowledge that he had gained from the game was believable. The story that if she raised him, he would be able to talk to her was probably true.


    No, Aoba would have believed the information even if it wasn¡¯t credible. Iris¡¯s Single Cavalry, whom she had just met a few hours earlier, was her source of emotional support in a lonely world.


    After looking down at her own follower with melancholy eyes for a while, Aoba said.


    ¡°¡­Good night.¡±


    She had nothing. There was no money, no change of clothes, and since it was the middle of the night, she had not eaten.


    She held back her hunger, hugged the covers, and buried her head in the pillow. She knew she had no right to complain. The lodging fee was brought out of nowhere by Blogger and he even divided the room with her.


    However, praying should be allowed.


    I hope that when I wake up, the situation will be a little better.


    ¡°Nanashino! Nanashino!?¡±


    And then Aoba woke up to the sound of more banging on the door.


    She jumped up and looked at the clock on the table, unable to formulate any thoughts about what was going on. The shorthand was pointing at six.


    The voice of an impatient Blogger she had never heard before came through the thin door.


    ¡°Fuwa!?¡±


    Shaking off the drowsiness, she hurriedly unlocked the door, and Blogger entered as if he was going to jump in.


    The same devilish calm appearance of yesterday was distorted with impatience and Aoba realized for the first time that the young man in front of him was the same person from before.


    Then, Blogger grabbed Aoba by the shoulders, shook her, and shouted.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t received my login bonus, what about you, Nanashino!?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­???¡±