I learned that Professor Salt and the others, who came to this world from the future of Earth that I know, had acquired powers similar to those I had gained.
The power I possess has been greatly released compared to when I first arrived, due to making a contract with a dragon to challenge dungeon conquests. But it’s not that power I'm referring to.
When I came to this world, I obtained a magical tablet, which allowed me to use mental magic, life magic, and flame magic, each at level one.
Professor Salt and his companions had also obtained mental magic, life magic, and a unique magic, just like I had.
However, unlike me, they had no interest in the power of magic.
In the future Earth they came from, most humans had scientifically modified their bodies to become stronger individuals, and stimulated their brains to acquire some form of supernatural abilities.
Smartphones, like the tablet I held in my hand, no longer existed. Instead, people had functions installed in their bodies that, when consciously activated, would display their physical abilities or amount of money in the air through a brain-linked interface.
In other words, the magical powers I was so delighted to gain in this world were something Professor Salt and the others had possessed from the beginning—something not even worth appreciating.
“The place I used to live still had power lines in the sky and air polluted by exhaust fumes.”
Professor Salt and his group, much like the humans of this world’s past, viewed dragons as enemies. They even resented being abducted to this world, so there was no way they would ever think to cooperate with dragons.
I decided to hide the fact that I had cooperated with dragons to conquer dungeons.
If more of them were going to join us, being seen as an enemy would be bad.
Besides, I was hoping that since these people came from such a far future Earth, perhaps they even had the means to travel back in time.
“...Hmm. I thought no such places existed on Earth anymore... Have you heard of it?”
Professor Salt asked the silver-clad humans standing behind him, who were keeping watch over the surroundings.
One of them turned around.
“Could it be the ‘Pool of Blood’? That area is isolated from other worlds by wind and ocean currents.”
“...That makes sense. If it's the ‘Pool of Blood,’ then there's no foreign interference or technological sharing. The atmosphere is polluted, so if one can survive there, it's not surprising they’d adapt to this world’s air as well. I see… Interesting. So ‘Japan’ is the name of the tribe living in the ‘Pool of Blood,’ then?”
“Y-yes, I think so.”
I had no idea what this ‘Pool of Blood’ meant, but I assumed it was some underdeveloped region on Earth.
“Indeed, there’s no reason to assume the dragons didn’t abduct people from the ‘Pool of Blood.’ So, what did you think when you were abducted by the dragon?”
“W-well, I was saved by a cute girl who lived all alone at the edge of this world. I thought it was a nice place. I couldn’t believe there was something like magic... Healing wounds on your own felt like a miracle.”
“Hey, Gillette, lend me your knife.”
“Yes.”
Professor Salt suddenly struck my arm with the knife he received.
I instinctively tried to dodge, but I couldn’t react in time to the sudden move.
Blood splattered through the air, and a wound about a centimeter deep opened on my arm.
I instinctively reached for my magical tablet. I didn’t even consider I was right in front of Professor Salt. It was just muscle memory.
But before my left hand could grab the tablet, Professor Salt grabbed my injured right arm and stared at the bleeding wound.
“I see... The wound isn’t healing. Look, everyone. This is the body of a primitive human.”
It took me a while to understand what he was saying. The five who had been standing with their backs turned all leaned forward to get a look.
The silver-suited people, with only their faces visible through a transparent shield, peered at my injury with curiosity—it was a bizarre sight.
“D-do you guys not bleed even if your arm is cut?”
“Ah, that’s right. We can't remove our protective suits here, but I’ll show you once we’re back at the base.”
Professor Salt smiled at me. One of the silver people asked,
“Then, are we taking this man to the base?”
“Yes. Even if he’s not cooperative, a primitive human is a rare specimen—a valuable lab rat. We can’t let him escape.”
“Understood. It seems the transport has arrived.”
Ignoring me entirely, the silver-suited people decided to take me to their so-called base.
A black, disc-shaped vehicle hovered smoothly toward us from the direction they turned to face.
I turned around. From behind a large tree, Sylph and Alice were peeking out with worried expressions.
I gestured to them to stay put. They didn’t have the strength to fight. If I took them along, I knew they’d be treated as experimental subjects before me.
As the two watched with concern, the black disc descended to pick up the silver-suited individuals.
More people in silver suits stepped out from the disc. The moment they saw me, they pointed their fingers at me.
They were clearly on alert. According to Sylph and Alice, they had shot down a giant bird flying in the sky with beams from their fingertips.
That bird had been carried by the silver people and was now being stored in the disc, right before my eyes.
The storage process was surprisingly primitive—they just hoisted it up and shoved it into the top of the disc. For some reason, that part hadn’t evolved at all.
The silver-clad humans who had gotten off the black disc were receiving instructions from Professor Salt, who had been speaking with me. It seemed that Professor Salt also held authority at the so-called “base” they mentioned.
They stopped pointing their fingers at me, but instead, they restrained both of my arms behind my back.
I couldn’t tell what they used to bind me, but my arms could no longer move.
“Does this creature understand our language?”
“I understand.”
When I replied, the silver-clad humans were visibly surprised. Professor Salt interjected.
“Also, he’s not a creature. It appears he was abducted by the dragon tribe just like us, from the same world. Apparently, he can survive here without a protective suit and without being affected by the toxins. I assume he’s from the ‘Pool of Blood,’ but it seems people from there don’t recognize the term. That place was originally just a dumping ground, after all.”
“Understood.”
The humans who had disembarked from the disc saluted Professor Salt. That “understood” response wasn’t reassuring at all, but I didn’t want to complicate things by butting in.
I waited until no one was behind me and then discreetly summoned my magic tablet behind my back.
The silver suits they wore were apparently protective gear. Since the way we use magic differs, they likely wouldn’t notice what I was doing.
Though I couldn’t see the screen, the magic tablet always displayed the magic interface when summoned.
Relying on memory, I tapped the screen at a spot I estimated.
The spell activated. I could feel it was the one I’d intended.
“Anything will do. One of you buried in this land—rise and follow the disc.”
At my feet, the skeleton of a rat rose up. In my previous life’s games and stories, I knew of skeletal monsters called skeletons.
I hadn't yet encountered such creatures in this world. They might not even exist here.
No matter. With such a strange entity on the loose, there was no way that Alice and Sylph—with their senses far sharper than mine—would fail to notice it.
I was forced to board the black disc.
And how did one board it?
When the disc landed on the ground, you had to climb up and enter from the top.
Perhaps there are limits to what can be brought into this world from the original one—and to what can be created using materials from this world.
The interior of the disc I was dragged into felt like the inside of a large, circular car.
Two people had come to pick up Professor Salt and his group. Along with the six members of Salt’s team and the massive bird they had shot down, the fairly spacious interior was already pretty full.
There were no windows, but monitors encircled the walls, giving a 360-degree view of the surroundings. However, the 360 degrees only covered a flat, horizontal plane—it didn’t show what was directly above or below.
It felt like being surrounded by a ring of peepholes.
“I’m surprised you managed to build something like this in this world.”
“Ah, several engineers were abducted too. Those engineers had a habit of engraving basic blueprints onto their bodies so they could recall them at any time. This is the result of that.”
When I expressed my amazement, Professor Salt proudly explained. After hearing that, I started feeling uneasy about what might be inside those silver protective suits.
Still bound, I was thrown into the center of the disc’s interior, and I could feel it lift off the ground.