Heroine-Saving System: Reborn In A Third-Rate Manga As The Protagonist-Chapter 101: Deciding Familiars

The Dolderbirds flew closer to the barrier now.

"Alright prepare... since this is your first time on the Isle, it will feel a little strange." Haruki said as they approached the blue shimmer of it.

Just like back at Keropolis, the barrier turned green and opened for them. The Dolderbirds passed through in single file and the moment Koya crossed the threshold the air changed.

’It feels pure.’ He inhaled it slowly.

It was nothing like city air... The reason was obvious from a single glance downward. Trees and grass covered everything in every direction and a gust of wind blew at their faces.

The only structure anywhere on the entire landmass was a single tower standing in the dead center of the Familiar Isle, it was tall enough that it had been visible from a distance and right now, it was genuinely imposing up close.

"This is Familiar Isle." Haruki said. "Familiars can be found at every corner of it... in fact, look around you."

The barriers of thick feathers along the sides of all three Dolderbirds dropped simultaneously.

Around them were flying bird-like creatures in loose formations soaring alongside the Dolderbirds as well as a fish-shaped creature drifting through the air like water was optional with smaller things moving through the tree canopy below in flickers of color.

There were a lot of them.

"Familiars exist in all shapes and sizes and no Familiar is completely useless... This is exactly why you are here, to befriend one that is in line with you. It does not have to match your element, as some Familiars exist specifically to compensate for your weaknesses rather than reinforce your strengths." Haruki said as the Dolderbirds descended toward the tower. "For the next three days you will be unable to use mana externally... However you must befriend a Familiar, If you do not manage it within these three days, you will not be able to receive another Familiar from this Isle for the remainder of your student life."

The Dolderbirds hit the ground with three consecutive quakes and the students absorbed the impact from their perches.

"Alright, get off." Haruki jumped from the top of Doldy 2’s head and landed cleanly on the ground. "Use the wings."

Each Dolderbird angled one wing downward at a slope toward the ground, and the students descended in groups, stepping down the feathered surface until they were all standing on the Isle’s grass.

"Good job. You can go now." Haruki said.

All three Dolderbirds cried once and launched themselves upward together, the downwash from their wings hitting every student simultaneously and sending hair flying in all directions and then they were gone, climbing fast until they were shapes against the sky and then nothing at all.

The students stood in their three groups with their class representatives at the front, looking around.

"Now. Once again, welcome to Familiar Isle... your home for the next three days." Haruki clasped both hands behind his back and walked slowly in front of them. "There are rules you will follow. Rule one: you are not allowed to use spells here. To enforce this, there are devices distributed across the entire Isle that will absorb any externalized mana the instant it leaves your body. You may test this now if you wish."

Several students reached into their reserves and pushed mana outward.

It dissolved immediately on contact with the air, pulling apart into faint wisps before it had traveled half a meter.

Koya tried it once and felt the draw happening at the boundary of his skin, the mana simply ceasing to form the moment it crossed outside so he pulled back.

Drawing ambient mana from the surroundings still worked and he could enhance the insides of his arm with mana but forming anything external was simply not an option here. The devices were thorough.

"You see what I mean. Your mana is still available for internal strengthening and you may still draw from the environment, however you cannot perform external spells." Haruki said. "Rule two: you may not attack another student or coerce them to do anything by force, we do not want trouble here. And lastly... once you have settled in and changed into your Scouting uniforms, you are to be back in your rooms by 9pm exactly. Anyone caught outside after that will be expelled from Familiar Isle immediately."

Several students swallowed.

’System. Run a full scan of the Isle and identify every Familiar compatible with me. Locations, affinities, all of it.’ Koya thought. ’Let’s not waste our limited time.’

「Affirmative... Initiating priority scan」

He took a breath and turned his attention back to Haruki.

"You will not be staying in the tower itself but in these." The Dean gestured to the base of the structure and three long buildings sat there, constructed from the same material as the tower.

They looked less like houses and more like forward operating bases with red numbers glowed above each door.

"Those are Mega Bunks. Everything you require is already inside. Class 1 takes Mega Bunk 1, Class 2 takes Mega Bunk 2, Class 5 takes Mega Bunk 3. Each student has their own room with their equipment and a manual on Familiar befriending. If you need to purchase anything to assist the process, come to the base of the tower and use your Individual Points." He turned toward the tower entrance. "For now, get settled. When you are ready, go into the field."

He walked in and the door closed behind him, leaving the students standing in three groups on the grass.

"Alright, Class 5." Misora stepped forward naturally with no hesitation. "Mega Bunk 3... All of you follow along."

"Yes Class Rep." Most of Class 5 answered together and they peeled away from the other two groups, heading toward their building.

A certain young man with dark black hair watched Koya’s back as Class 5 walked away.

His eyes moved over the blond haired young man... a commoner from Class 5 which was most probably the reason that the whole Class 5 had been chosen. He couldn’t believe that these mere commoners had high potential and because of this Amagi Koya, his younger brother in Class 3 wouldn’t get to receive a Familiar from the Isle.

This will do...’ He thought, watching until the door of Mega Bunk 3 closed behind them. ’Marvelously.’

...

’These Mega Bunks aren’t bad, honestly.’ Koya thought.

The living room was wide with long couches arranged around a low table and a dining area beyond it.

On the dining table sat a round white machine that looked like a large smooth rock and nothing else and there was also a long hallway that extended from the far end of the living room with doors set opposite each other down the length of it. Naturally it was one room per student.

BEEP.

The rock leapt off the table, hit the floor, and unfolded itself with the panels separating and locking outward until it had become a cube shape sitting on four small wheels and a single lens at the front rotating once to take in the room.

"Bzzt... Welcome, students of ALI Class 5, to Mega Bunk 3. I will be your personal assistant throughout your stay here. I am B2." It said, "The room you are standing in is your living room... you can rest here, and you may access videos through the V-Tube platform available on the screen in the corner. The room adjacent is your dining area. A second unit will deliver meal rations at 9am, 12pm and 9pm which are Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner respectively. The hallway contains thirty rooms which are all identical... select any one. Study your manual and familiarize yourself with the Isle before venturing out. Bzzt."

"Understood." Misora nodded.

"Bzzt... Very well, Class 5 Representative Misora Tachibana. Today is your free day... no Familiar befriending is strictly required until tomorrow. After Breakfast tomorrow, all students will be directed outside and the Bunk will remain locked until Dinner. If you have further questions, I am available. Bzzt."

The robot wheeled away down the hallway and students began spreading out, drifting toward doors and pulling them open to inspect their rooms.

"Koya-kun, what do you want to do?" Ichinose appeared next to him immediately like a bug.

"I want to study the manual and get into the field." He said, and walked to the nearest door. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Do you want to... uh... spend time later?" She asked at his back.

"I’m busy." He closed the door behind him.

The room was standard with a bed, closet, and a desk as well. He could already sense the Hidden cameras too with the help of Sensory.

On the desk was a single book with the title [How To Befriend Familiars]

He crossed to the closet first and opened it and it had one set of clothes inside which was on a hangar. It was a black bodysuit with a slightly strange texture and looked elastic.

He closed the closet, picked up the book from the desk, and lay down on the bed.

The mattress was genuinely good.

"This is really comfortable." He muttered, and cracked the book open.

’Befriending Familiars is done because it requires both parties to form a contract, forcing a Familiar into a contract cannot be done unless they willingly—’ He stopped reading. ’System. Scan the book and pull the relevant information only.’

「Ding!」

「All Familiars within the Isle have been analyzed and there are 9 matches for Host currently that will improve your move pool... since you are so weak as to require a Familiar in the first place」

His eye twitched but he let it go.

「Locations and information loading now... Please wait.」

Several tabs appeared in front of his face and each one had an image as well as a breakdown so he moved through them.

The first one that stopped him was the size of a lion that had broad shoulders that was dense with muscle and its mane entirely made of slow-burning flame. The body was a deep tawny gold and the eyes were the same color as the fire.

「Familiar: Embermane Lion」

「Affinity: Fire / (Potential Lightning)」

「Description: A lion-type Familiar whose mane flame intensifies proportionally with agitation and bonds exclusively through a pride test... it will ignore all approach attempts until the potential master performs an act it considers worthy of acknowledgment. It is capable of sustained flame output reaching 3,000 degrees celsius. When bonded with a master carrying fire affinity, it amplifies their flame temperature to 3,200 degrees.」

’That’s comparable to the Alpha Salamander I fought back then.’ He thought, and kept moving. He still had plans to fuck up that beast this weekend.

There were several other familiars, like Cindervix which was a fire familiar but a fox instead, alongside its capabilities of blasting superpowered flames, if the Familiar bit into an opponent, it was capable of igniting their blood vessels.

There was also another one called the Mirrowing Butterfly which was similar to that of a harmless butterfly however it was able to copy the last ability used against its master and stores it for one full strength user per encounter.

’I’m also seeing a highly defensive familiar.’ He thought, focusing on the tab of a Familiar known as the Stoneback Tortoise... it was the size of a wolf and the shell absorbed mana attacks and stored the energy, releasing it as a shockwave when it is struck physically. The sheer defense of this Familiar made it nearly impossible to kill though someone of a higher level could still kill it.

However there was one that caught his attention.

「Familiar: Riftclaw」

「Affinity: Darkness / Void」

「Description: A mountain cat-type Familiar that has evolved past the conventional limits of its rank. Riftclaw is capable of briefly exiting physical space entirely, closing distance instantaneously within 15 meters. It produces no mana signature and cannot be detected by conventional means. Additionally capable of generating a localized Mini-Domain... a field in which no external mana techniques can function.」

’A Mini-Domain.’ He thought, reading it again. ’What kind of Familiar generates a Mini-Domain. It exits physical space entirely and has a mini-domain too? Where did this familiar come from? It wasn’t in the manga surely.’

He looked at the image for a long moment.

It was a long cat that had deep grey fur with darker irregular stripes that broke all over its body and the eyes were strange in a specific way... it looked like no light reflected in them, like looking at two small sections of nothing wearing the shape of eyes.

’System, can you locate it?’

「Affirmative. However detection will cost 21,000 SP as conventional Sensory cannot register it. Additionally there is a 99.9% probability that Riftclaw will relocate the moment you approach.」

’Forget it.’ He closed the tabs, there were others but this was the main one he was interested in for himself.

Riftclaw was the most interesting thing on the list by a significant margin and it was also the least reachable.

’Embermane Lion first, then Cindervix... Mirrorwing too maybe or the Stoneback Tortoise... for now scan the book.’

「The book has been scanned. Relevant information extracted: One... to befriend a Familiar, purchase its preferred food and establish connection through feeding, play, or completing whatever trial the Familiar sets. Two... do not approach the mountains. A powerful creature has been hibernating in the mountain crevices for an extended period. Upon detecting your scent it will locate you from anywhere on the Isle and will kill you if disturbed. A guide of Familiar food preferences is purchasable at the base of the tower.」

’Noted. Bring out the foods that all of them eat up.’

The System listed it. Koya read it once, closed the book, threw it to the desk and stood up from the bed while moving to the closet.

He opened it once again and looked at the Body Suit.

’So how do I wear it?’

He touched the fabric and it went immediately soft and fluid against his fingers... The suit felt like slime and before he had finished registering that, it had already begun climbing up his hand and spreading across his body, conforming to every surface and solidifying as it settled.

「Right, this was mentioned as well. It’s a Defense Suit and upon wearing it, it flows and takes on your shape. The inventor thought of it like a slime.」

’Alright, though it’s weird.’ He stretched both arms out and felt the suit move with him without resistance. ’Let’s go Familiar hunting.’

He was very excited about this.

...

That excitement lasted until he saw the line.

Students from Class 1 and Class 2 had already filled every table at the tower base, stacking purchases in front of them. They were buying in bulk so that they wouldn’t need to come again and although it was smart, if everyone was buying in bulk then he would remain here for a long time.

The waiting chairs along the outer edge were already half occupied. Koya took one and looked at the queue.

’Tiring.’ He thought.

The setup at the base was a wide circular layout with round tables spaced evenly across the area, there were three chairs per table and a purchasing counter at the far end where staff moved while speed filling orders.

The Familiars available on the Isle were wild-bred rather than domesticated but they had been living here long enough that certain preferences were documented and consistent.

Every student at every table already seemed to know what they wanted and several of the Class 1 students had come down with written lists.

He settled in the chair and let his eyes move across the space without focusing on anything specific.

’Out of everything on that list, Riftclaw has the highest ceiling by far.’ He thought, watching a Class 1 student leave the counter with a large wrapped package under each arm. ’But it can’t be caught and spending 21,000 SP on a 99.9% failure rate is not happening. I’ll go Embermane first or Cindervix, honestly maybe the Tortoise too and I should try to get something for Yuna and Akemi too... a Familiar would change their fighting style considerably depending on the match, luckily I have IP points to spare.’

"Uh..."

He thought about Victoria briefly. There wasn’t a blood-affinity Familiar anywhere on the Isle’s list but he would try to get one for her.

"Koya-kun?"

He turned.

Miyuki was standing beside the chair next to his with pink cheeks and both hands clasped in front of her, dressed in the same black defense suit as everyone else.

"Oh hey Miyuki, how are you?" He asked, he didn’t know why but he liked this shy girl... the way she acted made him want to protect her or maybe he had a hidden fetish for shy girls too.

"I’m-I’m doing alright Koya-kun." She stuttered a lot. "Onii-chan said I was free to do whatever I want today on this Isle so can... can... can..."

"You can take a seat you know." Koya suggested and she sat down.

"Can... we go familiar hunting together?" She asked cutely with a pout.