arc1 · 003-ch3

Episode 3: Buying a Drone

Once I entered the explorer specialty shop and climbed the stairs to the fourth floor, the drone specialty section I was looking for came into view.

"Welcome! Are you looking for something?"

The moment I stepped inside, a young female employee called out to me.

"Ah, ah, d-d-don't mind me."

Young women were way too high a hurdle. I fled from the employee and headed to a less crowded area.

(Phew, that was close. But if I'm going to buy a drone, I'll have to talk to an employee. Better steel myself now.)

With a level of determination that normal people wouldn't even consider, I wandered around the store. Trying my best to avoid passing by people.

As expected of a drone specialty shop, they had a huge range of machines—from bottom-of-the-barrel to top-of-the-line. The cheapest ones were around 200,000 yen, and some of the high-end models apparently cost around 10 million yen.

If I'm going to use it for business, I can't go with something too cheap. That said, I do have a limited budget. Considering future living expenses and everything, a machine around 500,000 yen would be ideal, but...

After looking around at everything and about to settle on a 500,000-yen machine as planned, a drone inconspicuously placed near the register caught my eye.

(W-w-what's this?)

About one meter in total length. The black machine had four standard propellers, plus four additional small auxiliary propellers. It also had two cameras—one with telephoto capability and another that seemed to be capable of 360-degree filming.

Top speed was a whopping 200 kilometers per hour. By operating the auxiliary propellers, it could also make tight turns. Could this possibly be the highest-performance machine in the store? Why was it placed in such an inconspicuous spot?

I cautiously approached and timidly checked the price.

(Huh!? A-a million yen!? That's cheap, way too cheap!)

Despite its incredible performance, the price was only one million yen. It was so cheap that I checked the number of zeros several times. But no matter how many times I looked, there were six zeros.

The more I looked at it, the more I found myself drawn to this thing. Having completely set my heart on this machine, I steeled myself and spoke to the middle-aged employee.

"U-um, th-th-this drone..."

As expected, talking to strangers while in a calm state was high difficulty. The words just wouldn't come out right.

"Ah, this one? This one's got a bit of a story. You see..."

But this employee seemed to understand what I wanted to ask just from me pointing at it. Thank goodness, choosing a veteran-looking employee paid off.

According to this employee, this drone was a machine made by a certain company for publicity purposes. It was a one-of-a-kind creation that pushed drone performance to the extreme, but apparently nobody could handle it because it was so difficult to operate.

Especially in dungeons, where radio waves from outside can't reach. You have to operate it from nearby. On top of that, if you got even a little too far away and the signal cut out, there was no telling where it would go—an absolute wild beast. Plus, the cameras were custom-made specifically for this machine, so they couldn't be transferred to other drones.

The fact that no buyer had appeared for years and it had become an old machine also seemed to be the reason for its low price.

But the more I heard, the more I felt this drone was perfect for me. After all, my Job skill is "Manipulate Drones at Will." Since it's a skill, I shouldn't have to worry about signal loss, and there'd be no control errors either. If it's me, maybe I could control this drone.

What's more, it could run on either battery power or magic stones—an excellent feature. Even if the battery died, I could just put in a magic stone obtained from defeating monsters on-site and it would keep running.

The price was one million yen. If I bought spare batteries, maintenance tools, and a case too, I'd barely have anything left. I'd be out of living expenses, but I'd already made up my mind about this thing.

"I-I-I'll take this one."

"Huh? Did you hear what I said, sir? This is a machine that even professional pilots can't handle. You still want to buy it?"

I wasn't good at rapid-fire exchanges. Instead of answering with words, I nodded my head up and down.

"Well, if you're fine with it, I have no objections, but this one is non-returnable, you know? Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah."

I replied with a short word to the insistent veteran employee. He began processing the purchase as if resigned. While watching him, I pushed myself to ask him to set me up with peripherals as well.

Everything came to 1,150,000 yen. It was my first time paying such a large sum all at once, so my hands were trembling. Using the cash I'd withdrawn from the bank before coming here, I paid in one lump sum and received the drone in its case. Since the total length was about one meter, the case was quite large too. Whether I liked it or not, it drew attention.

I boarded the train while attracting everyone's stares. If I had a car, I could have avoided standing out, but there was no use wishing for things I didn't have. Besides, I had to get my hands on a high-grade healing potion to cure Mom. I couldn't afford to stop here. I needed to get home and get ready as soon as possible.

With that strong resolve in my heart, I hurried home.

▽▽▽

"Welcome home, Onii-chan."

When I got home past evening, my little sister Umi came out to greet me. She looked a bit worn out—yesterday's events must have taken a toll on her.

"I'm back. Can you wait a bit for dinner?"

"It's fine. It's already ready, so eat with me, Onii-chan."

Would you believe it—my little sister Umi had made dinner and was waiting for me. Ever since Mom collapsed, Umi had been finding things she could do and working hard. To live up to that devoted effort, I had to make this business a success.

As I ate the curry rice Umi had made, I renewed my determination.

▽▽▽

"Well then, let's get everything set up first."

I sat down at my computer right after dinner. I had to register my drone ownership with the government. Since dungeon streamers increased, drone-related laws had become quite detailed. First, inside dungeons, you could fly drones at your own risk without any application. Furthermore, permits for flying drones outside could be applied for online, and results would arrive in less than ten minutes.

My house is at the foot of Mount Takao. The access to the city center is good, and behind the house stretches untouched nature. Perfect for flying drones to my heart's content.

I registered my drone ownership online and immediately applied for a flight permit. Incredibly, the results arrived in less than ten minutes. I got flight permission for tomorrow at Mount Takao and the surrounding open areas.

That night, after watching drone-related videos like crazy, I was unusually excited and couldn't fall asleep.

▽▽▽

The next morning, after seeing off Umi as she headed to school, I strapped the drone case onto my back and got on my bicycle. A short ride later, I arrived at the open area I had in mind. There, I took the drone out of the case and placed it on the ground. Oh right, let me check my status first.

Those who have awakened can view their own status. I opened my status screen for the first time in a while.

Name: Soramine Sota Job: Drone Pilot Level: 1 HP: 12 MP: 0

Skills: Drone Connection

The only things you can check on your status are name, job, level, HP, MP, and skills. I confirmed that Drone Connection was in my skills column. But man, my HP and MP were basically nonexistent. That was also one of the reasons I gave up on the path of an explorer. If I could level up, my stats would probably improve, but that'd be tough.

While scolding myself for harboring faint hopes, I tried using my Job skill for the first time since awakening.

"Drone Connection!"

The skill I used while trembling with anticipation immediately demonstrated its effect. Just as I felt the sensation of connecting with the drone, two screens appeared before my eyes. One showed the feed from the telephoto-equipped main camera, and the other from the omnidirectional camera.

This was pretty much the same as the game screens I was used to. I didn't have much experience with dual screens, but I'd manage once I got used to it.

I switched on the drone with my mind.

Vrrm

A low hum sounded as the drone powered up. I could really control it just by thinking. How did that work, exactly?

To get used to remote operation, I piloted while watching the screens. I gently lifted the drone, moving it left and right, up and down.

(Yeah, I really can move it exactly as I imagine.)

Next, I tried moving it farther away. I flew it toward the summit of Mount Takao.

(Whoa!? It's fast!)

As expected of a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour! It rapidly receded into the distance. After reaching the summit of Mount Takao, I cautiously moved it behind the mountain. According to my prediction, my skill should allow operation regardless of radio waves. To confirm that, I wanted to see if it would work behind the mountain.

(Good, good—radio waves really don't matter.)

Not just behind the mountain, I even tried going between trees and into small cavities, and it operated without any problems. It was so much fun that I got completely absorbed in piloting the drone without even eating lunch.

Having thoroughly confirmed the performance of my skill, I brought the drone back, carefully wiped it down, and put it in the case. Strapping the case onto my back just like on the way here, I got on my bicycle. Feeling excited that this could actually work as a business, I naturally pedaled with renewed vigor.