My Creations Followed Me to Another World-Chapter 6: The First Party

The silence that followed the song Toxic was amazing. Like a vacuum, it sucked all sound from the rest of the world.

Dante just stood there, his hands still clamped over his ears.

Dead.

They were just... dead.

Purple, convulsing, and definitively dead.

He stared at the corpses and his mind couldn’t function normally.

’This wasn’t combat anymore. It was pest control.’

[DING!]

[EXP: 56/100]

[Creator Mana: 1/10]

The numbers floated in his vision.

The mana bar, which was previously zero, was now slowly regenerating.

He could see the faint blue edge begin to creep, pixel by pixel, toward the ’2’.

’Yes, I’m about to level up.’

[Regen: 6/Hour]

[Upkeep: 3/Hour]

He was stable.

"Tadaaa!"

Rin-Rin struck another pose, her star-tipped microphone held aloft.

"Wasn’t that perfect, Producer-sama? Those rowdy fans are all chilled out now!"

Dante lowered his hands. Now his ears were ringing again.

He looked at the sequined girl, then at the dead monsters.

"Producer-sama..."

The title echoed in his head. He was not considered the "Creator" by her, like Shivvy. He was her manager.

And he was, apparently, on the hook for her performance.

"It was..." he started, his voice a dry rasp, "...effective."

"Just effective? Producer-sama, that was a five-star banger! My throat skills are platinum tier!"

She puffed her cheeks in a theatrical pout.

But then...

...a violent pain suddenly twisted his stomach. It had nothing to do with the Goblins.

Hunger.

The adrenaline from the near-death, the potion, and the fight had masked it.

Now, it was the only thing he could feel.

He looked at his [1/10] mana.

Then at his [56/100] EXP.

He was stable, but he was still trapped.

’I’m starving and I’m still wearing nothing but mud-caked pajamas.’

And if one of those Goblins had managed to hit him before the song-debuff landed, he had no backup. He had no more potions.

That means...

His gaze snapped to the empty clearing.

’Shivvy’

The thought was a jolt of pure relief. Yeah, she was his inventory. She had his stuff.

He had to get her back. Is it possible though?

He did the math again, his brain clinging to the numbers as an anchor in this sea of madness.

Regen: 6/hr.

Rin-Rin Upkeep: 3/hr.

Shivvy Upkeep: 1/hr.

Total Upkeep: 4/hr.

Net Gain: +2 MP/Hour.

’Houuuu, yeah, I could do it. I could run them both.’

He could have his weapon and his supply line, and he would still be gaining mana.

He just needed one more thing... yeah, more mana.

Summoning Shivvy cost 5 MP. And he currently had 1. So he needed to wait.

"Rin-Rin," he said, forcing his voice into a tone of managerial calm.

"We’re going to take a break. A short intermission."

"Ehhh? But my fans are waiting!" she protested, gesturing to the empty, silent forest.

"They can wait. Your Producer-sama needs to... um... budgeting ulang."

He sat. He leaned his back against a tree, his legs shaking.

Then he crossed his arms, his stomach clenching, and did the only thing he could.

He watched the mana bar.

Ugh, it was the most agonizing grind of his life.

[1/10]... [2/10]...

The ten-minute interval for a single point felt like an ice age.

Rin-Rin, clearly bored, started practicing her vocal scales.

"Dooo Reee Miiii Faaa Sooo Laaaa Siiii Dooooo~"

It was... grating. But Dante welcomed the noise. It meant she was there. And it meant the Goblins weren’t.

[3/10]... [4/10]... [5/10].

It took forty minutes. Forty minutes of agonizing hunger and listening to J-Pop scales in a monster-filled forest.

’I had 5 mana now.’

He stood up.

"Rin-Rin, stay here. I’m hiring an assistant."

"A kouhai?" Her eyes lit up. "Ooh, is she cute? Will she be my backup dancer?"

"Yeah. You juust... stay here for a moment."

He focused his will.

The List appeared.

After quick skimming, he found her name, the one he had dismissed, the name that still sent a spike of guilt through him.

Summon: Shivvy.

[Creator Mana: 0/10].

’Back to zero, huh.’

But he didn’t panic this time. He knew the regen was coming.

The air leaked. The same glitched bluish-white light. The same paper-tear sound.

Shivvy coalesced, her tattered leather armor and terrified cheeked face looking even more pathetic next to Rin-Rin’s neon supernova.

She appeared, trembling, and her eyes found Dante.

She looked... relieved.

But the moment she saw Rin-Rin...

"AAEEEEAEAEAEAEEEEEEE"

She squeaked. It was a terrified sound like a mouse encountering a cat.

She instantly darted behind Dante, grabbing a fistful of his ruined pajama shirt, peeking out at the pink-haired idol.

"C-c-creator..." she whispered, her voice shaking. "What... what is that?"

"Ehhhh? Kawaii!" Rin-Rin bounced on her platform heels, clasping her hands.

"Producer-sama, you found me a kouhai! A junior idol! She’s so shy! Helloooo!"

Rin-Rin waved with a very cheerful gesture.

Shivvy flinched and hid deeper, burying her face in Dante’s back.

Dante pinched the bridge of his nose.

A 3-Star Idol "Senpai." And a 1-Star Bank Alt "Kouhai."

’I was managing a disastrously-funded and chaotic-neutral girl group!’

"She’s not a... she’s not a dancer, Rin-Rin," Dante said, his voice flat with exhaustion.

"She’s the logistics. Shivvy. It’s okay. This is Rin-Rin. She’s the vocalist."

"V-v-vocalist?" Shivvy peeked out again, her eyes wide.

"She... she’s very... pink, Creator."

"I know."

Then he turned his attention to the immediate crisis.

"Shivvy. Inventory. Do you have any food?"

"Food?"

"Rations. Event items. Anything." Shivvy frowned in concentration.

"Um... I have... 37 [Samhain Festival Candies] (Expired)... 4 [Stale Dwarven Rations]... and... a [Slice of 10th Anniversary Cake]?"

It was a list of digital garbage. Holiday event trash he’d dumped on her years ago.

"The ration," Dante said, his mouth watering. "Give me the ration."

A small gray-brown brick wrapped in digital parchment appeared in her trembling hand.

She passed it to him.

’Light.’

Dante tore it open. It smelled like sawdust and salt.

Then he immidiaetly ate it in three bites.

’Ugh, it was the best thing I had ever tasted.’

The [Haste] buff was still active, and now, with the [Stale Dwarven Ration] sitting like a lead weight in his stomach, he felt good.

"Okay," he said, turning to Shivvy. "I need one [Minor Health Potion]. Just... hold it. And be ready. Your only job is to use your [Sneak] skill, stay fifty yards behind us, and don’t make a sound." Shivvy nodded, her eyes wide. A potion appeared in her hand.

"Yes, Creator. I can do that. I’m... I’m very good at not making a sound."

"I know."

He turned to Rin-Rin. "And you. I need you to do that again. Your... the Toxic song."

He needed 44 more EXP. That was, at 25 EXP per kill, two more Goblins.

"Producer-sama, please!" Rin-Rin huffed. "You can’t just ask for my hit single! I have a set list! It’s artistically ruined if I don’t do my warm-up!"

Dante stared at her.

"A... a set list?"

"Of course! I have to start with [Dancing Queen] to get the crowd hyped! Then I can drop the [Toxic] track. It’s about the flow!"

He processed this.

’Hmmmm I couldn’t just command her to use a skill.

Her personality — the one he’d pulled from the gacha game — was a limitation. She wasn’t a push-button nuke. But she also was a temperamental performer.

’Right. [Dancing Queen] (Buff) first. [Toxic] (Debuff) second. This was the mechanic. A frustrating and wonderful mechanic.’

"Fine," Dante sighed. "Get ready to do your warm-up. We’re going hunting. We need to find more fans."

And surprisingly finding them wasn’t hard. With his [Haste] buff from Rin-Rin, his mind felt clear now and his body light.

He was a gamer. He knew how mob worked.

They can’t just wander around in this forest. They must have spawn points. And if so, there must be patrol routes.

He, Rin-Rin, and Shivvy (a ghostly unseen presence 50 yards back) moved through the forest.

It took ten minutes of walking before he heard it.

Guttural, angry voices.

A campfire.

He motioned for Rin-Rin to stop. Without hesitation, he crept forward, his [Hasted] movements feeling almost graceful.

He peeked through a bush.

A camp. Three Goblins. Not two. Three.

They were gathered around a sputtering fire, roasting some unidentifiable, twitching creature on a spit.

Dante’s heart hammered.

75 EXP. [EXP: 56/100].

’This was it. This would push me over.’

He crept back to Rin-Rin.

"Okay, Rin-Rin. There are three fans. Big ones. They look really excited for the show."

"Three?" Rin-Rin’s eyes sparkled. "A real crowd! Okay, Producer-sama! Let’s give them a show they’ll never forget!"

"Just... one thing. When you start, don’t stop. Full show, Rin-Rin. No breaks."

"You got it, Producer-sama! Let’s go, GO, GO!"

She bounded past him, her pink dress a visual obscenity in the green forest.

"HELLOOOO, FANS!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs.

The three Goblins’ heads snapped up. They saw her. They saw the pink.

Instinctively they growled, reaching for their weapons — two sticks, a rusty axe.

And like being aggro’d, they charged.

Dante ran in behind her, his heart in his throat now.

His mana was at [4/10].

"Hit it, Rin-Rin!"

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happyyyy~ (Hey!)"

The [Haste] buff hit Dante like a shot of adrenaline. The charging Goblins seemed to slow, and their movements becoming predictable.

He dodged the swing from the axe-wielder, the blade passing harmlessly.

"Okay, Rin-Rin! Now!"

"Here comes the drop!" She took a deep, dramatic breath. "Oh-oh-oh, you’re toxic, my baby, so toxic, it’s driving me crazyyyy~ (Ugh!)"

The effect was instantaneous.

All three Goblins stopped as they clawed at their ears.

As the music progressed, they dropped their weapons. Their skin immediately changed from green to pale purple.

They gagged. They convulsed. They collapsed, one after the other.

Dead before they hit the ground.

Three DINGs.

[System: Goblin (Level 3) Defeated. 25 EXP Gained.]

[System: Goblin (Level 3) Defeated. 25 EXP Gained.]

[System: Goblin (Level 3) Defeated. 25 EXP Gained.]

His EXP bar flashed, filling completely.

[EXP: 131/100]

And then...

[DING!]

[System: Creator Level 2 Achieved!] [System: All Stats Increased.] [System: Max Mana Increased: 10 -> 20]

His mana bar, which had been at [5/10], flashed.

[Creator Mana: 20/20].

’It was full again!’

Dante let out a ragged shaking breath. The hunger was gone. The immediate terror was gone.

’I was safe. I had a system now. And I had a party. YES I won!’

Shivvy crept out from the bushes, her eyes shining with tears.

"You did it, Creator! You’re... you’re glowing!"

Rin-Rin struck a final pose, blowing a kiss at the three fresh corpses.

"Encore! Encore! Thank you, Guys! Rin-Rin loves you!"

Dante actually smiled. A genuine smile. It lasted for exactly one second.

"By the light of the Justicar..." A new voice. Deep. Male. And confused. "...what in the nine hells was that noise?"

Dante froze. His smile vanished. He, Rin-Rin, and Shivvy turned.

A man was standing at the edge of the clearing, not twenty yards away.

He wasn’t a monster. But a person. He wore a dented chainmail coif and a dirty blue-and-white tabard. A lit torch was held in one hand, a drawn real-looking arming sword in the other.

He looked less like a "knight" and more like a "villager." And he was staring.

His gaze went from Dante’s muddy pajamas... to Rin-Rin’s impossible pink dress... to Shivvy’s cowering, tattered form... ...and finally, to the three, very fresh, very purple, poison-killed Goblin corpses at their feet.

"Right," the man said, his voice shaking, but his sword hand steady. "Don’t... don’t any of you move."