After opening the door, I looked at Allen and said, "Alright, let's go."
Allen nodded and started walking down the hallway. I followed close behind, trying to keep up with his steady pace.
The hallway stretched on forever, though there weren't many rooms along the way. Every so often we'd pass a maid who would stop what she was doing to bow and greet me formally.
I just nodded back and kept walking.
According to Michael's memories, there were about thirty or forty maids working in the mansion. No wonder I kept running into them.
After what felt like ages but was probably only three or four minutes, we finally reached the main entrance.
"God, this hallway is ridiculous," I muttered, trying not to show how winded I was.
My legs were already starting to ache. This body might look fit, but it had zero stamina. Years of partying and drinking had left it in terrible shape despite looking healthy.
Allen glanced back at me, probably noticing my heavy breathing. "Shall I slow down, young master?"
"No, I'm fine," I lied, straightening up. The last thing I needed was him thinking I couldn't handle a simple walk.
Allen studied me for a moment before nodding. "Very well."
We stepped out through the main entrance and walked for several more minutes until we reached a large courtyard. A massive fountain stood in the center, surrounded by luxury cars parked in perfect rows.
The moment we stopped, I doubled over, hands on my knees, gasping for air.
"Damn it," I wheezed.
This body was pathetic. I felt like I'd just run a marathon when all I'd done was walk through the mansion. My legs were shaking, my lungs burned, and I could barely keep myself upright.
I was so exhausted that I didn't even care about the expensive cars around me. Normally, I might have been curious about what kind of vehicles the Frostburne family owned, but right now all I could focus on was trying to breathe normally again.
Allen watched me struggle for a moment, then let out a soft sigh. "Young master, you don't need to push yourself so hard. There's no shame in taking things at your own pace."
"Yeah," I panted, still bent over. "You're right. Next time I'll definitely listen to you."
"I hope so," Allen said, though his tone suggested he didn't quite believe me.
He turned his attention to the rows of cars, scanning them before settling on a sleek black vehicle near the fountain.
"That one should do nicely, young master."
He walked over and opened the back door for me. I dragged myself to the car and collapsed into the leather seats, grateful to finally sit down. Allen climbed into the driver's seat and began typing something on the vehicle's touchscreen interface.
The doors sealed automatically with a soft hiss, and a robotic voice filled the cabin.
"Destination confirmed: Brigadoom City, E-rank state."
The car hummed to life and slowly began rising into the air. I pressed my face against the window, watching the ground fall away beneath us.
A flying car. I was actually in a flying car.
I'd been excited about this ever since I read about them in the system's information. While going through it, I discovered that this world was decades ahead of my old one in terms of technology. And it was all thanks to one incredible discovery.
Monster cores.
So what exactly were monster cores?
According to what I'd learned, every monster had an energy core located near its heart.
These cores contained massive amounts of raw power that completely revolutionized human technology once scientists figured out how to harness them.
The energy was so potent that it basically solved the world's power crisis overnight. Traditional energy sources became obsolete.
Electricity became cheap and abundant, available to everyone. This sudden surplus of power triggered a technological revolution unlike anything in human history.
Robotics and AI development exploded. Machines powered by monster cores took over most manual labor.
Manufacturing, construction, basic services—almost everything became automated. These cores provided nearly unlimited energy, making it possible to run complex systems that would have been impossible before.
The entire world now ran on monster core energy. Cars, buildings, weapons, even household appliances. Everything drew power from these cores.
Society had become incredibly efficient, with machines handling most of the grunt work while humans focused on things AI still couldn't do properly, like creative writing, cooking, and art.
"Please enjoy your ride," the car announced as we reached cruising altitude.
The vehicle accelerated smoothly, and I watched through the window as the mansion grounds disappeared below us.
We were probably going over two hundred kilometers per hour, but it felt like floating. The monster core powering this car made the whole thing possible.
This world really was incredible, even if it was also terrifying.
***
I couldn't stop thinking about that shield.
How did they even do that? Did they use monster cores to power it, or was it someone's skill?
I kept wondering about it as I leaned back in the comfortable seat with my eyes closed. The car had been flying smoothly for an hour now, but my mind was still stuck on what I'd seen when we left the mansion.
When we'd passed through those massive steel gates earlier, the sight that greeted me was unbelievable. Flying cars moved through the air in organized patterns. A massive train floated past overhead like it was the most normal thing in the world.
For a moment, I'd felt like I was in some futuristic movie. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
But what really caught my attention was the Frostburne estate itself when I looked back. The entire property was covered by a transparent dome, a massive shield that shimmered faintly in the morning light.
Except it wasn't actually transparent. Not really.
From the outside, the shield showed a distorted version of the mansion. Everything looked smaller, compressed somehow.
The buildings seemed jumbled together at weird angles that didn't make sense. It wasn't ugly, exactly. Just wrong. Like looking at a reflection in a funhouse mirror.
When I'd asked Allen about it earlier, he explained it was an illusion shield that had been installed just a few days ago. That's when everything clicked.
No wonder I hadn't seen any flying cars or trains from the balcony these past few days. I'd thought it was strange that the sky was always empty except for birds, but now it made sense.
The shield had been blocking my view of the real world outside, showing me a fake, peaceful sky instead.
"So that's why I couldn't see any of this before," I muttered to myself.
The shield wasn't just for protection. It was hiding the Frostburne estate from the outside world, making it look like something completely different. Anyone flying by would see a small, unremarkable property instead of the massive mansion that actually existed there.
How did they even power something like that? The energy requirements alone must have been insane.
For the past hour, that question had been eating at me.
I'd wanted to figure it out on my own, but I wasn't getting anywhere. My curiosity was driving me crazy, growing stronger with each passing minute. I couldn't take it anymore.
I opened my eyes and looked at Allen. He was reading some kind of book in the driver's seat, since the car was fully AI-controlled and didn't need manual input after the destination was set. I didn't know what he was reading and honestly didn't care.
"Allen," I said, giving up on solving it myself. "I'm really curious about that shield. How does it actually work?"
Allen kept his eyes on his book as he answered. "It operates using a combination of dungeon cores and monster cores, young master."
Dungeon cores? That didn't sound right.
"Hold on," I said, sitting up straighter. "Aren't those illegal? I thought the government banned dungeon core usage last year."
"That law only applies to common citizens," Allen replied calmly, turning a page. "The wealthiest families and high-ranking hunters are exempt. They can use dungeon cores as much as they please."
"Oh, I see," I said quietly.
That hit harder than I expected. The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. Even in this world, the rich played by different rules than everyone else.
Here I'd been thinking this world might be different from my previous one. Guess I was wrong about that too.
I pushed the thought aside and glanced at the smartwatch on my left wrist. It looked pretty sleek, actually. More advanced than anything from my old world.
I tapped the screen to check the time.
***
Name: Michael Frostburne
Total Rules Broken: 0
Time: 10:14 AM
Date: 4th February
Year: 2130
[More]
***
Still had another hour before we reached Brigadoom City. Might as well kill some time.
I tapped the "More" button and a new screen popped up, displaying dozens of apps. Most of them looked unfamiliar, but I recognized a few social media icons. I clicked on one and started scrolling through the feed, hoping to learn more about how normal people lived in this world.
The posts were surprisingly mundane. People complaining about work, sharing photos of food, arguing about hunter rankings. If it weren't for the occasional monster sighting report, it could have been from my old world.
After scrolling through the smartwatch for a few more minutes, I finally put it down and looked out the window to clear my head.
We were passing through some random city in a C-rank state. Skyscrapers stretched up toward the sky, and the air traffic was insane. Flying cars and trains moved in every direction, following invisible lanes that kept them from crashing into each other.
Honestly, none of this impressed me anymore.
First, the A-rank state where the Frostburne mansion was located had far more skyscrapers than this place. The buildings there were taller, sleeker, and covered in holographic advertisements that changed every few seconds.
Second, C-rank states were where most of the working population lived. Of course there would be heavy traffic and crowds everywhere. People here actually had jobs to commute to, unlike the wealthy elite in A-rank states who could afford to work from home or not work at all.
It made more sense when you understood how Ambrosia was organized.
The entire nation was divided into six states based on wealth and status. A-rank states sat at the top with cutting-edge technology, luxury housing, and the best hunter training facilities. Only the wealthy, the powerful, and elite hunters could afford to live there.
F-rank states were the complete opposite. Barely any infrastructure, limited resources, and home to the poor and outcasts. Life at that level was harsh and unforgiving.
The states didn't have actual names. Everyone just called them by their ranks. But each state contained multiple cities within its borders, like Brigadoom City where we were heading.