“Oh wow…!! This actually works!!”
The skill description said, “speed is slow,” but maybe because the blood I gain from the clone has high value, I am seeing quite a good growth.
The clone is shriveling up like dried persimmons under the summer sun.
Its half-sliced bloodshot eye clearly looks up at me.
There was a strong will in its gaze, as if it was saying it would take revenge someday, and I felt like saying, “Go ahead, give it a try.”
And the growth messages keep popping up.
– You have absorbed blood imbued with a minuscule power of the Evil God Seven-headed Dragon!
– All Attributes have increased by 3!
“Wow— the power of the Seven-headed Dragon too! But only 3? I obtained the power of that great dragon, and yet only 3? That’s just pathetic!”
Humans’ greed really knows no bounds. I can’t be satisfied even after gaining more than a 10-level boost in stats.
I drained the blood from the clone until it shriveled up so much I could barely recognize its form.
Crisp──
The clone soon turned to ash and scattered.
[Black Flame Sorcerer – Seer of Black Flames, Follower of the Goddess of Tears Lv.95]
Strength: 834 (+12) Agility: 661 (+9)
Health: 1160 (+13) Wisdom: 643 (+4)
Magic Power: 2750 (+11) Resistance: 180 (+7)
Sense: 336 (+5) Recovery: 189 (+6)
“Seems like I’ve gained quite a bit. But I still feel a bit disappointed.”
Adding the stats I gained from reaching level 95, it was a total increase of 67.
“Wait… even just from absorbing part of it, if I’d consumed the whole thing, I would have gained at least over 200!”
The skill [Blood-Feeding Transformation] was obtained from clearing a quest in a dungeon with Blood Mosquito mutants.
If skills had ranks, this would surely be at least Hero rank or higher.
“Still, I can’t activate [Thievery]. Well, that makes sense; it was just a part of a body…”
To quickly adapt to my grown body, I closed my mind’s eye and entered meditation.
However, I heard a voice that seemed to be calling me from somewhere.
A familiar and longing voice.
“Goddess Irmana… what could be the matter?”
After waiting for a moment for the divine call to pass, it soon faded away.
A little while later, Yeon-hee came out to the yard and began to warm up, allowing me to awaken from my meditation.
“Huh─ I really have to do this.”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
She had gathered about 50 summoning papers laid out on the ground. Quite a collection she has.
“I’m excited.”
After this hunt, Yeon-hee received a new quest.
If she clears the quest, she would gain the ability to combine different types of summoned creatures.
“If different types of summons combine, would they become stronger like ‘Jim’?”
Of course, Yeon-hee couldn’t challenge the quest right away.
She simply lacked the power to overcome the opponent.
“Defeating the Cursed Giant Tribe… it won’t be easy to clear without me.”
Strangely enough, in the quest presented to Yeon-hee, the usage of ‘me’ and ‘Castle’ was prohibited.
“I get it’s to balance things out, but… removing Castle is going too far.”
Anyway, if she could overcome the quest and combine summons… and I could be included in that category, what would the result be?
I briefly imagined what it would be like if I merged with the ‘Sword Dragon.’ Would I be able to fly without using skills?
“Hmm… something ridiculous will definitely happen. Whether it’s good or bad.”
The Cursed Giant Tribe is significantly weaker due to their curse, yet remains a top-tier A-rank entity.
It won’t be easy to win against them, but Yeon-hee has no limit on attempts, and even when injured or running out of life during battle, all would be restored once the quest is completed.
She can challenge as often as she likes.
“Normally, quests of that type have those conditions… but why do I get such strict requirements? What’s up with that, System?”
– ……….
Bits of chaos residue or Lizardmen weren’t enough, but to be given a limit on attempts feels a bit unfair.
“Ahhh—”
Yeon-hee chanted a spell with her clear voice and started slowly unfolding the blue summoning papers.
And the result of the blue summoning papers was all Werewolves.
“Just what I was hoping for! They’d be amazing if combined.”
The number of Werewolves totals 47.
The combat power of the combined Alpha Rakan will now easily surpass A-rank.
“My health is going to reach a level I’m no longer able to touch. That Rakan guy, at least over 3000, I’d say…”
[Growl—!]
Alpha Rakan snorted excitedly looking at me.
Now adjusted to their combined state, they appeared out of the summoning circle immediately after being conjured.
“Okay— this is a new color!”
Then it was time for the newly acquired red summoning papers.
“Hehe… I scored big this time. All thanks to Jin-hyuk, I got three!”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
Gravity Sorcerer Cha Jin-hyuk has been diligently growing as Yeon-hee’s loyal ‘follower,’ consistently sending her summoning paper rewards.
Of course, he hasn’t been able to keep up with our growth rate, but I learned through Haseirin’s report that he has already established a noteworthy force in that area.
“If only Haseirin could summon from afar like Ainz or Zweihander. That’d be great.”
I heard that Jin-hyuk and Haseirin’s guild contributed somewhat to defeating the Escalon unit that had come to Korea.
Thanks to that, they received substantial government funding, ensuring their resources.
“That’s the picture I wanted. As long as we keep growing, it’ll be fine when the Orc Legion Commander comes.”
While I was lost in various thoughts, a rumbling sound began to emerge from the red summoning papers.
Boom- Boom—
With each step, a heavy weight shook the front yard.
The three Alpha-rank summons curiously watched the newcomer.
“A pair of horns… a filthy tail with sparse hair… bulging muscles. A robust physique reaching three meters. And a battle axe too… This first summon is a success.”
The B-rank dungeon’s long-standing champion.
It was a Minotaur.
With a pair of impressive long horns extended out front, it is the only human-type monster that can somewhat compete against an ogre in a B-rank dungeon.
It’s a shame that it doesn’t work well in groups, as it prefers solitude, so summoning several of them wouldn’t yield much synergy.
“Hello?”
Yeon-hee cheerfully approached the Minotaur with a dumbstruck expression on its bull head.
“Ugh?”
Minotaur, purely from its physical capabilities, surpasses even an Orc, but its low intelligence is a drawback.
It seems like it can be easily defeated if approached as a party unit, but that’s definitely not the case.
“Hunters call it the [Master of the Maze]… if that thing hits you with that, it’s game over. Well, I don’t count, of course.”
It has a self-sacrificing spell that can cause a real headache, and surprisingly, it might actually be useful for Yeon-hee.
“Great! I have a good feeling about this! Shall we give it a shot?”
Yeon-hee shouted energetically and began summoning.
And not long after.
After using fifteen red summoning papers, I found Yeon-hee pulling her hair out in despair.
“Why are there so many starting with O? This is bad.”
Out of fifteen, seven were ‘Lukrakota,’ which are effectively useless. She began pondering whether to stabilize the chances with Minotaurs.
“That’s not bad, but wouldn’t it be better to aim for more?”
Minotaur x1
Lukrakota x7
Doppelganger x2
Red-haired Dire Wolf x2
Living Statue x2
Katopas x1
“Looking at it this way, it’s really terrible… At least I’m lucky to have secured one Katopas.”
Katopas is a peculiar monster with a round body covered in holes and a long single leg resembling a stork.
Its eight empty eyes lack focus, giving it a rather eerie feel.
It possesses the ability to exhale a breath that induces the status effect [Petrification], making it as hard to encounter in dungeons as armored insects or screaming mushrooms.
If used well, it could prove to be just as useful as summons with [Provocation].
“Fuh…”
I usually refrain from rating other monsters, but this one is quite severe.
“Ka-ha-hack—”
Making a sound like it’s clearing its throat is one of Katopas’s features.
It drips a viscous liquid from the holes in its body, which doesn’t smell great and looks quite unpleasant.
“Well… I usually try not to judge other monsters harshly, but you really take the cake.”
“Ka-hack?!”
Yeon-hee, feeling hurt at my comment, stroked the head of the ‘Katopas’ while speaking to me.
“I guess it was luck when I summoned the Sword Dragon last time, right?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
“Ugh— please let it be an Orc or Ogre. Ugh…”
Yeon-hee pressed the summoning paper against her forehead to gather her energy before starting the summoning process again.
And her wish was about to bear fruit.
“UWOAAAAHHHHH───!!”
“KYAAAH! Finally it appeared!! It’s a huge one!!”
“Perfect timing.”
It was an ogre, one I had met before.
Even the regular type exceeds four meters in height.
With slightly curved horns sprouting from its head and shoulders.
Muscular arms that looked like they were going to burst, holding a gigantic wooden club as big as its body.
“Whoa— it looks way bigger than the ones we met last time? Hey, hello?”
“O? BwooOOO.”
The ogre had a kindly demeanor.
Well, it’s my first time seeing an ogre that doesn’t look angry.
“I think I should stick with this one! Even if I’m a bit disappointed with Orcs, the Dotti is growing really well.”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
Of course, we could aim for the jackpot of an A-rank monster too, but that’s only if we’ve got it to spare.
Yeon-hee proceeded to use all the remaining summoning papers, and aside from one, she managed to get all ogres.
“Nineteen ogres and a stroke of luck with the Tarantula. What a happy ending.”
A few low-tier monsters surrounded us, but I trusted that Yeon-hee, being a genius, would manage them well, even with the variety.
“Alright, everyone line up!”
“Ugh…?”
Yeon-hee wanted to build a bond with her newly summoned creatures.
She went over to them one by one, inspecting them.
Boom! Thud─!
“Hey, you! Walk a little more carefully! You’re wrecking the grass!”
“Ugh…?”
“Tarantula! Don’t tie Lukrakota with your web! You’re not eating it!”
“Chiri-lik-?!”
Yeon-hee spent quite some time trying to control her summons, and surprisingly enough, a variety of them all obediently sat in two neat lines.
“Okay— everyone sit down. Now I’m going to give you names. First off, Lukrakota, I’ve got a name that just springs to mind. How about Kotaru?”
“Gruff…?!”
“Huh? Why doesn’t it sound good? Hmm— now I’m not sure if I should think of something else.”
The summons sat dumbly in the yard, staring wide-eyed at only Yeon-hee. Well, it’s not like they’d care about names or anything.
Seeing them like that somehow made me chuckle.
Right now, we had moved past the thin ice, but the ‘enemy’ who attacked Jo Gi-man’s clone was still an ongoing threat.
“I wonder if my comrades managed to evade well. Why can’t they just come with us instead of being so stubborn…”
The ‘enemy’ and his comrades, shortly after the clone disappeared, were granted an astonishing reward, freeing them from a horrific chain that had pursued them for life.
I still vividly recalled their faces filled with joy when they were freed. Embracing each other, they shed tears of joy.
I wonder if I will ever taste that sense of liberation someday.
But their joy would be short-lived.
The ‘enemy’ had sensed an impending crisis coming within the next few days due to their unique ability. It was almost an intuition close to foresight.
Ultimately, their choice was to leave this country along with their comrades.
“No matter how I look at it, trying to go to China through North Korea is tough… that’ll be a difficult journey.”
China had turned into a society dominated by a class structure after the ability user known as ‘Liu Xiao-Wo’ led the Hunter Alliance to take control, effectively manipulating the government from behind.
Those with awakenings enjoyed privileges, while non-awakened ones were relegated to inferior statuses.
Naturally, such a structure would lead to intense conflicts, making it far from easy for foreigners to survive there.
Yet, since the ‘enemy’ said that was the only path left for him, I had no choice but to let him go.
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