“Beeeeeep!!”
Bats start popping out from the outstretched hand, filling the ceiling.
The “Gori” squad now moves with impressive coordination.
“Kehek-!”
The mosquitoes, waiting on the ceiling for a chance, panic and fall to the floor with a thud at the Gori squad’s onslaught.
“Good.”
Gori’s analysis level has maxed out, but it’s still a useful minion.
[Current Minions]
1. Large and powerful Hook Bat
– Equipped with claw-like hooks. Has grown to its limit. A bat-type monster with decent strength.
– Overall Combat Power: 5
– Magic Consumption: 1 (fixed to minimum as analysis level is maxed out)
– Combat power isn’t bad. Breeding is fast. Efficiency is decent. It might be useful depending on how it’s utilized. Extremely loyal. Adorable.
The description of being dirty and messy from Gori’s section has disappeared, replaced with loyalty and cuteness.
Seeing that, it seems clear that even if I die and my level resets, growth beyond stats is retained. The bond with me remains.
“Today’s main event is this thing, not Gori.”
A newly combined minion through Devouring Essence.
It had completed fusion during my journey here, and I could finally use it.
The second minion after Gori.
2. Boiling Beast (Information under analysis…)
– Surrounded by a tough shell. It’s uncertain how big it will get. Many, many legs.
– Overall Combat Power: 350
– Magic Consumption: 450
– Amazing pushing power. Specialized in defense. Stronger in swamps and water. Fast-moving. Digs well. Has provocation ability. Spits venom. A chimera mixed with many monsters, vulnerable to provocation, and with low intelligence.
“Wow… What is all this?”
Just from the fact that it has many legs, its appearance can be imagined, but the variety of options that come along shows the effect of mixing various monsters.
“I don’t see the abilities of Bogle and Nixie Siren. It seems fusion doesn’t grant everything.”
In fact, it became vulnerable to provocation and decreased in intelligence due to too many fusions. It’d be better to narrow it down to 3-4 types.
“Magic consumption is absurd too. It should decrease as the information collection level increases, right?”
I endured the grueling act of nibbling on bits of the corpses of monsters caught in C-rank dungeons during every break while training in Dark Space.
Of course, I didn’t feel any taste, but it was mentally draining.
However, for the efficient management of minions, it was unavoidable.
“Let’s go!”
I immediately summoned the Boiling Beast.
Magic was consumed in chunks, causing a massive crack in the air.
“That’s grand.”
Woooooosh──
Tatatatatatata-
Tatatatatatata-
With the summoning of the minion, a series of heavy thuds echoed as something hard pounded the ground in succession.
Boom─!
Following its legs, a gigantic body leaned against the earth, creating a colossal shockwave.
“Just as expected.”
A centipede…
A giant centipede crawls out from the crack, large enough to obscure my vision, gazing down at me with a dazed expression.
Multiple faces on a single head randomly merge together, grinning widely at me. Honestly… It looked scary enough to appear in a nightmare. Of course, I can’t dream.
“Kyahahaha!! Wh-what is that!”
“Gross! A centipede?! What is this dungeon!”
“Ugh… I really hate centipedes…”
“Everyone, c-calm down! It’s a minion summoned by Il-wol!”
My comrades step back in horror, but Yeon-hee instinctively recognized it as a being summoned by my power.
“It seems much longer and thicker, looking much larger than the alpha-ranks. It must be over 10 meters long.”
The Residue of Chaos and the monsters from the B-rank dungeon.
And even though information from Rough Tooth was missing, it was a chimera mixed with monsters caught from C-rank onwards.
So, it’s only natural that it looks hideous.
Overall it took the shape of a centipede, but it had a tough exoskeleton plastered on, and between the gaps wiggled paws of wolves, frogs, and fin-like limbs like tentacles.
From a distance, it could almost look like a mirage, so I could guess the origin of its name to some extent.
The nightmarish figure that seemed pulled straight from a bad dream made my comrades keep their distance, only firing ranged skills, which was completely understandable.
“But its combat power is way stronger than Gori’s, and this is the part I like most.”
[Crwwwwwwwwww－－!!]
Reacting to my will, the Boiling Beast raises its head and starts emitting unique sounds.
Then, the entire swarm of Blood Mosquitoes that had begun to build up in the corridor turned their heads towards us, rushing in.
“Wow, just from the effect, it’s on par with the [Crimson Hornpipe]!”
And it doesn’t even consume my magic.
If I invest magic only when summoning it, I can gain various effects from this cheating minion.
“I like it!”
Its appearance is instinctively nauseating, but somehow it begins to look a bit cute. I couldn’t understand why Yeon-hee said I looked cute, but now I get that feeling.
Excited after obtaining a tank version of an alpha-ranked summoned creature, I leaped on its back and pointed forward with my finger.
[Crwwwwwwwwww－－!!]
Then it responds to my gesture, beginning to move thousands of feet.
Sasaasaasa──
“Wow- it’s fast, huh?”
Although it’s still nowhere near my running speed, it’s amazing that it can go this fast with such a size.
I slipped my hand between the grooves of its curved shell, fitting perfectly like a handle, making it stable to ride.
“Jim! Let’s go!”
[Crwwwwwwww－－!!]
The creature affectionately nicknamed “Jim” puffed up even more.
“Huh? Th-that thing!”
“Don’t overdo it! Il-wol! There’s too many!”
Voices of restraint came from behind, but I was sure.
“This thing is a gem.”
The swarm of Blood Mosquitoes that had clumped together to block the corridor.
[Crwwwwww！]
Kwahh─!
But with Jim’s ruthless charge, the monsters collided and scattered in all directions like bowling pins.
I mounted Jim’s back, swinging my newly acquired great sword excitedly, exterminating the mosquito swarm.
[Splat!－]
“Ohhhh- venom?!”
From Jim’s mouth, a huge amount of liquid spat out, staining the faces of the mosquitoes in front black.
They leaped into the air in agony, only to fall to the ground, melting away.
“Impressive…”
But it wasn’t just that.
Because of its centipede traits, once it got caught from behind, it was hard to attack, but the mosquitoes clinging to its body seemed to shake and fall to the ground!
“Does it have the lightning skill of a Dire Wolf as a passive? It seems to activate automatically when under attack.”
Plus, its tough shell was so solid that it squished the proboscises of the rushing mosquitoes.
Like a rodeo, Jim turned the corridor into a chaotic mess.
“This is crazy… It really was Il-wol’s minion?”
“Wow… What is this… It’s still hard to adapt to a summoned creature controlling a minion.”
“Awesome…”
“The ancient empire’s knight commander was said to ride a ‘Bone Dragon’… Maybe one day Il-wol will be the same?”
“Maybe. But right now, I’m just riding a wriggling centipede, so it feels a bit distant.”
“Ugh…”
A knight in full armor riding a gigantic centipede monster charging across the battlefield.
“Can’t I just ride something like a horse…? A centipede, though…”
My comrades seem to want me to show off a cooler look.
But.
“Who cares about looks when performance is good!”
As long as it’s effective, anything’s fine. I don’t want to experience the shame of having my skull stomped on due to defeat.
Staring blankly at me for a moment, my comrades soon snapped back to reality and began helping me take down the mosquito swarm.
When purely considering aura, these monsters were stronger than our party members, but they were just mosquitoes with exceptionally developed athletic abilities.
Using various skills, we systematically moved, easily overwhelming these mosquitoes.
Thanks to Jim’s wide-area provocation, the target was solely fixed on us, allowing my comrades to freely deal damage.
– ‘Blood Mosquito Blood Ore’ 476/500
“Not much left. The Blood Mosquito’s racial trait.”
They suck the blood of living creatures, permanently enhancing their physical abilities.
I would soon gain that ability.
“If we keep this up, won’t we be able to clear it?”
In excitement while dealing damage, Noh Ha-yoon asked, and Yeon-hee answered clearly.
“Reaching the boss battle with our current strength will be difficult.”
“Is the one at the end that strong?”
“Very strong. Saying it’s much stronger than rank examiner Maeng Seong-yong should be quick to understand.”
“Ugh- if it’s that strong, it might be better to give up.”
“It’s practically on par with A-rank mid-level. That’s impossible.”
My comrades swiftly tempered their expectations and began discussing how to handle the relentless coming creatures.
“What’s the name of that newly summoned creature by Il-wol… it looks like a centipede.”
“Jim? It wants to be called that.”
“Jim? Sounds quite American. Anyway, since Jim’s provocation ability is considerable, it might be good to draw aggro and eliminate them bit by bit.”
“Better to hold steady in this terrain rather than rashly advance.”
“Alright.”
Since everyone agreed, we slowly progressed, systematically taking down the mosquitoes.
And after about 20 minutes, a change occurred.
“Nothing is perfect, Yeon-hee.”
“Uh, I-I have something to inform about the provocation!”
Yeon-hee conveyed what I had stated to the comrades.
The content was that Jim’s provocation was one-off.
Once provoked, those creatures wouldn’t be affected again after regaining their senses, and its duration wasn’t very long, indicating some limits.
Also, with increasingly powerful monsters appearing, we were nearing a point where my comrades’ attacks no longer pierced through.
“Ugh, these pesky creatures…”
As Jim’s magic and health dwindled, its movements began to slow down, and it started allowing attacks from the mosquito babies.
Once a gap opened for Jim, those monsters began to relentlessly exploit it.
I was covering however I could with magic, but there was a limit as I was expending more than recovering during this fight.
[Crwwww….]
“Is it hurt? Your health seems to be low. I can’t let you die.”
While Gori was too weak for me to even consider raising, I planned to manage Jim to ensure it wouldn’t die and attempt to level it up.
Jim had already shone once during this battle.
2. Boiling Beast (Information under analysis…)
– Overall Combat Power: 355
– Magic Consumption: 440
Its overall combat power increased by 5 with its level up, while magic consumption decreased by 10. The level-up isn’t particularly slow, so it seems fun to nurture it.
“For now, let’s recall it if its health falls below half.”
Ultimately, I withdrew Jim and signaled to Yeon-hee.
Once she received the signal, Yeon-hee immediately summoned Castle, blocking the passage completely, and Castle conjured sturdy boulders to seal the opening once again.
Boom─
The fierce battle that had raged just moments ago seemed insignificant, as the area became a perfect safe zone.
Huddled together, blocking the passage, the sight of Castle, smiling brightly at us, was reassuring.
“Yes, Castle’s body can’t be broken through. Even though it’s tight, bear with it for a bit, Castle?”
[……!]
Castle replied cheerfully, smiling back. The more I looked at it, the more it seemed so kind.
“By the way, Arin, is your arm okay?”
“It’s fine, but just look at my shriveled arm.”
Arin fought valiantly through the battlefield with a near-divine sword dance, but ultimately, at the tail end, her strength dwindled, allowing an attack on her arm.
It seemed she had only been drained of blood for about two seconds, but a significant section of her left arm was wrinkled like a pupating insect.
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