Chapter 9

Aoba had become thoroughly accustomed to this world.

At first, there were days when she would cry into her pillow, thinking of her family and friends, but now such occurrences had become less frequent.

She intended to search for a way back, but more than that, in this world, she had to work to survive. Crying wouldn't get her anywhere in this unforgiving place.

She was no longer under her parents' protection. Earning money and living on her own was a new experience for Aoba.

Of course, this was possible thanks to her being a single rider of Iris.

Facing dangerous dungeons and fields alone, she obtained materials from monsters and valuable herbs. Aoba could survive on her own because such tasks were difficult for ordinary people.

Iris's single rider could protect Aoba while performing these tasks. They were that strong.

Aoba had also made friends among the summoners. Some had been working in the ancient city for a long time, while others had visited from other towns like migratory birds. Aoba, being naturally bright and sociable, was quickly accepted.

Among them were even younger summoner girls, which provided her with emotional support.

Her reputation among the new summoner friends was also good. Occasionally, they would form parties to tackle extermination quests, and Aoba's single rider was by no means inferior to the familiars of other summoners. In fact, Iris's single rider was on the stronger side. Aoba's familiar had no particular quirks; its sturdy armor and sharp strikes made it capable of fighting most monsters in any situation. While it could be seen as a lack of strengths, it could also be viewed as a lack of weaknesses.

Aoba had the necessary strength to fight in the fields and dungeons around the ancient city.

Aoba realized that her familiar was not as weak as the blogger had suggested. Her summoner rank had already risen from Iron to Bronze due to the completion of numerous quests, a rank that was starting to be recognized as that of a full-fledged summoner.

Her familiar's power had also gradually increased through repeated battles, a phenomenon known as leveling up, which Aoba was already aware of.

Now, she understood why it was called a "raising game." The power of a summoner was the power of their familiar. Aoba found the growth of her familiar as exciting as if it were her own. Although she had never played *Abyss Calling*, if this were a game, she might have gotten hooked.

Praised as a promising newcomer, Aoba was at the peak of her life.

Today, after completing a slightly more challenging gathering quest than the usual slime cores, she was celebrating with the other party members—senior summoners who had invited her. The guild's attached tavern was filled with summoners who had finished their work for the day.

Lately, she only spent time with the blogger at the end of the day. The wider the world became, the less time they spent together.

A young man with golden hair and a cat-like familiar with golden fur, Patrick, who had been a summoner for three years, laughed and said to Aoba:

"Seriously, to reach Bronze rank in less than a month, you don't seem like an amateur at all, really."

"It's just that Iris is strong... and I was lucky."

Despite her words, being praised felt good. The other members of the party also agreed with Patrick's words.

Patrick's party was a mixed-gender group of four, all of whom had summoners of similar power to Aoba. For a moment, Aoba was disappointed, thinking that three years of quests and training had only resulted in this level of power. But upon reflection, a summoner's power was that of their familiar, and the familiars summoned were completely random.

Aoba was satisfied with Iris's single rider, but she now understood why the blogger had talked about rerolling, even if it wasn't possible.

Aoba had joined several parties and taken on a few quests, but she had the most opportunities with Patrick's party. Other parties were all-male, but having a female in the party made her feel more at ease.

"Hey, Aoba, why don't you join our party officially? We can take one more person."

Irena, a red-haired female summoner sitting next to Patrick, asked with slightly drunken eyes. There was no limit to the number of members in a party, but it was generally said that four to six members were ideal for dividing rewards and guild evaluations.

"Then, the balance of power in our party would change, wouldn't it... Patrick?"

"Hey, don't just take Aoba without asking. It would make things awkward, you know?"

Patrick joked, and the other two members, Ubaldo and Gurnara, chimed in.

Aoba had already been scouted by several parties, including Patrick's "Golden Cat's Inquiry." She hadn't joined any because she wanted to observe for a while longer and because of the presence of a young man from her hometown.

Aoba was interested in joining a party. At first, she had tackled swamp quests alone, but she had come to realize the necessity of working with others. Even if their familiars were of similar power, the techniques for completing quests—negotiating with clients and navigating the fields—were far beyond Aoba's capabilities. Most importantly, Aoba was just a girl, and the guild staff had repeatedly warned her to be cautious of attacks on the summoner herself.

For safety reasons, she should join a party. The blogger would likely accept it and send her off with a smile. Despite being with Aoba from the beginning, he was the most detached from her. But that was why she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Aoba sighed wistfully. As if reading her thoughts, Patrick said:

"Ah, Aoba, you're worried about that odd-job master, aren't you?"

"...It's the blogger. Yeah, he mostly takes odd-job quests."

An "odd-job master." A summoner who took on odd-job quests, which were rarely accepted by others, was bound to become a topic of conversation. Aoba had invited him to extermination quests several times, but he had never accepted.

In response to Aoba's words, Patrick looked around and whispered:

"Aoba, I'm not saying this to be mean, but it's best to stay away from him."

"...I feel like there's some misunderstanding. Why?"

At Patrick's serious expression, Gurnara, one of the party members sitting next to Aoba, sighed and said in a small voice:

"Summoners who summon dark-type familiars often have problematic personalities. It's just... a superstition, Patrick."

"Maybe, but I've never seen a familiar like that. I mean, really."

Dark-type. The opposite of the celestial type Aoba possessed. While the type of familiar wasn't explicitly stated, Aoba had only seen one dark-type familiar besides Silent, the one the man who attacked her on the first day had.

Patrick leaned down and picked up the golden-furred cat at his feet.

"Still, beast-type familiars are the best."

"...I don't have a choice."

All the familiars in Patrick's party were beast-types, resembling animals or plants. It seemed they had naturally formed a party, and all had cute appearances.

"Anyway, please think about it."

As Aoba nodded, the guild's door suddenly burst open.

"H-huff, huff, hey, something's wrong!"

It wasn't a summoner. A middle-aged man rushed in, his face pale, and shouted. The sound echoed through the guild, and the eyes of several summoners, including Patrick, turned toward him.

Aoba recognized the man's face. He was the client she had done odd-job quests with the blogger.

"The summoner who usually cleans for you has been taken."

§

"It's Giorgi, the 'Red Beast King.' No doubt about it. I heard he was causing trouble. Damn, I knew this would happen."

Patrick clenched his lips and spoke in a dark voice.

Not all summoners were decent people. The power of a summoner depended on talent and luck, and some used their powerful familiars to cause mischief.

In this world of the strong preying on the weak, people gathered under the strong.

Aoba, who was still in shock, was shaken by Irena.

"He's the best summoner among those who summon beast-type familiars. The man who summoned 'Gale' on his first summon—"

"One of the largest parties in this area. It had over ten members. And his reputation... the worst."

The guild staff frowned at the man's words.

Summoners were the guild's treasure. With far fewer summoners compared to mages or swordsmen, powerful summoners were given priority.

Giorgi, despite his bad reputation, was still allowed in the guild because of his powerful familiar.

"W-well, then... we need to go help him..."

At Aoba's words, Patrick glanced at his familiar. The other summoners in the room also checked their familiars with troubled expressions.

The ancient city was large, but there were no strong monsters in the surrounding areas, and there were few summoners with powerful familiars.

Unaware of the atmosphere, Aoba stood up. Iris's single rider readied its sword as if in response to its master's thoughts.

"I-I'm going..."

"W-wait, Aoba."

Patrick grabbed Aoba's arm as she tried to run.

"Gale is strong. He's rumored to be the king of beast-types, and he's been training it. Even with the four of us and Aoba, we probably can't even hurt him. Besides, Giorgi has followers!"

"Then, what do you expect me to do!?"

She shook off the grip. Patrick was momentarily taken aback by the younger girl's determination.

The image of the blogger who had helped her on the first day flashed in Aoba's mind. Despite his cold words and actions, he had indeed saved her.

Aoba had always been taught to repay kindness. Patrick's words were likely true; he had been in the city for three years and knew Giorgi. But even if her body trembled, even if the opponent was far more powerful, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

Seeing Aoba's pale face, Patrick shouted:

"Everyone here... let's go!"

The tavern fell silent. They looked at each other in shock.

Despite the small guild, there were five parties—twenty-one summoners—in the tavern at that time.

Before anyone could object, Patrick continued, slamming the table and speaking in a stern voice:

"To be honest, I don't know if we can defeat Giorgi even with all of us. But with this many people, he should at least stop."

Seeing Patrick's serious expression, Aoba realized how difficult this would be. Iris's single rider couldn't fight all the members here simultaneously.

Especially when it was uncertain if they could defeat him at all.

Aoba had no idea what kind of familiar Giorgi had.

The tension in the air was palpable. Finally, one of them—a small man with a slime familiar about fifty centimeters tall—spoke up.

"T-this is crazy—If we defy Giorgi, we won't be able to live in this city. You can say that because you've never seen Gale... It's different. Even if he stops for now, we might become his targets next time!"

His voice was filled with anguish. Aoba had worked with this man before. He was usually cheerful and kind. His voice made Aoba shiver.

Seeing her reaction, the man's eyes drooped. He continued, looking guilty:

"Besides, maybe... it's a misunderstanding. Right!?"

Seeking agreement, but the other summoners' faces were grim. They understood Giorgi's character.

Realizing he had no support, the man raised his voice in panic:

"Also, I know. It's the odd jobs... He's been attacking Giorgi's followers—"

"...What...?"

"A... No..."

The man's face showed he had misspoken.

But Aoba instantly understood from his expression and words. The blogger had only used Silent for an attack once, as far as she knew.

Aoba swayed. Irena quickly supported her small, nearly collapsing body.

"Th-that's not true..."

Aoba's face drained of blood, and she looked eerily beautiful. Several summoners were momentarily distracted by her appearance.

Patrick slammed the table again. The glasses clattered, and the men snapped back to reality.

"...We can't just stand by. I've been thinking this for a while. Right?"

"But, Patrick, I want to help too, but... I've seen Gale in battle once. It's not something that can be handled with strategy."

Each type of familiar had its own characteristics. Beast-types were known for their pure strength. They often lacked special abilities but excelled in physical attacks with the highest stats.

The small man looked at the other summoners seriously. Most were familiar with each other, and they could roughly guess the power of their familiars.

"Even with all of us here, twenty-one people... would that be enough to stop him?"

"...We have to try."

Patrick's voice was heavy but lacked confidence.

"It's okay. I'm not saying we have to defeat him. Just make Giorgi think it's too much trouble to deal with us."

The tavern fell silent again. No one responded.

Patrick's voice already lacked strength. The odds were clearly against them.

The initial spark of determination was fading.

But the longer they waited, the worse the situation would become. The guild staff and the man who had rushed in were all watching the tavern's reaction.

We have to... go help him.

Aoba, still swaying, pushed away Irena's hand and stood up. Her consciousness was hazy, but she didn't feel fear, or even reality.

"Please... help me."

Her hoarse voice echoed through the tavern. Her sincere eyes slowly scanned the summoners one by one.

"I'll do anything. I'll join your party. Whatever I can do, I'll do it."

Her voice was a whisper but carried weight. The summoners' eyes focused on her, waiting for her words.

And Aoba's lips moved slightly.

"So, will you... help the blogger?"

§ § §

There are a bit too many of them, I thought as I looked at the summoners gathered in front of me.

I wasn't brought here, but rather followed to an abandoned building. A concrete building, completely out of place in this world. The ceiling was high, and the space was wide, but there were signs of destruction everywhere, probably the hideout of the summoners I had defeated in quests. They must have been kidnapping and abusing summoners like me. What a bunch of scumbags. I hate selfish people. They should die.

The walls of the building were covered in red paint, depicting a beast's mark. It might be the symbol of their group, like the one on the card in my wallet.

Story quests usually get harder as they progress. But what about this scene in front of me?

The first quest had five opponents.

I slowly counted the number of people, frowning. The second quest had more than double the number of people. They were all men, and about half of them seemed relaxed, grinning at me.

Silent stood in front of me, protecting me, and said with a sigh:

"Master, there are a lot of them."

"Well, it's just a margin of error."

"I want to learn from your resilience, Master."

The men seemed to be waiting for something. They were intimidating but didn't attack.

I waited for about thirty minutes, but nothing happened. No event skip function, I guess. I don't have time for this.

After waiting for another ten minutes, nothing still happened. What a waste of time.

I was bored, so I decided to end it quickly.

Taking advantage of their lack of action, I pointed at each familiar one by one. My voice echoed in the dimly lit building.

"Twilight Underdog, Afraid Flame of Death and Despair, Dark Sky Wizarddoll, Pawn Knight of the Mirror World, White Lizard of Lightning, and Star King's Appertail—"

The men's expressions changed from grins to tension as I suddenly started naming them. Names appeared above the familiars' heads, but I wasn't reading them. I remembered them all. I didn't try to, but after summoning so many of these types, I couldn't help but remember.

Finally, I pointed at the familiar at the feet of the man with burnt brown hair who had brought me here. It was a silver-armored, spear-wielding familiar, somewhat similar to Nana's familiar, but with a rarity of 10, making it a different entity.

"And—Aris's Heavy Lance Knight."

A similar name, but evolving Nana's familiar wouldn't make it a Heavy Lance Knight. This familiar was stronger than a single rider when it first appeared but didn't improve much even when fully evolved, making it a rare dud.

Damn it! Using similar familiars to pad the summoning pool! It makes me want to kill.

I poured my thoughts into words, turning them into malice and declaring war on the mob NPCs in front of me.

"I would definitely 'reroll' if I were you."