Chapter 6

Alone, Chapter 6: S-Class Summoner

Appearance! S-Class Summoner!

The transcendent being Gaia.

After the appearance of monsters in the world, this mysterious entity gifted humanity with 'sensitivity.'

Gaia was fair.

Whether you were a celebrity or unemployed, everyone started with a sensitivity value of 1.

"Even though I don't know who Gaia is, she's really kind."

"Why?"

"Because she gives everyone an equal opportunity."

Anyone could become a high-level summoner with effort.

However, it was up to the individual to increase their sensitivity.

Of course, increasing sensitivity was extremely difficult.

You had to clear dungeons and achieve hidden conditions.

Additionally, you had to defeat numerous monsters.

By doing so, you could tame A-Class monsters, known as calamities.

'That value is a staggering 100.'

Given the nature of sensitivity, where the higher it gets, the slower it increases, 100 was an incredibly difficult number to achieve.

Here, the difference between a regular summoner and Jin Do-yun becomes apparent.

- S-Class, Destruction Dragon 'Demolition' (★)

A man with a sensitivity of 200.

A value that regular summoners could hardly even imagine.

'He must have put in that much effort.'

Others fought for just 15 years.

However, he had fought for a total of 110 years.

There was no way there wouldn't be a difference.

'All my comrades surpassed 150.'

Yuria and Jeffrey were monster summoners.

If they had returned here, they would have lived with the proper treatment for their efforts.

Jin Do-yun smiled wistfully.

To him, they were more than family.

They were comrades who had fought together for 100 years, seeing each other at their worst.

'...Demolition.'

If only he hadn't been defeated by this damn destruction dragon.

"Hey, come out, Demolition. Let me see your face."

Rumble!

As Jin Do-yun raised his hand, an immense energy began to swirl from his heart.

His body heated up with a strong pressure.

'Oh, this is quite tough.'

He felt more vibrations than when he usually summoned an A-Class monster.

It felt like an overwhelmingly powerful creature was about to appear.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't worried.

No matter how much it was his summon, it was still a destruction dragon.

A monster that had torn the earth and ravaged space.

He was worried whether this ferocious creature would follow him.

Occasionally, there were summoners whose summons didn't follow their commands...

Flash!

And finally, the dragon appeared before him.

The first S-Class monster.

The dragon that could destroy everything.

What would it look like as a summon?

Jin Do-yun looked ahead with a tense expression.

"Huh?"

Soon, his face showed confusion.

It was completely different from what he had expected.

"...What is this?"

"Kyuung?"

What appeared before him was not the terrifying presence that shook the labyrinth.

Black scales.

Adorable eyes.

Wings that barely covered its body.

It looked like something that couldn't fight at all...

"It's just a lizard."

"Kuuung!"

The dragon, no bigger than his forearm, left Jin Do-yun speechless.

* * *

"Hey, what's your seal?"

"S-Class monsters can't even talk?"

"By any chance, do you know where the others we fought with last time went?"

Jin Do-yun, standing in front of the small lizard, tried to start a conversation.

A deep sigh escaped him.

He had asked several times, but the answer was always the same.

"Kyuung?"

"Damn it! What's with this 'kyuung'?"

He was at a loss.

No, it didn't make sense.

Demolition was the final boss of the labyrinth he had fought against.

Even if it was 1-star and level 1, he never imagined it would appear like this.

'What is this Gaian stuff?'

He felt like he had been tricked.

"Ha, S-Class? What a joke. It's just a lizard."

In fact, his plan was this:

First, summon Demolition and ask if he could return his comrades, who had turned to ice and stone, to their original forms.

If he could, then they would work together to find them.

But...

"Ha..."

Such a pitiful monster.

He couldn't see a solution.

"Kyuung! Kuuung!"

Unaware of his troubled mind, Demolition wobbled over and rubbed its head against Jin Do-yun's leg.

A summon that followed its master without any distance.

"At least this is a relief."

Summons that cause trouble from the start are very difficult to level up.

Summoners can't fight without their summons' help.

- Sturdy Body (S-Class): The dragon's skin and teeth are extremely tough.

- Sealed.

- Sealed.

...

- Sealed.

Jin Do-yun stood still, staring at Demolition's status window.

"Will it get better if I level it up a bit?"

After all, summons evolve.

When they reach the required level of 30, they gain a star.

That was his only hope.

'Raising this guy.'

Maybe, if it reached the final 6-star, it would return to its original form.

"Well, it's actually a good thing."

He felt relieved.

If it had been in its original form, he would have been hesitant to bring it out in front of others.

But in this form, it wouldn't be a problem.

Who would think this lizard was an S-Class summon?

"Hey, Demolition."

"Kyuung?"

"Let's clear this first. Are you confident?"

"Kuuung!"

Jin Do-yun opened the status window to check the dungeon information.

- D-Class Dungeon

- Mission: Eliminate the 'Twisted Tree Spirit' (★★★)

- Time Limit: 535 days

- Difficulty: Low

"Seems easy enough."

It was perfect for checking the status of a level 1 summon.

Of course, this was just the Summoner Master's thought.

Normal people would never enter a dungeon alone.

"Let's check your abilities first. Are you ready?"

"Kyuung!"

Demolition nodded confidently.

Yes, even though it was level 1, it was still S-Class.

This should be a piece of cake.

Jin Do-yun glanced around the dungeon.

'A basic layout.'

A large open area divided into two regions.

A typical dungeon where you have to clear the minions in front before you can face the boss in the back.

Jin Do-yun picked up a rock from the ground.

To lure one of the minions.

Whoosh! Thud!

The rock, drawing a parabola, cleanly hit the back of the tree spirit's head.

Gurrr!

The tree spirit, which was more like a walking tree, turned around with a strange sound.

Thump! Thump!

It was the size of a well-built adult male.

Its movements were slow, but it was not to be underestimated.

Its strength was elephant-like.

'Normally, you shouldn't approach it up close.'

Tree spirits are usually lured and killed from a distance due to their slow speed.

Thus, they are the worst for close-range monsters to deal with.

Of course, Demolition was an exception.

"Show me the power of S-Class."

"Kyuung!"

Demolition quickly answered and darted out.

It flapped its wings and flew vigorously.

Gurrr!

Perhaps finding Demolition amusing, the tree spirit raised its branch-like hand.

It then struck down like a whip.

Swoosh! Bang!

Demolition took the hit directly.

Anyone watching would think it was crazy.

To take a close-range attack from a monster whose specialty is close combat.

But both Jin Do-yun and Demolition remained calm.

"Kyuung?"

Demolition tilted its head, as if asking what to do.

The attack seemed to tickle.

"Good."

The skill 'Sturdy Body' (S-Class).

Demolition's scales, which had easily withstood the transcendent abilities of Phoenix and Death Knight in the past.

Even at 1-star (★) and level 1, a mere D-Class minion couldn't penetrate it.

Soon, Demolition swung its front paw.

Crack! Crunch!

The tree spirit began to crumble.

Its teeth and claws relentlessly dug in.

Gurrrrr!

The tree spirit let out a painful scream as it disintegrated.

"Hmm, this should be enough to do it in one go."

"Kyuung! Kuuung!"

The real hunt began.

Demolition charged forward with sharp speed.

Indeed, S-Class is S-Class.

The strategy and knowledge about tree spirits he had prepared were completely useless.

The tree spirits were shattered by Demolition's adorable attacks.

Even when multiple tree spirits tried to counterattack, they were no match for Demolition's tanking.

"...This is impressive."

It was definitely a good performance.

But he needed to be objective.

Could it handle an A-Class dungeon alone with this level of power?

The answer was no.

It would be a hassle, but he would have to focus on its growth for a while.

To survive in this world, he needed to at least protect himself.

Clearing the boss wasn't difficult either.

It took longer than the minions, but there were no surprises.

Light enveloped the dungeon.

They reappeared at the entrance, back in the gap in space-time.

"Good."

When a dungeon is cleared, the summoner and summon are ejected outside.

He found himself at the mid-slope of Guryong Mountain, where he had entered.

In his hand was a wooden gauntlet.

A very low-level item.

"I can't use something like this..."

Summoners must wear the items provided by the dungeon.

Only then can they exert their transcendent abilities.

If a human-made equipment were to even graze a monster?

They would be knocked out with a single hit, unless they had a considerable sensitivity.

"I'll have to sell it, I guess."

Thus, dungeon equipment has some value.

It might not be expensive at the E-Class level, but there would be demand.

"Phew, let's go down now."

"Kuuung?"

"Don't just stand there, get on."

Jin Do-yun pointed to his shoulder.

"Kyuung!"

Demolition flew up and landed lightly.

He didn't do it because it was cute.

It was to increase intimacy.

From experience, the best way to increase intimacy was to summon and stay together.