Chapter 17

Walking from one end to the other of the largest street in the village and turning back to check the surroundings.

Unlike the town of Remto, there are many stores dealing with woodworking, and the handling of crops and livestock is thriving.

Of course, the scale is different since it’s a town and a village.

There were also a fair number of stalls.

Incidentally, it seems Mio’s stall is not here. She might not have come to this village yet.

It appears that all the facilities that adventurers would use are more or less available.

The only thing that’s not there is the window for the Adventurer’s Guild.

Well, that’s about it.

Since I have a general grasp of the village, I’ll head back to Master’s house.

On the way back, I decided to pass through the forest as much as possible, hunting while killing time.

I adjusted the Physical Enchantment Wind to be constantly effective to increase my movement speed.

Helix, the hawk, perched on my shoulder, keeping watch around us.

Flying around in the forest is a bit dangerous, after all.

I had Wolf drive the prey.

Mainly, the Rampaging Silver Chickens were the targets.

If I didn’t plan to hunt properly, the night would soon be upon us.

I didn’t pursue them too deeply, so I ignored the passive monsters.

Except for the passive raccoon, which I ambushed!

The problem is the Rampaging Silver Chickens that are starting to form a flock as evening approaches.

I began to see flocks of over a dozen Rampaging Silver Chickens.

It would be best to avoid encountering them.

By chance, I witnessed a player being surrounded by a group of silver chickens and dying.

The males are scary.

They are far more aggressive than the females.

Well, it’s not wrong, given their name is Rampaging Silver Chickens.

The surroundings grew dark.

This is not good, I hurried back.

I had forgotten that the weather was cloudy, which was a mistake on my part.

Evil Ants had started to appear.

After defeating a few Evil Ants, I gave Wolf a recovery pill.

The damage wasn’t severe, but I judged that there would be a few more battles with ants.

There’s still a distance to Master’s house.

The best recovery method should be taken.

Helix, the hawk, had managed to avoid damage until halfway, but his HP bar was significantly reduced when he intercepted a bat’s ambush.

I gave him a potion to endure.

Of course, I couldn’t get away unscathed either.

If I don’t eliminate the ants quickly, they will form a swarm.

Recovery will have to wait; I’ll continue to attack and overwhelm them.

Even in such a situation, I couldn’t stop looting, which is a trait of a poor person.

By the time I reached Master’s house, my HP bar was down to about half.

But it’s not over yet.

An unseen monster was approaching in front of me. I tried to identify it, but it seemed to be quite strong.

Bloody Wood Level 3

Monster Target Active

I think it’s about the same height as me.

It’s a monster made of intertwined tree roots, resembling a human figure.

What should I do?

I leaped over the monster’s head, positioning myself between the monster and Master’s house gate, ready to run to the gate at any moment, and tried a strike.

The feeling from the rod wasn’t good.

What kind of monster is this?

I avoided the roots that extended like tentacles.

Its movements were slow.

I tried another strike with the rod.

It felt like hitting wood against wood.

This doesn’t seem effective at all.

Wolf also repeatedly bit at it, but he had to avoid the roots that tried to entangle him.

Helix seemed to be struggling to find a good spot to attack.

This monster seems to be a troublesome one that just takes time.

I grabbed the roots that extended like tentacles and pulled them.

The monster seemed to stumble.

Hmm?

Its movements suddenly became sluggish.

I don’t have much MP, so I’ll try this method.

I let go of the rod, grabbed the intertwined roots, and crouched.

Then I performed a back throw.

I seriously threw it.

The monster was thrown to the ground.

The roots scattered, and the monster’s HP bar visibly decreased.

This is much better than hitting with the rod.

No, it’s a lot better.

The ground is the weapon in a throw.

I’ll try it in practice.

This Bloody Wood seems to be a monster that absorbs bodily fluids through the roots it extends to its prey.

It’s trying to extend its roots to my wounds.

It’s a nasty opponent.

But this could be useful, in a way.

I timed my throw to coincide with the monster extending its roots.

But this time it failed. Why?

I remember that [Throwing Technique] was available to learn, but I hadn’t learned it.

I immediately learned and activated it.

I tried again. This time it seemed to work.

This monster is just the right opponent to practice with.

Good for back throws.

Good for body drops.

Good for outer reaps.

I was surprised when I tried a Judo throw and it worked.

I think it worked because the monster’s movements are simple.

As the damage accumulated, the monster’s appearance began to fall apart.

By the end, the monster’s torso was hollow.

Wolf and Helix didn’t interfere much, and I was basically practicing throws on my own.

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve had such a practice session.

It’s not really practice, though!

The monster’s final move was a sudden scattering of its intertwined roots.

[Your victory in this battle has increased your [Summoning Magic] level!]

Oh, my summoning magic leveled up at the last moment.

This means I can add a new summonable monster.

But I’ll leave that for tomorrow.

I stabbed the thickest root, which seemed to be the core of the monster, with my loot knife.

A strange item remained in my hand as the scattered roots disappeared.

[Material Item] Blood Tide Burdock Raw Material Quality C+ Rarity 1 Weight 0+

The core of the Bloody Wood. Fibrous and hard, but edible.

It’s burdock?

Can you really get food items from such a monster?

Is there a cooking enthusiast among the developers?

It’s a bit concerning.

When I reached the gate, Master’s magic owl greeted me.

I might be a bit late for dinner.

In the workshop, Master was waiting.

The dinner was ready.

“You were fighting in a strange way again, weren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

Did you see it?

It seems Master can see through his summoned monsters.

I can’t do that yet. Can I do it someday?

It seems very convenient.

“Let’s finish the meal quickly. The potion creation isn’t progressing.”

“Okay.”

After hastily finishing the meal, I helped Master with potion creation.

It’s just filling empty bottles with potion liquid using a ladle.

The amount is unusually large this time.

To be honest, Master, it’s not good to make potions for all the empty bottles you receive.

Efficient people finish their work quickly, so they have more free time than others.

Seeing this, superiors tend to assign more work.

Educating people who can’t finish their work quickly is part of a supervisor’s job, but that’s the reality.

To avoid being assigned more work, you need to have the nerve to leave on time while others are working overtime.

I’ve been making potions for the empty bottles I’ve been given.

After helping Master, I made potions for the empty bottles I used in the forest earlier.

I’m a bit of a miser.

This is one of the reasons I can’t criticize others.

Master didn’t check the potions and left everything to Metal Skin, putting them in the [Item Box].

Then he retreated to the basement of the tower.

Something seems off.

I returned Wolf and Helix to their resting places on the second floor of the house.

Oh, right.

I want to check the fourth summonable monster before logging out.

When I called up the list, something strange had happened.

Wolf

Horse

Hawk

Owl

Wood Puppet

Bat

Wood Golem

Beast Ape

Oni

Red Fox

The types of summonable monsters had increased.

What’s going on here?

There was no update or anything.

I have an idea, though.

They are the monsters I’ve encountered.

It doesn’t matter what kind of origin they have; they seem to be lower-tier versions of the monsters I’ve identified.

The only exception is Wolf, who was registered as a summonable monster from the beginning.

Horse: I encountered a stray horse but didn’t defeat it.

Hawk: I witnessed another player stealing a drop from a hawk.

Owl: Master’s summoned owl, Magi-Owl.

Wood Puppet: Probably Master’s automatons, Metal Skin, and Silver Skin.

Bat: The Hunter Bat I encountered in the forest.

Wood Golem: The Stone Golem guarding this house.

Beast Ape, Oni, Red Fox: They are likely lower-tier versions of the monsters Master summoned today.

Is this the system?

The more places I explore and the more monsters I encounter, the more types of summonable monsters I can have?

I can understand that.

But at the same time, a scary thought comes to mind.

Master’s Lockbird.

Is there a lower-tier version of that?

It can’t be the Hawk, right?

But if not, it doesn’t make sense.

How much would I have to train Helix to make her into such a monster?

I want her to stay cute.

Oh, right.

I need to decide the fourth summonable monster.

I should at least read the descriptions.

[Wood Golem] Summonable Monster Battle Position: Ground

A wooden golem. Main attack method is melee with hands and feet.

Slow movement and poor at fine tasks, but tough and strong, suitable for front-line combat.

A tireless and loyal servant.

[Beast Ape] Summonable Monster Battle Position: Ground

A beast ape. Main attack method is melee with hands and feet.

Human-like build. Tough and strong, agile, suitable for front-line combat.

Can use simple weapons.

[Oni] Summonable Monster Battle Position: Ground

A humanoid monster. Attack method is with weapons.

Slightly smaller than a human. Versatile, can handle both front and back lines.

Can use any weapon a human can and has good night vision.

[Red Fox] Summonable Monster Battle Position: Ground

A fox. Main attack method is biting and light attribute special abilities.

Small build but quick movements, supports allies with light attribute special abilities.

Hmm, with only one new summonable monster, having so many options is just making it harder.

Following my initial idea, a monster suitable for night activities would be ideal.

So, it’s either the Owl or the Oni.

I don’t have many opportunities to fight in narrow places like dungeons.

The Owl should be fine.

It would be great if it could support with lightning strikes like Master’s Magi-Owl.

I’m envious of that.

Deciding on this makes me feel better.

I’ll log out happily.

Protagonist: Keith

Race: Human Male Race Level 4

Class: Summoner (Summoner) Level 3

Bonus Points Remaining: 9

Set Skills:

Staff Level 3 Strike Level 2 Kick Level 2 Joint Lock Level 2 Throwing Technique Level 1 (New!)

Dodge Level 2 Guard Level 2 Summoning Magic Level 4 (↑1)

Light Magic Level 2 Wind Magic Level 2 Earth Magic Level 2 Water Magic Level 2

Alchemy Level 3 Pharmacist Level 2

Coordination Level 3 Appraisal Level 3 Identification Level 3 Cold Resistance Level 2 Grappling Level 2

Riding Level 1 Precision Level 1 Jumping Level 1

Equipment: Beginner’s Rod Rabbit Chest Armor + Series Snow Ape Arm Guards

Cloth Shoes Backpack Item Box ×2

Items: Loot Knife

Summoned Monsters:

Wolf Wolf Level 3 (Resting)

Crescent Moon Horse Level 2

Helix Hawk Level 2