Chapter 79 of 100

Chapter 79

11 min read2,643 words

The cave seemed to remain unchanged.

However, it appeared to have a gentle slope, and it seemed to be ascending slightly.

There were branches in the cave, but all of them were bypassed.

The branches led downwards, which was why they were bypassed.

Looking at the wide-area map, it seemed that the N1W2 map to the north of the W2 map was almost within reach.

There was no forest labyrinth-like gateway from the W2 map to the W3 map.

Perhaps there was none here either.

The cave seemed to snake a bit but basically extended north.

And it was ascending slightly.

I was thinking that no monsters had appeared since then when a surprise attack occurred.

From above.

Of all things, from a War Ghost.

"GUAAAAAAA!"

The cave was quite wide.

But that scream was so loud it made me want to cover my ears; it was honestly very annoying.

The War Ghost grabbed the head and body of an ant above and tore them apart.

The pose was just like a bodybuilder.

Spear attack from above.

It turned out there was a hole in the ceiling.

Ants were pouring out from there.

No wonder Obsidian didn't notice them.

A melee ensued.

The rod wasn't fast enough.

I switched to the tonfa on my back and continued the battle.

I pressed the ant against the wall and crushed its head with the tonfa.

Similarly, I trapped it against the wall with a front kick and crushed it.

I gradually got used to it.

More ants were still coming from the hole above.

The War Ghost skillfully avoided the spears being thrust out and twisted off the ants' heads one by one.

Huh?

Is he twisting them off?

Did he learn this fighting style?

The Guardian Ghost also slaughtered the ants by alternately swinging his scythe and shield.

Though not as powerful as the War Ghost, he relied on speed.

There were times when he left openings, but Obsidian seemed to be covering for him.

Naturally, the summoned monsters began to coordinate with each other.

It felt good.

Though it might be premature to say, it wouldn't be long before we could call Evil Ants to us to gain experience points.

When there were only two left, a large ant appeared.

It was clearly much heavier than the others.

It didn't have any weapons.

And its movements seemed slow.

But then it charged at me.

Suddenly, it was fast.

I was blown away.

Antman Luke Lv.2

Monster Target Active Enraged State

I left the remaining ants to the War Ghost.

This seemed like a worthy opponent.

I gripped the tonfa and faced the monster.

Come on.

Charge at me.

I'm ready to counter.

I selected and cast a spell, then got back into position.

I finished chanting the spell but didn't activate it, keeping it in reserve.

I selected and cast another spell, waiting for the right moment.

The moment the monster lowered its stance, I activated the spell.

"Root Snare!"

The ant's front legs were entangled by tree roots, and it flipped over due to the momentum of its charge.

I immediately activated the next spell.

"Branch Bind!"

Tree branches extended from my left side and entangled the monster's body.

It was restrained.

But this only temporarily immobilized the monster.

I circled around to the ant's head and delivered a critical hit.

However, I was equipped with the tonfa.

I hit it with all my might, but the monster's HP bar didn't decrease by even half.

Oh, good.

Show more spirit.

Several of the tree branches restraining the monster were torn off.

Impressive.

I couldn't compete with it in terms of power.

I dropped my heel on the monster's head and slammed it into the ground.

It tried to spit something out, didn't it?

I couldn't let that happen at such close range.

I crushed its compound eyes with the tonfa.

Both of them.

Then I smashed the base of the antennae-like protrusions.

What do you think of that?

When I finished, the monster was freed from the tree branch restraint.

I took a step back.

How is the monster moving?

The monster managed to get up but suddenly charged.

However, it charged in the wrong direction and hit the wall.

Its head was embedded in the wall.

And then it was over.

The end was anticlimactic.

It felt a bit unsatisfying.

The other ants were also eliminated by the War Ghost.

It was a good result.

《Your victory in this battle has upgraded your [Coordination] skill!》

《Your victory in this battle has upgraded your [Precision Control] skill!》

《Your victory in this battle has upgraded your summoned monster [Guardian Ghost]!》

《Please add 1 point to any of your status values.》

There have been so many level-ups recently that I can't keep track of them all.

But it's clear that my combat strength is steadily increasing, so there shouldn't be a problem.

It's just that I can't remember them all.

Anyway, I should focus on the status screen.

The Guardian Ghost has grown.

The status value that had already increased was vitality.

I chose to increase the strength value for the free status upgrade.

Guardian Ghost Ghost Lv3 → Lv4 (↑1)

Dexterity 18

Agility 13

Intelligence 10

Strength 18 (↑1)

Vitality 18 (↑1)

Spirit 11

Skills

Bow, Hand Axe, Small Shield, Block, Dodge, Stealth

The status values look much better now.

Let's keep this up.

I didn't count the number of dead monsters, which was around 30.

There were too many bodies.

It took about 20 minutes just to strip them.

The War Ghost and Guardian Ghost helped gather the bodies.

We did have some results.

I stripped 7 pieces of ant honey from the Antmen.

And I could also strip a different item from the Antman Pawn.

[Material Item] Ant Honey Raw Material Quality C Rarity 2 Weight 0+

Honey given to the larvae of the Antman colony. It can be eaten but has a low sugar content.

The honey sac is made of the Antman's skin and can be repurposed as a water bottle.

Honey.

When I pressed the honey sac, something like honey came out.

I tasted it with my fingertips.

It was sweet.

But it wasn't as sweet as honey.

It felt a bit like artificial sweetener.

I also let the War Ghost and Guardian Ghost taste it.

They seemed to like it.

Stop making those "Hehe" sounds.

I feel like shouting too.

Incidentally, Obsidian completely ignored it.

Well, it's an owl.

As for the Antman Luke.

I couldn't strip anything from it.

I wish the Bishop and Luke would leave something behind.

By the time I saw the light ahead, I had become quite accustomed to fighting Antmen.

I had eliminated about three small ant colonies.

I was full of ants.

I had been conserving MP and using potions to recover HP.

I was thinking about exploring a new map at night.

That's what I was thinking.

When I emerged from the cave, it was a plateau.

The landscape was similar to the N1W1 map.

The only difference was that the mountains were visible to the east.

There might be more trees here.

It was a little past 4 PM.

I wanted to explore the area portal, but I didn't have the time.

The wide-area map showed that I was in the N1W2 map.

What should I do?

It might be good to fight the monsters in this map and then return.

The time for night exploration would be just right when I returned to the W2 map.

I advanced through the forest.

I didn't use Forest Walk.

I planned to fight a monster once and then return immediately.

Still, the sight of me, the War Ghost, and the Guardian Ghost running through the forest might look like barbarians to an outsider.

Obsidian was flying in the sky, so it was fine.

I found the long-awaited monster in the forest.

It seemed to be a bear.

Brown Bear Lv.3

Monster Target Passive

If the Black Bear is considered a Japanese black bear, then this Brown Bear feels like a brown bear.

A bit strong?

No, it's a formidable opponent.

Thanks to Obsidian, I could capture the monster before it noticed me.

The War Ghost and Guardian Ghost were silent and waiting.

No.

They were waiting for me to show my willingness to fight.

I put Kay's Rod in the Item Box and took the tonfa from my back.

I selected and cast a spell and then ran out.

Of course, to fight.

The War Ghost, Guardian Ghost, and Obsidian moved simultaneously.

It was time to hunt.

"Branch Bind!"

Tree branches sprouted from my left side and enveloped the bear.

The bear finally noticed me.

It tried to intimidate me, but Obsidian attacked from above.

Nice ambush.

The War Ghost punched the bear from the side.

It should have hit.

How was it?

The monster's HP bar didn't decrease by even 10%.

Wow.

It's strong.

The bear was gradually freeing itself from the tree branches.

A power fighter, indeed.

It's a bear, after all.

"Defense Fall!"

I tried a melting magic spell.

If it worked, it should lower the bear's defense.

The bear's marker had a small marker indicating a status effect.

It might work.

The War Ghost's fist hit the bear again.

This time, the HP bar decreased significantly.

It probably reduced the HP bar by twice as much as the first attack.

The Guardian Ghost circled around and fired an arrow from a half-encircling position.

I challenged the bear from the front.

Of course, I didn't intend to fight it head-on.

I left the attacks to the summoned monsters and focused on restraining and intimidating the bear.

I dodged the bear's attacks with both tonfas and bought time.

The bear was still only using one hand to attack.

The Branch Bind was still effective.

I saw an opening and delivered a front kick to the bear's stomach.

I wanted to switch to an attack with the tonfa, but I didn't push it.

The advantageous situation was already secure.

There was no need to take risks.

The final blow was delivered by Obsidian's beak.

The bear, hit between the eyes, fell in a somewhat comical manner.

Its tongue hung out of its mouth, looking pitiful.

"KIGA!"

"GOHE!"

The War Ghost and Guardian Ghost were poking the bear curiously.

Stop poking a dead body.

That's not part of the Japanese mentality.

But I stuck the stripping knife into the bear.

It's a cruel act.

[Material Item] Brown Bear's Paw Raw Material Quality C Rarity 3 Weight 1

The paw meat of a Brown Bear. Soft and tasty.

[Material Item] Brown Bear's Fur Raw Material Quality C Rarity 3 Weight 3

The fur of a Brown Bear. Thick and with good insulation properties.

I stripped two items from this bear.

Great.

And an insulating fur.

It's a strong message.

A fur for cold protection.

Should I make one?

Should I kill one more?

I tried to call a Brown Bear with Call Monster.

There were two nearby, so I called them.

I called them one by one and beat them up.

Indeed, this Brown Bear, as an individual, was clearly stronger than a Snow Ape.

But 4 against 1 was clearly in our favor.

I used Branch Bind to restrain them first.

We could hunt them relatively easily.

I stripped fur from both, but not the paws.

It was time.

It was not yet 5 PM, but I decided to return.

I would go back to the cave where the Antmen were waiting and then to the Wind Spirit village.

I wanted to prepare for the night on the W2 map.

On the way back through the cave, the Antmen attacked twice.

Only Pawns appeared.

They were still well-organized.

They weren't very strong, but it was troublesome to finish them off.

In both battles, I prioritized attacks to prevent the ants from calling for help.

I took some damage, but I think I fought as intended.

I had become accustomed to fighting these monsters.

It would be nice if they were a bit stronger.

The item drop rate was good, though.

When I emerged from the cave where the Antmen were, it was the forest with the rampaging Kinkei (female).

I advanced without using Forest Walk.

I was conserving MP.

Well, I still had about 70% of my MP left, so I could use it.

But the night was unpredictable.

It couldn't be underestimated.

The rampaging Kinkei (female) didn't attack.

Instead, they formed a small group.

With a male at the center.

Rampaging Kinkei (male) Lv.4

Monster Target Passive

Since they were passive and in a group, I didn't challenge them.

Their behavior pattern was the same as the rampaging Ginkei.

Night was approaching.

I could sense the impending danger.

Near the Wind Spirit village, I encountered a raptor.

But the monster became passive and left when it approached the village.

Something was definitely wrong with its behavior.

The sunset looked particularly eerie.

I passed through what was likely a field to the north of the village.

Then I entered the village.

Obsidian was scouting ahead, but there seemed to be nothing.

I entered a dilapidated building and used a flashlight to light it up.

I had an early meal.

Just eating portable food.

The War Ghost and Guardian Ghost were on the roof of the building, doing something.

It seemed to be a game of tag.

The building occasionally shook.

After finishing my meal, I called back the Guardian Ghost to check the arrows.

The obsidian arrows and evil ant arrows, which were used frequently and recovered, showed signs of wear.

Of course, some arrows couldn't be recovered, so the number had decreased slightly.

While waiting for the night, I decided to manually repair and replenish the arrows.

The War Ghost and Guardian Ghost resumed their game of tag.

Obsidian was circling the building where I was, continuing to keep watch.

My MP would gradually recover.

Time flowed slowly for each of us.

Main Character: Keith

Race: Human Male Race Level 9

Class: Summoner (Summoner) Level 8

Bonus Points Remaining: 9

Set Skills

Staff Level 7, Striking Level 5, Kicking Level 5, Joint Techniques Level 5, Throwing Techniques Level 4

Dodge Level 5, Block Level 4, Summoning Magic Level 9, Space-Time Magic Level 2

Light Magic Level 4, Wind Magic Level 5, Earth Magic Level 5, Water Magic Level 5

Fire Magic Level 4, Dark Magic Level 4, Ice Magic Level 3, Lightning Magic Level 2

Wood Magic Level 3, Dust Magic Level 2, Melting Magic Level 2, Burning Magic Level 2

Alchemy Level 5, Pharmacist Level 4, Glassworking Level 3, Woodworking Level 4

Coordination Level 7 (↑1), Appraisal Level 6, Identification Level 7, Cold Resistance Level 3

Grapple Level 6, Horsemanship Level 6, Precision Control Level 7 (↑1), Jumping Level 3

Heat Resistance Level 4, Climbing Level 3, Dual Wielding Level 4

Body Enhancement Level 2, Mental Enhancement Level 4, Fast Chanting Level 4

Equipment: Kay's Rod × 1, Kay's Tonfa × 2, Snow Leopard's Hidden Claws × 3

Wild Horse Leather Armor +, Snow Monkey Arm Guards, Wild Horse Boots +

Snow Monkey Leather Helmet, Rampaging Horse Belt +, Backpack, Item Box × 2

Held Items: Stripping Knife, Complete Set of Woodworking Tools

Titles: Disciple of the Old Summoner, Proof of the Forest Guardian, Seeker of Moderation

Spell Catalog

Summoned Monsters

Volf Wolf Level 7

Crescent Horse Level 5

Helix Hawk Level 5

Obsidian Owl Level 5

Jean Bat Level 4

Jerrick Wood Golem Level 3

Guardian Ghost Ghost Level 3 → Level 4 (↑1)