The Bear and the Railgun
Leave the medicine to the pharmacist and the beehive to the bear. With our preparations wrapped up as quick as roasting beans over lightning, we headed straight out of the city. Neon was busy learning new spells and preparing to ascend to the next circle, so we didn't bother calling him. It was just us as we walked across the plains east of Edenberg.
The plains weren't all that vast. The North itself was a region full of mountains and forests, after all. Still, the land was enough to support modest farming, so we watched the farmers tending their crops with great care as we passed. With harvest season drawing near, their faces were filled with eager anticipation. It was only natural—they were about to reap the fruits of their long labor.
As harvest time approached, the farmers grew even more meticulous in their work. After all, a bountiful yield for them meant tempting fruit for others as well. Using masterful control to snipe pests with water-attribute magic, or teaming up to take down two-meter-tall wild boars eyeing their crops with a coordinated Double Lariat—the farmers stayed vigilant against any uninvited intruders.
Amused by the farmers' impressive feats, we soon reached the edge of the plains.
"This is where the request described. Once we head inside, we'll find the monsters we're supposed to hunt."
"Monsters! Money!"
Alongside Adela, who had become a slave to money in her grand quest to build a magnificent nest, we stepped into the forest.
The monster we were dealing with this time was the Storm Locust. It was the exact same species as the ones that had rampaged through the Libertas territory just a month ago. If they didn't form a swarm beyond a certain size, we wouldn't suffer like Libertas had, but the territory had still issued a large-scale extermination order just to be safe.
"One silver per head. If we take down a hundred, that's a whole gold coin."
"Money is basically printing itself...!"
The Storm Locust was about the size of a forearm, with teeth that could chew through stone and an incredibly tough exoskeleton. According to scholars' research, they could even withstand several shots from the rifles developed in the South. Their tenacity went without saying. On top of that, they lived up to their "storm" name with incredible speed. They were no ordinary nuisance.
Hunting Storm Locusts was no easy task. But for me, it wasn't particularly difficult.
"Come forth."
"Grrrr."
I created a summoning circle in the air and called forth the Ikelos units. Thirty summons in their default wolf forms looked around before spotting me and approaching. Composed of anywhere from thousands to tens of thousands of shards, they read my thoughts through the threads of our soul-bound contract and nodded.
Grinning at their attitude, I activated the newly unlocked skill.
Fusion
I casually called out the skill name, and the Ikelos shards broke apart before being absorbed into me. The absorbed fragments fused perfectly with no side effects. As the fused shards manifested over my skin, armor began to form.
"How does it look?"
"It looks incredibly cool."
"Really? That's a relief."
Thanks to my memories from my previous life, the armor had a somewhat futuristic design. I examined it with a satisfied expression. The appearance passed with flying colors. It was so stylish that any craftsman who saw it would lose their mind wanting to take it apart immediately.
Next was the performance.
Bang!
I lightly punched the air, producing a sharp sonic boom. Then I struck a thick nearby tree, which snapped like a dry reed. After running various other tests to gauge its capabilities, I clenched and unclenched my fist, sharing my thoughts.
"So Ikelos's abilities are being added to mine."
It wasn't just a half-baked increase in strength. The beast's toughness, regenerative power, agility, reflexes—every aspect had been enhanced. Even though each summon type could only strengthen specific stats, this skill was still absurdly overpowered.
In Argo Saga, this very ability had caused such an uproar that four Summoner parties were steamrolling raid bosses, leading to an emergency balance patch. It was that famous.
For now, I could only fuse with the basic summon Ikelos. But the more experience I invested, the more summons I would be able to fuse with, just like in my previous life's Argo Saga.
Moreover, the effects of Fusion went beyond simple physical enhancement.
Clank, clatter!
When I thrust my hand forward, the gauntlet section transformed, forming a massive greatsword. Since Ikelos had fused with me, their shape-shifting ability was now manifesting according to my will. In the game, it could only change into preset forms, but if I twisted this ability just a little...
Clank, clatter!
"What is that?"
"It's a railgun."
"A railgun?"
I could create an absolutely magnificent weapon. The long rail extending from the gauntlet revealed a splendid form. The pristine white material stirred something deep in a man's heart. And it wasn't just a railgun in appearance only.
"Rata."
"Squeak."
Rata, who had been in my pocket, supplied an electric current to the armor. The armor absorbed the current and began charging the railgun. Sparks flew along the extended rail. I loaded a shard to serve as the projectile and aimed at a boulder.
"Fire."
A massive explosion rang in my ears, and a shockwave erupted from the railgun. I was momentarily surprised by the powerful recoil that nearly pushed my body back. Then I whistled as I confirmed the targeted boulder had vanished without a trace.
"Romantic. Passing grade."
It was scientifically impossible, but this was a fantasy world. The special lightning created through Mystery and the projectile made from Ikelos shards even had homing capabilities. Although three Ikelos units used as ammunition had been forcibly unsummoned to produce that much power, I could just summon them again.
"Good thing Ikelos can't feel pain."
From the reactions I sensed, they seemed to have treated it as a game. I calmed the Ikelos units integrated into the armor, who were now sending messages that they wanted to be fired too, and turned to Adela.
She had been watching the performance test from the side and jotting something down in a notebook. Noticing my gaze, she looked up.
"What are you doing?"
"Writing down factors to consider when making the children's outer appearance."
"You're going to model them after this look?"
"Yeah. It's cool."
Well, it was bound to look cool. The armor was an homage to all the sci-fi suits I'd seen across various media in my previous life. The shards made minute real-time adjustments with every movement, so the practicality was excellent and the comfort of wearing it was incredibly high.
Best of all, even if my armor was destroyed, I now had a replacement. Previously I could create armor using Ikelos, but I couldn't stack thirty of them like this, and the efficiency was lower than fighting alongside them. Now, by stacking thirty Ikelos units, I gained high defense and enhanced physical abilities. It would be a very effective option when facing strong enemies or creating variables in battle.
After finishing the simple experiments, I dismissed the railgun.
"Shall we go hunt some Storm Locusts, then?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
It was a bit of a shame to debut the Fusion in such a mundane setting, but since this request let me test its performance the fastest, I swallowed my disappointment and started moving to hunt the Storm Locusts.
Beeeeep—!
A sharp sound rang out from my pocket. It was the emergency rescue magic tool I'd been carrying all this time but had almost forgotten about since I rarely had a chance to use it.
I pulled the tool from my pocket, confirmed the direction the signal was coming from, and broke into a run without hesitation.
"Was that a rescue signal just now?"
"Yeah. Looks like there's a dangerous monster nearby."
When a signal like this went out, helping was usually left to each adventurer's personal discretion, but the industry's unwritten rule was to go if you could. Having received help myself when I was a beginner, I ran toward the signal. Soon, the sounds of battle reached my ears. The distance was closer than I'd thought, so I arrived quickly.
As I ran toward the source of the noise, I caught a glimpse of the fight.
"We sent the rescue signal, so hold on until reinforcements arrive!"
"Whatever you do, don't get stung! We don't have any antidote—if you get stung, you're dead for sure!"
"Damn it, of all things, why did there have to be a Knight Bee nest nearby!"
Hearing the adventurers' near-screaming voices, I picked up my pace. Propulsion thrusters of various sizes formed on the back of the Ikelos armor, spewing out mana. Using mana without restraint, I closed the distance rapidly. I could now clearly see what the adventurers were fighting.
It was the Knight Bee, a monster famous in the North. They must have accidentally disturbed a nest while fighting other monsters. Near the adventurers were the remains of monsters that had melted alive.
"Watch out!"
"Ugh...!"
At his comrade's shout, an adventurer belatedly noticed a Knight Bee closing in from his blind spot. His face filled with panic. The bee, the size of a human head, charged with its long stinger extended like a knight's lance. Even the hardy people of the North were in danger against the horrific venom that could cause necrosis and destroy mana with a single drop. The survival rate was only fifty-fifty even if you took an antidote immediately after being stung. With no antidote available, the adventurer's face was about to twist in despair—
Before the Knight Bee's stinger could touch his skin, my sword-spear sliced the creature in half.
Before the adventurer could even register what was happening, several more slashes tore through the surroundings. With each strike, three or four Knight Bees fell to the ground. By the time the adventurers realized what was going on, the dozens of Knight Bees had all been bisected and lay scattered on the earth.
"Thank you for your help."
"If you hadn't come, one of my comrades would have lost their life."
"Thank you. Senior, you are the savior who saved my life."
The adventurers all thumped their chests in the warrior's salute. Their faces, as they thanked me, were filled with admiration and longing. Just from the brief display of skill, they had realized I was at least Silver-rank.
Smiling kindly at their reaction, I removed the faceplate of my helmet. The shards covering my face automatically parted, revealing my features. The adventurers' eyes widened in shock.
"Argo!"
"The Summoner of Edenberg!"
"I never imagined you would be the one to come help us!"
My fame had spread quite a bit by now, so the adventurers' reactions were quite entertaining.
"Looks like you disturbed a Knight Bee nest while fighting. Is anyone hurt?"
"Thanks to you, we're all safe."
"We won't be able to get any materials because of the poison, but we'll take comfort in the fact that we completed the request."
They seemed to be close comrades. Relieved that everyone was safe, they gave up on the monster materials without regret. Anything stung by a Knight Bee's venom would have its organs and flesh melt away, ruining its value as a product. The hide was no exception. Thankful that they had at least saved their lives, they were about to head back to the city when—
The sound of Knight Bee wings came from afar, as if their attack wasn't over yet.
"Are those reinforcements?"
"The scouts must have confirmed that their comrades were wiped out. They'll have come fully prepared."
As the sound of wings grew louder, the adventurers tensed up. Getting stung even once meant certain death, so it would have been strange if they weren't nervous.
But unlike them, I wasn't nervous at all. I had just the right ally for this situation.
"Don't worry. I've got the perfect delinquent in charge of taking care of these guys."
"GROOOOOOAAAAAR!"
It was time for the honey-obsessed bear to step up. Laserdon, the Irregular who had already grasped the situation from within the Water Realm, appeared with drool dripping from its mouth. For a moment, I could have sworn the Knight Bees flying toward us slowed down when they saw the beast.