My First Minion
The moment I thought, If only I could freely control the thorns covering my entire body... I realized I could turn monsters into grilled skewers just by charging at them while hurling fireballs and bombs. The idea alone was entertaining.
Maybe I should try making a shield too? I'd already turned the idea of flattening the thorns into a greatsword into reality, so expanding the concept a little further should create a shield. Of course, that would require larger, thicker thorns, which meant pulling every last one from my body.
If I catch one more of those giant skeletons from yesterday, my control might improve... But meeting one meant going outside, and that wasn't going to happen. Even if I did leave, there was no guarantee another variant would appear. Still, once I took that first step, the techniques started flowing naturally.
The instant a whistle left my lips, the bats on the ceiling began stretching lazily. I'd chewed and swallowed those filthy, disgusting things more times than I could count. They seemed pointlessly energetic, barely sleeping at all. What a pain in the ass.
Essence Devour
Consumes portions of living and dead creatures, analyzes their essence, and creates small minions.
I reread the description for Essence Devour. The number of hook bats I'd swallowed easily reached the hundreds. That was more than enough to complete the analysis. And the minion I'd gained from it was none other than...
...... Hey, isn't that evaluation a little too vicious?
Individually they probably were useless, but unlike the System messages I'd seen before, this one felt like it carried actual emotion.
Analysis complete... The first time I swallowed one, the message had definitely said it was still analyzing. Does it only complete after eating a certain number, or does it take time even after one? Either way, the System clearly wasn't going to hand me anything easily.
One thing was certain, though—the more I consumed, the lower the mana cost became. It had originally been five, now fixed at one. That had to be why. If this was the mana required to create a living creature, it actually seemed like a pretty good deal.
Implement hook bat.
I focused my mana in my palm while repeating the command internally. Blue light flickered for a moment, then a bat appeared with a body smaller than my pinky finger.
"Kiit..."
Uh... why is this...
Cute? Why the hell is it cute?
"Kiit... blehh..."
Are you kidding me? It's adorable!
The tiny buck teeth poking out were cute. The single round eye planted in the center of its face was cute. Maybe because it was a baby, its watery blue color was pretty too, and its chirps were nothing like the annoying screeches I'd grown to hate. They were genuinely endearing.
With this level of cuteness, the analysis time was definitely worth the wait.
I'd found a healing point in the most unexpected place!
Wait a second! This guy... he's my first subordinate?!
Shockingly, my very first minion was a hook bat. Even if he was only the size of a pinky finger and couldn't even spread his wings properly yet.
I want to show him to Yeonhee right away.
But the ones on the ceiling clearly had other plans. They began dropping down one by one, forming a swarm before flying straight at me.
Damn it, this little guy can't even fly yet!
I don't know anymore. Gori! Let's fight together!
I'd already given him a name. It was only recently that I'd criticized Yeonhee's naming sense, but mine was just as terrible.
The moment I called him by the name I'd given him, the status window changed from 'Small Hook Bat' to 'Gori'.
After naming him, his already cute face looked even more lovable. Was this how Yeonhee felt about me...? Hehe... My affection was skyrocketing.
Maybe he liked the name I'd given him, because Gori flapped his folded wings slightly and stared straight at me.
Good. Since it had come to this, it was time for our first joint attack as master and minion!
Flap flap flap—!
Their numbers were still overwhelming. The way they flew toward me looked like a giant wriggling wall closing in.
I tucked the flightless Gori into the leather between my ribs and charged head-first into the oncoming horde.
Crash!
Sliiice—!
The monsters raked my entire body with their hooks without pause. I tried to hold them back by spamming fireballs, but it only bought me the briefest moment of relief.
It took a long time before the attacks finally eased enough for me to create some breathing room.
Thud!
No?!
In the merciless assault of the damned hook bat swarm, my adorable first minion 'Gori' had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a small piece of his leg stuck in my leather.
Damn it...! Isn't killing a life that was just born against the rules?
Even though they were the same species, the bats showed zero hesitation. As expected, these things were irredeemable trash monsters. The System had judged them perfectly.
Gori (Small Hook Bat) has died.
All stats have been reset.
When that ridiculous message appeared, I shouted internally in disbelief.
What?! Reset?
Gori had no stats to reset in the first place, so his combat power was still listed as 1. But the fact that any growth would be wiped clean upon death was genuinely shocking.
Ah, so this is basically a lesser version of Yeonhee's ability.
The fantasy of holding Yeonhee in my arms while calmly watching my summons and minions fight from the rear was apparently nothing but a delusion.
No, the skill still has potential. I can't judge it based on just one Gori.
Since Gori's combat ability was terrible from the start, it made more sense to use his tiny body for other purposes. Reconnaissance, creating small variables—things like that.
Sigh. Alone again.
They were charging in once more. Damn bastards. I'd make them pay for shattering my precious memory.
Whoooosh—!
Crunch—!
Because I'd widened the blade, the impact and weight behind each swing were several times heavier than before.
Slice! Clang! Scraaape—!
As if furious they couldn't land even a single hit on me, they pressed their attack with far greater intensity than yesterday. Inside the storm of bats, I widened my field of movement again with fireballs and bombs, continuing our desperate struggle while moving away from the tent.
The hunters at base must have noticed I'd engaged in combat, because I saw them all rushing out at once. Soon the final group of hook bats remaining on the ceiling descended together, unleashing sound waves.
The first battle after midnight. I'd thought there would be a second and third after we rested. But this battle lasted far longer than any of us expected. Three hours later...
"Everyone, get behind the summons!"
"Get behind the skeleton soldiers, everyone...!"
"Huk... huk... fuck... those bastards..."
"This is seriously creepy."
All the hunters except Yeonhee were nearing total exhaustion from the prolonged fight. The only reason Yeonhee still looked fine was probably thanks to the massive increase in her mana from earlier this morning.
"These sneaky bastards!"
"To think they'd change their pattern...!"
The creatures that had never lasted more than an hour before now seemed determined to end things, attacking relentlessly.
Their collective intelligence is impressive. They targeted our weakest moment perfectly.
But in the end, they had to settle for the small victory of tiring us out. Their numbers had now dropped below three thousand. That was a number I could wipe out alone in two hours.
The problem was that while I was fine, everyone else caught in the bat storm was being helplessly swept away.
And in the middle of it all, I witnessed the disturbing behavior of one particular woman I'd been watching.
The light mage Ju Ye-seul slowly crept toward a man who was barely holding on behind his shield, then released chain-shaped mana.
That damn woman!
The man wrapped in Ju Ye-seul's mana chains began trembling violently in agony. Eventually he dropped his shield and started screaming. His eyes rolled back as he howled, clearly seeing some kind of illusion. The bat swarm didn't miss the opening and began nibbling away at his head as they flew past.
The hunters beside him had no strength left to help, so they could only watch helplessly as he was devoured. In another thirty seconds, he'd definitely die from blood loss.
What sent chills down my spine was Ju Ye-seul's twisted expression as she watched with sparkling eyes. The way the corners of her eyes curved upward made it obvious she was holding back laughter. The mask hid it well unless you were looking closely.
I've seen that expression before.
Broken souls who found their self-worth by dragging others into the abyss. Ju Ye-seul clearly belonged to that group.
This is exactly why mental health evaluations should be mandatory for the Association!
Finding someone with a sound mind was becoming harder than finding a needle in a haystack. Then again, when you considered how few high-ranking hunters were actually sane, it made sense.
Gori!
"Kiit...!"
At least there was no cooldown when I re-summoned him. That was convenient.
I called out Gori and extended my arm toward Ju Ye-seul. Since he still couldn't fly properly, simply throwing him would only turn him into bat food. Instead, I wrapped him in Big Boar leather infused with both mana and senses, then launched him like a projectile.
The palm-sized Gori skillfully weaved through the tiny gaps in the bat storm, momentarily pierced the light barrier, and sank his teeth hard into Ju Ye-seul's index finger—the one connected to her mana chain.
Crunch!
"Aack! You fucking— What is this?! How did it get through my barrier?!"
Enraged, Ju Ye-seul unleashed a blinding burst of light from her palm. Gori, struck directly by it, began splitting apart from the inside before exploding with a loud pop.
I'm sorry. It's only been a short while since I summoned you, and you've already died twice. Damn it.
It was merely an application of the floating light orbs, but for bats accustomed to darkness, it must have been an unbearable attack.
Ju Ye-seul frowned deeply, sucked on her bitten finger several times, then turned back to check on her prey.
But I had already pulled the man suffering from the illusion safely behind us.