Aiming for the Strongest Summoned Beast

The black smoke billowed from the Drake's mouth like a heavy breath, casting an even darker shadow over its already menacing face. Moving on all fours, it crept toward Yeonhee one deliberate step at a time before finally lowering its head all the way to the floor.

'Is that a gesture of submission?'

I'd been worried because of that suspicious modifier 'Fallen' attached to it—afraid it might ignore Yeonhee's commands—but it seemed that wasn't the case.

"Wow... Can I touch you?"

"......"

'What a silent one.'

Yeonhee, who had always been the first to approach her summons except when she'd called forth Zombie #1 and #2, hesitated with this one. She actually asked for permission before getting close.

'It's on the smaller side for a Drake, but still an absolute jackpot, right?'

Its actual abilities would need testing, of course, but the sheer oppressive aura it gave off was enough to count for half its value. The way the Orcs behind it were warily watching its every move was actually quite ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠satisfying to see.

Yeonhee cautiously reached out and touched its face. The Drake flinched for a split second, but quickly grew used to her hand. Its tail began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wagging gently back and forth—it looked quite pleased.

'Its appearance is genuinely impressive. Most monsters wouldn't even come close. Let's see—'

I stepped closer to get ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a better look.

Shhhk—

Bang!

'This bastard?!'

Its tail whipped through the air right in front of my face, clearly warning me not to come any closer.

"Hey, no! Black Dragon, he's a friend. A friend. You can't fight. Okay? Good boy."

Yeonhee jumped in surprise and immediately started persuading the creature she'd already named Black Dragon. But the Drake simply shook its head and glared at me.

'What's with that look? You wanna go?'

Its gaze was unmistakably saying exactly that. The moment it stepped into the outside world, it was already aiming for the position of the strongest summoned beast? Or was it trying to monopolize Yeonhee's affection? Either way, I couldn't allow it.

'Hoo— This guy needs a proper education.'

It was probably one of the highest-ranking entities among B-grade creatures, so the fight wouldn't be easy. But it was a battle I absolutely could not lose.

'Does the Superior Commander skill not work?'

'Haha, you've got to be kidding me.'

"Kyaa— Hahang—! Ilwol, look at this!"

At some point Yeonhee had climbed onto the creature's neck and was striking a majestic pose like a true dragon knight. Although Drakes were classified as a subspecies of Dragon, the only time an actual Dragon had ever been witnessed was during the First Wave. So this monster was essentially treated as a Dragon.

'Hmm— I'll sort out the hierarchy later. Either way, this is definitely a jackpot.'

Yeonhee slid down the Shadow Drake's neck like a playground slide, then spoke.

"Whoa— But it's consuming mana like crazy. Even though my mana has increased a lot recently, I can't keep this up."

'That makes sense. Maintaining something like this can't be easy.'

Yeonhee's mana capacity was clearly far higher than mine. If even she was struggling this much, the mana drain had to be extreme.

"Hoo— Black Dragon, go back for now."

"......"

The Shadow Drake gave Yeonhee a slight bow, then vanished, leaving behind a trail of black smoke like an afterimage. It didn't forget to shoot me one last sharp glare before disappearing.

What an arrogant brat. I hadn't done anything, yet I was already hated. It felt unfair, but Yeonhee had opened her summoning book again, so I refocused on her.

"I hope another one like Black Dragon comes out...!"

But despite her desperate wish, lightning didn't strike twice. The next summon wasn't nearly as impressive.

Flutter—

"Kyaa?! Another Black Dragon?"

When black feathers swirled out of the portal, Yeonhee let out a cheer. But what actually appeared was a Were Raven.

It was a humanoid monster in the shape of a crow—one of the most common creatures found in C-grade dungeons alongside the crocodile-like Werecroc.

'Not bad. This one might actually be better than the other Were types.'

It possessed a skill that created a 'Black Vortex' to confuse enemies, flight capabilities on par with a Harpy, and the ability to launch its feathers as projectiles from a distance. Though its face and wings were those of a crow, its human torso gave it a distinctly grotesque aura. It immediately ran up to Yeonhee, dropped to one knee, and bowed its head. The atmosphere was quite different from the earlier Black Dragon.

"Wow— They said there are lots of Were types in C-grade. You're my first Were summon! Nice to meet you!"

"Kaww—!"

They were generally intelligent and cunning by nature, which made them exhausting opponents. But as an ally, it would be quite reliable.

'Not bad at all.'

"Yah! Fourth one!"

The fourth summon was a Harpy.

'Is today all about flying types?'

We already had a Neos Harpy, but this 'Harpy' was a step above. Its face was strikingly beautiful, and its chest was impressively developed like a human woman's.

'Oh— It's been a while. It feels fresh seeing one again.'

Harpies were famous for their beauty—so much so that legends said they lured men to cliffs and pushed them off. Yet when placed next to Yeonhee, even its beauty looked plain.

'As expected, nothing can surpass Yeonhee.'

I watched the scene with satisfaction as Yeonhee moved on to the fifth summon. The final one turned out to be the same Dire Wolf that had been summoned first.

"Ah, it's the King Return!"

'...... She already forgot the name I gave it.'

The Dire Wolf, now apparently named King Return, charged at Yeonhee the moment it saw her and began enthusiastically licking her with its thick tongue.

"Kyahaha— That tickles. Stop—"

Even if you took it as the abbreviation for "the return of the king," the name actually suited ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Dire Wolf quite well.

'It keeps showing up even in S-grade dungeons.'

Like Orcs, Dire Wolves continued to appear no matter how high the dungeon rank went. They grew an extra horn with each rank up to A-grade, and at S-grade they reached their final form with a massive single horn. The performance it displayed then was worthy of being called the descent of the Thunder God.

It was a shame neither a Werewolf nor an Orc had been summoned, but this session still deserved a solid 98 out of 100. Yeonhee seemed satisfied too—her previously subdued energy had returned to its usual lively state.

After observing the new summons for a moment, we headed straight for the building where the trio had bought the Evolution Water.

"For the Were Raven... how about Blacky? It means black bird, but calling it 'Chorong' makes it sound cuter!"

Nod—

Yeonhee walked along with an excited expression, pondering names for the monsters. She looked just like an innocent child, and I couldn't help but smile.

Twenty minutes later.

"There it is."

We arrived in front of the building. After some discussion, we decided I would infiltrate alone.

"You're really going by yourself?"

Yeonhee clearly wanted to come with me, but she didn't throw a tantrum about it.

'It's too dangerous to go together. Even from a distance, I can sense powerful individuals everywhere.'

If I could grant her stealth abilities, it might be different, but this time it couldn't be helped. No matter what, when it came to Yeonhee's safety, I had no choice but to be conservative. It was the right decision for both her and me.

"Take Ran with you. Since your abilities improved this time, the summoning maintenance range has increased too."

Nod—

"If anything dangerous happens, send a signal! I'll come running with Black Dragon to help!"

Clack— Clack—

Her face looked so deadly serious that I burst out laughing. She hadn't even considered what would happen if she summoned a Drake in the middle of the city. Her earnestness was adorable.

When Yeonhee saw my shoulders shaking, she gave a faint smile and summoned Ran into her palm. It did feel uneasy leaving her alone again, but the cafe across the street was still within my sensory range. Thankfully, it was also within the earring artifact's range, so I could proceed with some peace of mind.

I told her to hide her presence as much as possible, just in case.

"Okay. I'll just sit quietly and drink coffee."

Nod—

For some reason, seeing Yeonhee being so obedient made my lust flare up. It was problematic.

(Come closer to my shoulder.)

The tiny bird, which no longer had a single feather left, hopped from Yeonhee's palm and landed on my shoulder.

'Why do your feathers keep falling out?'

(Ahem— It is a temporary trial on the path to becoming a greater being.)

I wondered if this one was also going to grow dramatically like Black Dragon. Ran had been stagnant for far too long. I had no idea what it was trying to become by taking so long, but whatever it turned into, its current abilities that provided acceleration and agility buffs would surely improve significantly.

I tucked Ran into the chest pocket of my coat and immediately slipped into the building. The moment I stepped inside, my jaw dropped.

'Wow— They really went all out with the money.'

From the first-floor lobby, detection barriers were spread out like a dense spiderweb. The barriers were packed tightly around the elevator and stairs. With this density and quality, even if I layered my cloak thickly with sensory-blocking and mana-muffling like I had at Heo Min-sol's building, it wouldn't be easy to slip through.

'At least I don't have to worry about climbing the outer wall.'

Unfortunately, the sixteenth floor—where they had purchased the Evolution Water—had its outer walls completely sealed off. There was no other way.

I carefully dismantled the barrier lines one by one using daggers infused with sensory and mana energy, then moved from the lobby toward the stairs. As I crept along, I glanced toward the elevator.

My senses could reach up to the seventeenth floor, but the elevator only went to the fifteenth. The top two floors had clearly been blocked off by the enemy.

In a corner of the building was a hidden elevator that appeared to go directly to the sixteenth and seventeenth floors. But boldly riding the elevator up seemed too risky. Besides, the first-floor elevator didn't even have an up button. It looked like you had to contact someone above to be brought up.

Step—

(Why did they make this so unnecessarily complicated?)

Even Ran, who was usually silent outside, was growing frustrated with our painfully slow progress as I painstakingly disabled barrier after barrier.

'It really is slow.'

Then a sudden question occurred to me.

'Wait a minute. Can't I just walk through this?'