Deonni's Roar
Steady growth. "An orc... Well, regular orcs are low-tier. Their combat power sits somewhere between hobgoblins and lizardmen." Even so, orcs with similar appearances could have wildly different stats, so one could never judge them lightly upon meeting them in a dungeon. It was the same as not underestimating a high-rank hunter just because they wore shabby gear.
"Whoa! I've never seen an orc before! Hey, come over here!"
"Buuurgh— Chaha!"
The distinctive sound of its chest swelling and bursting echoed through the living room.
"I don't know what it's saying, but it doesn't look as scary as I thought. Could you lower your voice a bit?"
Even a dragon wouldn't dare bare its fangs before someone who could summon it at will...
"Hmm... Orc. Looking at its face, there's only one name that comes to mind!"
What else but Tusk? That was the only obvious feature.
"From now on, your name is Deonni. Deonni. Got it?"
······.
Kroaaar!!
Apparently satisfied, the orc let out a thunderous victory cry. It was immediately pummeled by Lizard No. 1 and Ttungi, who had been standing nearby.
Thwack! Thud-thud! Thwack-thwack!
Krrrk?!
Slurp-slurp!! (No one... may raise their voice... except for Master...)
The repeated commands to stay quiet indoors were finally paying off.
"Good. Lizard No. 1, make sure you train the new recruits thoroughly."
Slurp-slurp!!
Lizard No. 1 immediately grabbed the now-tattered Deonni by the scruff of the neck and dragged him into a corner to begin basic training. They conversed in their own way for a while before suddenly starting to compare the thickness of their arms.
Slurp— (Do you understand... This is what determines a male.)
Krooh—?(Can I become one too? That?)
Slurrrp— (It will not be easy... But if you follow me... and strive...)
Nod nod—
What kind of training is that?
Even though it wasn't the first time seeing No. 1 train others, the sight was still fascinating. While watching, Yeonhee's eyes suddenly widened and she let out a small gasp.
"Lizard No. 1 became a squad leader?! All his stats went up by 3!"
Hoh...
"No. 1? Don't you feel any changes in your body?"
After hearing Yeonhee, No. 1 tilted his head and moved his body around before nodding. The change seemed to have come from leading more than ten subordinates. Such effects usually only occurred when guild members with high rapport formed a party, so I was quite surprised as well.
Since they're bound within the same summoner framework, their rapport must have already exceeded a certain threshold. Hmm— His skeleton has definitely grown, even if only slightly. At this level, he could chew through most E-grade vanguards...
Originally a top-tier monster among the lower ranks, the lizardman had undergone explosive growth. Now, no E-grade hunter could likely survive a one-on-one fight against No. 1.
Good... The lizardman unit's growth is progressing smoothly. We could even go to the Gibbon Dungeon for a herding hunt. Fifty monsters shouldn't be a problem for just us.
"Mm— Let's head to the hobgoblin dungeon as planned tomorrow. I've already ordered new antidotes with the support reward money."
Nod—
The reward money was ridiculously small compared to their achievements. Strictly speaking, they were still broke.
"Phew— Should we turn in early tonight? My heart's racing, so I don't know if I'll be able to sleep. Wangwang, let's go?"
Waang!!
Wangwang, who had been sprawled on the floor like a rice cake, followed Yeonhee into the bedroom. Left in the living room were the lizardmen and Deonni, still huddled together and whispering. Yeonhee didn't bother to dismiss the summons, apparently planning to leave them until her mana ran out.
Then I should get some practice in.
I needed to increase the speed at which I crafted Skeleton Bombs. Only then could I continue bomb attacks in real time after depleting my stored stockpile.
First, the deboning work...
I waited until Yeonhee fell asleep, then quietly slipped into the bathroom.
Thud—
Squelch-squelch—
Hisss—
The bathroom echoes. The sound is loud. Don't wake up.
I stripped the bones from a goblin corpse taken from my inventory and immediately stored the byproducts back inside. Goblin blood reeked, so I cleaned up any spilled blood right away.
Krrk?
Before I knew it, Lizard No. 1 and Deonni had approached from behind and were staring intently at my work.
When we have some leeway in the dungeon, I should let these guys try it too.
After working through the night, I managed to extract enough bones for hundreds of Skeleton Bombs.
Goblin miscellaneous bones — Bomb Attack Power +5
Kobold miscellaneous bones — Bomb Attack Power +6
Hmm— As expected, the numbers are low because they're low-grade.
In the chilly air of dawn, I practiced converting the deboned bones into bombs without rest.
Crack-crack—
Crunch—
Under the influence of mana, the bones crumbled in my hands and reformed into crude spherical shapes. Faint circuit-like patterns could be seen forming inside.
Each bomb required 3 mana to craft. Even with improved mana recovery, producing 54 bombs before entering the dungeon would have been difficult without the crystal. The crystal Yeonhee had given me was still in my possession, and even before being processed, it boosted my mana recovery rate to some extent. In the end, I was able to stockpile all 54 bombs before entering the dungeon.
When I tried to make a few more just in case, they turned to smoke and vanished in my hands.
So 54 is the limit I can maintain.
Still, after practicing all night, the crafting time had decreased by about 10 seconds from the original 2 minutes. It wasn't yet at a level where I could mass-produce during combat, but it was always satisfying to see results from effort.
"Good morning?"
"Clack-clack!!"
It felt strange seeing the person who had just gone to bed come out and greet me again. After washing up and quickly eating bread for breakfast, Yeonhee was about to head to the dungeon when she tilted her head while looking at her phone.
"Huh? Is this spam?"
What is it?
"A hunter named No Hayun sent me a message through the app?"
No Hayun? Why?
No Hayun, the D-grade hunter who was supposed to become the next ace of the Bijeon Guild. She had messaged Yeonhee. I couldn't help but be extremely curious about the content.
"She says she wants to party with me? Contact her once I get promoted to D-grade... Why me?"
Urgh... I can't even begin to guess.
Shrugging, I gathered the antidotes outside the door and stood in front of Yeonhee.
"Well, let's think about it once you reach D-grade. There might be another reason, so save the message for now..."
After exchanging greetings, Yeonhee dismissed the summons. A brief moment of darkness—then I was called into a new world. The routine had become so familiar that I even felt a slight loosening of tension.
This is exactly when accidents happen. Since it's our first time here, we need to be cautious and careful...
The environment wasn't much different from the Gibbon Dungeon. Lush forests, various monsters, just as many hunters, and somewhere in the distance came the cries of the dungeon's dominant species—the hobgoblins. A pleasant tension swept through my body, like a gambler entering a racetrack with betting tickets in hand. We would have to conquer this place with even greater vigilance. Remembering the sight of those goblin centurion-level monsters charging in groups, we had no choice but to be careful.
If the bombs land well, it might be surprisingly easy.
Pop!
(Ohohoho! What brings you to summon me right at the entrance?)
Summoning the spirit Ran from the very start was entirely her decision. The slight upward curve of her lips suggested she had thought of something.
"Ran? Could you hold onto this crystal for me?"
(Ooh...! This is quite a valuable artifact...)
I wondered if she could hold a crystal larger than her own body, but she wrapped it lightly with her wings and it vanished in an instant.
Huh?
"...So you had this trick too?"
(Ohohoho— Our spirit subspace has far superior 'connectivity' compared to the subspaces used by humans. Even if I store it in my subspace like this, I can maintain the connection to you, Master, so you'll receive the crystal's effects as if you were holding it yourself!)
Whoa... So that's possible...
Unlike runes, which maintained their effects even when stored in the inventory, crystals immediately lost their effects the moment they were put away. Yet Ran could not only store the crystal in her subspace while still granting its effects, but also transfer those effects to Yeonhee. Naturally, this would improve combat efficiency far more than carrying around something cumbersome.
If I obtain a summoning scroll higher than the ash-gray one, would I be able to keep summoning spirits like her? That would be amazing.
I had no memory of such spirits from my previous life, so I shouldn't get my hopes up too quickly, but the more I saw, the more remarkable she was.
"Ran, I'll be counting on you from now on, okay? Make sure you don't lose it."
(O-Of course!! This Ran will devote her life to Master's command—)
Chu—
Yeonhee made a light kissing motion near Ran's beak, and Ran's once-white cheeks flushed red as she fluttered in place at high speed.
(I-I will dedicate this one life to Master for eternity!!)
"Hehe, thank you."
(Ahehehe—)
That thing's definitely male.
Hunters near the entrance were gathering in small groups to form parties and set off. This was a place where parties were practically considered essential, unlike the Gibbon Dungeon. But we intended to challenge the dungeon without one. Once we had moved far enough from the entrance that the distance from other hunters was sufficient, Yeonhee summoned only about half of her forces. Lizard No. 1 through No. 5, Ttungi, Ttungi, Lime, and the newly summoned orc, Deonni. She seemed to plan on summoning the remaining five lizardmen once combat began, depending on the situation.
"Let's go."
Wearing specially made safety goggles to defend against poison stingers, she announced our departure with vigor. Perhaps because she had already experienced a dungeon break, her expression had taken on a distinctly hunter-like quality.
Interesting... So this is what the joy of raising someone feels like?
Our formation had me at the very front, Yeonhee in the middle, and Lizard No. 2 holding Ttungi bringing up the rear.