Forging the Squirrel Army
The two arrived at the beginner hunting ground.
Mu-hyuk and Sung Min-woo were drawing every eye from the newbies, just as expected.
"Whoa, check out that gear."
"Insane."
"The armor and helmet are just..."
"Man, they sparkle."
"Jealous."
"I'm more jealous of that horse."
"Looks so comfy."
"Why would a high-level player come here?"
"Beats me."
The stares from the beginners felt heavier than anticipated.
"Whoa, and that user."
"No way."
The problem intensified as they drew closer.
"She's gorgeous."
"Holy crap."
"Is she a celebrity?"
It was all because Ye-rin's beauty stood out so strikingly.
With so many users in the beginner hunting grounds, there was no escaping the attention no matter where they went.
The silver lining was that Ye-rin, accustomed to such gazes, didn't seem fazed at all.
"Hmm."
"Oppa, what's up?"
"Nothing."
At first, it had felt uncomfortable.
Now?
His shoulders kept lifting with pride.
"Is she an angel?"
"Don't curse."
"Curse? With beauty like that, even angels get jealous, man."
"Oh, right?"
Ye-rin burst out laughing at that. Ignoring the users' stares, they finally reached the spot where the squirrels appeared.
"Cancel the tigers for now."
"Got it."
Ten tigers materialized.
Soon, a black aura flowed out.
"Kinda disappointing."
"It's fine."
The black aura enveloped the tigers and then vanished.
"Did it work?"
"Yeah!"
"Hold on."
Mu-hyuk used Wind Step to snag a squirrel and bring it back.
Ye-rin immediately began taming it. For strong monsters, she'd need to whittle down HP and lure with food, but taming a squirrel was child's play for Ye-rin, who was well over level 100.
"Success."
"Fast."
"Yeah!"
"Then I'll grab as many as I see."
"Thanks, oppa."
"No need."
Mu-hyuk's form vanished.
Whoosh.
Squirrels piled up one by one amid the wind. Ye-rin hurriedly tamed each one as it landed.
Two, three.
Before they knew it, around twenty had gathered.
"Oppa!"
"Yeah?"
"Ten left now."
"Okay."
Once the last ten were collected.
"Whew."
Thirty-two squirrels now stared up at Ye-rin, heads raised. Their tiny bodies and bright eyes drew a motherly smile from her.
"They're so pretty!"
"Cute, yeah."
"Right? Right?"
"Sure. But what's a squirrel's stats like?"
Ye-rin scooped one onto her hand.
"This one's got strength 2, agility 4, stamina 21, wisdom 2, knowledge 24."
Pathetically low.
Mu-hyuk tilted his head.
"Why are the stats so..."
"Huh? What's wrong with them?"
Then it hit him.
Right, she's a tamer.
That meant the tamed squirrels retained their monster levels—level 1, basically. Level them up early for fast growth, and stats would rise naturally.
"Squirrels are level 1, right?"
"Yeah!"
And reinforcement on top of that?
Impossible to imagine how strong they'd get.
"Let's reinforce first."
"Okay. Materials..."
Ye-rin checked the reinforcement system.
"Acorns, plums, apples..."
"Easy to get."
"Up to +2 should be simple."
"Good. Let's reinforce as far as we can."
"Yeah, sounds good!"
They headed to the empire to buy materials, hitting up general stores and fruit stands. It took a chunk of gold due to the quantities needed.
"While we're here, share the commission."
"Oh, right!"
At the mercenary guild, Mu-hyuk shared the special commission with Ye-rin.
"Done. Ready to reinforce?"
"Let's do it."
Ye-rin picked up a squirrel.
"You first."
Her hand glowed.
Reinforcing Squirrel 1.
Success Rate: 100%
Reinforcement successful!
He checked Squirrel 1's stats.
Every stat had gone up by 1.
Materials?
Fortunately, same as for +1.
"Oppa."
"Yeah?"
"+2 needs the same materials."
"Really? How much did stats go up?"
"+1 each."
"Hmm. Wanna try +2 right away?"
"Sure."
They attempted +2 on Squirrel 1.
Reinforcing Squirrel 1 (+1).
Success Rate: 100%
Reinforcement successful!
100% success, as expected.
"It worked?"
"Yeah!"
"Stats?"
Squirrel 1 (+2)'s stats:
Ye-rin beamed.
"+2 each, oppa."
"For real?"
"Yeah!"
"Whoa, that's huge."
If +3 added 3 each?
At +10, that's +55 total.
Insane stat boosts.
"What's +3 materials?"
"Hmm, giant acorns, mutant reed grass, and..."
"Hm."
Not too rare.
"Totally doable."
"Yeah!"
"Then let's aim for +3 today."
Of course, after getting all 32 to +2 first.
They worked on the remaining 31, gathered +3 materials, and after two hours, had everything.
But a snag.
"Oppa."
"Yeah?"
"+3 success rate is 80%."
"Ah...!"
They used up materials, gathered more, and eventually got every squirrel to +3.
"Haa."
"Good work. Let's go."
"Yeah!"
Heading to meet Sung Min-woo, they hunted monsters, funneling all EXP to the squirrels.
Squirrel 1 (+3)'s level has risen.
Squirrel 2 (+3)'s level has risen.
Squirrel 3 (+3)'s level has risen.
Squirrel 4 (+3)'s...
Levels shot up at a blistering pace.
"What level now?"
"21."
"Nice jump."
"Yeah, super fast."
"Let's hit 40 on the way."
"Sweet!"
Ye-rin's magic damage was sky-high, so her contribution was huge.
Splitting EXP among the squirrels (excluding her) meant rapid leveling.
These monsters were level 80, after all. It looked great, but tamer life wasn't all roses.
Already tough EXP requirements got split with pets, slowing growth compared to other classes.
Weak pets made hunting hard, forcing pet-focused growth.
Main character leveling lagged even more.
A vicious cycle.
That's why EXP allocation mattered for Ye-rin.
Mu-hyuk would handle it.
"Your char level's 131, right?"
"Yeah."
"Level squirrels till Sung Min-woo hits 131."
"Got it."
A monster appeared right then.
Storm Shot, Powerful Arrow Shot.
A single arrow flew lightly.
Kieeeeeek!
The monster shrieked on hit but didn't drop.
Follow-up arrows, plus Ye-rin's spells.
As it weakened, 32 squirrels swarmed.
Tail whips, bites, paw swipes, headbutts, jumping kicks—unique attacks galore.
Fun to watch.
EXP has increased.
Easy kill.
Chit, chit-chit.
The squirrels chirped happily.
*
Late afternoon, they met Sung Min-woo.
"Why so late?"
"Ah, see the squirrels?"
"Yeah."
"Had to level them. Hunted on the way."
"I see."
Ye-rin smiled awkwardly.
"Sorry. Way too late, right?"
Sung Min-woo waved it off.
"Nah, no biggie. Even evening's fine. Totally."
"Hehe. Thanks. Oh, but."
"Yeah?"
"Drop the formal talk."
"Uh, sure?"
Sung Min-woo glanced at Mu-hyuk, who shrugged.
"It's easier that way. You're oppa's friend."
"Fair enough."
More relaxed now. But soon, Sung Min-woo whined at Mu-hyuk.
"EXP's barely moving."
"Why?"
"Still at 30%."
"That's decent."
"Decent my ass."
"Match 1.5 mil evenly. Relax. Rest, then hunt."
"Okay."
They settled in a monster-free spot.
Sung Min-woo and Mu-hyuk pulled out one-use crafting tools. Ye-rin’s eyes sparkled.
"Crafting during break?"
"Yeah."
"You two are amazing."
"Basics."
Focused crafting yielded gear fast.
"Whew, break time."
"Good."
"Squirrel levels?"
Ye-rin answered for Mu-hyuk.
"1 at tame, 57 now."
"Damn."
"Slows later."
"Yeah. Tough later on."
"Probably."
"How to hit 150?"
"No worry. All-in on char EXP."
"Ah."
Only till 150, though.
Then squirrels would grind hard.
"Rested enough?"
"Yeah!"
"Hunt again?"
They stood.
"Summon."
Mu-hyuk: 95 skeletons.
Sung Min-woo: 12 spirits.
Ye-rin: 32 squirrels.
Kee, kieeeek!
Monsters thrashed under the overwhelming numbers.
They'd be the first to feel crushed by sheer quantity.
*
Time flew.
Seasons changed; winter winds chilled.
"Finally..."
Ye-rin, Mu-hyuk, Sung Min-woo.
All hit level 150.
"Time to go?"
"Yeah."
It had been tedious. They'd scouted the ancient dungeon site often, fearing occupation.
Thankfully, still free.
"Prep first."
"Roger."
An ancient dungeon, after all.
Thorough entry prep needed.
"Skills first."
They split to find mentors.
For new skills.