Familiars Are Insanely Strong

"Amusement...?"

I stared blankly at Katarina.

The YouTuber on screen was supposed to be a top-tier A-rank class awakener.

Yet here she was, getting brutally pummeled into a bloody pulp by an orc boss—and Katarina called that amusing?

"Katarina. Does that look like child's play to your eyes?"

"Yes, my lord. I cannot fathom why you would bother watching the pathetic struggles of such lowly vermin."

She tilted her head as if genuinely puzzled, her gaze utterly calm and emotionless.

It didn't feel like bravado. She truly had no idea.

Wait... seriously?

Well, she was my first familiar, summoned via an EX-rank class skill.

Could Katarina really be strong enough to breeze through Nightmare difficulty?

"S-still... that orc seems pretty tough, doesn't it?"

"Hmm. To me, it appears utterly feeble. Though my experience pales compared to yours, my lord, so perhaps I am mistaken."

Katarina focused intently on the video again at my words.

......

What the hell does she think my level is?

I'm a freshly awakened level 1 with no proper combat skills!

I'd checked my status window earlier—skills like Bloodsuck and Embrace, but nothing for direct damage output.

In other words, my Blood Lord class was a pure summoner type. My own combat prowess was laughably pathetic.

I recalled my pitiful stats and pondered seriously.

Honestly, aren't I weaker than before awakening...?

As I silently swallowed tears of despair—

"My apologies, my lord."

Katarina, who'd been staring holes into the screen, bowed her head.

"No matter how I look, I see no strength in that creature... Might you bestow your wisdom upon this foolish servant?"

Uh...

Ugh. Well, you see... my stats are kinda trash.

I opened my mouth to confess the truth to Katarina.

I had no pride to uphold anyway—just lay it all out and play it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠safe.

But this silver-haired little one's very being seemed to outright reject any talk of my frailty.

The pathetic words wouldn't leave my lips.

"Ahem. 'Twas but a test of thine insight. Naturally, they are weaklings through and through!"

That was what tumbled out unbidden.

Katarina's eyes sparkled.

"Ah...! Such profound intent...! Then have I passed your trial?"

"...Yea, so it is."

"My lord, what an honor!!"

She sprang up and bowed ninety degrees to me.

No, what do I do about this insane bluff?

My insides were burning to a crisp.

Haa, this damned Noble Bearing skill...

In this state, confessing the truth to Katarina seemed eternally impossible.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I sighed inwardly in resignation and returned to the main topic.

"Then, canst thou conquer Nightmare difficulty?"

"Of course! Grant but your command."

Thank goodness she brimmed with confidence.

I rummaged through the Hunter Gallery announcements on my smartphone, double-checking the Tower of Trials rules just in case.

Thankfully, it permitted entry with "summons or familiars fully bound to the entrant."

Legal bus ride secured!

Outwardly poised with chin raised and arms crossed, I declared,

"Hmph. Very well. I shall verify if my servant is of any worth."

But our height difference was so vast I had to crane my neck up at her. Ow, my neck hurts.

I took a deep breath and mentally shouted into the void.

Tower of Trials, enter.

A nickname, huh...

I recalled info I'd overheard on Hunter Gallery.

Nickname changes were heavily restricted—had to choose carefully.

Can set it to private, though.

Going public was advantageous for named hunters later, but private was fine for starters if overwhelming.

I reached out my tiny hand toward the virtual keyboard—

But before my fingers touched it, my lips moved on their own.

"This one's name is True Ancestor. Origin of the great bloodline it is."

......What the hell?!

I thought Noble Bearing only mangled my speech—didn't know it'd hijack my nickname too!

True Ancestor? What True Ancestor?!

That chuunibyou reject name made me jump; I tried changing it immediately, but—

Haa...

No take-backs.

True Ancestor.

If this ever got out, how could I show my face?

Argh, screw it!! Make money first. I'll change it somehow later.

I glanced at Katarina, then firmly pressed the final red button. [Nightmare].

Honestly, I was a bit—no, very scared. But she was so confident, so I'd trust her.

The Tower allowed only one weekly visit per floor—starting easy would take forever.

After one minute, my cozy one-room vanished, replaced by a vast new space.

A colossal coliseum-style circular arena.

The exact backdrop from that YouTube video.

Tower of Trials Floor 1.

Only [level 10 or below] awakeners could enter this hunter combat tutorial.

Of course, even "tutorial" Nightmare was brutally hard—even pro A-ranks from their level 10 days would struggle.

Solid clears needed top A-rank or higher.

"KREEEEEEEK—!!"

A eardrum-shattering roar echoed through the arena.

Before me loomed the orc boss—a hundred times more grotesque and massive than on screen, red eyes blazing.

Mi-madness!! It's way bigger than on video!!

One graze from that huge club, and my frail body would turn to mincemeat in a second.

The countdown started immediately.

I was freaking out inside. Katarina, you can win, right? For real? Please handle this!

"Katarina. Show strength befitting thy master's servant."

But Noble Bearing kept me from ducking behind her—I stood ramrod straight and said that. ...Voice trembling a little.

"Understood."

Katarina bowed politely to me, then glared at the orc.

"...How dare you."

Her voice beside me chilled to ice—worlds apart from her gentle tone with me, laced with hair-raising killing intent.

The aura pouring from her was no joke.

Far beyond the faint pressure at her summoning. This was true bloodlust—even I wanted to surrender.

"Worthless beast, shrieking noisily before my lord."

3, 2, 1—.

"Pay for thy sin... with death."

Katarina slowly raised her right hand.

I squinted, watching.

Expecting some flashy magic.

But she merely flicked her finger lightly.

Snap.

BOOOOOOM——!!!

"...Huh?"

I doubted my eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the orc boss's upper body was gone.

Its masterless lower half crumpled to its knees with a thud.

Green orc blood splattered everywhere on the floor—but not a drop reached us.

I gaped, dumbfounded.

What? What just happened?

I hadn't seen a thing. Did Katarina move? Magic?

"My lord."

Immaculate, not a drop of blood or crease out of place, she knelt at my feet.

Only then did I notice: faint blood droplets dispersing from her fingertip into the air.

"I have disposed of the trash that dared oppose you."

"H-how...?"

"I shaped my blood into hundreds of bullets and launched them at high speed."

So... she just shot a bunch of blood droplets.

And that pulverized the orc's massive torso into oblivion?!

I calmed my pounding heart and looked up at the floating translucent window.

One second.

The Nightmare boss deleted in exactly one second.

Ha... haha...

I stared blankly at the barrage of system windows.

Somehow, I think...

I might've gotten a familiar that's way more broken than I realized.