The Summoner of ■■ (30)
“...Haa.”
I deliberately exhaled, and a pure white plume of breath stretched into the air before scattering away.
May had already arrived, and the full warmth of spring had settled in everywhere else—nothing cold about it anymore. Yet this place remained bitterly frigid.
Of course it did. This was the inside of a dungeon.
“Filthy cold.”
I muttered the complaint and poured more mana into the shadows wrapping my body, shrinking the exposed surface of my skin to nothing. Whether it was the faint fire-attribute aura from the title The Burner, or simply the way I’d hardened my body with mana to raise my cold resistance, the chill was driven out in an instant.
Once the cold that had seeped into my bones finally faded, I could turn my gaze to the surroundings.
Beyond the pure white plain blanketed in freezing snow stood a jet-black spire, stark in contrast. Black smoke poured from every part of the tower, just like the breath I had exhaled moments ago, as if proving the structure itself was alive.
The moment I fixed that sight firmly in my eyes, a system notification bloomed in front of me.
Strange signs have been detected in the extreme northern polar region where not even wild animals, let alone people, can live.
Investigation of the anomaly has revealed the existence of a tower built entirely of machines, by machines.
You are an investigator commissioned by the Duchy of Adenbha to examine the tower.
To the machines here, however, you are nothing more and nothing less than an intruder.
Evade the merciless assaults of the machines and demonstrate your skill.
Mission: Uncover the true nature of the tower or silence every machine.
This is a performance-based mission. Higher achievements yield greater rewards.
“So even the missions are different for B-rank, huh...”
The last dungeon I’d entered had been boosted by the power of an evil god and had basically ended the moment the boss went down, so that one had to be treated as an exception. By comparison, this dungeon listed a whole pile of unnecessary conditions—proof that it was a proper quest-type dungeon.
The name of the place I’d entered was the Machine Tower of the Snow Country.
As I’d said, it was a B-rank dungeon. More precisely, it sat on the lower end of B-rank. Normally the higher the rank, the stronger the tendency that you had to kill the boss no matter what. This one, though, included the non-combat condition “uncover the true nature of the tower,” so the rewards were lower but clearing it was relatively easy.
Even so, the reason I’d chosen this dungeon was that it was a linked dungeon.
The original owner of the materials I’d found on the midterm island—more accurately, the A-rank dungeon boss monster that had been used as the main component for that android-looking girl—had its origins right here. Anyone who’d been reading the system so far could probably guess: the dungeons of this world were slices of other dimensions’ pasts or histories, fixed in place so you could experience that era. Because of that peculiarity, some dungeons occasionally turned out to be the future—or the past—of others.
The problem was that “past” didn’t automatically mean “weak.” Sometimes the past made enemies more troublesome or stronger; sometimes the future made them easier or weaker. This dungeon was the “past” of the A-rank dungeon mentioned in those materials.
So why was a dungeon like this inside the Academy? Because, according to Hong Su-ah, this was where you could obtain the raw materials for the Guardians the Academy used so freely. Strictly speaking, I’d overheard it on my own.
After the black mage attack last time, the Academy had posted a notice asking faculty with free hands to gather materials from this dungeon so they could increase Guardian deployment. Back then I’d figured they’d handle it themselves and hadn’t cared enough about Guardians to pay attention. Now it was different.
The merits machines brought—thinking almost like living beings despite not being alive, and possessing possibilities that outstripped ordinary life—were things I’d learned from the island materials. Just reading them made it clear the writer had taken enormous pride and attachment in machines. At first I’d dismissed him as a simple pervert for going out of his way to separate the critical core and shape it into a girl, but the philosophy (if you could call it that) and the sheer quality of the information inside were so precise and professional that even his bizarre tastes made me click my tongue.
After reading every last bit and thinking it through, I’d reached the conclusion that brought me here now.
Summoning my contracted beasts required concrete information on the individual. I couldn’t dismantle the core that ran the island, so the only option was to take the base version and add the materials I’d obtained there, then try it my own way. That was why I stood in this place.
“Haze.”
[ (ㅇ .ㅇ)) ?]
At my call the air tore open at once and a chat window with emoticons appeared. Ever since Haze had evolved into a Space Spirit, the time needed to cancel the summon had shortened the same way it had for Hive. The advantage of spirits was that if they didn’t materialize, you couldn’t see them from this side. They possessed stealth equal to their individuality—no wonder professional spirit mages were so popular.
In my case, of course, I was dumping all the annoying odd jobs on this one under the pretext of raising the levels of Spatial Manipulation and Mark. It had felt a little awkward at first, but since we were linked I got instant feedback, and as I grew used to it the gap narrowed to something manageable.
This wasn’t purely for my own laziness. As I’d said, the entire process was mainly about making Spatial Manipulation safer and more proficient. In that short span alone, the things Haze had bisected and killed could have filled a hundred-liter trash bag. Thank goodness the Academy had a supermarket that delivered packages. The delivery guy had tilted his head every time he came and gone, and by the end his face had gone deathly pale while he trembled and set the packages down—but that wasn’t my problem.
Anyway, thanks to those sacrifices the rate of accidental bisection had dropped to about twenty percent. Even after all that practice there was still a twenty-percent chance of failure, so I’d decided to target things that wouldn’t matter if they got smashed to pieces. I had to dismantle them anyway—being cut in half would probably make it easier.
I ordered Hive to release crows into the surroundings, then approached the tower. The snowy ground ahead split open and a machine mounting what was unmistakably a machine gun rose up, training its barrel on me.
<Firing authorization confirmed. Eliminating target. Barrel charge in 3, 2...>
A voice full of static, like something from an old radio, accompanied the barrel powering up and beginning to glow. But that muzzle never got the chance to spit fire.
[ ⁽⁽(੭ꐦ •̀Д•́ )੭*⁾⁾ ]
Simply because an attack had been aimed at me, Haze flew into a rage and charged. The machines’ necks and bodies were instantly sliced into three clean pieces. With the precision of Spatial Manipulation refined to eighty percent, Haze could now separate and sever space only in the desired spots—turning it into a genuine technique. Maybe, through the Link, Haze had sensed that I’d come here intending to dismantle things and had tried to leave the machines as intact as possible.
<Danger. Unknown attack confirmed to have neutralized units. Raising target threat level to maximu—zzzt!>
This time that consideration worked against us. Critical components must have been concentrated in the still-intact heads; with the connection to the bodies severed, the machines used the last flickering power to transmit information about us.
Grrrrrrrrrr...
At the same time a massive drive noise began to rumble from the distant tower. The aftershock reached even this far like an earthquake. Anyone who wasn’t a complete idiot would realize something dangerous was coming.
[ (; ･`д･´) ]
Haze looked flustered and glanced at me for cues. I tapped the chat window lightly, as if knocking, to convey that it was fine.
“I was planning to wipe them out anyway. No problem.”
What mattered was from here on. Nothing was more incompetent than starting something and then freezing up and doing nothing. The important part was how we handled the situation we’d created.
That was exactly why I hadn’t summoned anyone else besides Haze. Bihos, created around the same time, had evolved toward poison—a relatively underhanded path—and had become quiet and cautious like an assassin who valued stealth. Maybe it was the racial trait of insects; Bihos already seemed to understand what mattered most in group living.
Haze, by contrast, was a wild, unpredictable bouncy ball. In feel it was closer to Kallion before evolution. Evolution had finally given it a complete ego, so looking only at the situation it wasn’t all that different. The reaction just now, and everything else, showed it was still immature relative to the power it held. Teaching things a hundred times never really stuck in the head. Even if it remembered, when the moment came the body wouldn’t move. The surest method at times like this was direct experience burned into the body.
“You know, right?”
I didn’t need to spell out what I was thinking. After everything we’d been through, if Haze had forgotten something this simple I’d have to change my future policy. I looked down at Haze with a blank expression. Cold sweat poured from the emoticon as it frantically nodded in agreement.
The sight looked exactly like that blue sea otter from my previous life that was perfect for ruining university group projects. Since the creature had been formed from my soul, these little glimpses of the past were probably inevitable.
I narrowed my eyes slightly at the display, then shaped a shadow gauntlet and transformed it into a bow.
“We’re going.”
Hundreds of machines were already streaking toward us, trailing clouds. I rapidly constructed arrows. Haze immediately began layering its own mana and wind power onto them.
Faster than before.
Maybe because the technique had already been established once, the moment I decided to use it the arrows and bow began changing shape at high speed. The skill itself wasn’t instant; it needed a certain charge time, so a gap was inevitable—but I had more than enough ways to buy that brief window.
“Hive.”
“Cawww!!!”
At my command Hive burst from the shadows and scattered a massive flock of shadow crows like projectiles. Without the slightest delay the crows latched onto the approaching machines, obstructing their paths while rapidly stacking Subjugator. I poured the swelling mana without restraint into loading the attack.
When it felt ready I drew the string hard.
“Sonic Impact.”
The skill name left my lips and the ambient natural mana joined in to support the attack. I released the tension in my hand and loosed it.
Thwoom!
The first shockwave blasted the snow around me in every direction, exposing the bare ground. Looking at the soft earth darkened by meltwater, I unhesitatingly formed a shield, drove it into the ground to anchor it, and ducked behind it. At the same time Hive returned and melted into my shadow.
Haze had already dematerialized and fled the area. I immediately used shadows to protect my ears. The moment I counted exactly three seconds in my head, a violent storm slammed into the shield.
The force was so strong that part of the shield I’d driven into the earth crumpled and the ground began to crater. Still, it held. I’d calculated just enough power to endure, so the result was only natural.
“Not bad.”
It wasn’t just my own strength—pouring the mana boosted by Subjugator without holding back had clearly raised the quality of the power. The version I’d used last time had already felt decent, but this was enough to erase half a city. It was practically a strategic weapon.
Compared to Kallion it was still just a cute little joke, of course—but that was only when a cheat race like a dragon used it. For an ordinary citizen like me it was far too dangerous a force. I wouldn’t get cocky. The fact that I could do this meant other bastards out there could probably throw around the same level of power. The future where I might have to face enemies who used this kind of strength only looked bleaker.
“Huu!”
I shook my head once, exhaling as if to fling off the irritation and gloom. Even if I’d planned to wipe them out, this had still been excessive. At this rate I wouldn’t be able to raise the others.
Next time I used it, dialing the mana back a little would be better.
Kuoohhhhh!!!
When I released the shadows over my ears, the air that had been blasted away rushed back in, filling every direction with the roar of rough wind. The intermittent snow clouds that had been obstructing vision had all been scattered, leaving a mysterious sight of clear sky only around the city. I enjoyed the view for a moment, then checked for remaining enemies.
None of the machines that had been in the air remained. The ones that had fallen seemed too shocked to restart immediately, and even the ground units that had been heading this way were in complete chaos from the aftershock. The distant tower itself hadn’t escaped either—cracks ran through it in places, and some sections had outright collapsed. Yet at a matching speed the ruined parts were rapidly repairing themselves. Even if it was on the weaker side, it was still a proper B-rank, and maybe even material that could one day become an A-rank dungeon.
A competitive urge rose for no good reason and I almost fired an arrow at the tower just to test how far it could recover, but I held back.
“Handle the small fry yourselves. Get some practice in.”
[ (-ω-ゞ ]
I glanced once at the re-materialized Haze that had just stamped a salute of loyalty, then flicked mana from my fingers to call Growl and climbed onto its back. The one I had business with was the entity at the heart of the tower.
And honestly, I was curious.
I’d already proven that dungeon bosses could be turned into artifacts. So wouldn’t it also be possible to use the corpse to create a summon? Using the sacrificial offering function of the Book of Summoning didn’t seem completely impossible. Whether the result would go fully to a summon or not was still unknown—but even if it didn’t, I could just absorb the defeated boss into a summon I called later for another attempt.
Bang!!
The moment I forced the blocked door open with raw strength, a hail of bullets poured down from every direction as if they’d been waiting. I immediately formed a shadow shield to protect myself while Growl used Magic Armor to defend its body.
When it showed no sign of stopping I ordered Growl to move and at the same time stretched a long shadow toward one of the firing points, planting a spike trap and triggering it at once.
Kwaang!!
An explosion cut off the bullets from that side. I kicked Growl’s side in that opening; Growl responded by bursting forward and out of the kill zone. Only then could I see the enemies that had been shooting.
<Hound unit confirmed ineffective. Proceeding to next phase.>
“Huh...”
The backs of dog-shaped robots opened, revealing twin machine guns mounted there. They were clearly smaller than the earlier models, but their numbers were overwhelmingly greater.
<Initiating stalling tactics.>
With those words the screens on their faces flashed, and they charged straight at me before self-destructing. If Growl hadn’t pulled back at high speed I would have inhaled the black smoke head-on.
“Now that’s annoying.”
They were making excellent use of the advantages of being machines. As long as the main body was safe they could send infinite attacks, reading every move I could make and systematically dismantling my options. I swept my hair—scattered by the explosions—back out of my face.
Despite the words of irritation, a smile sat on my lips. The faint hope that I might be able to turn this thing into one of my summons had me thoroughly motivated.
“I’ll definitely make it.”
The collecting urge that had flared up after so long burned emotion as fuel. Not “I might make it.” I would definitely make it. If once wasn’t enough, twice more. If that still wasn’t enough, I’d repeat it until it worked.
With this I could take one more solid step toward my perfect peaceful future life. The parts I’d thought summons alone couldn’t cover would be filled for certain.
I shaped shadows. The form was optimized for dismantling machines. From coercive tools to delicate ones capable of fine disassembly, I manifested every kind of implement in shadow and fixed them at my side so I could change their shape and move them whenever I added mana.
“I know you’re watching.”
I sneered toward the CCTV-like devices monitoring the area.
“You especially—I’m definitely going to eat you.”
I raised a shadow blade and delivered the sentence. For an instant it almost looked as if the camera inside the CCTV had moved.
No matter what happened, I would kill you and turn you into my nourishment. So if you want to live, thrash around. Burn your circuits and calculate without end to stop me. Show me everything you’re capable of.
I’ll take all of that and teach you in return. You may have been the master of this place until now, but the moment I arrived that seat was already forfeit. I’ll make sure you understand it completely.
“We’re going.”
I hoped it would scheme against me in as many varied ways as possible and keep me entertained. If I got too bored I might kill it without meaning to.
Information and ingredients were the same. You extracted the most while they were still fresh and alive. So until the moment it realized its own death and calculated that it had no chance of victory, I wanted it to dance desperately for my sake.
I dismounted from Growl, gripped the blade packed full of mana, and brought it down. The image was no different from usual. I swung the sword. Even from a distance Haze layered its mana onto my shadow blade, proving that the reputation of a Space Spirit was no empty boast. How admirable.
If I simply detonated it like this the lower section of the building would be sliced clean in half. But I deliberately held the power back.
I’d only just started having fun. Ending it already would be boring.
Shhk!
There was not the slightest tremor at the tip of the freely swinging blade.
All that remained was the ceiling carved open as if drawn in half, forming a staircase-like shape, and through the breach the massive machines waiting beyond.
Heh.
Looking at that sight I couldn’t hold back a laugh. Was it because it felt like I was competing against someone? It had been a long time since I’d felt this good.