Chapter 346 Part 1
346
The time I logged in is 6:10 AM.
I’ll immediately summon Bunraku…
Oh right, I guess he’s not here.
Well, let’s get the summoning done.
I’ll go with Obsidian, Aotsuki, Sputter, Ignis, and Chikamatsu.
After deactivating the Instant Portal, I activate the Return Home spell.
I can now select the destination.
One option is Defense Valley.
And what’s the other one?
It says Base 1…
Oh, don’t tell me…
I forgot to name the place!
I totally forgot!
But I should get going for now.
I should be able to configure that later.
「Return Home!」
My field of vision starts spinning around.
Then the landscape instantly changes into a forest.
There’s no mistaking it.
This is my secret base.
Jericho, Bunraku, Goukame, Shishiku, Modulus, and Kiyohime come to greet me.
Have there been any changes?
Let’s start with…
Trying the Portal Guard spell.
It seems that I can swap out any number of Summoned Monsters under my control and the Summoned Monsters designated as guards all at once.
Well, for now, replacing Bunraku with Chikamatsu will be enough.
Now that they’ve switched roles, I’ll have Bunraku prepare my breakfast.
Still…
Right now, there are 11 Summoned Monsters under my control here at the same time, albeit temporarily…
It’s quite a sight.
What have I been doing while waiting for my meal?
I’ve been thinking of a name.
I’m very serious about this, aren’t I?
So, what will it be?
I called this place Forest of Summons.
I know it’s not very sophisticated.
While having the meal prepared by Bunraku, I read the explanation of the Portal Guard spell.
Although the distance isn’t specified, Summoned Monsters can operate outside the effective range of the Portal.
Just like Master’s Magi Owl and Stone Golems.
And they can also gain experience points when they win battles.
They can also Level Up as a result.
But when they do, you cannot choose what their second stat increase will be.
Everything is selected automatically.
Although it doesn’t seem like this applies to Class Changes.
The interesting thing is that they can also obtain items from their battles.
However, it seems that the probability for this is quite low.
Any particular changes around here?
Part of the defensive fence has been reinforced with stone.
It looks like my Summoned Monsters were cutting stone in the wasteland on the S1W2 side.
I believe Bunraku was the one who cut the stone, while Jericho carried it here and built the reinforcement.
What about inside the shed?
Modulus seems to have been spinning thread.
There are several balls of yarn stacked up.
Wow.
It seems everyone’s been busy with all sorts of tasks.
Well then.
The meal was simply fried rice and soup.
Hmm.
What should I do?
What’s the plan for today?
What’s behind the gate between the two boulders on the border of the S3W3 Map?
I heard there are already some Guide Teams trying that place out.
According to Adele and Irina, it seems that if you clear it, you will be able to obtain resistance skills.
But since I already have some…
It doesn’t seem very meaningful.
Although there seem to be monsters that would be fun to engage in hand-to-hand combat with, the N1W6 area seems better in terms of experience points.
How about increasing our fighting power?
If it’s the N1W6 Map or the S1W6 Map, moving somewhere else won’t be that difficult.
Maybe I should take the plunge and go to the W7 Map, and spend a few days there.
How about challenging the new Map seven squares away and trying to release its Area Portal?
What are the options that I have nearby?
My four candidates for that would be the S2W5 Map, the S3W4 Map, the S4W3 Map, and the S5W2 Map, right?
Going to the sea might be a good idea as well.
If I want to add a squid to my subordinates, going to the sea is probably the way to go.
Though I’m also interested in getting a Lesser Hydra.
Let’s try to capture the map 7 squares ahead from here.
This will also help us gain experience points.
I ought to go places I haven’t seen before.
That’s what I’ll do.
I’ll change my lineup.
I recall Bunraku and summon Ninetails to replace it.
So it’s Obsidian, Ninetails, Aotsuki, Sputter, and Ignis.
This should be fine for aerial movement and exploration.
Ninetails is already comfortably seated in the front side of Aotsuki’s saddle.
Just as usual.
The weather is nice today.
It seems like you can see clearly not only in the air but also on the ground.
It’s a perfect day for exploration.
Let’s depart.
I pat Shishiko and Goukame on the head.
Jericho and Chikamatsu just stand silently, but that’s just the way they are.
What about Modulus and Kiyohime?
They’re up in the trees.
Looking at them like this, I feel sorry for the monsters around this area.
This place has become a bit of a trap, hasn’t it?
It’s risky for careless monsters.
The direction we’re heading is due west.
I used Calm Monsters, so nearby monsters won’t attack us.
But…
Is there something happening ahead to my left?
No, it’s the S2W4 map.
It’s as dark as night even during the day.
So that’s how this eternal darkness Map looks from above, huh?
There are multiple layers of cumulonimbus clouds.
I can see a lot of lightning flashing here and there.
Of course, we won’t pass through there.
I shouldn’t be taking such risks.
Although there are fewer of them on the S1W4 map, there seem to be high-Level Argentavis.
I can’t let those get away.
I’ll suspend the effect of Calm Monsters.
Let’s attack the nearby Passive Argentavis.
《【Wind Magic】 Level Up!》
《You have acquired the【Wind Magic】spell【Downburst】!》
I’ve gotten another Level Up.
And a new spell to boot.
There are more things to try out between explorations.
Well, I’m happy about this.
Should I move to the south soon?
I turn to the southwest while watching cumulonimbus clouds on the left side.
Let’s start with the aerial battles.
Pegasus Guardian Markab Lv.3
Heroic Spirit Enemy Target Active
Battle Position: Mid-Air, Ground ???
Pegasus Guardian Scheat Lv.2
Heroic Spirit Enemy Target Active
Battle Position: Mid-Air, Ground ???
Pegasus Guard Algenib Lv.10
Heroic Spirit Enemy Target Active
Battle Position: Mid-Air, Ground ???
Pegasus Guard Enif Lv.10
Heroic Spirit Enemy Target Active
Battle Position: Mid-Air, Ground ???
Wait a minute!
Is this really my first encounter?
Are these guys Pegasus Knights?
It looks like each of these is a pair of a rider and its Pegasus.
I can only see one marker for each pair.
So they’re master and servant, huh?
All of them are wielding long spears.
No, but more importantly…
Isn’t this dangerous?
It was dangerous!
We somehow managed to stay on top during this aerial battle.
Of course, this was only possible thanks to Aotsuki.
And it was probably thanks to Ninetails’ support that we were able to take down the first two horsemen with relative ease.
It was his illusions.
Several illusions of me and Aotsuki appeared.
And while the Heroic Spirits were confused, we attacked.
By the time the illusions disappeared, there were only two of them left.
However, those two remaining horsemen did put up quite a fierce fight.
They could still throw their lightning spears at us.
Their whirlwinds launch chunks of earth at us.
And there were times when lightning poured down like rain.
Resist Thunder and Void Sphere are essential.
And what when there was only one of them left?
Although it displayed great aerial maneuverability, the numerical disadvantage was clear.
Now’s a good time.
I’ll try my new spells.
「Dark Vortex!」
The Dark magic spell, Dark Vortex.
It has a simple effect.
The Heroic Spirit was engulfed in a sphere of darkness that was probably more than twice the size of the Void Sphere.
It doesn’t matter if they try to get away.
The next moment…
The sphere of darkness sucked the Heroic Spirit inside like a whirlpool.
It seems like its HP has been reduced by almost 30% in one go.
Not only that, it has been afflicted with the Darkness status abnormality.
It’s wonderful.
「Downburst!」
What about the Wind Magic spell, Downburst?
A gust of wind hits the Heroic Spirit from the sky towards the ground.
That’s it.
That’s all there is to it, but…
It’s as if it had been hit with an invisible hammer.
Amazing.
Looking at the effect, it’s similar to Gravity Prison, but this spell also deals great damage.
Its range is a problem, but it still seems usable.
The Heroic Spirit that was dropped to the ground now had less than 30% of its HP left.
Well then, time to finish it off.
「Magma Pillar!」
As the name implies, what appeared was a pillar of lava.
Red-hot lava covers the entire body of the Heroic Spirit.
This looks rough.
I find myself feeling sorry for the Heroic Spirit.
Well, we’ve finished them off, so that’s good.
My Summoned Monsters did take some damage, but this shouldn’t be a problem after I’ve healed them.
I could see this coming, though.
They left no items behind.
I think there were some types of Heroic Spirits who did leave items behind, though…
I don’t understand.
Bicorn Knight Lv.6
Demon Enemy Target Active
Battle Position: Ground ???
Bicorn Lv.10
Demon Enemy Target Active
Battle Position: Ground ???
These were at ground level.
What about the knights?
They seem to be warriors wearing a rather heavy suit of armor.
They’re wielding a long weapon.
These are large fork-like weapons with two large claws at the tip.
They’re similar to the farming tools used to collect hay.
And what are these Bicorn things?
Unicorns with two horns?
However, although their bodies look a little purple-ish, they’re actually black.
They seem to be very sturdy.
There are four of these horsemen.
Although all of their mounts have two horns, their shapes vary.
One of them has them like a cow, curving from the side of its head and protruding forward.
One of them has them like a rhino, its two straight horns lined up vertically.
One of them has them like a ram, swirling around its ears.
And the other one has them like a goat, slightly curved backwards.
There’s a certain individuality to them when seen like this.
「Rider-Horse Union!」
Now, let’s fight.
How good of an opponent are they?
This isn’t my first time chasing opponents on the ground while riding Aotsuki.
I’ve done it against Majins before.
So I don’t think these were troublesome opponents, but…
All of these guys were still as troublesome as Sleipnir Slaves.
They can use dark strips.
They also attack with fireballs and water spears.
They don’t use illusions, which makes them much easier to deal with.
And, well, I have my Void Sphere, so I don’t have to worry too much about defense.
My current lineup is Obsidian, Ninetails, Aotsuki, Sputter, and Ignis.
All of them can use area-of-effect attacks with their special abilities.
Sputter and Ignis’ lumps of earth are scattered all over the place, but…
Their attack’s ability to hinder the enemy’s movement is more effective than the damage itself.
It made it so much easier for me and Aotsuki to attack.
Well, they’re definitely hard to beat.
And they’re physically tough too.
It wasn’t until after two direct hits that they were critically injured.
I knocked a Bicorn Knight off his saddle and beat him up.
I think we endured quite well too.
But, you know…
It’s easy to charge at them from behind.
They’re only knights because they’re on horseback.
I seriously think so.
Monoceros Guardian Rosetta Nebula Lv.4
Heroic Spirit Enemy Target Active
Battle Position: Ground ???
Monoceros Guardian Plaskett Lv.3
Heroic Spirit Enemy Target Active
Battle Position: Ground ???
Monoceros Guard Outburst Lv.11
Heroic Spirit Enemy Target Active
Battle Position: Ground ???
Monoceros Guard Light Echo Lv.10
Heroic Spirit Enemy Target Active
Battle Position: Ground ???
This time it’s white horses.
They have only one horn, and their riders seem to be lightly armored warriors armed with spears, but…
Aren’t these the same as the Pegasus Guardians from earlier?
There are 4 markers.
In other words…
Although the names are different, they’re unicorns, right?
Their appearance has a very beautiful and graceful atmosphere.
But I won’t be fooled!
Back when Zangetsu was a Unicorn, what kind of fighting style did she have?
She used to be an outrageously wild horse.
Well then…
How violent will these guys be?
They’re very violent!
Ground combat against them seems quite difficult.
Their mobility is approaching that of the Sleipnir Slaves.
And yet, they boldly attack with flames.
They’re outrageous indeed.
Even Telomere wouldn’t show such flashy attacks this often.
What about getting close to them for a charge attack?
It’s still effective, but exploiting their openings is quite a difficult task.
Although Obsidian, Sputter, and Ignis were causing quite a bit of disturbance.
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
Summoner is Going
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 Hours
Thanks.