by Yuu Tanaka
“… I think I know where they came from.”
“Ma’am?”
“Trap Spiders and Trick Spiders have the Create Trap skill. The same goes for their evolved form, the Trickster Spiders, of course.”
Trap creation? These spiders were more dangerous than I thought! And we might have Trickster Spiders on our hands, too?
“B-but how can such a powerful monster be in a dungeon like this?”
“We got overrun by Trick Spiders, didn’t we? A Trickster Spider or two wouldn’t be out of the question.”
“Damn it! Eizell, the map!”
Cruise’s Thief began looking up possible locations where the Teleport Trap might have sent our comrades.
“Got it. They should be in a small room just ahead of here. I hope.”
Amanda grabbed Fran’s Cobra Dagger and me and sprinted; she ran faster than I could Telekinesis myself. Spiders began swarming her and I grew worried for her. Her Beloved of the Spirits skill was still on cooldown. Amanda was strong, but surely even she was no match for this horde of spiders.
“Move it.”
With a flick of her right hand, the spiders around her burst into gore. All it took was one strike, and I couldn’t even see it. How strong was she? If she had gone all out during her sparring match with Fran, she would’ve killed her in an instant.
“Fran!”
Krad followed desperately behind us. He made it to the small room a few seconds after Amanda did.
“Victor! Bart!”
But the room was empty.
“I knew it. They changed the teleport locations…”
“Shit, what do we do?!”
Cruise caught up to us. Understanding the situation, he immediately gave us our orders.
“We’ll split up to look for them. But we’ll end up killing ourselves if we spread ourselves too thin. We’ll make three search parties. Me, Eizell, and Dragon’s Roar. Rig, you’re with Eye of the Forest. Lady Amanda, I trust you can take care of yourself.”
“A-all right.”
“Let’s go!”
The adventurers left to look for their comrades. Amanda stayed, however, and rested me against a wall. She closed her eyes and seemed to be concentrating. She must’ve been using Wind Magic.
Will Telepathy work? No. She was too far away! If only I had teleportation or some skill that would guide me to her, or her to me.
Bring Fran back to me…? That might be possible. She was still under Contract even when she unequipped me. Maybe I could Summon her. I brought up my Summon list, desperately wishing that Fran’s name would be listed there.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t. However, the summon list had names I had never seen before.
Summon List:
Wolf; Grey Wolf; Brown Wolf; Red Wolf; Blue Wolf; Green Wolf; Yellow Wolf; Black Wolf; Ruby Wolf; Emerald Wolf; Thunder Wolf; Onyx Wolf.
What was this wolf party? I didn’t remember ever forming a contract with any of them. However, a wolf might be able to track her down using its sense of smell. It might be able to find her, and that was good enough for me.
I looked through each wolf’s stats and decided Onyx Wolf would be the best option. It had the strongest stats and had the skill Life Sense. All the wolves over Red had Echolocation and Enhanced Sense of Smell. The Onyx Wolf would have the best chance of finding Fran.
I didn’t see any other options, so I decided to summon it.
Summon Onyx Wolf.
I focused to put all the mana I could into summoning it—it might have been useless, but it couldn’t hurt. A gigantic magic circle appeared in mid-air, mana pouring out of it like crazy. Currents of mana flickered and danced before finally taking the shape of a wolf with black fur.
It was much bigger than I expected. I thought it would be the size of a large dog… But this thing was close to the size of a Holstein.
“Wh-what’s an Onyx Wolf doing here?” Amanda gasped in surprise.
Crap, I completely forgot about her!
The wolf was overflowing with mana and barked intimidatingly. No matter how you looked at it, the great wolf looked like a threat that needed to be put down.
“Grrr…”
Please stop. Why do you keep barking? Why do you keep releasing your mana everywhere?
Down, boy! Stop barking!
“Grrr!”
It wasn’t listening to me. Was I not getting through to it? I looked at it closer and it seemed to be in pain. What was going on?
Name: Onyx Wolf
Race: Direwolf
Status: Mana Frenzy
Level: 1
HP: 319; Magic: 213; Strength: 126; Agility: 221
Mana Frenzy… So that’s why it couldn’t stop its mana overflow! But what should I do?
Would you like to Name the Onyx Wolf?
Not now! Any name would do, right? Uhh—
Jet! That’s your new name!
I named it Jet for its jet-black fur. It also had red streaks around its mane, which reminded me of jets of flame. Which, in turn, would turn you into jet-black charcoal if you got too close. It was a good name, considering I came up with it in two seconds.
Onyx Wolf has been named Jet. It will now evolve.
Evolve? Did I do that by naming it? What about Mana Frenzy? Could someone please tell me what is going on?
The Onyx Wolf began to change shape right before my eyes, as the system voice had said.
Jet has evolved into a Darkness Wolf
“Awoooo!”
It seemed lively now. Was its Mana Frenzy gone?
Name: Jet (Darkness Wolf)
Race: Direwolf
Level: 1
HP: 451; Magic: 670; Strength: 216; Agility: 310
Skills: Shadow Resistance 8; Shadow Magic 1; Heightened Senses 10; Stealth 7; Fang Arts 5; Fang Mastery 5; Shadow Lurk 10; Shadow Walk 5; Air Hike 8; Fear 4; Vigilance 6; Conceal Presence 6; Regeneration 5; Deadly Venom Magic 1; Flash Step 5; Hush 6; Necromancy 5; Life Sense 7; Mental Resistance 6; Poison Magic 10; Echolocation 7; Roar 8; Nightshade 10; Dark Magic 10; Nightvision; Toxic Fang; Health Regen; Mana Regen; Nullify Poison; Shapeshift; Mana Manipulation
Unique Skill: Predator
Titles: Sword Clan; Great Wolf Clan
A high rank Direwolf with the ability to use Shadow Magic. Though its stats are lower than other monsters in its Threat Level, its magic and skillset are top class. Though its existence have been confirmed, live specimens are difficult to find because of its stealth-oriented skills. Threat Level C.
Crystal location: Heart
I thought the Onyx Wolf was big but the Darkness Wolf dwarfed it in comparison. The Onyx Wolf was as big as a cow, but the Darkness Wolf stood at a staggering three meters. Its golden eyes glared threateningly at anything foolish enough to challenge it. Its paws looked strong enough to knock a bear out with a swipe. Having evolved from the Onyx Wolf, its fur had an odd glimmer; it seemed to glitter like the midnight sky depending on where you were standing. Its mane had undergone an odd transformation as well. Previously red, it was now an elegant white, giving it the appearance of a husky. As someone who liked dogs, it made Jet look friendly and approachable.
According to its description, it was a C-Rank threat with a myriad of stealth-oriented skills; it reminded me of an assassin. Its magic capabilities were impressive, too. It might not be as physically strong as the Tyrant Sabertooth I fought ages ago, but it more than made up for that difference in magic.
“And it evolved?! Into a Darkness Wolf…? I’ve never seen one before. Wait, is its magic connected to Fran’s sword?”
Amanda easily saw through my plot. Well, at least she didn’t see Jet as that much of a threat now. We needed to look for Fran!
Jet, can you hear me? Raise your right paw if you can.
“Woof.”
Jet raised its right front paw.
Now your left hind leg.
“Woof.”
Good, I’m getting through to it. It also felt like I was able to feel what Jet was feeling as well.
Was it thanks to Telepathy?
Can you find Fran for me? She’s my User.
“Woof.”
Jet proceeded to sniff me to pick up Fran’s scent. It then started growling as it used its skill.
Well?
“Awooo!”
It howled, grabbed me with its mouth, and started running. Had it already spotted her? That was fast!
Am I too heavy for you?
“Urf!”
Jet’s bark sounded muffled since it was holding me in its mouth. Its large muzzle was more than enough to accommodate me. It ran through the cave at the speed of darkness.
Faster, Jet!
“Bow wow!”
We might reach Fran sooner than I thought, but were we being too careless in our rush to get to her?
“Wait, there might be traps!”
Amanda cried out from behind us. Things would turn out worse if we set off any more Teleport Traps.
Jet, keep your eyes open for any traps!
“Woof?”
You don’t need to?
Jet trotted along, paying no attention to my warnings. Its Air Hike allowed it to move in mid-air, thereby bypassing any traps that might have been in the way. Its eyes glowed as it used its Dark Magic to detect any traps along the way, hopping to and fro to avoid them all.
Jet stopped after three hundred meters.
What is it, Jet?
“Aroo?”
No, where’s Fran?
Jet left me on the floor and sat. It panted.
Now is not the time for panting.
“Ruff, ruff!”
It put its front paws on a cave wall and scratched against it. Soon, it started digging.
Is she on the other side of this wall?
“Bark!”
“Is Fran behind that thing?” Amanda approached the wall with a look of surprise. I was more surprised to see that she had actually kept up with the Direwolf. Although given her higher Agility value, I guess that was to be expected. “I got it. Tornado Lance!”
Amanda blew a hole through the wall with her Wind Magic.
A hidden passageway!
“This is why I hate this dungeon. No wonder I couldn’t find her with my wind spells earlier.”
I wondered if the other two were in there with her. I looked for her presence, but I could sense nothing but spiders waiting for us further down. Was she really in there? Uncertainty began to creep over me.
Jet, go!
“Woof!”
Jet used Air Hike to glide through the air.
There!
There she was! I could see Fran now! She was further down the passageway, fortunately, still moving. But there was one problem—
The spiders!
Fran was surrounded by a swarm of smaller spiders. As weak as each individual spiderling was, an entire army of them posed a threat.
Faster, Jet!
“Woof!”
Over here, Fran!
She couldn’t hear me. I was still too far to use Telepathy. But why wasn’t she getting out of the way? Fran would be able to hop over them with how fast she was. It was then that I noticed the two figures lying unconscious behind her. They were members of Krad’s party that had set off the Teleport Trap to begin with. She was covering for them.
Fire Javelin!
These damn spiders were more troublesome than they looked. I shot off some spells, but the nests they had set up blocked them off. My Fire Javelin couldn’t travel far enough to kill the spiders that were surrounding Fran.
She doesn’t have any skills right now!
She was no longer under the effect of Skill Sharing once she unequipped me. Trying to fight in that state was suicidal. The spiders leapt at Fran all at once to overwhelm her. They seemed impossible to dodge but Fran was somehow putting up a fight. She punched and kicked the little bastards like she was dancing. The spiderlings’ assault was unrelenting, however. They crawled up to the walls around her to prey on the two unconscious adventurers. Try as she might to punch the spiderlings out of existence, she couldn’t possibly have taken care of all of them. The spiderlings on the wall jumped onto the unconscious adventurers.
Fran, don’t be reckless! I screamed. Fran had protected the adventurers with her own body. Countless tiny fangs sank into her back. Blood flowed. Lots of it. The sight of the red stuff pouring out of her back made me to fly into a rage. Literally.
Raaaaargh!
“Awooo!”
I was seeing red now. So what if Amanda found out? I was angry at myself for being worried about such petty things. Get your priorities straight!
It had been a few minutes since we found Fran and I had spent all that time charging Telekinesis. I did it out of habit; it was a subconscious decision. I was like a swordsman who had his hand on the hilt of his sword the moment he sensed danger. Now, I had enough charge to launch myself with the Telekinetic Catapult.
But would I reach her? The spiders’ silk was quite strong. As much momentum as I could get with the Telekinetic Catapult, would I be able to pierce through the swarm of spiders and their nests? I knew enough about the strength of their carapaces and webbing by now, and I understood that I wouldn’t be able to land at Fran’s feet by mere force of the Telekinetic Catapult.
So what now?
I’ll just have to break through my limits!
I had always charged my Telekinetic Catapult to what I thought was my near absolute limit, but was that my true limit? Try as I might for a max charge, I was still subconsciously holding back for a margin of safety. I didn’t want to break myself from the recoil, but it looked like I was going to have to play dangerously today.
Break… through!
Mana ran up and down my blade. I didn’t know how much mana my blade could take. No, it wasn’t enough. I needed more power! What could I do…? I suddenly remembered the Elemental Blade skill I had learned earlier. The skill would imbue my blade with an element. I turned it on.
“Ooooh!”
Now I could charge my mana all the way!
Flames engulfed me and I glowed, red hot. It was so hot that I could feel the finer parts of my blade melting away. I caught the spiders’ attention and they turned towards me. They spat out their webbing but it was no use. Their thread evaporated long before it could reach me.
Out of my way, you goddamn spiders!
I exploded and accelerated with charges of Telekinesis. I pierced through the spiders’ tough nests like they were sheets of paper. Even the tough carapaces of the arachnids were no match for me. They turned to charcoal the instant I ran through them.
A normal Telekinetic Catapult would only go half the distance before the webbing started slowing me down. But now I was like a cannonball. I charged through the horde of spiders, disintegrating the ones who were in my immediate path, and cracking open the ones on the sides with the force of my sonic boom.
Graaah!
The sheer number of the spiderlings eventually slowed me down. Would I still be able to make it? Did I underestimate the strength of the spiders’ nests?
Come on! I’m almost there!
I was able to charge through the last of the arachnid horde, and into the small room Fran was in. It was almost as if my blade responded to my wishes. I had lost most of my momentum by then, I could only float towards Fran but at least the pesky spider nests were no longer in my way.
Get away from Fran, you eight-legged demons! Fire Arrow!
I incinerated the last of the creepy-crawlies with bolts of flame. I bombarded Fran with Healing Magic as soon as I got to her.
Heal!
I started with the cheaper spells to maintain my already deteriorating speed.
Fran!
She wasn’t responding. Her status said she was Poisoned and Stunned. To top it all off, she was low on health. I panicked, and bombarded her with Antidote and Greater Heal to top her up.
I cast Antidote on Krad’s friends just in case. They might have dragged Fran into this mess, but she had put her life
on the line to protect them. I wasn’t going to let her pain go to waste.
What happened to the other spiders?
“Aroo?”
Jet! When did you get here? Wait, did you just use Shadow Walk?!
Shadow Walk was the movement skill the Daemon had used. I had completely forgotten about it in my frenzy. How much in a panic was I? I would’ve been able to reach Fran sooner if I had ridden with Jet…
Jet stuck its muzzle in the pile of spider corpses and stuffed its cheeks. The wolf seemed to be chewing on something. A single spider leg was sticking out of its mouth, in fact. Just thinking about the cost of its food gave me a headache. I wouldn’t be able to harvest any materials out of the monster it ate, either.
Fran, Fran.
I shook Fran with Telepathy to try to wake her up.
“Huh…?”
Are you awake?
“Teacher?”
Yeah. You’re okay now.
“What about the spiders?”
All dead.
“Oh.”
I looked at her stats again. Her Sword Mastery was at Level 3. She still had Sword Arts and Spirit Manipulation, too. She didn’t have these skills when I first met her. She managed to learn new skills even when she had been equipping me.
Her titles had stayed with her during the loss of her skills. She was still a Fire Mage. Also, despite fighting barehanded, Sword Mastery still increased her fighting capabilities. That must have helped her to fend off the spiderlings.
Having gained two skills in a little over a month, I still thought her growth was unusually fast. Was it because she had been using me? Knowing the feel of high-level skills probably helped her body to accommodate.
But all those skill levels would’ve been useless if it wasn’t for Fran’s determination. She had kept fighting off the spiderlings despite being surrounded, bitten, and poisoned. If she had lost her fighting spirit for a second, they all would’ve died by now. If there was one thing I knew had grown in her, it was her willpower.
You did great.
I learned something else today. If I understood the flow of mana in an object, I could control it, roughly speaking. I could load myself with mana to the point of overcharge, although it was a double-edged sword.
