Chapter 37: Sudden Summoning ○
Having received a white crystal orb with teleportation capabilities from Zmey, the Heaven’s Door Guardian, on the final floor of the Heaven’s Door, I teleported back to the first floor and immediately returned to the shack.
I broke down the wall I had made with Earth Magic and slipped into the room. This time, leveling up wasn’t too difficult along the way, but the final encounter was something else entirely. Although we didn’t fight, the pressure Zmey emitted was enough to drain my spirit and stamina just by being in his presence. The barrage of questions afterward was even more exhausting. It seems my body was more tired than I thought. After taking a breather in the shack, I checked my evolution options while fighting off sleepiness.
[Please select your evolution path]
・Mirage Cat
・Saber Tiger
・Sword Lion
Hmm. This time it’s either an evolution of the Assassin Cat or an evolution into a tiger or lion type… What should I do?
Alright, since I have the chance, let’s try to master the cat evolutions. The Assassin Cat is a C-rank, so the Mirage Cat should be a higher rank. Compared to Zmey, it might be a weak power-up, but I need to evolve and get stronger, even if it’s slowly.
I choose the Mirage Cat. My body is enveloped in light… and I fell asleep…
When I woke up the next morning, I checked my status:
Race: Mirage Cat (Mutant)
Name: None
Rank: A
Level: 1
HP: 604/604
MP: 705/705
Attack Power: 454
Defense Power: 434
Magic Attack Power: 736
Magic Defense Power: 726
Agility: 655
Skills:
Special Evolution
Language Comprehension
Chant Annulment
Night Vision
Telepathy New!
Item Box Lv25
Appraisal Lv25
Status Concealment Lv18
Thought Acceleration Lv26
Life Detection Lv26
Magic Detection Lv26
Hostility Detection Lv24
Danger Detection Lv23
Presence Concealment Lv18
Magic Concealment Lv18
Auto HP Recovery Lv23
Mana Auto-Recovery Lv26
Bewitchment Lv20 New!
Paralyzing Evil Eye Lv17 New!
Light Magic Lv24
Water Magic Lv28
Wind Magic Lv18
Earth Magic Lv18
Lightning Magic Lv20
Space-Time Magic Lv13
Gravity Magic Lv13
Deadly Poison Generation Lv22
Paralysis Poison Generation Lv18
Sleep Poison Generation Lv18
Confusion Poison Generation Lv18
Pain Resistance Lv19
Deadly Poison Resistance Lv22
Paralysis Resistance Lv18
Sleep Resistance Lv18
Confusion Resistance Lv18
Bewitchment Resistance Lv17
Water Resistance Lv17
Wind Resistance Lv17
Earth Resistance Lv17
Lightning Resistance Lv17
Miasma Lv17
Hardening Lv16
Lightning Cloak Lv19
Titles:
Reincarnator
Skill Collector
Evolver
Giant Killer
Assassin
Kin Slayer
Oh! It pales in comparison to Zmey’s stats, but at level 1, I’m already stronger than an A-rank monster. And I’ve gained three new skills! I need to check their effects carefully.
Well, Telepathy is something Zmey used, so I understand it. With this, I can finally communicate with other people! However, since I’m a cat, it might be difficult to have a conversation with humans… Well, there might be an opportunity somewhere, and it’s a skill that won’t hurt to have!
Next is Bewitchment. This is… hmm, this is a skill that creates illusions to confuse opponents. It seems it also has the effect of changing my appearance.
And then… Evil Eye… Come to think of it, there was a monster with a petrifying Evil Eye.
It looks like a terrifying skill… It paralyzes those who meet my gaze… That’s scary. Of course, there will be enemies that are immune depending on their level, rank, and resistances, but as my level increases, it seems like it will become a vicious skill. I have paralysis, but there must be many others.
Well, it’s been a while since I showed my face, so my regulars might be worried. I should go deliver some ingredients. Since I have the chance, I’ll use the Bewitchment skill to take on my previous black cat form. After all, the Mirage Cat’s appearance is silvery, or something like that. It reflects the surrounding scenery like a mirror, and then it wavers like a mirage, making it difficult to see. That would trouble my regulars, so I’ll show them the black cat form for now.
I had been holed up in the Underground Labyrinth for almost a month, so everyone was surprised when I showed my face. It seems they thought I had died or gone somewhere else. At the Orc Tavern, Ochcho-san almost hugged me, so I reflexively dodged, causing Ochcho-san to fall over. I’m sorry.
When I gave Leengo to the fruit shop lady, she peeled more Leengo than I gave her, so I added more Leengo to her basket on my way back.
At the orphanage, there were more people than usual, as guards had been dispatched since the kidnapping incident, but thanks to the Bewitchment skill, I was able to successfully infiltrate and make a donation. The children immediately started praying to the cat statue after finding the donation, which I thought was a bit much…
After that, I continued my carefree cat life, leveling up here and there outside the city, and healing from the shock of meeting Zmey in the Royal Capital. Then, one day, it suddenly happened.
[A being with a matching magical wavelength has cast a summoning spell. Will you respond to the summoning? Yes/No]
(??? What is this?)
As I was walking on a wall between houses, a window-like thing suddenly appeared in front of me. The text asked if I would respond to a summoning?? There were numbers next to the text, counting down from 200. So, I have to decide before it reaches 0?
I tried to appraise it, but I didn’t get much more information than the original text. All I understood was that the highest-ranked monster among those who accepted would be chosen. However, when I focused, information about the summoner faintly entered my mind.
A girl praying in a magic circle. Her light blue hair reached her shoulders, and she was kneeling with her slender white fingers intertwined. Judging by her clothes, it looked like some kind of uniform. But it wasn’t a uniform from any school in the Royal Capital.
The surroundings were blurry and unclear. When I focused on the girl again, I could see her lips moving slightly, chanting a summoning spell. Her brow was furrowed, and sweat was dripping from her forehead. She must be consuming a lot of mana; her beautiful face was contorted.
The remaining number was now below 50. What should I do? Life in the Royal Capital was fun, but I was getting a little bored, and I was thinking of going to the next city. I wanted to see more of the world and maybe find other reincarnators from my world.
(Alright, let’s take a chance and respond to the summoning!)
It’s not because the girl praying was a beautiful girl. I told myself that as I mentally said, “Yes.”
(It would be funny if someone with a higher rank than me had said yes.)
The moment the number reached 0, my vision went black. It seems I was chosen as her Summoned Beast. I don’t know what the situation is over there, so I’ll keep my Status Concealment on for now. As I thought that, I experienced a sensation of being sucked into something, like when I used the teleportation crystal.
End of Chapter 3