Dark Fantasy Guide for the Summoner - Chapter 34

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 34.
Forest Rest IV
Was that an effect from the summoning?
Gray-tinged Ashgray Flame erupted upward, and from within it, the lizard emerged into view.
…….
The second Magical Beast I had tamed.
Those vertical pupils, so characteristic of reptiles, were striking.
‘Cold-blooded, as they say?’
Of course, no such classification truly existed, but now that I was face-to-face with one, a chill crept down the nape of my neck.
Unsure what to say, I began with a simple courtesy.
“……How’s your body doing?”
The lizard seemed to confirm my presence, blinking slowly before speaking.
“Not badly. Apart from being a touch hungry.”
……I still can’t get used to this no matter how many times I see it.
The sheer wrongness of watching a lizard speak human words is no small thing.
It feels less like reality and more like some movie CGI.
‘I suppose I’ll have to grow accustomed to it eventually.’
I nodded and spoke.
“The Nest seems to have treated you well enough, at least.”
“Hardly comfortable. That inferior ferret kept clinging to me irritatingly the whole time.”
It was talking about Wizzely.
That one certainly had an unusual gift for sociability.
So it seems they share the same space within the Nest.
I glanced at the lizard’s stamina bar, roughly half-recovered, and opened my mouth.
“I apologize for calling you while you’re still resting, but there are several things I need to ask you. If not now, there won’t be time.”
“Hmm. What is it you’re curious about?”
Surprisingly cooperative.
Though I wish its tone were a bit better.
“First…… about the clan of Ashgray Moon.”
There were mountains of things to ask, but this was what I was most curious about.
Ashgray Moon and Frost Sun were terms I’d encountered several times while playing the game.
I’d paid them little mind back then, since Forest of Shadows was full of vague, nebulous terms like that.
‘Not anymore.’
That thought had dawned on me dimly while fighting the Black Tree and Woodman.
What if these aren’t just peripheral concepts in Forest of Shadows? What if they carry secrets that pierce through the entire worldview?
“And I’d also like you to be clearer about your own purpose and origins.”
“Impatient one, aren’t you.”
“You were the one who brought it up. You said you’d explain in detail after we slept.”
“Did I.”
That listless tone was oddly irritating.
Though I’ve managed to bring it under my control, this creature is clearly of a different disposition entirely from the ferret I’d tamed before—Wizzely.
Of course, it seems each Magical Beast has its own temperament and character.
“Still, a promise is a promise. But the explanation will take some time…… so I’d like to eat first.”
“Eat?”
“Yes. I’m hungry, so bring me food.”
…….
I’d ordered three servings of the meal, but it felt wasteful to give those precious tonics to this creature.
I tossed some jerky that was rolling around in my pocket to it.
It sniffed at the jerky and put it in its mouth—
Ptooey.
It spat it out immediately.
“Are you joking? You expect me to eat this garbage?”
“The ferret eats it just fine.”
“How dare you! Do I look like I belong in the same category as that inferior creature!”
Inferior? The ferret would be offended to hear that.
“I apologize, but right now this is all we have. I’ll treat you to a proper meal later, so make do with this for now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. A lion would starve before it grazed like cattle.”
Seems it hasn’t starved enough yet, spouting such nonsense.
Of course, if it won’t eat, I have no reason to force it.
“……Never mind the food. Let’s start with introductions, shall I? I’m Kaindel.”
“…….”
The lizard staring vacantly at me spoke up.
“Is it over?”
“Yes.”
The creature’s expression turned bewildered for a moment, but then he snorted—and curiously, flames erupted from his nostrils—before continuing.
“Well, I suppose that’s one way it could have gone. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Kaindel. I am Dialtometos Sheu Gearfurbalki. Legitimate heir to the Ashgray Moon, one born with a dragon’s heart, apostle of Baekun Hyang…… but call me whatever suits your fancy.”
Setting aside the unnecessary flourishes for now.
“Your name’s too long. I’ll call you Alto.”
“Hmph. Rude, aren’t you? Though now that I think of it, human names are laughably short. Very well. One must make allowances for cultural differences between species.”
Was this creature always this infuriating?
“That look on your face—I imagine you’re thinking: why is this Magical Beast so insufferably arrogant?”
“…….”
“A fair question, but I find myself in a position where I have no choice.”
“A position where you have no choice?”
“Indeed. To begin with, common Kaindel…… how much do you know about the classifications of Magical Beasts?”
Classifications……
I drew forth the knowledge from my memory and spoke.
“Generally speaking, they’re divided into four types: Beasts, Magical Beasts, Treasure Beasts, and Spirit Beasts, aren’t they?”
The lizard nodded.
“Correct. The creatures you Delvers encounter are typically either Beasts or Magical Beasts. Low-order beings with no real intelligence to speak of.”
By that classification, the razor-toothed weasel—Wizzely—is technically a Magical Beast too.
Is that why he’d made such a fuss about being inferior?
“Even so, you speak of your own kind that way?”
“Ridiculous. Would you humans call monkeys your kindred?”
“…….”
Are those even comparable?
I spoke with a lukewarm expression.
“Beasts are one thing, but Magical Beasts possess an intelligence that can’t be dismissed.”
There’s a term: Non-Human Sentient.
It refers to beings who, despite not being human, possess a personality worthy of being called personhood—by the standards of my old world, great apes and dolphins qualified.
The qualifying conditions were quite rigorous.
‘In this world’s terms, there would be far more.’
Just take Wizzely, whom I’ve trained, or that wolf cub from the train who had his fun at my expense.
These creatures possessed not only self-awareness but also reasoning and logic, and sometimes even patience and self-control.
“Intellectually, I grant you that. But they lack the most crucial thing of all.”
“Which is?”
Alto raised his chin with arrogant pride.
“Refinement. And culture.”
“…….”
“No matter how great the intellect, if a species cannot build its own civilization, its limits become clear. The flower of intellect is culture, and its final destination is civilization. In other words, without refinement, even the sharpest mind is nothing but a beast.”
“Is that so?”
“At least from Treasure Beasts onward, one can acknowledge them as sentient beings. Should they gather in numbers, they would certainly be capable of achieving culture.”
“Wait. Something about what you’re saying doesn’t add up. Don’t Magical Beasts grow exponentially rarer as their tier increases?”
Even Treasure Beasts are that way.
Even if I gathered every specimen in the forest, there’d be fewer than a few hundred.
‘Though I suppose that’s only natural.’
By the game’s lore, Treasure Beasts are those creatures who survive centuries and begin to manifest their own unique aura.
Monsters who rule as sovereigns even in the deeper territories of the forest.
“How are they supposed to build a culture with so few members?”
“Naturally, Treasure Beasts alone couldn’t manage it. But if a superior existence were to lend its power, it would be possible.”
A superior existence to Treasure Beasts.
‘He must mean Spirit Beasts.’
Spirit Beasts—creatures stronger than dozens of Treasure Beasts combined, which I’ve encountered fewer than ten times even playing the Forest of Shadows.
The record?
‘Six losses, three victories.’
In truth, among all the battles I’d fought in the Forest of Shadows, the Spirit Beast hunts left the deepest impression.
And from this arose a new question.
“…… Are you really sure you’re a Spirit Beast?”
“How dare you!”
Alto’s mouth fell open, and flames erupted from his entire body.
“You witness this sacred Ashgray Flame and still doubt my nature!”
“…….”
He’d delivered it with great solemnity, yet what rose before me was nothing frightening—merely a cute little matchstick flame.
“Spirit Beasts are creatures like the Qilin, the Leviathan, Krakens, or Hydras, aren’t they? I’ll grant you’re no ordinary thing, but comparing you to those monsters is a stretch.”
“Hmm……?”
Alto fixed me with a look of genuine interest.
“You speak as though you’ve seen them yourself.”
“…….”
“Well, I suppose you’re right. Your point isn’t without merit, either. Compared to those Spirit Beasts you mentioned, I am admittedly far diminished in power now……. But that is only because I have lost my strength.”
“Lost your strength?”
“I stake my reputation on it, Delver Kaindel. Should I reclaim my true power, none of those Spirit Beasts you spoke of would stand as my match. Though……. The Qilin might prove troublesome.”
“…….”
He didn’t sound like he was bluffing. Given that I’d actually fought a Qilin myself and found it the most brutal of all, his words carried weight.
“You accept it readily? So you’re not just talking big—you genuinely know these Spirit Beasts well.”
“We keep getting sidetracked. So what? What does any of this have to do with the Ashgray Moon?”
“Simple. Merely thousands of years ago, this land teemed with beings worthy of the title Spirit Beast—countless beyond reckoning. In terms a human like you could grasp, they existed in numbers sufficient to form ‘nations.'”
My head went momentarily blank.
What in the world was this creature talking about?
“That’s impossible.”
“No. It is possible. Even now I recall it clearly—my birthplace, the glorious Baekun Hyang, the brilliant civilization that graced that beautiful forest…….”
“…….”
“……Of course, not all of us back then were as strong as you might imagine. Bloodline mattered far more than raw power in those days.”
In other words…….
The average combat strength I currently attributed to Treasure Beasts would have ranked among the elite by ancient standards?
‘Only the strong would have survived to the present day. That tracks.’
By this point, I’d begun to understand why Alto had brought up this lengthy history.
“The Magical Beast nation that arose back then—was it the Ashgray Moon?”
“Yes. Impressive comprehension for a human.”
The more I listened to his rasping manner of speech, the more accustomed I grew to it.
“How did such a formidable kingdom fall? Woodmen don’t seem nearly strong enough to accomplish something like that.”
“Of course not. Those rotting timber fools are nothing but contemptible underlings.”
“Ah.”
Now that I thought about it, that made sense.
The old texts were explicit—Woodmen were designated as Sun Worshippers.
“Then you’re speaking of the Frost Sun clan?”
“Precisely.”
“Where are they now? Do they still exist in this world? Or did they nearly annihilate each other in the war against the Ashgray Moon?”
“I had hoped for that…….”
Alto exhaled slowly.
“But judging by the size of this forest, I fear not.”
“Forest? What forest all of a sudden?”
“Not ‘all of a sudden.’ Their purpose is to expand this forest endlessly until, ultimately, it swallows the entire world. The Frost Sun’s influence has reached its apex in this era, yet continues to proliferate.”
“But I haven’t come across any of them during my time in the forest.”
Alto gazed up at me steadily before he spoke.
“Is that so?”
“What?”
“Think carefully. Why do they worship the Frost Sun? What drives them to reject the common sun? Why do they relentlessly expand the forest’s reach……. The answer is simple. They do not desire sunlight strong enough to nurture life, yet neither do they wish for a world without a single shadow.”
The forest’s expansion.
The vast forest beneath the sun, and the shadows born from it.
My expression must have hardened entirely by then. The lizard’s words had pierced straight through my thoughts with such intensity.
“Could it be that the Frost Sun clan is…….”
“Yes.”
Alto nodded.
“Those beings you Delvers call the Shadow.”
Forest of Shadow.
In that instant, the game’s title echoed through my mind once more.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————