Dark Fantasy Guide for the Summoner - Chapter 36

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 36.
The Shelter in the Forest Ⅵ
A Small Favor from Ha Arim of the Pashu
Rank: D
Today, like every day, Ha Arim must fulfill her duty as Shelter manager: cleaning the Supply Route. But her natural inclination toward laziness has always been her greatest obstacle….
Did the ancestors take pity on Ha Arim, standing at this crossroads between honoring her nature and fulfilling her obligations? A reasonably trustworthy visitor arrives at her Shelter.
Let us dispatch the “Antworms” in poor Ha Arim’s stead and clear the Supply Route with care.
Number of “Antworms” Defeated
0 / 33
Rewards
Ha Arim’s Trust, a Fragment of a Forest Map
‘A map? Seriously?’
Even if it’s only a partial map showing certain areas, that doesn’t diminish its value.
In PoP, a map is the kind of item you buy first no matter how expensive it is.
‘The quest rank is D.’
Our party’s average level is around twenty to thirty right now, so the difficulty is fairly high.
On top of that, I don’t yet know exactly where the Supply Route is located, nor do I know what level or strength the Antworms I need to deal with might have.
“So what should I do?”
Silence hung between us.
Still, with a map offered as a reward, I can’t bring myself to refuse.
Besides, if the quest were truly impossible to clear, she wouldn’t have offered it in the first place.
“Let me ask one thing.”
“What is it?”
“If I feel I lack the capacity mid-quest, can I abandon it?”
“Sure, I suppose. Though I’d be a little disappointed, naturally.”
“Disappointed enough not to take me on as a customer again?”
“I’m not that cold-hearted.”
So failing the quest would cost me some trust, but not enough to bar me from using the Shelter. I see.
If those are the terms….
“I’ll take it.”
There’s no reason not to.
Ha Arim smiled brightly.
“That’s the spirit.”
* * *
As I’d explained to Alto, the Shelter exists in countless numbers beneath the Eternal Forest….
Each one differs in location, managing staff, scale, effects, items for sale—everything is distinct.
‘According to the lore, there are supposedly passages connecting the Shelters to one another.’
The Supply Route is probably that network.
“Here, take this.”
Ha Arim handed me something.
I looked down to find it was a collection net.
The sort of net sized to contain insects like butterflies or dragonflies.
There was something inside it already.
Ha Arim’s Collection Net
A crude-durability collection net for storing insects. Handle with care—it breaks easily.
Currently Stored Insect
Moonlight Butterfly
Ha Arim explained, “That’s a Moonlight Butterfly. It has an instinct to be drawn only toward the light of a Moonstone once it’s fixed its memory on one. Right now it’s memorized the Moonstone at my Shelter. When it’s time to return, you just release the butterfly and follow it back. There’s no other way to get back, so don’t lose it under any circumstances, understood?”

‘I never expected such a clever mechanism.’
It was an elegant design. According to the lore, only the Pashu can navigate the underground passages—everyone else would be lost.
I’d gained new knowledge, but its practical application wasn’t particularly high. Without knowing where Moonlight Butterflies make their nests or how to store moonlight, the information was of limited value.
“Before I go, I’d like to buy a weapon too.”
“A weapon? What kind?”
“Do you happen to have a scythe?”
Ha Arim let out a derisive snort.
“We don’t sell those. Just use a sword like anyone else. What’s with the scythe? It’s all flash, no substance.”
“…….”
This is why mastering an unconventional weapon is such a lonely path. The basic problem is that finding weapons in the first place becomes incredibly difficult.

Most decent shops don’t stock them — it’s more the exception than the rule.
Though in exchange, they outperform equipment of the same tier.
“If you don’t have that, a spear or staff would work just fine.”
“I do have a spear lying around.”
“Let me see it.”
“Where did I put it…….”
Ha Arim headed toward the storage room and returned shortly with a weapon as tall as she was.
“Take a look.”
Pioneer’s Crescent Blade
Grade: Normal
A crescent-bladed polearm forged from low-quality iron. Despite its light weight, durability is poor — handle with care. The blade itself is reasonably sharp.
It was exactly what the description said — a crescent blade.
A weapon with a half-moon-shaped cutting edge affixed to the end of a shaft.
Whoosh.
I gave it a swing right away.
It certainly lacked the satisfying heft of a heavier weapon, but I doubted I’d find anything better on short notice. Besides, it was a slashing polearm, which was what I needed.
“How much?”
“Three hundred thirty thousand Seeds by surface standards.”
“……Cut me a break on that.”
“Come on. Three hundred thousand.”
Even with the discount, it was outrageously expensive.
It was excessive spending for a weapon I’d use only in passing, but I couldn’t very well face enemies empty-handed.
‘……So I’ve got maybe forty thousand Seeds left?’
My spirits sank.
The eight hundred thousand Seeds I’d scraped together so painstakingly had evaporated in an instant — which was inevitable, I supposed.
‘There’s no help for it.’
This was just how spending worked in PoP.
Still, I could take pride in the fact that I hadn’t wasted a single Seed on anything unnecessary.
“Ready to head out?”
“Yeah.”
I followed Ha Arim out of the Shelter.
Then, beyond what the game’s graphics had shown, a dark underground passage came into view.
“Wow…….”
“There’s a space this vast beneath the forest…….”
The underground tunnel, carved smooth and round as if by some enormous worm, was far wider than I’d imagined.
The ceiling receded into shadow, and the diameter must have been dozens of meters.
Of course, there were countless large and small openings scattered throughout, leading to who-knows-where.
“Stay close now.”
Ha Arim navigated this maze-like space with practiced ease.
After a few attempts to memorize the path, I realized it was pointless and simply followed behind her in silence.
“Right, we’re here. From here on, you’ll run into bugs called Antworms — just beat them down and head back. Don’t go too far. I’m off.”
Ha Arim rattled off her explanation in a rush the moment we arrived, then vanished just as quickly.
“Why’s she in such a hurry? Something urgent come up?”
“No. Probably just wants to get some rest faster.”
“Seriously?”
Seigrena, surveying the surroundings, gestured toward the grooves cut into the floor.
“What’s that?”
“Rails for a mine cart, I’d guess.”
“So where’s the mine cart?”
I pointed toward the corner with one finger.
In the poorly lit recesses, a half-destroyed mine cart lay scattered on the ground.
“Why’s it broken……?”
“Looks like it was attacked.”
“By what?”
“The things we’re about to clean up. They don’t seem like easy prey, so stay sharp.”
Cria, who had been quietly observing the surroundings, asked a question.
“Antworms, was it……? Keindale, have you fought them before?”
“No. But judging by the name, they’re probably a subspecies of Deathworms.”
Besides, thirty-three kills was a modest quota. Factoring in the quest tier, that meant each individual had considerable combat power.
I looked toward Seigrena and spoke.
“How’s your condition?”
“Well enough, but I don’t think I can afford to use Holy Opening.”
“Good. We can’t be conjuring light down here anyway.”
“Right, that’s true?”
Even without the Pashu present, we can’t break the Underground World’s rules.
Though if we’re pushed to the brink of death, there won’t be much choice.
“You pull aggro up front. As for Cria—”
“Mmm…!”
Cria looked at me with an oddly confident expression.
Her eyes burned with unusual intensity.
Oppressively so.
“Should I just incinerate them all…? Just say the word. If I raise that pyromancer’s corpse, I can wipe them all out…!”
“Summoning the pyromancer is off the table.”
“Aw.”
Of course—the flames a pyromancer conjures also create light.
When I explained this slowly to her, Cria crumpled like paper.
“No way…”
The shock on her face told me she’d been absolutely certain this would be her moment to shine.
“A-but still, what if I bring down one of them, raise it as an undead, and use that…?”
In truth, that was a necromancer’s bread-and-butter tactic—conjuring disposable undead on the battlefield to fight.
Undead like the pyromancer, stored separately in slots, were exceedingly rare.
Naturally.
Corpse grade, condition, compatibility with the necromancer—too many variables. And above all, they needed the Named attribute.
“We’ll see about that when the time comes.”
“Okay…”
Now that I think about it, our situation really is a mess. Our overall fighting power’s cut in half, at least.
But…
Rumble…!
In that instant, a powerful tremor shook the ground beneath us.
“What—what is that?!”
“Enemy. Get ready for combat.”
Moments later, a worm-like creature emerged from a hole in the earth.
[Lv. 33 ‘Ant Worm’]
So it was this thing.
It was roughly as thick as a human torso, but its length was impossible to gauge at a glance.
By my estimate, it easily stretched past ten meters.
‘Level thirty-three.’
Higher than expected, but either way, I’d need to take a direct hit to know how strong this creature really was.
“Seigrena!”
“W-wait a second. Nobody said it’d look this grotesque!”
Seigrena whined for the first time in a while.
Well, the thing did look somewhat nightmarish—its grayish skin oozed a sickly fluid that made your stomach turn.
Normally I would’ve clicked my tongue and stepped up myself, but…
“Who else is going to handle this if not you?”
“Huh…?”
“If nobody takes the front line, we won’t be able to kill it. Right now, you’re all we’ve got.”
Seigrena’s hesitation wavered, then hardened into resolve. She stepped forward.
“This is the worst!”
Right. I’m glad I checked her status window before we came down.
Name: Seigrena Montrie
Level: 31
Job: Monk
Trust with Target: 50
Stress: 49
Stats
Strength: 26

Agility: 20
Endurance: 14

Magic Power: 9
Talents
Physique: C+

Spirit: E
Art: C

Intuition: D+
Skills
Holy Opening, Consecrated Fist
Traits
Hunger for Recognition, Battle Junkie, Flexible Body
A character with the Hunger for Recognition trait is easy to manage. Show them even a little dependence and they’ll naturally deliver 120 percent or more of their potential.
Of course, mental care is a bit of a hassle.
‘And she has the Consecrated Fist skill, too.’
Consecrated Fist is an upper-tier close-combat martial art that only characters devoted to religion can learn, and it costs a fortune.
I think it took millions of Seeds minimum to master, but being a noble’s daughter, she’d acquired it as though it were nothing special.
Crack!
Where Seigrena’s fist connected, the skin dented inward before immediately springing back to shape.
The sound was like someone whipping a thick rubber tire.
[Casting skill: Wild Force.]
[Designating: Ash-flame Lizard Alto.]
I used Wild Force to borrow Alto’s Stats.
A skill like Last Ashes wouldn’t be useful against an Anteworm, but really, the extra Stats alone were enough.
This way, my physical abilities temporarily surpassed those of Level 30 Seigrena.
[Whisper of the Wind settles upon you.]
[Your body feels slightly lighter.]
After stacking on Haste—better than nothing—I launched myself upward into the air.
‘Wow.’
The tunnel ceiling rushed toward my face in an instant. Was this really my own physical strength? Experiencing it with a clear head felt surreal, but…
There was no time to marvel at feeling like a superhero. Directly below me, the Anteworm’s jaws gaped open, waiting.
I fell back down while swinging the Pioneer’s Crescent Blade underneath it.
Screeeeeeeech!
Its body severed, spraying green blood in a geyser. Clearly it was weaker against blades than blunt force.
“Uahhhhh!”
Seigrena’s body was soaked in green, but there was no helping it.
The Anteworm, for all its dramatic blood spray, still seemed full of fight.
Thrashing about like a freshly-caught live fish.
‘Troublesome thing.’
Compared to its Level, its attack power and speed were lacking, but its body seemed to have an unusual amount of durability.
In other words, this quest might turn into a war of attrition.
‘If two or more of them swarm us with the current party, it’ll be hard to manage.’
But even so—
Slice!
Keeeeeee…
Killing it wasn’t actually that difficult.
Fortunately, this one also counted as a forest monster, so the moment it died, its entire body scattered like ashes.
“I… I made it.”
Seigrena, naturally covered in that green blood, also returned to her normal appearance. The blood that had soaked her whole body vanished, and she let out a relieved sigh.
And then—
[Your Level increases.]
My Level went up?
‘Didn’t I just level up not long ago?’
How much Experience did I have? I hadn’t checked because there was so much to confirm.
I narrowed my eyes at the two of them, both gasping for breath.
“Let’s catch one more.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
We wandered the area a bit longer, and before much time had passed, another Antworm appeared—
Shrieeeek…….
This time I could see the Experience gain clearly.
‘10%.’
For a moment, I almost let out a hollow laugh.
So…… if we just catch ten of these things, we go up one Level?
‘Of course, the required Experience will grow as we Level up.’
But the increment won’t be steep until we cross into the next digit.
Which means we can maintain this pace until we reach Level 30…….
“Huff…… I’m dying here.”
“How many of these do we actually need to catch……?”
“…….”
“Keindale?”
I opened the Quest window.
‘Antworm’ Defeated Count
2 / 33
After running the numbers in my head, I spoke.
“Two hundred.”
“Eek.”
“What?”
I looked at the two of them and said it again.
“Let’s catch two hundred.”
“…….”
Their faces went pale in unison, but I felt no remorse.
It was all for their own good, after all.

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