Dark Fantasy Guide for the Summoner - Chapter 37

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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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Chapter 37.
Forest Shelter Ⅶ
The hunt pressed on, but to Cria’s disappointment, she found herself unable to reanimate the Anteworms as undead.
The reason was simple.
Necromancy practitioners operated under a fundamental constraint: any undead they controlled had to be lower Level than the caster themselves.
‘The Anteworms were Level 33.’
Cria, meanwhile, had barely scraped together Level 20.
Far too weak to enslave them as undead servants.
“It won’t work……”
Cria’s shoulders sagged, but there was nothing for it.
This was precisely why Necromancy practitioners needed to prioritize leveling above all else.
‘So that’s another reason to push toward Level 30.’
I’d explained this to Cria with considerable earnestness, though she didn’t seem entirely convinced.
“Watch out!”
“Ahhh! W-wait, there’s another one! Caindale, do something!”
Apart from that setback, the hunt itself proceeded smoothly.
Even though time was tight and we’d pushed harder than was strictly comfortable.
“I’m done for! Going to be crushed……!”
“Sylph……!”
Why was time tight, exactly?
A fair question. The quest itself had no time limit.
But accounting for our current food supplies, the mandatory rest and sleep we’d need, and the cumulative Fatigue and Stress that would accrue—two days seemed like an absolute ceiling.
“All right. Ten minutes rest.”
At my words, both of them collapsed where they stood.
I kept myself in a state of readiness, leaning my back against the wall and sorting through my thoughts.
“……How is this person’s stamina even real?”
“So something really is wrong. I thought all Delvers were like this…….”
“There’s no way that’s true. I went through hellish training at the monastery myself, and I’ve never been worked this hard.”
I let the party’s grumbling wash over me as I watched the Anteworm corpses gradually fade away.
‘No Seed drop again.’
We’d killed close to fifty by now, and not a single Seed had appeared. It seemed these underground monsters simply didn’t drop Seeds at all.
If so, I could interpret these high-quality experience gains as having an additional bonus baked in to compensate for the lack of currency.
‘I need to balance this carefully.’
Fast leveling was certainly tempting, but in PoP, wealth mattered just as much.
If your gear and potions weren’t up to scratch, even a high Level could get you killed in an instant.
‘Equipment, potions, lodging—and that’s not even touching the other money sinks.’
Moreover, since this Supply Route wasn’t a forest zone, I couldn’t register discoveries.
There was no way to raise my exploration rating.
‘If I get too greedy for experience and dump everything into hunting, I’ll game over for sure.’
Such was PoP, in the end.
Even the sweetest rewards concealed traps.
‘Anteworm’ Kills
25 / 33
Thankfully, even after we hit the quest threshold, the Anteworms kept respawning.
So from here on, the hunt’s duration hinged entirely on how long the party could hold out.
‘Given the time remaining, and especially their Stress levels…….’
Two days was probably the absolute maximum we could push it.
And at our current pace, we could probably take down around a hundred per day at most.
‘Level 30 isn’t happening.’
No shortcuts here, it seemed.
I looked at the two of them with a mix of regret and calculation, trying to work out if there was any angle I’d missed.
“W-what? Don’t look at us yet. We’ve got time left, don’t we? Hey. We still have time, right……?”
“Three minutes and thirty-seven seconds remaining…….”
“See!”
“…….”
They were going to struggle, clearly.
I exhaled quietly, but there was nothing to be done. Everyone has their own pace.
In PoP, if even one member hit critical Stress while everyone else was fine, you stopped hunting immediately.
“I’m going to cut down the target numbers.”
“R-really?!”
“Right. Let’s aim for a hundred.”
“……!”
At that, fire blazed up in both their eyes.
“Yeaaahhh!”
“We can do this……!”
I watched the two of them brimming with confidence and smiled inwardly.
‘Hm……’
Could I make use of this method again in the future?
First, propose an absurd target. Then, coax them into settling for a realistic one, as if you’re compromising.
‘A con artist’s trick, admittedly.’
But when the results are good, that’s all that matters.
* * *
Player: Caindale
Level: 27
Class: Summoner
Stress: 38
Stats
Strength: 10 (+3)

Agility: 10 (+4)
Endurance: 10 (+3)

Mana: 27 (+5)
Bonus Points: 0
Talent
Physical: D+

Mental: D+
Artistic: F

Intuition: D
Skills
, , , ,
Traits

I’d reached Level 27.
I hadn’t had a chance to mention it, but I’d been funneling all my bonus points into Mana.
‘An extreme training method, certainly.’
Though it wasn’t as though there was no other way to gain stat points.
Once I summoned a beast, the bonus stats it granted, combined with the additional stats from , would easily surpass any NPC of the same level.
And there was one more thing worth noting.
[You have used a Lowest-Grade Talent Gem.]
[Your body grows more resilient.]
I’d used the Talent Gem I’d obtained after defeating the shadow octopus juvenile.
And so my Physical Talent had risen to D+.
The last time I’d checked, it was D—, which meant I’d already climbed two grades.
‘Not much left until C-rank.’
Talent was a crucial factor in acquiring skills.
Once Physical reached C-rank, the range of combat techniques I could learn would expand dramatically.
That’s the threshold from which I could master intermediate-tier skills.
‘……Though crossing the D barrier won’t be easy.’
Generally speaking, this was the first wall where growth hit a ceiling.
Lowest-Grade and Low-Grade Talent Gems couldn’t push you past it—you needed at least a Mid-Grade Talent Gem.
And those were rarer than stars in the sky.
‘If all else fails, I could always buy one from the Achievement Shop.’
The Achievement Shop only allows one purchase per playthrough. It means I need to be thoughtful about how I use it.
“Good work out there.”
After meaningful growth and returning to the Shelter, Haarim handed me a tattered Map rolled up tightly.
Forest Map
You can learn the approximate locations of the Old Woodman Colony, the Spore Kingdom, the Abandoned Graveyard, and the Giant’s Arena. Additionally, you can discover a special route leading to the Forest Shelter.
I gripped the Map tight. Even for an early-game area, I hadn’t expected it to show four whole zones.
‘This means I won’t need a Guide for the next expedition.’
Finding a Guide is difficult, and locating a competent one is even harder.
Since they’re the core of any party, I prefer to take time finding talented people who meet my standards.
“How about it, guests? Would you like to rest here another day?”
We didn’t have that luxury. Rest wasn’t pressing enough.
Besides.
“I’m sorry, but we’re out of money.”
“Huh? I was planning to let you stay a day free of charge.”
“In that case, we’ll rest.”
Free changes everything.
Was this part of the quest reward? Now that I thought about it, Haarim’s gaze had turned noticeably more favorable.
Meals were separate and cost extra, but thanks to the free lodging, I’d fully restored my stamina.
“Here. Guests. Follow this path and you’ll reach the exit.”
The next day, I followed Haarim and left the Shelter.
It struck me as strange all over again.
Compasses don’t work underground, and even seasoned Guides can’t find their bearings—yet the Pashu Tribe is an exception.
“Travel safely, and if fate brings us together again, I’ll see you then. Take care.”
Haarim waved goodbye indifferently and left, while we headed toward the exit.
“Light……!”
Outside was daylight.
The place we emerged from was a root hollow beneath some enormous tree.
That’s right.
A hole carved beneath a tree—that was the entrance to the underground world.
“……Interesting. Ah, should I memorize this location?”
“No.”
It’s a trick I’ve already tried in the game.
For the record, I got this message then.
[You cannot enter further.]
[*TIP: This is an exit, not an entrance.]
Based on the message alone, the system seems to distinguish between exits and entrances.
There’s a high likelihood this applies to reality as well.
Though I should verify it properly later.
“We’re not going hunting again, are we?”
Seigrena, now topside, asked while gauging my reaction.
“Of course not.”
Hunting ends here.
Since I pushed my Level to 27 on the first expedition, I’ve already exceeded my goal. Cria’s Level is now 25, and Seigrena’s is 33.
“From now on, it’s back to healing and gathering.”
“Healing and gathering?”
“I just need to fill up my Exploration progress.”
“Ah.”
I had about thirty percent left to explore.
Heading to the Border, I could easily finish it within a week.
‘I might even manage it in three or four days if I push myself.’
Is that thinking too ambitiously?
I was considering the various scenarios when Cria, following behind, asked.
“But what’s the Border?”
“A place where two zones overlap.”
“Hmm……?”
“For example, where the Old Woodman Colony and the Spore Kingdom overlap, a special ecosystem forms. Naturally, the discoveries found there are among the highest grades.”
“I see.”
Of course, the monsters that appear there are correspondingly stronger, but at our current level, that’s not a major problem.
‘Or maybe exploring the Old Woodman Colony more thoroughly wouldn’t be bad either?’
According to the status message, the ecosystem changes, so there’s a chance I might find the First.
‘Hmm….’
But it seemed the ecosystem would need time to shift. As it did, the map’s recommended Level could spike considerably.
I’d have to save it for the next expedition.
“Found it! !”
“Is this the ? The one with a single white leaf?”
“, huh…. Ugh, it’s repulsive.”
We made steady progress, gathering specimens and crushing the occasional mushroom spawn that appeared in our path.
The greatest asset in all this was—
Shrieeeeek—!
Wizzelly, whom I’d summoned again.
For what it’s worth, Wizzelly had proven invaluable against the Anteworm as well. Thanks to that, I’d completely mastered the use of , and Wizzelly’s Level had risen considerably.
The result being….
[Discovery registered in .]
⁝
Lowest-Grade Exploration Crystal
A tool for recording the exploration map of the .
Current exploration progress: 100.0%
Time remaining: 14 days 10 hours
Against all expectations, I’d filled the entire exploration map in just three days.
“…You really did fill it all up?”
Cria spoke in a dazed voice.
Suspicion-prone creature. I shook the Exploration Crystal before her eyes and replied, “See? You can’t forge numbers like this.”
“See? You can’t forge numbers like this.”
“Ah, sorry. I wasn’t trying to doubt you. It’s just…”
Just what?
“…I’d heard that the survival rate for a new Delver’s first expedition is below thirty percent.”
“Ah. Yeah, I’ve heard that too. Though if you count the ones listed as missing, it’s apparently cut in half again from there.”
I seemed to recall such a setting existing.
“So now we head straight back to the Royal Capital?”
Cria asked, gauging my expression. From her face, I could roughly guess what was on her mind.
‘She’s curious about Cagen’s whereabouts.’
But searching for Cagen in this boundless forest was truly like finding a needle in a desert.
“First, we need to secure a .”
“A Return Point…?”
These two really knew nothing.
I explained, watching the two ignorant expressions.
“The embedded in the crystal can’t be used just anywhere. There are conditions that must be met before activating it.”
According to the setting, magic was extraordinarily delicate. It made sense—you were moving a physical body across vast distances, after all.
“Ah…. So finding that place would be its own task.”
Normally it would be. But not anymore. We had the Map now.
“Come on, follow me.”
I unfolded the Map and headed toward the Return Point.
In fact, during those days of filling in the exploration map, I’d seized every spare moment to study the Map and commit the routes to memory.
Hoping that my desired Talent might manifest.
‘Looks like won’t activate that easily after all.’
I knew the probability was nearly infinitesimal. To even marginally increase such meager odds required a high Talent—
‘A Grade-D wouldn’t stand a chance.’
I sighed and consulted the Map again.
The distance to the from our current position was roughly half a day’s journey.
The monsters we’d encounter weren’t particularly threatening, but complacency was still dangerous. In this forest, anything could happen.
Crack!
And as expected—or rather, unexpectedly—something out of the ordinary occurred.
“Gasp, pant, gasp…!”
Not a monster. A man in robes, trembling with terror and drenched in cold sweat, gasped for breath.
Yet there was something strangely familiar about that fear-twisted face.
Could this guy be…?
“Allon?”
Seigrena spoke the man’s name in a flat tone.
That’s right. The Spirit Mage from White Knight Loran’s party.
“You, you two…? How did you—”
It was obvious she was swallowing back a remark about whether he was even alive.
But in the next moment, his behavior proved far more surprising.
Thud.
Allon dropped to his knees and cried out to us.
“P-please……! Save me, I beg you!”
Cria stared at the sight in a daze, then muttered under her breath.
“Did his conscience suddenly wake up…….”
……Where did she even learn to say things like that.

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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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