Dark Fantasy Guide for the Summoner - Chapter 54

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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 54.
Abandoned Cemetery IV
What is the single greatest cause of Game Over for users in Popop?
The developers have never released official statistics on this, but our community, Pol Ever, once ran an internal poll.
To give you the results straight:
First place: Marauders

— 246 votes
Second place: Shadows

— 211 votes
Third place: Monsters

— 198 votes
Fourth place: Ally betrayal

— 131 votes
Fifth place: Various negative traits manifesting

— 97 votes
The community has at most a few thousand users.
And fewer than a thousand people participated in the poll—
but even accounting for that, it was a fairly interesting result. Surprisingly, the monsters you encounter and fight most often ranked lower, and that made sense too.
‘Mobs stay in their designated territory no matter how strong they are.’
In other words, you don’t go anywhere near them until you’re confident you can win—so naturally there are fewer Game Overs from them.
But what about those Marauders?
They appear at random times, and their types and strength vary wildly.
‘Of course, the ones that were worst for me were the Shadows.’
Still, I always kept my guard up against Marauders too.
The reason I don’t think of the Woodman Breeding Ground expedition as anything special is the same—back then, at least I didn’t run into any Marauders or Shadows.
‘Well, that makes sense.’
The rewards from the Woodman Breeding Ground are poor, and naturally the parties roaming around there are weak too.
Anyway—
Marauders are professional bastards who kill other parties and then loot their belongings, which is naturally a high-risk endeavor.
Aside from the difficulty of the looting itself, if you’re ever caught, that’s the end.
‘Execution without exception, regardless of status, standing as a Delver, achievements, or reputation.’
In other words, for them too, looting is high risk, high reward.
“Marauders…”
While Kazen swallowed hard, I analyzed the situation.
‘Marauders could be hiding anywhere, and in front of us is a horde of undead with a Named among them, and we’re trapped in a corner besides.’
I almost laughed.
Yeah, damn it. This is what Lunatic Difficulty should be.
* * *
First, I summoned Wizely.
[Using skill: Heart to Heart Communication.]
[Designated Magical Beast, Blade Weasel ‘Wizely’, understands your intent.]
I tasked him with surveying the surroundings while issuing one special command.
“Kazen! Kria!”
Then I called out loudly, and both of them cast their spells simultaneously.
A combo of Touch of the Dead and Chain Lightning.
But.
[The enemy’s resistance is high.]
[Crowd control effects are dispelled more quickly.]
“Wh—?”
These aren’t ordinary skeletons. Like they have the ‘Elite’ prefix, they’re classified as high-tier mobs.
‘The level difference shortened the duration even more.’
In the meantime, one skeleton mage began muttering an incantation, and sharp icicles came screaming down like hail.
Laurent raised his shield to protect Kazen and Kria, while Seigerna and I defended in our own ways.
Crack—
Then, faintly, I heard the sound of a bowstring being drawn.
‘Damn.’
Did my step falter?
I should have closed the distance and put down a few of them already.
Thud-thud-thud-thud—!
A rain of arrows fell.
Rapid Shot, one of the archer-class skills.
I’d seen a woman named Reina, one of the Marauders on the Train, use the same skill once, but… there are several times more arrows now.
I knocked them aside with my scythe and dodged. My focus burned away far faster than when I was defending against the icicles.
‘If even one arrow hits me, it’s going to be a problem.’
The arrowheads were probably tipped with poison.
On top of that, our party has no healer, so every time someone gets hurt, we burn through precious Potions and medicinal herbs.
‘…… But that’s not what matters right now.’
I need to break through.
Otherwise, we might not land a single counterattack before the cascade of magic and arrows finishes us.
I was about to commit to an aggressive push, ready to bleed if I had to.
Burst!
A brilliant column of light shot up from behind, forming the shape of a cross.
[Your ally, Laurent, casts Holy Cross.]
Holy Cross.
It modestly raises the stats of nearby allies, and classes like Paladin, Monk, and Priest receive considerably greater bonuses.
In other words, a buff.
But here’s one thing—Holy Cross has a hidden effect not even listed in the skill description.
‘It inflicts a brief stun on Undead-type enemies within range.’
Was it 0.1 seconds? It was more of a skill for interrupting enemy channeling than a proper crowd-control ability, but……
In actual combat, it proved more effective than expected.
The enemy’s relentless barrage stuttered for an instant.
“Seigerna! Handle the ones in back!”
[Skill, Wild Force, casted.]
[Target designated: Ash-Flame Salamander Alto.]
I cast the skill without waiting for a response and closed the distance, my stats explosively enhanced, as I rushed at my opponent.
To be honest, this is the first time I’ve used Wild Force in the cemetery.
In a game, I’d cast it every time the cooldown was up, but reality is different.
‘Borrowed stats aren’t my real body’s capabilities.’
Assuming a long fight, I need to grow accustomed to my normal state.
Wild Force is something I use only when things are truly dangerous, or when I need to end the fight quickly.
Right now, it’s both.
Screech!
The moment I swung my scythe, the skeleton knight dropped its head.
The scythe struck the helmet instead, but with a grinding sound, half the helmet was sheared clean off. So this is what becomes possible with Wild Force.
Screeeeeee!
The half-decapitated skeletal knight shrieked horribly. I don’t know how something with vocal cords rotted to nothing manages to produce sound, but using that as a signal, skeleton creatures came rushing from both sides.
Clang!
I drove my scythe in and gripped the shaft with both hands, then kicked both creatures in the jaw with my feet. As the two staggered backward, I tensed my grip.
Crack!
I finished the one with the dangling neck, then pursued the others as they stumbled back, severing their necks in the same manner.
Poof—
As three skeleton knights crumbled into dust and scattered, I swept the area quickly. No other allies in sight, only enemies swarming everywhere.
Which means……
The environment is perfect for a new skill.
[Skill, Spirit Chaos Dance, casted.]
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack!
The moment I moved my body through the set motions, the wave of my scythe extended far beyond its normal range.
A force called Soul Power.
That’s what Carmellin calls it, at least, though no new stat was created for it—what depletes when I use it is Mana.
Screeeee—!
The skeleton horde was swept up in the wave. The clash of blades and armor, the sound of bones shattering and splitting, and the wails of the Undead formed a discordant symphony.
Seigerna arrived on the battlefield the moment chaos erupted.
“What about the other side?”
“Laurent’s got it!”
With that terse exchange, Seigerna assessed the situation and began clearing her surroundings, her gauntleted fists swinging hard.
As the Undead skulls shattered like melons, I felt a chill spread down my spine.
“Get down!”
Perhaps it was the trust we’d built through countless coordinated moves — Seigerna dropped without hesitation.
Screech—!
The moment Seigerna hit the ground, an arrow whistled past her head, clipping the spiky strand of hair that was always sticking up. She yelped.
Click—
The bowstring being drawn again.
But I heard only the sound; Ailon, the Named skeleton archer, was nowhere to be seen.
‘Camouflage.’
That’s what made this Named mob the most irritating of all.
With thick fog blanketing the ground and burial mounds scattered in every direction, Camouflage became devastatingly effective.
Even tracking the arrow’s trajectory, his mobility was too sharp — I’d lose him every time.
But…….
[……!]
I bolted in a specific direction — toward the burial mound with a single blade thrust clean through where a gravestone should have been.
As I closed in, empty air began to shimmer like heat haze, and soon the skeleton archer in his cloak materialised before me.
Cackle—!
Beside him, the Blade Weasel Wizely was dancing.
Right on cue.
I’d ordered him to locate Ailon immediately if the Marauders were nowhere nearby.
‘Wizely has stealth skills too.’
Ailon sensed my approach and nocked another arrow, but I arrived faster.
Crack!
The bow snapped in two instantly. Ailon brandished the arrow in his hand desperately, but that motion lacked the speed of a true draw.
Thud!
I seized his wrist with my left hand.
The wristbone, stripped of skin and muscle, was thin and unnaturally smooth — it made my skin crawl.
Crunch.
A firmer grip and it shattered. The moment Ailon faltered, I swung the scythe and severed his cervical spine.
[You have defeated the Named monster ‘The Solitary Archer, Ailon’.]
Ailon collapsed into bone, then crumbled to ash and scattered. In its place, a skull and a quiver clattered down.
‘Both items rarely drop.’
I hadn’t expected them to appear simultaneously.
Ailon’s arrows are tipped with poison, but that’s little use on this map. What good are poisoned arrows in a cemetery drowning in Undead?
But…….
‘If the target were human, it’d be different.’
If Marauders truly orchestrated this situation, poisoned arrows could prove quite valuable.
After securing the quiver, I glanced back — combat was still ongoing. We’d cleared the worst danger, but hardship was just beginning.
I steadied my breathing and hurled myself back into the fray.
* * *
“Hah, haah, ugh…… I’m going to die…….”
Seigerna collapsed in place, groaning. She’s prone to exaggeration, but this time I couldn’t disagree.
It really had been that brutal.
‘Thank gods the Marauders weren’t here.’
Had they been waiting nearby, we might have lost a comrade or two.
“Is anyone hurt?”
I looked around and everyone nodded no. Except one.
I looked at Kazen.
“Where’s the injury?”
“Ah. Only a slight graze on my shoulder.”
“……From what?”
“An arrow.”
Damn.
I suppressed a sigh before speaking.
“Can’t be helped. Let’s use a Potion.”
While the poison from common archers is manageable, an Elite skeleton archer’s venom is potent enough to worry about.
Even with the medicinal herbs I’d prepared, they wouldn’t do much good.
“It’s not that serious. We can’t waste five bottles of Potion on something like this……”
“That’s exactly what I bought them for. Stop arguing and hurry―”
“Let me check.”
Laurent stepped forward then. He approached the hesitant Kazen and examined the wound before placing his hand on the affected area, muttering under his breath.
“Cure.”
A pure white light rippled across the surface, then seeped into Kazen’s shoulder.
“Oh, oh……?”
“The wound won’t heal completely, but I can neutralize the poison. Though you shouldn’t overexert yourself.”
“Thank you so much!”
……I never expected him to have learned Cure as well.
It’s a skill Paladins can learn, but the acquisition efficiency shouldn’t be that good.
‘So Talent really is everything?’
In that moment, our eyes met. I gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. Laurent nodded back, then resumed watching the perimeter.
“Get some first aid done in the meantime.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Kria. Come with me for a moment.”
“Sure.”
I led Kria toward the place where Ailon had vanished.
I’d collected the Quiver, and all that remained was the skull he’d dropped. I pointed to Ailon’s skull and asked without much hope.
“Can you sense anything?”
“Just a moment……”
Kria ran her fingers across the smooth skull and nodded.
“Yes……. I can feel it.”
A soft hiss filled the air.
Dark smoke rose from Ailon’s skull, coalescing into a form.
[Where……is……this place……?]
……The form of a spirit.
‘Insane.’
I’d called it on a whim, just to see……
To think she could perform Spirit Summoning on a Named Monster on the very first try.
As expected. This girl’s Talent is genuinely monstrous.

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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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