by Japtem
Once Bat used the technique, the fight returned to the original situation.
Dunphil and Bat's Health was maintained at the same level as it was shaved away. But since Dunphil had significantly more health, it wasn't an exaggeration to say Bat was overwhelming in terms of skill.
Five minutes later, Dunphil fell into critical condition first from a slight difference in Health and his body became dyed in red. Then Dunphil let out a screeching scream as he pulled himself back. At the same time, a black air current burst from his mouth, stealing Bat's vision, and Dunphil charged in. He was trying to put up a last stand.
Ark's eyes flashed.
"Bat. Don't dodge, this is the zero situation!"
"Uohhh, die! You impudent bastard!"
Dunphil charged forward as if he'd been shot from a bow.
Rankled, Bat also came in with a charge.
"This will decide it!"
Bat ground his teeth and rushed in. When the two bats seemed like they were going to crash, Bat suddenly did a sharp curve. Dunphil, who had charged with all his strength, widened his eyes in surprise.
"Wha-what...?"
*Bang!*
Dunphil crashed into the wall. Then Bat spun around in midair and hit Dunphil on back of his head.
Finally, Dunphil, who had his Health depleted, fell to the ground fluttering like paper.
"Well done, Bat!"
Ark nodded as he sported a satisfied smile. This was the ultimate victory move that Ark had trained. Zero situation; this was Ark's code to move the opposite direction.
"Ugh, to think I really lost...."
Dunphil moaned as he crawled on the ground. Then he tried smiling to the approaching Bat.
"Huhu, you became stronger. Actually, I remembered you from the beginning. But I wanted for you to be stronger, so I was deliberately cold..."
*Bam, bam, bam!*
It seemed like Dunphil had been hoping for a scene from a youth drama.
But Bat didn't carry the slightest sense of this sentiment. Bat, who had approached with long strides, abruptly stomped on Dunphil's snout.
In the end, Dunphil disappeared without being able to squeak another word.
At that moment a message window popped up before Ark's eyes.
Player's Familiar Hatred-bearing Bat has defeated Dunphil.
You can now fuse the summon to evolve it. Please choose one familiar to be the main.
The Familiar created by the fusion evolution will have the main Familiar's stats with the auxiliary Familiar's stats after consideration.
Even though Bat had won, Dunphil had much higher stats and level than Bat. But Ark didn't hesitate to choose Bat. Stats aren't everything. Although it was not indicated with a number, the experience gained with Ark through practice and battle was worth more than ability.
Also he didn't want to give up the Hatred-bearing Bat he'd become fond of and go around with someone like Dunphil.
"Main, Hatred-Bearing Bat. Auxiliary Dunphil."
As soon as Ark's decision was made, light enveloped Bat's body. And as the body steadily changed, it became endowed with a human form.
With a black mantle and slicked back hair was a boy over 10 years of age.
He was like a boy going to a Halloween party dressed as Dracula. That made him give off the feeling of cuteness overall, but the sharply raised eyebrows made his expression quite fierce.
The Familiar's fusion evolution has finished in success.
After fusing with Dunphil, Hatred-bearing Bat has been promoted to a low-ranking Vampire clan. With the mighty will to control the whole Netherworld, he has received the name Dedric. Therefore, Dedric earned low-ranking noble status in the Netherworld and has gained the right to bear an artifact.
Lancel's Sword is now Dedric's artifact.
By using Lancel's Sword, a 10% collaboration attack bonus will be added. Because you have come to possess the artifact, an additional skill has formed in Dedric.
Dedric
A resident of the Netherworld with a lightning fast ascension to a low-rank Vampire within the race of Vampires. As a self-made Familiar, he is prideful and dislikes humiliation.
As an effect of becoming a Vampire, if it is not in a dungeon he cannot turn into a Vampire during the day. In Bat form as well, he receives a 30% reduction in stats when under the sun.
Race
Demonic
Alignment
Dark
Ranking
Low Class
Health
250 (+200)
Loyalty
43 (-25)
Strength
25 (+15)
Agility
40 (+15)
Stamina
35 (+15)
Wisdom
15 (+15)
Intelligence
55 (+15)
Luck
15 (+15)
* Can turn into Human or Bat naturally.
* Dark Dash can be used.
Exhales darkness to temporarily turn enemies into dark status, then uses a low-class charge to inflict damage.
Mana cost: 30
'Oh, isn't this pretty useful?'
Every stat had dramatically risen.
If he calculated the general stats, they came out to be around level 27. At Nodelesse it had been around level 18 after stuffing it with food, so in an instant the level had risen by about 9 levels. And he had also learned a new skill. It seemed to be the saved move that Dunphil had used.
Because the Vampire affinity appeared there was a penalty, but overall it was satisfactory growth. But there was one thing that bothered him.
All stats had risen, but only Loyalty had a -25 penalty. He was soon able to confirm that effect.
"Bat, good job."
"Bat? Who is that?"
"What?"
"Huu, listen well. I am no longer the Bat you know. I am the noble of the Netherworld, Dedric. Until now you hit and tortured me with food as you desired, but I will no longer bear with it."
Ark's expression twisted strangely.
Listening to him, it didn't seem as if he had forgotten about the time he was Bat. In other words, just because he became a bit stronger, he was defying his master.
Ark was furious. He worked hard to feed his familiars and even trained them. Is that all? He had chosen Bat instead of Dunphil who had better abilities. But the first thing he did was mutiny.
Ark's voice became cold. "So?"
"Of course, I'm not saying I'll reject you outright. My station may have risen, but the fact that you are my master has not changed. However, I flatly refuse to be used as a food test subject. Of course I want to grow, so I will eat, but I will make my decision after seeing the food's condition. This is my obvious right."
Your right?" Ark laughed.
It seemed he was able to use quite difficult words because of his increased intelligence. What should he call this? It was very regrettable.
Why couldn't this guy remember what kind of owner his master was even though he'd become smarter than when he was Bat? That once Ark put his mind to stepping on someone, he didn't stop at a suitable level.
'It seems there is a need to clearly show the Familiars their subservient relationship with me.'
Ark quickly stood up and started to kick Dedric without warning.
Even if he did evolve, he was only about level 27; as he took Ark's kicks, his Health dropped steadily.
Dedric who rolled on the floor screamed in fright.
"Let's-let's talk! This is violence!"
"Didn't you know? I like violence."
"I-I'm a child! This is child abuse!"
"Even so, you've gotta get hit if you do something worth a beating. Wicked kids are a problem of society."
Ark kept stepping on him to the point that it seemed he was overdoing it. In the end, Dedric's Health hit rock bottom and was force recalled.
Skull's and Snake's eyes widened at Ark's sudden change in appearance.
Ark spoke while having soft smile.<
br />
Ark spoke with a soft smile. "Don't worry, you haven't done anything wrong. But ones who defy me just because they grew a bit will be beaten. Of course you guys are kind, this will never happen with you guys, right?"
Although he talked with smile, there was a cold atmosphere.
Skull and Snake immediately nodded.
Ark immersed himself in hunting with Skull like nothing happened. For witnessing Dedric's misery, Skull worked even harder in fights. If it felt Ark was in danger, it didn't even hesitate to become Ark's shield. It seemed Skull wanted to show Ark that it was different from Dedric.
Ark gave this Skull delicious food and was affectionate. But it was different for Dedric. Ark summoned Dedric after 24 hours had passed and stepped on him without saying a word.
"Waah, st-stop, I was wrong, I won't do it again!"
"Once a traitor, always a traitor."
After repeating this 3~4 times, Dedric got on to its hands and knees immediately to beg after being summoned.
"Wah, ma-master, I'm sorry! I lost my mind for a bit and just joked once!"
But Ark didn't even pretend to listen and stepped on him without mercy.
If you cut some slack to those who've wronged you once, they're sure to try and crawl all over you. Kids that have grown up without manners, are mostly like that because their parents are indecisive.
Just as pets might try to bite their master if not trained at an early age, when teaching manners you must make sure the seeds are sown deeply.
Ark was planning on stepping on him like this until they got out of the dungeon at the very least.
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Soul Caretaker
"Snake, pack them up."
When Ark pointed to the items gathered at his feet, Snake extended its tongue and swallowed it all. The trash piles that were swept in with the torrent were fairly profitable. Various kinds of seaweed, Merpeople items, recovery potions, Pearls and other random drops. Thanks to that, the bag he had completely emptied in Nodelesse had become quite hefty.
An exceptional amount of monsters had been guarding the pile of junk, but now, even if 5 or 6 of the dungeon's monsters rushed him, he could easily defeat them.
The advantage of a Dark Walker's Dark attribute was the stat increases, which allowed him to pose to be a higher level than he actually was, and thanks to it, he could gain additional EXP from defeating monsters at least 5 levels higher than himself with the same amount of effort. The applied additional EXP was 10% per 5 levels. The monsters he encountered in Gallic's stomach were on average, 10 levels higher.
The additional EXP was a whopping 20%! To maximize the effect, Ark only slept for 2 hours a day and worked hard to level up. Thanks to this, Ark's level increased by another 10 in a week.
"Status window."
Character Name
Ark
Race
Human
Alignment
Good +50
Fame
520
Level
62
Profession
Dark Walker
Title
Cat Knight, Caretaker
Health
1,305
Mana
730 (+100)
Spiritual Power
100
Strength
176
Agility
196 (+17)
Stamina
246
Wisdom
25
Intelligence
141
Luck
41
Flexibility
14
Affection
18
Art of Communication
18
Special Stat: Knowledge of Ancient Relics
35
Equipment Effects
Black Bear Mouse Leather Armor: Agility +2, Frost Resistance +20
Cat Paws: Attack Speed +10%, Agility +15, Critical Hit Rate +10%
Crystal Golem's Head: Mana +100
*All abilities will increase by 20% in the dark.
* You have the ability to hide in the darkness (Duration time 10 minutes. Cancelled if you get into combat).
* Resistance Fear, Darkness, Blind, and Charm spells is increased by 50%.
*You can bring out the true abilities from all types of tools.
Thanks to steadily raising his Stamina, his Health was now over 1,300. With the 100 additional Mana from the Crystal Golem's Head, his Mana was 830! It was enough to use Dark Blade 8 times consecutively if he didn't use his Familiars.
Since his level passed 60, his hunting efficiency decreased because he was no longer able to receive 10% additional EXP.
"I didn't notice when the bonus was there, but when it disappeared, it doesn't seem like the experience is increasing. Well, since my level rose enough and the bag is almost full, it should be about time to start finishing the quest."
He still hadn't found a clue about the quest.
The White Whale's stomach was far more complicated than he expected. The long passageway was straight for the most part, but if he strayed a little it soon became a maze-like terrain. The phlegmy cell-like walls twisted and tangled, and there were places looking exactly alike no matter where he went. Some areas activated traps such as acid one from the stomach.
At first, everything was interesting, but after a week had passed, the dungeon covered in dark red flesh began to be stifling and suffocating.
'Anyway, I need to find the place where I can end the quest.'
Ark walked forward.
Ark could approximately guess where the place related to the quest was located.
He had thoroughly combed through the lair for a week, but the sole place Ark hadn't gone to was the lair of the Great Worms.
Ark had avoided fights with the worms to the best of his ability so far. But now, Ark was also level 62. With the additional bonus of the darkness attribute, he was at a level where he can somehow fight them.
Ark passed through the narrow passageway and came to a wide area. In a plaza-like space covered in red membrane, scores of worms were squirming.
Ark took out his pot, boiled soup, and drank it.
Spicy Flavor Seafood Soup
Health +100, Attack and Defense increased by 20% for 30 minutes.
The Seafood Soup, which could only be made once Survival Cooking reached Intermediate, had the best effects out of all the food Ark learned. In addition, it didn't have the aftereffects that normally goes hand-in-hand with good effects. But it required relatively rare seaweed and shellfish, so he couldn't eat it often.
Energy rose after drinking the soup. After also feeding Skull, he lured the worms one by one.
Even though he'd raised his level and was even enjoying the effects of the soup, the worm felt as strong as ever.
If Dedric would turn into a bat and draw its attention, it'd be much easier. After fighting difficult enemies without him, Ark came to know how much of big a help Dedric had been. But no matter how regrettable it was, he had no desire to use a Familiar who wouldn't listen. Dedric still needed to have his behavior corrected.
'Although its stats grew a lot while Dedric is being locked up...'
Skull had now grown to level 20, but its usefulness was still much lower compared to Dedric. Its movements were slower than Dedric, and it often ran about in confusion when the battle started because it wasn't smart. Moreover, its stats also rose in the wrong places, such as Wisdom or Luck, so its Stamina was low. If the opponent was the worm, it'd be hard for Skull to withstand one or two hits.
However, Skull had endless loyalty.
When Ark was in the worst-case scenario, Skull died for him without hesitation. Users actually don't feel pain when taking a hit. However, it was set so NPCs or monsters felt pain equal to reality and possessed fear of death.
It was the same reason why Dedric was getting beaten up by Ark and suffering. But no matter how well trained the pet or Familiar was, the
re were almost no cases where they would die in their master's place.
It was only possible because Skull was dull and had strong loyalty.
'Skull is my additional health.'
Skull's real role was to die for Ark in the worst situation.
Skull also understood its role. If Ark's Health fell below 10%, Skull went in front of him without any orders. Then, with his stats raised significantly by the Indomitable and Undying, Ark let loose a Counter Attack or Dark Blade at the worm and killed it.
Skull also barely endured one or two hits.
If the critical hit or Dark Blade missed by some chance, then Skull would be inevitably force recalled. However, thanks to the experience Ark had gained underwater, the precision of his techniques had risen enormously and skill failure was very low.
The first time is always difficult.
'The worm has strong attack power, but its attack method is a repetition of a simple pattern.'
After killing a few worms, he got the hang of it. He just barely won against the first two, but as he kept fighting, he had more Health left. Later, he was able to win with at least 30% Health left.
'If the worm was not a large monster, I could probably defeat two of them at once.'
A large monster had the ability to cancel many kinds of additional effects with a high probability. If not for that, it would be possible to fight several of them with consecutive kicks and sword strikes, similar to what he did with the Crabs or Sharkmen.
Using the same method, all the worms were defeated in a span of half a day of hunting.
"You did well."
As Ark patted his head, Skull rolled around to show its happiness. Skull became a more praiseworthy rascal in Ark's eyes.
Even though he'd almost died a few times, if Ark patted it on the head once, it'd be completely okay. As Ark gazed proudly at Skull, Snake glared at Skull with a nasty look. It was something he'd found out just recently, but since Snake thought of Ark as its parent, it was especially prone to jealousy. If Ark favored another Familiar for even a moment, it would soon grow sulky, wrap itself around Ark, and behave annoyingly.