Summoning Genius of Kizen - Chapter 73

Summoning Genius of Kizen Chapter 73 The golden weekend morning after the midterm exams. Kizen's main gate was bustling with students heading down to Rochester. On one side of the main gate, carriages that had taken reservations waited in a long line. Students planning picnics to the valleys or beaches were haggling with the coachmen. While some students were excited about the upcoming happy holiday, “Ugh—seriously! What is this?!” Others, even on a weekend morning, were clinging to wild hippos on the run. Mei-rin wore a deeply distressed expression. “I must be crazy! Monster cooking recipe, my foot…!” To be in such a state on a golden weekend. Mei-rin felt like she wanted to turn back time and smack herself on the head, just as someone had suggested. The story began like this: Mei-rin and Kamibarez had pestered Simon, wanting to learn Hongpeng's monster cooking methods, so Simon sent a letter to Hongpeng. Hongpeng readily replied to the letter, informing them of the time and meeting place. And when Simon's group, having prepared, arrived at the meeting place, four hippos were grazing and roaming around. …That was all there was to it. “Hey, Mei-rin! Aren’t you in a pretty dangerous position right now?” Dick, clinging to the hippo behind her, teased her as usual, but Mei-rin retorted with a look of disdain. “I’m wearing safety shorts today, you idiot!” “Ah, you didn’t fall for it.” “Get down and see for yourself, seriously.” Growling, she glared at Dick, then subtly turned her head. Kamibarez was now hanging on with a resigned expression, and Simon, well. ‘…Annoying, only he rides well again.’ Simon was riding, his two legs wrapped around the hippo’s body, maintaining perfect balance. Only the teaching assistants rode like that; his stability was on another level. After such a strenuous time, the four finally arrived at their destination. “Haaah! Phew! Wow, that was really tough! I’m already exhausted just getting here.” Dick panted, hands on his knees. Mei-rin and Kamibarez were already lying on the grass. Only Simon stood upright, checking Hongpeng’s letter. “Let’s rest a bit, then depart immediately.” Hongpeng had said that teaching monster recipes wasn't difficult, but they needed game. So, she proposed hunting a monster called a 'Nuslark'. It was a kind of mission. According to Hongpeng, Nuslarks were an invasive species, disrupting the forests of Locke Island. They were originally inland monsters, but somehow they had entered Locke Island, and their population had exploded due to their immense appetite and reproductive rate. Hongpeng’s mission was to hunt the leader of the Nuslarks. Since they would be butchering and eating this monster after the hunt, it was important to capture the boss monster with as little damage as possible. “Ugh, no matter how I think about it, I feel like we got scammed.” Mei-rin mumbled as she sat up. Simon spoke in a gentle voice, as if to soothe her. “Professor Hongpeng must have her reasons. It’s good for us too, we can practice monster hunting.” “…That’s true.” “Simon!” Kamibarez quickly ran towards Simon. “What’s wrong, Kami?” Hiding behind Simon, she stretched out her hand with a very tense expression. “Th-there!” Simon turned his head. As if sensing human scent, three Nuslarks were lumbering closer. They had short, blunt bodies covered in teal fur, and their faces looked like a mix of a gorilla and a pig. “This is insane. Are we really going to eat something like that today?” Mei-rin made a disgusted face, and Dick chuckled. “I think it might be pretty good? Monkey meat sounds tasty.” “You’ve never eaten it!” —Grrrruuuh! The Nuslarks began to charge. ‘Ah, now that I think about it.’ Simon turned his head to look at his group members. The group, busy preparing their dark magic, looked at Simon with wide eyes, as if asking what was wrong. ‘This is the first time we’re all fighting properly together.’ During the Cyclops evaluation, there were restrictions on set positions, but today was different. It was a stage where everyone could fully combine their strengths and fight. Simon felt a strange excitement at that fact and turned his head back to the front. “I’ll start.” Simon pulled an imaginary lever. He pulled out a skeleton with a spear and another with a shield from his subspace. The shield-bearing skeleton quickly charged and clashed with a Nuslark. Thwack! The Nuslarks’ main weapons were their sharp claws and teeth. While the shield-bearer blocked the attacks, the spear-wielding skeleton circled around and thrust its spear forcefully. With a *thud!* the spearhead dug into the Nuslark’s body. But perhaps due to its tough muscles, it didn't penetrate all the way through. “Excuse me.” Just then, Dick approached with smooth movements and lightly touched the skeleton’s spear. ‘Enchant.’ The spear turned pitch black and then pierced straight through the Nuslark’s body, emerging from the other side. The monster’s eyes rolled back, and it slumped down. “Watch out~ more are coming from the sides.” “We know!” Whoosh! As Mei-rin, standing on the right, swung her arm, black flames ignited on the bodies of the Nuslarks. They writhed in pain, thrashing about. “Haa!” To Simon’s left, Kamibarez was seen firing a Blood Bullet from a kneeling position. The moment the Blood Bullet touched the Nuslark’s body, it exploded with a *bang!* and a crimson blast. It was a destructive force that shattered the monster’s upper body in a single blow. Simon also moved. He pulled out three Skeleton Archers from his subspace, and Simon himself drew the 1-gold bow he had received for free from the weapon shop. ‘Load.’ *Shhhk.* Simon and the skeletons simultaneously nocked arrows and drew their bowstrings taut. ‘Fire!’ As Simon naturally released the tension from his right hand, which held the arrow, not one but four arrows flew simultaneously. *Pababak!* (Sound of multiple impacts) They soon embedded themselves in the body of the charging Nuslark. Two in the head, two in the chest. The creature instantly died and collapsed. ‘Reload.’ *Chuk. Chujuk.* Simon and the Skeleton Archers reloaded their arrows in perfect unison. ‘Fire!’ This time, arrows flew in different directions. Nuslarks approaching through the bushes fell one by one, struck by a single arrow. “Front! More are still coming from the front!” Dick shouted. More than six Nuslarks were charging all at once from the bushes. Seeing this, Mei-rin said, “Simon! My and Kami’s firepower is enough, so focus more on tanking!” “Okay.” One of the advantages of a Summoner was the flexibility to adapt to the flow of battle. Simon put the archers back into his subspace and recalled his regular skeletons. Then, using Cross Operation, he lined up six shield-bearing skeletons in a single row. “Enchant coming in!” Dick pulled a shield from his subspace, enchanted it, and handed it to a skeleton that didn't have one. In the blink of an eye, a defensive line was completed. *Kwoong!* (Heavy impact sound) *Kwooong!* (Another heavy impact sound) The Nuslarks immediately rushed and slammed their entire bodies into the shield line. Simon gritted his teeth and maintained the formation. ‘Hold on!’ He connected to the minds of skeletons 1, 3, and 5, then immediately connected to 2, 4, and 6, repeating the cycle. Because the skeleton's defensive line would loosen in the split-second that the connection was broken, he had to constantly maintain it through Cross Operation. “…Ugh! I can’t hold on much longer!” “Pull back the skeletons now, Simon!” Simon looked up. Mei-rin, who had risen high into the sky, was gripping blazing black flames in her palm. She spun her body once and brought her arm down. <Dark Flare> *Hwaaaaaaaak!* (Sound of intense flames) Black flames fell from above the Nuslarks, causing a massive explosion. The skeletons retreated safely, unharmed by the blast. Almost perfect control. The charred ashes of the Nuslarks crumbled before the shield line. “Nice, Mei-rin!” “It’s basic.” She landed lightly on the ground, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with a smile. —Grrrruuuh! Just then, a Nuslark charged from behind her. She turned, her light blue hair fluttering. *Pweeeong!* (Sound of an explosion) Immediately, a crimson explosion erupted on the monster’s body, and it fell to its knees. Kamibarez, standing some distance away, was seen lowering her hand. “Thanks, Kami!” “You’re welcome!” Having overcome one hurdle, Simon’s group began to advance. They defeated the Nuslarks that appeared one by one, pushing deeper into the forest. Perhaps it was thanks to their performance in the Cyclops evaluation. The four’s teamwork was almost perfectly synchronized. “Phew, that’s no joke.” Dick, who had cut down a Nuslark, turned around and said. One side of the forest was stained black by Mei-rin’s firepower. “But Mei-rin, can you really use fire-elemental dark magic like that in such a dense area? What if it causes a forest fire?” “Idiot.” Mei-rin frowned as she drew a magic circle. “The flames of Jet Black Elemental Magic are artificially created, so they extinguish themselves over time.” “Ah—I see.” “So you should extinguish yourself too.” “Alright~ good rhyme!” “Ugh.” Meanwhile, Kamibarez was panting, having used too much blood. She also felt a bit anemic, her head starting to spin. “Kami. Are you okay?” Simon quickly approached and checked on her condition. Suddenly, her gaze fell to Simon’s smooth neck below his face. Her heart suddenly pounded wildly, and she felt an intense thirst. Her nose tingled, and her mouth involuntarily opened. Just once. Just once would be enough, if only she could sink her fangs into that neck and drink to her heart’s content… “Kami?” “…Hah!” Startled, she quickly backed away while sitting and covered her mouth. Simon tilted his head. “What’s wrong?” “Oh, oh, oh, it’s nothing! Just a little dizzy.” “Then let’s rest for a bit before we go.” Simon waved to Dick and Mei-rin, who were ahead, signaling a break. Both of them also felt the need to rest, so they nodded. ‘Ugh… why am I like this?’ Kamibarez buried her face in her hands. It had been almost five years since she had felt her vampire instincts. She thought she had suppressed them completely by now. But Simon kept shaking her resolve. “Kami! Are you okay?” Mei-rin ran over. Kamibarez forced a smile and said she was fine. “Hmm.” Meanwhile, Dick was examining the tracks on the ground. “There’s a high possibility that the leader Nuslark is nearby. I see many footprints much larger than typical Nuslarks. It seems it was here very recently.” “Really?” Simon pulled something large from his subspace and dropped it on the ground. It was none other than a Golem Core. “Then, while we rest, I’ll prepare a Golem. Let’s break through the forest in one go with this.” “Oh, good idea!” Simon dug a small hole in the ground with his hand and placed the Golem Core on it. He then connected his mind to the Golem Core and began to raise Jet Black. *Kkudeuk. Kkudeudeuk.* (Sounds of earth gathering) Soil began to cling to the Golem Core like a magnet. Everyone watched with curiosity as the Golem was formed, as it was their first time seeing it. *Kwoong! Kwoong!* (Heavy footsteps) Just as about a third of the Golem was completed, unusually loud footsteps were heard. Dick drew his sword and shouted, “Everyone be careful! Something’s coming this way!”