Chapter 13 - Meeting a Major NPC [1]
The Grizzlenaught didn't need a second command—it vanished from plain sight.
CRACK—!
SCHRRRIP!!
A shockwave burst through the field as the rat was torn in half mid-leap—never even getting a chance to scream. The claws of the spirit soldier tore through its body like paper. Its blood hadn't even hit the ground when system messages flashed across Gabriel's retina.
[Ding! Your summon has defeated LV10 Giant Black Rat]
[Ding! You have received 50% experience]
[Ding! You have gained +5 EP]
While the others stared at Gabriel with stunned expressions as if they were seeing a ghost, he remained focused on his system.
His eyes glowed with excitement. Not only could the spirit soldier act as a bodyguard, but it could also farm him experience and Extraction Points—without him even lifting a finger.
"This..." Gabriel clenched his fist, a small, imperceptible smile appearing on his face as he imagined an army of such red creatures and the absurd amount of Extraction Points he could acquire.
"So that's the 'someone' with him," one of the adventurers muttered, eyes glued to the Grizzlenaught with a dreamy look. He was the one who had summoned the courage to approach Gabriel.
"How did someone like him get a creature like that?" another questioned, suspicion in their voice.
"Maybe it's because he's a summoner," someone else offered, rolling their eyes like it was obvious.
"That's not true. I'm a summoner too—and even in the Summoners' Association, none of our summons look like this..."
Everyone in the hunting grounds had momentarily abandoned their tasks. All eyes were fixed on the homeless-looking adventurer.
After witnessing how the massive red creature had effortlessly dealt with their kin in a single attack, some of the Giant Black Rats scurried away in fear, while a few glared in his direction with hostility, as if he were their mortal enemy.
One of the loudmouths from earlier—the one who had said they'd swoop in to claim Gabriel's treasures if he fell—scoffed and forced a laugh.
"Tch, so what? It's just flashy smoke and mirrors. Bet it'll get destroyed with one solid hit."
Growl!
The moment he finished speaking, the Grizzlenaught slowly turned its head toward him. Those electric blue eyes locked on.
The man's voice caught in his throat. He swallowed nervously.
"I-I... I was just kidding," he stammered, visibly sweating as he staggered backward, tripping and falling on his butt.
His entire soul shook. His life flashed before his eyes. It felt as if he'd just stared into the eyes of a demon.
The Grizzlenaught turned back to Gabriel, its gaze locking with its master's.
No words were exchanged—it was naturally mute—but Gabriel could perfectly tell what his summon was thinking.
"No," he said calmly. "You can't kill him. Not with so many eyes here."
He spared the man one more glance before looking away, as if the fool were nothing more than an ant unworthy of his time or effort.
Phew!
Everyone collectively exhaled, feeling as if they'd narrowly escaped a great calamity.
"Hahaha... that was close. For a moment, I thought he'd snap and kill all of us."
"Damn, those eyes... it's like he's a cold-blooded murderer barely restraining himself."
Shortly after, Gabriel ordered the Grizzlenaught to hunt more monsters.
The beast was more than eager to obey. It immediately lunged at the nearest Giant Rat.
A blur of red collided with the creature. Before it could even squeak, a spectral claw ripped through its body, splitting it in two.
It was using its skill, [Rend]—a spectral claw attack capable of tearing through even thick walls.
While his spirit soldier hunted, Gabriel moved from corpse to corpse, collecting the mana cores left behind by the slain beasts.
"...Is there even a point in staying here anymore?" one of the adventurers sighed.
In the last twenty minutes, the red creature had moved with speed and agility unthinkable for something its two-meter height. It tore through the ranks of Giant Black Rats before anyone else could raise a weapon or chant a spell.
"At this point, he's just hoarding all the kills... tsk. I'm outta here," someone spat on the ground and stormed off.
"Same here."
One after the other, the adventurers began leaving while cursing Gabriel and his summon.
Some time later, the Grizzlenaught had eliminated all the Giant Black Rats in its line of sight. A few had fled into the forest, but chasing them down felt like a hassle—Gabriel let them be.
"Good boy," he said, stroking the Grizzlenaught's head. The beast closed its eyes in pleasure.
[Ding! You've leveled up!]
[Ding! You've leveled up!]
[Ding! You have x10 free stats]
[Ding! You have received +29 EP]
[Ding! Your pet Grizzlenaught has leveled up!]
Gabriel was thoroughly satisfied with the gains, even if he'd only leveled up twice.
'The highest monster here was just Level 10. Most were Level 4–5, so it makes sense,' he thought, his eyes gleaming. 'Anyway, I now have 36 EP to play with.'
Without hesitation, he began extracting from the monster corpses. In total, he spent about 20 EP and gained a decent boost in attributes—+10 Strength, +15 Agility, +9 Perception.
Unfortunately, the Black-Rats didn't reward Intelligence, but he wasn't too disappointed. He had also obtained some weapons, which he planned to sell, and three skills.
Looking around, Gabriel realized the hunting field was practically empty now. Fortunately, there were no adventurers around to witness the three skill scrolls, otherwise, an uproar would have ensued.
As the day grew late and he still needed to report back to the Adventurer Guild to submit his quest, Gabriel placed the treasures and two of the newly obtained skills into his inventory.
Of course, he didn't forget to collect some of the corpses to sell to the butcher. However, he soon noticed a problem—some of the bodies he had used his Talent on were decaying rapidly, eventually turning to dust.
He frowned, inspecting the original corpse of the Grizzlenaught Bear and other monsters he had extracted from. All of them had turned to dust as well.
"...I'll keep this in mind for next time. Even if the corpses vanish, I'm sure the cores, weapons, and skills alone will fetch a good price."
Moments later, Gabriel made his way back to the city—unaware of the Adventurer Guild's investigation.
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