Translator: Cryus　Editor: Weasalopes

《You have received 2 friend messages.》

The system message appeared when I logged in.
One of the messages is from Adele, and the other is from Lambda.

I"m summoning Bunraku to get him to make breakfast. I"ll read the messages while waiting for the food.

『I"ve summoned one more wolf! I"m calling it O-chan! U-chan is leveling up very well!』

Attached to the message is a screenshot of Adele hugging her new wolf.
She"s also being sandwiched by her tiger and her first wolf.
She"s really enjoying herself.
I won"t comment about it.

『I"m pursuing some PK players right now. I managed to use a sleeper hold to finish off the 7th one, but I killed 4 of them instantly. I"m doing my best.』

His PKK rate is increasing.
That"s great.
But it"s not like he"s fighting Snow Apes.
Though it looks like he"s aware that it"s difficult to hold back.
He needs more practical experience.

I"ll send short replies to both messages.
Good luck, both of you.

Ah.
It looks like breakfast is ready.
I provided Blitz Thigh Meat and 2 stalks of Paingra.s.s.
I wonder how he cooked them.
I left the cooking to Bunraku, so I"m curious.

He made some roast thigh meat and a side of Paingra.s.s Soup.
There are some thin slices of thigh meat in the soup.
Delicious.
There"s not much fat in it, but the meat is tasty.

I tidy up the tent and step outside, getting ready to summon a monster.
There are so many parties around the shrine.
It"s like they"ve set up a defensive perimeter.
It"s gotten really crowded.

But it"s good in a way.
If they stray too far from the shrine, there"s a possibility that they"ll get wiped out.
But there should be no problem given their current lineup.
Since there are many parties around here, they can deal with multiple groups of monsters.
As long as they don"t fight among themselves, that is.

Fighting monsters here is going to be a pain, so I"ll head out.
The forked path leading to the mountaintop would be a good hunting spot.
Not many players would visit that place.
And if things get bad, I can follow the path and run into the forest dungeon.
I"ll hunt monsters on the way there.

I"m recalling Bunraku.
I"m summoning Volff, Zangetsu, Helix, and Obsidian for my team.
Alright.
Let"s go hunting.

I tried a few defensive spells with Steam Mist.
Fire Wall isn"t very effective.
I can"t kill monsters that are charging full speed with that spell.
But the monsters in the rear of the group won"t charge towards me.
It looks like they"re a little afraid of the heat.
I think Wind Shield and Water Shield are the better ones.

I still haven"t learned the defensive spells for Light and Dark Magic though.
I have a spell that could serve as a subst.i.tute for Steam Mist.
It"s Dark Field.
I tried using it, but it wasn"t really effective either.

It completely stopped the monsters from charging in.
They either stopped moving or ran in a different direction.
Sometimes, they even became Pa.s.sive and ran away.
I"ll just have to stick with the spell combo that I already have.

Next, I tried various AOE spells to deal with the monsters that made it past my defensive spells.
I could attack them before they make it past the wall, but I found that my spells did more damage when they hit the enemy just as they got past.
The tradeoff is that I don"t get to use my rod as often, but I prefer the more efficient method.

The AOE Light spell is Light Explosion.
Dark Explosion is the AOE Dark spell.
I also have the AOE Fire spell, Fire Storm.
The Wind version, Storm Wave
The Earth AOE is Gravel Blast.
And finally, I have Aqua Slash, the AOE Water spell.

All of them are pretty effective.
I guess it"s better to say that there are advantages and disadvantages for each spell.
But I"m not too concerned about the disadvantages.
Volff and my Monster Summons will take care of the monsters that survive.

I finally reached the forked path leading to the peak of the mountains.
I ended up wiping out each group of Snow Apes and Black Bears that I encountered.
I have a good view of the plains from this height.
Helix can easily spot any activity of the monsters here, which gives me the advantage of adapting to the situation.

I"m recalling Volff, Zangetsu, and Obsidian.
I"m summoning Jericho, Bunraku, and Goki in their places.
We"re staying on the higher ground.
It"ll be more efficient for Bunraku to fire his arrows.
I"ll have Goki fight in the front.
Hmm…
Should I have bought another bow for Goki?
Oh well. I"m sure it"s going to be fine today.

I used Call Monster on Snow Apes and Black Bears while killing them one at a time.
We have the advantage of the higher ground.
Gravity is helping the arrows do more damage, after all.
Hunting monsters has never been more efficient.
It was really easy.

Seriously, why didn"t I think of this sooner?
I don"t even need to use AOE spells to deal with the monsters that manage to get past my defensive spells.
I"ll buy another bow later.
Having this much equipment is filling up my《Item Box》.
It"ll definitely be easier on me when I get more s.p.a.ce from leveling up.
My《Item Box》is also getting full thanks to the skins that are piling up.
One of my two boxes are almost full already.

There"s a monster.
It"s coming from behind.
We didn"t get ambushed thanks to Helix.
But I guess our position wasn"t perfect after all.

Abominable Snowman　Lv. ???
???　???

Oh no.
It"s definitely stronger than us.
And it has an advantageous position.
Of course, I"ve never seen this monster before.
Even though it"s alone, I don"t know just how strong it is.
I continue to observe it without making any moves.

To describe it simply, it"s a gorilla that"s standing straight.
But it has thick and long white hair all over its body.
Only its face, fists, and legs from the ankle to the foot are visible.
The skin on those parts is black.

It"s tall.
It"s definitely more than 2m tall.
It"s bulky too.
Even though its hair is thick, its bulkiness is showing.

It looks merciless.
It"s been glaring at us the whole time.

What should I do?
Should we attack?
No, that won"t work.

Bunraku is slowly retreating behind Jericho.
I"m repositioning myself to the right of Jericho, while Goki is moving to his left.
As long as Jericho is here, he should be the one to receive the attacks.

What is the monster going to do?

We continue glaring at each other for a while.
I don"t know how long we"ve been at it.
To be honest, I couldn"t move even if I wanted to.
The monster has finally lost interest in us. It"s heading towards the mountain peak.

I"ll be honest.
I got lucky.

I decided to leave right away.
It took about half an hour for Jericho to walk all the way down.
The terrain here doesn"t give us much of an advantage, but I guess we"ll just go for it.
We"ll continue hunting.

《Your Monster Summon『Bunraku』has leveled up!》
《Please add 1 point to a desired stat.》

Bunraku leveled up just before lunch.
Perfect timing.
Should we have a slightly early lunch?
Still, I can"t let Bunraku do the cooking while we"re worried about fighting off monsters here.

Oops.
I should be focusing on adding Bunraku"s stats.
One point has already been allocated to his DEX.
I"ll add the other point to AGI.

Monster Summon　Bunraku　Wood Puppet Lv3→Lv4（↑1）
DEX　26（↑1）
AGI　 9（↑1）
INT　19
STR　12
VIT　12
SPI　 8

Skills
Bow　Cooking　Magical Resistance [Slight]　Self-Repair [Slight]

His DEX is really high now.
I wonder what he can do with it.
I"ll have him help me with some production work when I get the chance.

《You have received a message from a friend.》

I received a message when I was halfway done with my Portable Food.
It"s from Fiona.
It"s a bulk message sent to all of the customers of her production guild.
What is it about?

『We"re starting a project to rebuild the Wind Spirit Village near the W2 Area Portal. You"ve been invited to partic.i.p.ate!』

There"s a list of monsters in the area, as well as some simple directions to the Wind Spirit Village attached to the message.
There"s a Brown Bear listed too, even though it"s supposed to be in the N1W2 area.
I got killed in one hit by a Stab b.u.t.terfly before. It"s not listed here.
Is it restricted to its own area?

『We"ve just begun trading a limited amount of items in the Wind Spirit Village. The Guide Team is also providing a minimal amount of a.s.sistance.』

Ooh.
That"s nice.
Hunting in that area is going to be convenient.
Even though I can use Return Home, it"s going to be difficult to travel back and forth.

We should move.
It may be a good idea to relocate to the Wind Spirit Village, and maybe even explore the surrounding areas.
It doesn"t seem like Lambda is coming back any time soon anyway.

I replace Jericho with Obsidian.
I pick up some speed and head on the path towards the forest dungeon.

When we reached the ivy slope, I recalled Bunraku and Goki.
Hopefully, we"ll get to move faster from here.
Along with Helix and Obsidian, I"m jumping down the slopes.
With the help of the Levitation spell, of course.

《【Jump】Level Up!》

My Jump skill has just leveled up.
It feels like a long time since the last time it happened.
I shouldn"t think about it too much. We"ll head on.
We"ve encountered a few monsters, but I ignored them all since most of them were Pa.s.sive.
I thought about summoning Rig and letting him fight, but I should focus on traveling.

Just as we entered the forest dungeon, I summoned Volff and Zangetsu.
That"s my traveling team. I hurried on towards the W2 area.

It was about 1 pm when we made it through the cave with Skeletons.
That took less time than expected.
But I think I can move faster from here.

It"s been a while since I"ve hunted a Raptor, but something strange is going on here.
It"s hard to find a single Raptor.
Most of them are in groups of two or three.
They"re not calling their allies.
And I don"t see any Enraged Cranes.

I thought it was going to be a ha.s.sle fighting two or three Raptors at once.
But my offensive spells are making it convenient.

Most of the time, I used Gravity Bullet.
The spell blew them away a little, so they didn"t get the chance to surround us.
And when I managed to topple them, my monster summons would go in for the kill.
For the most part, the combo starts with Gravity Bullet, followed by Zangetsu trampling on the Raptors.
Then Helix and Obsidian would join in, with Volff dealing the finishing blow.
I didn"t use too much MP either.
Even if we took some damage, it wasn"t so serious that a potion couldn"t fix.
No problem at all.

《【Precise Manipulation】Level Up!》

It leveled up while we were moving.
It takes both Horsemanship and Precise Manipulation to ride a horse, after all.
It may seem hard to believe, but it was a lot of work when I first started riding on Zangetsu.
I had to raise my DEX by casting Physical Enchant: Aqua, just to ride on horseback.
But now it feels so natural.
It"s all due to practice and effort.
Though, I guess if I had to rely on my own skill, it would be an impossible feat.

It was almost 5 pm by the time we caught sight of the Wind Spirit Village.
We got here later than I expected, since we were fighting Raptors and Brown Bears on the way.
But that"s fine.
I"ve gotten more than 10 Ancient Stones from the Raptors.
While hunting a few Brown Bears, I also managed to get some of their skins and paws.
That was well worth my time.
I"ve gained in other ways as well.

《Your Monster Summon『Zangetsu』has leveled up!》
《Please add 1 point to a desired stat.》

Zangetsu leveled up.
That"s good.
Volff was able to change cla.s.s at Level 8, so I"m really looking forward to Zangetsu"s next level up.

Zangetsu"s VIT has been increased.
I"ll allocate 1 point to her AGI.

Monster Summon　Zangetsu　Horse Lv6→Lv7（↑1）
DEX　 7
AGI　24（↑1）
INT　 7
STR　23
VIT　24（↑1）
SPI　 7

Skills
Trample　Dash　Endurance Run　Wild Gallop　Stampede　Kick

Master"s Battle Horse comes to mind.
I"m pretty sure it"s a cla.s.s promotion for the Horse. I wonder what other options there are.
It looks like it"s going to be a while until her next level up, so I guess I"ll find out eventually.

There"s more good news.
I saw a few parties heading to the Wind Spirit Village on our way there.
It"s likely that the village has changed a lot since the last time I was here.
Now I"m looking forward to it a lot more.

“Different” doesn"t come close to describing this place.
The area around the village has seen an overhaul.
There"s a plot of land that looks like a wheat field.
There"s also a vegetable field of some kind.
The growth rate is definitely abnormal.
It"s only been a few days since I left, so it shouldn"t have grown this much.

The village itself still looks old, but it"s very neatly organized now.
There"s a simple gate made from fresh wood.
I"m even more surprised when I step inside.
The few old houses are completely gone now, giving way to new houses.
Perhaps because it"s almost evening, there are people preparing ingredients in tents.

Wait, isn"t that Mio right there?
And it looks like Saki is standing next to the tables.
There are two of those tables in front of a renovated house, with lots of goods arranged on the tables.
There are Brown Bear Furs, Polka Dot Fox Skins, and Enraged Crane Beaks, among other items.
There are also a few bows.
There are a lot of arrows as well.
My guess is Reina made them.

「Hey!」

「Oh, you"re here, Keith.」

「h.e.l.lo. I"m here.」

I take off my leather armor and greet them.
There"s not a lot of people here, but it still feels lively.
I can see a lot of players walking around town busily.

「Everyone"s going to be back in a bit!」

「There"s a lot we want to talk about with you in the meantime.」

「Me too. The town seems a lot different now, huh?」

There"s something strange about Saki"s expression.
She does seem really happy though.

「Oh yeah, you"ve learned Tree Magic, right Keith? I"d like your help.」

Oh no.
Here comes the neverending requests.
It"s also more like a demand than a request.

「It"s about the Tree spell, Grow Plant. It"ll be better the more players there are to use it.」

It"s over.
My fate is sealed.

First, we exchanged whatever information we had.
It was more like a chat, but I think I know what"s going on.

First of all, about what happened here.
The Stonecutters tore down the old stone houses, and rebuilt about 3 houses using those materials.
The Lumberjacks went exploring in the forest to the north, and got some wood from there.
The Woodworkers used the wood to build some simple furniture.
The Farmers maintained the fields, planted a few root crops in an area with wheat, and used Grow Plant to boost the growth of the crops.
Of course, they relied on other players with Production jobs for help.

Then we discussed about what they"re doing now.
On top of those things, they"ve also been involved with other things.
They explored the old stone ca.n.a.ls.
They repaired the well in the village.
They built a log house.

They even started setting up building sites for a smithing workshop and a gla.s.smaking workshop.
There"s a cave to the south, where they can obtain some stone.
And there"s a Antman nest to the north, where they"ve found some high quality clay.

Fiona has expanded her business while helping to rebuild the village.
She told me that Rick and the others will be here by tomorrow evening.
I can tell from the message she sent earlier in the day that she"s been putting a lot of effort into this.

「Since I"ve already set the stage, I might as well go for it. There"s been a lot of talk about the long term event anyway.」

「Huh.」

「There"s also the issue of the circulation of goods. It"s going to be better if we have the help of other players.」

「What about the Guide Team?」

「They"re exploring the area right next to the village. It seems like they"ve been having trouble fighting monsters.」

Trouble?
I wonder why.

「I"m planning to have a short meeting tomorrow after breakfast. I think you"ll get to hear what they have to say then.」

「Oh! They"re back!」

Mio is waving her hand in an exaggerated manner.
It"s most likely Fiona"s party members.
I see Adele and Irina with their Monster Summons too.
Adele is running here in excitement.

「Whoaaaaa! Lemme cuddle!」

She ran straight to Volff and hugged him.
Sorry, Volff.
Bear with it for a while.
Adele is never going to change, at least in this aspect.

Protagonist　Keith
Race　Human　Male　Racial Lv11
Job　Summoner Lv11
Bonus Points Remaining 12

Skill Sets
Staff Lv9　Punch Lv6　Kick Lv7　Joint Lock Lv6　Throw Lv6
Evade Lv6　Block Lv6　Summon Magic Lv11　s.p.a.cetime Magic Lv5
Light Magic Lv6　Wind Magic Lv6　Earth Magic Lv6　Water Magic Lv6
Fire Magic Lv6　Dark Magic Lv6　Ice Magic Lv4　Lightning Magic Lv4
Tree Magic Lv4　Dust Magic Lv4　Lava Magic Lv4　Steam Magic Lv4
Alchemy Lv6　Pharmacy Lv5　Gla.s.smaking Lv3　Woodworking Lv4
Synergy Lv9　Appraise Lv8　Identify Lv8　Discern Lv3　Cold Resistance Lv5
Grab Lv7　Horsemanship Lv7　Precise Manipulation Lv9（↑1）Jump Lv4（↑1）
Heat Resistance Lv4　Climb Lv4　Dual Wield Lv6　Disa.s.sembly Lv4
Physical Fortification Lv4　Mental Fortification Lv5　Speedcasting Lv6

Equipment　Kaya Wood Rod ×1　Kaya Wood Tonfa ×2　Enraged Crane Beak+×2
Silver Necklace+　Snow Leopard Push Dagger ×1　Gale Tiger Push Dagger ×2
Wild Horse Leather Armor+　Snow Ape Armguard　Wild Horse Boots+
Snow Ape Leather Helmet　Rabid Horse Belt+　Rucksack　Item Box ×2

Items　Survival Knife　Woodworking Toolkit

t.i.tles　Old Summoner"s Pupil, Protector of the Forest, Man of the Middle Path
Spell Archive

Monster Summons
Volff　Wolf Lv1
Zangetsu　Horse Lv6→Lv7（↑1）
DEX　 7
AGI　24（↑1）
INT　 7
STR　23
VIT　24（↑1）
SPI　 7
Skills
Trample　Dash　Endurance Run　Wild Gallop　Stampede　Kick
Helix　Hawk Lv6
Obsidian　Owl Lv6
Jean　Bat Lv6
Jericho　Wood Golem Lv5
Goki　Demon Lv5
Senki　Beast Ape Lv6
Rig　Slime Lv4
Bunraku　Wood Puppet Lv3→Lv4（↑1）
DEX　26（↑1）
AGI　 9（↑1）
INT　19
STR　12
VIT　12
SPI　 8
Skills
Bow　Cooking　Magical Resistance［Slight］　Self Repair［Slight］
Mumyo　Skeleton Lv2