"It seems that it is a bit too soon for you to be in your rebellious phase," Zairus said while frowning. "The other kids are starting to play warriors with each other, but I am sure that you will show them who is the boss. Just like I showed their dads when I was younger. It is in our blood."
Gaius started to see the kids moving around. Lately, they were indeed carrying wooden swords and shields… It seemed that they were playing in other parts of the village the first time he looked for others. Regardless, they weren't that numerous since the village wasn't even five years old.
"Speaking of the other kids… redheads like mother are rare around these parts," Gaius thought. "I guess I would look like her with red hair, but having black hair and green eyes isn't so bad. I am the eldest, so I don’t have any siblings who could have stolen all the good genes before me."
Since there were no mirrors and only recently Gaius began to take baths alone, only recently had he realized how his new appearance was. It wasn't half bad, truly… he didn't look a lot like his father or his mother. Gaius was right in the middle of them. Someone who could grow with a lot of muscles without looking like a brute. Brutes were popular in the village though, since they looked like they could offer protection.
From that point onward, Zairus began to train Gaius on how to fight while using the excuse that they were playing warriors. As expected, the only thing he could do was assume a fighting stance…
"I was planning to become a mage, but I guess learning how to fight with a weapon won't be so bad," Gaius thought. "I don't know how mages are treated in this world, so perhaps I should keep my magic skills on a low profile most of the time and use them to surprise the enemies… that will make them even more effective."
In any case, Gaius was almost two years old, and now he could use the excuse to play with other kids to sneak out of the village, but that probably wasn't a good option since he would never have an alibi. Kaira would quickly find out if he lied, so he should do the same as before. Lying once more would only make his reputation fall that much, and he didn’t want to lie to his parents. Just hiding some facts was enough, it would be different than lying, after all.
Gaius Lv 21 (809/21.000) - Limitless Summoner
Health: 90/90
Mana: 160/160
Stamina: 75/75
Strength: 06
Endurance: 01 + 10
Adaptability: 01 + 05
Magic: 31
Resistance: 01
Wisdom: 16 + 06
Dexterity: 01 + 04
Perception: 01 + 13
Luck: 01 + 08
Free points: 55
Summoning List:
Ant Lv 06 (Perception), Gray Spider Lv 04 (Dexterity), Worm Lv 05 (Perception), Lizard Lv 04 (Adaptability), Bird Lv 05 (Wisdom), Hawk Lv 07 (Luck), Poisonous Snake Lv 07 (Poison Bullet), Horse Lv 09 (Endurance), Slime Lv 09 (Observe)
In the last few months, Gaius kept track of the experience his slime gained, and it only changed when it leveled up… that means that the slime only faced other slimes since the fights were lasting as long as usual. That was a bit disappointing, but it seemed that he couldn't head in that direction anymore.
"I guess they behave like animals and have territories… heading in the other direction might put me in trouble since it will be easier to find," Gaius rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What else can I do here?"
This time, Gaius couldn't just wait… a good chance for him to check the other areas wouldn’t come. He would have to create the chance that he needed.
After thinking for a while, Gaius had a rather dangerous idea… first of all, he called the hawk to the back of his home, and while he had to wait for half an hour, he eventually confirmed its growth. The last time he saw it, Gaius was pretty sure that the hawk was only one and a half meters tall, which was quite big, but the creature was now over two meters tall. It was a wonder that no one noticed its approach.
"All right, buddy," Gaius said while climbing on the back of the bird. "You will have to bring me to the area where I can see some demons… please don't let me fall."
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Since he didn't weigh even ten kilograms yet, and the hawk had over ten points in endurance, the animal easily took flight with Gaius on its back, and he felt awesome flying that high and fast.
When he was one hundred meters above the village, Gaius made the hawk fly toward the western side of the area since it was close to impossible to see him on the back of the animal, and insanely fast they headed in that direction.
It didn't take long for Gaius to find some groups patrolling around the area. He didn't find his father among them, but he was probably somewhere nearby.
"It seems that they hide behind the hills and deal with the demons by ambushing them…" Gaius thought when he saw everyone behind those natural barricades. "They're really bad against magic…"
Gaius could find some small craters around, and they seemed too big to belong to slimes… soon enough, Gaius found some creatures roaming around an area that was a mix of a rocky desert and some plains.
At first, Gaius didn't find anything, but after looking more attentively, he saw some creatures moving near some rocks… he almost missed them since they were brown and their fur blended well with the sandy terrain.
Desert Wolf Lv 15
Health: 270/270
Mana: 140/140
Stamina: 220/220
Strength: 22
Endurance: 18
Adaptability: 12
Magic: 12
"Observe can't let me see all of their parameters, but I am still quite sure that their strength goes beyond the parameters they get with each level-up," Gaius thought while furrowing his eyebrows.
The desert wolves were four meters long and two meters tall, and all that added to their high parameters… after looking around for a while, Gaius confirmed that their numbers were rather high. Still, they weren't that close to where the guards were, for one reason or another.
"It doesn't look like they have much food here… so they head to the village in search of food," Gaius thought.
In any case, their physical attacks shouldn't be what caused those craters… so they should be able to use magic as well. It was going to be tough, but that kind of creature was what Gaius needed.
"Should I increase my magic power first? They have high health and probably some magic resistance. I don't think that Poison Bullets will be that effective with their fur," Gaius rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "A good and extra-sized spinning magic arrow probably will do the trick."
In the end, Gaius didn't come to fight; he came to get one extra minion, so he couldn't afford not to kill with the first strike… after increasing his magic by twenty points, he made the hawk fly in a circle while he created an extra-large spinning magic arrow.
When half of Gaius' mana had been used, his target suddenly looked up and saw the hawk flying in circles. Those were some wild instincts… in any case, the desert wolf opened its mouth and then fired a large wind sphere. The projectile missed the target, but just by passing close, it almost sucked the hawk in.
"Shit… I won't have time to charge completely," Gaius thought when the demon began to prepare to attack again. "This is annoying… I need to be more stealthy next time."
Still, something suddenly clicked in Gaius' head, and then he fired… while spinning and flying super-fast. The magic arrow pierced the interior of the monster's mouth, and the creature fell, stopping its movement.
(The Desert Wolf was added to your summoning list.)
Desert Wolf Lv 0 (00/1000)
Cost: 1500 mana
Charge: 00
Summoning Bonuses: Wind Sphere Lv 00
Loyalty: 100/100
Health: 50/50
Mana: 50/50
Stamina: 50/50
Strength: 05
Endurance: 05
Adaptability: 05
Magic: 05
Resistance: 05
Wisdom: 05
Dexterity: 05
Perception: 05
Luck: 05
Free points: 00
"Hehe, nice," Gaius smirked. "Yet another great find."
Soon Gaius calmed his mind because he checked the levels of all the nearby desert wolves and confirmed that they were all above level ten. His newly summoned creature would have a hard time fighting them, even with ambushes.
"I guess I will make them follow the area of the slimes as well…" Gaius thought. "Let's return, buddy. I will summon our new friend somewhere else."
Time was of the essence, so Gaius began to use his mana to charge the necessary amount for the summoning. He had to wait for a while once he got in the slime's territory, but he eventually summoned the Desert Wolf.
"Go further north, but avoid being spotted, all right?" Gaius said while patting the head of the creature that probably could devour him with a single bite.
Still, Gaius could never be afraid of them since even though they might have some memories, the monsters and animals knew instinctively why they were alive, and they would rather remain that way. They couldn't be stupid and rebellious like humans.
In any case, Gaius returned home before his mother could notice that he sneaked around again.. the mission had been a complete success. The fact that he wasn't going to get scolded was double plus good. Still, he was updating his summoning list only once a month… it wasn’t a decent rate. He will never catch them all at this rate.