The morning after summoning Telbarantis, Ethan sat before the eastern gate yet again. Staring out on those slums, he reflected on the way things had gone so far. Considering how people treated him as a Caller, even if it was an ornamental attention, he could have swapped teams to a more competent group. People with the resources to see him rise in power. Those that could pay for his advancement into the higher ranks without batting an eye.

Even on Earth he hated people like that. Nepotism and cronyism were common enough, even at Aquarium Warehouse Bonanza, and he’d have none of it. It hadn’t worked out for him back there, but the hard road was the only one he was interested in. That didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the fruits of his station, though. Whatever power was thrust on him provided his group with free meals in town, and discounts at the local suppliers. Ethan stared at their donkey, laden with more supplies than they’d need for a month-long journey into the forest.

Food, fine wine, looting bracelets, and new bedrolls rested on that beast’s back. Only Ethan’s voice of disapproval had Twist and Targe removing too much gear. Stuff they didn’t need like fancy teapots and a magic fire machine. Compared to all the things the Caller needed for advancement, these were luxuries. He clicked his tongue and the gray-brown creature walked.

“So, the easiest thing to get for your advancement is money,” Targe said, coming along and hiking his pack over his shoulder. The pack that contained fancy teapots. Magic fire machines. And other useless gizmos. “We also need a [Rank Seal], a [Dungeon Boss Core], and at least 5 [Monster Cores] at Rank 1.”

“May as well tell me I need moon rocks to rank up,” Ethan said.

The donkey pulled against the reins, braying as they trudged through the slums. The danger of being mugged here was high, but only if a person was without a class core. With Twist ranging ahead, checking the alleys with his threatening presence, that danger was reduced to nothing. The pack animal still didn’t like it.

“Easy enough to get. Compared to the stuff for Rank 2. We have the cores on hand, but the seal is a bit of a bear,” Targe said. “Best way to get one is a solo-clear of a dungeon. Highest chance of one dropping.”

“Alright. Explain dungeons to me.”

“They appear randomly throughout the world. Sometimes they hang around for a while. If they’re managed properly. Adventurers like to pillage them, steal the [Dungeon Core]. But the important thing is, we can find one,” Targe said, withdrawing something that looked like little more than a copper rod from his extensive pack.

“Cool. I’m guessing they’re dangerous,” Ethan said.

“Yep. Real dangerous. Once we hit the forest, Twist and I can really start training you.” Targe returned the rod to his pack. “You’ll hit 10 within a few days. Then we’re going on a scavenger hunt.”

It wouldn’t be hard to shoot from level 5 to 10. Not compared to how difficult it was to get the hang of this world. The problem was made even easier to deal with since both Targe and Twist were there to pull him out of any fires he found himself in. The whole situation reminded him of fighting off the orcs, only to be rescued by the sudden appearance of the dark elf.

A road ran from the eastern gate of Oudsted, heading east. But at a point it curved south, and that’s when the party went into the rocky hills of the unforgiving landscape. The donkey had no problem with the journey, happy enough to nibble on tall grasses every time they stopped for a break. By midday, they spotted the rise of the earth with a forest dotting the surface. ‘Corpse Rise’, Targe had called it. Not a name that inspired confidence. So, Ethan stuck with the other name. The Forests of Oudsted. Easy enough and straight to the point. It was a forest. Near Oudsted. Done.

Along the way, they ran into several groups of adventurers. They were all Rank 0, trying to get their start in the wide world of adventuring. Goblins were the main attraction of the area, but there were also various animal-hybrids that called the place home. Variations of the [Dig Deer] called [Shovel Deer], which seem uninspired. But the danger came with a creature with a plain name. A [Hills Bear] wasn’t known for its cuddly personality. Vicious and blood-thirsty, these creatures would seek out adventurers and kill them.

By mid-afternoon, the party found their way to the forest’s edge. They made better time than expected. Settling down on a log, and tying the donkey off, the group made plans for a camp. It was nothing fancy, just an oiled cloth they tied to two trees to keep the rain off. Twist started a fire, withdrawing a newly acquired pan, and got to cooking. Targe was the one to strategize, maximizing their time in the forest.

“So, we’re going to work you to the bone,” Targe said. “What level is Luca at?”

Ethan checked his interface. “Got him up to 6. And I’m at level 5.”

“Seems like the bond works strangely. Not always experience-based progression,” Targe said, scratching his unshaven face. “I can’t do math to save my life, but you’re gonna need to kill quite a few monsters. By level 9, you’ll be killing 20-30 even-level monsters to get that last level. How many monsters can you handle in a day?”

“Uh, I dunno,” Ethan said.

“Right. Better get started.”

While Twist fed and watered the donkey, taking care of the camp, the pair went off into the forest. Ethan cast [Summon Lucantele] before delving into the thicket, trusting on his [Mana Regen] to keep him topped off. At the forest’s edge, there weren’t many monsters to note. A few [Shovel Deer] at level 1 and 2, and some critters that darted before he could examine them. They worked their way deeper into the forest, finding the hilly environment to be obtrusive. Targe thought he was being sneaky, but Ethan spotted him consulting the dungeon-seeking copper rod.

With several hours left in the day, the pair finally found some [Dig Deer], not [Shovel Deer], that were around level 4. They spotted one in a clearing, and Targe gave the order for Ethan to attack. But there wasn’t much for him to do. He sent Lucantele in to start the fight, then positioned himself near the line of trees.

“Your positioning is good,” Targe said, patting Ethan on the back. “As a backliner, you need an escape plan. Let’s say you were attacked from your right by another critter. What would you do?”

Ethan faced to his right, imagining a monster approaching. “I’d order Luca to [Stun] the deer he’s working on, and fend the new one off with my staff.”

Luca savaged the deer’s neck in the distance, growling. The deer bleated, trying to get the Symbol with its face-antlers.

“How about this?” Targe said, moving in front of Ethan and holding his shield at the ready.

“I’d keep Luca on his current target, and focus on healing you.”

“Right. Luca is disposable, isn’t he?” Targe asked.

Ethan looked over at the battling summon. He’d stopped feeling bad for the little guy a while ago, understanding the importance of that separation. Turning back to regard Luca, he attempted to cast the [Cure Minor Wounds] spell to restore the 25% health his summon had lost. But nothing happened. The spell wouldn’t lock onto the summoned creature.

“He is. I can’t heal him, either,” Ethan said.

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“Well, that’s useful information. But you have that ability. [Rapid Summon], right?” Targe asked. “And you can just summon him again. So, what happens if Luca goes down over there while I’m holding a monster here? What should I do?”

Luca bound over after defeating his prey, swishing his tail. The monster only gave 5% experience, but it was better than nothing. This seemed like a lesson taught by Targe more than anything.

“I’d expect you to protect me while I summoned him again,” Ethan said.

“That’s what I’d do,” Targe said with a nod. “Sometimes I’ll get tied up, so Twist can come in and save you. But you make sure to communicate that. Shout when Luca goes down, and we’ll shift positions.”

“Let’s find some more deer,” Ethan said.

Trudging through the forest was more pleasant than those back on Earth. There didn’t seem to be many stinging insects here. While Ethan had reflexively checked himself for ticks every time they pushed through a thick cluster of undergrowth.

“We have insects.” Targe grunted, as though reading Ethan’s mind. He pushed through a cluster of saplings. “Not everything in this world is monsterized. But where a place isn’t managed, it tends to get wild.”

“I imagine there’s monsterized bugs.”

“In some places. You’ll notice the variety of creatures is fairly limited in an area. You’ll see many evolutions of the deer around here. Deer, badgers, bears. Then you get monster-versions of beastkin. Like orcs, goblins, and so on.”

“Makes me wonder about ecology,” Ethan said.

Ecological systems were a sensitive thing back on Earth. Back in the lake, Ethan had seen fish in the water, though. That was a good sign that at least some places in this world had stable ecosystems. He spent a fair amount of his time in his old life thinking about animals. How they influenced their environment. Especially waterways. Did that make the monsterized critters here invasive species?

Those thoughts washed away when Targe held his hand out, stopping Ethan in his tracks. There was a sound coming from the dense forest ahead. Then a creature reared back, going up onto its back legs to scan the area. It was easily twice the height of the Caller. Mottled black and green, the level 6 [Hill Bear] scanned the area. It looked much like a black bear. If a black bear took steroids and hit the gym at least 30 times a week.

“Kill it,” Targe said, pushing Ethan forward.

The Caller checked his mana, finding it full. Luca had also regenerated all of his health, and his abilities were off cooldown. With the Fighter at his back, ready to pounce when things went wrong, Ethan moved in with all the confidence he could muster. Luca padded through the noisy forest, not fooling the bear for a moment. It let out a jagged roar that cut through the crowd of trees, barreling for them without warning.

Ethan let out an involuntary yelp, holding his staff in front of him. With a resolute wave, he sounded the bell. Luca grew to twice his normal size, flooded with power from the [Spur] ability. At the same time, the Caller danced in place, the bells on his shoes jingling to activate the [Caller’s Sprint] ability. A sense of speed flooded through him in an instant, and without knowing what he was doing he sprinted forward.

The [Hill Bear] came down on Luca like a storm, but the little guy was too quick. Darting to the side, the Symbol exploited his increased speed to dodge the attack. He nimbly mounted the bear, then dug his teeth into the monster’s neck and savaged it. Ethan came up next, leaning into his strike as his staff cut through the air. It thudded against the monster’s side, gaining its attention only for a moment before it attempted to dislodge the summoned spirit.

There was no visible damage inflicted by the strike with his staff. Ethan ordered Luca to use [Claw], stunning the monster long enough for him to exit the arena. The bear’s motions were unmeasured, swiping at trees and bringing them to the ground with a thunderous sound. Targe watched from afar, shaking his head.

“Stick to your strengths,” the Fighter shouted.

Ethan’s strengths were staying out of battle and running away. Down to 115 mana from the summoning, and a bit of combat, the Caller ran from the scene. He ordered Luca to follow behind at a distance, luring the bear to a more favorable area to fight. He crashed through a thicket, finding a clearing that would suit his needs. He ordered Luca to fight on the side he’d burst from, and counted the time out as he ran to the far side.

There was enough time to resummon Luca again without using his hour-long cooldown. Until then, the summoned spirit would fight it out. Whittling away the health of the [Hill Bear] until he could turn the tide in his favor. Despite his small size, Luca had done enough damage to the bear to make its motions slower. Both the [Sprint] and [Spur] effect had worn off, rendering the summon’s speed and strength back to their normal rates. The result was a one-sided fight. Soon, the Symbol’s health reached 0, and Ethan cast [Summon Lucantele].

A silver circle formed on the ground as the bear sprinted through the clearing. Luca jumped out just in time to dodge out of the way, jumping to the side with Ethan. The [Hill Bear] slammed into a tree, stumbling back in a daze. Then the Symbol went in for another round, clawing at the monster’s back, growling the entire time. Knocked down to 80 mana, the Caller was forced to watch as the two creatures did battle.

The bear was flagging when Ethan ran to the other side of the forest clearing. When Luca went down again, he simply summoned him back. 40 mana was close enough, but the stumbling monster hobbled to meet his attacker. The bear was relentless, showing no sign of giving up. That’s where it differed from the creatures Ethan knew. A real bear would have turned and run by now. Or at least backed off. Instead, he was slowly dismantled by the tiny, angry squirrel.

The bear hit the ground, and Ethan followed shortly after. His breath came in shallow gasps. Luca bounded through the forest, falling into his lap and curling up. The experience was good, nearly 20% of his current level, but the strain made it daunting.

“Good job,” Targe said, coming up behind Ethan. He sat nearby, staring at the corpse of the bear-monster. “Your strength is that you can summon your spirit as long as you have mana. That’s going to make you a monster in combat.”

“You think so?” Ethan asked. He stared up at the sky, watching the clouds through the clearing. “Currently it feels like I’m just running for my life.”

Targe knelt near the downed bear, pressing his hand against it. A small metal orb fell to the ground, along with something that looked like a length of uncooked meat. “Low-level [Monster Core] and a piece of [Hill bear Sinew]. Shame. You're working on your build. And we expect you to fight in a team. Except for that one solo dungeon. Rank 0 can be rough.”

A strange-looking cloud floated high above. Compared to the white fluffy ones, and those that looked like little more than wisps, this one was different. A dark underbelly with protuberances on the side that didn’t seem to belong. He started at it for a long time, falling into silence as Targe settled in nearby. They shared that silence, both as a punctuation to the end of the battle and a moment of calm for the Caller to regain his lost mana.

When the Fighter cast his eyes up, he let out a sharp gasp. “Damn, when were you going to tell me a royal airship was flying overhead.”

Ethan squited. It did look like an airship. If he tilted his head just right, it seemed to be the belly of a floating wooden boat. But it was too distant in the sky to make out any details, aside from those things dangling from the sides.

“Airship?” Ethan asked. “So, people can fly around in this world?”

“If you’re rich enough. Notice I said ‘royal airship’. Likely a delegation from the crown, come to check on their duchy.”

“How high up do you figure they’re flying?”

“No clue. I’ve seen one ship in person, and it was massive. I’d wager it's pretty high up there.”

Concerns for oxygen at such an altitude faded away when Ethan remembered that magic was real in this world. The pair watched the ship track a lazy path, coming from the north and headed south. Something shot off from the side, but it drifted along the same general path as the ship itself. When The caller rose to his feet minutes later, his mana having filled, he looked around the forest.

Ethan had never stayed around long enough to see what happened to monsters after they died, but the bear was dissolving. A gentle, reverse-rain of motes seethed from the creature’s body.

“If you butcher them quick enough, you can keep the meat,” Targe said. “We’ll be doing some of that when our rations run out.”

“Doubt that’ll happen. We loaded enough food on that donkey to feast for days.”

“Better for us, then. I don’t like bear meat.” Targe strode to the clearing, shielding his eyes to look at the shaded underbrush. “I like deer even less.”

“I’ve seen you eat deer.”

“Doesn’t mean I liked it. Give me some hog and I’ll eat the whole thing. Trotters and all.”

The thought turned Ethan’s stomach. He shook his head, walking to the forest’s edge as the airship drifted behind the endless sprawl of canopies. If he was going to solo a dungeon for his [Rank Seal], he needed to focus on getting better. Not just levels, but tactics. Targe was there to teach him the best way to use his summoning ability, and he wasn’t going to waste it staring at airships.

“Still some sun,” Ethan said, clapping a hand on the Fighter’s shoulder. “Means there’s more monsters to kill.”