《I am Summoner》 Am I addicted to grinding? The land trembled as a creature erupted from the surface - a dragon-like creature with a body covered in crystal shards, resembling a porcupine-like dragon. Suddenly, an insect-type creature with a majestic carapace, resembling a horned beetle, bolted into action. It pounced on the earth dragon, and the beetle injected it with a poison that enraged the dragon, causing it to dig underground. "Fly, BugGod! Prepare for its surprise attack!" Luke commanded the Carapace Venom Beetle, named BugGod, to retreat as the earth dragon dug into the plain, disappearing from sight. Suddenly, a barrage of spiked pillars emerged from the ground, aimed at the beetle. The beetle avoided all the spikes and then launched itself again at the ground, targeting the earth dragon beneath. Luke then commanded the beetle to use its skill. "Carapace Shotgun Punch!" The beetle loaded its arms mid-air and smashed them through the ground, shaking the arena. The crowd''s roars echoed through the stadium. "Is this it? Will this be the 10th victory of our undefeated champion, Luke?" "I can''t believe it - after a three-year break, Luke made a comeback to destroy the current champion like the fight wasn''t even close!" the crowd exclaimed. "He''s just so good!" "I can''t believe that a bug-type monster, considered the weakest, can be that strong!" Back at the battlefield, the ground shook again, and a wounded earth dragon emerged from the ground, preparing itself for a counterattack. Then, threads of web suddenly wrapped around the earth dragon''s mouth. Then, a humanoid arachnid with multiple crystal butterfly wings on its back appeared atop the dragon''s head, immobilizing it with its threads. Simultaneously, a metallic isopod with an intimidating and creepy aura pierced the dragon''s body. Finally, the beetle landed the finishing blow, decapitating the dragon''s head. Luke then ordered the monsters to finish the summoner of the opposing side. Securing him the championship record of 10 time world champion of Beast Tamers. "Woaahhhhhh!" "I didn''t know bug types can be this strong" "Such power and aura" "Luke the GOAT!" "STILL UNDEFEATED" "CHEATER". people can''t believe what they witnessed with mix emotions. Luke then take off the VR device and head straight to the center of the stage celebrating its victory. ''Hah another win it''s also easy this time'' he exclaimed to himself. The caster then asked him a question: "Congratulations, this will be your 10th championship win! How are you feeling? Was the match hard?" Luke then answered on the mic, "Not really. I just find it hard to kill them since dragon types have so much health. But other than that, all of my summons can win 1v1. Even the weakest arachnid soloed its opponent and had the chance to deny the earth dragon''s final attack." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Woahh such confidence" "Then can you share your secrets with us? How are your monsters so strong, not just this year, but in all your previous championships? We know you like to give yourself a handicap and a challenge. For example, in your 5th championship, you created a team with only goblins. Then, in the 8th championship, you had an all-slime team, and in the 3rd one, a glass cannon team. So, what''s in store for next season?" the caster asked. "My secrets its just simple" Luke exclaimed "Woahhh what is it will you finally tell us?" "Grind" "Grind?" "Such vague answer isn''t it, as always" "No, it''s all about grinding - grinding until you die, like literally" (The stadium fall on silent) "Do you know how much I''ve tortured myself just to get a mythical-grade insect-type summon? The chances are 1 in 1,000,000,000. It took me a whole year to get that Carapace Venom Beetle. And that was just the beginning. I had to grind it to max level, raise its extra stats for perfect numbers, Perfecting its DNA, and level up its items. That took me another 5 months. And that isopod? I got lucky - it only took me 3 months to catch it. I''ve been surviving on just 2 hours of sleep per day to achieve perfection. That''s the secret to being the strongest!" "WHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHA" He laughed maniacally "You are crazy man!" "No one got time for all that" "That''s torture" "Best grind I can do is 3 months, think about what? 3 years? No thanks" "You spend most of your life on that?" The crowd shouts "And to answer your last question, there won''t be a next time. This will be my last championship. I''ve accomplished everything I set out to do. To be honest, I was bored. I was the only one in this game who put in the effort, who worked hard, who overthought strategies, and who experimented with countless combinations. I''m exhausted. This time, I''ll focus on my health. All these trophies and accolades mean nothing to me now. I regret the sacrifices I made, but it was still fun... just not fun enough, not challenging enough. I''m done." Luke then left the arena As Luke pondered in silence in his home beside the lump of trash is the cabinet full of trophies, he then Put his new trophie beside it, as he stared at it Remenecing about his glory in the past. "It was fun grinding. One thing I really enjoyed about this game was raising my beast to its full potential. I really liked the thrill of looking forward to what''s next; it''s really satisfying to raise your summon and make it evolve." "Until there is nothing to look forward to, what will be my next step?" Luke pondered as he fall asleep in his bed. Two days later..... ''Luke the famous player of beast tamer died in his apartment, the police has been investigating the scene.... ''Luke the famous player died at 46, the fans are grieving in his sudden death.... ''Luke died on over fatigue.... ''The police found strange ingravings on the floor while investigating the scene.... ........ In the dark lush forest Luke wake up confused and shock. "Where the hell am I?" Strange ingravings on the ground can be found uder the ground where he woke up. Luke was so confused unable to process the sudden scenery. "Did someone kidnapped me?" "I don''t like pranks come out now guys. I will sue you all its not fun!" Suddenly a bush is shuddering in the distance fell into Luke''s attention. "Come out now" Luke says as he slowly back up Suddenly something jumps on the bush "FUCK!!!!" "shitt sorry for my words" "You scared the shit out of~~ "Is that a bunny" Suddenly a bunny appeared. But not just a normal bunny it looks like a size of an adult pit bull. (Bunnycorn lvl-1) "You one heck of a~~ "Am I seeing things or is that a....?" Suddenly the bunny stared at him revealing a obsidian horn, sharp tooth and a crimson eyes starring at him deeply. The bunny then charge at him as if it was ready to kill him or to eat him like a prey. "Ekkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!" The bunny shriek Luke then runs as fast as he can, stumbling upon tree roots and rushing past brushes, even though he doesn''t stop running. Until a loud shriek can be heard in the direction of the bunny chasing him. As he looks back, a terrifying revelation greets him. "No way..." Green massacre "What!? Is that? " As the agonizing cries of the creature echoes behind Luke something terrifying almost darkgreenish in color, sharp crooked teeth, sharp claws 4ft in height, skinny but muscular, and saliva dripping in its mouth, such terrifying creature that is straight up from your nightmare. The bunny was pierced with the spear that was likely thrown by the goblin. (Goblin Scout) lvl 2 Luke was froze up but suddenly made back to his sense when the goblin suddenly look straight up to his direction. Then a sinister smile of the goblin made Luke run fast as he can again as the goblin followsbin his direction. "UwaKieeeek! faliKK WAahhhh" The goblin shouts as it chased luke. ''HOW ARE YOU SO FAST'' Luke mumbled as he run into the woods. Then Luke climbed a tree as fast as he can while the goblin follows him. The goblin was actually catching up despite the distance as it effortlessly climb the tree. "Heiik heiik heiik" The goblin laughs as if almost mocking as it closes the distance. "SHIT!" When the goblin almost grab luke''s face ''pak....'' Luke kick the goblin''s face ''pak.... Pak.... Pak... Spat..."eieeiiiikkkk" The goblin shouts in agony as Luke kick and kick and kick hitting the goblin. Then suddenly the goblin holds on his right legs biting it. "Ahhhhhh" Then luke''s adrenaline kicks in and uses his other legs to push off the goblin. "Uwakkkk" Then the goblin losses it''s strength completely unable to hold on no more. THUDDD! The goblin crashed to the ground with a sickening splat, its body bursting like a ripe tomato. Luke''s stomach churned in as he stumbled backward, vomiting at the gruesome scene. The lingering pain from the goblin''s attack on his leg only added to his distress. Suddenly, Luke felt an unusual sensation, like something alien and unfamiliar stirring within him. It was as if a surge of strength was coursing through his veins, leaving him both startled and intrigued. Attention: "you have killed (Goblin Scout) the system recover, you have level up" Lvl 0 - lvl 1 "What?" It was eerily familiar, yet strangely different. The game he had played countless times before now felt uncannily realistic. But this time, it wasn''t just a game - it was his reality. But there is no time to ponder it was not safe in this area. Surely the commotion that accured had invited some unwelcome attention. Luke then despite the pain climbed down the tree and run straight to the opposite side of the forest where the bunny was killed. It was idiotic to go back to the scene isn''t it since the Bunny''s body is likely have invited some of the predators in the area. Luke trudged away from the scene, his eyes frantically scanning his surroundings. Exhaustion and pain eventually caught up with him, and he collapsed to the ground. The wound on his leg was gruesome a gaping hole the size of half a fist where the goblin had bitten him. Blood dripped steadily from the jagged edges, staining his thigh a deep crimson. "Fuck! It hurts" Luke then torn his jacket and wrapped it in his wounds despite the agonizing pain. "If this was the the game then...." "Status" The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ''Status window activate'' Name: Luke Lvl-1 Class:N/A Available points to spent: Vitality: 3 Strength: 3 Magic: 1 Wisdom: 1 Mana: 100/100 Health: 95/300 Conditions: Fatigue/Bloodlost/Hungry/poisoned(lesser) (Would you like to select class?) (Yes/No) "Yes" Luke unable to truly process the whole information immediately agreed to the class selection. More likely akin to his survival instinct and desperation. "Pls be usefull, maybe a healer" Available classes to select: Tamer Summoner Swordsman Mage Cleric Archer Healer ''Pls select your class'' "Ohh there''s a healer" "Healer then" He then select the healer class (System error pls select your class) "Healer" (System error) (incompatible class, pls select another) "Ok then, cleric will do" (Incompatible Class pls select another class) "Healer" "Healer" "Healer" "Cleric" "Cleric" (Incompatible class, pls select another class) "FUCK IM GONNA DIEEEE" "What am I going to do?" "Fuck" "Fuck" "Fuck" (System will automatically pick your most compatible class) (Pls select stop in 5 seconds to cancel) 1....2....3....4....5 (Automatically selected class) Summoner (Congratulations you are now a summoner) Status Name: Luke Lvl-1 Class: Summoner Souls Extracted: Available points to spent: Vitality: 3 Strength: 3 Intelligence: 4 Wisdom: 5 Mana: 500/500 Health: 75/300 Skills: Summon- Can extract mana from the defeated creature to summon. Summon space- can store summons Summon Almanac- Gives a description and recipes to summon. Summon library- (function unavailable) Conditions: Fatigue/Bloodlost/Hungry/poisoned(lesser) (Pls select a starter) "Wait is this....." "Yes I can survive now!! But pls be what I expect to be" (Choose) Fire elemental (utos) Water serpent (naga) Lesser earth turtle(Balrog) Fairy(pixie) "Pls select lesser turtle Balrog" (Summoning Balrog) Balrog is a majestic creature. Its shell glistens with an iridescent emerald-like shell. The shell''s surface has an earthy texture and it''s tail has some sort of a stone spikes that acts as a mace to defend it self, at the center top of its shell is a sapling of a tree that act as a medium to absorb mana and vital energy. Balrog has the height of 4ft not including the sapling on its back. Balrog lvl-1 (N/A) Type: earth/dragon Vitality: 10 Strength: 7 Magic: 10 Wisdom: 14 Mana: 1400/1400 Health: 1000/1000 Skills: Synthesis- healing your target with the power of nature the amount of healing can varie to the mana surrounding. (Magic) Ground Spikes- channeling mana to the ground to create deadly spikes. (Strength) "Balrog heal me" Hp+ 10 Hp+ 9 Hp+ 11 Hp+ 10 ..... Then the wound on luke''s leg was slowly closing up as the surge of vitality was pouring unto him. Still Luke is not use to it since it was a unusual sensation of something reconstructing on his leg. Muscle fibers and nerves back to once it was before as if it was never even bitten off and was back to its former condition. "Good as new" "Owww" "Phantom pain" As he was healed Luke then start to travel again heading to the Rocky Mountains in the distance hoping to find a safe shelter. Then he finds a cave nearby unexpectedly greeted by 5 goblins feasting a decapitated bunny that was likely hunted by the group. Scout goblin lvl-1 Scout goblin lvl-2 ...... Warrior goblin lvl3 Then suddenly the ground beneath the goblins started to shake as a spike penetrated two of the goblins and badly wounded the others. "Bulls eye" Then the goblin agitated charges at luke. The warrior goblin then jumps preparing to stab Luke with a spear, but then suddenly the goblin was smashed by the turtle''s spike stone tail, smashing the goblin''s ribcage, a loud breaking noise can be heard as the bone of the goblin smashed The other two goblins now trying to escape the cave but it was too late for them as Luke and his summon was guarding the only entrace. Then suddenly another barrage of spikes emerges on the ground finally finishing off the remaining goblins. Luke: Level up +4 unassigned points Summon: Level up Level up "Woah that was easy" "Seems like there is nothing else now inside this small cave" Luke then locked the only entrance with spikes. As he scouts the surrounding area. Suddenly a green light emerges from the body of the goblins. He then curiously looked at the supposed object then he touched it. +1goblin soul extract +1goblin soul extract ...... +1goblin soul extract Then suddenly Luke felt a sense of dizziness. His stomach is rumbling and his throat is dry. It also felt draining as he was exhausted from running earlier. He then saw the dead body of the bunny without a choice but to eat it even it was disgusting and unappetizing "ughhhh" "Shit why did it turns out to this" "I whould rather eat can goods every day than this" Luke was very hungry and tired that after eating the dead bunny he passed out from exhaustion. While he was passed out, a commotion is happening outside the forest. "Huwakkkk yaaaaaa" a gobin then spotted the scene where the first goblin was defeated. Then a much larger goblin appeared behind the smaller goblin. It looked like the other goblins but much more mascular and has a bigger weapon and build. The biggest goblins seems to be like a leader of the smaller goblins. "Wahhhh lubbb kallbanikhaaa wehkk" Then the larger goblin followed the trail of blood alongside the other goblins where Luke was headed to. A minor...... Status Name: Luke Lvl-2 Class: Summoner Souls Extracted: (5)gray orb Available points to spent: 4 Vitality: 4 Strength: 4 Intelligence: 5 Wisdom: 6 Mana: 600/600 Health: 400/400 Skills: Summon- Can extract mana from the defeated creature to summon. Summon space- can store summons Summon Almanac- Gives a description and recipes to summon. Summon library- (function unavailable) Conditions: Fatigue(recovery) / dehydrated/ sleeping Balrog lvl-3 (N/A) Type: earth/dragon Vitality: 15 Strength: 8 Magic: 12 Wisdom: 16 Mana: 1600/1600 Health: 1500/1500 Skills: Synthesis- healing your target with the power of nature the amount of healing can varie to the mana surrounding. (Magic) Ground Spikes- channeling mana to the ground to create deadly spikes. (Strength) Luke then wake up on a pitch black cave woken up by the discomfort of the humid ground below him. He was uncomfortable the feeling of his dried throat only added to the discomfort that he felt. Then Luke summoned his monster again ordered it to open the barrage entrance of the cave. The stone pillars then crumble as Balrog smashes it with its tail. Then a dawn light greeted Luke when he go outside the cave. "I don''t know how long I have fallen asleep" It was quiet outside, with only the occasional critters and chirps of birds breaking the silence, creating an illusion of nature''s friendly demeanor. But, as we all know, nature can be cruel. Luke can''t afford a single second of relaxation. He needs to be cautious and careful. "I need to find water" "Or a village" Luke then headed to the water source he spotted before. Feeling dizzy he force hia way through the woods then a waterflow can be heard in the distance. "Yes water" Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He then rushed to the river and slurped the water as if he had never tasted it before, or as if he had been parched his entire life. "I never knew water can taste this good." Then suddenly a large spike impeling the water that sends shock on Luke. Balrog sense something dangerous that it instinctively attack the waters. "That scared the shit out of me!" Luke retreated behind his summon as it became clear that something was impaled on the spike. It was a large fish, resembling a piranha. Killed: Kugtong +1 grey orb Suddenly, a massive scythe-like arm emerged from the water. The eerie monster''s head then broke the surface, revealing a human-like creature with a smiling face, but no nose. Gills adorned its neck, and its round, fish-like eyes seemed to pierce into Luke''s very soul. Smiley- lvl 30 "Why everything can''t be safe here!" Luke then run as fast as he can as Balrog restrained the monster to hinder it''s movement using earth spikes. "Store Balrog" Before the monster could deliver the fatal blow to Balrog, Luke swiftly stored Balrog in his storage dimension. The monster, deprived of its target, instead unleashed its fury on the surrounding environment, cutting down large trees with its scythe-like arm. "I felt bad for that trees" "Thank God I''m not a tree" As Luke continued to retreat a loud cry can be heard on the creature as it started lash out it''s anger on the surrounding while dashing straight to the direction of Lluke. "Fuck, fuck fuck!!! Why is it so fast" Then suddenly a tingling noise sounded as then a huge burst of wind sends Luke stumbling one the brushes. Then a much more terrifying a dragon like creature ascended on the direction of the smiley instantly severing it''s scythe hands. Drake- lvl? The drake ascended, carrying the smiley creature as it played with it like a toy, callously violating its fragile form. The drake tossed the creature around, its actions driven by excitement and a primal urge to dominate something weaker. Finally, a loud thud echoed through the air as the drake dropped the lifeless corpse of its victim. "Wh~~what was that.... " Luke then trembled as he statered to say something. The terrifying presence alone of the drake can make your heart stop including the torture of its victim. Surely it can make someone fear and be terrified to be its victim next. Luke then visited the body of the smiley monster checking if it has soul essence to extract to. "None there''s none, so it confirms it I can only extract the soul of something I killed or my summons killed" Then Luke tried something on the dead body. "Dismantle" System: hidden skill learned "dismantle" And inventory Then the body automatically dismantled and stored in his inventory. "Ok sweet, let''s check this later" Luke then immediately Go back to his base having notime to check what happened. Then far up ahead in his cave there is a commotion a large tall creature can be seen standing outside his base carrying a large sword. Then a mask figure that seems to be a goblin carrying a staff with skulls in its accesories and a three goblin carrying a bow and two other Carrying some daggers. Then slowly creeping up in the location Luke investigate the scene. ''Are those goblins'' ''that one was huge'' ''Can I take on those guys'' Goblin warrior- lvl3 Goblin mage - lvl 4 Ranger goblin -lvl 1 .... Scout goblin - lvl 2 ''Seems doable'' "Akkkk narrrr leeekkk keekkkk!!!" The large goblin let out a deafening shout as it caught sight of the dead bodies of its kin inside the cave. The five remaining goblins then gathered in a circle around the corpses. In a shocking display of savagery, they began to feast on the flesh of their fallen comrades. "Fucking savage, I might throw up" Then Luke called out to his summon. Without a second thought then Luke ordered his summon to surprise attack the goblin prioritizing the weaker ones. Three of the weaker goblin then was skewered killing them and injuring the mage. Then the bigger goblin charges out the cave to confront Luke. "Trap them" a large earth spike sealed the entrance. As the goblin in panic trying to smash the way through, then suddenly the entrance was burst open by a fireball. "This is bad, we are running out of mana" Balrog then lunches a barrage of stone spikes on the bigger goblin killing. While the mage goblin lunch a fireball to Luke. Without a second to doge Luke shielded himself with his arm as the fireball impacted him melting his flesh and skin revealing his bones on his arm. "Ahhhhhh" Luke cried in agony as Balrog then finishes the goblin. "Heal!" Luke wept in agony as Balrog struggled to heal his wounds. The slow progression of his recovery only added to his torment, each passing moment a reminder of the intense pain that still ravaged his body. "HAHAHAHA IT FUCKING HURTS" Then Luke passed out from the pain. Attention: +1 lvl +1 lvl You have level up +1 lvl +1 lvl +1 lvl Your summon have level up You have gain Pain tolerance lvl- 1 ..... Pain tolerance lvl- 3 Magic resistance (minor) lvl- 1 Your summon learned "bind" Luke then wake up hours before he passed out burn scars can then be seen in his hands and chest. His clothes are torned and burned. Then he sat below the tree still shakened from the pain. "HAHAHAHA" "HAHAHAHA" autor: he loses his mind :| like me "I was alive. I don''t want to experience that again it was so painful." "Well I might go crazy if this goes on" "Time to go back to our tract" Luke then stand up and head straight inside the cave. Then Balrog sealed again the entrance where it has a slight opening where the sun can pass through. Luke then gathered his taughts Strategizing his plans from now on. He then opened his status window surprise by the gains that he achieve. "First of all the pain tolerance and magic resistance" "I got these because I got hit and the pain that I felt makes me gain the pain tolerance" Then Luke grabbed the dagger nearby slightly cutting his palm to test it out "yeah! It really works. It just felt slightly painful but not painful as before" "Can I just stab my self so I can painfully level up, probably a bad idea" Then he looked at his storage (scythe hand) (smiley hide) "Ohhh I got these from earlier" "Open summon Almanac" System: Open summon Almanac Recipe: Souls available: (11 Grey orb) Goblin(¡Á100 grey orb) Kugtong(¡Á50 grey orb) Drake(¡Á200 black orb) Smiley(¡Á100 red orb) Orb dismantler Summon library(lock, unlock at lvl 20) ....... "So far I have 11 grey souls so I''m far from having another summon" "And lastly what is that summon library?" "Definitely saving my grey orb for that my gut tells me to" "And lastly balrog gained a skill" Then Luke planned his next step. He started from the leveling system. It was clear to him that by leveling up you need to work on something like push up to gain some strength or crafting something to gain a crafting skill. "Let''s try making a spear" Luke then gathered the broken spear on the goblin attaching the knife on the tip. System Skill aquired Crafting lvl 1 "Ohh I''m right!" Luke then start to strategize the steps on how he will level up his skills. First he swung his spear 100 times. But nothing happened.... Then he swung it again 500 times. But also nothing happened. For the next 4 hours he swung it repeatedly nonstop. Then suddenly. Skill aquired: Spearmanship(minor) lvl-1 "AHAHAHAHAHAH" "I''m starting to love this!" "Yes grind!" Then Luke looked at the direction of the daggers. "Well who''s next" Luke then for the remaining of the day spend his time acquiring skills. Skills aquired: Dual dagger weilding lvl-1 Boxing lvl-1