Monster Girl Menagerie - Celestial Archive-Chapter 41 - 40 - Spirit Call

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The territory division between the lands of the Kingdom wasn't marked by physical borders; they sort of bled into each other. Erdwatch ended near the Prune Town, and from there the Barony held rein.

Since the Guild existed right in the middle, even running at a brisk pace, it took us over an hour to glimpse the beginnings of the forest. And unlike the End Forest, the trees here were lush green, with rough barks and brimming with vitality.

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Despite donning armor, though admittedly only consisting of a chest plate and spaulders, I experienced no sign of physical fatigue. Mentally, though, I could feel an almost tangible weight pressing on my psyche.

"There's some noise ahead," Amara alerted, neither looking back nor slowing her pace. Her enhanced perception eclipsed even mine, much less to say of Tania's, whose perception had yet to hit 100.

There was no need to warn the dwarf as I saw her adopt a wary expression. We upped our pace even more, and soon enough I could make out the clanking of metal and the roars of the beasts.

"Hmm?" Amara's expression perked up; she lightly sniffed the air and glanced back. "Should I speed up and survey the situation? There's likely to be trouble ahead."

I offered a nod of acknowledgment, and the vampire disappeared in a blur. Tania and I slowed down momentarily, catching our breath.

"She's so fast..." The dwarf muttered, blinking at the rapidly disappearing silhouette of the vampire.

"That she is." I nodded. "But you're stronger."

"Really?" Tania asked, doubt lacing her tone.

I smiled. "Of course. Though it's only a minor difference, that doesn't change the fact that you're plenty strong."

The difference was only of 6 points, but it just went to show the specialization of their builds. In comparison, my attributes were balanced.

"Would you like your armor back?" I probed. "Since we're already near our destination, you need as much protection as possible."

Tania appeared conflicted. "But isn't your safety more important and if the armor helps in that regard, then you should keep it."

I raised an eyebrow at her, but the dwarf averted her eyes, a crimson blush adorning her features. I chuckled and flicked her in the temple. She mimed an 'ow' and gave me the teary-eyed glare.

"What are you talking about? Do you think my safety is more important than yours? Just take the damn thing and don it on."

I mean, I did understand where she was coming from. Her concern was valid, and so was Amara's, but sometimes things tended to get a little overwhelming, and personally, I hoped to stand beside my summons rather than command them from the sidelines. My Dragon heart agreed with me wholeheartedly.

Tania made no comment to refuse afterwards, though seeing her take off the tank top roused heated feelings in my core. The response only served to remind me of the responsibilities that I now shouldered. Yet a certain part of me, which I attributed to male instincts, felt satisfied. And my non-human pride surged each time I thought of all the powerful summons that would only belong to me. And me alone.

"Let's hurry before Amara has all the fun." Even as I spoke, my feet had already started the jog. Tania fell in pace beside me, a cheery smile covering her features. I subconsciously noted the increase in her favorability from 37 to 42.

[+61.69%]

We had only just begun to close in when a notification informed me of my XP increasing. My level hovered at 25, and all I needed was to fill my bar 1/5th of the way. It would appear Amara had already started without waiting for us.

I grumbled under my breath and urged Tania to run faster. Unfortunately, before I could even take a few more steps, another notification announced itself.

[+59.20%]

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

You have leveled up!

You're now level 26!

You have 10 unallocated stat points.

Congratulations!

You have ascended to Rank-D.

Talent Summon has been raised to Rank C.

You have unlocked a new talent: Spirit Call.

[Talent Acquired: Spirit Call]

I ground to a halt as I felt my attributes expand. By now all of my attributes were well past even 200, so a slight increase would hardly matter. But that wasn't the reason behind the waves surging in my body.

A quick glance at my Soul Record let me know that my Dragon Heart compatibility had hit 90%. Instead of the endless well of mana that had been brimming underneath my skin, it was now devouring my own mana. I groaned, trying to take control, and felt a warmth engulf my back.

Breathing lightly, I opened my eyes to find Tania looking at me with worry. My hand clenched my chest, but thanks to her help, I could feel the impact on my body lessening by the second.

"I'm fine now, thanks." I straightened my back and offered an easy smile to my companion.

"Are you sure, I mean the mana in your body is roiling like a tempest." She said, not removing her hand from my arm.

I laughed warily and shook my head. "Honestly, I have no idea what that was about, though I suspect Amara might have a clue."

"Let's hurry then."

I nodded and we set off. I could still feel my heart draining mana from my body with each beat, though the intensity was lesser than before.

It was still shocking to realize that I had ascended to Rank-D. Previously this was everything I had desired, and though my vision had changed, improved, from before, the excitement that followed hadn't.

More importantly, I could now make another summon.

And then there was the other talent also. Spirit Call. It was a D-Rank talent that allowed me to temporarily raise a single one of my summon's attributes by 15%. Though the effect only lasted a single minute. That said, it was the side benefit that appealed to me more.

Teleportation. Or rather calling my summons back. The effect only applied to the summon that was under the effect of Spirit Call, though. In simple terms, if I applied this boost to Amara, beside an increase in her attributes, she could, with but a thought, appear beside me. Though it had to be voluntary.

Thanks to this one talent, my summons would always remain beside me. Of course, the talent itself imposed a strict cost on my mana reserves. Normally, even with my extraordinary reserves thanks to my Supreme Origin, the most I could've used this talent for was two times consecutively. However, thanks to my Dragon Heart, I should be able to use the talent many times.

Should be, I frowned. With the current state my heart is in, I doubt I can even perform a normal usage.

As we raced through the woodland, our feet impacting the wet ground and our bodies cutting past thick foliage, I thought about the fight ahead. Amara had to be locked in battle if she was raking XP so quickly, as already my level had jumped from 26 to 27.

A growl left my throat as I upped my pace further.

"W-wait for me, Markus..." Tania cried from behind me.

I turned my head to glance at the heaving dwarf trying hard to catch and found annoyance creep into my heart. "Is that all you can do? Run faster!"

I didn't wait for her reply and bolted ahead. The smell of the battlefield beckoned me. Called me. I needed that rush to forget the world as I tore through my enemies. I needed that blood more than anything.

Soft blue luminosity radiated from my skin, and had I been able to reason, I would've noticed the glowing sigils manifest around my body. They were etched in my skin and radiated ancient power, but I didn't pay them any heed.

Strength filled my body once more, and my speed increased further. I was so near the battlefield that I could smell it. The fear and desperation, blood and mana, I could taste it on my tongue.

And then the light.

Fire bloomed in my vision, embers adrift in the air. A campfire, I recognized. Then my attention instantly shifted to the monster pinned to the tree. I didn't think; I just charged.

My fist caught wind as it thundered on the monster's head. Skull fractured, caving in, blood and spittle escaping its mouth. My breath came out heated. Excited. My heart pumped blood, demanding violence.

I roared and launched myself in the midst of the monsters.

The chimeric creatures stood no chance against my fists, most perishing in ways that pleased my Dragon Heart immensely. These creatures, whose bodies were grotesque, were a mismatch of characters, sometimes lacking strength, other times boasting speed, and this time they seemed to be lacking defense.

I paid no heed to the humans trying to run around; neither did I register the presence of my own summon as she rounded on me. All I knew was blood.

It was probably why I never even saw the blow coming and knocked me out cold. Darkness welcomed me, like welcoming an old friend home. And I knew no more.

xxx

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