"No, maybe this could work,"
Arthur muttered, sizing up the goblin kneeling before him. He didn't know much about monsters and races, but the goblin's long, pointed nose gave him an idea, maybe it could help track John Hans through scent.
'And it's a demihuman,' he thought, turning to Claire, who stood as stoic and expressionless as ever behind him. "Hand me that bloodstained cloth."
"Yes," she replied, pulling the piece of cloth from her pocket and passing it to him.
Arthur held it near the goblin's nose. "Smell this."
The goblin sniffed it eagerly but then stopped, looking lost.
"Alright, now follow that scent," Arthur commanded.
The goblin just stood there, cluelessly dazed.
Making Arthur's expression hardened in frustration. "Hurry up, you dumb fuck," he shouted, giving it a sharp kick to the face.
The goblin yelped, as he stumbled back. Letting out a low growl as it glared up at Arthur, trembling in fear.
"What's its problem?" Arthur muttered, puzzled.
Claire stepped closer. "Master, I don't think goblins are capable of tracking such an old scent," she said, her cold gaze shifting to the quivering goblin.
"Is that so? Then who would be able to do it?"
"Possibly a gnoll, they're much better adapted for tracking."
"That makes sense," Arthur replied, casting a disappointed glance at the goblin. "Claire, finish it. No point carrying dead weight around."
Without hesitation, Claire drew her gun and fired, killing the goblin instantly.
[One of your summons has died!]
A notification flashed before Arthur, but he dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
Though Arthur didn't think much about killing the goblin, a part of him couldn't help but reflect.
He had called it dead weight, but wasn't he once considered the same by Volford?
What he had done to the goblin, wasn't it just what Volford had done to him?
These thoughts quickly clouded his mind, frustration or maybe anger welled up inside him.
What path has he started walking?
Doesn't this prove that Volfords were right?
These thoughts were too complex for him to resolve at the moment, he needed time to think it through, and this wasn't the place nor time to do it.
So before he could delve any deeper, he stopped, halting both his steps and his thoughts.
Claire, noticing his tension, stopped as well, her gaze shifting to his strained expression.
'I'll reflect on this later, now's not the time,' he resolved, shaking off the thoughts as they resumed walking.
Arthur rubbed his eyes, forcing himself back into focus. 'Alright, so how should I summon a gnoll?'
He understood the system's basic mechanics well enough by now, though he couldn't fully control what he summoned since it was partly random. However, the quality of a summon depended greatly on the Anima, the spiritual energy collected from sacrifices.
The amount or quality of sacrifices determined the summon's total Anima, and he could choose the racial class of the summon.
So, in essence, he had some influence over his summons, even if it wasn't absolute.
"Gnolls are generally stronger than goblins, but they shouldn't a whole grade above, right?" Arthur murmured, strategizing his next move.
'It took one normal human to summon a goblin, right? So maybe two humans of similar quality would result in a gnoll,' he calculated, forming a plan of action.
Arthur's gaze swept the area, searching for his next prey. It had to be a regular human, and more importantly, a criminal.
He wasn't yet ready to take an innocent life, and fortunately, this was Wallen City, a place filled with criminals and thugs.
Innocence and commoners were rare here.
Now, he needed to find a small gang which Claire could single-headedly overpower.
"Claire, see if you can spot any groups of thugs nearby," Arthur commanded.
As with her speed, she'd be far quicker at locating them.
In an instant, Claire vanished, moving so swiftly that even Arthur couldn't track her. After a moment, she reappeared.
"There's a group of drunks about ten meters away," she reported.
"Perfect."
They approached quietly, finding about ten men slouched against walls or sitting on crates, green glass bottles in hand. It was still early morning, making it unusual for anyone to be drinking.
Arthur guessed they'd likely been at it since the night before.
Arthur scanned the group thoughtfully, making sure there were no hidden weapons or potential threats.
Satisfied, he whispered to Claire, "Take them out in one clean hit. Don't give them a chance to escape not even scream."
It was crucial to keep anyone from screaming or fleeing, as small gangs like these were often linked to larger organizations. If they learned someone had killed their subordinates, they'd undoubtedly come hunting for vengeance.
To avoid this chain reaction, Arthur ensured his targets were at their most vulnerable time and that no hidden threats were present.
After confirming the situation was secure, Arthur gave Claire a nod. She moved swiftly, her steps almost silent as she appeared behind one of the men and delivered a precise strike to the back of his head, ending him without a sound.
She repeated the action methodically for each of the other nine, her movements quick and lethal.
But as she closed in on the last one, the man, despite his drunkenness, became aware of her presence. In a panicked attempt to escape, he stumbled forward, mouth opening to shout for help.
But before he could make a sound, Claire's Aura-coated hand struck him, bursting his head open in a single blow.
Arthur surveyed the fallen bodies, a faint satisfaction in his eyes.
"Good work."
"Yes, master," Claire replied.
"Move them to a more secluded place now,"
Without hesitation, Claire began carrying the bodies, two at a time, to a narrow, deserted alley nearby, where they'd be hidden from any curious eyes.
Given the early hour, most of the city's criminals were either passed out like this group or still sleeping, so Arthur didn't worry much, taking only basic precautions.
Once the bodies were concealed, Arthur began the sacrificial ritual to test his theory, first starting with two of the fallen men.
As quick a notification appeared:
[Do you want to sacrifice the souls of two humans?]
"Yes," he confirmed.
☘︎☘︎☘︎☘︎☘︎☘︎☘︎☘︎☘︎
{A/N}
Isn't Arthur a hypocrite, he wants revenge on the Volfords for discarding him because he was weak and useless.
Isn't that exactly what he did to the goblin?
You might say it's pointless to think that much about a mere goblin, but wasn't Arthur just as insignificant to the Volfords?
Comment your opinion on Arthur's actions, do you think they are justified?
Keep in mind that, It was a whole different thing about Beastmen slaves, he had a defined purpose for sacrificing them and they were criminals filled with hate, but wasn't the goblin innocent?
He deserved a chance to grow.
Well,
Time for another fun fact.
{Sorry guys I hope you understand I have to increase the chapter size to apply for contract}
So here's the answer to the question you never had,
What if Arthur had chosen, demihuman or Heteromorphic instead of Humanoid, let's see what he would have gotten instead of Claire.
For Demihuman:
Minotaur warrior: A humanoid with the head and features of a bull, known for their brute strength and combat proficiency.
More traits, - Exceptional physical power, capable of wielding large weapons like battle axes.
- Strong endurance and stamina, making them formidable in prolonged combat.
- Intelligent enough to follow battle strategies, but not highly advanced in magical skills or intellect. (Generally far less than Claire's)
But Minotaur would have been stronger than Claire.
For Hetromorphic:
Slime king: An evolved slime that has gained sentience and the ability to command lesser slimes.
More traits, - Semi-intelligent, capable of strategic thinking and controlling weaker creatures.
- Strong defence due to its regenerative properties and resistance to physical attacks.
- Possesses mid-level magical abilities, such as acidic attacks or body manipulation.
I personally wanted to go with Slime King cause he is quite cute, but again read the novel's title.
So, to put it in a direct way: Intelligence: Claire (Humanoid)
Raw strength: Minotaur warrior (Demihuman)
Magic or some unique ability I guess: Slime king (Hetromophic)
Now for the final random fact no it's the law of the system you should know about:
Killing and sacrificing the soul of a summoned creature isn't possible.
So you can't just keep on farming an infinite glitch.
So, peace out!!
Don't worry you won't have to bear this long ass author notes from the next chapter...
Nooooo... I thought it was enough, but they want 100 more words so here it is guys...
Coming up:
She glanced around instinctively, her gaze searching for Arthur.
But his seat was empty.
Her heart sank as her eyes moved around the room, looking for any sign of him. He wasn't hiding behind the counters. He wasn't standing near the shopkeeper.
There was no one other than the shopkeeper.
Her chest tightened with a mix of emotions, a relief that her master had escaped, but a feeling of disappointment that he had left her behind and a faint sense of betrayal at the far corner of her heart, that she quickly suppressed.
'At least he's safe,'
She thought, exhaling deeply.
If her sacrifice meant buying him enough time to flee, then it was all worth it.
She was just a summon after all, and this was her duty,
Her fate!