After using his skill on the wild boar, Pulkit watched as its body turned to dust. A notification appeared:
[F-Rank Wild Boar Registered]
[Skill Proficiency Increased]
Congratulations! F-Rank Skill: Summoner of the Dead has successfully upgraded to E-Rank. Summoning limit increased to 5.
Skill proficiency: 3.59%.
[New Function Unlocked: Summoning Space]
From now on, summons can be stored in the summoning space.
Current Space Limit: 5.
Pulkit's face lit up with excitement. "A summoning space? Now that's a game-changer!" he exclaimed. Without delay, he summoned the wild boar. A blood-red boar with great tusks emerged before him. Its eyes gleamed with raw ferocity.
"Let's see what you've got," Pulkit murmured, opening its status panel:
Name: None
Level: 6
Race: Wild Boar
Skill: Charge – When activated, increases movement speed by 10% and delivers a devastating strike to enemies.
Pulkit smirked. "Nice! You've got a skill, which is rare. But what should I call you?" He tapped his chin, pondering names. "How about... Bloody?"
The boar snorted and stomped its hoof, seemingly unimpressed. Pulkit chuckled. "What? You don't like it? Well, tough luck. Bloody it is. I'm not wasting time thinking of unnecessary things."
[Wild Boar Name Bloody Successfully Registered]
Deciding to test the new function, Pulkit activated the summoning space. A black, circular gate appeared and engulfed Bloody. A notification followed:
[Summoning Space Updated: 1/5]
Pulkit grinned. "That's convenient." With Bloody stored away, he turned toward the storage room. "Saber, keep an eye on the surroundings while hiding," he instructed. Saber nodded, retreating to the shadows.
Inside the storage room, Pulkit bought some food from the shop and ate. The simple meal calmed his nerves. Leaning back, he thought, I'm the lone survivor of this S-rank dungeon, but except for that giant snake, I've only encountered F-rank monsters. Where did the higher-rank monsters go? The thought sent a shiver down his spine.
I need to become stronger... fast. Another S-rank monster might appear anytime.
He opened the skill shop, browsing intently. His eyes landed on an F-Rank skill: Appraisal, costing 100 Achievement Points.
"This skill is necessary," he muttered. "If I want to live in this world, I need it. But first, I need to gather more points."
Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Wait! I killed seven demonic dogs earlier. If Saber eats their corpses, he might level up—and maybe even evolve." Energized, Pulkit called Saber and summoned Bloody.
"You two, help me clear the debris," he ordered. They began removing the rubble, revealing the corpses of the dead demonic dogs. Pulkit's eyes gleamed. "Alright, Saber, feast on them!"
Saber hesitated for a moment before obeying. After devouring two corpses, Saber's body emitted a faint glow. A notification appeared:
[Saber Level Up: 8]
Pulkit grinned. "Good job, Saber! Keep going—eat all of them!"
Saber devoured the remaining corpses, his body glowing brighter with each bite. When he finished, another notification appeared:
[Saber Level Up: 10]
Pulkit's heart raced with excitement. "Finally! Saber can evolve!" He opened Saber's status panel:
Name: Saber
Race: Demonic Dog
Evolution Available:
1 : Lesser Hound
2 : Lesser Venomous Hound (Mutant)
Pulkit didn't hesitate. "It's obvious—I choose Lesser Venomous Hound!"
As he confirmed the choice, Saber's body began to glow intensely. The light was so bright that Pulkit shielded his eyes. When the glow subsided, Pulkit gasped. Standing before him was a massive black hound with glowing red eyes and a long, waving tail. Green, vein-like patterns coursed across its body, pulsating with a venomous energy.
Saber approached Pulkit and licked his face affectionately. Pulkit laughed, patting his head. "Congratulations, Saber. You've become big and strong."
Opening Saber's updated status panel, Pulkit saw:
Name: Saber
Race: Lesser Venomous Hound
Rank: E-Rank
Skill: Venomous Fangs [ C-Rank ]
Pulkit's eyes sparkled. "Your rank has increased, and your skill has evolved to C-Rank. Good job, Saber!"
He then checked his own status panel. His skill, Summoner of the Dead, now showed:
Skill Proficiency: 13.54%
Pulkit says. "Oh, I see! So even if my summoned monster evolves, my skill's proficiency will increase. Good."
Pulkit smirked. "Progress. Now, it's time to hunt monsters for Achievement Points."
Remembering the second trial, he opened the trial screen:
Second Trial: Hunt 100 monsters
Current Progress: 9/100
Time Remaining: 27 days, 5 hours
Clenching his fists, Pulkit resolved, "The adventure is far from over. I've survived so much already, but there's still a long way to go. I need to get stronger, and I will."
With Saber and Bloody by his side and a fire burning in his heart, Pulkit stepped out, ready to face whatever challenges awaited.