First Summon

After all, in his previous life he had been little more than a shut-in, with no real combat experience whatsoever. He might have been a force to be reckoned with in games, but his physical strength was pitifully low, and he had no fighting experience. So it was no surprise that both of his first two attempts to venture into the forest and hunt for cores had ended in failure.

This time, Donald had learned from those first two failures. Drawing on the outdoor survival knowledge he had picked up online in his previous life, he had prepared more thoroughly. After several days of practice, he could swing the iron sword in his hand with greater accuracy and force. He had also spent the last of his family's money to borrow a hunter's gear from a nearby village, adding a hardwood bow and a quiver of arrows to his equipment.

He had also realized that, given his poor close-combat ability, a bow and arrows for ranged attacks were undoubtedly a means of protecting his life and improving his chances of a successful hunt.

Rather than spend a long time practicing swordsmanship, he was better off mastering the bow and arrows, which were relatively easy to learn yet still packed a punch.

After all, neither his strength nor his coordination could compare to those of burly swordsmen born for battle. Though archery wasn't a particularly suitable profession for him either, his current goal was to obtain cores, and he could learn the basics of shooting a bow with only a little practice.

As for his aim? Easy: just shoot a few more arrows. He was bound to get lucky and hit something eventually. If that still didn't work, he could fall back on the long sword in his hand!

Waiting was agonizing. Donald had been holding his bow, ready to nock an arrow at any moment, until his arm had begun to ache and go numb. Realizing he couldn't keep this up, he gently lowered the hardwood bow and stuck the arrows into the ground in front of him, ready to grab one and nock it again. Only then did he loosen up his sore arm.

"Damn Horned Deer! They're so timid they have to look around before taking a drink. I've been waiting forever!"

Just as he was grumbling to himself, he heard a faint rustle from the bushes near the stream ahead.

"They're here!"

Donald instantly forgot his complaints. He drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed both arrowhead and gaze toward the stream. He was so focused that he seemed to slip into the mindset of a seasoned hunter in an instant. In truth, circumstances had forced him into it. After learning from his memories about the previous Donald's years of hardship and poverty, he had decided to change things. At the very least, he wanted to reach a modest standard of living and have enough to eat. Otherwise, he would have wasted the chance to leave behind the lazy shut-in he had been for over twenty years and be reborn in this dangerous world. At the very least, he had to do right by his new life and the soul that had once inhabited this body.

So Donald was now more focused than he had ever been in either of his two lives. He was determined to succeed or die trying. He had to hunt down a Magic Beast Core and see if he could use the game he had loved most in his previous life to make something of himself.

Before long, a sturdy buck came into view, leading several does with smaller antlers and seven or eight fawns whose foreheads bore only two tiny bumps as they pushed through the bushes.

"Good grief, no wonder they're so cautious. They brought the whole family!"

Donald understood, but he didn't relax in the slightest. The Horned Deer herd crept toward the stream a dozen or so paces away, the buck leading them and stopping every few steps to check their surroundings. The bow in Donald's hands grew tighter and tighter.

Horned Deer had much the same habits as their close relatives, Wild Deer. Usually, one strong male lived with several females and their young. Only when the seasons prompted them to migrate did they gather into large herds of hundreds or even thousands, led by the strongest male among them.

Donald's targets were the buck and several does. The fawns were still too young, and their Magic Cores probably hadn't fully developed, so they weren't worth much.

Horned Deer might not be aggressive, but they could run far faster than he ever could. Donald knew he had only one chance. The deer would be still while drinking. If he missed, his beginner's archery skills would make it difficult to hit a target moving at full speed.

As the herd reached the stream, Donald's palms began to sweat. The tension inside him was indescribable.

The herd's caution filled Donald, a human, with admiration. When they reached the water, the buck, acting as the head of the family, didn't drink first. Instead, he led his companions in keeping watch, scanning for danger with his keen eyes and ears while the fawns behind him drank first.

The innocent fawns scampered to the water as if cheering, then playfully gulped it down.

At last, once the fawns had had their fill, the buck herded them back behind their mothers. The does continued to keep watch, and then the buck lowered his head and lapped at the water.

"Now!"

The bowstring, held taut all this time, snapped loose. The wooden shaft and iron arrowhead shot from Donald's hand like a shooting star, slicing through the air.

He had finally loosed his first arrow, but there was no time to relax. He quickly drew his bow again and nocked another arrow, sending it after the first.

One of the does keeping watch gave a cry. Blood bloomed across the largest target on her body—her hindquarters—and an arrow stuck there, its shaft seeming to quiver.

The arrow had sunk three inches into her flesh. That was because the shooter lacked strength, but the wound was enough. Her hind leg, the source of her greatest running power, was injured. Even if she managed to flee, she wouldn't get far. Donald's clumsy iron sword would be enough to finish the hunt.

At the doe's cry, the buck immediately raised his head and led the herd away from the stream like the wind. The deer behind him scattered in an instant. Apart from a few fawns that seemed confused, the uninjured deer all moved as if they had practiced it a thousand times, quickly escaping the dangerous open area by the stream. They were about to disappear into the cover of the bushes, and once they did, even the most experienced hunter wouldn't be able to pursue them.

But just then, another arrow appeared. The deer were far faster than ordinary humans, but this shut-in had incredible luck. Though he hadn't had time to brace himself for the shot, the arrow somehow wobbled its way into the buck's neck. It pierced the carotid artery, and a great gush of blood sprayed out at once.

The buck, the strongest in the herd, managed to run only seven or eight yards before losing too much strength from the blood gushing out of his wound. Soon, he collapsed.

Only after firing the second arrow did Donald finally relax. He didn't even have time to check on his prey before he collapsed into the grass, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, as if he had exhausted every last bit of his strength.

After all, in his previous life he had been an ordinary young man with no strength to speak of. He had never even killed a fish, let alone hunted an animal as large as a Horned Deer with a bow and arrow.

Donald hadn't been physically or mentally prepared for the transition from shut-in to hunter. If his body in this life hadn't been much stronger and healthier than the one he'd had in his previous life, he might not even have been able to draw the hardwood bow halfway, let alone hunt Magic Beasts!

After taking a few breaths in the grass where he had been hiding, Donald regained some strength. Excited, he scrambled up to check his results, and his heart leaped with joy at what he saw.

The doe struck by his first arrow hadn't been wounded deeply, but the arrow had damaged the tendon in her hind leg and left the joint unable to move. She had dragged herself along on three legs and hadn't managed to get very far.

The buck, who had been hit in the carotid artery by sheer luck, had fallen outside the bushes they'd come from. Blood covered the ground, and he no longer had the strength even to breathe. Only his chest still rose and fell slightly. It looked like he was close to death.

"Talk about good luck. Looks like I saved up all my luck from the first two attempts for this one! Heh, two adult Horned Deer means two Magic Cores. Their fresh hides and meat should be worth at least two Silver Moons altogether. I can finally stop being dead broke!"

Donald laughed heartily and jumped to his feet, hurrying over.

He used the rope he had prepared to tie up the doe, then grabbed a handful of dry grass and pressed it against her wound to slow the bleeding. Fresh prey was worth much more than a carcass, after all. Maybe the doe would still be alive by the time he got back to town. As for the buck, death was inevitable, so Donald didn't waste time fussing over him. Once the blood had drained away, he found several sturdy branches and lashed them together into a simple drag. Then he tied the buck to it and dragged it along, leading the limping doe with one hand and pulling the drag with the other.

Why not carry the prey out himself? Donald might have been much stronger than the useless shut-in he had been in his previous life, but he still couldn't carry a buck that weighed nearly twice as much as he did!

With the fruits of his hunt in tow, Donald was in high spirits and could think only of getting out of the forest and home as soon as possible. He would take the Magic Cores from the prey, then bring the carcasses to the market and sell them for money. Unfortunately, his seventeen-year-old body, still not fully grown, let him down. He had never done much physical labor and was somewhat malnourished. On top of that, those two arrows had used up most of his strength. He had dragged the prey only a few miles before collapsing to the ground, drenched in sweat.

"This is inhuman work! I never thought I'd hunt down Magic Beasts after all that trouble, only to collapse on the way back. My reputation is ruined for good!"

Completely out of strength, Donald watched the limping doe, tied by her antlers with a rope, lower her head to sniff the cold body of her companion on the makeshift drag. From time to time, she let out a mournful cry. He couldn't tell whether she was grieving for her dead mate or crying out because of her injured leg.

Suddenly, Donald slapped his forehead and shouted.

"I'm such an idiot! Why didn't I think of summoning?"

Then he remembered the purpose of his trip: he had come to hunt Magic Beast Cores so he could test the Book of Truth.

And now he was fretting because he didn't have the strength to haul his prey out of the forest. He'd gotten so excited over hunting down two Magic Beasts that he'd lost his head!

Ignoring the danger of being in the forest, he dug the warm, blood-streaked Magic Core out of the buck's brain. Donald eagerly sent a command to the divine artifact in his mind, ready to make his first summon.

A pale golden image of a book unfolded before Donald's eyes, revealing a page filled with numerous summoning icons.

Though he now had a Magic Beast Core, Donald had no idea what to choose when faced with his first summon.

According to the Book of Truth's scan, a first-tier Horned Deer Core could summon any first-tier or lower creature on the list. This included basic population units from various races, first-tier wild monsters, and even small animals below the first tier.

He could also summon items and buildings, but inanimate things required only ordinary energy crystals. There was no need to waste a Magic Beast Core containing a Soul Fragment, which could summon living creatures.

After thinking it over, Donald considered his current circumstances and made the most sensible choice: summon a first-tier wild monster, a Jackal.

"By my name, come forth! Jackal!"

As soon as Donald spoke, an arcane magic circle, like a starry sky made of faint light, appeared out of nowhere before him. When the light faded, a large adult Jackal appeared in front of him, measuring a full six feet from nose to tail. At the same time, the Horned Deer Core in his hand turned into a streak of light and vanished from his palm.

Seeing the fierce Jackal baring its teeth, Donald was startled at first. But then he saw it bow its head to him in obedient submission, and he was so overcome that he nearly wept with joy.

Ever since arriving in this world, he had been plagued by an underlying sense of danger. It didn't show on the surface, but every night he slept poorly and was often jolted awake by nightmares.

Now he had mastered a wondrous power beyond the scope of his previous life's knowledge. This world had not only knights and warriors, but also mysterious and powerful mages. And among the branches of magic was a profession called Summoner, whose members could summon creatures from other worlds to fight for them.

As the heir to a noble family with a history of several centuries, Donald had led a wretched life, but he still knew far more about the world than an ordinary commoner. He knew he could easily pass himself off as a Summoner. With a mage's status and the incredible power of the Book of Truth, he could protect himself and establish a place in this world, perhaps even gaining considerable wealth and a noble title!

The wondrous effects of the Book of Truth dispelled Donald's fear of arriving in a strange world and the timidity he had carried as a shut-in. They awakened his own ambitions, along with the grand aspirations buried in the memories of the dead Donald.

His gaze firm, he murmured to himself,

"Starting today, I'll be Donald Melina, a young nobleman. With a power like this, I'll restore your noble status and estate, and make the Merlin Family stronger than ever!"

Having made up his mind, Donald turned and tied the rope from his makeshift drag to the Jackal. Though the Jackal remained fierce, it had no choice but to haul the drag with all its strength, even if it was unwilling, because its summoner had ordered it to.

Donald, meanwhile, hummed a little tune from this world and casually led the limping doe along beside it. That was why he had chosen to summon a Jackal.

It might not have the strength or intelligence of an Orc Peon or a Human Peasant—the Undead Acolyte and the Elf Wisp weren't built for pulling carts and couldn't bear the weight of the prey and drag—but it was one of the largest first-tier wild monsters. In terms of attack power, neither race's unarmed basic units could compare to a fierce Jackal with sharp claws and fangs.

It could haul his prey and offer some protection, too. A summoned creature useful for both transport and combat required only one first-tier Core, making it far more worthwhile than hiring people just to carry things.

With the Jackal serving as both a beast of burden and a bodyguard, Donald could feel safe walking through the dangerous outskirts of Green Cloak Forest. If there was danger nearby, the Jackal's keen senses and alertness would let it warn its master at once. Meanwhile, Donald could think about what to do next.

"With the power of the Book of Truth, my main goal from now on is to obtain enough Magic Beast Cores and Elemental Crystals. As long as I have these two summoning materials and keep a sufficient supply on hand, they'll be the most basic means of establishing myself in this world."

"With summoned creatures to help me, hunting Magic Beasts will be much easier next time. I can save the Magic Beast Cores as materials for future summons, then sell the hides, bones, meat, and whatever else I can get for Gold Sols, to improve my life or buy Elemental Crystals."

"Too bad more powerful summons need higher-tier Magic Beast Cores. The outskirts of Green Cloak Forest are home to low-level Magic Beasts from the first to third tiers. The forest's depths are complicated and far too dangerous for me, so I can't go in yet."

As he thought, the man and the wolf reached the edge of the forest with their two kills before he knew it. Red Maple Town lay about two miles farther on.

From here, he could see the smoke rising above the town through the Red Maple Forest ahead.

Since Donald had entered the forest by a back path behind Red Maple Town, rather than the main route used by ordinary Adventurers and hunters, he hadn't met anyone along the way. That had also kept the existence of his summoned creature a secret.

Now that he had reached this point, Donald was reluctant, but he had no choice but to remove the reins from the Jackal and order it to lie in wait in the forest until he summoned it again.

"As a first-tier summoned creature, this Jackal can last for more than ten hours on the energy contained in that powerful buck's Core. Once I've dealt with both kills and rested enough to recover my strength, I can enter the forest and hunt another Magic Beast before the summoning time runs out."

With that thought, Donald stopped complaining about how tired he was. He pulled hard on the drag and prey and headed toward town.