It takes us no more than two minutes to encounter our first enemies: a pair of wolves looming on the horizon. They're larger than the wolves native to Earth, covered in matted grey fur, and they move with a relentless, feral hunger. Slobbering, snarling, and wild-eyed, they charge straight at us across the open wasteland.
Since we're here to test my new abilities, I decide to let my latest creations handle the fight. As an experiment, I say nothing, no verbal commands, opting instead to will them into action with only my mind.
To my surprise, they respond immediately.
The six golems shift into a defensive semi-circle formation, placing themselves between the wolves and us. Hinata stands just behind them, her katana already drawn, crackling faintly with energy. She's poised and ready, should anything slip past.
The wolves hurl themselves at the golems with savage intensity, more vicious than anything you'd see in Earth's wildlife. Despite their power, they're only E-rank. Their fangs and claws do little against hardened stone.
The golems receive the blows with their forearms, steady and unmoved, much like the police dog handlers I saw once in a documentary. One wolf clamps its jaws around a golem's arm, trying to rip it off, but fails. Rocky fingers clamp down on their fur and limbs. Then a sharp burst of electricity crackles from one of the wolves, lightning element. A Thunder Wolf.
But the golems show no fear. The three unarmed ones restrain the beasts, gripping tightly, while the sword-bearing golems move in.
The wolves' snarls quickly devolve into whimpers as mana steel blades plunge into their hides.
"Wow. Efficient," Hinata says, watching the scene unfold with a clinical expression. "And you didn't even give them verbal commands."
"Yeah. Looks like they respond to my intent alone. As long as I issue mental commands, they follow them."
[Slain – Wolf (Level 5) – +25 EXP]
[Slain – Thunder Wolf (Level 5) – +35 EXP]
"Huh. Thunder Wolves give more EXP," I note.
"You got EXP from that?" Hinata turns to me, slightly surprised. "But your golems did all the work."
"I guess because they're extensions of my magic. I still get the credit."
"I mean… that tracks. But only S-rank summoners and tamers have ever reported gaining EXP from their summons' kills." Her eyes narrow. "Imagine if you had twenty of those things, all armed with high-tier weapons and armor. You could clear an entire low-rank gate while sipping tea, and still level up."
"Are you jealous?" I grin. "Let me remind you, I literally had to die to a goblin shaman's rusty dagger to get this ability. Forgive me if I don't feel guilty."
She snorts. "Fine, fair point. Speaking of which… any lingering psychological effects since that day?"
"None," I answer honestly. "Actually, I think this new class affects my nervous system or something. Even while the wolves were charging, my heart rate barely changed."
Relief flickers in her expression. She's glad I'm not haunted by what happened on the altar, but she doesn't push the topic, and I don't volunteer more.
I approach the corpses, placing a hand over each one and drawing them into my [Item Box], leaving only blood-stained earth behind.
[Genome Extraction – Success: Wolf Genome (Rank E)]
[Genome Extraction – Success: Thunder Wolf Genome (Rank D)]
The regular wolf genome grants [Heightened Senses]. The Thunder Wolf's genome provides the [Thunder Element – D] ability.
"Looks like elemental creatures give higher-ranked genomes," I remark.
"Makes sense. How close are you to producing a monster?"
"I've got one goblin genome at 25% purity, three regular goblin genomes, and now these two wolves. I need four more successful extractions before I can attempt a synthesis."
"So... four more kills?"
"Not necessarily. The extraction can fail, especially on higher-level creatures."
Hinata accepts this with a nod. She's already thinking several moves ahead, but keeps her theories to herself.
We continue trekking across the desolate terrain, encountering several more wolf packs. My golems dispatch them easily, adapting to each fight with almost mechanical efficiency. After they finish off a second group, Hinata speaks up.
"Alright, you take the next group yourself. I want to see how much you've grown as a combatant."
I nod and absorb the fallen wolves into my [Item Box]. Five more corpses. Only three genome extractions succeed, bringing me up to nine total. Just one more to go.
Twenty minutes later, I get my chance.
Two Thunder Wolves break from the horizon, charging across the cracked earth. Static sparks ripple through their fur, their bodies glowing faintly with raw elemental power. 2 Thunder wolves!
I ready my short spears. It's time to demonstrate my strength.
After Hinata and I spoke about it, I decided to distribute my 25 free attribute points evenly across all of my available statistics. My Strength and Agility are each five points higher than before. I want to see what that really means.
Last time I used these spears, against the goblin shaman, they whistled through the air. This time, I hear nothing.
The moment I release the spear, it vanishes with a blur. No whistle. No sound. Just clean silence. For a second, I wonder if it broke the sound barrier, but no. It cut the air too perfectly. It was silent because it was flawless.
The spear strikes the wolf square in the skull and tears through its entire body in a straight line. It doesn't even slow down as it exits through the back, slamming into the ground with such force that it carves a crater and sends up a cloud of dust.
When it clears, I stare in awe.
The wolf is still standing, briefly. A perfectly cylindrical hole has been bored through its skull, torso, and spine. The beast collapses in two clean halves.
I had literally drilled a hole through it.
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Bonus chapter goals !!!
25 Power stones - 1 bonus chapter
50 Power stones - 3 bonus chapters
100 Power stones - 5 bonus chapter