"Spirit Summon!" Nate shouted, casting his skill.
Blue lines slithered across the ground, carving a circular formation of enchanted runes.
The runes gleamed, exploding in light as the summoned creature stepped out.
It stood barely half as tall as Nate, who was 5.6 feet.
Its skin ranged from dark red to ashen green. Sharp, yellow eyes gleamed beneath its heavy eyebrows. Its face was angular with a thick, hooked nose at the center.
"Grahk, Grahk Grahk!" It shouted, saluting Nate.
[Hobo Goblin(Lv.8 - Mage) was summoned and registered in your troops!]
"No, humans are off the menu... Unless I decide otherwise." Nate smiled, understanding the creature.
It was starving. It needed a hunt. Infernum was ahead.
Nate continued, "Gimme a moment, we will go hunting soon."
He used his free points, adding three to Spirit and two to Vitality. His sole purpose was summoning another creature.
"Squeek!"
A weasel with an elongated body, serpentine neck, and four short legs stepped out, its fur was icy blue with a creamy underbelly.
Its paws ended with sharp, icy claws. Four sharp fangs extend from its mouth.
But unlike normal weasels, it was wide, its height reaching Nate's knees.
[Iceclaw Hunter(Lv.11 - Warrior) was summoned and registered in your troops!]
"Monsters? But we're still in the grace period!"
"Run!!!" One of them screamed, stumbling backward.
"Relax, I think those are Nate's summons. Probably picked Summoner, but they look weak..."
"He's weak as hell. Free experience." Another one spoke, assuming Nate was pretty much like them.
"Leveling up this early? I'm in."
"You hungry, guys?" Nate grumbled in annoyance, pointing at his summons.
All of the students were clueless level ones, without exception.
Their idiotic behavior wasn't something he appreciated.
'Infernum could wait a little longer...' Nate thought, considering the variables.
Right now, leveling up came first—and this was the perfect opportunity.
'Better to kill them myself than let them become free experience points for Infernum,' he decided, accepting the opportunity handed to him.
"Squeek!" "Grahk!" Both summons responded together, excitedly.
"Alrighty, go liberate their souls!" Nate ordered.
He pointed at the aggressors who held nothing but their newbie pack weapons.
The Hobo Goblin stood in place, a small wooden staff appearing in its hands. He raised it and screamed, sending five fireballs at the students.
The stat difference was great, and Summoner's blessing increased the gap. It was a hopeless losing fight.
The fireballs slammed against their targets, killing three right away.
[You've killed 3x humans (Lv.1) - +125 Exp!]
[You've leveled up | +5 Attribute Points!]
Nate ignored the notifications, focusing on the ones who survived.
They must have selected classes that granted them high magical defense, but it was fine.
Nate commanded, "Go finish them off, Hunter," sending the weasel.
It squeaked excitedly, bursting forward.
"Nooo—" The target screamed, his head flying off to the distance as Hunter beheaded him.
"Nate, please stop it! I will be your healer!" The second student screamed, witnessing the brutal end not far away.
Nate smirked playfully, answering, "No, Alister. You're not a healer."
He recalled the guy's face from his memories, remembering his name.
Alister was an Assassin who advanced into Venomblood, becoming a nasty, greedy criminal later.
He preyed on the weaker, newly awakened humans, exploiting them for his gains.
Dare to refuse? You die.
Not the worst kind, but cutting him off before he grew was the best option in Nate's eyes.
"You were a parasite, Alister. Please rot quietly in hell." Nate continued, shaking his head in dismissal as Hunter attacked.
Alister raged. "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck you, Nate! I hope your mother exp—"
His head froze before exploding into icy bits.
The smell of burnt flesh lingered in the air.
Nate stared at the corpses as the Hobgoblin feasted on his victims.
"First blood... and it's human," Nate murmured bitterly. He didn't like the direction this timeline was heading.
He felt conflicted.
Guilt roared at him for killing fellow humans. Yet there was triumph, too.
Progress. That made it less disheartening.
"They would've died anyway." He told himself, trying to justify his actions.
'At least, their deaths were meaningful.'
"No, this is unacceptable," Nate muttered, referring to his guilt.
He knew it was normal, natural, and instinctive.
But he couldn't afford it, standing against him every time he took a negative action.
It was a heavy, useless weight tied to him
Leave it to haunt him later? Not a chance in hell.
He knew what to do. He had to curb it, silence, or let go of it if possible.
So he closed his eyes.
'Humans aren't pure, scumbags are many, and this won't be the last time.' He calmed himself down, breathing a sigh of relief.
His guilt was fading.
Not completely, but suppressed deep within him.
It wasn't an easy task nor a perfect final solution, but sufficient for now.
Only good enough to move on.
He turned around toward the tunnel. "Speaking about mother, I should let them know I'm safe."
Nate pulled up his phone, unlocking it swiftly.
A ton of notifications appeared before him. Most from his family and some from those close to him.
He went through his contacts, tapping on her name.
"I'm safe, mother. Let Eliza, Oliver, and Father know too. I'll return in a week..."
Nate typed the message, then sent it before doing the same for his close friends.
Once done, he breathed a sigh of relief before storing the phone in his inventory.
Having it in his pockets was risky, especially in Infernum.
Opening his Newbie Pack, Nate was offered a few options.
[Select a single option from below:]
—Axe (+4 Strength, +2 Dexterity)
—Sword & Shield (+3 Strength + 3 Vitality)
—Bow (+2 Strength, +4 Dexterity)
—Crossbow (+3 Strength, +2 Dexterity)
—Staff (+5 Spirit)
...
—Two Daggers (+5 Dexterity)
—Sledge Hammer (+5 Strength)
The options were many, but selecting the right option required extra wisdom for Nate's case.
Summoners had no combat skills, lacked good armor, and depended completely on their summoned creatures.
A staff would be the best option because it allows them more mana, but no.
Nate preferred boosting his health and defenses more.
He didn't lack mana or strength, and wished to keep his attribute points for Spirit to make his apostle skills usable.
His summons could do the killing for him.
But in case they were busy, dead, or distracted, he still needed a way to be able to defend himself.
Thus, Sword & Shield were the optimal option due to their balance and potential.
At least for the time being, until he had a chance to acquire a suitable armor.
[Selection Complete, applying title effect to attributes...]
—Sword & Shield (+4 Strength + 4 Vitality)
"Awesome! This should be enough for now." Nate clapped, surprised by the title's effect.
The attributes bonus applied to items was far beyond his expectations.
"Any healers? I will pay fifteen percent, offer total safety, and tons of experience."
He exclaimed, looking at the students cowering in the corners.
Some of them escaped through the doors, and some jumped into the tunnel out of fear.
But the rest were shocked, traumatized, and rooted in place from the recent events.
'Meh... Most of them are hopeless.' Nate thought, giving up after witnessing their state
He said, "Meeting healers in Infernum would be much easier," assuming others went inside ahead of him.
"Let's dive," Nate said.
He signaled his summons before stepping toward Infernum's tunnel.
The Hunter squeaked, walking by his side like a guard dog.
"Grahk!" The Hobgoblin saluted, dropped his meal, and followed behind them.