I Became the Weakest Summon of the Genius Summoner

Chapter 22. Difficult Path

I wasn't sure if it was because it had been hit in a vital spot or if it had taken damage beforehand, but it staggered around like it was dancing before falling and losing its breath.

"Wow! What's this? The skeleton soldier is really strong, huh?"

'Have you ever considered that you might just be ridiculously weak?'

I glanced at the man with disdain.

Meanwhile, beside me, Lee Yeon-hee was drawing her bow with a grin that stretched to her ears. She even chuckled softly, but I couldn't figure out why.

"This will be wrapped up soon."

But when the mage appeared and spoke, Yeon-hee's laughter vanished, and she nodded slightly.

Thankfully, since the mage was also a woman, she didn't seem too intimidated.

"Sure, it'll be wrapped up... These idiots, really..."

The mage sighed, which was a sentiment I could completely empathize with.

Inexperienced hunters had pushed the few remaining goblins toward us, causing the goblins, who were retreating, to dash madly our way.

"What about your magic, mage?"

"Didn't I say that simulating plant magic uses a lot of magic power?"

As expected, the man who talked a lot but thoughtlessly blabbered got a scolding from the mage.

She had probably saved just enough magic power to protect herself.

Then Yeon-hee called out clearly, "Everyone, except those who can hold a shield, hide behind us. Those who can move, please try to draw attention in a different direction."

Since the enemy had already closed within 10 meters, people immediately responded to her words.

Watching them, I pondered for a moment.

'I should go easy with the acid spray... even if it means getting a bit less experience.'

For now, I lifted the shield with both hands and hurled it with all my might toward the approaching goblin horde.

Woosh---

The preparation to lift was lengthy, so no goblins were hit directly, but one goblin, startled, rolled to the side, and I charged at it, delivering a direct 【Heavy Strike】.

Slam!

- Skill 【Heavy Strike】 level has increased.

'About time this increased.'

Clearing the message from my mind, I took out a stone from my inventory and flung it hard at the one that dodged to the right.

Thud!

Khahk!

I charged at the one that got hit by the stone and was agitated, ramming into it with my shoulder.

Crash--!!

The creature collided with me and rolled back several times, falling away.

Pyeww-- Twang-! Twang-!

Now Yeon-hee started quick barrages of arrows, and I targeted the goblins dodging them to serve them a taste of the club.

The nearby hunters who were injured did their best to back us up, and soon even the hunters in the town joined, making it possible for us to attack from all sides.

Kehack--!

The sound of goblins having their throats slit was nauseatingly stimulating. They were filthy nuisances both in life and in death.

"Hah-- Seems we've roughly finished up?"

A man with a solid physical build among the hunters entering the village slung a sizable greatsword over his shoulder and spoke.

"Well now, you always say things are 'roughly' settled, is that why your herding is so sloppy? Care to explain why you lured them toward us?"

The man who kept babbling while hiding behind us taunted the man with the greatsword.

Upon hearing that, the eyebrows of the man with the greatsword shot up, but he took a long look at the hunters gasping for breath around him and sighed deeply before replying.

"It was just an accident, the kind that happens all the time. Why make it sound like we did it on purpose? Anyway, it's all wrapped up nicely, so let's leave it at that."

"Tsk... I'll remember you."

"..."

'He's the type who unnecessarily blows things out of proportion. Even if you find yourself in a life-threatening situation, this isn't the way to handle it.'

When he had first approached bickering with the woman, I thought he was just a thoughtless talker, but it seemed there wasn't much in his head, either.

I wanted to give more credit to the patience of the man with the greatsword.

"Let's make sure the 'finishing up' is thorough and meet back here in five minutes."

In the chaotic atmosphere, the mage calmly suggested this, and people began spreading out in all directions.

'So this one was the real leader.'

The mage with a talent for nature magic and a pleasant demeanor, even though I didn't know her name or could fully see her face because of the hood.

It was enough to leave a good impression.

'If I have to form a party, it should be with someone like her.'

It was clearly going to be a good match for us, so I carefully observed the flow of the mage's magic power, storing the information in my mind.

As a guide, there were times when I had to team up with strangers in dungeons, and remembering information about people from the same area could be helpful in such situations; I knew that.

"Whew--"

When I saw the soft light emanating from Yeon-hee, I realized she had leveled up again.

Of course, my body was also glowing with a blue light.

-----

【Skeleton Soldier Ilwol - Lv.11】

Strength: 32
Agility: 39
Stamina: 36
Intelligence: 24
Magic power: 26
Resistance: 1
Sense: 21
Recovery: 2

Traits: Calm, Protector, Kleptomancy, 98 Lives, adhesive

Skills: Heavy Strike, Stealth, Dagger Throw, Acid Spray, Basic Conversion

Equipment: Roughly Carved wooden club

Stats: 3

-----

'What should I raise...?'

In my previous life, to effectively serve as a guide, I had focused on setting stats for quick movements.

Agility was associated with both fast movement and the ability to perceive and anticipate an opponent's actions, so I always raised it first.

But unlike before, this time, my primary role was as a tank to protect Yeon-hee, so the stat setup had to change accordingly.

'Still, its importance hasn't changed. I have to quickly react to dangers and protect Yeon-hee.'

The problem was that being a perfect tank required a lot of stats.

Excluding intelligence, which was related to magic manipulation, they were all necessary.

The benefit was that one stat could affect multiple areas simultaneously, so distributing them adequately wasn't a huge problem.

Still, it meant growing into an ordinary hunter without any unique traits.

Nobody wants to be just ordinary, and few would want to team up with someone like that, especially in life-threatening situations.

'But for me, it's fine. I've got more than one life and don't need to worry about others' judgments.'

Strength is also related to speed, but it plays a more significant role in power. The memory of struggling to lift the shield moments ago passed by.

'So it's Strength, Stamina, and Magic power. I'm definitely on a path others avoid.'

Trying to avoid deficiencies in any stat, I ended up on an unconventional path.

Strength: 35(+3)

Stamina: 39(+3)

Magic power: 29(+3)

Even so, seeing how drastically my stats had improved from the beginning filled me with pride.

Moreover, my skill levels, albeit slowly, were increasing.

Heavy Strike Lv.2

- Strikes with 260% of attack power.

'An increase of 10%. Well, even this much is a blessing.'

Even a subtle increase could allow me to kill a monster in one hit instead of needing two.

"Hmm-- Could it be that monsters have predefined ability growth? Why hasn't Ilwol's intelligence gone up even once?"

Now that we were a bit separated from others, Yeon-hee stuck close to me and said, as if in wonder.

'That's because I didn't raise it.'

I was curious how she would react when the time came to increase my resistance.

"Perhaps if Ilwol's intelligence increases, it could communicate with me? Maybe not in words, but..."

'Huh? Is she suggesting exchanging written notes?'

"Like sending texts back and forth? Um... haha-! I must be crazy."

Seeing Yeon-hee chuckling under her robe, I thought, 'I knew it.'

"No, really, wouldn't it be hilarious if Ilwol sent me emojis or something? Haha-"

'I don't get what's so funny. Is this a generational gap? Despite not being that many years apart...'

Yeon-hee's quiet giggles didn't last long.

"Okay~ Everyone gather round~"

At someone's loud call next to us, the hunters converged. It was probably time to discuss the distribution of obtained silver, loot, and runes.

'Can't we just go now?'

Since we were called in like mercenaries, I wondered if there's any reason for us to stay.

Looking beside me, I saw Yeon-hee glancing around, seemingly looking for a way out.

"Um, uh... over there..."

"Oh, yes, please, Summoner, go ahead."

When the man up front specifically called her a Summoner, everyone's attention focused on her.

However, Yeon-hee didn't hesitate and began to speak right away.

'Huh? What's this?'

"Ah, well... uh, never mind..."

'Oh, Yeon-hee...'

I thought she was going to assert herself for once, but she ended up quietly standing her ground.

"For now, three runes dropped, which is quite lucky. We'll give one with the highest value to the mage, and the other two will be divided once we get outside. As for the loot, it'll be split by team, and-- ah, over there--the Summoner, who worked as hard as the mage today, will be compensated with silver."

"Yes..."

'What's this? Why is this so reasonable and organized?'

Usually, it's chaos when F-rank hunters gather, but maybe it's because of the mage?

'It's good for us, though.'

TL's Corner:
Clacky getting confused on why distribution is saw flawless. I feel you Clacky...