Chapter 16: The Hunt Continues

Arin summoned a wolf. With the use of his willpower, a large, sleek wolf materialized before him. The wolf's fur was a mix of greys and whites, and its eyes glowed with an intelligent light.

"Listen carefully," Arin instructed the wolf. "Your task is to hunt around this area. If you encounter a large group of ants, warriors, or anything unusual, do not engage. Return to me immediately." The wolf nodded, understanding the command, and swiftly darted off into the forest.

"With the wolf on its scouting mission, Arin turned his attention back to the battlefield. He still had a few ants to search. He began with the first, meticulously examining the carcass but finding nothing of value. Moving on to the second, as he rifled through the remains, his fingers brushed against a small, rolled-up parchment. He pulled it out, eyes widening in excitement."

"A scroll!" Arin exclaimed, feeling a rush of adrenaline. He unrolled the scroll and attempted to use it, hoping it would be something useful for a summoner. Unfortunately, the scroll didn't resonate with his abilities, indicating it was not designed for a summoner. Despite this, Arin was still thrilled. The scroll could be valuable for trading or selling. He placed the scroll into his ring, which fortunately still had some small space left. He vigorously checked the rest of the ants, but unfortunately, there was nothing else.

The brief excitement gave Arin enough time for his mana to replenish. Without wasting any more time, he summoned a second wolf. This one appeared next to him, its fur dark as midnight, eyes keenly observing its surroundings.

"You have the same instructions as your companion," Arin said, "Hunt around, but if you find anything unusual or dangerous, come back to me immediately." The second wolf nodded and sprinted off, disappearing into the trees.

After summoning the second wolf, Arin decided to move forward, following the path taken by the first wolf. For a few minutes, he encountered no signs of the ants. It seemed that the ants had received the warning and retreated from the area. As he moved deeper into the forest, Arin noticed the vegetation becoming more damaged. Leaves were chewed, bark was stripped from trees, and the signs of heavy ant activity were everywhere. The further he went, the more evident the destruction became.

Suddenly, Arin began receiving experience points: +20 XP, +30 XP... He realized one of his wolves was engaged in battle. Arin quickly imagined the attribute panel and remembered he had not assigned his unallocated points. He immediately distributed the five points into Willpower, raising it to 45 (+10). This increased his mana pool to 550, but his willpower was still not enough to summon a third creature. Determined to focus on this goal, Arin made a mental note to prioritize increasing his willpower.

Arin identified from the bestiary which wolf was in combat and mentally commanded the other wolf to return. He then headed towards the fighting wolf, sensing that it had gained 160 experience points by killing several worker ants and two warriors. Despite the success, Arin also felt that the wolf had sustained some injuries from the warriors. The warriors' strength and ferocity had proven challenging for the wolf, which lacked the agility of the raptor and the raw power of the bear. Nonetheless, the wolf's injuries were minor, and it continued to fight valiantly.

As Arin reached the site of the battle, he saw his wolf fighting fiercely, still holding its ground. The wolf's movements were slightly slowed by the injuries, but it remained a formidable opponent for the ants. Arin quickly evaluated the situation and decided to draw his sword. But he stayed behind, waiting for the second wolf to appear.

Luckily for Arin, the ants did not perceive him as a threat compared to the wolf. They focused all their attention on the first wolf, allowing Arin a moment to calm himself. He could feel the second wolf approaching, which eased his tension slightly. However, more and more ants continued to arrive, reinforcing their numbers.

Arin began to move towards the direction from which the second wolf was approaching. He also commanded the first wolf to retreat slightly, as the ants were beginning to encircle it. He saw more warriors and a few workers arriving, which offered a better opportunity. Arin received +20 and +30 experience points as the wolf managed to kill another worker and a warrior.

Arin quickly ran about 50 meters and saw the second wolf approaching. The wolf immediately charged into the fray, helping to stabilize the situation. Before the second wolf arrived, the first wolf managed to kill another warrior. With the two wolves now fighting together, their effectiveness in killing the ants increased dramatically.

The battle became a brutal spectacle. The wolves tore into the ants with savage efficiency. The first wolf lunged at a warrior ant, sinking its teeth into the ant's thorax and ripping it apart with a sickening crunch. Green blood sprayed across the ground as the wolf tore the ant to shreds.

The second wolf joined in, attacking another warrior ant from behind. Its powerful jaws clamped down on the ant's head, crushing it with a gruesome crack. The ant's legs flailed helplessly before it went limp, green blood oozing from its shattered head.

Together, the wolves worked in perfect harmony, tearing through the ants with ferocious precision. The ants had no chance to encircle them, as the wolves moved with deadly coordination. Each ant that approached was met with a swift and violent end, their bodies torn apart by powerful jaws and claws.

Arin watched the scene unfold; he had already gotten used to it. Firstly, his summons were strong in the way that summoner is a strong occupation, but mostly at higher levels. What he couldn't understand was that he had clearly read and heard that the summons of a summoner under level 60 were brainless monsters that needed to be commanded for every move. Also, commands had to be said aloud. There was a huge difference: he was not commanding his minions at all—they cooperated, they understood him, and they also had their own will. His memory of the instance when he summoned the bear and it rushed to fight without any command was the most eye-catching.

Arin admitted to himself that he needed to consult someone about this. Two people came to mind: his favourite teacher Ralear and Maloren, who was supposed to visit Arin at home tomorrow afternoon. It would be good to meet with both of them because Arin was deviating from all established rules.

Suddenly, he received +30 XP, +30 XP, +20 XP, and +30 XP as his wolves continued their fight. Arin gained a total of 340 XP, and once again, the scene repeated: as the ants realized they were losing, they quickly retreated. Arin ordered his wolves not to pursue and went to check if any items had dropped from the defeated ants.

Arin checked all the carcasses and found that nothing had dropped this time. Feeling a bit tired and hungry, he pulled out the chicken he had saved from breakfast, along with some bread and juice, and sat down to eat. Before he started his meal, he looked over at his wolves. The first wolf, which had been fighting longer, was clearly more resilient than the raptor. The wolf had only minor injuries and did not seem poisoned at all, unlike the raptor, which had sustained more severe wounds in a similar timeframe.

After finishing his meal, Arin decided to head to the exit. He instructed his wolves to scout in that direction and try to find anything of interest. He had several reasons for this. Firstly, he had been summoning creatures for several hours, and it was mentally exhausting. Secondly, he had no way to collect the valuable ant carcasses, as his ring was full. Despite this, he had gained experience and found a scroll that could be sold or exchanged for another scroll or book, possibly one that could provide new skills, whether active or passive

Arin wanted to talk to someone about what he should do next and how to proceed, as he was quite confused about his unique situation. He gave the command to his wolves to head to the exit. This time, he felt a stronger connection with them. Since leveling up, he noticed that his bond with the wolves had become more powerful, giving him clearer information. The wolves responded instantly, with no delay as before. It also seemed that when he didn't give them a specific task, the wolves would move around and sniff the area as if they were living creatures.