Ren crossed the barren terrain of Zone Z41.
Trees were rare here. Jagged rocks and dark entrances to old mining caves took their place. The dry air carried a metallic dust that bit at his throat.
Ren stopped behind a massive boulder. Time to exploit his resources.
"Summon."
A faint magic circle flashed on the dry dirt.
[Summon Successful.]
[Obtained: Rock Hedgehog (Rank F)]
[Level: 1 | Skills: None]
A tiny, football-sized creature curled up the second it appeared. Sharp rocky spikes covered its back.
"Good, first summon attempt worked," Ren muttered. "Summon again."
[Summon Successful. Obtained: Rock Hedgehog (Rank F)]
"Oh, nice. Let's keep going."
"Last try. Summon."
[Summon Failed. Compatibility level poor.]
[Daily Summons Remaining: 0/3]
Ren actually felt happy this time. Hitting two successful summons back-to-back was clear proof that raising his Mana to 6 last night paid off.
"Summon: Sewer Goblin, White Goblin."
The two hybrids materialized from the shadows at the exact same time. The dark-skinned Sewer Goblin whipped its bald tail against the dirt, while the White Goblin stood on its muscular legs, completely alert.
The second they appeared, the two Rock Hedgehogs backed up and hid behind Ren's boots. Their survival instinct told them these two were predators on a whole different level.
Ren looked at his four-monster squad.
"Let the hunt begin, guys."
The group of five pushed through the rock formations. Thanks to Night Vision, Ren caught movement before it even made a sound.
A Mine Gnome. An ugly creature with rock-hard gray skin. It held a rusty pickaxe, slowly chipping away at a stone wall.
Ren didn't give it a chance to realize it was dead.
He shot forward. His 15 Speed closed the gap in a single second. Before the gnome could even turn, Ren's fist slammed into its ribcage with 12 Strength.
Crack!
The gnome's ribs shattered. It flew backward and crashed into a massive rock. It coughed up thick green blood. But before it could scream, the Sewer Goblin lunged. It wrapped its tail around the gnome's neck and crushed its windpipe in one smooth motion.
Ren dug out the green core and tossed it into his dimensional storage. "One."
The massacre didn't stop there.
Minutes later, they cornered a group of five gnomes. This time, Ren didn't lift a finger. He stood in the back, directing his summons.
The White Goblin was an invisible blade. It shredded the gnomes' hamstrings before they even knew where it was. The Sewer Goblin was the silent choker. Meanwhile, Ren used the Rock Hedgehogs as living shields to block the rusty pickaxe swings.
Green blood splattered across the rocks. All five dropped in under two minutes.
♢♢♢♢
Twenty minutes later.
Ren sat on a flat rock. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. His four summons surrounded him like personal bodyguards.
He pulled the cores from his dimensional storage and started counting.
"...forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty."
Fifty magic cores. A terrifying haul in record time.
'I have three daily fusion attempts left,' Ren analyzed in his head. 'But the success rate will be awful if I try to use the E-Rank core right now. I need more Mana.'
"System. Upgrade Mana by 4 points."
[To upgrade Mana stat to 10, please consume 40 F-Rank cores. Confirm?]
"Confirm."
Forty cores turned to ash in his hands. A freezing, violent current pierced his skull. He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth until the pain faded.
[Upgrade Successful.] [Mana: 6 =>10]
[Alert: For the next upgrade, 1 point will require 20 F-Rank cores.]
Ren ignored the warning. His Mana was at 10 now. Time to gamble.
He looked at one of the Rock Hedgehogs.
"Cosmic Furnace. Fuse this hedgehog with a mine gnome core."
The hedgehog and the green core melted together in a vortex of dark mana.
[Fusion Successful.]
[Obtained: Rock Gnome (Rank F)]
[Level: 2 | Strength: 10 | Endurance: 17 | Speed: 5]
[Skills: Hardening]
A broad-shouldered creature appeared. Its skin was literally stacked layers of rough stone. A walking meat-tank. The remaining Rock Hedgehog backed away in fear, watching its buddy turn into this armored monster.
[Daily Fusion Limits Remaining: 2/3]
Ren pulled out the massive blue E-Rank core. Its light cast scary shadows over his face.
"System. What's the fusion success rate for this core and the last Rock Hedgehog?"
[Analyzing compatibility... Success Rate: 10%.]
Ten percent. A tiny margin. If it failed, the blue core would be destroyed.
But he had to push deeper into the rocky zone to farm more cores, and he needed overwhelming power to break through the depths.
"Fuse," Ren ordered firmly.
The vortex was violent this time. Blue light fought the gray light viciously. The ground cracked under the fusion's energy.
[Fusion Failed.] [Cosmic Furnace barely preserved the core. Summon 'Rock Hedgehog' was not destroyed.] [Daily Fusion Limits Remaining: 1/3]
A drop of sweat rolled down Ren's forehead. One try left for today. If he failed now, he'd lose the core and get absolutely nothing.
He stared at the blue core in his hand. 'Die now like a coward, or gamble to live like a king.'
"Fuse again!"
The blue light erupted once more. This time, it blinded him. The core's energy completely swallowed the Rock Hedgehog. Ren heard rocks breaking, muscle fibers tearing, and a low roar that sounded like it came from deep underground.
Ding!
[Congratulations! Fusion Successful.]
[Obtained: Armored Goblin]
[Rank: E]
[Level: 5]
[Skills: Rock Armor, Night Vision, Critical Strike]
The gray smoke cleared.
Ren's eyes widened. A terrifying monster stood in front of him. Its body was a mix of bulging muscles and natural stone armor growing right out of its skin. Its red eyes glowed ruthlessly. Its aura alone made the White Goblin and the Rock Gnome take a step back.
The E-Rank Armored monster rolled its massive head. It looked at Ren, then slowly dropped to one knee, bowing to its master in absolute obedience.
A lively smile broke across Ren's face.
"Welcome to the team, buddy."
Ren turned toward the dark depths of Zone Z41. "Alright, let's go a little deeper."