"Demon Caller". A Mage-line css that tames and commands demons, summoning to wherever the caster may be. A css that is often found in the Umbral region due to the numerous demon species living there. It doesn't work on humanoid demons that are considered part of "humanity". Meaning pyers and NPCs.

  While recalling the info the boss had given me about this "common" css, for this region at least, I walked through the Demonic Pins along with Nyx, the Umbra Servant.

  Honestly, who gave this pce such a dangerous name? Just because there are some demonic animals here? The ostriches from before were way scarier, even if it's only from their speed.

  Nyx didn't seem to be bad with long distances, nor did she have any lingering regrets of leaving the Dusk Woods. Maybe tamed creatures have their will ignored? The boss didn't mention anything like that, but if that's true, I'd start feeling bad for the little imp.

  I wanted to see her prowess in battle before we reach the next town, but what can she even do? I opened the system menu again and looked up her skills. While doing so I noticed that her AP had increased by 0.2. Did she gain the same amount of points as I did because I cleared those st quests? If so, then things won't be that difficult in raising her.

  Skill List:Ability Skills:[Mana Lv.1] Attack Skills:[Dark Cw Lv.1][Dark Drain Lv.3] Magic Skills:[Mind Trick Lv.3] Perception Skills:[Prediction Lv.2] Elements:[Lesser Darkness Talent Lv.4] Monster Skills:[Demon's Presence Lv.2] [Demon's Curse Lv.3] [Demon's Shapechange (Crude) Lv.1]These are her skills. I recognize some of them, as I have them myself, but the rest is new to me. Let's take a look:

  Skill:ManaSkill Type:Ability SkillSkill Tier:1Element:---Effect:Increases the owner's MP by 1 point per skill level.Skill:Dark CwSkill Type:Attack SkillSkill Tier:1Element:DarknessEffect:Attacks using cws are granted the Darkness element and have its power increased. Consumes MP.Skill:Mind TrickSkill Type:Magic SkillSkill Tier:1Element:---Effect:Consumes MP to induce confusion to the target. The success rate is based on the skill's level, the user's MAG, the target's RES, and the amount of consumed MP.Skill:PredictionSkill Type:Perception SkillSkill Tier:1Element:---Effect:Assist the user in predicting the movements of other creatures and items.Skill:Demon's CurseSkill Type:Monster SkillSkill Tier:1Element:---Effect:Inflicts a curse on the target that lower's the target's stats and makes them more vulnerable to mental status ailments.Consumes MP.The success rate is based on the skill's level, the target's RES, and the amount of consumed MP.Skill:Demon's Shapeshifting (Crude)Skill Type:Monster SkillSkill Tier:1Element:---Effect:Allows a demon to change its shape. Low rate of success.Consumes both MP and SP. May result in lower stats while transformed.Okay, none of these skills scream "warrior" to me, maybe except for the [Dark Cw] skill. And the shapeshifting skill sounds useless. "Crude" is the right word for it, yeah.

  If I wanna train this girl into a warrior, I need to make her tougher. [Dark Drain] may be a good start, but she needs more power-reted skills. And from how her body's build, I'd say we should give up on making her a knight in shining armor. At least unless she evolves and gets a stronger body.

  Maybe we should go with the martial artist route? That does sound like the easiest way to make use of her natural abilities...

  Whatever. I'll think about that ter. Because now I found a pig that would be a good training target for Nyx.

  I snapped my fingers to get Nyx's attention and directed her toward the solitary pig. She understood my intents and got into a fighting position while aiming at the pig. Guess her brains are better than her INT stat would make you believe.

  In repcement of a gong, I Identified the pig to start the fight. Level 7, huh. It doesn't change it's still an F-ranker, so Nyx should be fine.

  The pig rose with an angry expression and ran towards..., me. Figures. I was the one who Identified it.

  Nyx took the advantage of the pig's tunnel vision and attacked it from its side with its cws. The pig quickly changed gears and tried to headbutt Nyx, but it failed utterly after Nyx's eyes shined mysteriously.

  The pig looked confused as if not understanding why it failed to hit, which gave Nyx the opening to grab the pig with her hands covered in darkness and drained the pig's HP with [Dark Drain].

  Maybe Nyx used a combination of [Mind Trick] and [Prediction] to escape that attack? The magic skill aside, [Prediction] seems like a good skill. Maybe I should get it when I have enough points again?

  As for the rest of the battle, it went completely in Nyx's favor. She kept on sshing the pig with her cws until it died and turned into pork ribs through my usage of [Dismantling]. As a reward, I gave her some jerky I'd bought from the vilge.

  But at this rate, Nyx would be more of an attacker than a defender. There's also the question that she doesn't have any aggro-control skills, which would be essential for a tank. Maybe I should tame another demon post-haste?

  The Demon Caller css sounds even more attractive now than before. Especially if I can de-summon them whenever I don't need them..., where would they be living in the meanwhile? Is there a kennel for demons nearby?

  We continued through the pins while hunting down some lone piglets here and there. We tried ourselves on one of the cows, but it was more durable, stronger, and scarier than I'd expect. We turned into pork fans after that. Just wait until I get stronger, you walking piece of beef...

  The battles boosted Nyx's levels to Lv.6 while its Warrior css went from 29 to 32. I don't think it has any warrior-reted skills, but maybe [Dark Cw] counts as one? Maybe the definition of a "warrior" is different between people and monsters.

  In any case, the increase is a godsend. We'll keep it up, have Nyx upgrade her css, then focus on improving her skills. Which means we need to clear quests. And I should rank up my adventurer rank so I can get D-rank quests.

  And after quite the number of pigs (and no new levels to me), we reached our destination: the port town of Barataria.

  ---

  As I entered the town, I got the strange feeling of hoisting a jolly roger up a mast. Because there were a lot of pirate-looking people here. They're wearing eyepatches, peg legs, and some even have parrots on their shoulders. Are they trying to be pirates, or is this just a big cospy town?

  ......I stand corrected. IT IS A COSPLAY TOWN! There are costume stores, weaving ateliers, and regur clothing stores all over the town! Not to mention strange maid café's that looks more like a pce where you can show off your costume. What's wrong with this town?

  I moved to the center of the town where a huge billboard was pced. There's a "Pirate week"-notice pstered on it with a list over the next week's "cospy-themes". Nurse, police, drag, even a church-inspired theme! Not to mention they're preparing rewards for the best costume. Not that I'll ever enter one of those.

  Geez, what's up with this pce's inhabitants? The town itself looks awesome, like a rural Italian port town but with more "gmor" added to it. The walkways are made of some white granite and there are pieces of art from different genres pced in tasteful locations, giving the city this antique yet modern feel to it.

  Maybe I should move from this city..., or wait! What if the thread I can produce through [Mystical Thread] is worth something in this town? It doesn't hurt to try.

  "Hey, ain't that...?"

  "Yeah, it's her."

  "And with a demon..., no, a retainer!?"

  "The nickname wasn't far off..., *ba-wow*."

  A bunch of guys in more normal clothing compared to the locals was whispering behind my back. And one of them's a wolf. A Wild Wolf..., or not. It seems to be an evolution simir to the pnt wolfies I fought right before meeting Nyx. Different evolution line though. Its fur's bright red.

  After taking a better look at them, I saw that they were pyers. And they all turned away and tried to act innocently when I gred at them. Men...

  While we're on that subject, there are only male pyers here in this city. There are a few female ones, but the rest stinks of masculinity. On the other hand, the NPCs are almost all female. And demons..., female demons with voluptuous bodies...

  Don't tell me! The whole port town of Barataria is a Succubus town!? What a wonderful, I mean, degenerate pce. I better stay here for a while in an attempt to remove the filth in this area. It's probably an impossible task, but you have to give it all for a just cause!

  Okay, time for dramatic jokes is over. I moved to the fountain pced in the same pza as the billboard and registered myself to this town. Now I can move between here, the Fort, and the Dusk Wood vilge whenever I want to through my Pyer Room.

  There's just one more thing I need to do before logging out tonight, and that's talking with the local Adventurers' Union. I need to find a pce where Nyx can stay until I log in again, or if I even need to do so at all.

  The Union hall, the building used by the Adventurers' Union (the boss from the vilge told me before I left. Never knew it had such a name before that), was much rger than the one in the Dusk Wood vilge. The tter was just a tavern with an additional area where one could accept and report quests, but this pce is easily double the size, and with multiple floors.

  This first floor seems to be the pce where you ask for quests, as there are counters with rge billboards filled with quest notes. I went to one of the counters to ask for info and was greeted by the sight of a beautiful female demon..., a Succubus. Just like the Jewelry-kind in the Fort, except this one looks like it's of the normal breed.

  The Succubus provided me with info about the rumored library, and also gave me a list of potential facilities to my Pyer Room that could assist in keeping tamed creatures. But god damn, they're expensive! The good news is that I can simply keep Nyx in my Pyer Room normally, but if I want to have more, I should consider expanding my Room.

  To finance this future cost, I asked the receptionist if there were any good hunting grounds for money and quests. She recommended the Demonic Pins were if I wanted some casual hunting, joining a fishing crew if cash was all I carried about and not safety, or pilging a poisoned swamp nearby for herb items. Or...

  "A Dungeon?" - Garami

  "That's right~. It is a Water element Dungeon filled with fish-type monsters. Many adventurers, especially many Migrants, have tried to clear it, but everyone failed~. Maybe there are some expensive treasures there~? There are no guarantees, though~." - Receptionist

  No guarantees = no Garami going there. Never!

  I thanked the receptionist for the info and went to my Pyer Room to retire for the day. Nyx seems to like the pce, so there's no urgent need for the expansion..., but my wallet won't survive. Should I try to take up a loan?

  Ah, I should use the stored DP now. They'd go to waste if I didn't empty them before going to bed...

  THAT'S IT! I don't need any stupid expansion! I got a whole DUNGEON to let my critters roam around in! And there's even a "Follower's Hotel" facility that I can buy! It even comes with a dining hall that's simir to the Royal Pantries.

  I let Nyx off at the 4th floor of the Fort where I'd pced the Follower's Hotel. She ran straight to the dining hall. Guess being a Dungeon Ruler isn't all that bad after all.

  Log off. It's been a long day...