Chapter 36: The Void Predator Emerges, an Invitation from Mirei Kujo!

At this moment, Li Yao and his group had reached the edge of the breeding grounds. The surrounding area was densely packed with Goblin Meat Masses. A pungent, acidic stench mixed with the smell of rotting corpses filled the entire cave.

They were forced to rely on the shikigami summoned by Kujo Miese to lure the monsters toward the cave passageway, using the terrain to restrict their movement. They killed the enemies wave by wave. Even so, as the only melee class in the team, Yang Junfei had to contend with six Goblin Meat Masses lunging at him simultaneously. If not for Song Anqing’s healing spells and the countless health potions he drank like water, Yang Junfei would have been torn to pieces long ago.

What infuriated him most was that after summoning a blue bird, Li Yao had been slacking off in the back. Although the bird’s damage was significant and its range was sufficient, Yang Junfei absolutely did not believe that a Summoner capable of soloing a Nightmare-level dungeon was only at this level. The point was, if you’re going to act, at least make it convincing!

As Yang Junfei swung his long spear incessantly, he cursed angrily, "A level 10 Summoner with two summoned beasts—what the hell is your game?"

"I already told you, one of my summoned beasts died," Li Yao replied glibly.

If it were just Yang Junfei and his companion, he wouldn't have bothered hiding his strength. But the woman beside them was the problem. Li Yao had never encountered an SS-rank class holder and didn't know the extent of her power. Back outside, she had invited him to join her party the moment they met. Li Yao didn't believe he was the protagonist of some web novel, so handsome that women would become infatuated at first sight. Without knowing her true intentions, he certainly wasn't going to summon all of his chess pieces. As for the Void Predator, he simply didn't summon it because he didn't like Yang Junfei.

Seeing that Li Yao remained unmoved, Song Anqing timidly approached him. "Brother Li Yao, if Yang Junfei can’t hold them off, I’m afraid these monsters will rush through all at once..."

"Move aside. I’m allergic to green tea," Li Yao said without looking back.

"Li Yao-kun," Kujo Miese finally couldn't help but speak. "I am only a support-class professional. My only offensive ability is summoning shikigami, so you don't need to worry about me. Now that we are teammates, I will also bestow my blessings upon your summoned creatures."

Even when asking for help, Kujo Miese’s condescending attitude remained grating. Li Yao didn't believe her. A support-class professional capable of killing a Tongue-Ripper Warden?

"Predator," Li Yao murmured. A massive figure suddenly appeared before them. It wasn't that he believed her, but he was willing to use the Predator to bait out information about her skills. After devouring several bosses, the Void Predator’s size had surged to three meters in height.

Standing in the cave passageway, it was like a wall blocking the monsters from the group. The six Goblin Meat Masses were stunned by the sight of the behemoth, and immediately after, countless attacks followed.

[-381] [-294] [-432] [-335]...

"So much health!" Song Anqing exclaimed. Dozens of attacks landed on the Predator without even chipping its health bar. If that had been Yang Junfei, she would have had to cast several healing spells just to calm her nerves!

Yang Junfei, currently not under attack, sat on the ground panting heavily. He looked at the Predator with a grave expression. This absurdly tanky summoned creature and the blue bird were a perfect combination: one holding the front, the other casting skills from the back. If Li Yao reached level 20 and opened another summon slot for a healing beast... Yang Junfei realized that with such a configuration, even if they joined forces with Yang Feng, the three of them would have no way to deal with Li Yao.

So he really was a Summoner who could solo Nightmare dungeons. He had truly underestimated this kid!

"If you had such a summoned beast, why didn't you use it earlier?" Yang Junfei said with resentment. Once they were out, he would definitely report what happened in the dungeon. He wouldn't let Li Yao get a single point of contribution for slacking off!

Behind them, Kujo Miese examined the Predator with a searching gaze. If it only had high health, combined with that bird-like creature, it shouldn't have been able to defeat the Tongue-Ripper Warden...

"Rupture." As if hearing her thoughts, Li Yao ordered the Predator to use its skill. His target was not the six Goblins in front of them. The ground shattered, and countless giant rocks burst from the earth! As the Predator grew, the range of its Rupture skill had also increased significantly.

The next second, massive damage numbers flooded everyone's vision.

[-5421] [-5942] [-4873] [-5041]...

"What the hell!" Watching the dense cluster of damage numbers, Yang Junfei’s eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. "What kind of damage is that?" He was an S-rank warrior with full Gold-tier gear, yet his strongest attack barely broke one thousand damage. Now you’re telling me a tank-type summoned creature can deal this much damage with an area-of-effect skill? Who are you kidding?!

Yang Junfei finally understood why Li Yao could solo a Nightmare dungeon and why Kujo Miese’s first words to them were, "Follow me to find Li Yao-kun." Dammit, since when could summoned beasts be this terrifying?

Song Anqing was even more horrified. She was the one who had proposed the plan to eliminate Li Yao! It was fortunate that Yang Feng was dead; otherwise, the moment they saw Li Yao, the three of them would have attacked together. They wouldn't have even known how they died! She had to tell her family the moment they got out—never, ever provoke this guy! Trembling, she looked at Li Yao’s back. *I’m just a healer, I absolutely have no ill intentions! Absolutely none!*

Even Kujo Miese was left speechless, unable to utter a word for a long time. This level of damage was not inferior to an SS-rank Mage-class professional, not to mention the terrifying health pool!

Immediately after, Kujo Miese was filled with excitement. Only a summoned beast like this was worthy of the blessing from the stars. She spread her hands slightly, and a brilliant blue halo descended upon the Predator.

[Chess piece Void Predator has received the Star-Speaker’s Blessing. Do you wish to accept?]

Three identical prompts appeared before Li Yao. "Accept."

[Star-Balance Blessing: Increases summoned creature's Stamina by 347, duration 24 minutes.]
[Star-Huntress Blessing: Increases summoned creature's Spirit by 542, duration 24 minutes.]
[Star-Speaker’s Whisper: When the summoned creature takes fatal damage, it gains 12 seconds of invincibility. If not triggered, the state lasts 24 minutes.]

"A decent boost," Li Yao said softly. The last item, Star-Speaker’s Whisper, was especially useful. For a Summoner, if a beast dies, it’s gone, and it even occupies a summon slot permanently. This skill could guarantee the safety of his summoned beasts to a great extent. If a Summoner could actively withdraw a beast during those 12 seconds of invincibility... this woman named Kujo Miese would be sought after by every Summoner in existence!

"How is it, Li Yao-kun?" Kujo Miese’s cold, clear voice sounded in his ear. She was enveloped in an endless blue halo, her beautiful face and near-perfect figure making her look like a goddess descended to the mortal world. "Would you like to cooperate with me and become my sole attendant?"

Kujo Miese was confident. At this moment, no man could refuse her.