4 Io

"Yes, make a contract with the Nightmare Bat!"

[Contract Established! You now have 1 contract left]

"Let's see this thing in action. Summon!"

The ground rumbled and black mist started seeping out from it. The dark particles in the air were gathering together, making various shapes.

A second later, you could see dark bones, organs and flesh dancing together, creating an amalgam that rapidly looked like a living being. When the process ended, the shadowy monster was looking at Derrick with its big, glowing red eyes, awaiting orders. It would look pretty majestic if it wasn't so terrifying.

''This explains why everybody hates Necromancers... This is enough to scare the shit out of people! I remember there also being a 10% overall boost when I summon right? Show me''

[Nightmare Bat]

[Strength : 4.4]

[Agility : 2.8]

[Endurance : 3.3]

[Vitality : 1.1]

[Magic Power : 1.1]

[Trait : Echolocation (Allows it to locate prey without using its vision)]

[Skills : None]

''This is the first subordinate I get and its already pretty powerful... The road ahead should be smoother. Now let's think of a name for you... How about Io?''

[Creature named successfully]

''Io, scan the remaining part of the cave with your Echolocation. We have to know if we're alone or not''

[Echolocation in progress... 237 entities found]

''Ugh! What...''

Derrick was flabbergasted and honestly scared. The cave was huge, but he never thought that there would be so much life down here...

''This system really makes things difficult... It transports me somewhere unknown, gives me an unfamiliar body and makes me fight monsters twice my strength... There's a price to pay for everything I guess''

After getting his composure back, Derrick started thinking about his next steps.

''It's too bad that the bat fell at the bottom the lake. I could have stripped it to make food, weapons, armor and clothes. This should be my priority. We'll need to find an isolated beast and hunt it down with that in mind. Second, we should know our path of retreat if things go haywire''

''Io, find me the exit!''

[Scanning of the cave using Echolocation in progress! 15%...33%...62%...87%...100%]

A map suddenly appeared in Derrick's consciousness. It had the layout of the cave, with a thin yellow line surrounded by pulsating red markers indicating enemies.

''Let's get started! I really want to leave this forsaken place''

Derrick started eyeing Io and realized it was a bit bigger than when it was alive.

''Io, is it possible for me to ride you?''

The creature in front of him looked like it understood his request and made a few disgruntled noises before bowing and lowering its wing.

After jumping on its back, he realized that it was easier said than done. Io didn't have a large back, making it quite an unstable mount.

''Guess I'll have to train to avoid any accidents..."

While sighing on top of the beast, Derrick started analyzing the map. After a few seconds, he finally found a suitable target. It was far away, and the environs could be taken advantage of. It was a golden opportunity.

As if it was reading his mind, Io didn't wait any longer and took flight, which almost ejected Derrick off his back. While cursing the beast and steadying himself, they headed to their destination.

***

''We're almost there and our prey is barely moving. Looks like I'll finally be able to catch a break!''

Derrick was rejoicing at the idea of a fast hunt. When he was done, he would get out of this cave and explore the region the system had sent him to.

That idea was thrilling him to no end. After fantasizing a bit, he calmed himself and focused. He couldn't mess up anymore. His blood started boiling in anticipation of the new challenge ahead.

''We've arrived!''

Their hunting ground was a small valley, littered with depressions and rocks. The patterns were random and weren't interconnected. There was also a small pond fed by the central lake.

''Let's land and be cautious. We can't be discovered, or we'll be under pressure and our advantage will be thrown out the window''

They landed on a small hill overseeing the valley and started looking for the unknown entity. After a while, even though they had been paying attention to the surroundings, they still couldn't see any movement. He looked at his map again and there was still a flashing red mark, rendering him perplex.

''System, use appraisal on this region!''

[Using Appraisal... Life Form detected! Dark Furcifer Pardalis!]

''Well that explains why we can't see it!''

When he was younger, he had read about a species of reptiles that could adapt their camouflage to their environment, which allowed them to evade unwanted gazes.

''Show me its stats''

[Dark Furcifer Pardalis]

[Strength : 3.5]

[Agility : 3.5]

[Endurance : 2.0]

[Vitality : 3.0]

[Magic Power : 3.0]

[Trait : Cold Blood (Allows it to lower its temperature to survive in different climates), Camouflage (Allows it to morph with its current environment), Tongue Lash (Allows it to snatch its prey at long distances)]

[Weakness : Sudden Temperature Changes]

''We can do this if we're careful. The problem is we still don't know where it is...''

Deep in thought, he finally sighed and a mischievous smile appeared on his face. He got out of his hiding spot and started walking towards the valley.

''Io, hide in my shadow and be ready. This man is about to become a tasty snack''