Chapter 51: Echo

Summer crouched down on the bloodied wooden root bridge, her dark ruby eyes wide with curiosity.

Three floated down from her collarbone, hovering closely over the three glowing items left behind by the dead beast.

The golden light completely dissipated into the damp air, revealing the full details of her reward.

Summer reached out her pale gloved hand and picked up the first object.

It was a sharp, sleek dagger forged from dark gray stone that felt remarkably heavy in her palm.

A blue item window instantly appeared in front of her eyes to display its functions.

[Equipment Identified!]

Name: Terran Fang Dagger

Grade: Uncommon

Damage: 45 - 60

Durability: 120/120

Effect: Increases Strength by 5 points when held.

Special Ability (Stone Strike): Infuses the blade with dense earth mana, dealing 20% additional heavy damage against armored targets.

The dagger was clearly created from the hard stone plates covering the Earth-Pillar Armored Beast’s body.

Summer turned the heavy blade around in her gloved hand, examining the sharp serrated edge.

It was a sturdy weapon, but she personally preferred using her own iron gauntlets to punch her enemies flat.

She placed the stone dagger into her pocket for later use.

Next, her gaze shifted to the second item resting on the wet mossy bark.

It was a glowing brown skill orb that pulsed with a faint rhythmic earth aura.

Summer touched the translucent orb with her fingertip, causing it to instantly dissolve into tiny brown particles that absorbed directly into her palm.

[Skill Learned!]

Skill Name: Earth Wall

Grade: Common

Mana Cost: 30

Cooldown: 15 seconds

Description: Summons a solid, five-foot-tall wall of dense compacted stone directly from the ground to block incoming physical attacks.

This skill was a direct function of the monster’s defensive earth traits.

Having a solid defensive barrier would make it much easier for her to protect herself during chaotic battles. But with her fighting style, she did not actually need this skill.

Shadow Mirage was enough to block all physical attacks anyway. It was not a lie to say she was a bit disappointed by the rewards.

Her dark eyes locked onto the third item lying quietly in the wet mud.

It was a miniature version of the giant Earth-Pillar Armored Beast she had just slain.

The tiny figure was completely unanimated, looking just like a small pava doll carved from smooth gray stone.

It was small enough to fit comfortably inside her small palm, yet every single detail of the monster was perfectly preserved.

Great...

All her loot was useless...

Summer could hardly suppress her disappointment.

"Ooh..." Summer gasped softly, picking up the tiny stone toy carefully.

[You really got an Echo!]

The system exclaimed inside her head, sounding genuinely impressed by her extraordinary luck.

’Echo?’ Summer asked in her mind, furrowing her dark eyebrows while staring closely at the miniature figurine.

[An Echo is a special physical form a dungeon monster drops after dying. It functions very similarly to your Puppets. However, Echoes work entirely on monster cores you supply to them.]

[They can fight together with you, carry you around, or act as a heavy shield during battle. They do not consume your corrupted mana pool, but they need monster cores to work.]

’What can this little thing help me with?’ Summer grumbled softly, poking the tiny stone back of the miniature beast.

It looked far too tiny and useless to do anything meaningful in a real fight against big monsters.

[Dummy girl, bind your blood with it,] the system instructed smoothly with a light chuckle.

[You can enlarge it whenever you want.]

Summer followed the system’s advice without hesitation.

She bit her pale lower lip with her sharp tooth, squeezing out a tiny drop of cold, dark zombie blood.

She pressed her bloodied finger directly onto the tiny forehead of the stone figurine.

A bright crimson light flared out from the miniature doll, wrapping around her small wrist in a binding glow.

[Echo Binding Complete!]

Echo Name: Earth-Pillar Armored Beast

Grade: Elite Core

Tank Capacity: 0 / 5

Current Status: Inactive (Requires Energy)

The stone doll dissolved into a crimson beam that shot straight onto the back of her pale right hand, forming a small gray tattoo.

Summer focused her mind on the new mark and activated the construct link.

A loud, heavy rumble echoed across the wooden bridge as thick brown dust erupted from the ground in front of her.

The full-sized Earth-Pillar Armored Beast reappeared instantly in a wave of blinding light, standing tall on its six heavy legs.

However, its glowing red eyes were completely vacant, staring blankly ahead like an empty shell.

A small red fire flickered deep inside its pupils for a brief second.

Then, the red light dimmed completely, and the next instant the giant monster collapsed back into its miniature stone version, falling lightly onto her open palm.

’Mm?’ Summer hummed in confusion, tilting her small head.

[You need monster cores for them to work,] the system explained patiently as the doll settled on her skin.

[It ran out of energy immediately after expanding, that is all. Anyway, you do not like to eat low-grade monster cores because of their bitter flavor.]

[So feeding those useless cores to your Echo is a complete win-win for you.]

’Mm...’ Summer nodded her small head, her ruby eyes gleaming with faint realization.

This meant she could throw all those gross-tasting monster cores directly into this stone doll instead of letting them go to waste.

In return, she would get a giant, indestructible mount that could carry her around the giant forest without making her boots dirty.

Not bad...

Summer continued exploring the dungeon, meeting three more monsters. But all of them were low level, so Three finished them off before she had to move an inch.

"EEEk!" Three presented her with the three monster cores, eyes shining as it waited for her praise.

"Good job." Summer pinched Three with her fingers as a form of praise both of them had developed together. Three obviously enjoyed this as it let out contented cries.

Summer then took out the stone figurine and pressed the three glowing crystals against its back.

The miniature doll absorbed the crystals like a soft sponge, glowing with a bright brown light as its energy bar filled up.

[Echo Energy Restored: 60%]

Summer smiled warmly, placing the stone figurine securely inside her chest pocket near her heart.

Three floated back down onto her neck bowl, rubbing its soft green head against her pale cheek with a cheerful squeak.

"We have a new heavy pet now, Three," Summer said in a happy voice.

"EEEk?" But contrary to her excitement, Three’s eyes were filled with sudden alarm and a bit of jealousy. A stupid animal was now fighting with it for its master’s attention!

How could Three not be angry? But it did not show it on the outside, fearing to lose its cute image before its master. So, it secretly planned to teach the poor Echo a lesson, so it would never forget who the boss is.

Summer turned her gaze back toward the misty canyon spanning across the giant forest.

The heavy rain had stopped completely now, replaced by a light, refreshing mist that hung lazily over the colossal tree roots.

By studying the paths they walked, the system had deciphered the geography of the dungeon: a canopy going down into an abyss.

The dungeon core would be in the abyss. So she had to walk down into it while facing powerful monsters and mutants alike.