Implications ran through my mind, but at the forefront was the synergies I could build between my current monster list. The Flesh Munchers were fixed in the spot they’d been summoned at, so I figured I’d have to practice placing the summoning portals accurately, and think carefully about where I put them since they would remain in position for the entire duration of a fight. They also didn’t have any arms to grasp: only barbed tongues which they used to ensnare an enemy who would then be pulled into their massive mouths and devoured by their razor-sharp teeth.

The Frostbreath Cougars were very fast, and their Frostbreath attacks could slow down their targets. They didn’t have the same level of damage output as creatures like the Magma Apes, but they could potentially slow down a target and engage them while the lumbering Magma Apes got up close. Meanwhile, the Flesh Munchers could guard any potential escape routes.

The Magma Apes, as I recalled from my fight with them, leapt everywhere, were super strong physically, and could cast fireballs, but they were pretty slow compared to the cougars. They were still the most well-rounded of my minions, but they weren’t particularly intelligent. A lot more intelligent than the Munchers, but not as crafty and tactically-minded as the cougars. My Dragonlings, however, were rather intelligent, but I wasn’t sure how effective that particular attribute would be in a fight.

Ultimately, I could command every one of my minions, but when I wasn’t focused on them, they would default to their own minds. Which meant that monsters like the Flesh Munchers could end up requiring much more micromanagement in a fight than minions like, say, the Frostbreath Cougars.

My mind almost felt like it would explode. This was truly a dream come true. I loved crafting, and summoning minions and building on their abilities in tactical ways felt basically like crafting my own creatures. I couldn’t think of anything more awesome. Except maybe being able to craft my own women and gaining immortality, but those ideas were so farfetched that I needn’t bother fantasizing about them.

Summoning minions was the kind of thing that cultivators wished was possible, but most people regarded it as magic that was far too complex for any normal person to master. There were rumors of Beastmaster types who could tame low-level monsters to fight alongside them, but never high level monsters, and never more than one or two at most. There was hardly any evidence such people even existed, and the little video evidence there was of Beastmasters was highly disputed, too. Snopes.com had debunked every ‘leaked’ clip that had shown a cultivator controlling creatures.

These thoughts took the backseat when Astrid suddenly gasped.

“What is it?” I said, looking at her surprised face.