Chapter 21: Chapter 21: The Archmage

After leaving the house, I wandered around town as usual.

This was my everyday routine. Wake up. Strengthen my body. Run through the streets. Do exercises until my muscles burned.

Then go back. Eat. Return for axe training.

But today was different.

I didn’t bring my axe.

I sat on the open field at the edge of town. The grass beneath me was soft. The sky above was clear.

But my eyes were fixed on something else entirely.

My screen.

The notification I had left for later.

═══════════════════════

[ QUEST COMPLETE ]

═══════════════════════

► Fuck Aunt Melisa In Front

Of Her Daughter

───────────────────────

Reward: 600 EXP + Gacha Spin (Rare)

═══════════════════════

═══════════════════════

[ QUEST COMPLETE ]

═══════════════════════

► Bond With Your First Summon

───────────────────────

Reward: 300 EXP

═══════════════════════

I had completely forgotten the link between these missions.

Completing the fucking aunt quest didn’t just give me GP. It gave me EXP too.

And then I recalled the level progression.

It needed only 500 EXP to advance to the next stage.

With 600 added to the board, I had already reached it.

Which meant I would have unlocked my summon reward.

And with that, I would get 300 more EXP from the bonding quest.

This morning was something else entirely.

As if the whole world’s luck had been dumped on me.

I checked my status screen.

═══════════════════════

[ STATUS ]

═══════════════════════

│ ► Basic Info

───────────────────────

│ Name: Eren Van Astrea

│ Level: 2

│ GP (Gooning Points): 235

│ QUOR Capacity: 120

│ QUOR Available: 120

There it was.

Level 2.

I looked at the GP. 235. Quite a lot to spend.

And then the most important thing in the world.

The QUOR level.

It didn’t rise a single bit.

’Good.’

If it increased just from fucking or quest completion, this system would have been completely broken.

But the Pervy Lord knew what he was doing.

QUOR was the most crucial thing in the world, the thing that makes a person apart from other.

’Those explanations can wait.’

First, the main thing.

───────────────────────

LEVEL PROGRESSION

───────────────────────

[ Lv.2 ]━━━━━━○━━━━━━━[ Lv.3 ]

Current EXP: 400 / 1000

───────────────────────

I looked at the next reward preview.

───────────────────────

► LEVEL 3 REWARD

───────────────────────

Appraisal Sight

Can only be used once per week.

Grants user ability to check:

● Enemy’s QUOR core level

● Enemy’s visible summon levels

───────────────────────

’A cheat skill.’

Being able to see enemy stats before a fight? That was invaluable information.

’But that weekly cooldown balances it out.’

Fair enough.

Now for the important part.

I looked at the icon of my previous reward. The same summon that had been greyed out before.

I clicked it.

The screen flickered.

═══════════════════════

[ CONGRATULATIONS ]

═══════════════════════

You have received your first summon!

───────────────────────

Shamed General — Marcus Vorn

│ Rank: F

│ Gender: Male

│ Died: Age 45, executed for fake treason

│

│ Skills:

│ ● Formation — Boosts all summons’ coordination

│ ● Veteran’s Endurance — High stamina and pain tolerance

│ ● Swordsmanship — Basic combat proficiency

═══════════════════════

’So this is it.’

’My new life as a summoner in this world.’

But reality quickly tempered my excitement.

He was F rank.

The lowest of the low.

With an F rank summon, I couldn’t just look down on this stupid world. Not yet.

’I need more.’

My eyes drifted to the shop. To the summons available for purchase.

═════════════════════════

► Summons

────────────────────────

Purchase ancestral spirits.

Filter by:

● Rank (F to SSS)

● Gender (Male/Female)

● Type (Combat/Support/Utility/Seduction)

● Price (Low to High)

「Summons shown are unlocked only」

「Others hidden until Host reaches required level」

Featured:

★ Thief of Slums — Renn ────── 50 GP

★ Village Healer — Old Man Doric ── 60 GP

★ Disgraced Maid — Elise ───── 69 GP

★ Brothel Assassin — Scarlet ──── 300 GP

★ Fallen Priestess — Sister Amara ── 500 GP

★ Poisoner Concubine — Lady Mei ── 1000 GP

═════════════════════════

I stared at the list.

Then noticed something annoying.

’Wait.’

The filter showed ranks from F to SSS. But nowhere did it actually display which rank each summon was.

I could see the prices were increasing. Which probably meant the ranks were increasing too.

But what was the actual rank of each one?

’The guy who made this system left a fucking hole.’

My eyes settled on the upper three. Renn, Doric, Elise.

They were probably F or E ranks based on their prices. But having two summons would mean quantity. Numbers on the battlefield.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Time passed.

I sat there calculating. Running through every possibility in my head.

Half an hour later, I reached a conclusion.

Buying a summon right now was a complete waste.

’I can’t even summon a single one with my current QUOR level.’

The level my system displayed was way different from how this world actually calculated things.

My system was precise, yes. But in this world, cores were measured through different means entirely.

The rankings went:

Awakened → Tempered → Forged → Ascendant → Sovereign → Imperial → Eternal

Each stage had a different color aura. And could only be seen through specialized tools.

Last time mine was checked, about a year ago, I was at Awakened.

The absolute bottom.

That explained my current pathetic level.

For summoning an F rank, I needed to be at least Tempered. Based on my experience watching others, that was the minimum requirement.

’So the best thing to do right now…’

’Would be buying QUOR for myself from the shop.’

Then I recalled something.

’The Gacha reward.’

I quickly navigated to my inventory. Found it sitting there.

Gacha Spin (Rare)

I selected it.

───────────────────────

Gacha Spin (Rare) will be used.

[CONFIRM] [CLOSE]

───────────────────────

I selected Confirm.

WHOOOOSH.

A roulette appeared before my eyes. Spinning so fast I couldn’t track any of the rewards.

Then it started slowing down.

I could finally see the blocks. There were so many. Various discounts. Rewards for QUOR upgrades. Items. Equipment. All sorts of things flying past.

I saw a QUOR discount block approaching.

I started blowing at the empty air in front of me. As if my breath could somehow influence this digital wheel.

’Come on. Come on. Land on QUOR.’

’I need that one.’

But instead, the wheel passed it.

Landed on Summon (F Rank).

Then moved again.

Passed to Summon (E Rank).

Then Summon (D Rank).

And finally stopped.

═══════════════════════

[ GACHA RESULT ]

═══════════════════════

Summon (C Rank)

═══════════════════════

I stared at the screen.

“C rank? What the hell is wrong with my luck today?”

C rank.

Not F. Not E. Not even D.

Fucking C rank.

“Damn.”

A grin spread across my face.

“Now I can invest everything on QUOR without hesitation.”

I looked up at the sky.

“Pervy Lord, you beautiful bastard.”

The screen updated.

═══════════════════════

[ NEW SUMMON UNLOCKED ]

═══════════════════════

Heretic Archmage — Zenos the Unbound

│ Rank: C

│ Gender: Male

│ Died: Age 67, sacrificed himself to seal

│ a dimensional rift with his summon

│

│ Skills:

│ ● Elemental Mastery — Can wield multiple

│ elements at high proficiency

│ ● Forbidden Knowledge — Knows spells that

are unknown to the world

│ ● Arcane Explosion — Devastating AOE attack

═══════════════════════

’An archmage.’

’A fucking archmage.’

I was so excited. Already imagining this old man beating everyone’s ass with forbidden magic and explosions.

But that excitement quickly died.

’I can’t summon him.’

Not at my current level. Not even if I bought QUOR upgrades.

A C rank summon would require far more than what I could afford right now.

’But let’s try and see.’

’At least I can summon Marcus.’

I opened the shop. Navigated to upgrades.

───────────────────────

► Upgrades

───────────────────────

Permanent improvements.

○ QUOR Capacity

● +500 QUOR ────────── 200 GP

● +850 QUOR ────────── 350 GP

● +1700 QUOR ─────────── 600 GP

───────────────────────

I selected the first option.

Put 200 GP toward +500 QUOR.

───────────────────────

Purchase confirmed.

───────────────────────

Then I felt it.

A small sensation. A slight pain in my chest.

My blood started revolving around my heart. Faster and faster. Heat spreading through my veins.

It lasted only a few seconds.

Then settled.

I looked at my status.

───────────────────────

│ QUOR Capacity: 620

│ QUOR Available: 620

───────────────────────

From 120 to 620.

More than five times my original capacity.

I smiled.

“Let’s call upon our very first summon.”

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