II - The First Pull
Azea sat cross-legged on the forest floor, staring at the glowing crystal in his hand. It pulsed softly, a faint warmth spreading through his palm.
"So… what do I do with this?"
Amon leaned against a tree, arms crossed, his sword balanced casually on his shoulder.
"You pull. What else?"
Azea looked up at him. "Pull? Like in a gacha game?"
Amon rolled his eyes. "Yes. That crystal contains a potential summon. Could be a warrior, could be a healer, or it could be a pile of junk. It's all luck."
"Great," Azea muttered. "Even in another world, it's still a scam."
"Quit complaining and pull it already," Amon said. "We're wasting time."
Azea exhaled, holding the crystal up. "Alright, here goes nothing."
As soon as he focused on it, the crystal began to glow brighter, lifting slightly off his hand. A low hum filled the air, and a System notification appeared in front of him.
[Summoning Crystal Detected. Initiating Summon…]
The crystal shattered, and a blinding light shot into the sky. Azea shielded his eyes as the air around him crackled with energy.
When the light faded, another figure stood before him.
It was a girl, maybe in her late teens, with short silver hair and sharp golden eyes. She was dressed in light armor, her twin daggers gleaming at her sides. She glanced around, then fixed her gaze on Azea.
"You summoned me?"
"Uh, yeah," Azea said, lowering his hand.
The girl smirked. "Nice. I'm Lyra. Assassin, A-Rank. What's the job?"
Azea blinked. "A-Rank? Is that good?"
Lyra raised an eyebrow. "Good? It's incredible. You just hit the jackpot, rookie."
"Don't let it go to your head," Amon interrupted, stepping forward. "A-Rank means nothing if your Summoner's useless."
Lyra looked him up and down, then turned back to Azea. "He's a ray of sunshine, isn't he?"
Azea sighed. "Yeah, that's Amon. Apparently, I'm his Summoner too."
Lyra tilted her head. "You're carrying two summons? Not bad for a newbie."
"Carrying?" Azea asked.
Amon cut in. "Summoners can only maintain as many summons as their level allows. You're Level 1, which means you should only have one summon. But somehow, you're holding me and her without your head exploding. Weird."
Azea frowned. "So… is that a good thing?"
"Depends," Amon said. "If you can handle it, you'll be stronger than most Summoners out there. If not, you'll burn out and die."
Lyra whistled. "No pressure, huh?"
"Cool. Great. Loving this world already," Azea muttered. He turned to Lyra. "So, uh, do you have stats or something? Like a character sheet?"
"Of course," Lyra said. She snapped her fingers, and a translucent screen appeared in front of her.
---
[Summon Details: Lyra]
Class: Assassin
Rank: A
Skills:
Shadow Step: Teleport behind a target for a critical hit.
Venom Edge: Coats weapons with poison, dealing damage over time.
Nightfall Veil: Become invisible for a short duration.
---
Azea read through the stats, his mind racing. "These skills… They're legit. This is exactly what I'd build for an assassin character."
"Good eye," Lyra said.
Amon snorted. "Don't get too excited, kid. She's strong, but you're still Level 1. You'll barely be able to use half her potential."
Azea groaned. "Why does everything come back to my level?"
"Because it's the only thing that matters," Amon said. "If you're weak, we're weak. Simple as that."
Lyra stretched, her daggers spinning in her hands. "So, what's the plan, boss?"
"Boss?" Azea asked, blinking.
"Yeah, you're the Summoner," Lyra said. "You call the shots. So, what's next?"
Azea opened his mouth, then realized he had no idea what to say. He'd been in this world for less than an hour, and now he was supposed to lead a team?
Before he could answer, the ground beneath them rumbled. A deep growl echoed through the forest, louder and angrier than the wolf from earlier.
Amon unsheathed his sword. "Looks like we've got company."
Lyra grinned. "Finally, some action."
"Wait, what's happening?" Azea asked, panic rising in his chest.
A System notification popped up in front of him.
[Event Triggered: Field Boss Encounter!]
[Enemy: Stonebeast (Level 10)]
"Level 10?!" Azea shouted. "I'm Level 1!"
"Relax," Lyra said, flipping her daggers. "That's what we're here for."
The trees ahead of them parted, and the Stonebeast emerged. It was massive, easily three times the size of the wolf, with a body made of jagged rocks and glowing red veins. Its eyes locked onto Azea, and it roared, shaking the ground.
Azea stumbled back. "This is NOT beginner-friendly!"
Amon glanced at him. "Command us, Summoner. Now."
Azea's mind raced. Command them? How? He wasn't a strategist, not anymore. But he had to try.
"Alright, uh, Amon! Keep it distracted. Lyra, go for the weak spots!"
Amon smirked. "Finally, some orders."
Lyra disappeared in a blur, her Shadow Step skill activating. She reappeared behind the Stonebeast, her daggers slicing into the glowing veins on its back. The creature roared, swinging wildly, but Amon blocked its attack with his massive sword, flames erupting along the blade.
Azea watched in awe as his summons worked together, their movements precise and devastating.
"This… This is insane," he muttered.
The fight raged on, the Stonebeast thrashing and roaring, but Lyra and Amon didn't let up.
"Now, finish it!" Azea shouted.
Amon drove his sword into the beast's chest, flames exploding outward. At the same time, Lyra landed a final strike to its neck, her daggers coated in poison.
The Stonebeast let out one last roar before collapsing, its body crumbling into rubble.
A System notification appeared.
[Field Boss Defeated!]
[Rewards: EXP +500, Intermediate Summoning Crystal x1]
Azea dropped to his knees, exhausted but exhilarated.
"We… we did it," he said, a grin spreading across his face.
Lyra gave him a thumbs-up. "Not bad for your first real fight, boss."
Amon sheathed his sword, nodding. "You've got potential. Don't waste it."
Azea looked at the glowing crystal in his hand—the reward from the fight. His first real victory.
"Maybe this world isn't so bad after all," he said.
The System chimed again, its voice cold and mechanical.
[Congratulations! You've reached Level 2.]