[Congratulations. You are now a Registered Codex Overlord.]
[Summoner System Activated.]
[New Features Unlocked.]
The light vanished as quickly as it came. Lin Fang staggered back a step, clutching the side of the desk. He started breathing heavily.
On his palm, a glowing mark in the shape of a small crescent moon had appeared. It pulsed faintly, golden-white, before it disappeared into him.
"Summoner…" he whispered. "I have become a Summoner? What exactly is a Summoner anyway? It's like the one in comics? Like summoning demons and angels?"
While he was still in thought, another screen flickered to life in front of him, followed by a series of notifications.
"Hmm?"
When his eyes fell on them, Lin Fang couldn't help but smile, not just out of habit, but something more.
It was hope. To look forward to the future. To change his fate of being a loser.
[Congratulations. You have received the Newbie Summoner Package.]
[Contents: 1x Baby Panda (Summon Token), 1000 Store Coins, 1x 11-Draw Summon Ticket]
[System Feature: Lottery Wheel] – Unlocked
[Inventory] – Unlocked
[Main Quest: Updated]
[Side Quests: Added]
"This is... finally starting to feel like a proper system."
A new panel appeared, displaying his current quest log as he clicked on the notification, Main Quest-Updated. It redirected him to the Quest Panel entirely.
Main Quest: Bind the Summoner System to a store location.
Reward: Exchange Feature
Side Quests:
Side Quest 1: Obtain the first monster. Reward: Pet inventory Unlock, Summoner's shop unlocked.
Side Quest 2: Raise a monster to Level 10. Reward: 100 coins.
"Based on the main quest, it looks like the system is encouraging me to be a store owner, after all," he muttered, smiling faintly. But then it was momentarily replaced by a frown. "But isn't this Summoner's system? Why does it care about the store?"
Throwing those time-consuming thoughts away, he proceeded to tap the [Baby Panda] summon token glowing in his inventory.
A gentle burst of light erupted in the center of the room, like fireflies converging into form.
A small, round creature materialized, a fuzzy black-and-white panda cub, with a shiny nose and oversized ears that wobbled with every twitch. Its black button eyes sparkled with a curious innocence.
It blinked, tilted its head, and let out a tiny sneeze.
"Ack! You little…" Lin Fang burst out laughing at once. "You're too cute!"
The panda waddled over and sat beside his leg, looking up expectantly.
Lin Fang squatted down. "You're basically a bear tank with a baby face, huh?"
He hesitated for a moment, then grinned. "Alright then. I'll name you… Po."
*Ding!
[You completed Side Quest 1.]
[Pet Inventory] - Unlocked.
[Summoner's Shop] - Unlocked.
[Side Quest 1 - Updated]
[Monster named: Po]
[Please choose a core attribute for this monster.]
Options Available: [Fire] [Water] [Thunder] [Earth] [Shadow] [Light]
He paused, thinking, "Po was slow but sturdy. A tank for sure. But…"
"He's too cute to be scary. He needs something to match his vibe." Lin Fang tapped Light without overthinking.
*Ding!
[Attribute set: LIGHT]
[Unique Evolution Triggered: Luminous Panda King]
[New Species: Panda King added to Shop]
[Growth Pill is added to the Shop]
"Uhh... what?" Lin Fang nearly dropped his jaw for a moment before he fumbled to open the shop panel in a hurry.
Summoner's Shop – (Lv. 1)
Panda King Egg
Grade: Legendary
Max Level: 50
Cost: 100 coins
*
Growth Pill
Effect: Raises the companion's level by 1–10
Cost: 500 coins.
*
Lin Fang gawked at the sight of the details at once. "Legendary? Level fifty? That's King Tier! The ones I sold before… didn't even reach past twenty! Man, I struck it rich."
His heart pounded in excitement. Those low-tier eggs had sat for years in his dusty shop like discounted furniture. Not a single one had this kind of potential.
He tapped on the Growth Pill for more details.
*
Growth Pill – Consumable
Raises monster level by 1–10 instantly, based on the current level.
Only usable on monsters below Level 30.
Can only be usable on monsters of legendary grade or below
*
"Okay, that's amazing… but I need to be smart." He looked down at Po, who was now attempting to nibble on the corner of the rug. "Maybe I should let you level naturally for now. After all…"
His eyes drifted down to the coin balance: 1000 Store Coins.
Below the coin count was an icon labeled Coin Exchange, but it was grayed out. He tapped it.
[Function Locked.]
[Coin exchange requires Store Binding. Please complete the Main Quest to unlock currency features.]
"So I have to bind the system to a store next. Right..."
He leaned back against the desk, watching Po roll over and yawn.
"Looks like we're going to need a new shop… one that suits a summoner."
He smiled to himself with renewed energy. All that miserable life he led for years, struggling with debts and relationships, nothing came to his mind. The only thing that is on his mind is to look forward to the future, using every chance to redo his life.
In excitement, he momentarily forgot that he was making someone wait downstairs. When he finally realized, he hurriedly went downstairs to complete the transaction right away.
In the meantime, Chen Yu was already prepared with the electronic contract draft.
Lin Fang signed where needed: transfer of ownership, loan reassignment, and exit agreement. It was all smoother than he expected. Almost too smooth. Money was also transferred instantly.
When it was all done, the assistant gave him a respectful nod. "The loan liabilities are now cleared. You'll receive confirmation via system mail in 24 hours."
Chen Yu added after a brief pause, "And remember, you have one month to vacate. After that, company contractors will begin demolition."
Lin Fang nodded wordlessly.
That earlier joy he felt suddenly disappeared at that reminder of vacating, and his eyes couldn't help but wander the store, a place he had owned for years.
As the client left the store, not bothering to take any product he had actually paid for earlier, Lin Fang went ahead and locked the glass door for what was likely the second-last time.
The street outside was still quiet.
Lin Fang climbed back up the stairs, sank into his old chair, and stared at the ceiling for a while.
The money, 1.15 million credits, sat neatly in his personal account now. But his thoughts weren't on it.
They were elsewhere.
He raised his hand. "System."
Summoner System Online
[Main Quests]
[Summoner Shop]
[Lottery Wheel]
He tapped the last one that he hadn't explored earlier.
The interface shifted. A circular wheel emerged on the screen, gold-rimmed, divided into 36 neat partitions. Each segment pulsed softly, some with icons, others blank.
Six of the slots had the design of an eagle, labeled with multipliers: x1, x2, x3, x5, x10, x20.
Fifteen other segments showed shimmering coins in increasing values, x1 to x500.
One had the image of a question mark.
The rest? They were blank.
The system prompted while he was staring at the lottery wheel: Use 11x Summon Ticket?
He didn't hesitate. Lin Fang clicked on yes.
The wheel spun.
Bright and fast at first, then slower, heavier, and more deliberate toward the end.
After several tense seconds, the results appeared one by one:
*Thunder Eagle Shard x8*
*Coin x20*
*Thunder Eagle Shard x5*
*Thunder Eagle Shard x3*
*Coin x140*
*Blank*
*Thunder Eagle Shard x6*
*Thunder Eagle Shard x4*
*Coin x82*
*Blank*
*Blank*
*Ding!
[You earned, Thunder Eagle Shard: x26, Store Coins: +342]
"Not bad for a free 11x ticket…" Lin Fang muttered. He tapped on the Thunder Eagle shard.
Monster: Thunder Eagle (Wind + Lightning Affinity)
Rarity: Epic
Assimilation Requirement: 100 shards
Progress: 26 / 100
He leaned back with his eyes narrowing in interest.
"A flying-type monster, but still has lower potential than Po." Then he shrugged in indifference, "But then again, Po is a beginner's gift. Obviously, the system would give me a pretty damn good one."
He glanced at the coin count: 1342.
Just enough for two more 11x draws. If he gets enough coins, it will be three turns, as each one costs 500 coins. He hesitated only for a second but eventually fell into temptation.
"One more round."
Confirm: Spend 500 Store Coins?
"Confirmed."
The wheel spun again, this time even more slowly, like fate was holding its breath. The results flicked across the screen:
*Ding! You earned, Thunder Eagle Shard: x44, Store Coins: +80
Lin Fang whistled low. "That brings me to 70 shards total… just thirty more to go."
He hovered his hand over the x11 button again. "Should I try one more round?"
But then his eyes flicked to Po, who had climbed up to the windowsill and was now clumsily trying to swat a sunbeam.
His eyes lingered on the little panda for a few seconds, imagining a baby eagle flying all over the house.
Lin Fang couldn't help but smile. "Alright, let's do this."
He clicked on x11 once again.
However, this time, the rewards are quite surprising.
His facial expression froze as the final reward flickered across the screen.
*Ding! You earned Thunder Eagle Shards: x8, Store Coins: +102
"Just 8... what the..."
[Total Thunder Eagle Shards: 78 / 100, Store Coins Remaining: 524]
"Just twenty-two more," he murmured. "One more x11 spin left, but I might get there this time. I won't face bad luck every time."
Temptation tugged at him again, sharp, insistent. He hesitated only for a heartbeat before making his decision.
"Let's end this."
He tapped the x11 Draw button. 500 coins vanished in a blink.
The wheel spun.
Slower this time. The ticking dragged. His stomach churned slightly as the light circled, then slowed… and finally stopped.
*Ding! You earned Thunder Eagle Shards: x4, Store Coins: +38
Lin Fang froze entirely for a moment, this time, as if he had been struck by lightning.
A strange silence filled the room.
[Thunder Eagle Shard Total: 82 / 100, Coins Remaining: 62]