Jaden positioned the camera and took a picture. Right at that moment, he heard a chime as a blue screen appeared before him.
[Ding!]
Jaden blinked a few times, confused by the sudden appearance before him. He waved his hand through the screen with a puzzled look.
"What is going on-"
[Binding Summoner's Codex to the host…]
[1...25...50...75...99%]
[Ding! Host has been bound to the Summoner's Codex.]
Jaden looked at the messages in front of him with a bewildered expression; his mind had already gone blank from the strange screen in front of him.
He pinched his own cheek to make sure that he wasn't dreaming… he winced from the sting as soon as he did so.
"What in the name of god is going on?"
He thought about it and went through all of his knowledge to finally make sense of his condition.
"D-Did I really reincarnate like those novels?"
"And this, it must be the legendary golden finger…"
[Assign a calling name to the Summoner's Codex.]
'Calling name? I don't even know what the hell is going on right now.'
"Augh… I don't know, Picturebook?" Jaden spoke doubtfully, and soon another message appeared before him.
[Calling name 'Picturebook' has been assigned to the Summoner's Codex.]
[Host may call out to the Summoner's Codex as per his wishes.]
"What is this fantasy bullshit?" Jaden spat at it and called out.
"Picturebook."
As soon as he spoke, a blue screen appeared before him.
————
Host: Jaden Cross
Job: The Shutter Summoner
Level: 0/10
Experience: 0/100
* It's obtained through capturing summons, using summon(s) for combat, learning spells and martial skills.
Skills: [Capture], [Locked- requires a grimoire], [Locked- requires a grimoire]
Available features: [Profile] [Locked- requires a grimoire]
————
Jaden stared at the screen with his jaw open wide, so wide that it nearly touched the ground. He rubbed his eyes as he thought.
However, He soon frowned.
"What does it mean by 'requires a grimoire'?"
"Ah, leave it," he said as he threw the thought at the back of his head.
'Would this work if I don't speak out loud? Let's try.'
'Profile.'
————
Host: Jaden Cross
Age: 18
Job: The Shutter Summoner
Job Rank: SSS
Job Description: You can capture and summon anything using your camera and grimoire.
Rank: Novice [0] -> Initiate [10]
Enhanced Stats:
Strength: 0
Agility: 0
Intelligence: 0
Spirit: 0
Charisma: 0
————
"SSS?" Jaden exclaimed with a bewildered expression.
Soon, his expression changed as he looked at the screen in displeasure and questioned.
"Isn't that supposed to be overpowered as hell? Then why the hell are my skills locked then? What is this bullshit about a grimoire?"
He spat at the ground in fury and dismissed the screen.
Jaden walked towards the city far away and thought about his state.
He had died from witnessing that non-PG act, and somehow got reincarnated in this world… he wasn't sure, but the existence of the system made him believe that this was a world of magic and swords. The system did say that he can learn magic spells and martial skills to level up after all.
The sun began to come down as Jaden made his way towards the city. His clothes were sticking to his body because of how much he had sweated, and the merciless heat of the sun wasn't helping him at all.
But Jaden didn't give up. A few moments later, he could see some trees at the periphery of the city. He smiled at seeing how near he had reached and used all of his willpower to fight the fatigue.
The sun, which was at its peak, was hiding behind the mountains as it readied itself for dusk.
Jaden reached the gates of the seemingly old-fashioned city, but strangely, no one was at its gates. He was, however, too exhausted to care about such and entered the city.
As soon as he stepped inside the city, the sun went down and the moon took over, and a sudden cold breeze swept through the city. Jaden winced under it but didn't think much of it; it was not that he didn't want to think about it. He just could not think of it. He sat at a nearby bench to rest for a while.
Suddenly, the seemingly ghost city was filled with activity as people moved from one place to another, and vendors shouted to attract the attention of the passersby.
Kids played their fun little games as they ran through the busy street, and the adults enjoyed themselves after a hard day of work.
Jaden's father's city was such a wonder, and he prided himself on being the son of a father like him.
He stood up from the bench he was resting on and began walking towards his home.
As he stepped forward, a kid ran to him and called out.
"Big brother Jaden!"
Jaden smiled at him and politely denied his requests about playing anything; he was getting late after all.
"Please…" the kid pleaded with his puppy eyes, but Jaden was a veteran in this and didn't fall for it.
"Next time," he said as he bent down and ruffled the kid's hair. The kid reluctantly nodded and went back to his friends.
Jaden continued his steps, and many adults greeted him along the way. He was the son of the mayor after all. Few even gifted him desserts or small gifts.
He now had cloth bags in both hands; both of those bags were filled with desserts and gifts.
Jaden stopped in front of a black iron gate, which soon parted open as the guard bowed and greeted him.
"Welcome back, Young master."
A maid who stood beside the guard took the bags from Jaden and nodded before leaving.
He shook his head at the maid of his; she could at least greet him.
Jaden looked at the clean garden of the mansion and nodded before making his way towards the mansion with a smile.
He suddenly stopped in his tracks and frowned. He had been feeling something uncomfortable in his pocket for quite some time now. He moved his hand in his pocket and took out the camera.
His eyes gleamed with recognition for a moment, but they soon turned dull as before. He looked at the strange box-like object in confusion and questioned.
"What is this?"