"First of all, you will all awaken as Spirit Summoners and reveal your ranks. After which, we'll commence the summoning ritual where you'll gain your eternal allies!"
The class buzzed with excitement, chattering about everything and nothing.
"I wonder if I'm going to summon a knight on a white horse—a handsome prince like Sylus."
"Me too! This might actually be my chance to snag my Mr. Charming CEO, who treats me like a dog and beats me and fucks me afterwards…"
"Uhm, I'm not sure about that... but whatever suits you, I guess. I just want someone who goes on their knees and gives me flowers. A boy or girl will do, honestly."
I found my place somewhere in the back as everyone chattered with excitement and curiosity. They were going to get summons and command them to fight—it was genuinely joyous, and honestly, I felt the same way. I was just as thrilled, only pretending not to be because I'm the weird, estranged guy in this class.
But deep in my heart, I was busy praying.
'A sweet heroine with a teasing streak is all I ask for—righteous and valiant, fiercely protective of me! And someone who loves me for who I am! Someone who'll let me hit without sucking my bank account dry, please, please, please…'
My plea paused when the class murmur suddenly spiked.
"Wowwww… Derek is a B-rank Spirit Summoner."
Derek—a tall, broad-shouldered boy with brown hair falling dramatically to his jaw—walked away from the group, smirking.
"Guess I ended up becoming the knight in shining armor, haha. We rock!"
I narrowed my eyes and watched him from afar as he gloated. Derek had been the class bully from day one. He preyed on the weak—the generic bully, except he actually had taste, class, and sense. What I'd call a dangerous bully.
'I need to awaken at least C-rank to get someone like him off my back.'
"Oh! Max got A-rank. A-rank has to be higher than B-rank, right? Wooohhh, interesting!"
"I wonder if I'll get A-rank too. Or even higher!"
"Bah! Dream on. You belong to the street—F-rank is your destiny, you gutter babe."
My right hand in my pocket conveniently scratched the area around my balls as I studied the drama unfolding.
Next was a C-rank Summoner, then a D-rank, another two C-ranks, an E-rank, before we eventually got another A-rank—the class beauty.
After her, I stepped forward. My turn to awaken and see my rank. I sighed, releasing all the tension and anxiety coiled in my chest.
'Whatever it is, I don't care, as long as it's not F-Rank. Anything but F-Rank. Just… please. Anything else.'
I placed my hands on top of the orb, trying not to glance at the nun's breasts, shaped beneath her garb with its corners and folded lines.
The orb began to glow, and a panel suddenly materialized above it. I could see it. Everyone could see it clearly. And it simply read:
[CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE AWAKENED AS AN F-RANK SPIRIT SUMMONER]
'What?'
This was the moment my entire world came crashing down.
"Oh? F-rank, that's a first. But isn't that Cade Marlowe, the son of that Congressman—you know, the one running for state governor?"
"Yes, yes, I always see him. Bro acts like he can't mingle with us, so proud and weird."
"Serves him right. He's always acting like he's better than us, segregating himself from the rest of the class."
'Excuse me?'
My mouth nearly fell open as the murmurs of my classmates drifted into my ears.
'What? Proud? Acting superior? I'm just a kid who hated school and wanted to be left alone—how is that being proud?!'
My throat suddenly felt dry and scratchy, my heart weighed heavy in my chest, twisting as if the pain in their words was reaching out to my heart and crushing it.
'I really just wanted to be on my own. How come you're all twisting it into something else?'
I slowly walked away. As I did, Kai looked at me with pitiful eyes and patted my shoulder before walking to his turn.
I returned to the back of the crowd and could still hear their murmurs. The only thing that silenced them was when Kai's result appeared.
"S-rank!!!"
"As expected of Kai Alexander!"
"The student president is S-Rank!"
"Chhheee, come on, braahhh."
"Maybe I'm going to get an S-rank too?"
I tore my eyes away from the crowd and looked down. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt. I could still feel the pain tightening around my chest.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. I was supposed to be... not special, but not this. Not the absolute bottom.
'How come… I'm in this position?'
More names continued to ring out, but I didn't pay attention anymore. I just lowered my head and stared, thinking.
After a while, the entire class finished awakening, and the old man upstairs addressed us again.
"Now, you've all awakened and seen your rank. You shall begin the summoning process."
He took a breath and continued.
"Spirits have nine tiers. Regardless of the tier you summon, you'll all be summoning Heroic Spirits who have saved the continent and the world. They are far more powerful than any other Spirits."
He looked at us with his half-closed eyes.
"Also, the tier of heroes you can summon depends solely on your rank. The lowest Spirit Tier is the Mortal Tier—local heroes, skilled warriors, and minor historical figures. The best an F-rank can summon is this tier."
His half-closed eyes opened fully—just long enough to find me in the crowd, to let me see the thinly veiled contempt.
'Message received, old man.'
"Then there is the Awakened Tier—regional legends and recognized masters—summoned by E-ranks. There's also the Elite Tier: famous generals, master craftsmen, and celebrated figures. The Champion Tier: war heroes, legendary knights, and nation-level figures."
My classmates erupted in excited murmurs as their ranks fell into the favorable categories. There were plenty of C-ranks, so the murmurs swelled especially loud this time.
"The Hero Tier—continental heroes, civilization-saving legends. And the Legend Tier—multi-generational legends, mythical warriors. And the Myth Tier—world-shaking figures, near-divine legends. There are also two other Tiers: the Sovereign Tier and the Calamity Tier. These Tiers of Spirits never respond to Summons, or at most will respond at the risk of one's life. We've only seen one in 800 years of history."
The man smiled weakly.
"Do not worry. Having a Mythic Tier is enough to shake the world. The existence of an S-rank Spirit Summoner is truly a blessing from the heavens."
The class murmured, all of them celebrating Kai, who stood in the middle smiling shyly and scratching his head.
The old man's amplified voice boomed again.
"I shall teach you about your Summoner Status."
The class fell silent and focused on him.
"Now that you've all awakened, a lodestar has been registered in your spirit core, and it can provide you with the information you need to know. All you need to do is call 'status' in your minds."
Following the man's instructions, gasps rose into the air.
"God, I swear I can actually see things! What is this? I can see my name."
I tried the same thing.
'Status.'
[SUMMONER STATUS]
Name: Cade Marlowe
Rank: F
Spirit Essence: 100/100
Active Spirits: None
Attributes:
• Summoner's Touch (Basic) Lv. 1
• Infinite Vitality (Basic) Lv. 1
• Perfect Fit (Basic) Lv. 1
The old man continued his explanation regardless of what we were doing.
"Right now, you will see your name, your rank, your spirit essence, the spirits you have—which shall be none—and your attributes, which also shall be none. You will gain attributes when you summon your first spirit. Other intricate matters such as combat, the functions of attributes, and how they can be evolved will be taught to you in the Kingdom Academy. For now, let us proceed with the summoning."
My brows knitted together as I inspected my status over and over again.
'Didn't the old man say I have to summon a Heroic Spirit to gain attributes… how come I already have three?'