"There are two essential things needed for summoning." The old man's voice remained utterly flat, like he'd given this speech a thousand times before. "If it's common summoning, all you need is a Spirit Core. However, because Heroic Spirits are the kind that can only respond to otherworlders like you, the summoning costs climb a bit higher."
He gestured vaguely at the relics laid out before us.
"First is a relic that connects to the hero, then a high-grade Spirit Core."
I studied the items on the altar.
'So far, so good. Doesn't sound too complicated.'
"The priests and priestesses will hand you a relic and a spirit core. All you have to do is channel your spirit essence into both items — think of it as breathing, but with your entire body, not just your nose."
'Breathing with my whole body. Sure. Totally normal.'
My classmates immediately stepped forward and collected spirit cores and relics, practically shoving each other aside in their eagerness.
Kai went first, naturally. The moment his essence touched the items, golden light poured from him like liquid sunshine. The air itself seemed to sing, vibrating with power, and the light suddenly expanded — a massive golden circle flaring to life beneath his feet.
The entire ground trembled like it was about to split apart. The heat hit me like opening an oven door, clinging to my skin and making sweat bead on my forehead. I didn't know what was about to happen, but the pressure building in the air already had my heart hammering against my ribs.
'This is way more intense than I expected.'
From the embrace of the golden light pouring forth from the circle, something condensed into form — first just an outline, then details mapping out a seven-foot-tall, massive figure. The light finally vanished and the atmosphere calmed, leaving behind an oppressive silence.
My heart was still racing, but my eyes were in an even worse state when I saw what stood before Kai.
The Heroic Spirit Kai had summoned was so imposing that standing near him made me feel like I was standing next to the midday sun at its peak. He was tall — easily seven feet — adorned with golden ornate plates that seemed to generate their own light, each etched with intricate designs that hurt to look at directly.
The armor had a leonine quality that screamed royalty: a maned helmet featuring a crowned crest, and a red cape flowing behind it like liquid fire.
The spirit stood perfectly still, radiating authority and command that made everyone in the chamber unconsciously straighten their posture.
Even silent, it looked like it could lead armies into hell itself and expect them to follow.
"What the hell?!" someone shouted. "I don't even need to know its Tier to know he's going to be freaking strong! Hell, Kai, you hit the jackpot!"
"So unfair," another classmate muttered. "At least lose a little."
'Of course Kai gets the golden summon. Of course he does.'
The old man stared down from above, fighting to suppress the shock and joy coursing through his veins. He gripped the stone terrace of the outcropped platform, knuckles whitening, and looked down for a long moment before speaking.
"Otherworlder." His voice had shifted — there was actual emotion in it now. "Kindly check your Spirit's Tier and Fortitude. You can access this by simply calling upon the status of your Heroic Spirit."
Kai looked down, probably reading something only he could see, then raised his head the next moment. His expression was carefully neutral, but I could see the excitement in his eyes.
"Myth Tier..." He paused. "And it says fortitude 3.2..."
Kai laughed shyly, scratching his cheek like he hadn't just summoned what was clearly the most powerful thing anyone had seen in centuries.
The old man responded immediately, and I could hear the barely contained excitement in his voice.
"Hmm, 3.2 is an excellent starting number. Exceptional, even. Since Spirit Tiers are fixed, raising the fortitude of your Heroic Spirit is the only way for you to grow stronger — aside from evolving your own attributes and actually bonding with your spirits."
He gestured towards Kai with something approaching reverence.
"You'll learn more about fortitude in your training, but know that even in the past, no fortitude of 6.0 has ever been seen. Two thousand years ago, it was recorded that Heroic Spirits of fortitude 7.0 and 7.5 were seen and gained the ability to talk and act on their own within the interest of their Summoners. But this is considered merely telltale and scholarly deduction on the changes that happen when fortitude climbs high enough." He drew in a breath. "This is the strongest Heroic Spirit we've seen in eight hundred years. Emperor Aurelius Rex. The Sun King Who Never Knelt."
With his words, the others seemed to glow with radiant hope, practically vibrating with excitement. Before I knew it, the next summon was already happening — someone else stepping forward, eager to try their luck.
At this point, no one was waiting for each other anymore. They just took a corner and summoned their Heroic Spirit, the chamber filling with flashes of light and tremors of power.
I received my relic and spirit core from one of the priestesses: a red piece of cloth, surprisingly soft despite its age, with edges that looked like they'd been torn rather than cut. It felt warm in my hand — too warm, like it had been sitting in direct sunlight for hours.
'Please be something good. Please be something good.'
I took a corner, trying to ignore the flashes of light and excited shouts around me, and observed the old man up there subtly watching me. His eyes tracked my movements with an intensity that made my skin crawl.
Then I proceeded with the summoning, sincerely hoping in my heart.
'Dear Heroine, here I come! Please be tall, powerful, and gorgeous.'
I released my spirit essence and let it flow toward the tip of my fingers — as easy as breathing, just like he'd said.
As I did this, a dull grey circle, just like Kai's golden one, appeared on the ground around me. It glowed for a moment, then seemed to flicker — duller and duller, like a dying lightbulb about to sputter out on me.
'That's... probably not a great sign.'
Then suddenly, I heard the lodestar's voice — that strange system interface that had been quiet until now.
[WARNING]
[WARNING]
[WARNING]
My stomach dropped.
[EXTREMELY HIGH TIER DETECTED]
[CALAMITY TIER DETECTED]
[COMMENCING SUMMON]
My brows furrowed together, confusion and dread welling in my chest.
'Wait, what? Calamity? That doesn't — how?!'
Along with the sudden alert, the dull grey magic circle suddenly flared red — bright, angry red — and released a blazing light that overwhelmed every other ongoing summoning in the chamber.
I staggered back, shielding my eyes, feeling a bad premonition settling in my gut like a stone.
Black sparks like corrupted lightning flared around the red light and spread outward in jagged arcs. Then came the shockwave — a massive explosion of force that shattered glass, sending shards raining down as everyone screamed and ducked their heads.
'Oh no... this can't be good! This is the opposite of good!'
The old man was already glaring at me with open hostility, all pretense of neutrality abandoned. Unable to hide his shock anymore, his face had gone pale. Even the priests and priestesses looked terrified, backing away from my summoning circle.
The crimson light and black whips of lightning converged, twisting together to form a figure.
Slowly, heart pounding in my ears, I craned my neck upward.
Standing before me was a full six-foot-tall... Heroic Spirit, with a full-face helmet bearing two jagged horns like a demon.
Or... demoness?
As I first registered the generous chest embedded in sinister black plate armor, my heart and groin swelled with joy.
'Score! It's a girl! A tall, armored girl with—'
Then a moment later, that joy died as I heard the old man's voice.
"Abomination!" The word echoed through the chamber like a death sentence. "This is an aberration against the gods! This Otherworlder has not summoned a Heroic Spirit! What he has summoned is a disaster that nearly destroyed our world! How can this be?! What sort of omen is this?!"
My heart plummeted to my stomach as his words struck my ears.
'Oh. Oh no.'
The gazes of my classmates turned even worse. Their eyes dripped with disgust—hatred, irritation, fear. Some even chuckled and mocked me, whispering to each other, as if the sin I'd committed wasn't the exact same thing they'd all been doing seconds ago.
"Knights of Light! Seize this vermin this instant!"
'Eh? Wait, what?'