The piercing alarm sliced through the square like a blade, instantly killing what remained of the mocking laughter.
Red emergency lights bathed the entire area in bloody crimson. The System's cold, urgent voice hammered into every newly awakened mind:
[Urgent Rift Breach Detected in Sector 7 – Black Vein Outskirts!]
[All newly awakened Summoners are conscripted for immediate combat deployment.]
[Refusal equals permanent Null status and lifetime mine conscription.]
[Transport portals opening in 40 seconds.]
Panic replaced mockery in seconds. Dragons shifted restlessly, hydras hissed, direwolf packs growled nervously. The same youths who had laughed at Elias moments ago now looked terrified.
A rough hand shoved him forward. "Move it, Null! Even trash has to fight today!"
Elias moved with the crowd toward the glowing portals, his face calm on the outside while cold calculation burned inside. They mocked me. They abandoned me. Now the real monsters are coming. I won't save anyone for free. But if this lets me test my Spirit and show them how wrong they were… then I'll use it. Nothing is free.
Lena stood near the Fire Dragon boy, her face pale. She glanced at Elias once, then quickly looked away, cheeks flushed with shame. The dragon summoner noticed and sneered loudly.
"Still here, rusty knight? Don't die in the first ten seconds. Wouldn't want your ex pretending to care."
A few nervous chuckles rose, but fear quickly choked them.
They stepped through the portal.
The world twisted violently, and Elias emerged onto a cracked rocky plain near the mining outskirts. The air reeked of ozone and sulfur. A massive jagged Rift tore the sky like an open wound, spewing Bonefang Wolves — red-eyed beasts with jagged bone spikes ripping through their hides.
[Low-tier Rift Beasts: Bonefang Wolves – Level 8~12]
[Kill rewards: Life Essence + basic materials]
Guild officers shouted over the chaos. "Front line! Protect the evacuating miners!"
Elias was pushed into the frantic front row. Lena and her new companion fought only twenty meters away, their powerful summons already roaring and hissing.
A Bonefang Wolf lunged at a girl with a weak wind spirit. Her summon was ripped apart in seconds. Her scream cut short as jaws clamped down on her shoulder.
Chaos exploded everywhere.
Elias steadied his breathing, eyes cold. Now.
'Thorne. Reveal yourself. Engage the nearest wolf. Show them what a true Echo can do.'
The air shimmered. Captain Thorne materialized in gleaming armor edged with faint golden light, tower shield raised and longsword ready. An aura of ancient, unbreakable discipline radiated from him.
The closest Bonefang Wolf snarled and charged.
CRASH!
Claws slammed against the shield with a metallic screech. Thorne didn't flinch. Golden light flared brightly as the "Unyielding Vanguard" prefix activated.
["Unyielding Vanguard" prefix activated — Defense ×3. Damage reduced by 67%.]
With perfect military precision, Thorne swung his blade. The sword sheared through thick hide and bone, decapitating the wolf in one clean stroke. Black blood sprayed hot across the ground.
[Ding! First Kill achieved!]
[Life Essence absorbed: +19]
[Spirit Legion Experience +14]
[Prefix "Unyielding Vanguard" progress: 14% toward next upgrade]
[Undying Resurrection Protocol ready.]
A warm surge of power flowed into Elias. His fatigue vanished. His senses sharpened. This power… it's not chaotic like their beasts. It obeys. It endures. It can be used.
The battlefield quieted for a single heartbeat.
Everyone nearby had seen it.
The "weak" rusty knight had just one-shotted a Level 10 Bonefang Wolf cleanly — while most other new summons struggled, bled, or lost control of their feral beasts.
"What the hell…?" the Fire Dragon boy muttered, his dragon hesitating mid-attack. His arrogant smirk froze completely, eyes narrowing in disbelief.
A nearby summoner with a direwolf pack whispered, "That knight… it moved like it actually listens…"
Lena stared at Elias, mouth slightly open, shock and confusion written across her face.
Elias met her gaze directly, his voice steady and loud enough to carry.
"You wanted someone with real power."
He nodded toward Thorne, who stood rock-solid, shield dripping with black blood, golden aura imposing.
"Here it is."
Three more wolves charged toward their position, snarling viciously.
Thorne planted his shield and unleashed a deep, commanding battle cry. Golden energy rippled outward.
[Legion Morale Aura activated: Allied summons within 30 meters gain +18% attack speed and reduced fear.]
Nearby beast summons fought with sudden ferocity, but their movements remained chaotic and uncoordinated compared to Thorne's disciplined strikes.
Elias watched the scene with quiet, cold satisfaction. They laughed at me. Now they're watching. Let them watch. Every second of this feeds my Legion.
But the moment of dominance was short-lived.
A deafening roar erupted from deeper within the Rift. A much larger Bonefang Alpha — twice the size of the others, with glowing crimson spikes and murderous red eyes — burst through the tear and charged straight at the Fire Dragon boy.
The arrogant summoner's confident laugh instantly turned into a desperate, high-pitched scream as the elite beast overwhelmed his dragon in seconds, smashing it to the ground.
"Help! Someone help me!" he shouted, eyes wide with terror. "You! Null! Do something! Please!"
Elias felt his accumulated Life Essence hit a critical threshold. The System pinged in his mind:
[Ding! Sufficient Life Essence for First Major Upgrade.]
He looked at the screaming boy, then at Lena's pale face, and thought coldly:
Help you? Why should I? You mocked me. You took her from me. But… if saving you lets me properly test my Spirit, show everyone how useless your precious beasts really are, and grow my Legion… then perhaps it has some value.
The Alpha roared again, ready to deliver the finishing blow.