บท 25: Fake Summoning

Alister finally reached his destination – a large hall filled with activity. In the center, circular platforms glowed softly with a blue hue, surrounded by ringed metal barriers. This was the designated summoning area, where awakened summoners could practice summoning their companions in a controlled environment.

He looked around the room, a feeling of pride welling up within him. This was it, the moment he'd been waiting for – the chance to officially summon Cinder.

Spotting a uniformed woman with a neat bun and a nametag reading 'Aurora' standing near a doorway, he approached her.

"Excuse me, I'm new around here, but I'd like to summon my first monster."

Aurora eyed him for a moment before responding.

"First monster, huh?"

"Well that's rare. We don't get many beginners these days, all eager and ready to make their mark. Most of them usually lose all hope after awakening as a summoner because of all the money involved."

"You don't seem like a young master from one of the seven houses or some rich kid either. So who knows, you might just give up too after finding out your summon is practically useless."

A small smile appeared on Alister's lips. This woman seemed no-nonsense, a quality he appreciated. He then asked.

"So, where do I begin?"

"Platforms,"

Aurora said, pointing towards the glowing circles.

"Different sizes for different size summons. Since you're new, you'll probably want to start with the small section at the edge over there, marked S."

She turned and started walking towards the platforms, leaving Alister to follow. As they reached their destination, Aurora stopped and pointed at the already inscribed magic circle within the platform.

"Don't worry about drawing the circle; it's already done. Just place your summoning conduit – a fancy word for a focus item – in the center, wear your summoning equipment, and then focus on the summoning process."

Conduits were said to be items or materials somehow related to the monster you were summoning. Whether it was a monster core or part of its body, these conduits helped increase the chances of summoning that specific monster.

Although there was always the option of not using any, in that case, the summoner was placing their future in the hands of fate, and fate, as we all know, tended to be brutal more often than not.

Alister nodded, taking in the information. "Understood," he said confidently.

As an afterthought, he added, "Though, about the platform size…" He hesitated for a moment, a playful glint entering his eye. "Are you absolutely sure the small one will be… enough?"

"What are you trying to say?"

A look of calm annoyance crossed Aurora's face before she raised an eyebrow. She seemed to sense his amusement, further making her more irritated.

However, before she could respond, Alister turned around and began making his way towards the largest platform, marked XL, in the center of the room.

"Umm… sir where are you going?"

"Where else, I'm going to summon my monster." Alister replied, his tone strangely smug.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd of onlookers that had begun to gather. Whispers filled the air,

"Isn't that him?"

"The one who cleared the A-Rank dungeon?"

"What kind of monster does he think he's summoning?"

"Na, he probably had too much to drink now he probably thinks he is some sort of main character in a novel."

Alister, reached the XL platform and stood confidently in the center. The platform appeared to be a bit dusty, hinting that it had been a long time since it was last used. Regardless, a summoning circle was still engraved on it.

"What does he think he's about to summon? Some sort of mountain." A man chuckled.

"That platform is way too huge."

"Maybe the kid's delusional. Thinks he's a prodigy or something."

"But wait, isn't that... the guy who soloed the A-Rank dungeon last week?"

"I've heard rumors about him being an SSS-Rank Summoner."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. The rumor mill, fueled by Alister's unexpected dungeon feat, had churned out whispers of him possessing an exceptionally high talent rank.

"SSS-Rank? Here? No way!" scoffed a burly man with a thick beard. "Those are legendary! We haven't seen one in decades."

"Maybe he's bluffing," another voice chimed in. "Just some rookie trying to act tough."

Alister chose to continue ignoring them.

He let out a sigh, as he gazed at the summoning circle.

'I don't have any material to serve as a summoning conduit, although I technically don't need one. I'm simply summoning Cinder out if my mind realm, wouldn't want to spend more than I already have.'

Alister didn't necessarily need a summoning conduit to activate the circle – it would amplify the process, but for Cinder, it wasn't strictly necessary since she was already in his mind realm, so he would simply just be pulling her out.

However, not placing one would make it hard to believe such a summonig succeeded. But he could always attribute the success to his high talent rank, letting them believe whatever they wanted.

Alister's voice echoed in his mind, 'System.'

[Yes player?]

'Open my mind realm.'

Alister's yellow eyes began to glow slightly as he added.

'Let Cinder out, it's time to get her registered.'