LGHTNOVELBOOK 2 - Rejection
Ephre gaped in shock.
And for good reason—she had heard about numerous summoned creatures and had seen some through her classmates, but a summoned creature in human form?
Does this make sense? Perhaps a demon… no, a high-ranking demonic being borrowing a human body to masquerade as human.
‘No, am I in any position to be picky right now?’
Regardless of the girl’s resolve, it was still a magic circle performed within the [Summoner]’s curriculum. A summoning ritual. If it were a dangerous being, it would have been filtered out from the beginning.
Unless the caster tampered with the magic circle causing the circuits to misalign, or the summoned being possessed enough power to interfere with providence, that’s how it should be.
Though in the current case…
“You, you are my summoned creature? So, my servant… right? You really came!”
Ephre couldn’t hide her joy. Oops. She shouldn’t lose her dignity in front of a being that had just manifested. The summoner and summoned are bound by a soul connection, and while they are said to be equal, a hierarchical power relationship inevitably forms.
It’s like, even among friends, if one has excellent grades, comes from an extremely wealthy family, or is simply very strong, the balance of power subtly shifts in one direction.
The relationship between summoned creature and summoner was similar.
Generally, a summoned creature matching one’s level would appear, and beyond that, it was proportional to one’s “talent.”
In some cases, summoned creatures of higher rank would test the summoner, or return if certain requirements weren’t met.
Ephre had seen countless fools who successfully summoned impressive creatures only to collapse in tears (actually, there weren’t that many—jealousy had inflated the numbers in her memory).
Ephre organized her brief thoughts and cleared her throat with a “Ahem.” Ah-ah. Ah? Yes, this tone is perfect.
“I, Ephre von Erea Gabriel, have invited a soul companion according to the great covenant. You are obligated to honor the connection that has existed since the beginning of time. Please, along with your true name, take my hand.”
Hum!
The magic circle beneath their feet glowed more intensely. A magical storm whirled around them with light surging from below.
This was a sign that the summoning magic was proceeding normally, and evidence that the being Ephre had called forth contained immense power.
…Indeed, it was truly transforming into a storm.
She desperately suppressed the urge to squeal ‘Kyaa.’ With her other hand, she pressed down on the middle of her skirt. The clothes she was wearing today… No. That’s not the issue. Summoners and summoned creatures aren’t supposed to have those kinds of feelings for each other.
Dignity, authority, face.
Ephre couldn’t afford to lose any of these.
In reality, making eye contact, touching foreheads, or even light physical contact would have been sufficient for a “consent” sign in the soul binding, yet she unconsciously extended her hand.
Because the other party had a human form.
“……”
Cold eyes looked down at her hand. Twitch. The thick, tiger-like eyebrows furrowed.
…Um, is this not right? Maybe?
Ah!
Ephre gracefully turned her wrist. Palm facing up. She naturally dropped her elbow and shifted her gaze slightly outward. Though she still had to hold down her skirt with her other hand, this was sufficient for establishing a “master-servant relationship.”
No, perhaps more like a princess and a knight?
Wasn’t this something you’d only see in a third-rate romance novel?
A knight kneeling before a beautiful princess, swearing to protect his lord, his princess…
‘There was a reason why it happened only now.’
Just as a smile she couldn’t fully suppress was about to appear at the corners of her mouth.
Suddenly the summoned creature spoke. He spoke with a distinctly human voice.
“Have you truly lost your mind?”
“Yes, from now on never leave my side and those who looked down on me will all be… Wait, what? What did you just… j-just say?”
Boom!
The storm grew more violent. Kyaaak! This time, even Ephre couldn’t help but scream. Her private room was on the verge of becoming a wasteland.
“S-stop… Wh-what are you d-doing!”
In contrast to her sharp voice, an extremely stern and heavy voice bore down.
“I was watching to see how far your impudent nonsense would continue. Your tongue wags without limit. I suspect you might be suffering from madness. Even invoking the gods wouldn’t help at that level. It’s truly pitiful if you haven’t reached the level of Half-Ghost Possession at such a young age.”
The man narrowed his eyes.
Whoosh!
Something irresistible seemed to emanate from him, examining her body in detail. Like prey before a predator, her legs naturally went weak. She collapsed and trembled uncontrollably.
As her teeth chattered, the swirling waves of magical power and the overwhelming aura all subsided as if they had never existed.
Thud!
Naturally, the furniture and decorations that had been floating fell to the floor. She barely had the presence of mind to notice, just barely managing to breathe.
“Tsk, neither Half-Ghost Possession nor Half-Soul Return. At best, a third-rate level. A passing dog would laugh. To invoke the name of Muk-Yeom Heavenly Demon.”
The summoned creature who called himself ‘Muk-Yeom Heavenly Demon’ walked forward nonchalantly.
Sizzle…!
“Hmm?”
The moment he touched the boundary of the magic circle, something bound him.
As a being invited through a summoning ritual, he couldn’t harm the caster beyond what was necessary. And since they weren’t bound by a soul connection, he couldn’t move about freely.
“How amusing. If you wanted to practice sorcery, you should have summoned all the remnants of the Mo Mountain Sect hiding in deep mountains and the tongue-wagging shamans.”
Crack-crack-crack!
With a simple wave of his arm, Muk-Yeom Heavenly Demon tore the invisible chains to shreds.
And then.
…Step, step-step.
The man took a step. He walked away from the magic circle, now reduced to a faint glow, and grasped the doorknob of Ephre’s room.
Ephre, who had been sitting dumbfounded, finally let out a shrill scream.
“N-no! Come here! You have to make a contract with me before you g-go… are going! M-more importantly, if you don’t contract with me, you, you! Y-you will!”
Muk-Yeom Heavenly Demon glanced back and smirked. At that arrogant smile, Ephre instinctively clenched her fists. The fabric of her skirt dug between her fingers.
When he turned back to face forward.
Boom!
The door exploded.
♦♦♦
‘Damn it, it seems things have gotten seriously tangled.’
I frowned at the unfamiliar sensations I was experiencing after a very long time, the confusion, and the sense of déjà vu lurking beyond my consciousness.
This was clearly not the Water Immortal Realm.
What kind of immortal or practitioner would appear in such a state?
No, there’s no use in trying to deny it.
I’ve fallen into some damn world again.
Instead of opening a new realm as the Heavenly Demon and ascending to another world, instead of making thousands and tens of thousands of lowlifes kneel before me there, I’ve fallen into another world where I know nothing…
That’s why I reflexively released the doorknob I had grasped and destroyed it with energy. Because I felt a bit, just a tiny bit, indignant.
It’s because I’ve reigned as the Heavenly Demon for so long.
I welcomed any challenge and willingly accepted any crisis. No, I even looked forward to them.
Having no more “walls” to overcome made one mentally destitute. Perhaps I was simply tired of a life without stimulation.
The thought briefly crossed my mind—wouldn’t it have been better to come to a place like this from the beginning? Rather than the wearisome life in Jamadong, slaying my friends and personally bringing down my loved ones, a life full of hope and romance…
‘Hmm?’
I tilted my head. Come to think of it, the qi (energy) in the atmosphere here was mysterious.
If asked whether it was sparse or abundant, I could say “both.”
That fool of a Left Protector would roll his eyes and foam at the mouth if he heard this, but to me, it was the truth.
‘It’s different from primal qi… I should say it’s heterogeneous.’
Fortunately, the Divine Sect’s mental techniques, especially the Heavenly Demon Divine Skill, work regardless of whether the atmospheric qi is pure or not.
Could I return to the martial world as I did when I came here? Or even back to my original world…
Boom!
“Kyaaaa!”
“Who is it, who released a large summoned creature!?”
“Teacher! Call the teacher!”
“We’re under attack! Everyone, bring out your summoned creatures!”
Shrill screams erupted everywhere. Rumble. The building shook like thunder, and the brightly lit lamps shook as well. Stone dust fell from above.
“It seems impossible after all.”
Despite drawing up a significant amount of power, nothing unusual registered in my “sixth sense.” Rather, there was only an unpleasant sensation like something connected to the path I’d come from… no, a feeling of loosening or weakening.
It was less than a thousandth of what it should be, but the strange misalignment in my physical senses was very uncomfortable.
Well, I can figure things out step by step. As I’ve done before.
“W-wait, wait! Hey, heey!”
That impudent child with no fear won’t be a problem.
Whoosh!
I spread my qi-sense and detected the panicking people and the spirit creatures beside them. Based on that sensation.
“The path is this way.”
Boom! Another explosion sounded. In the place where the man’s figure disappeared. The cool night breeze blew through the corridor of the [Summoner]’s dormitory.