SUMMONER'S JOURNEY

January 3, X784

Ironclad Town – Outskirts

The town of Ironclad hummed with life as blacksmiths hammered away at their forges, merchants shouted deals in the streets, and magical lanterns flickered to life under the dimming sky. Nestled near the Silverwood Mountains and south east of Magnolia.

As the morning sun rose, golden rays painted the rooftops of Ironclad in a warm glow. Just outside the town, in a secluded house on the outskirts, a young man moved with steady precision, completing his morning workout.

His name was Richard Luminous.

Richard, 17 years old, had light brown hair and sharp amber eyes. His lean but well-toned frame was a testament to his daily training. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he performed push-ups, squats, and endurance drills without pause.

"It's been almost three years, huh?" Richard muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Three years since his life changed.

Three years since he lost his parents.

Three years since he regained the memories of his past life on Earth.

Richard's parents had been mages of Dwarf Gear, well-respected enchanters who specialized in crafting magic-infused weapons. They often took on missions related to artifact retrieval and dangerous enchantments, but three years ago, tragedy struck.

A mission went horribly wrong. His parents never returned.

When the guild informed him, the grief was too much to bear. Richard, only 14 at the time, collapsed into unconsciousness from emotional shock.

For three days, he remained in a deep sleep. And when he finally awoke—his mind was no longer the same.

He remembered everything.

Memories of another life—a life on Earth. A world without magic. A peaceful, mundane existence. The contrast was staggering.

But instead of feeling excitement over his past knowledge, Richard felt fear.

The weight of two lives' worth of emotions crashed down on him, and he shut himself away in his house for an entire week.

He was terrified of the world.

It wasn't until the mages of Dwarf Gear—his parents' former comrades—visited him that he finally stepped outside again.

Though his parents were gone, they had left him with a home, 3 million jewels in savings, and a storage ring—a rare spatial artifact gifted to him by his father on his 13th birthday.

The guild also provided 5 million jewels as compensation, ensuring that he could live comfortably. But no amount of money could fill the emptiness in his heart.

As time passed, Richard gradually pulled himself out of his grief and adapted to his new reality.

Though he never officially joined Dwarf Gear, he took up part-time work at the guild's tavern and supply store. The members—many of whom had been his parents' closest friends—treated him like family, allowing him to work at his own pace.

He is currently working part-time at the guild's tavern and supply store. The guild members—many of whom had been his parents' comrades—were kind and supportive, treating him like family even though he had no joined them officially as he is still uncertain what to do in future.

But he still started training since them to able protect himself from the dangers of this world.

At first, his training was simple:

Daily exercise to strengthen his body.

Meditation to increase magic capacity and magic control.

For the first two years, his magic was weak—only simple household spells . Nothing remotely combat-worthy.

However, six months ago, everything changed.

Richard awakened his innate magic—Summoning Magic.

And with that awakening, his total magic capacity doubled.

Not only did his training yield better results, but his mana growth also accelerated significantly.

From that moment on, he added meditation to his daily routine, knowing that Summoning Magic depended heavily on his total magic reserves.

In Earthland, Summoning Magic was known to exist mainly in the form of Celestial Spirit Magic, where mages used keys to form contracts with Celestial Spirits.

Richard's Summoning Magic, however, was completely different.

His summons weren't living beings, nor did they require keys. Instead, he manifested creatures formed entirely from magic, which housed the souls of summoned beings.

This meant that:

If a summon was injured or "killed," it would simply return to his magic pool instead of dying permanently.

They behaved completely like living beings but were bound by his mana therefore they cannot harm him.

Richard had two distinct Summoning Methods:

1) Random Summoning Magic (Gacha Summon)

When he summons, the creature is random—it could be a tiny bird or a giant beast.

The summoned creature's strength ranges from half to quadruple Richard's total magic power.

The summon duration is based on his mana: 1 minute per 110 magic points.

If a summon is seriously injured, it automatically vanishes and returns to Richard's mana pool.

Pros: Low mana consumption (300-350 points per summon).

Cons: Completely luck-based.

2) Contract Summoning

Instead of random creatures, Richard could form contracts with summoned beings he encountered.

Unlike Celestial Spirit Magic, there was a limit to how many contracts he could maintain.

Currently, his limit is six, and it increases by 1 per 500 magic points.

Contracted summons stay indefinitely, unless their magic drops below 10%, or they take fatal damage.

Pros: Reliable, long-lasting. He can choose which summon to call.

Cons: Higher mana cost (10-20% of the summon's total magic).

At present, his total magic power was approximately 3,620 points.

When he regained his past life's memories, it was only around 200.

After two years of training, it grew to 1,200.

Upon awakening his Summoning Magic, it jumped to 3,000.

And in the last six months alone, it increased by 620 points—a significant improvement.

---

As Richard finished his morning routine, he stood in front of his mirror, staring at his reflection.

"I can't keep avoiding this world forever."

For three years, he had remained in the safety of Ironclad.

But if he never stepped out, he would never truly grow.

Today, that would change.

Today, he would officially join Dwarf Gear.

He put on his casual clothes, grabbed his bag, and locked his house before setting off toward the guild, 2 km away.

Along the way, he greeted familiar shopkeepers and absorbed the bustling energy of the town.

Just before reaching the guild, something caught his eye.

A man sitting on a bench near the river held a Sorcerer's Weekly magazine.

Richard had never been interested in gossip, but when he glanced at the cover page, his breath stopped.

A beautiful silver-haired girl was featured on the front.

But it wasn't her looks that shocked him.

It was the name beside her.

"MISS MIRAJANE OF FAIRY TAIL"

Richard froze.

Then, a realization crashed into him like a tidal wave.

"No way..."

His jaw dropped.

"I… I'm in Fairy Tail's world?!"

His mind reeled as his entire perception of reality shattered.

Without a second thought, he turned around and ran back home.

Today was no longer about joining a guild.

Today was about redefining everything he thought he knew.

....