After calming down from the shock, he promised himself that he would only use that skill as a last resort.
"I can’t risk using this..."
He murmured.
I turned my attention back to my stats: Strength, Dexterity, Speed, Intelligence, Mana, and Charm.
"Basic system stats. I understand what these mean pretty well. My Dexterity is at the top. That’s because of my physique, since the Astral Body effect greatly increases this attribute."
"If possible, I’d like to balance things out a little. All of these stats have an important role. The lowest ones are Strength and Speed. I might be able to do something about Strength. Constant exercise, pushing my body to its limits, should help a little. As for Speed... I don’t know."
I sighed and sat down on the grass.
"Mana and Intelligence are fundamental to me. I don’t know if I’ll become a mage or a weapon user, but these two are indispensable. I seriously doubt that Space-based abilities consume little mana."
Then I moved on to the last attribute: my Charm.
"This one can be quite deceptive. Many people might think Charm only refers to beauty, but it goes far beyond that. The ability to fit into a place, socialize well, make those around you view you favorably... your words gain weight."
"This stat isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about adaptation and opportunities. I should consider it valuable."
After finishing his analysis of his stats, something caught his attention.
"Guide, could you explain what this part of my rank, the one written as ’Awakened,’ means?"
I asked the Guide, scratching my head.
I had a vague idea, but I was still confused about how it worked. As helpful as always, the Guide answered.
[This is your personal rank. Or you could say it is your level of existence. I’ll explain it simply. Whenever you reach a certain level milestone, your existence will evolve to the next Rank. Each layer has its own rank ceiling. When you reach that ceiling, the system will assign you a mission so you can advance to the next layer. Until you complete it, you will no longer be able to level up. Now I’ll tell you the classification and levels of each one.]
The Guide paused before continuing.
[First: Awakened: level 0 to 20 — Adept: level 21 to 50 — Silver Core: level 51 to 100 — Golden Core: level 101 to 200 — Master: level 201 to 320 — Grandmaster: level 321 to 500 — Ascension Core: level 501 to 700 — Saint: level 701 to 1000.]
[After that come the other layers: Sage, Legendary, Mythical, Demigod, Divine, Eternal, and Primordial. But those are outside your current reality. I’ll explain them at another time. All you need to know for now is the first layer I explained. That’s the one you need to know about and focus on.]
Aster raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
"Affffffff..."
I sighed heavily.
"My journey is going to be a long one."
Seeing so many steps that had to be conquered, I was somewhat incredulous.
’This is going to take a long time.’
But I was excited as well.
"At least I know which path to follow. That’s something."
I wanted to ask about that second layer, the one whose names sent chills down my spine.
That was surely where the monsters lived.
And one day, I wanted to stand among them.
’Definitely.’
I said quietly, but with conviction.
"Well, let me check the rest of the system."
Adjusting his body, he went to the end of the system, where the tickets were displayed. It was simple, direct, and organized.
"It doesn’t separate the tickets into people, equipment, or materials. It’s all together. I guess there wasn’t any need to separate them. The tickets must already have their own summon categories; this screen only lists the ticket rarity... Well."
I shrugged.
"I don’t care."
"My Causality is also at zero. Makes sense. I haven’t done anything to earn it yet."
"I wonder how difficult it will be to obtain. I’m sure it won’t be easy."
I went to the last line.
"This Search Key... is it used for summoning filters?"
[Yes, Host.]
The Guide answered as Aster nodded.
"Now that I think about it... how do I buy the tickets?"
I was a little confused. There was no option to purchase them.
[Open the Innovation System tab, just like you did with the previous tabs.]
"So that’s how it works... I was a little foolish not to think of that."
Summoning System?? ──────────────────────────────────── ??
Shop
Balance: 0? ━━◆ ━━ ?
Silver Ticket: 50 Causality
Gold Ticket: 1000 Causality
Platinum Ticket: 2500 Causality
Search Key: 3000 Causality? ━━◆ ━━ ?
Inventory
Silver Tickets: 25
Gold Ticket: 1
Platinum Ticket: 1 [Guaranteed Divine Summoning]
?? ──────────────────────────────────── ??
I stood there looking at the prices.
I had nothing to use as a basis for deciding whether those values were high or low, but it gave me the certainty that obtaining tickets wouldn’t be easy.
"Guide, how are monsters classified?"
I asked while my eyes remained on the screen. Perhaps I could make a comparison based on monster ranks.
[They are classified as: E — D — C — B — A — S — SS — SSS. Anything above that is extremely rare to find. Even SS- and SSS-ranked monsters are mortally difficult to encounter. If you run into one... you can be certain that you’re unlucky.]
"Well... my luck seems to be go—"
Aster quickly covered his mouth in desperation.
"I almost screwed up... I nearly told Lady Luck to go away."
"I’ve seen this scene thousands of times. Those poor fools who celebrate or speak too soon..."
"I don’t want to be one of them."
I said, shaking my head.
Returning to the monster classification, I thought for a moment.
"Is this classification the same as the tickets? Guide, do the people I’m going to summon have classifications like the monsters?"
"If so, I’m confused. Why is my classification different from theirs?"
[Yes, they’re the same. That’s because these classifications are universal. They’re the standard of the cosmos. Yours, however, is given to Lords. Since you aren’t originally—...]
The Guide stopped in the middle of his explanation.
[....]
"You can’t say it, can you?"
Aster asked, already knowing the answer.
He was getting used to the Guide and his habits. Whenever he stopped like that, something was preventing him from continuing.
"All right. You can explain it when you can. Let’s not get stuck on that."
I stood up, brushing my hands over my legs.
"Wait."
Aster noticed something.
"I’m still naked... Damn, I don’t have any spare clothes..."
Aster paused.
"Wait!"
Another thought occurred to him.
Raising an eyebrow in contemplation, he asked:
"I was wearing clothes before..."
He thought about it for a moment.
"Well."
I shrugged.
"It doesn’t matter!"
"Now... what am I supposed to do about clothes? I wanted to perform the summoning now, but... I can’t summon someone while I’m naked!"
"Whoever arrives will call me a pervert and think I’m weird. I can’t make a bad first impression like that. My future depends on this."
"Guide... my savior. Do you have something that can help me?"
[Hahaha, that would be funny. The newcomer is expecting someone noble and then sees that the person who summoned them is naked.]
"That’s not funny at all!"
Aster cut off his joke in a dry voice.
"Seriously, Guide, you should reconsider your joke repertoire. That one wasn’t funny."
Aster muttered a few curses at the Guide’s audacity, while the Guide struggled not to laugh even more.
[Calm down. I can give you something, but...]
"But what?"
I asked, annoyed by his antics.
[It will cost you Causality.]
"Hmm... but how am I supposed to do that, Guide? As you can see, I’m broke, my friend. Completely bankrupt. How am I supposed to pay for something if I don’t have anything to pay with?"
I asked, seriously wondering whether he was messing with me.
[You can pay later.]
"Ahhhh... wonderful..."
I sighed bitterly.
"I’m going to have a debt hanging over me. I thought I’d already gotten past this part?!"
"...Well... it’s better than staying naked."
"All right... how much will it cost?"
[300 Causality.]
"..... You’re not robbing me, are you?"
[...]
[You’re calling me a thief now? Seriously, Host... do you really think so little of me? {EMOJI: Sad}]
"Sorry, I exaggerated."
Aster scratched his head.
"All right. I’ll take it."
[? Does the Host wish to make the purchase for 300 Causality? ?]
"Yes. Do it!"
[? Finalizing purchase... Warning! The Host’s balance is zero. The amount will be placed in his account as negative until he has enough to repay the debt. ?]
[? Sending purchase to inventory... Complete! ?]
Not wanting to waste any more time, I took the item out of the inventory.
A purple light appeared in my hand, and an object fell into it.
"Guide... I asked for clothes, not a bracelet."
[Don’t complain. Put it on...]
"All right."
I put on the thin metal bracelet, which appeared to be made of silver. It had a small jewel resembling a diamond.
Then my system opened again.
[? Artifact equipped! ?]
?? ──────────────────────────────────── ??
Vá-nulh Bracelet
Artifact
Rank: A
Description: An artifact created for the practicality and comfort of always having an outfit ready at your disposal.
?? ──────────────────────────────────── ??
"How do I use this? Do I have to inject mana into it?"
[Imagine the outfit you want while pouring your mana into the artifact.]
The Guide answered.
Aster extended the arm wearing the bracelet while imagining the appearance of his clothes. After constructing the image in his mind, he was satisfied with the result.
Soon... the artifact reacted when his mana came into contact with it.
Aster was bathed in light for a while until the clothes appeared on his body.
He wore a charcoal-gray suit, open at the front. Underneath was a dark-purple blazer with golden details.
A black ruffle, with a purple jewel attached at his neck, completed the outfit, exuding royalty and power.
His plain black pants and highly polished black shoes perfectly matched his noble attire.
Finally, a side cape was attached to his left side, flowing down over half of his back and arm.
"This looks better than I expected. I wish I had a mirror, but I guess this is good enough."
[You at least have good taste, Host...]
"What do you mean, ’at least’?"
"Hmm... you’re annoying."
"Well, now that I’m presentable... I think it’s time."
[Indeed... we lost some time, but it was necessary.]
Aster nodded.
First, he needed to know at least the basics.
There was still a lot he didn’t know, but...
’I’ll learn things little by little. I don’t need to rush.’
"Guide, how do I perform the summoning? Do I just take out the ticket and tear it?"
[Yes, that’s all!]
"That’s easy."
[But it has to be done at that altar near you.]
"All right."
I walked over to the altar and stood on top of it.
"I’m a little nervous. First, let me use the Search Key."
[? Do you wish to use the Search Key and filter the desired characteristics for the summoning? ?]
"Yes."
[? Search Key successfully consumed! ?]
[? Describe the characteristics you seek for the summoning:... ?]
Ever since Aster discovered the summoning filter, he had already been thinking about what characteristics he wanted for his first summoning.
"I’ve thought carefully about this, and what I need most right now is..."
Aster began to describe his requirements.
He didn’t need overwhelming power or anything like that.
What he needed at that moment was someone who could guide him, give him advice, and help him whenever he became lost.
"I need someone wise, well-versed in every branch of governance. Someone who is good at giving advice. Someone who will be there to warn me when I make a mistake. When I need knowledge, she will teach me correctly."
"I need someone prominent in management, nobility, and leadership."
[? Your intentions have been successfully captured! ?]
[? Filtering characteristics to begin summoning... ?]
[? Candidates successfully filtered. ?]
[? Please tear your Ticket over the altar. ?]
Aster took out a bright blue ticket.
After giving it a quick look, he tore it, and it began disappearing into particles of light.
[? Platinum Ticket successfully consumed! ?]
[? Initiating Summoning Ritual... ?]
A golden light erupted from the crystal on the pedestal, bathing him in its overwhelming radiance.
Aster, who had been standing nearby, stepped back and covered his face, protecting his eyes from the intense golden light.
A circle of runes formed on the ground while a beam of light shot toward the sky.
Now farther away, Aster felt his heart pounding violently against his chest.
He was excited to see who would emerge from that pillar of light.
Then, at full force, an unknown energy began spreading throughout the surroundings, forcing him to retreat even farther.
It felt as though a mountain had been placed on his shoulders.
Then, little by little, the light began to weaken as a silhouette started forming within the pillar.
He narrowed his eyes while remaining at a distance, waiting for the ritual to end.
When the pillar of light disappeared and the runes on the pedestal faded away, someone was standing there, looking around curiously.
Aster took a deep breath when he saw the person before him.
A strange feeling infiltrated his being, making him feel that he should bow and worship the person standing before him.
Doing anything less would be a sin.
But he forced himself to keep his back straight, his hands behind him, tightly clasping one another.
An alarm constantly rang inside his mind, warning him that this woman could kill him simply by breathing.
Forcing himself to calm down, Aster analyzed the woman standing before him as she continued looking around.
She was a tall woman with hazel-colored hair streaked with golden highlights that fell all the way to her hips.
On her head, she wore a tiara made of golden branches that curved behind her hair and extended toward both sides of her head, forming a majestic and exotic crown.
She wore white garments adorned with golden details, matching several pieces of jewelry.
Her appearance was simply divine.
She had the air of a mature, refined, and elegant woman, her chin raised as though everything around her was beneath her.
She carried a maternal presence.
Her cold eyes were a pale shade of violet. Her bust was full, her waist slender, and her hips wide, forming a true hourglass figure.
Aster had never seen anyone so beautiful in his entire life.
His heart was racing as a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.
"So this is the place."
She spoke while looking around.
Her voice was powerful and soft at the same time. Cold, yet warm. A sweet and dangerous voice that kept all of Aster’s instincts on maximum alert.
But after that divine display of dominance, Aster was pulled from his daze and caught off guard by something.
"Haha..."
She began laughing, covering her face with one hand while the other held her elbow.
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!"
She began laughing uncontrollably.
Her laughter frightened Aster on several levels.
It wasn’t a beautiful or happy laugh.
It was a cruel, cold laugh that promised blood.
"Hahahahahahahaha! I’m back... I’m backkkkk!"
She declared loudly.
"You’ll pay for this! Oh, you definitely will..."
"Even if it takes centuries or millennia!"
She roared toward the heavens.
"I will kill you."
"Zeusssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!"