Jin’s manasoul was full.

  However, tonight’s summoning session was different compared to the first two. The air at the shrine was thick, but not with the solemnity Jin had hoped for. It was thick with the smell of grilled meat and beer. Lots of beers.

  "You know," Ironshield said, gesturing with a half-eaten kebab skewer before washing it down with a long swig of beer. "In all my years as an active Player, I’ve never seen a Summoner. I’d come across a few Beast Tamers, but if half of what Sid says is true, you’re bloody OP for sure."

  Jin didn't look up. He knelt on the cold stone, drawing the lines of the summoning circle in his own blood. The iron scent of it clashed with the picnic happening beneath the cherry tree, their jovial banter irked Jin somewhat.

  "OP? What’s that? Some new Player ranking?"

  Jin paused, his bloody finger hovering over a delicate rune. "Like my daughter, Eleana?"

  "Maybe. But I reckon you’re on a whole different level," Ironshield said, his smile widening. "Which Player in existence has a pack of Shadow Wolves and a bloody giant talking caterpillar doing his bidding? Not only that, you can use their skills without the usual restrictions every other Player has to suffer through. For us, it's a max of twenty per cent maybe, versus you at full power. That ain’t fair."

  Jin smiled. "Life’s never fair."

  Ironshield laughed. "Guess you’re right. Thinking back to that first day of your combat test... well, the pieces finally fit."

  "That’s my baby boy for sure," Elise chirped from beneath the cherry tree, her fingers buried in Viridiana’s soft, thick fur. The little critter purred, eyes closed in content.

  Old Man Sid let out a sharp scoff as he crushed an empty beer can. "That baby of yours is a forty-two-year-old man, Elise. He’s likely as old as your father."

  Elise’s eyes glinted with a sudden, mischievous light. "Oooh... then he’s my daddy."

  The blood-inked line Jin was drawing jerked as his hand spasmed. A cold sweat broke across his brow, the sheer, pure embarrassment hitting him harder than any monster's strike. Behind him, the two men erupted into boisterous laughter at his expense, the sound echoing off the dilapidated buildings on the forsaken hilltop shrine.

  Jin didn't look back. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t. He stared at the ruined magical rune, trying to control his breathing and concentrate on the task at hand, but it came to no avail. It was one thing to face a RIFT’s Boss Monster at one’s wits' end, but being called 'daddy' by a woman young enough to be his daughter was a different kind of peril. There was never enough wit for him to rebut Elise’s tease.

  "Why do you stop, Jin?" Bahamut’s voice cut through the mockery. The small dragon didn't seem to care for human antics. "Hurry up. Or you will miss the window."

  Jin heaved a weary sigh, wondering why he hadn't come alone. Old Man Sid was noisy enough on a good night, but adding Ironshield and Elise had turned the solemn ritual into a bloody picnic. The brunette had even gone to the trouble of packing sandwiches and chilling the beers.

  "This ritual is a serious thing, you know," Jin muttered under his breath as he resumed drawing the magical circle.

  He noticed, however, that Bahamut wasn't his usual aloof self, tucking his wings under the same cherry tree where Elise and Viridiana sat. Instead, the God-Emperor was beside him from the beginning, watching Jin at work with the intensity of an overbearing supervisor.

  At last, he couldn’t take any more. "Bee, aren’t you supposed to chill under the tree with the rest?"

  "I chose not to."

  "Why?"

  "Why do you ask?" Bahamut said, his deep and regal voice carrying a resonance that made the nearby beer cans rattle. "Easy. This time around, I will summon one for you."

  The teasing from the others at the edge of the circle died away. Jin blinked, his heart hammering against his chest. "The God-Emperor and Ruler of Allbeast is summoning for me?"

  "Your usual method is random. A roll of the cosmic dice," Bahamut explained, his eyes fixed on the runes Jin drew. "But I have seen you through your struggles. Unfortunately, as it goes, you will be needing my powers more often than I would like, Jin, and that is a problem. It exposes you. If Atheron eventually notices my interference, the consequences will be catastrophic. For you. For your world. Likewise with the Overseer. So, this time, I will pull a specific child to aid you in my place."

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Jin’s eyes widened with excitement, replacing the earlier embarrassment. What manner of creature would the God-Emperor deem worthy to stand in his stead?

  He began the ritual in earnest. As he poured his manasoul into the bloodied patterns, the dim white light glowed and hummed with a magical energy that made his teeth ache. Bahamut took flight, hovering in the dead centre of the circle. For a moment, the obsidian dragon seemed to expand, his shadow stretching long and jagged across the shrine’s weathered floor.

  Old Man Sid, Ironshield, and Elise finally dropped the banter, their eyes fixed on the shifting light. The dim glow sharpened into a piercing, electric blue.

  "Jin, are you ready?" Bahamut’s deep regal voice carried the weight of a divine. "I will now summon for you."

  Then, the world buckled.

  An explosion of raw energy tore through the circle, the shockwave almost tossing Jin off his feet. He heard the others grunt as the shockwave shoved them back, but he couldn't spare a glance for them. The force was becoming chaotic – a maelstrom of mana that felt less like a spell and more like an unyielding physical assault.

  Jin gasped as the pressure mounted. It felt as if his very cells were being overcharged by a high-voltage current his body wasn't designed to carry. He heard the sickening pop of his own muscles tearing under the strain and the dry cracking of bones reaching their limit. A metallic tang filled his mouth, and he doubled over, vomiting blood onto the glowing stones.

  "Hold on!" Bahamut commanded.

  That single shout was the only thing anchoring Jin to his senses. He gritted his teeth, his fingers clawing into the stone as the blue light curdled into a deep, bruised purple.

  The sky above the shrine, once clear and moonlit, fractured. Violent flashes of lightning began to coil in the air above them. With a deafening boom, a bolt of violet lightning slammed into the centre of the summoning circle.

  The impact sent Jin hurtling backwards. He felt the air leave his lungs, but before he could tumble down the cliff, a massive hand caught him. Ironshield braced his weight, keeping Jin from a fall that would have ended his journey then and there.

  The purple light pulsed brighter, turning the clearing into an eerie, monochromatic landscape. Purple flames licked the edges of the blood-drawn patterns, and as the energy began to settle, a silhouette emerged.

  Two pairs of majestic wings spread open, far and wide. Jin grinned. This was it. The dragon he had been wishing for since the first time. With two legs – most likely a wyvern – this could be the ticket to being OP, just as Ironshield said.

  Jin waited. Excitement built through all his senses. The summoned creature flapped once. Twice.

  And then it hopped.

  ***

  The majestic wings flapped a third time, but instead of the thunderous beat of a dragon taking flight, there was a soft, almost domestic rustle of feathers. The silhouette hopped once more, moving out of the dying purple flames and into the moonlight.

  Jin’s grin faltered. The creature was not even two feet tall. It wasn't a wyvern. It wasn't even a drake hatchling. It was an owl – regal, yes, and wearing a polished monocle that caught the eerie light – but an owl nonetheless.

  A System message appeared.

  << Congratulations! You have successfully summoned a Legendary Beast: Owl of the Endless Tome! >>

  << Will you accept this summon: YES or NO >>

  << Current Summons Owned: 2/12 >>

  The creature turned its head a full hundred and eighty degrees, its amber eyes fixing on the group with an expression of pure, unadulterated disdain.

  "So, this is Earth," the owl said, his voice dry and flat. He looked at the stone beneath him, then up at the sky. "So much dust. And the noise... ghastly."

  It spread its wings and hopped onto a nearby stone plinth to come eye-to-eye with Jin.

  "Ishikawa Kazuma. Also known as Sasaki Jin. Also known as Frank Stein," the bird said, the monocle glowing with a faint light. "For someone who wants to remain inconspicuous, you sure have a surplus of identities. Are you scared of your own shadows?”

  Before Jin could retort with an answer, the bird continued.

  “Born forty-two years ago. Married to Elyzabeth von Englehardt. One daughter – Eleana Sasaki, the unofficial Valkyrie."

  A heavy silence followed. The picnic was forgotten. Old Man Sid, Ironshield, and Elise stared at the newly summoned beast, their beers halfway to their mouths. Jin felt a cold sweat pouring down his neck. This creature’s power was something else.

  "Damn," Jin muttered. He wiped the blood from his lip, trying to remain unfazed despite his background being laid bare. "For an owl, you sure talk a lot."

  "For a human, you sure think less," the bird countered in an instant. "According to the God-Emperor, you are supposed to be my master? How disappointing. I expected, at the very least, the ruler of this forsaken world. Yet, what do I get? Even that stupid-looking mutt over there and that lame worm have more presence."

  The owl gave a dismissive flick of its wings and hopped away towards the cherry tree where Bahamut had already curled up to sleep. He paid his respects with a deep, sweeping bow before settling next to the dragon, unbothered by the stunned silence he had left in his wake.

  "Master, can I tie him up and hang him upside down?" Cattleya's voice echoed in the courtyard, lacking its usual gentleness and meekness as her maw twitched in irritation. It was the first time she had been angry at anything.

  "Or shall I tear its feathers out and make it our dinner, my lord?" Fenrir growled, his claws grating the stone floor.

  Jin looked at the bird preening its feathers next to the sleeping God-Emperor. Not even five minutes after its arrival, the creature had already managed to piss off Cattleya, Fenrir, and the entire pack.

  He stared at the ‘NO’ option hovering on his system screen for a long, lingering moment. The temptation to press it was immense.

  But since it was Bahamut who had summoned this feathered cuckoo, Jin reckoned it would be wise to accept the prompt for now. He could always dismiss the bastard later if he became too much of a headache. After all, how useful could a mouthy, know-it-all bird actually be?