Weakest Summoner

The bell of the Awakening Hall rang three times. DONG! The enormous sound echoed through the marble chamber, silencing hundreds of young men and women gathered beneath the crystal ceiling. Today would determine the rest of their lives. At seventeen years old, every citizen of the Kingdom of Elarion underwent the Awakening Ceremony. It was the day when a person's hidden potential was revealed. Some awakened as Warriors. Some became Mages. Others received rare classes such as Archers, Assassins, Knights, Priests, or even Beast Tamers. And then there were the Summoners. A powerful Summoner could command monsters capable of destroying entire squads of soldiers. At least, that was what the legends said. Kael Arven stood among the final group of candidates, staring nervously at the enormous crystal altar. His hands were cold. His heart wouldn't stop pounding. Please. He clenched his fists. Anything but something useless. Kael had spent his entire childhood dreaming about this day. He had watched adventurers return to his village covered in monster blood and glory. He had heard stories about legendary heroes who awakened with extraordinary classes. He had imagined himself standing in the same position. Perhaps he would become a powerful swordsman. Maybe a mage. Maybe even a legendary class nobody had seen in generations. His older brother had become a C-Class Warrior three years earlier. His sister had awakened as a Wind Mage. Everyone expected Kael to receive something respectable. But Kael knew better than to trust expectations. He came from an ordinary family. No noble blood. No famous ancestors. No powerful connections. His only advantage was determination. “Next.” The priest's voice cut through the chamber. Kael looked up. “Kael Arven.” His entire body froze. Hundreds of eyes turned toward him. Someone whispered. “That's him.” “The Arven family's youngest son?” “His brother is a Warrior, right?” “I heard his sister is a Mage.” “Then he'll probably get something good.” Kael swallowed. He walked toward the altar. Step. Step. Step. The marble floor seemed impossibly long. When he reached the crystal, the elderly priest gestured toward it. “Place your hand upon the Awakening Stone.” Kael nodded. His palm touched the crystal. For several seconds, nothing happened. Then— WHOOM! A wave of light exploded across the chamber. The crystal changed color. Blue. Then red. Then gold. The crowd gasped. The priest's eyes widened. “Impossible…” Kael's heartbeat stopped. Gold? Was it possible? Could he have awakened a rare class? The crystal flashed one final time. A glowing panel appeared above the altar. Everyone waited. Then the words became visible. --- Name: Kael Arven Age: 17 Class: Summoner Rank: F Potential: F Unique Skill: None Starting Mana: 20 Strength: 7 Agility: 8 Intelligence: 9 Vitality: 6 --- Silence. Absolute silence. Kael stared at the panel. His excitement disappeared. “F… rank?” Someone laughed. Then another. Within seconds, whispers filled the hall. “F-Rank Summoner?” “That can't be right.” “Summoners are already difficult to use.” “An F-Rank one is practically worthless.” “Look at his stats!” “He's weaker than an ordinary farmer!” Kael felt his face burning. The priest slowly lowered his hand. “Kael Arven…” His voice was unusually gentle. “You have awakened as an F-Rank Summoner.” Kael forced himself to smile. “I understand.” But inside, something was breaking. F-Rank. He had heard stories about F-Rank adventurers. They were the bottom of the guild system. Most weren't allowed to enter dangerous dungeons. Most earned their living gathering herbs or carrying supplies. And an F-Rank Summoner? That was even worse. A Summoner needed mana. A Summoner needed powerful creatures. A Summoner needed resources. Kael had none of those things. The priest continued. “You may attempt your first summoning.” Kael looked up. “My first summon?” “Yes.” A small ritual circle appeared on the floor. Ancient symbols illuminated around Kael's feet. The priest stepped backward. “Place your hand in the center and channel your mana.” Kael took a deep breath. He extended his hand. “Come forth.” Nothing. The ritual circle flickered. Kael frowned. He tried again. “Come forth!” The circle shook. A tiny spark appeared. Then— Puff. A cloud of gray smoke erupted. Everyone waited. The smoke slowly disappeared. A creature stood in the center of the circle. It was tiny. Perhaps thirty centimeters tall. It looked vaguely like a wolf cub. Its fur was thin and gray. Its legs were trembling. Its ears were too large for its head. And it looked absolutely terrified. Someone in the audience burst into laughter. “What is THAT?” “A rat?” “No, it's supposed to be a wolf!” “That's a Wolf Pup?” “Even a normal wolf would eat that thing!” The creature looked around nervously. Then it sneezed. “...Achoo!” The hall erupted in laughter. Kael stared at it. A status window appeared. --- Summoned Creature Name: Lesser Wolf Pup Species: Wolf Rank: F Level: 1 Strength: 2 Agility: 3 Vitality: 2 Intelligence: 1 Skills: - Weak Bite - Weak Sense of Smell --- Kael's mouth went dry. This was his summon. His first companion. The creature looked at him. Its tail slowly wagged. Kael couldn't help but smile. “Hey.” The wolf pup tilted its head. “You're pretty weak too, huh?” The pup gave a tiny whimper. Kael crouched down and extended his hand. The creature cautiously approached. Then it licked his fingers. Kael smiled. “It's okay.” He gently touched its head. “We'll get stronger together.” Someone nearby scoffed. “You're talking to that thing?” Kael looked up. A tall boy stood several meters away. He wore an expensive black uniform decorated with the insignia of a noble family. His name was Darius Valen. He had awakened as an A-Rank Warrior only minutes earlier. His strength had already surpassed most adult soldiers. Darius looked at Kael's wolf pup with disgust. “That's not a summon.” Kael stood. “What?” “That's a pet.” Several students laughed. Darius walked closer. “Do you know what a real Summoner looks like?” He snapped his fingers. A magic circle appeared behind him. BOOM! A massive creature emerged. A silver-scaled lizard nearly three meters long appeared behind Darius. Its claws dug into the marble floor. Its eyes glowed yellow. The crowd gasped. --- Summoned Creature Name: Silverfang Drake Rank: C Level: 5 --- The priest stared at the creature. “A C-Rank summoned beast…” Darius smiled proudly. “That's the difference between talent and failure.” He looked directly at Kael. “You awakened as an F-Rank Summoner.” He pointed toward the wolf pup. “And that's your strongest summon?” Kael didn't answer. Darius laughed. “You should quit now.” The words struck harder than Kael expected. He lowered his eyes. His wolf pup moved closer to his leg. For a moment, Kael considered dismissing it. Maybe Darius was right. Maybe he really was useless. Maybe the dreams he had carried since childhood were nothing more than childish fantasies. Then the wolf pup looked up at him. Its blue eyes were frightened. But it stayed beside him. Kael clenched his fist. “No.” Darius raised an eyebrow. Kael looked at him. “I won't quit.” A few students laughed again. Darius shook his head. “Suit yourself.” He walked away. The ceremony continued. One candidate after another awakened. Some received D-Rank classes. Others received C-Rank. One girl even awakened as a B-Rank Holy Mage. The hall erupted in applause. Kael remained at the side. Nobody approached him. Nobody congratulated him. Eventually, the ceremony ended. The enormous doors opened. Students flooded outside. Kael remained behind for a moment. He looked at his wolf pup. “You hungry?” The pup wagged its tail. Kael laughed quietly. “Me too.” He left the Awakening Hall. Outside, the afternoon sun was beginning to disappear behind the mountains. Kael walked through the city streets with his new companion following behind him. He had imagined this day differently. He had imagined his family celebrating. Instead, he wondered whether he could even tell them the truth. When he reached the guild district, he stopped in front of the Adventurer's Guild. The building was enormous. This was where awakened adventurers registered their classes, accepted quests, and entered dungeons. Kael pushed open the doors. Inside, dozens of adventurers were drinking, eating, and discussing their latest expeditions. When Kael entered, a few people glanced at him. Most ignored him. He approached the registration counter. A woman looked up. “Newly awakened?” “Yes.” “Class?” “Summoner.” Her expression brightened slightly. “Summoner? That's a useful class.” Kael smiled weakly. “F-Rank.” The woman's expression immediately changed. “Oh.” She looked at the wolf pup. “Oh.” She didn't say anything else. Kael understood. She handed him a registration card. “F-Rank quests are available on the board.” Kael nodded. “Thank you.” He walked toward the quest board. Most of the quests were simple. Gather ten healing herbs. Deliver supplies. Clear rats from a storage building. Search for missing livestock. The rewards were tiny. But Kael didn't care. He needed money. More importantly, he needed experience. He chose a quest. Quest: Forest Herb Gathering Objective: Gather 20 Moonleaf Herbs. Location: Eastern Forest. Reward: 500 gold. Difficulty: F. Kael accepted the quest. He looked at his wolf pup. “Ready?” The creature barked softly. “Then let's go.” Neither Kael nor the wolf noticed the dark figure watching them from the upper floor of the guild. The figure wore a hood. Its face was hidden. A strange symbol glowed faintly beneath its sleeve. The figure stared at Kael's back. Then whispered: “Impossible…” A second voice came from the shadows. “What is it?” The hooded figure narrowed his eyes. “The Awakening Stone registered him as F-Rank.” “And?” “He shouldn't have been able to summon anything.” The second figure went silent. The hooded man continued. “That creature isn't the problem.” “What is?” The hooded man looked toward Kael. “The system.” --- Eastern Forest Night had already fallen when Kael reached the edge of the forest. The trees were enormous. Moonlight passed between their branches. Kael held a small lantern in one hand while the wolf pup walked beside him. “This is probably a terrible idea.” The wolf pup looked at him. “Don't look at me like that.” It barked. Kael sighed. “Fine. Let's find those herbs.” They entered the forest. For the first hour, nothing happened. Kael found several Moonleaf Herbs. Five. Then eight. Then twelve. His wolf pup helped search. Whenever it found something, it scratched at the ground. “Good job.” The pup wagged its tail. Kael smiled. For the first time that day, he felt hopeful. Maybe he couldn't become a legendary hero. Maybe he would never become powerful. But perhaps he could still build a life with his little companion. Then the forest became silent. Kael stopped walking. The wolf pup's ears suddenly stood upright. “What is it?” A low growl came from the darkness. Kael slowly reached for the small dagger hanging from his belt. A pair of red eyes appeared between the trees. Then another. And another. Three goblins emerged from the shadows. Kael's face went pale. The status windows appeared. --- Goblin Rank: F Level: 2 Goblin Rank: F Level: 2 Goblin Warrior Rank: F+ Level: 3 --- Kael swallowed. Three enemies. He had never fought a monster before. The Goblin Warrior raised its rusty sword. Kael stepped backward. “Stay behind me.” The wolf pup growled. One goblin charged. Kael raised his dagger. CLANG! The impact nearly knocked him down. “Gah!” He stumbled. The goblin raised its weapon again. Before it could strike— BITE! The wolf pup jumped forward and clamped onto the goblin's ankle. The monster screamed. Kael froze. His summon had attacked. “Good!” The wolf pup released the goblin. Kael rushed forward and stabbed the creature in the shoulder. The goblin fell. THUD! A notification appeared. --- You have defeated a Goblin. Experience gained: 15. --- Kael stared. “I did it…” The other goblins charged. The wolf pup ran forward. Kael followed. The fight was messy. Painful. Terrifying. But together, they managed to defeat the remaining monsters. When the final goblin fell, Kael collapsed onto the ground. He was breathing heavily. His arms were shaking. The wolf pup limped toward him. “You okay?” The pup gave a weak bark. Kael smiled. “You did great.” Then— DING! A strange sound echoed inside Kael's mind. A translucent screen appeared. But this screen was different. It wasn't the normal status window. The letters were black. The borders were crimson. And the message appeared only for a moment. --- Hidden Requirement Completed. Condition: Defeat an enemy with a Rank F summon. Beginning evaluation... --- Kael stared. “What?” The screen disappeared. He blinked. Nothing. He waited. Nothing happened. “Was I imagining that?” The wolf pup tilted its head. Kael shook his head. “Never mind.” He stood. Then another notification appeared. --- Your summoned creature has gained experience. Lesser Wolf Pup — Level 1 → Level 2 --- Kael smiled. “Level two?” The wolf pup barked. Then— DING! --- Evolution Potential detected. --- Kael's smile disappeared. “What?” The message vanished before he could read anything else. He stared at the empty air. His heart began pounding. Evolution? Was that even possible? He had never heard of an F-Rank summon evolving. He opened the wolf pup's status window. Everything looked normal. Except for one new line. --- Evolution: Locked Requirements: Unknown --- Kael stared at it. Then slowly smiled. “Maybe…” He looked down at his tiny wolf. “Maybe you're not weak after all.” The wolf pup wagged its tail. Far above them, hidden among the branches, something watched. Two enormous golden eyes opened in the darkness. A deep growl shook the forest. Kael slowly looked up. The trees trembled. His wolf pup began to growl. A notification appeared. --- WARNING Unknown creature detected. Estimated Rank: C+ Recommended action: FLEE. --- Kael's blood ran cold. He tightened his grip on his dagger. The creature stepped out of the darkness. It was enormous. Much larger than any wolf Kael had ever seen. Black fur. Long claws. Glowing golden eyes. Its mouth opened, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. The wolf pup stood between Kael and the monster. It was shaking. But it didn't run. Kael stared at his tiny companion. Then he smiled. “You're scared, aren't you?” The wolf pup trembled. Kael lowered his stance. “Me too.” The giant beast roared. ROOOAAAR! The entire forest shook. Kael raised his dagger. “But we're not running.” The wolf pup stepped forward. And for the first time, the weakest Summoner took his first step toward becoming something the world would eventually fear. ......