Gwendolin froze, her eyes wide with disbelief. The voice was deep and resonant, imbued with an unmistakable intelligence. It echoed not through the air but directly in her mind, bypassing the physical world entirely. Its tone carried a subtle questioning quality - sothing that seed impossible without sentience.
Although she wasn’t particularly skilled at summoning, she had successfully called forth lesser creatures in the past. None of them had been capable of speech or independent thought. Bound by the summoner’s contract, they could not act without direct orders, nor could they communicate with their caster. In essence, they were no more than golems ford from mana, existing solely to obey commands.
There was a way for a summoned creature to gain sentience: if a summoner ford a bond with the monster, it would beco their familiar. This bond allowed the creature to think for itself and, in so cases, even communicate with its caster. This, however, was different. The monster before her was not her familiar. She lacked the strength to form such a bond, nor had any summoned creature chosen her to enable such a connection.
However, there were exceptions to this rule: the more intelligent monsters. These were exceedingly rare and notoriously difficult to summon, let alone control. They belonged to a category of their own, retaining a sense of autonomy even before the summoner. It wasn’t uncommon for such monsters to go berserk if they deed the caster who had brought them into this realm unworthy or inferior.
‘W-what if it attacks ?’
Gwendolin’s mind raced. The possibility of the monster attacking her was high as she had heard countless tales of summoning disasters, especially when sentient monsters were involved. She knew she lacked the training and knowledge to handle such a situation, and the realization struck her like a cold wave: this was the worst possible outco. Surely, this giant tal monster would turn on her and attack.
To her surprise, it did not react aggressively. Instead, it responded - not through words, but to her very thoughts, as though it could read her mind.
‘Why would I attack you?’
The words - or rather, the thought - sent a shiver down Gwendolin’s spine. She stared up at the towering figure, unable to decide whether she was more terrified or intrigued. The living armor tilted its head slightly as if mimicking a gesture of curiosity. Its empty eyes locked onto hers as it continued to stare. The crowd, still buzzing with whispers, seed a thousand kiloters away. Gwendolin’s world narrowed to this improbable, intelligent being that now stood before her.
"You... you can hear ?"
She whispered, her voice quivering.
‘I can. And I assu you can hear too?. That is …Interesting, usually, that would require a body. Is it a connection similar to the one I have with Gleam?’
The voice was calm, almost casual as if the monster was just as surprised as her. It murmured sothing about sparkling light and bodies that she didn’t understand. Her heart hamred in her chest as she tried to maintain composure, unsure how to respond. She couldn’t let her confusion show - not in front of Katherine, the crowd, or this… thing.
The living armor’s head turned slowly, scanning the arena again. Its gaze seed to linger on the other summoned creature, Katherine’s red orc warrior.
‘Ah, I’ve never seen a red orc before, is it stronger than the green ones? This must be part of the ‘Monster Combat’ Quest!’
‘Quest?’
She had no idea what the monster was talking about but it seed to have identified the other summoned monster as an enemy. This soothed her nerves slightly as it seed the monster was sowhat focused on the other and not on harming her. She was still not sure if she could control this being of tal but before she could continue the conversation, they were interrupted.
“Miss Rainstar!”
The instructor’s voice broke through her montary stupor.
“You must command your summon to engage. This is a duel, not a staring contest.”
Gwendolin flinched, her face flushing as she realized the entire arena was waiting for her to act. Across the arena, Katherine tapped her foot impatiently, her red orc growling and flexing its massive arms.
“Well, Rainstar?”
Katherine called out, her tone sharp with mockery.
“Are you going to make it do sothing, or should I put it out of its misery for you?”
The previously startled crowd began to calm down. Katherine, still exuding an air of superiority, boasted confidently about her impending victory, despite her opponent’s success in summoning a creature. After all, there was more to a summoner’s duel than simply conjuring a powerful monster. To the onlookers, the summoned creatures appeared to be of similar rank. This ant that victory would co down to the summoners’ skill and in this case, most believed Katherine’s expertise gave her the upper hand.
“I… yes! Uh… Mister Living Armor attack the Red Orc Warrior!”
Gwendolin finally reacted, stretching out her hand. A small magic circle appeared above her palm, spinning slowly. It was a command circle with glyphs within it - an essential tool for summoners to direct their monsters. The circle shone brightly, and her voice echoed across the arena as she issued her command. To everyone’s surprise, the monster didn’t move. Instead, it turned its gaze toward her and just stood there.
“Hah! She can’t even control her own summon? Isn’t that an automatic loss?”
“I knew it was a fluke! Get out of the arena!”
The audience’s jeers rang out, their earlier astonishnt giving way to mockery. Gwendolin sohow remained composed, her expression betraying no sign of panic but instead acceptance. She had anticipated this outco. If a summoned monster was more powerful than its summoner, it would naturally resist commands, acting of its own accord. This was precisely why so many believed her defeat was inevitable. Without proper instructions and guidance from the summoner, even the most powerful monster would fail to secure victory.
‘Mister Living Armor?’
‘Huh?’
‘I’m not a Mister, I’m Rusty! And don’t worry, I’ll take care of that orc.’
However, to Gwendolin’s surprise, the living armor did not remain still for long. After correcting her about its na, the large tallic form shifted. It raised its massive tower shield with its left hand and gripped the poleaxe with its right. Gwendolin wasn’t sure what to make of this. The monster seed to possess more autonomy than she had expected. It was as though it already considered itself a familiar, one that had been nad by soone else, and now she was rely borrowing its power.
****
Rusty arrived in this strange place and took a mont to assess his surroundings. Thanks to his mana sense skill, he could tell that a powerful mana shield surrounded the entire arena, placing a barrier between him and the summoner. The circle from which he had materialized was inside this do, locking him in with the other monster. At least the other creature was confined to the sa spot, which made things a bit easier for him.
The one who had called him here was peculiar - a scrawny girl dressed in a baggy robe who communicated with him through thoughts. She seed harmless, weak even - not soone he would typically concern himself with. Then there were the others: a crowd of people, their gazes twisted in what he recognized as mockery. For soone like him, who took pride in his strength and his evolution, this was maddening. It felt as though they all believed he couldn’t defeat the slightly larger orc - a monster he was already quite familiar with.
‘Y-you will?’
He stepped forward as the girl’s voice echoed in his mind. Earlier, she had tried to give him an order, but it hadn’t worked on him at all. He sensed the spell being blocked by so unseen force, leaving him to wonder if, on missions like this, he would always be immune to the summoner's control.
‘Yes, leave it to ! This won’t take long!’
He declared, boasting of his capabilities as he strode forward confidently. The people in the audience pointed out with their fingers, surprised that he was moving on his own and responding to the summoner's orders in a strange way. The massive red orc across the arena roared in defiance, its twin axes glinting ominously in the light. Katherine smirked, her tone just as confident as ever.
“So, the tin can can move. It won’t matter. Red Orc Warrior, engage!”
She commanded. Her voice rang with authority, and the red orc charged forward with a guttural roar, its movents surprisingly agile for its size. The ground trembled slightly with each step it took, its eyes locked onto Rusty as it raised its axes high.
Rusty took a long look at the enemy before him. He wanted to ask Aburdon and Alexander about this place, but his guides, along with several other skills, were locked. Just as they had predicted, he couldn’t access his inventory or loadouts and his stash tab was locked away as well. If he lost his shield and poleaxe, he wouldn’t be able to replace them. The sa applied to damage; without access to his resources, he couldn’t use any iron to repair himself.
The other monster shot forward, a red haze within its eyes as it attacked. Rusty raised his tower shield to et the charging foe. The orc swung both axes down in a devastating arc, aiming to crush him under their weight.
*CLANG!*
The axes collided with Rusty’s shield, sparks flying as the force of the blow sent a tremor through the arena. The crowd gasped. Rusty didn’t budge an inch. His shield absorbed the impact like a stone wall against a wave, and with a practiced twist, he shoved the orc back, creating just enough distance to retaliate.
Rusty swung his poleaxe in a wide arc, aiming for the orc’s midsection. The orc barely managed to leap back, avoiding a direct hit but not escaping unscathed - the poleaxe grazed its chest, leaving a reddish line where the weapon had struck. The orc howled in pain, staggering back a few steps. The crowd, which had sneered at Gwendolin monts before, was now captivated. Whispers of astonishnt rippled through the spectators.
“That tal golem is holding its own against the orc?”
“Did it block those axes without flinching?”
“Rainstar’s summon… it’s actually strong?”
Gwendolin watched in stunned silence, her fingers clutching the silver pendant. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Rusty wasn’t just strong - he was skilled, calculating, and independent. She wasn’t entirely sure what to do next but knew she had to stay calm. This might be her only chance to prove she belonged at the academy. Katherine, on the other hand, was fuming.
“You’re not going to show up with that pile of scrap tal!”
She shouted.
“Red Orc Warrior, activate frenzy, destroy that heap of tal!”
She made a slicing motion with her hand, and a red glow enveloped the orc as it roared louder than ever. Its movents beca erratic, wild, and ferocious as it charged Rusty again, this ti with reckless abandon. Rusty stood his ground, his tower shield at the ready. The orc’s frenzied strikes ca faster, each one heavier than the last, but Rusty’s defenses were impeccable. The tallic clang of each impact echoed through the arena like a symphony of war.
‘Mister Rusty, be careful… w-what skills do you have? I… I don’t know what to do…’
The girl panicked, but Rusty couldn’t understand what the big deal was. He didn’t realize that summoned creatures couldn’t use their skills without the caster’s permission. Normally, Gwendolin would have to perform the proper incantation to grant him access to his abilities. Without that, as a summon, he was restricted to relying solely on his physical form - putting him at a clear disadvantage against the Red Orc, who had the full support of its summoner.
‘Hah, I can use Frenzy just as well!’
Rusty proclaid as a red haze similar to the one the Red Orc was surrounded with erupted from his tallic body. He was not a simple summon, he was his own monster capable of performing all his skills by himself.
Rusty’s declaration echoed in Gwendolin’s mind, sparking confusion. She barely understood how this was possible, but there was no ti to dwell on it. The arena erupted as Rusty lunged forward with surprising agility, his poleaxe glowing faintly as it carried another skill of his, enhancing his blow even further than before.
The poleaxe ca down with a thunderous crash, glowing with the red haze of Rusty’s activated skill. The Red Orc raised its axes to block, but the sheer force of the blow drove it to its knees, the ground beneath it cracking under the impact. The crowd erupted in gasps and cheers, their previous mocking words replaced by astonishnt. Rusty wasn’t just holding his ground - he was dominating the fight.
Katherine’s smirk faltered. Her Red Orc, now visibly struggling under the relentless assault, looked less like a terrifying monster and more like a cornered beast. She clenched her fists, her voice sharp with frustration as she barked another command.
“Red Orc Warrior, retaliate! What do you think you are doing? Defeat that junk heap at once! It’s just a living armor with no weight, use your charge to push it down!”
The orc roared in defiance, pushing back against Rusty’s poleaxe and swinging its axes in a furious whirlwind. Rusty stepped back, his tower shield absorbing the blows effortlessly. Despite the orc’s raw power, its movents were growing more erratic. Frenzy, while formidable, ca at a cost: the harder it fought, the more it drained itself.
In a desperate last-ditch effort, the monster obeyed its summoner’s command and charged recklessly. The tactic was simple - tackle the iron monstrosity to the ground. After all, it was just an empty suit of armor. The orc, large and muscular, weighed several tis more than the armored figure.
The collision was imminent. With all its might, the orc surged forward, expecting to overwhelm its opponent. But to everyone’s astonishnt, Rusty didn’t budge. He remained rooted in place, as though he weighed several tons. The ground beneath him cracked under the sudden, imnse pressure as if his weight had suddenly increased in an instant.
‘Nice try orc, but this is it for you…’
A deafening clang rang out, followed by a sickening crack. Rusty’s poleaxe cleaved into the Red Orc’s armor-like hide, shattering the defensive layer and embedding deep into its side. The montum of the charge was halted abruptly, the orc’s massive form crumpling to the ground. The crowd erupted into a mix of stunned gasps and cheers as the Red Orc let out a groan before collapsing, its body turning into mana particles as it had been defeated.
Rusty stepped back, yanking his weapon free with a tallic screech. He lood over the fallen orc, his own frenzy skill fading away. For a mont, he stood still, wondering if this was the end of the mission. But the system offered no confirmation. He glanced at Katherine, the opposing summoner. She was doing sothing, mana was gathering around her form and the summoning circle, it seed that this was not quite over yet.
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