"Weird… This has never happened before." Maddison mumbles, inspecting the crystal ball. Cain uses this attempt to set up noise cancelling magic circles around both of them.
"Ahem, may I challenge a B-rank guild official to set my rank? If I lose, I'll pay 10x the fee. No one can hear us right now so say whatever is on your mind." Cain states while showing his hand to Maddison. Each element is being displayed in a way that prevents anyone but Maddison from seeing them. She stares in shock, her legs almost giving out.
"Y-yes, that's fine. Should I try to bring it up casually?" She stutters while trying to regain her composure. Being able to demonstrate all 6 elements simultaneously without a magic circle, with a look on his face that one would have while eating a mediocre meal, told Maddison that this odd man before her had some very powerful backing.
In the small chance that some unknown master or resources didn't help him cultivate these elements, that would just further prove that his existence alone was one that could quake the very foundations of this city.
"That works for me." Cain states, dissipating the elements and sound barrier. The second receptionist looks over at Maddison who is supporting her weight using the desk.
"Are you ok?" she asks.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just thinking about the costs of replacing the crystal ball made me lightheaded." The second receptionist sighs in agreement, then quickly rushes back to Veronica. "Since the crystal ball isn't working, would you like to challenge one of our guild officials?" She looks up at Cain, fearful it wasn't executed how he liked.
Cain moves his hand over Maddison's, releasing mana discreetly and circulating it in her body while releasing some chemicals in her brain to calm her down. 'What is this warm feeling?' She speculates as her legs regain their strength. A soft thud occurs in the background.
"Yes, that's fine with me. Are there any B-rank officials I can challenge?" Before Maddison can reply to Cain, a voice from the second floor interrupts them.
"Hah! A newbie wants to challenge a B-rank? Why don't you fight me? If you win I'll give you a rare weapon. But if you lose, you must serve me until you die." Cain looks up at this weird voice to see a woman wearing light leather armor over chainmail. Her smooth black hair almost reaches the sword at her belt. At her sudden declaration, the bystanders begin to mumble to themselves.
"Oh no, she's at it again."
"Ah… looks like the Sword Demoness takes another victim… Poor lad."
"It's not set in stone yet though, right?"
"Foolish newbie. She's an A-rank magic swordsman who collects magic weapons. Most of them can annihilate C-rankers within seconds."
Cain looks back at them. His deafening stare shuts them up immediately. "I won't take your weapon. When I win, you'll have to buy me a meal." He says, turning to the challenger.
'Why would an A-rank take the initiative to challenge a newbie? There's no way she's just doing this on her own though, right? I just wanted to fight a B-rank official, not attract attention, but most importantly, be carefree while doing all of this…' Cain analyzes the people within his Mana Zone, searching for someone who stood out, the person who interrupted his chance at taking things easy.
He notices what appears to be a rich playboy standing close to the entrance to the guild, roses are smashed at his feet. 'Ah, so that's how it is. He seems like he comes from a big background. Oh? He keeps glancing at the swordsman as if it were a signal.
'If I guess right, he pressured or bribed this lady to fight me to "teach me a lesson" for hitting on Maddison. If they really are dating then I'll apologize later. Whatever, I'll observe more for now, if he becomes a threat he'll become my guinea pig for mind reading and altering spells.'
"Heh. Do you even know who I am? I'm the undefeated Sword Demoness Diana!" Diana proudly states.
"Oh? Do you know who I am?" Cain replies ferociously. After a moment of silence that builds up the suspension, he says "I am Cain, a freeloader who eats free meals." At his blatant and obvious declaration, the entire guild is dumbfounded.
Veronica laughs softly in the background. Catherine is staring at the two in amusement, recognizing she can use this chance to bring Cain to her side. 'If he gets injured and loses, I can negotiate with Diana to save him. Then he will be indebted to me!'
Maddison interrupts the two, trying not to laugh. "If both parties accept, then the duel will be held tomorrow at noon." Diana nods and attempts to walk off, before Cain stops her. "I'll let you cancel the duel until I leave the guild. Once I leave, this arrangement will be set in stone."
Diana looks back and scoffs. Catherine meets up with her on the second floor and they head into a private room to discuss their scheme. "Maddison, may I go summon spirits now?" Cain looks over to Maddison, finishing his paperwork. Maddison nods, "I'll show you where it is."
A jealous Veronica intervenes, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Sparks appear to be flying in between the two. 'Yikes… should've been more discreet with that.' Cain reflects, saying his thanks while being led by Veronica towards the door. Maddison takes this opportunity to see what Cain has written.
'What's this? He put down "Visual Casting, Eating, Hibernating (sleeping), Creation Magic, Spatial Magic, and Monster Tamer"!? Half of these skills are impossible while the other half can't be considered skills…' Maddison reads through the paperwork until she sees the section about mana and elements.
'He has no magic circle, but has 3 million mana? On top of that, he even put down that he has no element, when I clearly saw all of them being displayed. Does he think this is a joke!? And here I thought he was different from those flirtatious playboys.' Frustrated, she files the paperwork away.
Veronica and Cain enter the room used for summoning spirits. The marble architecture reminds Cain of an open air Greek temple. 7 pillars surround the edge of a massive magic circle located in the center of the building. At the base of each pillar, a smaller circle with a picture representing an element is drawn. An old man greets the two, walking over from a desk laid off to the side.
"Are you here to summon a spirit, young 'uns?" The sudden voice snaps Cain out of his daze.
"Ah, yes. I would like to summon two spirits if possible. One fire and one space." Cain replies. At the mention of summoning a space spirit, Veronica looks at him in a mix of doubt and surprise. Her face said it all, "Are you sure you can summon that spirit?"
The old man chuckles and begins to explain the rules. "It is 10 gold per summon, regardless of success or failure. The money can be put on your tab, assuming you have an adventurer card." Cain looks at him with a very confused face.
'Was I supposed to get that? Crap…' The old man notices Cain's nervous reactions. Just as he was about to turn away, a vine hands Cain's card to the old man. "Haha, it's a good thing you have such a good familiar." Cain laughs nervously, "Y-yeah… anyways, is there anything I should know before summoning the spirit?"
The old man hands Cain's ID card back after a quick inspection. "No, just stand or kneel on the circle of your desired element and pour mana in. A gate will open, connecting you to the spirit world. Any spirit willing to hear your call will come through and the rest depends on your luck." Cain looks at Veronica for confirmation. "What he said is right, it may help to add a message while you're summoning." She says, glad that he sought advice from her.
Cain walks over to the circle with a little flame carved into the marble. 'I'll draw a mana circle here to gather half of the natural mana in this temple. It appears to be… about 4 million, dang. I'll mix in 1 million of my mana to stabilize the circle and natural mana and to attract the spirit.
'As for the message… "I can summon a star, the pinnacle of all flames." Yep, not only does it sound cool but it should get their attention.' Cain kneels over the little flame, drawing the magic circles required. After he is done, he looks at the old man. "Do I just pour my mana in to start?"
The old man nods, Veronica moves off to the side. Cain tosses her an odd object. "Here wear this, it might get bright," he says while putting on his own pair of sunglasses. 'Hehe, now I even look the part.' Looking towards the center of the circle, Cain activates the mana drawing circle at his feet, and pours in his own mana.
Massive amounts of mana envelop Cain, as a fracture in the space at the center of the circle appears. Bright flames, taking a somewhat uniform shape appear. The shape walks out the fracture, solidifying as the flames are slowly refined. Cain stares in amazement. 'How the heck is there a Tyrannosaurus Rex here!?' The flame-covered being looks down at Cain.
"Are you the one who summoned me?" Its voice booms against the marble walls, shaking the building. Cain sits down, using the heat the being is emitting to roast a skewer of meat. 'Dang, this is pretty effective.' "Yep, would you like to sign a contract with me?"
The being laughs. "I've been summoned after a millennium by a human, and he dares to roast meat in front of me!? Could you even be considered a human? Your mana circuit is closer to a dragon… interesting..."
Cain looks at him, then looks at his skewer. "What? Do you want one too?" The being stared at him dumbfounded. "M-maybe another time… Anyways, you said you can summon the pinnacle of flames?"
"I can." Cain replies, taking a bite out of the roasted skewer. "You will need to sign the contract first though. If you sign, I'll teach you how to make your flames hot enough to explode and create a black hole. I'll also teach you how you can use your flames to freeze things."
The being looks at Cain, trying to hold back his anger. The flames on his back flare up. "Do you know who I am!?" At this statement, Veronica, who had crumpled on the floor from the pressure of the flame being, lets out a trepidatious sigh. 'This again…?'
Vines form a chair next to her, offering a seat. Veronica forces herself onto the chair, patting the leaf formed on the right arm. Cain stares at the being with an unequivocal face showing no expressions.
"No, I do not. Do you know who I am?" Cain says, concentrating most of his mana in the mana zone towards him while simultaneously releasing an abundance of mana, creating a sense of overwhelming aura. The being stares at him flabbergasted.
With no hesitation, it replies, "No…" 'Wait, why did I even respond to this cheeky boy?' Recovering his sense, he attempts to force Cain to back down. "I am the Spirit King of Fire! Humans used to worship me as a god!"
With his proud declaration, Cain looks back at the old man for confirmation of what he just heard. The old man nods shakingly. Cain looks back at the being, finishing his skewer.
"So? Do you want to learn how to make your flames as hot as a star or not? Right now, they are perfect for roasting steaks. That sun up there is a star millions of kilometers away, and yet, with many layers of protection, we can still feel its heat." Cain points to the sun in the sky, reaching its apex as it approaches noon.
The being stares at it amazed. Defeated, he replies, "I'll believe you if you can summon this so-called star right now."
Cain looks at the being, seeking confirmation. "Are you sure? You may get hurt." The being gives a firm nod. 'Luckily when I unleashed my mana as a suppression force earlier, I used the chance to regenerate my reserves to max.'
[Dresil, go stand with Veronica, the heat is about to be turned up.]
[Yes, Master.]
Vines leave Cain's clothes, racing towards the chair. Dresil forms into her human shape, covered loosely by leaves. Veronica looks at her, unable to understand where this potential rival came from.
"Are you Cain's familiar?" She asks after looking at her legs forming from vines. Dresil nods, staring at Cain anxiously. 'We need to go get her some clothes after this…' Veronica concludes after staring at the loosely assorted leaves.
Meanwhile, Cain is setting up a multitude of magic circles covering each side of a cube that stretches outwards for several meters. 'Ugh… setting up the protection layers for this is a pain…
'Got to make sure gamma radiation doesn't pass with several meters of mana arranged more densely than the atoms of osmium… Setting up anti-vibrational magic circles aimed at the molecules to absorb the internal energy, reducing the heat… I'll need to isolate the gravity to the area enclosed by the circles... Looks like I'll be using all if the mana within 200m...'
Cain's thoughts trail off as it nears completion. The being stares at all of the magic circles being set up in the air, trying to understand what's going on. Cain finishes the magic circles and addresses the being.
"This is your last chance to back out. All these magic circles are just so the star doesn't affect the environment here. The last magic circle with a number in the center controls the percentage of heat allowed through." Cain gestures towards the magic circle facing the being, the current percent is set to 10.
"The magic circle behind it controls where the heat source is originating from. Right now it's set to the surface, the core is the hottest area. The star that will be generated will be somewhat equivalent to the sun. Keep in mind, this is by no means the hottest star that can be created." The being gawks at Cain, waiting for him to finish. Cain lets out a brief sigh. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you…"
He ignites a small fire in the empty space of the cube. Within seconds, the flame becomes spherical; the atoms inside are currently undergoing nuclear fusion. 'Let's speed this up some… I need some more hydrogen too.'
The size of the sphere repeatedly gets bigger before instantly being condensed. The process repeats several times until Cain props himself against the pillar. 'Whew… that took a lot more out of me than I thought… Had to regenerate my mana while using it towards the end.' Cain gives the being a nod, allowing it to adjust the percentage of heat allowed facing towards it.
The being instantly sets it to 100%. Everything in the direction of the magic circle evaporates within milliseconds of the change. Cain forcibly sets it back to 10% after observing the being unable to withstand the heat. The being stares at the star in disbelief. Its size has shrunk to that of a large dog. Cain attempts not to laugh while watching the scene.
"Do you understand now? About that contract…" Before Cain has the chance to finish, the being leaps in front of him, wagging its tail. "Please accept me as your disciple!" The old man gazes at the scene unfolding in his eyes. Unable to comprehend how this young lad tamed a Spirit King and the cost to repair the temple, the_old_man.exe has stopped working.
Veronica watches from the sidelines, unable to be surprised anymore due to the amount of impossible things she has witnessed. Dresil stands proudly. "That's my master! Even a Spirit King is no match for him!" Veronica looks up at Dresil, slightly baffled. 'Why are you boasting about it though…?'
The being waits patiently for Cain's response. "Fine… Don't you need me to sacrifice my flesh or something? Also do you have a name?"
"You silly humans misunderstood. You don't sacrifice your flesh, you offer it to us for us to be assimilated into it. After assimilation, control is still kept by the original owner, but the piece devoured is closer to that of our bodies.
"If I take your arm, you could light it on fire at will and most weapons will not be able to hurt it as long as I reside there. However, once we leave, the assimilated body part disintegrates. Our names are given to us by our summoners. Spirits use thought transmission and therefore have no need for names."
[Oh… so you use this way to communicate with each other.] The being leaps back astonished.
[Interesting human… the more I stay here, the more I think you're some type of monster.]
[Master is not a monster!] Dresil furiously refutes the being. She quickly converts into vines then reforms into a humanoid shape kneeling behind Cain while he converts the protection circles and the star into mana.
[A mere whomping willow dares to provoke me?] The being flares up.
[Oi, if you burn a leaf on Dresil, I won't teach you anymore.] Cain switches his gaze to Dresil, stroking her hair.
The being instantly flares down, scared of not being able to learn the secrets.
[Calm down, Dresil. He was just referring to my species.] Dresil sneaks a mocking face while Cain is distracted then merges into his clothes. The being tries his best not to get annoyed.
"I'll call you Rex. Is my left arm, from my shoulder down to my wrist, enough for you?"
Noticing the switch in communication, Rex responds. "Yes, although it will be painful."
"No problem. Any tips for summoning the Spirit King of Space?" Cain uses his mana to disable all sensation in his left arm. The old man, who just recovered from his previous shortage, faints at the mention of Cain summoning the Spirit King of Space.
Rex transforms into a fluid fire, encircling Cain's left arm. "There have been rumors of the Spirit King teleporting to sphinxes and annoying them." 'Weird… Does he like riddles or something? Meh, it's worth a shot.' At this thought, Cain gets up and walks over to the circle with a spiral engraved on it.
He repeats the process for summoning Rex, imprinting the following message. "I have countless riddles, puns, and brain teasers in my memory. If you form a contract with me, I'll let you see all of them and teach you how to manipulate time."
'If I'm correct in my assumption, the element isn't actually space, but rather dimensions. If that's true, assuming my world and this world are in a parallel structure, then this being could eventually bridge the gap and manipulate the dimensions of that universe.'
Before Cain has the chance to fully utilize all of the mana gathered for summoning, a smooth, elliptical portal appears in the center. A blob of cosmos emerges with an excited shout. "I heard there were riddles here!?" Cain looks up at the blob and replies, "Yes, if you form a contract with me, you will be able to see all of the ones I have seen."
"Hmm… Can you prove your claim, human?" The blob responds, glancing around his surroundings.
Cain's left arm speaks up. "I can vouch for him, Space King."
"Spirit King of Fire? This little human was able to summon you too?"
"My name is now Rex, and yes. You'll be surprised at what this brat can do."
Cain intervenes in their side conversation. "In that case how about some sample riddles?" The blob ponders it for a moment, then agrees.
"When you say my name, I disappear. What am I?" The blob floats across the room trying to figure out the answer. In this time, Rex has finished merging.
[Rex, can you access my memories?]
[I can.]
[Good, look for everything related to internal energy, thermodynamics, chemistry, and molecular energy. Your first task is to bring something within milliKelvins of absolute zero (0.001 Kelvin or -459.6689°F). Keep in mind, "cold" is just a term meaning "less heat."]
A flame mark appears on Cain's arm, burning his left sleeve. It goes dormant after Cain instructs Rex, mimicking the look of a tattoo. The cosmic blob has stopped pacing and appears to have an answer. Dresil forms a chair out of roots for Cain. Cain gets up from kneeling and sits down.
"Do you have an answer?"
"I have none…" The blob replies, its shape deforms as if it were melting.
"The answer was 'silence.' Would you like to form a contract now?" 'Is this why the sphinxes get annoyed? It was a fairly easy riddle too...'
"Yes…" The defeated blob replies, attempting to regain its former shape. "I only need a small piece of flesh to reside in."
"I see… how about my left hand?"
"Only half of it is required. The spatial element helps compress and stabilize my mana so I don't need too much space." The blob puffs out what appears to be its chest in pride. Cain offers his left hand, allowing the blob to merge into it. A spiral appears on the top of Cain's hand, shining lightly with a blue and purple hum.
[Your name is now Bob.]
'Man, I really suck at coming up with names… Oh well… Things are about to get hectic with 4 beings, including myself, using thought transmission… Hmm… screw it, let's just pull them into a group chat.'
Cain establishes a magic circle half way up his right arm, slightly above his elbow. He integrates the techniques of thought transmission into a graphical user interface (GUI) mimicking that of a typical messenger app.
After a few seconds of consideration, Cain scraps this idea and decides to have the information be translated to his subconscious to hasten the time to read and understand the content. The process is similar to speed reading, except the eyes aren't involved. The summons and Dresil can choose between the two formats.
While he's at it, he moves the magic circle containing the watch algorithms to his right wrist, and places the magic circles that manage all of the tags placed in between the watch and the group chat circles.
He labels the magic circle containing the watch as "Pocket Watch." The magic circle that manages the tags is called "Tag Manager" and the group chat magic circle is labeled as "Group Thoughts."
{Author's note: Since the "Group Chat" function was just created, they have yet to start using it. The following messages is regular thought transmission.}
[You can use thought transmission as well? You're one capable little human.] - Bob
[Behave or get whacked! 'Tis a warning from the first one here.] -Dresil
Leaves sprout from Cain's singed sleeve as she says this.
[Play nice, Dresil. They're going to be your new roommates from now on. We'll get you some nice clothes after lunch. Whenever I can get some time alone, I'll need to ask you two a multitude of questions; I'll let you know when the time approaches.] - Cain.
He looks down at his watch, noticing the time is a little after one. He gets up from his chair of roots and walks over to the fainted old man. Small tornadoes of dense wind carry the old man to his desk after Cain takes the papers in his hands.
He reads through them and recognizes them as the required documents for summoning a spirit. After filling out the remaining forms, he places them on the desk and leaves with Veronica. They exit the guild swiftly to avoid the inevitable crowd that will form when everyone learns of what Cain had summoned.
After they leave, an uproar on the first floor disturbs Diana and Catherine's meeting. A servant barges into their room. Catherine gets up, ready to scold the servant but Diana holds her back.
"Do you have some news for us?" Diana questions the servant who is kneeling in a submissive position.
"Rumor has it Cain has summoned two Spirit Kings! One of which is the fire element and the other is of the space element." The servant responds hastily.
Diana and Catherine slump to the floor, weighed by the news. 'How powerful is this person to summon these spirits? To think I thought I could rope him in… Mere schemes are useless in front of him, I should've been sincere from the start.' A depressed Catherine slowly exits the room. "Forget everything that has happened here, the deal is off." She mumbles on her way out.
'Damn! I almost got the support of another major family! Wait, that newbie said I could cancel the duel as long as he is still in the guild. Did he know this was going to happen?' Diana looks up at the servant who is still waiting for permission to leave.
"Tell me, is that newbie still in the guild?!" The servant whimpers as he yells. "No, he left in a rush, led by an elf." The servant quickly escapes from Diana while she releases a few waves of mana in rage.
Meanwhile...
Maddison stares at the papers handed by the old man in disbelief. She immediately runs up to the third floor, breaking into a sturdy wooden door. "Dean!! You have to see this!" She yells at a drunken middle aged man sleeping on the desk. Papers fly at his face, abruptly waking him up.
"Huh? Wha… Where am I? Oh, right… Ah, Maddison. What are you doing here?" The dean fumbles around, almost falling out of his chair.
"Look at those papers, you drunk old man!" An infuriated Maddison points to the papers thrown at him. The dean dismisses Maddison and reads through them when she leaves.
'This young lad is interesting. He managed to summon two Spirit Kings, one of which was even believed to be a myth.' The dean looks through his drawers, searching for a certain folder. 'Haha! Even the skills he wrote down on his registration paperwork are extraordinary. Maybe if it's him, he can solve this crisis…'