As Andrew began the incantation for the spell, he knew that summoning a peak rank-two creature from another realm would require a massive amount of mana. But he was determined to succeed, and he had a secret weapon up his sleeve - his trusted stock of level-one mana recovery potions in his spatial ring.
The summoning ritual was grueling, and Andrew had to consume three potions and channel around 210 units of mana before he saw the portal start to shimmer. His heart raced as he watched a magnificent pitch-black raven emerge from the portal.
The creature was still injured and almost on its last legs. But its sharp eyes still surveyed the room, and Andrew felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. All his hard work had paid off, and he now had a powerful ally by his side.
"As I promised, I'll treat you first. Wait for me here," Andrew said to the raven. He hurried out of the broad hall, descending the winding stairs to the botanical garden on the pagoda's third floor.
The botanical garden was a mesmerizing sight, boasting many enchanting trees, herbs, and plants that bloomed in abundance. Andrew quickly scanned the area, looking for the magical fruits he needed to help the raven. After a few minutes of searching, he found what he was looking for - three enchanted kiwi fruits that had a magical detoxifying effect.
Rushing back up the stairs, Andrew returned to the broad hall on the eighth floor, where the raven was still perched, looking more listless than ever. Andrew wasted no time and immediately fed the kiwi fruits to the raven, hoping they would do the trick.
The effects of the enchanted kiwi were immediate. The raven's aura surged, and within an hour, it was back to its majestic and ferocious self.
Andrew felt a sense of pride and satisfaction as he watched the majestic raven take flight from the floor of the dimly lit pagoda. Its pitch-black feathers shimmered in the low light, and Andrew knew he had won the bet. He now had a peak rank-two creature as his contractual beast.
Turning to gaze at his new feathered companion, who had just landed back on the floor, Andrew couldn't help but smile. He admired the bird's impressive wingspan of about a dozen meters and realized that he had to give the bird a name.
"I guess I'll name you Little Raven," he said with a chuckle. "But can you do me a favor and adjust your size? It'd be great if you could become smaller."
The raven looked at Andrew almost as if it were acknowledging his request. Suddenly, its entire body shimmered with a dark luster as it started to shrink.
Andrew watched in amazement as the giant bird gradually transformed into a slim and unremarkable-looking raven that could fit in the palm of his hand. Despite its diminutive size, the raven still exuded an air of mystery and intelligence, and Andrew couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder as he gazed at his new companion.
Andrew's heart swelled with joy as he'd finally watched the raven transform using its body-morph bloodline ability. He could hardly contain his excitement as he fed the magical creature some meat rations and watched it soar to rest on a nearby perch.
As he stood there basking in the glory of his accomplishment, he briefly considered sending the raven back to its mysterious world from where it hailed. But then he dismissed the thought, knowing he would need it for his upcoming plans. Besides, space was aplenty in the pagoda where the raven could stay and keep him company.
After settling the raven, Andrew turned his attention to his own needs. The beast contract and summoning ritual had drained his mana and mentality, and he desperately needed to recover. He settled into a cross-legged position and focused on regulating his breathing, eager to feel his strength and power returning.
As he closed his eyes and drifted into a meditative state, he felt his inner self calling to him. He quickly entered his soul space and approached his majestic book totem, flipping it open to the first page. But as he scanned his attribute sheet, his eyes widened in shock.
-----
[Name: Andrew Robinson, Bone Age: 18 years]
[Attributes:> Physique: 99.5, Agility: 99.5, Mentality: 99.5, Maximum Mana: 92.5]
[Combat Power Evaluation: Peak-Stage Rank-One Sorcerer]
[Awakened Bloodline: Primordial Valkyrie]
[Accumulated Origin Energy: 93 units, Accumulated Fate Energy: 3.019 units]
Secondary/Acquired Totem(s): Beast-Summoning Totem (Level 1)
Contractual beast(s): Shadow Raven (Peak-Stage Rank 2)
-----
Andrew couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that his attribute page had experienced some changes. Two new items had now magically appeared among the contents, the first being his secondary totem and the other his contractual beast.
He was overjoyed as he realized that these new additions would allow him to effortlessly adjust their levels and unlock their full potential using the power of his book totem and its majestic golden quill. This was the moment he had been waiting for - a chance to take his skills to the next level and become stronger!
With his experience from his previous life, Andrew understood that his book totem had the power to facilitate the editing of most of the quantifiable or gradable items on its golden pages.
He was thrilled that he could modify anything from his attributes and spells to his combat power evaluation. All he needed was enough origin and fate energy in his reserves. But there was a catch - the edited items couldn't exceed the level of his book totem's intrinsic grade.
Excited to explore this power again, Andrew decided to try it out on his secondary totem's level and contractual beast's rank. With the majestic golden quill in his hand, he placed its tip on the tiny runes beside the two items, eager to find out how much energy he needed to edit them.
As soon as he touched the quill to the runes, he felt a wave of telepathic feedback wash over him. The quill told him that he would need 50 units of fate energy and 2,000 units of origin energy to level up his secondary beast-summoning totem to level two.
And that was just the beginning. If Andrew wanted to raise his contractual beast to rank three using the book totem's power, he'd need 120 units of fate energy and 6,000 units of origin energy.
Andrew was exhilarated by the power at his fingertips. But he was also rendered helpless because of its tremendous cost. For instance, the only way to upgrade his secondary totem and the new contractual beast was to accumulate a massive amount of fate and origin energy units, which meant he might have to slay over a thousand rank-one creatures.
Despite his daunting energy needs, Andrew pushed the thought to the back of his mind and entered a deep meditative state. He utilized the powerful Valkyrie Meditation technique to recover his mana and mentality.
As he sank deeper into his meditation, his awareness transcended his physical body, and he reached a selfless state of mind, forgetting everything else around him.
Suddenly, Little Hydra's voice jolted him out of his trance. The magical pagoda's spirit called out to him urgently, "Forefather! Some enemies are lurking around the cave we are in. Should we take action against them, or should we ignore them?"