During the fourth week of July 2024, on a Sunday morning, Rowan received an email from MagiTech instructing him to travel to a small hamlet in the neutral territories of Calystria Isle. In this region, different noble households control 75% of the territories, while the remaining 25% are occupied by individuals who have signed a treaty of neutrality. This treaty was witnessed by the Second Princess, Elowen Solas Brightwind.
With that, Rowan set off from the Everglow Academy to the location designated by the Imperium of the Crown, where he was to complete a task that would secure his acceptance as a nobleman, just like his father. "What do you mean? There's no way you're going there alone! I'll join you since I have nothing else to do," Elira exclaimed, grabbing Rowan's hand as she entered the magical carriage with her luggage. Thus, Rowan and Elira, his fiancée, embarked on their journey together.
As they continued on their journey, Rowan decided to spend the time using "Fusion Summoning." He had managed to summon an impressive total of 8,500 characters. When he shared this information with Elira, her reaction was entirely unexpected.
"Are you crazy? You summoned 8,500 characters in just a few days! How is that possible? Isn't there a limit on the number of characters you can deploy, Rowan? You mustn't tell anyone about this, especially Princess Elowen. She might think that with such a massive force, you're preparing for war or something significant."
Rowan understood the seriousness of the situation. He was also taken aback by the idea of summoning over 5,000 characters—something most would consider impossible. According to the news, the maximum for players in the Gacha Class Job who could summon characters was typically around 500.
Rowan explained the concept of Fusion Summoning. This process involves combining summoned characters into one, resulting in a more powerful entity than any of the original characters. "You mentioned Fusion Summoning to me yesterday, but I still don't quite understand how it works. Can you explain it?" Elira paused Rowan to ask for examples, wanting to clarify her question about the mechanics of the process.
Rowan nodded, smiling. "Of course. Fusion Summoning is one of my exclusive active skills for Fate's Pull," he began. "It allows me to merge two identical summoned characters to create a stronger version of that character."
Elira's eyes widened with interest. "So, you could take two common-tier units and make them… more powerful?"
"Exactly," Rowan replied. "But it's a bit more complex than that." He paused to gather his thoughts. "The system has a ranking that goes from 1 Star to 5 Star, with each level represented by a different color. It's a progression system that indicates the strength of the fused character."
He raised a hand, counting the colors on his fingers. "The ranks are color-coded, starting with White and advancing through Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, Red, Neon, and finally Rainbow. Each color represents a significant increase in strength, abilities, and sometimes even intelligence. However, before advancing to Green, units must have two White 5-Star Units. When these units are fused, they will transform into a Green 1-Star unit."
Elira tilted her head and asked, "So, for example, if you take two 0-Star Villagers, you can fuse them to create a 1-Star Villager with the White color?" Rowan replied, "Yes, those uncolored Villagers mean they haven't yet done Fusion Summoning; they are the originals and have not been fused. It's similar to playing games like 'Summoners War' or 'AFK Arena'."
[Author's Reply: I played 'AFK Arena' because it's interesting with different summoned characters especially when they do a collab like Danmachi and Overlord! XD!]
Elira was unfamiliar with those games and had never heard of them before. To help her understand the mechanics, Rowan provided an example. He explained, "For instance, if you take a pair of two white 1-star villagers and fuse them, they will merge into one white 2-star summoned character. You can repeat this process multiple times until you reach the maximum level. According to Fate's Pull System, once you reach a Rainbow 5-Star Summoned Character, a new feature for further evolution will become available." That's how Rowan interpreted the information he received from the Fate's Pull System.
Using the Auto Mode, an exclusive passive skill of Fate's Pull, he automatically fuses all available summoned characters. However, there is a cost to using this skill. It only works with summoned characters and is not related to Fusion Summoning. The price he must pay is 50 Mana to merge 100 summoned characters. He had no choice but to accept this cost, as manually fusing the characters would require time and patience. Therefore, he decided to use his Mana to activate the Auto Mode system.
Now that everything is complete, Rowan is ready to introduce his new Legendary-Tier Summoned Character to Elira. However, she unexpectedly asks, "Is it a woman?"
Rowan looks taken aback but replies truthfully, "Um... Yes, she is a woman, much older than us—by a thousand years." Elira gazes at him, seemingly unfazed.
"Are you interested in having more women by your side, Rowan?" she asks, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Um... No... I guess," Rowan's answer comes out uncertain.
"Oh, right! I remember seeing your secret diary where you mentioned wanting a harem," Elira says with a teasing smile. Rowan starts to sweat. "I don't know what you mean, Elira," he stammers.
Elira smiled and said, "You know what? I don't mind my dear Rowan having multiple women by his side." Rowan was surprised to hear those words coming from her, as they seemed unusual given how attached and obsessed she was with him, displaying an extreme love for him. "What do you mean by that, Elira?" he asked, still confused about the conversation. Elira responded, "I'll tell you soon, but not right now. Seeing your confused expression made me realize something about you, Rowan." With that, she changed the subject and encouraged him to continue discussing the Legendary-Tier Summoned Character.
Rowan began to tell Elira about a Legendary-Tier Summoned Character. "Her name is Lyriana Sylvara Silverleaf. She comes from a lineage of High Elves and is a 3,000-year-old Elven woman. Additionally, she is royalty in her realm."
Elira was now confused. When Rowan mentioned that Lyriana was a High Elf, she realized the implications of this revelation. With the newly exchanged students—who are either Elves, Dwarves, or Dragons—arriving at Everglow Academy, Rowan's decision to summon an Elf, let alone a High Elf, indicated that something significant was about to happen.
"Rowan, you should never summon her, especially at Everglow Academy. Do you understand?" Elira told him, trying to convey her intention. Rowan considered her words and nodded. "Oh, I get it. Is it because of the Elderflame Concord? Don't worry, I won't summon her in the academy or public places since things could go wrong. However, I can't just let her remain in that space where summoned characters are stored in a time-freeze world. I will try to find artifacts to disguise her, so she doesn't look identical to other elves." With that, Elira felt her problem was resolved, but she knew she needed to keep reminding Rowan about this to ensure he wouldn't forget.
Rowan explained the history, titles, skills, and various details about the High-Elven Summoned Character. However, she was most intrigued by their origins. According to Rowan, the Celestial Citadel Empire and the Eldoria Sylvanna Sovereign Kingdom had been eternal allies for several millennia, maintaining their connection without betrayal since the inception of this alliance. Because of this strong bond, the Eldoria Sylvanna Sovereign Kingdom made an everlasting oath to remain a vassal, safeguarding their territory.
As a result of this alliance, Knight Commander Selene and Markwoman Commander Lyriana became comrades. Their friendship endured until Selene's death several decades later, which occurred during their fight against unknown invaders. Lyriana's death, however, was not due to aging; she fell fighting against the so-called Void Realm, a mysterious and dark realm filled with nothingness and emptiness. Lyriana passed away at over 3,000 years old.
"Summoned, Knight Commander Selene and Markswoman Commander Lyriana!" When they were summoned, joy and happiness lit up Selene and Lyriana's faces as they were unexpectedly reunited, thanks to a twist of fate. "Congratulations, Player Rowan, on achieving your first milestone: Reuniting in Unexpected Fate!" The system awarded Rowan this surprising achievement, leaving him astonished by the reward.
Reuniting in Unexpected Fate Buff Achievement: This achievement gives Rowan a high chance to obtain Legendary-Tier Summoned Characters from the Universe of Celestial Concordium, which is home to characters like Knight Commander Selene and Markswoman Commander Lyriana. "What in the world is this?" Rowan exclaimed, shocked by the discovery of their origins in that realm.
(End of Chapter 17)
(Chapter 17.5 for Lyriana's Introduction)