The low rumble of the opening gate resonated throughout the square, drawing everyone's attention.
Qiris felt his heart beat faster, a mixture of excitement and apprehension knotting his stomach. "This is it" he thought "everything's about to unfold now."
It was then that the guild master stepped forward, his imposing presence immediately captivating the assembly.
"Young people" he began, his deep voice carrying far, "you are the future of the Indigo Empire."
Qiris observed the anxious faces around him, understanding that this solemn address marked the beginning of a new era for all of them. The master's gaze swept over the crowd before continuing.
"Even if your first summon has only a rank 1 potential, do not despair. Train it diligently, and you can always find your place in administration or elementary schools."
His words, though encouraging, had a definitive tone that made several people around Qiris lower their eyes. He even saw a young girl start to cry silently. "So many dreams shattered in so little time" he mused, feeling the weight of expectations and dashed hopes weighing on the crowd. Instinctively, he checked his own talent.
[Talent - Summon without potential]: Allows erasing all concepts of potential.
A half-smile formed on his lips.
"Is this a blessing or a curse?" he wondered, his mind tormented by the possible ramifications of his future with this particular talent. He pondered the serious possibility that he could be left behind in this adventure, but a fierce determination was beginning to manifest within him.
"I'm still not sure, but I must find a way to take advantage of it."
The director resumed, his gaze suddenly hardening. "The Astral Tower you see here" he pointed to the gate behind him "is much vaster inside than it appears. It has seven floors."
He abruptly stopped, and an incredible murderous intent invaded the square. Qiris felt paralyzed, his body stiffening with fear. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ralls open his blood-red eyes before closing them immediately. Panic began to rise in him, his breathing becoming labored.
"Calm down, calm down" he told himself, desperately trying to keep his emotions under control as his heart raced, resonating louder than the worried whispers around him. "It's just a show of force, nothing more. Don't let it overwhelm you."
Around him, Qiris noticed young master Zephyr gritting his teeth, and the beautiful Aurora Lark, her perfect eyebrows furrowed, a thin film of sweat beading on her forehead. "Even the prodigies are affected" he noted, finding strange comfort in this observation.
Suddenly, a green flash shot through the air.
With a loud "plop", Little Idiot hit the old master's forehead, making him tilt slightly backward.
Qiris watched, mouth agape, as his frog landed on the ground, defying the old man with its gaze. "Lord" he thought, his heart skipping a beat, "this frog is going to get us killed before the adventure even begins!" Ralls stood up, his gaze suddenly deep and intense. A deathly silence fell over the square, even the praying mantis seemed taken aback.
The guild master stared at Little Idiot for a moment before bursting into thunderous laughter.
"That's the spirit we need!" he exclaimed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Qiris felt a mixture of relief and disbelief wash over him.
"How can such a small creature have so much courage... or recklessness?" he wondered, admiring despite himself.
"In this tower," the master continued, "only the first two floors are not deadly. From the third floor on, each pair of floors increases in difficulty, culminating with a maximum rank 1 boss. From the third floor, you'll need to fight like demons to survive, as it will be impossible to exit before reaching the small towns located after the second, fourth, and sixth floors."
His approving gaze fell on Qiris, still in shock from what had just happened. Little Idiot leaped again, returning to Qiris's head under the astonished eyes of the other young summoners. Qiris felt the weight of gazes on him, a mixture of curiosity, envy, and perplexity.
"Great," he thought sarcastically "now everyone's going to have their eye on us. As if we needed that."
Qiris's face suddenly drained of all expression. With a mechanical gesture, he grabbed Little Idiot's skull, a cold sweat running down his back. He brought the frog close to his face and whispered softly in its ear.
"Next time, you'll be deprived of food for a week." Inwardly, he added "And I swear I'll find a way to make you understand the concept of survival, you green kamikaze!"
Little Idiot's eyes widened pitifully, but Qiris, impassive, threw him unceremoniously onto Ralls's back. "I really had a close call" Qiris thought, his heart still racing.
"Fortunately, the guild master is easy-going. This reincarnation wouldn't have lasted long otherwise." He glanced at Little Idiot, who was looking at him sheepishly from Ralls's back. "I really need to be careful with this public danger that serves as my summon. Who knows what he might do once in the tower?"
The guild master resumed his speech, but Qiris's mind was already wandering. Seven floors of deadly challenges awaited them. Little Idiot had just challenged the most powerful man in the city without flinching. And he, with his mysterious talent, was about to plunge into this adventure, all while trying to keep a suicidal frog alive.
"How am I going to survive all this?" Qiris wondered, feeling the weight of uncertainty bearing down on his shoulders. "My talent is a mystery, my summon is unpredictable, and I'm about to enter a deadly tower. But maybe... maybe this is exactly what I need to discover my true potential."
The gate was wide open now, revealing the darkness that would soon engulf them. The adventure was beginning, and Qiris was determined to prove that even a small frog could accomplish great things, aware of the mixed looks of admiration, jealousy, and curiosity weighing on him. "Whatever happens" he promised himself "I won't let this opportunity slip away. Little Idiot and I, we're going to show them what we're capable of."