Once there, the [Summon] option became available, and I noticed I now had 20 Mystic Scrolls to use.
Each Summon cost 5,000 Mana Stones. Without worrying about the cost, I clicked the button.
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[(Wind) Lv.1 Drunken Master [★★★]]
Max Level: 25 | Type: Attack
HP: 1,995 | Attack: 176
Defense: 145 | Speed: 98
Skills: [Super Punch] | [One More Drink] | [One More Drink] | [Phoenix Kick] | [Leader Ability]
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It looked strong, despite being a short, wobbly old man with closed eyes and wearing mustard-colored patched pants. I clicked "Okay" and moved to the next one. It was another 3-star, named Martial Artist of the Fire Element.
The next summon was another Fire 3-star: Battle Mammoth. I clicked "Okay" and tried again. Soon, the glow faded, revealing a 3-star Fire Harpy.
'Another 3-star Fire…' I sighed.
Although the name "Frankenstein" caught my attention, I didn't linger and tried again. A Water 3-star Werewolf... A Wind 3-star Minotaur... A Wind 3-star Martial Cat...
Despite its bipedal appearance making it seem cute, I still wanted something above 3 stars, so I continued. Fire 3-star Fairy. Wind 3-star Bearman.
'Ugh... That makes 10.' I thought, 'What are the odds of getting something above 3 stars?'
Sighing, I kept going, only to get another 3-star Minotaur, but this time a Fire one. Fire Inferno, 3 stars. As the name suggests, it looked like a monster straight out of hell, made of magma with flames replacing its feet, keeping it afloat.
As intriguing as it was, I didn't dwell on it for long and moved on to the next. Another Martial Cat, this time of Fire.
"RUMBLE!"
'Whoa, what's happening?' Suddenly, as I clicked to Summon again, several bolts of lightning exploded, blinding my vision.
Five seconds later, I grinned from ear to ear.
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[(Fire) Lv.1 Horus [★★★★]]
Max Level: 30 | Type: Defense
HP: 3,405 | Attack: 236
Defense: 258 | Speed: 101
Skills: [Dominate] | [Defensive Stance] | [Strategic Prevention]
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Before me stood an imposing figure: a majestic humanoid bird. Its large, dark wings were adorned with red and golden details, exuding power and authority.
It wore a richly designed armor in red and gold, evoking fire, with sharp spikes and details glowing like embers. In its hands, it held a scepter or spear, its tip radiating a golden flame, completing its grand and intimidating aura.
'My first 4-Star,' I thought, gazing at the creature with fascination. 'And that name, that appearance…'
In my mind, the story of Horus surfaced almost immediately. The Egyptian deity, son of Isis and Osiris, was known as the god of the skies, the rising sun, and the mediator between worlds.
Of course, I understand it won't be something so grand. Otherwise, instead of 4 stars, it would have been a 5-star.
I had only 6 Mystic Scrolls left. I was hesitant about whether to continue opening them. However, since I had already achieved my goal of obtaining something above 3 stars, I went ahead. The next summon was another Wind Drunken Master.
What followed was:
[Wind] Lv.1 Inugami 3 Stars,
[Water] Lv.1 Lizardman 3 Stars,
[Wind] Lv.1 Magical Archer 3 Stars,
[Wind] Lv.1 Inugami 3 Stars,
and finally, [Water] Lv.1 Frankenstein 3 Stars.
Closing all the open windows, I noticed the monster icon flashing with [New]. I clicked it, and the page showing all the monsters I had summoned appeared, with the 4-Star Horus standing out in the first row. The second row featured the Water Fairy, whose icon had a crown-like symbol.
'That must be because she's my Equipped Summon, I presume…'
For the next three minutes, I analyzed the options I had, and soon I found what I was looking for!
In Horus's information, when I clicked on the settings option, there was an option:
[Set Monster as Representative Summon [_]].
When I clicked on this option, a "check" symbol appeared, and I clicked to confirm the change.
Immediately, I felt something shift within me. I didn't fully understand it, but I was certain that this decision would definitely have consequences when I returned to the real world.
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Half an hour later…
I conducted various tests, including using runes on Horus. During these experiments, I discovered it wasn't possible to switch the linked monster. A countdown displayed 6 days, 23 hours, and 29 minutes. It became clear that my first switch had been a "bonus event." Now, even if I obtained a monster I considered superior, I wouldn't be able to make a change until the countdown ended.
But I didn't think it was all that bad. It's not like Horus is weak, and waiting a week isn't too much time.
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[(Fire) Lv.1 Horus [★★★★]]
[EXP: [0/640] 0%] | [+]
Level: 1 / 30 | Type: Defense
HP: 3,405 [+1,468] | Attack: 236 [+144]
Defense: 258 [+81] | Speed: 101 [+30]
Critical Rate: 30% | Critical Damage: 68%
Resistance: 44% | Accuracy: 14%
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Skills:
[Dominate (1/7)]: Deals damage to an enemy with a 50% chance to decrease their Attack Bar by 30%.
[Defensive Stance (1/3)]: Increases the Defense of all allies for 2 turns and reduces their chances of receiving Critical Hits (Cooldown: 5 turns).
[Strategic Prevention (1/6)]: Attacks the enemy target, dealing damage proportional to your Defense. Removes 1 beneficial effect from the enemy with a 70% chance, then applies the Forget effect for 2 turns and the Seal effect for 1 turn, both with a 70% chance (Cooldown: 4 turns).
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Eager to test it out, I clicked on the battle button and then selected Garen Forest. It was my third battle, and I could choose 3 monsters, with Horus being mandatory.
'Is it because he became my Equipped Summon?'
Whatever the case, I already planned to use him. For leadership, I chose the Water Fairy, and for the third slot, I was torn between the Wind Martial Cat and the Fire Martial Cat. In the end, I chose the Wind one since I already had Fire and Water covered.
By the way, the reason I chose the Martial Cat was simple: in the awakening option, it showed that she had not only a first awakening but also a second awakening, which I found incredibly strong and adorable.
The battle began, and instinctively, I felt the presence and configuration of each ability I had. Additionally, I noticed that while I now used Horus's traits, my appearance remained the same, with only minor changes to my outfit. I was now wearing the same armor as Horus and wielding his staff in my right hand.
In front of my team stood two enemies: monstrous trees with a brownish-green hue, representing the Wind element. (I had noticed some time ago that the colors of these monsters are related to their elements: Wind is brownish-green, Water is blue, and Fire is red.)
As a precautionary measure, I assumed a defensive stance, reinforcing the protection of everyone around me. Instinctively, I raised my staff and cast a spell that generated rune-like patterns in the form of rings. They glowed in shades of golden white, enveloping both me and my team.
Next, a pair of energy wings appeared and folded around me (the same happened with the Fairy and the Martial Cat). Shortly after, two shields materialized, briefly circling around us: one emitting a green aura and the other, blue.
When my buff ended, the Fairy was the next to attack. Even with an elemental disadvantage, the "Water" Hurricane manifested from above, crashing down on one of the monster trees, accompanied by the sound of rushing water. I watched as the monster tree's health bar almost depleted completely.
"Bang!"
The same monster tree that had been attacked simply broke off a piece of its branch and hurled it at the Fairy, causing almost no damage to her.
When it was the Martial Cat's turn, I observed her move with incredible speed, dashing across the map and appearing right in front of the Monster Tree, which still had full health. With a series of rapid and precise kicks, she unleashed a devastating attack, causing the Monster Tree to gradually fade away, as if its color was draining bit by bit.
'Has my vision improved?' I wondered.
It was curious. Until now, wasn't my head supposed to be like a screen? Where exactly are my eyes?
My turn arrived, and the timer started ticking. Without time to ponder further, I chose to attack with my first ability: Dominate.
Just like when I used the buff, I instinctively knew what to do. Almost as if casting a fishing line sideways, I flexed my arm to move the staff laterally and then swung it forward. A red energy sphere manifested at the tip of the bird-headed staff, with two red magical rings spinning around it.
"Bang!"
[Critical!]
Immediately after, a red symbol of the Eye of Horus appeared, delivering an explosive attack as the eye expanded until it became larger than the monster tree itself.
A background music played, and then my vision blinked. The scene shifted slightly, now revealing three monster trees similar to the previous ones, all of the Wind attribute.
In the middle stood a Monster Tree that stood out due to its larger size.
Strategic Prevention. This seemed to be my most powerful ability, similar to my first one. I firmly gripped the staff, moving it backward and then forward. The casting effect was familiar, but the resulting attack was something entirely new.
A total of five red magical rings formed around the Great Monster Tree. Four Egyptian cross-shaped talismans began rotating around the central ring, while an Eye of Horus appeared at the top. Flames erupted from all directions, trapping the monster at the center before detonating into a fiery explosion.
"Bang!"
[Critical!]
'That was awesome…!'
I was ecstatic. The attack was even more powerful than I had imagined. The Great Monster Tree didn't stand a chance, obliterated in a single blow. All that remained were the two smaller monster trees.
My turn ended, and it was the Water Fairy's turn. Her standard attack was used, but it had little effect, causing minimal damage. Then, the Wind Martial Cat finished off the tree the Fairy had attacked with a single punch.
When it was my turn again, I waved my staff, using the first ability to finish off the last remaining monster tree.
Fireworks exploded in my vision in the form of a panel, accompanied by background fanfare with trumpets. A holographic screen appeared.
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[VICTORY!]
[
[Maximum Energy: +2] | [Crystal +5]
Reward: [Mana Stone: 360]
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[(Lv.2) Horus ★★★★]: [Level UP!] +766EXP | [(Lv.3) Fairy ★★★]: [Level UP!] +766EXP | [(Lv.2) Martial Cat ★★]: [Level UP!] +766EXP
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As a reward, I earned a green Energy Rune.
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[Repeat (Energy) 3] | [Next Stage (Energy) 3]
[Preparation] | [World Map] | [Return] | [Runes]
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I clicked on Runes and immediately applied the rune to the Martial Cat. Afterward, I proceeded to the next stage.
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After many battles, I was finally nearing the end of the map, having just cleared the second-to-last stage.
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[VICTORY!]
[Maximum Energy: +2] | [Crystal +5]
Reward: [Mana Stone: 404]
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[(Lv.6) Horus ★★★★]: [Level UP!] +1074EXP | [(Lv.7) Fairy ★★★]: [Level UP!] +1074EXP | [(Lv.6) Martial Cat ★★]: [Level UP!] +1074EXP
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When I clicked on the chest and received a rune as a reward, the sweet and cheerful voice echoed in my mind once again:
{You're almost there... Let's hurry and figure out the reason behind all this chaos before things get worse.}
By now, I was used to her scripted lines and didn't pay much attention, clicking to proceed to the next stage.
At first, we faced two Wind trees. It was quick and easy to defeat them. I used only my first skill to finish one, and even the Fairy, despite her elemental disadvantage, almost finished the other with her first skill.
The second wave featured a Wind Monster Tree and a blue, Water Carnivorous Plant. Using my first skill, I finished off the Monster Tree. The Fairy attacked next, freezing the blue Carnivorous Plant, which was then finished off by the Martial Cat with a single punch.
When the third wave began, I heard a loud wolf howl.
The scripted voice echoed in my mind, sounding surprised: {Ah! What's that? A giant wolf? Be careful!}
Her warning wasn't an exaggeration—the size of the white wolf, with blue accents and golden eyes, was enormous. Its head alone was as big as me...
I had summoned a monster similar to this giant wolf before. If I recall correctly, it was called an Inugami... except the ones I got were of the Wind element. This one seemed to be Water.
Since it was my turn (likely due to my speed advantage from using Swift runes), I used the Defensive Stance skill.
As soon as my turn ended, the wolf lunged forward in a single leap and attacked me.
"Bang!"
'Urgh…'
I felt a bit of pain from the hit, but it wasn't unbearable. It was within my tolerable pain threshold—something comparable to stubbing my toe on a door frame.
"Bang!"
When it was my turn to attack, I used Strategic Prevention, reducing the Giant Wolf's HP by more than half.
The Giant Wolf growled and counterattacked with its massive claw.
"Bang!"
"Crack!"
I felt my defense weaken and realized I had been debuffed with a Defense Break.
'If this had happened on the first hit, I might be a bit worried, but…'
I smiled as the Fairy and Martial Cat finished their turns. When it came back to me, I attacked with my first skill, Dominate.
When the Eye of Horus appeared and grew, I watched it explode in flames, finishing off the Giant Wolf.
The victory screen appeared, but nothing significant seemed to change. When I opened the chest, I received a 2-star Energy rune.
{Where did that giant monster come from?}
Ignoring the voice in my head, I focused instead on the rewards:
[Light] Elven Guardian ★★★, 11 Mystic Scrolls, 1x Angelmon of each attribute, and +150,000 Mana Stones.
I was about to head to the Hexagram to summon monsters when my vision started to darken.
'Not now, wait a mome—'
I lost consciousness and woke up back in my room.
"..."
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