"I'm getting used to this. Once I have my new form, defeating this guy might actually be possible."

Rusty stood bruised and battered, facing the illusion of Varkas, the mercenary leader. A deep gash across his opponent's body marked Rusty's first real success after a string of crushing defeats. Despite using a bladed weapon that was weak against Rusty's steel frame, the illusionary fighter had managed to land several clean hits, leaving Rusty's metallic body in pieces. Only the Soul Forge, which provided him with limitless materials for repair, allowed him to continue the fight.

"You've learned his attack pattern."

Alexander said, floating closer.

"But don't think you'll perform this well in a real fight."

The world around them shifted, the grassy field fading away and reforming into the familiar training chamber. Rusty absorbed his guide's words. He knew Varkas was rarely alone, and even one ally at his side would make the real battle far more dangerous.

"If only I could check back once I get my new body…"

Rusty regretted that he would lose access to the training facility after his transformation. Once he evolved, his visits to the Soul Forge would be limited to crafting. For now, he had learned nearly everything this opponent could teach him. If a real battle occurred, he might at least be able to escape.

'I might be able to handle him with Gleam's help, but it would still be risky.'

For the time being, he decided to leave the training room. There was little left to gain here, and time was slipping away. This time, he did not need to learn new enchanting skills, only to refine what he already knew. He had two choices: build up his arsenal or visit his old friend Gwen at Mystwood Academy.

There were several experiments he wanted to try in crafting. His new skill allowed him to handle twilight energies more effectively, but he had not tested it in the forge yet. His understanding of enchantments involving twilight energy, a fusion of light and dark, was still shallow. He would need to do some research in the library before moving forward. The last time he had spent months tinkering in the forge, and this time would likely be no different.

'I think I'll visit her now. It's not like I can use the better weapons and armor parts in the summoning chamber anyway.'

Rusty made his decision. For some reason, he was unable to use newly forged equipment outside the main forge, not even in the testing chamber. The last time he had been offered an item box, he could not use it to store weapons made of the new enchanted steel, so he doubted it would work now. With that in mind, he walked toward the summoning chamber to review the available missions.

"This place hasn't changed at all. Let's see…"

He approached the console, examined the icons, and quickly skimmed through the mission list. As expected, the world where Gwendolin lived appeared at the top, though other options were available as well.

table class="chapter-table"

tbody

tr

td

pstrongQuest:/strong/p

/td

td

pstrongMystwood Academy B-Class./strong/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pstrongDifficulty: /strong/p

/td

td

pstrongMedium/strong/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pstrongDescription:/strong/p

/td

td

pstrongHelp your summoner strengthen her position in the Mystwood Academy. Due to recent events, she has advanced in rank and joined a new class. Her achievements have been called into question by peers who refuse to accept her./strong/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

"That sounds kind of vague…"

Rusty wasn't sure what to make of this description. The first time, the mission had been a simple duel he needed to win. The next involved a forest filled with summoned beasts, another simple to understand task. This one, however, gave no clear direction. Would he need to face her peers in a series of duels, or was something else going on?

"The next one is… another minion of a necromancer?"

table class="chapter-table"

tbody

tr

td

pstrongQuest:/strong/p

/td

td

pstrongNecromancer's Sword/strong/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pstrongDifficulty: /strong/p

/td

td

pstrongHard/strong/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pstrongDescription:/strong/p

/td

td

pstrongA necromancer summons you for protection from certain doom. Fight through swarms of soldiers and escort them to safety./strong/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

This mission seemed more straightforward and suited to his abilities. It focused on combat, although it did not specify where the necromancer was located. The enemy might be trapped in a dungeon or imprisoned somewhere. The higher difficulty made it more appealing, but he knew missions could change unexpectedly, so he could not base his decision on that.

table class="chapter-table"

tbody

tr

td

pstrongQuest:/strong/p

/td

td

pstrongTea Time/strong/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pstrongDifficulty: /strong/p

/td

td

pstrongVery Easy/strong/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pstrongDescription:/strong/p

/td

td

pstrongA young genius summoner has summoned you by mistake. Take part in the tea party and make sure not to upset your summoner. /strong/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

"What is this one?"

The third quest was unusual. It appeared he would be summoned accidentally by a child and forced to play along, this time by joining a tea party. The very easy rating suggested that the rewards would not be impressive. With that, his list of options came to an end.

'If I wasn't limited to one option, those necromancer missions would be interesting.'

Although Rusty had already decided to go with Gwendolin, he found it frustrating that he could not access the other missions afterward. The rewards from these missions were quite good but also limited. His helmet still carried the lightning talisman he had received from the last mission, and he continued to use it to this day.

'Before I go, let me check one more thing.'

He was disappointed that he could not take on multiple missions, but he decided not to dwell on it. Instead, he selected the summoner icon and brought up Gwen's status screen to see if she had improved since their last meeting. To him, she had always seemed weak, and the main challenge in most missions was keeping her from getting injured.

table class="chapter-table"

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td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Name: /span/p

/td

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Gwendolin Rainstar/span/pspan class="cmIyOWFmYmRkN2UxNDRkZjNiNDBhMzJhYThlOTZlZTM3"

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

/span

/td

/tr

tr

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Classification:/span/p

/td

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Summoner L11/span/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Type: /span/p

/td

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Human/span/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Strength/span/p

/td

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"F+/span/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Agility/span/p

/td

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"F+/span/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Dexterity/span/p

/td

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"E- /span/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Constitution/span/p

/td

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"F+ /span/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Intelligence/span/p

/td

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"E+ /span/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Wisdom/span/p

/td

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"E ++ /span/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Willpower/span/p

/td

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"E /span/p

/td

/tr

tr

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"Durability/span/p

/td

td

pspan style="font-weight: 400"E-/span/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

"Oh, her stats have gotten better. She has been leveling up!"

To his surprise, Gwen had started improving. He had used the system to give her the ability to summon a few lesser living armors, and she had advanced from an F-rank being to an E-rank. Her wisdom stat was also quite high, and she might already have a few overpoints in it.

"Not bad."

He nodded, satisfied that he had given his summoner the tools needed to become stronger. Her class had changed, and all of her stats had improved. Once everyone was checked, he selected the mission and received a message similar to the one from before.

table class="chapter-table"

tbody

tr

td

pstrong'Mystwood Academy B-Class' quest has been picked. Please stand in the summoning circle to continue. The user's status will be concealed during the summoning. Some of the user's abilities will be locked. Raise the synergy with the summoner to remove these restrictions./strong/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

After stepping onto the summoning platform, he was given the option to place items into his inventory box. It had grown larger since the last time, allowing him to store more than just a mace. Although it was still far smaller than his regular stash tab, he now had a few more choices, as a bow and a quiver full of arrows could fit inside as well. With everything prepared, the summoning circle glowed brightly, and he was transported toward a new adventure.

******

"Hey, wake up! What are you doing in there? We will be late!"

Several knocks landed against a wooden bathroom door.

"...G-give me a minute, I'm almost ready."

The voice belonged to the girl who had locked herself inside. Her name was Gwendolin Rainstar, a teenage girl from a noble family that had nearly collapsed. She looked into the mirror and studied her reflection. Her face was still a little pale, but the dark circles under her eyes had faded. She looked healthier than she had a few months ago, yet her confidence was slipping.

'I made it this far. I can do it. I just need to keep going. My family is depending on me.'

She tried to encourage herself to push forward and prove that she truly belonged at the academy. Her luck had changed after one fateful duel, but she no longer felt sure it would be enough. Since placing first in the exam, people had begun to take her seriously, but her recent performance had not lived up to their expectations. She struggled to keep up with the image others had of her, and it was becoming clear that the cracks in her confidence were starting to show.

"What are you doing in there, Gwen? That's it, I'm coming in!"

"N-no, wait, Astrella…"

Suddenly, a wisp of light slipped through the keyhole and formed into a small fairy.

"Airy, open the door!"

The fairy nodded, grasped the key still in the lock, and turned it. The door creaked open, revealing a green-haired girl standing on the other side.

"There you are!"

"I… I just need to prepare a little more."

"You look fine! Now come on, we are going to be late!"

Astrella grabbed Gwen's wrist and half pulled her out of the bathroom before she could protest further. The other girl's energy was overwhelming, though Gwen wasn't really resisting. Airy landed on Astrella's shoulder as she looked her friend over.

"There is no time to prepare. You look fine. Just carry your badge with pride. We both deserve this. Now come!"

Gwen tried to protest, but her friend held her wrist tightly and pulled her out of their dorm room.

"I still can't believe we both made it into B class at the same time!"

Said Astrella, her voice full of excitement. Gwen knew how hard her friend had worked to earn her promotion from C class to B, and now the moment had arrived. The new semester had begun, and both of them had been granted access to the second most prestigious class, with only the A class ranked higher.

"Yeah…"

Gwen said in a quiet tone. She was nowhere near as happy as her friend. Everything was moving too fast. Just a few months earlier, she had been in D class and had expected to move up to C at best after her last exam. The teachers, however, seemed to have other plans for her.

When she was still in her old class and nearly expelled, she had to share a cramped room with four other students. The dorm floor had only one small bathroom for everyone. Things had changed since her promotion. Now that she was in B class, she had a large, comfortable space shared with just one roommate, her new friend Astrella Fjord.

Each of them had a private room with a shared bathroom and a common area where they could talk or train. The dorm was equipped with channeling mats to help students improve their summoning skills and strengthen their mana control, something the lower-class dorms did not offer.

"Now come, time to meet our new classmates!"

"I, uh…"

Gwen barely had time to catch her breath as Astrella pulled her down the wide marble hallways of Mystwood Academy. The air shimmered faintly with magic, and thin trails of mana drifted like silver threads. Every light and device was powered by enchantments. Banners lined the walls, each bearing the academy's crest: a silver tree with roots and branches intertwined to symbolize the unity between the mortal and spirit realms where the summoned creatures resided.

They passed beneath a glass archway that connected the dormitories to a Courtyard. Gwen's pace slowed despite Astrella's insistent tug. Even after months of attending the academy, this view still left her breathless.

The courtyard was a vast circular plaza paved with white stone, filled with both students and summoned creatures. Dozens of familiars wandered among the crowd, so commonplace that few people paid them any attention. A wolf with reddish fur padded beside a student reading from a stack of notes. Nearby, a small serpent with delicate wings glided past, carrying a letter in its mouth.

"Come on! You're staring again."

Astrella laughed, though she too smiled as a group of upperclassmen walked by, accompanied by a towering golem made of crystal and stone.

"One day, we'll be the ones everyone looks at like that."

"I… guess."

Gwen murmured, though her gaze lingered on the golem a little longer. Mystwood Academy was immense, and this section was off-limits to most students. Only those in Class B were allowed here. The A class had its own courtyard entirely separate from the rest, while Classes C and D shared a different area, which she had previously gone to.

The two girls reached the Summoners' Pavilion, a long, cathedral-like building that served as both classroom and testing ground for practical lessons. The entrance doors, made of polished blackwood and silver inlays, opened automatically at their approach. Inside, the air was cool and perfect for studying.

Once they were inside, the summoned creatures had seemingly vanished. Only the ones small enough to fit through the halls were accepted, and some teachers were scolding students who had tried to sneak in something too large.

"Ha ha, that would never happen to me and Airy!"

Astrella giggled at the sight of a boy being reprimanded for bringing in a large toad-like monster with a single horn. Gwendolin moved to the other side of the corridor at the sight of the creature and sighed in relief as they passed it.

"Gwen, you can't get startled by those things. We are both third years now, and we need to act like upperclassmen. We need to be ready to offer advice to the young ones!"

"I'm not sure anyone should be looking for advice from someone like m–"

Before Gwen could finish, her friend gave her a light jab in the side with her finger.

"You need to stop talking like that. Show some pride in your skills, you've made it this far, you deserve it."

"..."

Gwen nodded, her courage wavering, but she had to admit that Astrella was right. The last few months had been nothing but torture. Ever since the exam where she placed first, she had devoted herself entirely to studying and strengthening her summoning power. Sleep had become optional as she pushed herself to expand her mana capacity and deepen her knowledge. She was not the same girl she had once been, and she knew it, yet she still doubted whether she measured up to the rest of Class B. Without her most powerful summon, who had not appeared for quite some time, she felt incomplete.

'Rusty, where are you…'

She thought to herself as she climbed the stairs to the third floor, where her class was located. The higher they went, the more her nerves tightened. The image of Katherine still haunted her dreams. Many students at the academy were eager to display their loyalty to the Grandwell house, and she knew that once classes began, something was certain to happen.