The arena fell silent as the last serpent dissolved into glittering specks of mana. The glow faded, leaving only the faint shimmer of Eldric's flickering summoning circle. Before it stood Rusty, tall and unmoving, his halberd resting on one shoulder. He waited calmly, as if expecting another monster to appear for him to cut down.

"Th-that's… impossible…"

Eldric staggered back, clutching the empty potion vial in his hand. His mana was completely drained, and the color had vanished from his face. He dropped to one knee, overcome by dizziness.

"You… you can't have. There's no way you can control something above E-rank!"

Gwen said nothing. Her pulse pounded in her ears, and her hands trembled from exhaustion. The summon she remembered from before had grown even stronger. Each time she called him forth, his rank seemed to rise for reasons she could not explain. She could barely contain him in this world after summoning so many lesser living armors. However, what surprised her most was that he seemed bored.

"Was that it? Are there any other enemies to defeat? Or should I slay that human?"

"N-no, please don't!"

She shouted and quickly covered her mouth as she realized what she was doing. Communicating with her summon usually happened through their minds, but fortunately, the people around her were too busy being astonished by her victory to notice what she had said.

"Hmm… was that really it? No more opponents to fight?"

"I…"

Gwen didn't know how to respond, as she wasn't sure herself. Eldric seemed defeated, but the teacher had not yet dismissed the match. There was still a chance that another student might challenge her, since the one ranked above Eldric remained. For a moment, she glanced toward the stands and noticed something unusual. Aranea was gone.

'Where did she go? Could it be?'

She wondered, careful not to let Rusty hear her thoughts this time. Even though the teacher finally declared her the winner, she could not calm herself. Then, to her surprise, Rusty spoke again.

"Is that my next opponent? She feels stronger than the other humans. This might be more interesting!"

Aranea had appeared in the dueling arena. Her gaze was not on Gwen but on Rusty. Without saying a word, she stepped onto the platform. The shield had already been deactivated after the teacher announced Gwen's victory. To everyone's surprise, Aranea strolled toward Rusty and began circling him.

"What is this human doing?"

Asked Rusty without moving. The pale girl continued to walk around him, her eyes shifting between wide and narrow. It seemed she was examining him, intrigued for some odd reason.

"Lady Venomridge… I apologize, I've lost…"

Aranea finally snapped out of her thoughts as Eldric approached with his head lowered. She looked surprised, as if she had already forgotten about the duel.

"Ah… thy efforts were commendable, Eldric, but Gwendolin Rainstar has earned her place at the front. From today, thee shall sit with Aldric."

Gwendolyn was taken aback by the words she heard. She had expected Aranea to challenge her to another fight, but instead, Aranea accepted the result and willingly gave up the desk area Eldric had fought to defend. Aldric was the name of the other youth who had accompanied her, and it seemed she was content for both of them to sit together on the side closer to the entrance.

As Aranea turned to leave, the crowd erupted into hushed whispers. No one could understand what had just happened. Some had expected her to challenge Gwen to a fight to determine who was truly the mightiest summoner in B-class, but she showed no interest in doing so. Instead, the pale girl simply walked away, her eyes almost sparkling as she kept glancing at Rusty's metal frame.

"Haha, I knew you could do it! Waiting until the last moment to reveal your true power was diabolical!"

Astrella appeared just as Aranea was leaving and approached her confused friend. Gwen still stood frozen in place, her mind swirling with disbelief and shock.

"Diabolical? That wasn't the plan…"

"No need to be shy now, you won fair and square. And Rusty was it? Great to see you again!"

Astrella smiled at Rusty, who was still standing in the ring like a lost child. Soon, the two girls began laughing and jumping with excitement while he remained still, looking around in confusion.

*****

'That couldn't have been it, right?'

Rusty had won his duel, but the outcome left him completely puzzled. He had expected a series of matches to follow his first victory, yet it seemed that was not the purpose of this mission. There appeared to be no more battles to fight, and before he could make sense of it, the teacher's voice echoed through the arena.

"Gwendolin Rainstar, please vacate the premises. Other students are still waiting for their seating duels."

At this point, he was no longer sure what to do. Perhaps new challenges awaited him elsewhere, so for the moment, he decided to go over to his summoner. The rules of summoning missions were clear: if his summoner died, he would fail the mission. He also had to remain within a certain distance of Gwen; otherwise his body would vanish, and he did not know if she could call him back once he was gone.

Rusty shifted his weight, his halberd resting casually on his shoulder, and took a step toward Gwen. The two girls turned to look at him as he approached. He intended to step down from the platform, but as soon as he tried, something felt wrong. His metal boot began to shift, and the mana holding it in place trembled as if it were trying to tear him apart. He jumped back instinctively, as though under attack, and raised his halberd.

"Uh… Gwen?"

He called, tilting his head.

"Why can't I move forward?"

Gwen's eyes widened as she saw Rusty trying to leave the platform.

"Oh, that must be because of the magical wards around the chamber. Your mana density is probably too high for them to let you through."

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"For me to pass through? Mana density? What do you mean?"

He was deeply confused by what was happening, but he could tell that if he stepped out of the circle, his body would dissolve into mana particles and he would likely fail his mission.

"Gwendolin, you look a bit paler than usual. Wouldn't it be best to release the summoning?"

"I…"

Gwendolin looked at Rusty with a tired gaze. It was clear that she was unsure of what to do.

"Isn't there any other way?"

She asked, turning to Astrella.

The green-haired girl raised her eyebrow and replied in a surprised tone.

"Another way? I'm not sure. The only other option would be summon reduction, just like I use with Airy here."

Airy, the small fairy, hovered around Astrella with a bright smile on her face. Rusty did not fully understand what the fairy-elf-human meant, but he could tell that this fairy was much weaker than the one who had cast supportive spells on him during the last exam he participated in.

"Summon reduction…"

Gwendolin whispered.

"That technique allows a summoner to shrink their creature's body and lower its mana density so it can exist within the boundaries set by the school."

Astrella nodded with a grin.

"Exactly. We learned about it at the start of the second year. You should be able to use it."

Rusty listened carefully, intrigued but also a little worried. If what they said was true, he would not be able to keep his current form and would be reduced to something weaker, perhaps to the level of his F-rank frame made of corroded bronze.

'I probably don't have a choice. It must be part of the mission.'

Gwendolin looked at Rusty as if asking whether he was fine with being weakened. It was clear that she did not want to cancel the summoning ritual after working so hard to bring him back.

"Summon reduction… let's give it a try then, Gwen!"

She nodded silently and began to chant. She moved her palms forward, closed her eyes, and a circle appeared beneath Rusty's feet. It was different from the usual summoning circle, and as it activated, a prompt from the world system appeared before him.

table class="chapter-table"

tbody

tr

td

pstrongYour current summoner wishes to use 'Summon Reduction.' Will you allow it?/strong/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

Even in a situation like this, he still held control. Without his agreement, Gwendolin could not force the technique upon him. He had no reason to refuse, so he accepted it. Once the prompt disappeared, the circle beneath his feet began to glow. It drew particles of mana from his frame, and soon, his body started to shrink.

"Whoa! What's happening to my body? It feels like switching loadouts, but not quite the same."

His body was shrinking, even smaller than the form he used to ride Gleam. The halberd and shield he held also shrank until they were about the size of eating utensils. He now stood around thirty centimeters tall, and the two girls who had once been half his size looked like towering ogres before him.

'I feel… strange…'

The change in size wasn't the main problem. His body felt completely unbalanced. His helmet was far too large while his limbs had become too small. Keeping his balance was difficult, and when he tried to take a few steps forward, he nearly fell. Still, he could move, and according to the system display, he could end the technique at any time.

"I'm… tiny!"

"Oh! Look at him, he's kind of cute now! His head is so big!"

Astrella said as she leaned closer. She poked his body lightly, almost knocking him over.

"H-hey, be careful! He's going to fall!"

Gwen exclaimed, sounding like a protective big sister. She caught Rusty with both hands and lifted him up. Rusty felt helpless, as if he were a toy in the hands of two giants. His miniature halberd wouldn't do much good unless he aimed for someone's eye, and running around in this form would be nearly impossible.

"Are you two done?"

Before Rusty could get used to his new form, two new students appeared, ready for combat. Gwen gave a quick nod and moved forward. Only then did he realize he had somehow made it down from the dueling platform. The magical technique had worked, and he was now being carried through the halls of Mystwood Academy. His summoner held him against her chest, leaving his legs dangling awkwardly.

'So this is the Academy? But what exactly am I supposed to be doing here? The mission description mentioned strengthening her position in the Academy, but if winning that duel wasn't enough, what else is there to do?'

While he appreciated the new and interesting view, he still had no idea what his real purpose was. As he tried to come up with a plan, Gwen held him close to her chest and followed Astrella. The doors to the chamber closed behind them, and after a short walk, they joined the other students on the lookout deck.

"It's the metal maiden."

One of the girls whispered.

"And her tiny metal knight."

A boy added with a chuckle. The two laughed but quickly stopped when the teacher gave them a stern look.

"Settle down, everyone. We still have seven more duels to get through. Once we finish, we will continue the classes."

The room grew quiet, and all attention turned to the next duel. Rusty found himself being held up like a toy soldier with no way to escape. The area was protected by the same wards, so if he tried to return to his normal form, he would likely shatter into mana particles. The only positive part of this situation was that after his first transformation, a new skill had appeared.

table class="chapter-table"

tbody

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pstrongSummoned Creature Reduction. /strong/p

/td

td

pstrongActive Skills/strong/p

/td

td

pstrongA skill that allows a summoned creature to take on a more compact form without draining the summoner's mana. Once activated, it functions as a passive ability and must be deactivated to return to the previous form./strong/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

"That's great, but this feels degrading."

He felt powerless in this form, something he had never expected. In both previous missions, he had been the one giving Gwen commands and leading the way. Now he was in her hands like a baby, and after a while he began to squirm.

"Is something wrong, Rusty?"

"Could you put me down?"

"Of course."

Her tone was as polite and apologetic as always. After a moment of looking around, he found himself being placed on a stool beside the glass window that overlooked the dueling chamber. There was not much space to stand, but from this higher position, he could actually see the summons fighting below.

Two people were battling, calling forth various monsters, although none were as powerful as the vipers he had faced before. As he watched, something small caught his attention. A creature half his size approached him. It was dark purple, with eight pairs of legs, resembling an arachnid. Yet its round body and fuzzy hair made it seem harmless.

"Aranea?"

"Asked Gwendolin as she saw the pale girl move toward them. The small creature was clearly her summoned familiar, also affected by the reduction skill and clinging to the glass as it approached Rusty.

"That's Lady Venomridge to you!"

Shouted one of the boys behind her.

"It's fine, Aldric. The battle is over now."

"What do you want?"

Astrella stepped in front of Aranea, Rusty, and Gwen as if she meant to protect them. Airy fluttered beside the chubby spider on the glass with her fists raised, trying to shield Rusty, who even at this reduced size was still taller than the fairy.

Aranea's pale lips trembled as if she could not decide whether to smile or frown. She stopped a few steps away from the group, folding her hands neatly in front of her black robe. At first, it seemed that she was looking at Gwen and might try to cause trouble, but Rusty could tell that her gaze was fixed entirely on him.

'Does she want something from me? What's with that expression?'

Rusty had learned enough to read most humanoid expressions, yet he could not figure out what this girl wanted. He shifted slightly to the side of the stool, but her violet eyes followed his every move. It felt as though she was ready to pounce, though he had no idea why.

"A-ahem."

The girl cleared her throat and finally spoke.

"Thou have done well. You may take the seat by the window."

After one last glance, she turned and walked away to the far corner of the room, the two boys following close behind. Gwen and Astrella exchanged puzzled looks, still uncertain about what the other girl wanted.

'Now what?'

Rusty was left perplexed. Time kept slipping away, yet he had no idea what he was supposed to do. It did not seem like this mission would be ending anytime soon…