Chapter 79: Mastering "Angel Summon" – First Independent Advancement in Magic

Nightfall descended upon the inn.

In a meticulously cleaned room on the second floor, a Barghest lay sprawled on the floor, its slightly bulging belly evidence of its recent meal—a goblin corpse.

Lyle stood by the window, peering through the glass at the alleyway and the street beyond.

There was no movement from "Eight Fingers" yet, likely because he had only just arrived in E-Rantel today. After all, it had been more than a month since he last encountered them.

"I hope you come knocking on my door yourselves," Lyle muttered before turning his gaze toward the wooden table in the room.

Stacks of pristine white paper lay piled atop it—1,400 sheets in total, all created using the second-tier spell "Papermaking."

Of course, he hadn't just made them all at once. Seven hundred of these sheets had been crafted back in the Great Forest of Tob when he had advanced Papermaking to the second tier, while the remaining seven hundred were produced at the Magician's Guild.

Now that he knew these papers were alchemical materials capable of being turned into magic scrolls, selling them was out of the question. He had reclaimed every last one.

But before experimenting with scroll-making…

Lyle retrieved a "Summon Angel" spell scroll—a second-tier magic scroll.

Under normal circumstances, obtaining a scroll of this caliber through conventional means would have been nearly impossible without connections like Master Bellory.

This particular scroll had cost him nothing.

When he had refused payment and instead presented his alchemical potions, Bellory had simply gifted him the scroll upon hearing his request.

"Consider it an exchange between us," the master had said.

Lyle had a favorable impression of Bellory—at least, the man was generous.

Unfortunately, Lyle never believed in free lunches. It was evident that Bellory had some kind of trouble brewing, and not a minor one at that.

He had no interest in being dragged into someone else's problems—it would only waste his time.

With a firm grip, he crushed the scroll.

A burst of white light erupted.

Whoosh!

The air trembled with magical energy.

Before him, suspended mid-air, appeared an armored angel—two meters tall, clad in gleaming silver armor that covered even its head. A pair of radiant golden wings spread from its back, and it gripped a silver spear, its tip glowing with a pulsating holy light.

A Second-Tier Guardian Angel!

"Rather than an angel, this feels more like a construct," Lyle mused as he examined the floating figure.

In most of the works he had encountered, angels were depicted as living beings. Yet the summoned angels in YGGDRASIL carried an unmistakable mecha-like aesthetic that made them feel distinctly artificial.

Even when he had first seen this in the anime, he had felt the urge to complain.

Now, witnessing the summoned angel in reality, that same sense of discord remained. However, there was also something undeniably intimidating about its presence—an unnatural fusion of divine and mechanical.

"At least it looks imposing."

A low growl sounded.

"Grrr!"

The Barghest, now alert, had risen from its resting place and positioned itself protectively before Lyle, its stance tense with wariness.

"Relax." Lyle patted the creature's head, soothing it.

Buzz—

Suddenly, a notification flashed across his vision.

[Magic Discovered: Second-Tier – Angel Summon]

[Requirement: Cleric Spellcasting Level 8–14. Current Class Unmet.]

[Trait "Genius" Activated—Class Temporarily Shifted to "Cleric" to Meet Learning Requirements. Consume 1 Skill Point to Learn?]

Without hesitation, Lyle willed, "Yes."

[Skill Points: 42 → 41]

The magic settled into his being, and he swiftly checked his status screen.

---

[Skill: Angel Summon (Second-Tier)]

MP Cost: 10

Effect: Summons a Guardian Angel (Level 8–14).

---

A flicker of anticipation crossed Lyle's face as he scanned the details.

Among various tiered magic, summoning spells followed a structured progression—rising steadily from the first tier to the tenth.

This meant that if Angel Summon truly followed this system, there should be an upgrade arrow (↑) next to it, indicating potential advancement.

"No?"

He double-checked. No ↑.

His expression darkened slightly.

Clearly, tiered spells differed significantly from the life magic invented by this world's inhabitants.

Still, there was only one way to confirm.

"Angel Summon!"

He chanted softly.

Whoosh!

A new angel manifested, materializing in radiant light.

Two Guardian Angels now hovered in the room, their golden wings casting a soft glow, making the space feel even brighter.

Lyle immediately noticed a difference—his summoned angel felt stronger than the scroll-summoned one.

More importantly, he could now see its exact level.

[Guardian Angel (Level 14)!]

"A max-level second-tier angel, as expected."

Under normal conditions, a summoned creature's level was usually lower than its summoner's. Additionally, a caster could typically summon only one at a time—summoning a new one would cause the first to vanish.

Only specialized summoning classes could bypass this restriction.

Since his level far exceeded that of Second-Tier Angel Summon, it made sense that he had summoned the highest possible variant.

Even so, Lyle couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment.

If he couldn't advance the spell using skill points, its usefulness would be limited.

In this world, the highest-tier angel summon was the Seventh-Tier Angel Summon stored within the Sealing Magic Crystals of the Slane Theocracy. Those summoned angels ranged between Level 43–49.

For most nations, such creatures were calamity-class threats—but for someone like the Overlord, they were barely an inconvenience.

"Grrr."

Sensing Lyle's mood, the Barghest nudged his leg gently.

Lyle paused, looking down.

"Did I just get comforted by you?"

The interruption snapped him out of his thoughts.

He realized he had been over-relying on skill points in the face of future challenges.

For most magic, that wasn't an issue. But Angel Summon had a natural progression—if he had mastered the second tier, there was no reason he couldn't advance it naturally.

His spellcasting level was more than sufficient.

Lyle's eyes narrowed in contemplation.

For the first time, he seriously considered whether he could advance magic through his own abilities.

But how did one improve faith-based magic?

Unlike players, this world's warriors honed their bodies and techniques. Spellcasters had to refine their magic accordingly.

If arcane casters strengthened their mana, then faith-based casters…

Faith?

The issue was obvious.

Most of this world's divine casters worshiped the "Six Gods"—but the Six Gods were not real deities. They were just dead players.

How could dead players provide divine power?

Take Shalltear from the Great Tomb—as a vampire, she should have worshiped "Progenitor Cain."

But "Cain" wasn't even real. It was just a boss monster Nazarick had defeated in the past.

Yet Shalltear could still cast faith-based magic.

Lyle's thoughts raced.

Then, closing his eyes, he entered a deep meditation.

Time passed.

The night deepened outside.

Then—!

A surge of powerful magical energy erupted from him.

Lyle's eyes snapped open.

"Third-Tier – Angel Summon!"

A brilliant white glow enveloped him.

Boom—!

The Guardian Angels dissolved into particles of light—then reformed.

A new figure appeared.

Sleek silver armor, enhanced contours of strength and grace, golden wings partially covered in additional plating.

A halo shimmered atop its head.

Its weapon was no longer a spear but a blazing sword, radiating fiery divine energy.

[Third-Tier – Flame Archangel (Level 20)!]