The Summons

Ash rose and sat on his bed, feeling curious as he read the page about Spidy.

Spidy (The Giant Spider)

Rank: Elite

Level: 2

Abilities: Web Creation and Trapping, Venomous Bite, Enhanced Senses, Stealth and Ambush, Wall Climbing, Camouflage

Advanced Abilities: Regeneration, Mind Control

"Wow, the abilities are amazing," Ash muttered to himself.

He turned to the next page, saw five Minotaurs standing there with terrifying faces, and read the description below the image:

Minotaur

Rank: Elite

Level: 1

Abilities: Enhanced Strength, Labyrinth Sense, Brute Charge, Battle Resillience, Keen Senses, Intimidating Roar

Advanced Abilities: Berserker Rage, Guardian's Will

He turned to the next page and saw three Centurions standing there.

Centurion

Rank: Elite

Level: 1

Abilities: Enhanced Combat Skills, Battle Command, Iron Will, Tactical Precision

Advanced Abilities: Shield Wall Mastery, War Cry

Ash grinned with delight. These were his army. He could have as many as he wanted.

He flipped through the blank pages and realized that there were only twenty empty pages left in the grimoire, including those already occupied by Spidy, the Minotaurs, and the Centurions. That meant there were seventeen blank pages remaining for other creatures.

"Hmm..." he thought.

There was still so much he didn't know, like whether two creatures of the same type but with different levels would be recorded on the same page. Or if a creature was destroyed, what would happen to its page—would it go blank, or would it remain as it was?

Ash closed the grimoire and returned it to his Inventory before lying down again.

"I'll find out in time," he thought.

***

The next morning, Ash walked toward the Town Hall, with Jagu walking enthusiastically ahead of him, still trying to catch the pigeons along the way, Ash couldn't help but smile slightly at the creature's energy.

As he passed by the inn, he subconsciously glanced up at the window where Maya used to stay.

The room's window was open, and he saw Beth inside, tidying up the space.

Ash let out a deep sigh. "It seems my future adventures will be ones I face alone, without friends..."

Steeling himself, he pressed on and made his way to the Town Hall.

Upon arriving, he headed straight to the reception desk, where he was warmly greeted by Matheus.

"Good morning, Ash. You were really amazing yesterday," Matheus said enthusiastically.

Ash smiled and replied while sitting down on the chair in front of the reception desk, "Did you actually watch the fight yesterday?"

"Of course! Almost everyone in town has a telescope. And it was very cool," Matheus said, laughing.

"Haha, thanks to those creatures, not me," Ash said, trying to be humble.

"I want to register my quest, can I?" he asked, trying to avoid Matheus' chatter, who was still hyped up.

Matheus seemed to snap back to reality, then said as he took out the quest registration book, "Oh, of course you can. Please fill it out here."

He handed the book to Ash, and Ash immediately filled out the form in the book.

"You know, I've heard about someone who could summon creatures like you, but I heard that person used to do it while holding a book..." Matheus muttered, seemingly talking to no one in particular.

Then he glanced at Jagu, who was sniffing around the benches in the Town Hall.

"Is Jagu one of your summoned creatures?" Matheus asked.

Ash handed the quest registration book back to Matheus and shook his head, "No, he's not a summon. I found him somewhere," he replied.

He felt that from now on, he should not share his secrets with others.

Especially after John had warned him to be careful last night.

"Oh," said Matheus, while checking the quest registration book.

"How do I pay for this?" Ash asked.

Matheus looked at Ash and blinked twice. "No, you don't have to pay," Matheus replied. "Besides, you're John's nephew, so you're automatically a resident of this town."

Ash nodded. "Then, if I want to help the Sassi Hunters find items, how do I do that?"

"Umm, here's how it works," Matheus said, taking out a paper with a diagram. "Sassi Hunters consists of two types of groups. One group is made up of Finders, and the other is made up of Hunters. They will search for items separately, depending on the difficulty of the quest they receive."

"What is your profession?" Matheus asked.

"Hunter," Ash replied. "So I automatically join the Hunters team, right?"

"Yes. Hunters usually accompany Finders to get items. But for some people like Gabriel, he can do both," Matheus explained.

Ash nodded, recalling Gabriel's skills during the expedition at the Colosseum.

Matheus looked at Ash for a while, then said, "For you, it would be best to speak directly with Gabriel or John. We won't be able to determine where you will be placed."

Ash glanced back at Matheus and then nodded.

"Alright," he said and then left after thanking Matheus, whom enthusiastically wished him good luck. He intended to head to the training ground to find Gabriel.

When Ash expressed his intention to join the Sassi Hunters to Gabriel, Gabriel smiled, showing his dimples on both cheeks, and said, "That would be very helpful for us, Ash. John has already informed me about this."

"For now, you won't be placed within the Sassi Hunter hierarchy, but you must come with us under the condition that you don't summon your creatures unless absolutely necessary," Gabriel continued.

Ash listened to Gabriel's words and nodded.

"Tomorrow, we will go out again to search for items, so you can join us," Gabriel said, pointing to the wooden swords available on the racks.

With a pout, Ash grabbed a wooden sword and walked to the empty space in the middle of the room. Gabriel followed him, twirling his own wooden sword.

"Where are we going tomorrow?" Ash asked, getting into a fighting stance.

"Tomorrow, we will head to a snowy area. So, make sure to bring a coat, blanket, and other essentials," Gabriel explained as he immediately attacked Ash.

Caught off guard, Ash struggled to block Gabriel's attack.