Summoning Skill

Mana Sense informed him that David had finished off the last rabbit on his side and was now making his way toward him.

Not wanting to let the final rabbit escape, Peter quickly closed the distance, catching it mid-turn as it tried to flee. A well-aimed slash separated its head cleanly from its body.

He took a deep breath, adrenaline still coursing through his veins in the battle's aftermath.

The others approached now that the fight was over, inspecting the scattered carcasses.

"That was one brutal way to hunt," Sasha remarked, nudging a dead rabbit with her shoe.

Peter opened his mouth to retort, but instead, bile rose in his throat. He lurched forward, emptying his breakfast onto the ground.

"Oh my," Sasha exclaimed, quickly stepping forward to rub his back.

"Not much into killing, huh?" she remarked, steadying him as his legs wobbled beneath him.

Peter's stomach churned. He felt awful.

"Let's collect the horns and mana stones first," James told David, who shot Peter a concerned look. "He'll be fine in a bit."

They left, leaving Peter in Sasha's care. She was surprisingly gentle as she helped him recover—at least until he felt better. Then, just as quickly, she reverted to her usual goofy self.

…

Some months later...

Peter raised his left hand to shield his eyes from the direct sunlight, biting into the watermelon slice in his right.

A burst of sweetness filled his mouth, his eyes narrowing in delight as his legs swung lazily in the air. He sat on the outside balcony in the backyard, savouring the warm summer afternoon.

For the past few months, he had been making weekly trips into the forest. The results of those efforts would finally reveal themselves in three days—just in time for his tenth birthday and the completion of his personal summoning skill.

He had decided on it long ago, unsure of which magic path to follow for now. His current build was heavily close-combat oriented, leaving him with no way to attack from a distance.

A summoning skill would grant him some measure of long-range capability, depending on the type of summon.

From what he had gathered in the Skill Library, summoning magic was a complex branch of magic. Unlike taming, which formed bonds with creatures that already existed in their world, summoning was a sub-branch of contract and dimensional magic.

A tamer bonded with living beings from this plane, while summoning involved forging contracts with entities from other realms. These contracted beings could range from elemental spirits to sentient or non-sentient creatures—even devils.

Thus, it was entirely possible to summon a being beyond one's ability to form a contract with—resulting in certain death.

The Skill Library detailed various kinds of summoning magic. The most common type allowed a person to summon a being they were already familiar with. This was the safest method, as there was no risk of summoning an unintended entity.

The second type relied on a catalyst to summon a specific kind of being. For example, using a phoenix feather as a catalyst could summon a phoenix. However, the summoned creature's strength was unpredictable, and one might end up calling forth a being far too powerful to control.

The third type allowed a person to send a call into various planes, setting conditions such as the being's willingness to form a bond and a friendly disposition. However, the nature of the summoned being remained unpredictable. One could end up with a mighty fire elemental or a harmless electric mouse, both varying wildly in strength.

There were other forms of summoning as well, often requiring special rituals or sacrifices. And summoning was only half the process—the contract itself differed greatly. Some contracts forged a master-servant relationship, others formed friendly pacts, and some even demanded a portion of the summoner's soul as payment.

Despite its risks, Summoning Magic was an incredibly powerful tool when used correctly. It provided a gateway to spirit magic, loyal companions upon contracting, and numerous other benefits.

The summoning skill Peter was developing was so heavily modified that it was practically a new skill altogether. It combined elements from all known summoning methods into a single process.

First, upon activation, the skill would send invitations across various planes of existence through the System. Any being that answered the call would have its status ID recorded in a HashMap. Each ID would then be evaluated against an extensive set of security conditions—borrowed from the highest-level summoning skills in the library—to ensure no malicious entity could respond.

Only those meeting all conditions would remain. Next, the HashMap would be sorted by power level, eliminating any being strong enough to overpower him during the contract process. Finally, the remaining candidates would be filtered through another set of criteria, ensuring they aligned with Peter's specific desires and requirements for a summon.

The most desirable candidate, in terms of potential and power level, would then be selected.

Typically, Summoning Magic involved calling upon a being, allowing it passage to their plane, and then forming a contract. However, in Peter's skill, everything up to this point was merely the selection process. Once the final candidate was chosen, the System would send a highly secure contract ensuring his safety, among other conditions, which the being would need to accept.

If the being rejected the contract, the next candidate on the list would receive the offer. All communication would take place through the System—a highly secure and untraceable mode of interaction.

Only after a being accepted the contract would the System enforce its terms, ensuring compliance before summoning the entity to him. Typically, powerful beings acted as intermediaries during contract formation to ensure safe and fair negotiations. However, for Peter's skill, he had decided to use the System itself as the intermediary, guaranteeing maximum security and enforcement.

He expected to acquire the skill before becoming eligible for class selection, having already completed the necessary tests. Now, all that remained was the System's approval, which he expected to receive by tomorrow.

If only he could create a skill that allowed him to kill people just by walking—but the System was highly strict about what it considered a valid skill.