His fingers trembled slightly, not from cold this time, but from anticipation that buzzed under his skin like a quiet storm waiting to break. The inventory shimmered faintly before his eyes as he scrolled down, past rows of items, until the familiar gleam of the summoning token caught his attention.
He paused for a heartbeat.
Then tapped.
***
The Smilodon token flickered.
A soft crack echoed in the room, delicate yet sharp enough to slice through the silence. Light seeped out from the fracture like mist escaping a sealed jar, swelling rapidly until it flooded the space.
***
Then—
A small form tumbled out of the glow.
***
A kitten.
***
White fur, soft and fluffy, almost cloud-like in texture, with oversized canine fangs protruding adorably down to its chin. Its tiny body wobbled slightly as it landed, then straightened with surprising dignity.
Its eyes opened.
***
And it let out a roar.
***
Or at least—
It tried to.
***
What came out was a tiny, defiant "Meow!"
***
Arceus couldn't help it.
He laughed.
***
[Please name your new companion.]
***
He looked down at the little creature, its chest puffed out proudly as if it had just announced its arrival to the world.
***
"Let's go with… Cloud."
***
Ding!
[Name registered: Cloud]
[Cloud has been soul-bound.]
***
A warm surge flowed into him, smooth and steady, like a calm river slipping into his veins. It was familiar now, the same sensation he had felt with Black and Tempest, yet each time it carried a slightly different rhythm, a new presence settling into the quiet spaces within him.
***
And then—
***
The system erupted.
***
Ding!
[Atleast 3 monster companions are detected. Calculating the combat power]
[Combat Power threshold exceeded. Initiating summoner rank advancement]
Ding! Congratulations! You are now a Rank-D Summoner.
[The Main Quest has been completed. Training Ground Unlock]
[New Maint Quest unlocked — Become a Rank C Summoner]
[Combat Power has exceeded the threshold again. Initiating further advancement…]
Ding!
[Congratulations! You are now a Rank-C Summoner.]
[The Main Quest has been completed. Nursing Pens have been unlocked.]
***
Arceus froze.
***
"…What?"
***
His jaw slackened slightly as his eyes darted across the notifications, rereading them as if expecting them to rearrange into something more reasonable.
***
"Just like that…?" he muttered under his breath. "From E to C…?"
***
More chimes followed.
Relentless.
***
Ding!
[New Skills Unlocked]
Combat Merge: The host can temporarily put one of the soul-bound monsters into a hibernation state and gain their stats for a temporary period, without any side effects afterward. Duration: 3 minutes. Cooldown: 6 hours. Limitation: The Host can only use a sound-bound monster's skill if he possesses mana. Without mana, the host can only gain raw physical strength.
Soul Fusion: Any two soul-bound monsters can temporarily fuse into a new, combined entity with enhanced abilities, traits, and appearance. The fused monster inherits both of their elements and skills. Note: It also inherits both of their weaknesses. Duration: 5 minutes. Cooldown: 12 hours. Limitation: The monsters cannot have a level gap of more than 10.
Echo of the Soul (Passive): Whenever a soul-bound monster reaches its maximum level, the host will receive one of its skills to use as his own.
Ding!
[New Maint Quest unlocked — Become a Rank B Summoner]
***
Silence followed.
***
Arceus leaned back slightly, still processing.
***
"I see…" he murmured slowly, his thoughts aligning piece by piece. "Three companions triggered the evaluation… and Black probably tipped the scale."
***
Cloud tilted its head, letting out a small, confused whimper as if it had just been compared unfairly.
***
Arceus immediately reached down, gently patting its head.
***
"No, no… I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly, his tone softening. "You're awesome too."
***
Cloud huffed softly, satisfied, then curled down with a yawn.
***
Black waddled over, pressing itself against him like a warm cushion, its eyes already closing again.
***
For a brief moment—
It felt peaceful.
***
But Arceus wasn't done.
***
His attention shifted again.
***
The system.
***
New functions.
***
His fingers moved, navigating back through the interface until his gaze landed on the newly unlocked option.
***
Training Ground.
***
He tapped it.
***
[Would you like to enter Training Ground?]
[Would you like to enter Training Ground?]
***
He hesitated.
***
No explanation.
No description.
***
Just a doorway.
***
"…Probably a training space," he muttered, more to convince himself than anything else.
***
He tapped—
***
Yes.
***
A sudden jolt struck his head.
***
Sharp.
Violent.
***
Like being hit with a metal rod.
***
And then—
***
Everything changed.
***
He stood.
***
In nothing.
***
An endless white void stretched in every direction, featureless and silent, as if the world itself had been erased. Only one thing existed in that emptiness—
***
A floating crystal.
***
It hovered before him, about the size of his head, glowing faintly with an inner light.
***
Arceus stepped forward.
Reached out.
Touched it.
***
Ding!
[Please select the habitat.]
***
Images burst into view, hovering in the air like pages of a living book. Each carried a name, a terrain, a purpose.
***
Curiosity took over.
***
He tapped one.
***
The world shifted instantly.
***
[Silver Moon Snow Mountain has been selected]
***
Cold.
***
It hit him like a wall.
***
A biting wind tore across his body, sharp enough to sting through fabric and skin alike. Snow stretched endlessly around him, white upon white, broken only by jagged cliffs and distant ridges.
***
Arceus shivered violently.
***
"Oh, god…" he hissed, his breath turning into fog instantly. "This is way too real…"
***
Before he could finish—
***
Ding!
[Training period starts. All system functions are unavailable.]
[59:59]
[59:58]
[59:57]
***
The timer began.
***
And Arceus's face—
***
Dropped.
***
"…Fk."
***
The cold bit deeper now, seeping into his bones like a slow poison. His fingers stiffened, his toes numbed, and every breath felt like inhaling shards of glass.
***
"System, cancel!"
***
Nothing.
***
"Exit!"
***
Silence.
***
"Emergency logout! Return! Escape! I take it back!"
***
The wind answered instead.
***
A violent gust slammed into him, forcing him to hunch forward, arms wrapping around himself instinctively.
***
[59:30]
***
"You're the worst system ever," he groaned, stumbling forward as snow crunched under his soaked shoes.
***
The cold worsened.
***
It had to be at least minus twenty.
***
His hands felt distant.
Numb.
***
And worst of all—
***
He was alone.
***
No pets.
No inventory.
No interface.
***
Just him.
And the timer.
***
[41:38]
***
He staggered forward, teeth chattering uncontrollably.
***
"Stupid… cursed… tutorial…"
***
Another gust hit him, nearly knocking him off his feet.
***
But he didn't stop.
***
He couldn't.
***
Because this—
***
Was survival.
***
He had died once already.
He wasn't doing it again.
***
Step by step, he dragged himself forward, climbing a snow-covered slope, slipping, falling, catching himself with shaking arms.
***
Then—
***
A shadow.
***
Against the white.
***
His eyes widened.
***
"…Cave."
***
Hope surged.
***
He ran.
***
Or tried to.
***
Falling once.
Twice.
***
But still crawling forward like a man chasing life itself.
***
By the time he reached it—
His lips had turned purple.
His vision blurred.
***
He stumbled inside.
***
And—
***
Relief.
***
The wind vanished.
***
The cold remained, but dulled, no longer slicing into him with the same cruelty.
***
He moved deeper.
Each step echoing faintly in the strangely lit tunnel, the walls glowing with an unnatural brightness that cast no shadows.
***
It made no sense.
***
But nothing here did.
***
By the time the timer read—
***
[31:03]
***
He reached the end.
***
A chamber.
***
Eight meters wide.
Smooth walls.
Still air.
***
He collapsed.
***
A shuddering breath escaped him as he curled in on himself, hugging his knees tightly.
***
"…This place sucks…"
***
His voice came out weak.
***
"I'm never coming back…"
***
[19:12]
***
Time blurred.
***
The cold lingered, but it no longer threatened to kill him outright. His body trembled less, his breathing steadied, and exhaustion pulled at his eyelids.
***
Maybe he slept.
Maybe he didn't.
***
He couldn't tell.
***
Then—
***
Ding.
***
His eyes snapped open.
***
[03:47]
***
A new window appeared.
***
Ding!
[You have remained sedentary for more than 15 minutes. Activating Defense Protocol.]
[Spawning the Guardian… Please evacuate or engage.]
***
Arceus blinked.
***
"…Huh?"