The system panels had flown into Dean's vision as he sat on the edge of the bed.
[You have ranked up from Aspirant - Tier 1 → Aspirant Tier 2]
[Total experience points: 2000EXP]
Dean looked at the screen and didn't honestly feel any different. He knew from memory that a summoner's rank was just as important as the Familiar's class.
From all he could recall from his father and some lessons he had attended in middle school, he understood that ranks were divided into ten tiers.
The only problem was that, other than Aspirant and Elite, which he and Ying were respectively, he didn't have any knowledge about higher ranks.
Middle school teachers never taught them, only previewing that attending academies would reveal even more.
There was also the fact that ranks higher than Elite were actually not so common amongst the public, and as such it was difficult to interact with individuals who were in higher ranks.
Through his deductions from memory, Dean could further affirm to himself that he had a good thing here.
The system granting him experience points and opportunities to rank up was a blessing and quite the cheat.
Most of the time, a summoner barely ever had a chance to improve their rank except through attending an academy. And the stronger a summoner was, the more efficient their familiar was in battle or general activities.
This left a constant need to improve for everyone, but In this world, knowledge of the hows and when's were a relationship that was tied strategically to survival and guarded greedily by the powerful.
Dean looked at the screen and queried the system again.
"How many experience points do I need to rank up to Tier 3?"
The system responded immediately as a new set of texts appeared.
[Ranking to Tier 3 requires 1500EXP]
Without wasting another breath, Dean commanded the system to rank up to the next tier.
[You have ranked up from Aspirant - Tier 2→Aspirant Tier 3]
[Total experience points: 500EXP]
Dean nodded softly as he felt a change this time, like a door within him just creaked open.
He didn't understand what it was, and was about to ask the system when a new screen appeared.
"This thing is really like an assistant," he muttered while his eyes drifted along the text.
[NOTIFICATION]
[Milestone reached]
[You have unlocked a summoning skill: Channeling]
[Channeling Lvl 1]
[Channeling - You are able to adopt a skill from an active summon. At level 1, you can only borrow one skill at a time, and it doesn't have the same level of effect as the summon.
Dean read through the skill he had just unlocked and nodded. "Fair."
He'd now established that there was more to the system than just ranking up, and it was definitely like artificial intelligence that was probably meant to help him adjust, grow, and use his familiars to great effect.
'But why?' he pondered.
Was this like a cosmic joke or something, or was he some grand scheme against the established power of this world? He personally pulled the familiar, after all. This familiar needed re-evaluation and could not be read by the machine.
He also learned from Ying that there was another person like that. He would have to find out more about that person while he gets to know things about this world outside what the memories of a seventeen-year-old could provide.
From the next set of information, he gathered the EXP requirements to rank up further. 2000 EXP to level up his tier and 3000EXP to level up channeling.
He concluded that one of the most vital currencies for his personal survival in this world was experience points, and from the system's earlier texts before dinner, he had to be intentionally active to grow. His growth in every sense of the word was in his own hands.
Dean smiled. He honestly liked his odds that way. He was born to grind.
He was about to leave the present screen and check on how his growth affected his familiars when an unanswered question pricked his mind.
"System, are there more summoner skills I can unlock, or am i just stuck with channeling?"
The system cleared the present screen and projected a response.
[You can unlock more skills as you rank up and reach the system determined milestones.]
Dean rubbed his chin as he shifted on the silky sheets while staring at something only he could see.
"So, what's the next milestone?" He asked.
[You can not receive that information at this time.]
"Why?" Dean asked bluntly as his brows creased.
[Milestones are system driven surprises and unlocks. The pre-requisite of unlocks comes with your growth and rewarded by the system.]
Dean could understand the words on the screen, but what he was reading made no sense.
Why was the system holding back on this?it wasn't anything too grand, after all he got only channeling. Which from memory, he knew almost all summoners that had the most meagre of bonds with their familiars could achieve.
Dean sneers, "So I am supposed to just fly blind like a bat?"
[Yes]
The system notification came like a slap on his face.
Dean shook his head. There was definitely more to this than he could tell for now.
But one thing was certain: this system was now part of him, and it would be in his best interest to understand as much as possible.
He swiftly navigated to the familiar section and straight to the familiar that even his personal Ai seemed to be monitoring.
The familiar's panel had many unnamed aspects that it gave him a small migraine.
Skimming through the skills, he noticed where the system had asked him to name the slime's skill and one of its perks.
He read out the skill to himself.
"The familiar can adapt, copy and evolve the skills of others."
He looked at the description and dwelled on it for a second while gesturing to himself and then the thin wall in front of him.
"So basically, I am you?" he blurted out after gesturing his finger to himself and then to the wall again, like he was copying it.
He'd decided the skill was to be called I am You or, in short, I.M.U.
[You have created a name for Familiar 3's skill]
[The system saved the name: IMU.]
[Note: The full skill's description has been unlocked.]
[The system has established skill limitations based on your rank.]
[Available slots: 4]
[Duration: 24 hours]
Dean smiled and tapped his chest like he was so proud of himself for that. All the origins of that train of thought stemmed from one of his major philosophies, even when he was still a mixed martial arts fighter in his former life.
'Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will know no defeat'
Dean reframed it in his head. If he knew his enemy as much as he knew himself, then he could become like his enemy to defeat that enemy. Hence the name "I am you"
Next, he breezed through the unnamed perk and called it the first thing that came to mind.
"Freeform: Morph."
The system saved it as well without lingering for a second.
Dean moved across the screens. He'd have to name the Familiars but he decided that could wait and it wasn't a decision he wanted to take on a whim, even as something else caught his eye.
He stared at the panel that showed his attributes and perks, but they were unexplained.
He opened the description of the first perk with a single thought.
A series of texts appeared before him.
[Perk—Hermit's Eyes]
[Description: The hermit's eyes grant the host extraordinary visual prowess, enhance other senses to a heightened level and grant clarity beyond human range.]
[Active effects: You can analyze the abilities and skills of summoners, familiars, and creatures within your current rank.]
[Analysis of higher ranked targets is possible with enough observation time.]
[Passive effects: You are granted a 360° vision of your surroundings, the ability to read micro movements and intents, hear and see objects with astute clarity, and see through shallow obstacles]
[The viability of this perk grows alongside your experience]
"Okay, this is fucking cool," Dean whispered cautiously, not wanting anyone else to hear he was talking to himself.
Without even reading the rest of the description. He closed his black eyes.
'Activate Hermit's eyes,' he thought.
Slowly opening his eyes, the black portion had changed as a violet ring surrounded his pupils. Dean's pupils glow violet, surrounded by a luminous ring that branches into a four-pointed star formation.
The pattern rotated with cosmic particles shimmering within the iris like a contained galaxy as black wisps frame the eye, giving it an otherworldly feel.
The star pattern spun slowly and he achieved incredible clarity. The colors shone brighter, the almost insignificant details became pronounced.
He immediately looked around with the mysterious eyes, seeing through the thin walls of the house until something came to view.
It was first a silhouette until Dean's eyes zoomed in with curiosity to reveal Yuki's voluptuous frame.
She was stark naked with her kimono on the floor. And the entire image entered his mind faster than he could look away.
Her figure was perfect, with each curve exactly as they were meant to be, plume and alluring like fresh fruit.
"Ewww," Dean quickly looked away, deactivating the special eyes immediately and running straight to the bathroom.
Attached to this is a glimpse of what Hermit eyes looks like.
A/N: C'mon don't be a ghost reader, if you're enjoying the story, add to Library and support with Powerstones. Thank you.