Chapter 70: A New Summoned Beast

The next day, when I logged into the game, everything felt hazy and unreal. A flash of white light appeared before my eyes, and as I entered once more, I found myself lying on the ground. The familiar sight of the great hall surrounded me, and the man in crimson armor sat before the stone wall, watching me.

“What… what is happening? Didn’t the terrifying knight kill me? Why haven’t I respawned in the city?” Shocked, I stood up, checking myself over—astonishingly, I was perfectly unharmed, with my health and mana completely full.

“Heh, surprised?” he said, his voice amused. “In truth, your battle with the terrifying knight was merely a staged illusion set by me. So you’re still here.”

I felt a wave of frustration. An illusory battle? What was the point, then? All that wasted potion for nothing. Glancing at my nearly depleted stock, I felt a pang of regret.

“The reason for this battle was to remind you not to become complacent, not to stop striving. In this world, there are countless beings—monsters and adventurers alike—far stronger than you. I wanted to see your abilities as a summoner, and you did not disappoint. You have true skill; I believe you are capable of mastering this.” With that, he handed me a black cloak.

Puzzled, I asked, “What is this? An artifact?”

He replied quickly, “Nice guess, but it’s not an artifact. It’s a token. You can use it for a dimensional summoning, allowing a summoned creature to become your companion and fight for you.”

“Really? That’s fantastic! What do I need to do?” I exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you perform the ritual... Ah, not here. We need to move. Follow me!” As he spoke, a door opened in the stone wall behind him, and he dashed through. I hurried after him, but his speed was impossible to match, so I summoned the Hurricane Wolf King and rode it in pursuit.

Dimensional summoning had to be something extraordinary, surely more powerful than a summoner’s usual extra summons. If I could call forth a beast as mighty as Dragon War, I’d be invincible. Lost in these daydreams, I followed him, the scenery shifting around us: withered trees everywhere, swarms of crows screeching overhead, their calls unsettling and maddening.

Minutes later, we arrived at a clearing strewn with dead branches and rotting wood. The crows on the trees cawed incessantly. The ground was littered with animal bones—wolves, tigers, snakes, horses, cattle, sheep, and most disturbingly, human remains. When the wind blew, a stench assaulted me, nearly overwhelming.

“No need to worry about being discovered here!” he said, then noticed my grim expression. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“It’s nothing, just the smell here is quite intense,” I answered with a wry smile.

“Is that so? Well, let’s begin. First, follow my directions and carve a magic circle on the ground.”

Ignoring the discomfort, I focused on the task; the promise of a new summoned beast outweighed any unease. I obeyed, drawing the magic circle as instructed.

With a roar, the Hurricane Wolf King’s destructive laser blasted everything within a ten-meter radius—grass, bones, debris—into flying fragments, which were then swept away by a spiral hurricane. A neat, ten-meter-wide circular area was cleared.

I began drawing the magic circle, following his commands. After about ten minutes, it was complete: a circle with a central hexagram, covered in countless mysterious magical runes.

“Excellent!” he said. “Now, place the token and the Fire Dragon Stone at the center. Do you have any high-grade materials to use as a catalyst?”

I took out an item dropped by the Black Mist Serpent King and asked, “Will this work?”

He examined it and nodded. “Yes, lava essence. I didn’t expect you to have this. Good, it will greatly increase the success rate. With it, your new summoned beast will be at least superior grade.”

Though I didn’t fully understand, anything that increased the chance and guaranteed a superior summoning was thrilling. If I managed a divine-level beast, I’d be truly unstoppable. The thought made me grin foolishly.

Once everything was ready, the man in crimson armor produced a palm-sized bowl. “Fill it with your blood, please.”

Reluctantly, I prepared to bleed—just who designed this quest? But for a powerful summoned beast, I was willing. Removing my gloves, I cut a small wound on my finger and let the blood fill the bowl. When it was full, I asked, “Why is this necessary?”

He sprinkled the blood around the magic circle, replying, “Because the creature summoned this way will not be absolutely loyal to you. The blood forms a contract, preventing betrayal. It also strengthens the creature’s attributes with your essence. Do you understand?”

I nodded, and he began solemnly chanting:

“Surpassing dimensions, surpassing the universe, surpassing all things, surpassing fate itself, shattering all cycles of reincarnation. With my soul, I proclaim the vow of summoning—hear my call, you from another dimension... respond to me!”

As his incantation echoed, a pillar of crimson light shot skyward from the magic circle, and a massive black vortex appeared, sucking in all the items at the center.

Then a shadowy, indistinct figure emerged. The man in crimson armor said, “Don’t just stare—chant with me.”

I nodded and joined in, loudly reciting:

“Hear the wails and cries from the abyssal darkness. With the power of the Reaper, veil the winds of descent, close the gates of hope. Here I swear: from the chaos of the abyss, I summon you, freeing your soul from the frenzied cage of captivity. Appear before me, become the strongest and most perfect soul, incarnate into form!”

As we chanted, the humanoid figure in the center of the circle grew clearer. The cloak wrapped tightly around it, crimson energy flowing into its body.

The magic circle on the ground blazed with a red light several times brighter than before. All the light was absorbed into the black-clad figure, while red mist swirled and vanished into its form.

“Whew! That completes this stage. Now it’s up to you. Shout your summoning words to the magic circle!” the man urged.

I shouted, “Come forth, Summoned Beast! In the name of the Summoner, I summon you!”

A blinding red light erupted from the circle’s center, and with a sharp crack, the ritual climaxed. A figure clad in the black cloak appeared, kneeling on one knee at the heart of the magic circle.

“What is this?!” I wondered, bewildered, as the creature’s attributes appeared before me.

Title: Assassin
Name: None (due to lack of memory)
Type: Beast

Race: Warrior Clan (Rare)
Quality: Divine Rank
Artifacts: Crimson Reaper (Claws), Storm of Blood (Twin Swords)
Life: 2300 points
Attack: 4500 points
Defense: 500 points
Skills:
Killer’s Will (Passive): Each attack and skill has a 20% chance to inflict one of the following statuses—Slow, Weakness, Fear—on the target, and reduces healing received by 50% for 15 seconds. If the effect persists, the killer gains 5 gold coins and reduces skill cooldown by 2 seconds (note: gold coin effect is only triggered by killing enemy players of equal or higher level than the summoner).
Death Cross: Strikes with twin swords, inflicting a bleeding state—target loses 300 HP per second for 7 seconds. Cooldown: 7 seconds.
Dance of Blood: Uses the Crimson Reaper to strike the enemy, dealing damage and healing self for 2% of inflicted damage.
Root and Branch: Throws spinning daggers in a fan-shaped area, dealing physical damage to enemies in range. If the target is under a negative status, deals additional magic damage. Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Shadow: Becomes invisible, increasing movement speed. Attacking reveals self and triggers a 5-second cooldown.
Ultimate Skill: Blood-red Space-Time. Creates a deadly plague centered on self; infected targets lose 20% magic and physical defense for 5 seconds and suffer massive magic damage. Heals self for 20% of inflicted damage. Cooldown: 120 minutes.
Description: Assassin was once an ordinary person, but possessed extraordinary combat talent. Because of this, she was taken by a mysterious group to be trained in a secret place. Her humanity, memory, and even her name were stripped away, leaving only the title “Assassin.” Cold-blooded and ruthless, she became known as the “Proxy of Death.”

As I finished reading the attributes, still stunned, the figure rose. Clad in the black cloak, a black mask covered her face. From beneath the mask came a voice, clear as silver bells: “Greetings, my master.”