HBWnovel Chapter 111 – Too Easy.
Chapter 111 – Too Easy.
Chapter 111 – Too Easy.
Gwendolin froze, her eyes wide with disbelief. The voice was deep and resonant, imbued with an unmistakable intelligence. It echoed not through the air but directly in her mind, bypassing the physical world entirely. Its tone carried a subtle questioning quality - something that seemed impossible without sentience.
Although she wasn’t particularly skilled at summoning, she had successfully called forth lesser creatures in the past. None of them had been capable of speech or independent thought. Bound by the summoner’s contract, they could not act without direct orders, nor could they communicate with their caster. In essence, they were no more than golems formed from mana, existing solely to obey commands.
There was a way for a summoned creature to gain sentience: if a summoner formed a bond with the monster, it would become their familiar. This bond allowed the creature to think for itself and, in some cases, even communicate with its caster. This, however, was different. The monster before her was not her familiar. She lacked the strength to form such a bond, nor had any summoned creature chosen her to enable such a connection.
However, there were exceptions to this rule: the more intelligent monsters. These were exceedingly rare and notoriously difficult to summon, let alone control. They belonged to a category of their own, retaining a sense of autonomy even before the summoner. It wasn’t uncommon for such monsters to go berserk if they deemed the caster who had brought them into this realm unworthy or inferior.
‘W-what if it attacks me?’
Gwendolin’s mind raced. The possibility of the monster attacking her was high as she had heard countless tales of summoning disasters, especially when sentient monsters were involved. She knew she lacked the training and knowledge to handle such a situation, and the realization struck her like a cold wave: this was the worst possible outcome. Surely, this giant metal monster would turn on her and attack.
To her surprise, it did not react aggressively. Instead, it responded - not through words, but to her very thoughts, as though it could read her mind.
‘Why would I attack you?’
The words - or rather, the thought - sent a shiver down Gwendolin’s spine. She stared up at the towering figure, unable to decide whether she was more terrified or intrigued. The living armor tilted its head slightly as if mimicking a gesture of curiosity. Its empty eyes locked onto hers as it continued to stare. The crowd, still buzzing with whispers, seemed a thousand kilometers away. Gwendolin’s world narrowed to this improbable, intelligent being that now stood before her.
"You... you can hear me?"
She whispered, her voice quivering.
‘I can. And I assume you can hear me too?. That is ...Interesting, usually, that would require a body. Is it a connection similar to the one I have with Gleam?’
The voice was calm, almost casual as if the monster was just as surprised as her. It murmured something about sparkling light and bodies that she didn’t understand. Her heart hammered in her chest as she tried to maintain composure, unsure how to respond. She couldn’t let her confusion show - not in front of Katherine, the crowd, or this... thing.
The living armor’s head turned slowly, scanning the arena again. Its gaze seemed to linger on the other summoned creature, Katherine’s red orc warrior.
‘Ah, I’ve never seen a red orc before, is it stronger than the green ones? This must be part of the ‘Monster Combat’ Quest!’
‘Quest?’
She had no idea what the monster was talking about but it seemed to have identified the other summoned monster as an enemy. This soothed her nerves slightly as it seemed the monster was somewhat focused on the other and not on harming her. She was still not sure if she could control this being of metal but before she could continue the conversation, they were interrupted.
“Miss Rainstar!”
The instructor’s voice broke through her momentary stupor.
“You must command your summon to engage. This is a duel, not a staring contest.”
Gwendolin flinched, her face flushing as she realized the entire arena was waiting for her to act. Across the arena, Katherine tapped her foot impatiently, her red orc growling and flexing its massive arms.@@@@
“Well, Rainstar?”
Katherine called out, her tone sharp with mockery.
Rusty swung his poleaxe in a wide arc, aiming for the orc’s midsection. The orc barely managed to leap back, avoiding a direct hit but not escaping unscathed - the poleaxe grazed its chest, leaving a reddish line where the weapon had struck. The orc howled in pain, staggering back a few steps. The crowd, which had sneered at Gwendolin moments before, was now captivated. Whispers of astonishment rippled through the spectators.
“That metal golem is holding its own against the orc?”
“Did it block those axes without flinching?”
“Rainstar’s summon... it’s actually strong?”
Gwendolin watched in stunned silence, her fingers clutching the silver pendant. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Rusty wasn’t just strong - he was skilled, calculating, and independent. She wasn’t entirely sure what to do next but knew she had to stay calm. This might be her only chance to prove she belonged at the academy. Katherine, on the other hand, was fuming.
“You’re not going to show me up with that pile of scrap metal!”
She shouted.
“Red Orc Warrior, activate frenzy, destroy that heap of metal!”
She made a slicing motion with her hand, and a red glow enveloped the orc as it roared louder than ever. Its movements became erratic, wild, and ferocious as it charged Rusty again, this time with reckless abandon. Rusty stood his ground, his tower shield at the ready. The orc’s frenzied strikes came faster, each one heavier than the last, but Rusty’s defenses were impeccable. The metallic clang of each impact echoed through the arena like a symphony of war.
‘Mister Rusty, be careful... w-what skills do you have? I... I don’t know what to do...’
The girl panicked, but Rusty couldn’t understand what the big deal was. He didn’t realize that summoned creatures couldn’t use their skills without the caster’s permission. Normally, Gwendolin would have to perform the proper incantation to grant him access to his abilities. Without that, as a summon, he was restricted to relying solely on his physical form - putting him at a clear disadvantage against the Red Orc, who had the full support of its summoner.
‘Hah, I can use Frenzy just as well!’
Rusty proclaimed as a red haze similar to the one the Red Orc was surrounded with erupted from his metallic body. He was not a simple summon, he was his own monster capable of performing all his skills by himself.
Rusty’s declaration echoed in Gwendolin’s mind, sparking confusion. She barely understood how this was possible, but there was no time to dwell on it. The arena erupted as Rusty lunged forward with surprising agility, his poleaxe glowing faintly as it carried another skill of his, enhancing his blow even further than before.
The poleaxe came down with a thunderous crash, glowing with the red haze of Rusty’s activated skill. The Red Orc raised its axes to block, but the sheer force of the blow drove it to its knees, the ground beneath it cracking under the impact. The crowd erupted in gasps and cheers, their previous mocking words replaced by astonishment. Rusty wasn’t just holding his ground - he was dominating the fight.
Katherine’s smirk faltered. Her Red Orc, now visibly struggling under the relentless assault, looked less like a terrifying monster and more like a cornered beast. She clenched her fists, her voice sharp with frustration as she barked another command.
“Red Orc Warrior, retaliate! What do you think you are doing? Defeat that junk heap at once! It’s just a living armor with no weight, use your charge to push it down!”
The orc roared in defiance, pushing back against Rusty’s poleaxe and swinging its axes in a furious whirlwind. Rusty stepped back, his tower shield absorbing the blows effortlessly. Despite the orc’s raw power, its movements were growing more erratic. Frenzy, while formidable, came at a cost: the harder it fought, the more it drained itself.
In a desperate last-ditch effort, the monster obeyed its summoner’s command and charged recklessly. The tactic was simple - tackle the iron monstrosity to the ground. After all, it was just an empty suit of armor. The orc, large and muscular, weighed several times more than the armored figure.
The collision was imminent. With all its might, the orc surged forward, expecting to overwhelm its opponent. But to everyone’s astonishment, Rusty didn’t budge. He remained rooted in place, as though he weighed several tons. The ground beneath him cracked under the sudden, immense pressure as if his weight had suddenly increased in an instant.
‘Nice try orc, but this is it for you...’
A deafening clang rang out, followed by a sickening crack. Rusty’s poleaxe cleaved into the Red Orc’s armor-like hide, shattering the defensive layer and embedding deep into its side. The momentum of the charge was halted abruptly, the orc’s massive form crumpling to the ground. The crowd erupted into a mix of stunned gasps and cheers as the Red Orc let out a groan before collapsing, its body turning into mana particles as it had been defeated.
Rusty stepped back, yanking his weapon free with a metallic screech. He loomed over the fallen orc, his own frenzy skill fading away. For a moment, he stood still, wondering if this was the end of the mission. But the system offered no confirmation. He glanced at Katherine, the opposing summoner. She was doing something, mana was gathering around her form and the summoning circle, it seemed that this was not quite over yet.
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