Others Summon, I Forge Beast Armor

”I can’t express my thanks enough, Mr. Blackstone,” Luke said, holding the cheque in his hands.

”Don’t sweat it, and you can call me by my first name, Loki,” Blackstone replied.

Luke nodded and moved to the door.

”235 million is too generous for a boy who carries the blood of the Blackstones’ generational enemies,” he thought. ”Maybe this is the case of scratch the surface, and you’ll find the rot?”

”But I can’t just toss away this opportunity. Playing smart is my only choice.”

Luke opened the door.

After all, Loki had claimed to be a man of intentions. In time, he would see just how pure they were.

Once he left, Mr. Blackstone opened a drawer. Inside was a photograph of Penelope Kingsley, framed for longevity.

He picked up the picture, staring so long at her face as his thumb brushed her cheek.

********

Luke booked a hotel room. Mr. Blackstone had given him safety in the city but not in the academy, where his family and rivals rule.

He spent the night focused on the Insect Army rather than basking in his millions, as some would. At the end, he forged a total of 8200 pieces, 70% of his goal.

〖+500 XP!〗

But when Luke woke up the next morning, he realized he had slept in.

”Shoot!” he cursed as he hurried to keep up with time.

Meanwhile, in Montclair Academy, a student pointed out a window.

”Hey, look, they’re here.”

A crowd gathered to see seven buses roll onto the campus grounds, inscribed with the crest of Rubverton High. The Montclair students gawking exchanged glances with each other, knowing their biggest rivals had finally arrived for the joint term.

The welcome ceremony began immediately. All sophomores gathered outside to receive them.

The Deans of Montclair and Rubverton exchanged greetings while the visiting students hauled their luggage off the buses, staring back at their unfriendly hosts.

Just as the tension almost became a fight, two seniors came out from the crowd.

Gideon, the current Dux, met Rubverton’s Nadya, the current Summa.

They traded a handshake, signaling acceptance and integrity between the schools.

”Good to see you, Nadya. Glad you made the trip,” Gideon said, even going as far as hugging her.

That hug made all the sophomores uncomfortable.

If their seniors were this cozy, that meant the rivalry was a sham. Would the two schools start to like each other by the end of this joint term?

”Very well! Welcome, everyone, to your final term in second year!” the Dean proclaimed. ”Go ahead and settle into your provided rooms, and make sure you are all seated in the auditorium for the orientation by eleven o’clock sharp.”

The orientation began in earnest in a hall big enough to hold both academies at the same time.

Principal Claris decided that a divided room would be bad for discipline, so she forced a mixed seating arrangement. Montclair students found themselves between Rubvertons, and vice versa. No one could make a comment without a rival hearing it.

Up on the stage, a blonde girl handed a tome to the principal as she walked up the steps.

”Here you go, Principal Claris,” she said sweetly.

”Thank you, Camilia,” Claris replied, taking the podium.

However, the doors to the auditorium burst open before she could make her speech.

?!

A dishevelled Luke Kingsley rushed into the hall, drawing every eye to himself.

”Luke?” Principal Claris whispered, embarrassed as Luke panted like he’d run a marathon.

Fufu–Pftt...

Many students snickered, holding their laughter.

Meanwhile, Camilia was furious at Luke’s tardiness, expecting the principal to rip him a new one right there.

But Luke was nowhere near Principal Claris’s blacklist.

”Luke, you’re late?” she said. ”Please, go have a seat.”

”Thank you, Principal,” Luke replied, full of relief as he began searching for a vacant spot amongst the sea of teenagers.

It didn’t take long before whispers began humming through the crowd.

”Hey, is that him?”

”Is that the Luke Kingsley?”

”Wow, so he’s a chronic late-comer on top of being a failure?”

Finally, Luke saw his sister Vivian waving her hand from the upper rows, and he joined her. But that didn’t stop her from feeling embarrassed too.

”Ahem, I apologize for the disturbance,” Principal Claris said into the mic. ”We shall go into the business of the day.”

Right next to her, the new apprentice Camilia was still angry that Luke got off scot-free without a punishment, but her opinions were yet to matter.

”Being a summoner is a divine gift,” Claris said, looking around in that principal manner. ”One in every ten people awakens this ability. What does that make us? Special. Chosen. Heroes.”

”Of course, there are discrepancies in fortitude. Let us not forget the influence of our bloodlines. Some of you summon stronger beasts than others because of your lineage. Two Elder-ranked summoners will almost certainly yield a prodigious child. Not guaranteed, but it is a trend you can’t ignore.”

Many students sat up smugly, especially nobles. Their smiles said, ”I was born for greatness.”

”But relying on family names? That makes you weak. In my eyes, you are nothing more than feeble upshoots easy to scythe. Even the monsters don’t care if your father has a mythic dragon. We all bleed red!”

The same students lowered their shoulders, some looking around nervously, others swallowing their pride.

”This is why you’re here. To be raised, honed, and sharpened for the hunt. At this checkpoint, you’re no longer citizens. So, be prepared to be exposed to truths and reveals. If you can’t face them, you will be consumed.”

”I shall now hand the microphone over to our Vice Principal, who will explain the academy’s ranking structure and expectations.”

The Vice Principal took the stage as if this were a matter of life and death. Nobody dared mess with the man, which explained why Claris had so much respect, because you can’t meet her without going through him.

”From this moment on, your privileges and resources are gone,” he said. ”If you want them back, you must take them from your rivals. If one academy slacks off, the other will starve them out.”

”To track your progress, you will each receive a Joint-Term Token.”

The Vice Principal held up what resembled a badge, made of brass, engraved with runes.

”It records your victories, tracks your ranking, and unlocks rewards. But if you want the best, you have to fight the person next to you for it.”

”At the end of this term, the top two ranking students will be named Dux and Summa, joining the confederacy council and becoming key defenders in the defense of our world.

Students shifted in their seats while whispers bloomed from every angle. Some tried to maintain a straight face, but everyone was both excited and anxious about what was to come.