Starting With an SSS-Rank Goddess Summon!

Sky closed her eyes, a memory flickering through her mind as a quiet bitter thought echoed in her soul.

’If I win this war... if I pull off the greatest stream in history... maybe my brother will finally look at me properly... maybe he’ll like me a little bit more.’

[A Week Later]

’It’s been such a long time since I saw Big Brother...’

Lia sat quietly at her polished wooden desk inside Junior Cohort Class Three at Valoria Academy with her chin resting in the palm of her hand as she stared wistfully out the high glass window.

Outside, the bright morning sun illuminated the pristine white-marble walkways and manicured hedges of the academy’s central quad.

In truth, it hadn’t even been that long at all.

It had only been a little over a week since Silas had gone through the gate into the Sovereign Realm to establish his territory in the Umbral Basin.

But to a eleven-year-old girl who had spent at least seven years of her life practically glued to her older brother’s side, a week felt like an eternity.

’Especially when I know he’s okay...’

She was worried about him.

She was deeply agonizingly worried.

The Sovereign Realm was notorious across Earth’s media networks for being a brutal, blood-soaked graveyard for Lords.

Every single day, news broadcasts aired reports of new awakeners getting overrun by monster tides, ambushed by rogue Lords, or legally crushed under the corporate foot of high-society noble families.

A terrible terrifying thought occasionally crept into the dark corners of her mind: What if Big Brother died in the Sovereign Realm?

Lia vigorously shook her head, her dark pigtails swaying back and forth as she forcefully squashed the thought.

’No,’ Lia declared stubbornly in her mind. ’No, Big Brother did not die. He’s too smart, too strong, and too stubborn to die out there.’

Why would he die and leave her all alone in this massive unforgiving world?

Silas had dragged her out of the cold gutters when she was just a tiny child, working three dead-end jobs at a time just to feed her, buy her medicine, and now... he had secured her a spot at the most prestigious academy in Valoria City despite the fact that she had betrayed his trust.

He wouldn’t abandon her now... She refused to even entertain the thought...

At the front of the grand lecture hall, the male professor in formal grey suit trousers stepped up to the digital chalkboard.

He tapped a long wooden pointer against a complex glowing geometric diagram of internal mana pathways.

”And so, as we observe in the second-order Mana Circuit theory,” the professor lectured, his voice droning on through the silent classroom, ”the alignment of a Blue Core requires precise spatial synchronization before external spellcasting can be achieved without mana backlash—”

The professor paused, his sharp eyes scanning the rows of seated students until his gaze landed squarely on the distracted ten-year-old girl by the window.

”Lia Graves!” the professor called out sharply with his voice echoing off the high stone arches.

Lia startled slightly, snapping her head back toward the front of the room.

The professor crossed his arms, offering a stern demanding look.

”Since you appear far more interested in the morning weather than my lecture, perhaps you can answer the question currently displayed on the board? What is the core formula required to stabilize a mana circuit during ambient environmental interference?”

The surrounding students in the classroom turned their heads, a few arrogant noble heirs snickering under their breath, expecting the young girl to stumble.

Lia didn’t even blink.

The exact second her eyes locked onto the complex geometric diagram on the digital chalkboard, her sharp mind processed the variables instantly.

She had already thoroughly studied and mastered Beginner Mana a week ago using the high-tier textbooks Silas had bought for her.

”The core formula requires multiplying the environmental mana density coefficient by the frequency, then dividing the product by the caster’s core resistance threshold,” Lia answered smoothly, her sweet voice sounded perfectly calm. ”If the environmental interference exceeds three hundred units, an auxiliary node must be inscribed on the secondary circuit to prevent channel rupture.”

Silence fell over the classroom.

The professor blinked in genuine surprise, lowering his wooden pointer. He cleared his throat, adjusting his spectacles.

”That... is completely correct, Miss Graves,” the professor admitted, gesturing with his hand. ”You may sit down.”

Lia offered a polite nod, settling back into her wooden chair.

The professor turned back to the digital chalkboard, tapping the glass interface to clear the diagram and pull up a fresh glowing gold assignment tab.

”Now, class, before we wrap up today’s session, we have a major curriculum requirement to address,” the professor announced, his voice echoing through the lecture hall. ”Next week, you will be completing a comprehensive practical research project on Territory Logistics...”

He gestured toward the screen as a list of rules materialized.

”This is a mandatory group project. There are exactly twenty-one students in this class, meaning you will be automatically structured into seven groups of three. You have the remainder of this period to organize yourselves into your three-person teams. Please sort yourselves out without making unnecessary noise before the closing bell.”

The lecture hall instantly erupted into a flurry of quiet hushed chatter as students stood up, shuffling across the floor to form groups with their wealthy noble friends and high-tier academic peers.

Lia let out a soft defeated sigh, leaning back in her chair and pulling her textbook closer.

Predictably, nobody approached her desk.

Nobody rushed over to ask the quiet girl in simple clothes to join their group.

Lia picked up her pen, tracing the corner of her notebook.

She was a bit of a nerd, so what?

She didn’t care about the shallow social politics of Valoria Academy’s wealthy elite... She was deliberately milking every single bit of the academic opportunity Silas had given her, pushing herself to become the best and most intelligent version of herself so that when her Big Brother returned, he would be proud of the sister he had put money in to raise.

Suddenly, a pair of warm arms wrapped gently around Lia’s shoulders from behind.

”Don’t be so grumpy, Lia~!” a cheerful, energetic voice giggled directly in her ear! ”I’ll be your partner!”

Lia gasped, turning her head to see Kaede... a breathtakingly cute ten-year-old girl with dark, shiny hair tied in neat side-ribbons and bright expressive eyes.

A few seats down, several wealthy noble boys who had been walking over to ask Kaede to join their group froze in their tracks, looking deeply disappointed as Kaede completely ignored their hopeful gestures.

Lia pouted slightly, a soft blush touching her cheeks as Kaede squeezed her in a tight hug.

”Th-Thanks, Kaede...”

Before the boys could even recover from Kaede’s rejection—

STEP! STEP!

A second girl stepped up to Lia’s desk.

She possessed silky vibrant purple hair styled in elegant twin pigtails, striking violet eyes, and a sharp haughty posture that radiated natural noble authority.

It was Penelope.

Penelope folded her arms over her chest, leaning her hip against the side of Lia’s wooden desk.

Before any of the nearby students could even open their mouths to offer her a spot in their groups, Penelope shot them a fierce, razor-sharp glare that made them immediately turn around and walk away.

Penelope turned back to Lia, gently reaching out with her manicured fingers and playfully pinching Lia’s soft cheek.

”Cheer up, Lia,” Penelope remarked, her tone carrying a light arrogant huff that couldn’t hide her genuine warmth. ”Who on earth did you think I wanted to be partners with before the professor even made the announcement? You’re stuck with us.”

Lia bit her lower lip, her eyes sparkling with quiet, immense happiness as she looked at the two girls standing beside her desk.

”Thanks, guys...” Lia muttered softly with a genuine smile breaking across her face.

In her heart, Lia felt a wave of sweet relief.

Her Big Brother wouldn’t mind her having friends, right? Over the past week, as Silas had been away building his territory, these two had stuck by her side, eating lunch with her, studying in the library, and protecting her from the sneering comments of arrogant upperclassmen.

They had become truly close friends.

RIIIIING!

The sharp ringing chime of the closing bell echoed through the academy halls!

The professor stepped away from his desk, raising his voice over the sound of packing bags.

”Class dismissed! Remember, your group project is due next week Monday! That gives you exactly seven days! Work hard, and do not leave the research to the last minute!”

”Yes, Professor!” the class responded in unison.

Students quickly grabbed their leather satchels and headed for the double exit doors.

Lia, Kaede, and Penelope packed their notebooks into their backpacks, stepping out into the wide, sunlit hallway together.

Kaede stretched her arms high above her head, letting out a dramatic sigh. ”Man, how much homework do we even have today?”

Lia pulled out a small pocket planner, checking her neat handwriting. ”We have two other assignments from Basic Magic Spells and Geography... plus the big group project, of course.”

Kaede’s eyes lit up as she clapped her hands together.

”Well, today is Monday, so the project isn’t due until next Monday! That means we have the whole week and the entire weekend to work on it! Hey... would you guys like to come over to my place today after school so we can get started?”

Kaede leaned in closer, her dark eyes sparkling with wild excitement.

”And plus... we can watch the Blessed Land Stream together on my big screen!”

The moment the words ”Blessed Land Stream” left Kaede’s mouth, Penelope’s eyes widened with intense interest.

Over the past week, the entire global network had gone completely, utterly insane over the news of the upcoming territory war...

The hype surrounding Lord Vespera and the Blessed Land had reached such a mind-boggling peak that almost everyone and their mother across Earth and the Sovereign Realm was on standby, waiting for the live broadcast signal to go live.

Lia didn’t hate the Blessed Land at all... she was actually a massive fan of Lord Vespera’s viral stream clips, captivated by the mysterious single-armed Warlord in the suit.

But in her heart, Lia would always root for her Big Brother’s territory first... as soon as Silas finally actually told her the official name of his territory.

Penelope adjusted her backpack strap, offering a calm composed nod. ”I don’t mind going to your place, Kaede. My older sister is exceptionally busy at the moment anyway...”

Hearing Penelope mention her older sister, both Lia and Kaede paused, offering her a quiet, deeply sympathetic look.

Over the past few days, Penelope’s family had been rocked by massive, high-profile tragedy.

Her older sister had been publicly accused of murdering their father by blasting him off the top floor of the LAB Building facility that was in the city center.

Though the police investigation had never proven the murder allegations true, the father’s death had left Penelope’s sister as the sole legal inheritor of the family’s vast corporate fortune.

In less than a week, Penelope’s family had transitioned from wealthy citizens to high-tier influential Lords in Awakened Society, but the emotional weight and media scandal had been immense.

They both felt deeply sorry for what Penelope was going through...

Lia pulled out her smartphone from her pocket, swiping open her screen.

”I need to take permission from Martha first before I agree.”

Lia dialed the home landline, placing the phone to her ear.

After two rings, the sweet maternal voice of Martha... Silas’s dedicated housekeeper back at their luxury apartment answered the call.

”Hello, Lia dear! Are you finished with classes?”

”Hi, Martha!” Lia greeted warmly. ”Yes, class just ended! Where are you?”

”Ah, I’m so sorry, sweetie, I’m currently stuck in heavy traffic near the central boulevard,” Martha explained with the distant hum of car horns audible through the speaker. ”An armaments transport truck stalled on the bridge, so the pick-up line is completely backed up. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes!”

”It’s okay, Martha!” Lia reassured her quickly. ”Actually... my friends invited me to go over to Kaede’s house today to work on a group project and watch a stream! Can I go with them until...?”

Lia turned her head, mute-covering the phone mic, and looked at Kaede.

”Until when?”

”Until the evening!” Kaede answered with a bright smile. ”My butler can drop you off, or Martha can pick you up from my place later!”

Lia unmuted the phone. ”Until this evening! Is that okay?”