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.

“Are you going to make it do something, or should I put it out of its misery for you?”

The previously startled crowd began to calm down. Katherine, still exuding an air of superiority, boasted confidently about her impending victory, despite her opponent’s success in summoning a creature. After all, there was more to a summoner’s duel than simply conjuring a powerful monster. To the onlookers, the summoned creatures appeared to be of similar rank. This meant that victory would come down to the summoners’ skill and in this case, most believed Katherine’s expertise gave her the upper hand.

“I… yes! Uh… Mister Living Armor attack the Red Orc Warrior!”

Gwendolin finally reacted, stretching out her hand. A small magic circle appeared above her palm, spinning slowly. It was a command circle with glyphs within it – an essential tool for summoners to direct their monsters. The circle shone brightly, and her voice echoed across the arena as she issued her command. To everyone’s surprise, the monster didn’t move. Instead, it turned its gaze toward her and just stood there.

“Hah! She can’t even control her own summon? Isn’t that an automatic loss?”

“I knew it was a fluke! Get out of the arena!”

The audience’s jeers rang out, their earlier astonishment giving way to mockery. Gwendolin somehow remained composed, her expression betraying no sign of panic but instead acceptance. She had anticipated this outcome. If a summoned monster was more powerful than its summoner, it would naturally resist commands, acting of its own accord. This was precisely why so many believed her defeat was inevitable. Without proper instructions and guidance from the summoner, even the most powerful monster would fail to secure victory.

Stolen novel; please report.

‘Mister Living Armor?’

‘Huh?’

‘I’m not a Mister, I’m Rusty! And don’t worry, I’ll take care of that orc.’