My name is Kael Phong. A second-year college student living an ordinary, dull life. Games were the only place where I could feel the thrill of victory, the hunger for power...
...and now, they've become the gateway to a completely different destiny.
Thunder rumbled across the sky, but I didn't care. My eyes were locked on the computer screen where a flashing red message popped up in the middle of my favorite game, Summoner's Realm:
"Would you like to experience the real version? Choosing 'Yes' means no turning back."
A mysterious prompt. It wasn't in any of the official patch notes.
I hesitated. My hand trembled as I slowly moved the cursor over to the "Yes" button...
Before I could click...
CRACK!!!
A bolt of lightning struck a power pole outside. A surge of electricity blasted into my room and shot straight into the computer.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion. Blinding light. The entire room quaked and vanished into darkness.
I died.
Not in the game. For real.
When I opened my eyes, everything was different. I still remembered the sensation my soul being torn from my body, falling like a comet through endless void until it landed here. A new world.
A world with three moons hanging in the sky and an air that buzzed with raw magical energy.
I had been... reborn.
Before I could process what was happening, a mechanical voice echoed inside my mind:
> [Summoner System Activated]
Name: Kael Phong
Title: System Rookie
Starter Beast: ??? (Universal Tier)
I froze.
A Universal Tier beast? As a beginner?!
Was I... lucky? No this was insane!
I activated my summoning ability for the first time and what appeared in front of me was...
...a furball?
A round, fluffy ball of fuzz, barely the size of a soccer ball. Two glowing emerald eyes stared at me. It floated slightly above the ground.
Then it spoke.
"Yo! What are you staring at? First time someone hasn't screamed after seeing me. Wait... are you my new master? Holy sh*t!"
I blinked. "You can talk? You're my Universal Tier beast?!"
It grinned, sarcastically.
"Damn right. Name's Longlong the Eternal Stoneheart. Easier to remember, easier to raise. Wanna try me out?"
I stood in stunned silence. This... thing looked like a rejected stuffed toy and yet, it claimed to be the most powerful class of beast?
A beam of light suddenly radiated from Longlong. The system chimed again:
> [Eternal Stoneheart has been activated]
Linked Beasts Unlocked:
Cannon Turtle (Legendary Tier)
Ancient Spiritwood Fiend (World Tier)
Spacefaring Shark (Spatial Tier)
??? (Universal Tier - Sealed)
Longlong rolled lazily in the air and yawned.
"Told ya. Don't judge by appearances. I might not fight directly, but I'm your link to the strongest beasts across the universe. Without me, you're just another clueless rookie."
My fists clenched. My heartbeat thundered. It was overwhelming. I died, yes... but this wasn't a dream.
Something real had begun.
Longlong floated up, eyes gleaming.
"Wanna survive? Then listen closely. This world doesn't play fair, Kael Phong."
I looked up to the sky with three glowing moons. A strange, exhilarating pulse filled my chest.
"I don't know what the future holds. But if fate chose me then I'll rise to the top, even if I have to crush destiny itself."
[End of Chapter 1]
Next Chapter 2: Cannon Turtle Unleashed & The Secret Behind Summoning Contracts