The system's chime rang, and Rakuya felt a prickle of dread.
"Why can't I summon?" he asked, baffled.
"Ding. Insufficient points."
"Insufficient… I thought maxed Summoning meant I could summon without limits?" Rakuya's eyes widened. Had he misunderstood the whole feature? If so, that was beyond ridiculous.
He had pictured himself conquering the seas in minutes. Apparently, not so simple.
"Apologies. Maxing Summoning only unlocks the roster of characters you can summon. You still need to spend points to redeem each one. Think of it as purchasing them."
"Pfft."
Rakuya nearly coughed blood. Spend points to buy the people he summoned? It felt like he'd boarded a pirate ship captained by his own system.
That idiot system had just hand-waved it earlier, saying he could summon characters and beasts from other anime worlds. It never mentioned they'd cost points to bring over.
The whole thing screamed pay-to-win cash shop.
Like one of those games sneering, No money, no skins. No money, no fun.
Shameless. The system was as predatory as a gacha studio on launch week, maybe worse.
Rakuya's enthusiasm collapsed.
"Damn you, stupid system. You scammed me. Why didn't you say summoning costs points? If I'd known, I would've maxed something else. Pay me back."
"…"
"…"
He ranted until the steam bled off, then opened his points panel with a wince. The number stabbed him right in the heart.
"Maxing Summoning cost me fourteen thousand five hundred points?" He stared. "You have got to be kidding."
"System, you're obviously bugged. Head back to the factory for repairs and refund my points while you're at it…"
"…Apologies, host. System functioning normally."
Of course it was.
Seeing the system wouldn't bite, Rakuya dropped it and checked the balance again. Nine hundred points glared back.
One upgrade, over ten thousand gone. Absurd.
"Is maxed Summoning really that expensive?"
"Ding. Max-level costs scale by doubling. Your last max upgrade for Body took 7,200 points. This one should be around 14,440."
"Get lost. I don't want to talk to you." Rakuya clutched his chest, utterly done.
"…"
"Host, do not be discouraged. Maxed Summoning is powerful. Summoned units are not restricted by local rules and have exceptional recovery."
"Not restricted. Great recovery. And that helps me how?" Rakuya frowned.
"For example, Naruto-world characters rely on chakra. The One Piece world has no ambient chakra. Ordinarily that would cripple them. The system optimizes their bodies so they can burn only their own chakra and recover it absurdly fast. In short, they are even more dominant here than in their native world."
"That's nice for them. I'm still not the one getting stronger." Rakuya's interest flatlined. So that was the big selling point?
"One more benefit."
"What now?"
"Summoned powerhouses obey only you. In their eyes, you are their god and supreme master. They will follow any order without question. Without orders, they act freely."
Rakuya snorted. "Name one summoning system where the characters don't listen to the summoner."
"…"
Silence. As expected.
"Another thing," the system said.
"Say it." Rakuya was already bored enough to shut the whole interface.
"Summoned characters retain memories while in this world. If you later travel to their native world, any copies you summoned here will vanish, and their experiences in this world will be erased, as if they never existed."
"Are you kidding me?" Rakuya exploded. "So I build an army of hundreds, then step into their world and poof, they're gone? That's your idea of a perk?"
"Er… if they remembered you as their host over there, it would cramp your style when you try to act mysterious."
"Mysterious my ass. If I have an army, I'm already invincible. Why would I need to pose?"
"…"
"A compromise," the system offered at last. "One free summon. Random character."
Rakuya blinked. "A free pull?"
"Yes."
He wasn't stupid. Free was free. His gloom vanished like morning mist.
He opened the maxed Summoning panel and scanned the roster, weighing what a random draw might land him.
Naruto-world alone had everything: Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Uchiha Itachi, Nagato, Namikaze Minato, Deidara, Kakuzu, Hidan, Black Zetsu, the Six Paths of Pain, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Sasuke… and the One to Ten-Tails lineup. Practically the entire cast sat there on the shelf, ready for purchase.
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