The ground shook and split as the Corruption Beast charged.
Varin slid back just in time.
His golem—a bulky stone humanoid with uneven plates—stepped forward and blocked the impact. Dust rose around them as the beast growled.
"Hold it," Varin said evenly.
The golem locked its arms, bracing. The beast pushed forward, claws digging against stone.
"Push back. Keep its balance."
The golem followed his command, forcing the creature backward. Varin saw an opening.
"Finish it."
The golem grabbed the beast by the throat, slammed it into the ground, and crushed its skull with a heavy strike.
The beast collapsed.
Varin scanned the surroundings. The land was unfamiliar but calm: rolling plains, sparse trees, and distant hills. Nothing extraordinary—yet everything was subtly different. He could feel the faint pull of mana in the air, unlike anything he had sensed before.
"I think I got myself into a different world," he muttered quietly, his tone calm but alert.
Flashback.
Lyris Academy — Summoning Hall.
Students stood in formation on glowing summoning circles. Teachers observed silently.
"Activate the summoning circles," the instructor commanded.
Circles lit up. Portals opened. Creatures stepped through—spirits, armored beasts, even elemental constructs.
Then Varin's circle flared brightly. A portal ripped open above him.
A dragon descended partially through, lowering its head. Golden eyes fixed on Varin with sharp awareness.
The hall went silent.
"Varin… a dragon?"
"No one's ever—"
Varin reached out, trying to form the natural resonance that bonds a summoner and a summon.
Nothing happened.
No connection.
He can't make a contract at all.
The dragon's eyes narrowed. The portal behind it reopened, and it was pulled back into its world.
Whispers filled the hall.
"He couldn't resonate?"
"With a dragon?"
"Is that even possible?"
The instructor sighed.
"…No resonance. Not even the minimum."
By the next day, the label had spread:
"The boy with dragon-level mana… but zero summoning talent."
End of Chapter 1
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