Mark watched from his seat beside Hermione, arms folded, as the combat instructor summoned a five foot tall porcupine creature emerging from a flaring portal. Along its back bristled clusters of thick, impossibly long spiky quills, each one tipped with a stark white head. They looked more than capable of piercing straight through several blocks of solid lead or layered steel armor in a single strike.
The creature stood upright on a pair of digitigrade hind legs, moving almost like an oversized kangaroo. It carried sharp claws and teeth capable of tearing through tough, resistant flesh. Yet oddly enough, despite its dangerous size and intimidating appearance, it seemed to prefer feeding on small creatures and plants rather than anything more aggressive.
The combat instructor folded his arms with obvious pride, admiring his own summon. Rumor had it that the porcupine’s sharp quills were essentially limitless in supply, and had even drawn serious interest from the U.S. military, who reportedly sought them out for use in ammunition packaging, cartridge design, and weapons reinforcement. They had allegedly offered him lucrative deals and contracts to secure the material, since the quills apparently outperformed even standard .450 JDJ rounds in raw effectiveness.
They were said to work exceptionally well in high tech rifles, heavy gunnery, and ballistic missile systems used across modern warfare, and could reportedly bring down dangerous dungeon monsters otherwise resistant to conventional weaponry.
Still, no one really knew for certain how that particular deal had ultimately played out between the two parties, whether it had gone through successfully or fallen apart entirely.
Some students praised the combat instructor for staying loyal to the academy rather than chasing outside opportunity, while the majority quietly criticized what they saw as a foolish refusal to seize such a clearly lucrative deal. Either way, no one truly knew the full details of what had actually happened behind closed doors.
"Next! Step forward!" the combat instructor bellowed as Mia stepped confidently onto the platform. The entire sophomore class had gathered inside the grand battle arena for their practical training session, led personally by the instructor. The lesson was designed to help students better understand just how vulnerable, or formidable, their summons truly were, exposing potential weaknesses and teaching tactical ways to overcome them.
As Mia walked forward, she flipped her long purple hair with an elegant, arrogant flourish, the kind of gesture that made more than a few hearts skip a beat among the crowd.
Like most of the school’s top ranked beauties, she was undeniably attractive, though her demeanor gave her looks a sharper, sassier edge, something closer to a striking goth aesthetic that plenty of admiring boys would gladly kneel and claw over one another to impress. Fittingly enough, both of her personal subordinates fell squarely into that very category, constantly competing with one another for even the smallest sliver of her approval and attention.
Mia smirked, snapping her delicate fingers together with a sharp, crisp sound as a violet portal flared open beside her, swirling ominously like a small, foreboding black hole. From within it emerged a massive orchid mantis, its arms tipped with gleaming, blade like edges and rows of sharp claws running along their length. Its compound eyes swept across the surrounding arena with unnerving precision, its head twitching and turning at sharp, unnatural angles.
Its hard, leaflike chitinous body formed a seamless orchid green carapace, segmented tightly without any visible gaps between the plates. Sharp, gleaming mandibles clicked together menacingly, more than capable of piercing straight through solid brick or hardened armor plating.
This was the Phantom Fighter Mantis, a 6.0 High Tier summon carrying the potential to eventually reach a full 8.0.
As though already anticipating what was coming, the summon shifted immediately into a solid defensive stance, both blade like arms raised protectively over its smaller head to form a makeshift shield, each segmented limb locked firmly in place for balance and stability.
The porcupine creature snarled, turning its back toward its target before launching a rapid volley of sharp quills, each one streaking through the air with the speed and precision of a well aimed arrow.
The entire sophomore class watched with rapt attention, murmuring quietly among themselves about the stakes involved, while others quietly rehearsed their own upcoming turns, aware that everyone present would eventually be called forward to participate.
The mantis moved its bladed arms with startling speed, deflecting and blocking each incoming quill, some shattering instantly into splintered fragments on contact.
More quills followed in rapid succession, and soon its arms blurred entirely, moving with the speed of a spinning blade, breaking apart each attack or deflecting it harmlessly off to the side. The mantis had clearly adapted its defensive stance into an offensive tool as well, using the very structure of its block to actively destroy each incoming projectile, and the technique was working remarkably well.
"I call this one Flash Slash. Pretty cool, right? She only just picked it up recently, but she’s already gotten scary good with it." Mia smirked smugly, one hand resting confidently on her hip in a defiant, eye catching pose.
Flash Slash was classified as an adaptive skill, distinct from the more common, inborn innate skills most summons carried naturally. This particular technique had been independently developed by the mantis itself, refined specifically to counter fast, incoming strikes. It allowed the creature’s arms to move at speeds far exceeding a fraction of a single second, dramatically amplifying its defensive output while effectively turning it into a living blade against any incoming projectile attack.
A wave of enthusiastic applause, cheers, and shout outs rose up from the gathered sophomores, thoroughly impressed by Mia’s summon and its spectacular display. Her two subordinates in particular practically shouted her name over and over, showering her with far more praise and admiration than the moment probably called for.
Kai simply watched on with an unbothered, detached expression as the mantis continued weaving through the barrage with practiced dexterity, right up until the attack finally ceased and Mia recalled her summon, walking away without so much as a nod of acknowledgment toward the cheering crowd. Max and Roman remained seated on either side of him, positioned like a pair of loyal bodyguards standing watch.
No one dared approach or disturb the trio, well aware of the raw strength, dominance, and sheer physical presence they collectively commanded. They knew better than to test that boundary.
"Mia’s performance was genuinely impressive. High marks for that one in the record books. She only chose to showcase a single skill her summon has learned so far, which makes me wonder just how many others she might be hiding. Truly impressive work," the combat instructor remarked with an approving smile, before clearing his throat sharply. "Alright, next! Step forward!"
Already aware of who would be called next, given the established order of the lesson, Hermione glanced toward Mark with a playful smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She gave him a light, teasing nudge with her elbow. "Guess it’s your turn now. Think you can top Mia’s performance? I’m willing to bet on you."
"I hope so. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure how well I’ll do here, but I’ll give it everything I’ve got." Mark paused thoughtfully before adding, "Do you actually believe in me?"
"Of course I do. You’re going to outdo every single one of them," Hermione teased, hands pressed lightly against her mouth to stifle a giggle. "No, seriously, I mean it. You will." She laughed softly at the uncertain expression still lingering on his face.
"Alright then. You always seem so sure of me, more than I am sometimes." Mark made his way down from the stands, climbing up onto the wide, open platform below. Bright sunlight poured down over him, catching against his skin with a warm, brilliant glow.
He could feel countless eyes fixed intently on his back, the weight of their attention almost physical, like a swarm of curious insects. It was clear plenty of people were eager to finally witness firsthand what his strange, unconventional summon was truly capable of. Still, the scrutiny hardly bothered him, far too eager himself to see exactly what surprises his own summon had in store for this particular lesson.
He had always known the Amazons carried remarkable potential when it came to anything involving combat, excelling naturally in ways few other summon types could match.
Magical sparks swirled around Mark like a sudden, rushing whirlwind, dispersing a moment later to reveal a tall, striking woman with wild orange hair pulled into a double ponytail. She looked largely the same as before, though her height had shifted noticeably, now standing at a full seven feet, a direct result of the rapid growth in her power tier following her recent absorption of dungeon cores.
A gleaming pair of silver bracers, accented with delicate gold trim, now covered both her forearms, shielding them from potential physical harm. Ornate hand bands secured along the length of her arms, each one decorated with intricate, filigree patterns.
Several students began whispering among themselves at her striking appearance, most of them clearly stunned by the subtle but noticeable increase in her height and overall bearing. She radiated an even stronger sense of fierce, dominant, and undeniably enchanting presence. The combat instructor took a brief moment simply to admire her before folding his arms and offering an approving nod.
Cassandra crossed her arms into a solid, defensive blocking stance, her sea blue eyes sharp with focus. She widened her stance slightly, planting her feet firmly to better resist any incoming force, rooting herself securely into position. Her posture curved slightly forward, forming a compact, well anchored framework built entirely around defense.
Mark stepped back from the open platform, careful to clear the area before any potential harm could reach him. With that, the combat instructor gave the signal, and his porcupine summon launched forward another rapid volley, dozens of sharp quills tearing through the air at incredible speed before striking hard against the metallic surface of the Amazon’s bracers with a dull, ringing thud, each one harmlessly bouncing away.
More waves of quills followed in steady succession, all bouncing uselessly off her seemingly indestructible bracers, which began to gleam faintly brighter with each successive impact. Notably, the familiar runic symbols typically associated with her reflective feedback never activated, meaning Cassandra had deliberately chosen not to enable that particular counterattack function this time.
This portion of the lesson focused specifically on pure defensive capability rather than combat output, meaning she was restricted solely to defending herself, purely to test the limits of her endurance and raw resilience.
Back inside the headmaster’s office, Mary glanced toward Williams, standing quietly beside her as they both observed the scene unfolding through the floor to ceiling glass wall, an approving expression settling over her face. The headmaster remained silent for a moment longer before finally nodding in quiet agreement at what he was witnessing as well.
"He’s summoned her again, and she’s clearly quite skilled when it comes to combat fundamentals. His summon might look unconventional, but that’s simply part of what makes her unique. Honestly, it doesn’t surprise me at all, coming from someone potentially ranked as a Monarch Tier summoner," Mary remarked thoughtfully.
"I agree with you, generally speaking, but we still can’t say for certain whether he’s genuinely a Monarch Tier summoner. The gauging equipment isn’t always perfectly accurate, so it’s probably best we avoid jumping to conclusions just yet." Williams narrowed his eyes slightly, continuing to watch the unfolding scene below.
"Mm hmm. Still holding onto that skepticism of yours, aren’t you?" Mary smirked faintly, glancing toward him from the corner of her eye.
Outside, the demonstration continued, the porcupine creature escalating its attack even further, unleashing a relentless, horizontal storm of quills in rapid succession. Each strike rang out loudly against Cassandra’s sturdy bracers, the sound echoing steadily across the arena.
Cassandra’s stance never wavered, not even slightly, as she held her ground with unshakable steadiness. Still, the sheer, continuous force of the barrage caused her bracers to vibrate faintly, a soft, gleaming light beginning to emanate slowly from their surface.
At that moment, her bracers flared suddenly with a brighter, more intense radiance, startling several onlookers in the stands, before finally dimming to reveal an entirely new set of armor in their place. The updated design was noticeably larger, more elegantly curved, and extended further along her forearm in a broader, shield like shape. Delicate floral vine patterns now wound across its gleaming metallic surface, giving it an appearance of considerably greater strength and craftsmanship.
Mark’s eyes widened as sudden realization struck him. Cassandra’s bracers had just evolved into a legendary grade artifact, meaning her overall damage resistance, durability, and raw strength had all surged dramatically. Whatever reflective feedback enchantment they carried would now hit back with far greater, more devastating force than before.
These were the Bracers of Achilles, a legendary defensive artifact rumored to have once been wielded by the great heroes of primordial Greek legend. According to myth, this particular second set had been forged personally by Hephaestus, the blacksmith god himself, after the Trojan prince Hector slew Patroclus and stripped away the original armor from his fallen body.
This upgrade would make her defensive blocking, and by extension her offensive strikes, far more brutal and nearly impossible to overcome. It also promised a substantial boost to her aggressive combat potential going forward.
By this point, the incoming quills could no longer even close the final few inches of distance before bouncing harmlessly away in another direction entirely, as though repelled by some invisible, unseen force.
Mark nodded in quiet approval, a small, satisfied smile crossing his face. The combat instructor raised his hand, signaling his summon to finally halt its assault.
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