Chapter 1

    The Boy Who Wanted to be a Summoner Part I

    Part 1

    In a room resembling a dormitory bedroom designed for boarding school students, one wall was lined with a moderately high bunk bed, while the opposite side featured two desks placed side by side. The room was not particularly spacious but was not cramped either, even though it was meant for two occupants.

    Inside, the voices of two boys engaged in a lively conversation could be heard.

    From their exchange, it appeared one boy was teasing the other, who showed no sign of annoyance or irritation in response.

    One boy reclined on the top bunk, while the other sat hunched over, scribbling something on the floor. Both seemed to be about nine or ten years old.

    “What a waste of time, Zal. It's going to fail again. Remember, we have a spatial creation exam today. Save your magical energy.”

    The boy lounging on the top bunk spoke with a provoking tone.

    He was Lofen Trank, a boy with gray hair and a long face that suited his small eyes which always seemed to be smiling, making it difficult to tell when he was serious or joking.

    "Just watch, I’ve been reading up on summoning techniques in the library. This time it’s going to work!"

    Zalaras Halcyon, the other boy, who was on his knees drawing a magical circle on the floor, replied with confidence.

    His face was pretty, like a girl. He had a flaming red hair and distinctive amber eyes that sparkled golden when hit by light—an unusual trait even in their diverse world.

    "All set."

    After completing the circle, Zal stood up, casually wiping his hands on his robe, and then channeled magical energy into the circle, causing it to emit a faint blue glow.

    "By my power, come forth! King of Dragons, Alduin!"

    While a fully drawn circle was enough to make the spell work without spoken words, Zal deliberately vocalized it to add grandeur to the summoning.

    As he finished the incantation, a bright light burst from the circle, forcing both boys to turn away.

    When they looked back, what appeared in the circle surprised Lofen so much his eyes widened—though with his small eyes, it looked more like he was squinting at something.

    “This is…”

    "How about that! My dragon!"

    "...If you could call that a dragon."

    What materialized in the circle was a rotund, gray creature about the size of a dog or cat. While it somewhat resembled a dragon, it looked more like a dragon hatchling-shaped balloon, inflated to the point of puffiness.

    Its small wings and limbs seemed utterly useless, and its swollen tail was so big that its short legs barely touched the ground. The chubby dragon just wobbled back and forth on its tail like a roly-poly toy.

    "This is the first step for Zalaras army! I hereby appoint you, Alduin, as the commander of my dragon forces... Oh!?"

    Zal spoke as he bent down to pick up Alduin, but before he could straighten up, the little dragon dissipated into thin air.

    Such a short-lived commander.

    "I told you to stop using phrases like that; people might misunderstand. Anyway, managing to summon something tangible like that on your own is truly unexpected, even if it looked bizarre and vanished in five seconds,"

    Lofen offered his compliments, but as usual, his words were laced with his characteristic sharp-witted sarcasm, an ingrained habit of his that seemed impossible to break.

    "Tsk, maybe I messed up the amount of magic power? I intended it to last at least a minute... Let's try again!"

    "Hey, hey, we have an exam today, remember? Let me see how much magic power you have left... Hey, you've used up nearly a third of it already! On that balloon thing, no less. Enough already,"

    Lofen protested after pulling Zal's wrist to check his magical power.

    Every student's wrist was equipped with a band that roughly indicated their remaining magical power through a blue strip that faded to white as their energy diminished. For seasoned adventurers or high-level mages, such a device was unnecessary as they could gauge their magic reserves on their own. However, for children or novice adventurers lacking such abilities, this was a crucial tool for assessing their status. The wristband also functioned as a watch and a locator device for tracking students in case they got lost.

    Seeing that Zal’s blue strip had reduced to only two-thirds, Lofen decisively erased the magic circle from the floor with his foot.

    "Hey! Just saying it would have been enough, no need to erase the circle. I don’t want to draw it all over again!"

    "How can we leave a magic circle here? If a teacher came in for inspection, we’d be in real trouble."

    As they argued, there was a knock at the door, making both of them jump. Lofen quickly erased the remaining part of the circle, while Zal went to the door. Once sure Lofen had erased the circle, he unlocked and opened the door.

    "You guys are slow. What were you up to this time?"

    "What... Oh, it's you, Talis,"

    Lofen said languidly, relieved it was not a teacher, allowing both to relax from their moment of tension.

    "Hello, Talis."

    "Hi, Zal,"

    the visitor, Talis Althea, responded with her usual bright smile. She was a pretty girl with soft red hair, almost pink, styled in twin braids that made her look sweet and demure.

    "It’s almost time to gather for the exam, I was worried you might be running late, so I came to check on you."

    "We’re all ready! No worries,"

    Zal replied, overly enthusiastic to cover up the earlier incident, but Talis, ever unsuspecting, did not sense anything amiss.

    "Alright, let's go then."

    With that, she turned and left the room. Zal and Lofen exchanged a mischievous glance before following her out.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Part 2

    As they left the dormitory, the trio walked along a path that cut through a broad plaza along the cliff's edge for nearly one hundred meters, leading to the main academic building of the school.

    This was Ejis Academy, an institution for children who show promise as future adventurers. Located on the cliffs of the Ejis Mountain Range, the academy boasted a unique landscape and ambiance quite different from ordinary schools.

    Today was the day of the spatial creation exam, a basic dimensional magic that every adventurer had to master. This magic allowed users to create their own personal dimensional spaces to store equipment and belongings, akin to having a bag or a room that the owner could access and equip items from anytime as needed.

    This widely-used magical science greatly facilitated the lifestyle of modern adventurers. It eliminated the need to wear armor or carry heavy weapons all the time. Adventurers could simply wear comfortable clothes and summon their gear when entering dangerous areas or when needed for combat.

    For adventurers on expeditions, it allowed them to bring back almost unlimited amounts of resources or finds because they could store everything in the dimensional space that acted like a vast warehouse. The need to halt an exploration due to insufficient storage or the necessity to abandon items because they could not be transported was no longer an issue.

    This science had significantly advanced and enriched the adventurer system, making it a mandatory part of the curriculum for young adventurers.

    Zal, Talis, and Lofen walked up to the classroom building and found the entrance crowded with female students, surrounding a boy, making the hallway almost impassable.

    He was Alan Consens, the class president and the fourth member of their group, a determined young man with brown hair, determined eyes and a serious demeanor. Who looked even more mature with the touch of his rectangular glasses.

    Seeing Zal and the others, Alan excused himself politely from the girls and joined his friends.

    "It’s rare to see you guys arrive early."

    "Well, we don’t have fan clubs we need to please like some people, so just making it here on time is enough for us,"

    Lofen quickly replied to Alan’s teasing remark with his usual sharp tongue, but both smiled at each other, familiar with each other’s habits over the years.

    "The teacher will probably arrive soon, let's go into the classroom."

    With Alan’s suggestion, everyone proceeded to the classroom to take their seats.

    Shortly after all the students had gathered in the room, an elderly man with lightly gray hair entered.

    His face bore the clear lines of age, but his neatly cut and combed short hair gave him a somewhat youthful appearance. Most striking was his thick, bushy mustache of the same color as his hair, almost completely obscuring his lips.

    With a face that seemed about fifty years old, accented by energetic gestures, one would not be able to guess that Professor Garris Halm was already approaching seventy.

    "Everyone is ready, right? Let's begin the exam!"

    Professor Garris announced without preamble, tapping the board at the front of the classroom lightly with his finger. Instantly, magical script appeared on the board:

    [Exam Requirements: Dimensional Space Creation]

    [Create a permanent dimensional space with a capacity of 25 cubic meters]

    [Once completed, proceed to the balcony for a stability test of the dimension]

    [Those who pass this test will be granted permission to participate in the field test]

    As the test details appeared on the board, murmurs filled the room, including among Zal's group.

    "A 25 cubic meters room? The mid-term only required 9 cubic meters... Zal, do you have enough magical power?"

    "I think I can create the space, but making it permanent requires about 20% more magic than usual. Plus, there's the stability test. If we need to fill it to capacity, I might not have enough..."

    Lofen asked Zal, his face tense with concern knowing that Zal was not in the best condition. Zal replied, sounding equally worried.

    This test was designed to filter students ready for field training, thus set at a level where even advanced students might barely pass.

    Creating a dimensional room consumed progressively more magic depending on the size. To make it permanent, the caster had to expend an additional 20% of their base magical power as a maintenance cost to sustain the dimension indefinitely.

    Furthermore, moving items in or out of the space also consumed magic. With only about two-thirds of his magic power remaining, Zal might face difficulties in the exam.

    "Damn, man... It's the day of the exam. Why didn't you prepare better...? Here,"

    Alan, catching a glimpse of Zal's wristband, understood the situation quickly and tossed over a plastic bag containing clear blue pills.

    These were mana potions, pills for restoring magical energy, developed over centuries of research. Initially, mana potions were blue liquid in hand-sized glass bottles. After continuous research and development, they were reduced in size from bottles to slim tubes, and eventually to pills comparable to regular capsules.

    "Typical Class President Alan, always prepared for any situation. I owe you again,"

    Zal said with a relieved grin as he popped a mana potion into his mouth and thanked Alan once more. Lofen smiled and sighed softly, while Talis also seemed relieved.

    "I've been practicing too, last night and this morning. So, I had to prepare these to replenish my magic. You should consider preparing some magic replenishers if you plan to practice. So, it wouldn't affect the exam."

    Lofen gave Zal a meaningful smile, while Zal used a look to caution him not to say too much, aware that if Alan knew he had used his magic for things other than practicing, he would definitely get a lengthy scolding.

    Most students began to create their own dimensional rooms. Once completed, a miniature three-dimensional image of the room appeared on their palms, allowing the owners to inspect the contents and structure of the space.

    Although assembling a dimensional room was straightforward, engineering it to be proportionate and structurally sound required an understanding of its fundamental architecture, akin to real engineering work.

    Misshapen models in the hands of several students were evidence of failed attempts, and even properly proportioned rooms could collapse under the weight if their structure was not stable. This instability would lead to the contents spilling out, which was why the stability tests were conducted on the balcony.

    Outside on the balcony, Professor Garris, with a large water orb above his head, was testing the stability of dimensions by having students fill their rooms to capacity with water. If the dimensional room remained intact under full operational use, it passed the test.

    The sound of gushing water followed by the laughter of children on the balcony signaled someone's failure. Many students had to return inside, soaked, to recreate their dimensional rooms.

    For Zal's group, everyone took the test and passed without issue, especially Zal, who effortlessly succeeded now that his magical power was not a concern. Dimensional magic was his specialty and interest.

    As noon approached, Professor Garris returned to the classroom with several students still remaining.

    "It seems many have yet to pass. Those who failed, come back for a retest this afternoon. Those who passed, prepare for tomorrow’s field test. You may go now!"

    With the announcement concluded, the students gradually left the room, all heading to the cafeteria located on the lowest floor of the building.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------