Chapter 5

Not long after Molly left, Miles woke up as well.

Rubbing his aching head, he felt like he had forgotten something important.

Suddenly, he threw off the blanket and searched for any traces—only to find nothing.

"Damn it. I actually fell asleep."

Regret hit him instantly. He'd completely blown his first impression.

[Mission Complete. Passive Skill Obtained — Wicked Charm.

[Wicked Charm: Increases your charisma. The opposite sex will feel greater affinity toward you.]

'This skill is basically a walking heartbreaker…'

Miles couldn't help but let out a cheeky grin.

[Hidden Achievement Unlocked — Self-Control.]

[Condition: Spent a night with a succubus without any physical reaction, maintaining self-restraint and resisting temptation.]

[Reward: Base Stat +1, Essence Pool +1, Attack Speed +1, Stamina +1.]

Miles was speechless.

One could get achievements for that?

And these rewards…

Something about this felt… off.

…

Setting the achievement aside, Miles began reviewing his system.

He could draw one Blind Box for free every day. Additional draws would cost 1,000 Summon Points.

And earning Summon Points was simple—kill monsters.

For example, the A-rank ghost he killed yesterday had earned him 3,000 points.

Summoning Molly again didn't require points—only essence.

But if his essence wasn't enough, he could substitute with Summon Points.

And there was another option…

If he lacked Summon Points, he could use currency instead.

Ten Veil coins equaled one Summon Point.

"Pay-to-win, huh…"

Miles sighed.

Unfortunately, he was broke.

Looking at his "Collection," he could see Molly listed there—but marked as unavailable.

Not enough essence. Not enough points. And money…

Wait—

Miles suddenly remembered something. He quickly pulled out his bank card and checked the balance.

'Argh! It's gone! I finally had a chance to live a slightly 'luxurious' life!'

He let out a miserable howl.

No wonder he had managed to summon an SSS-rank Molly—his entire balance had been drained.

'For my little succubus, I'm going to make money!'

He set himself a small goal. First—earn one million.

It sounded like a lot before. But now? He was an Awakened. An S-rank Awakened. There would definitely be people willing to invest in him.

On top of that, he could take missions and earn high rewards—no more scraping by with odd jobs.

'System, open a Blind Box.'

He hadn't used today's free draw yet.

[Detected: Host is located near the Ghost Realm boundary. Ghost-type Blind Box rate increased.]

[Ghost-type summon drop rate boosted.]

A box dropped before him, bursting open with a surge of violet light.

'Good stuff.'

From the color alone, Miles could already guess the rarity.

[Obtained A-rank Blind Box — Scarlet (The Crimson Bride). Stored in Collection. Available for summoning at any time.]

'As expected—A-rank.'

Miles nodded.

Just then, his phone rang.

After answering, he learned that representatives from the Four Grand Academies had already arrived.

It had only been one day. That alone showed how much they valued an S-rank Awakener.

'I'll head over now.'

…

Today, Cosa High welcomed distinguished guests from the Crown Academy, Mystique Academy, Rosemont Academy, and Veilcross Academy.

All four had arrived.

And yet, the main attraction, Miles, was nowhere to be seen.

"Wow, showing up this late… we thought that succubus drained you dry."

"So, what's it like? Got you hooked already?"

"Careful—you might end up as her meal."

The moment Miles stepped onto campus, he drew everyone's attention. He was the only S-rank Awakener in the school—of course everyone knew him.

His classmates, especially those close to him, wasted no time teasing.

"Please. You think I can't handle a mere succubus? In front of me, she'd be the one calling me daddy," Miles shot back, flipping them off.

Even if nothing had happened, he wasn't about to lose face.

"Calling you daddy? If you can summon her right now, I'll call you daddy."

Someone scoffed, clearly jealous. Summoning an S-rank wasn't that easy—especially for someone who had just awakened.

"Stay jealous." Miles returned the gesture and headed inside.

Soon, he arrived at the school's reception room. He knocked, entered after permission, and offered an apology.

"Sorry, I was too excited yesterday and overdid it. Just woke up."

Principal Hitchcock quickly stepped forward.

"It's fine, perfectly normal. Come in."

He led Miles to the four academy representatives. But before he could introduce them, a woman spoke first.

"Hello, Miles. I'm Dolly Petunia from Crown Academy. I'll get straight to the point. If you join us, I can guarantee you a monthly stipend of 10,000, plus an intermediate enhancement skill. What do you think?"

"Ten thousand a month?" Miles's eyes lit up. That was more than he used to make in months.

Before he could respond, another man cut in.

"I'm Sonny Gunnar from Mystique Academy. We'll match their offer and add a specialized enhancement skill for Summoning Paths. Our academy leads in that field. We're your best choice."

Miles nodded thoughtfully. He had heard about them already, but he didn't rush to decide. He turned to the next representative.

It was always best to shop around first.

"I'm Jack Beanie from Rosemont Academy. Our offer is similar to Crown Academy's. While we don't provide a summoning enhancement skill, I can guarantee you'll reach Master-level within three years."

"Master-level?!"

The other instructors were visibly shocked. Even they themselves were only at that level.

"Miles, I'm Hugh Stoneward from Veilcross Academy. We'll match Mystique's offer. While we can't promise you'll reach Master-level in three years, we can guarantee unlimited resources for your training and ascension."

Unlimited resources. Only Veilcross had the confidence to say that.

"We can provide resources too," Sonny added quickly.

"So can Crown Academy," Dolly said calmly.

Seeing the competition escalate, Jack and Hugh exchanged glances in surprise.

S-rank was rare, but this level of bidding war was still unusual.

"Thank you," Miles said, bowing slightly. "I've made my decision. I choose Mystique Academy. My apologies to the rest. If the offers are similar, I'll go with the one strongest in summoning."

"No problem—we respect your choice."

"Mystique Academy is indeed a good fit."

"Congratulations."

The others offered their blessings.

Sonny stepped forward.

"Before that, I'd like to run a simple test. There are two types of Summoning Paths—fixed and random. I want to determine which type you have."

Fixed summoning meant calling the same contracted summon and growing alongside it.

Random summoning meant calling different creatures each time—their strength fluctuating slightly above or below the summoner's level.

"No problem." Miles nodded.

Sonny grabbed Miles's hand.

"Use my essence. Try to summon the succubus—or at least a high-level summon. Oh? You've already reached Acolyte?"

Miles scratched his nose.

"I tried summoning yesterday… accidentally broke through. Didn't succeed, though."

"Alright. Begin."

Miles nodded.

A gate opened behind him.

He considered summoning Molly again—

Then changed his mind.

Instead, he focused on the Crimson Bride he had just obtained. If it were random summoning, no one would question future summons.

A cold wind swept through the room. The eerie aura made all four instructors tense.

Moments later, a figure appeared behind Miles.

Dressed in a crimson bridal gown, face hidden beneath a red veil—yet her beauty was unmistakable.

Principal Hitchcock trembled. That thing could kill him instantly.

"An A-rank ghost!" Sonny exclaimed.

"Adept-level," Dolly said, envy flashing in her eyes. She regretted not raising her offer.

An A-rank ghost might not match an S-rank succubus, but it was still formidable.

And more importantly, this proved Miles's terrifying potential. His very first summon had already reached near S-rank.

Given time, he could very well summon true S-rank entities. That was the true power of a Summoner.