Xavier’s eyes widened in panic.

Standing on the surface of the volcano, a bubble of time around him, he had thought he was safe. At least until he decided to deactivate the Time Alteration spell himself—but there were things he hadn’t known about the spell.

Things he couldn’t have known from testing it himself, for he hadn’t faced an opponent like this before.

The Magma Bull was the fastest enemy Xavier had ever come up against. A D Grade beast from the one hundredth floor’s notice board at Hunter’s Home, Xavier hadn’t expected the thing to be so damned fast.

It had infused Speed Energy into itself after the time barrier had been shot up. And despite time being essentially frozen outside of the bubble, Xavier had seen it move.

He’d frozen the bubble so close to the beast that it didn’t need to move far to reach it.

Xavier scrambled out of the way. He dived and rolled to the side as his spell was forcibly deactivated by the enemy beast’s presence. With his Farscope ability, Xavier was able to see the carnage behind him. The lava that flowed from the beast’s two massive horns. The stomping of the ground beneath where he’d been only a fraction of a second ago.

Evasion has reached Rank 58!

…

Evasion has reached Rank 63!

Xavier had split his mind, as he often did, into two parts. One of those parts was currently monitoring the notifications he received from the System.

I dodged one attack, and my Evasion skill went up by six ranks?

That was equal parts amazing and terrifying, because—as far as he was concerned, that could only mean one thing.

This beast was far more powerful than he could have imagined.

The Lord of the Endless Horde ruled almost an entire sector, and he would have been crushed by this monster. Yet it’s just another beast among hundreds on the notice board. And not even the most powerful…

It was strange, how the Greater Universe worked.

Xavier was sure of this beast’s power not only because of how fast it moved, but because he had quickly found that the stronger the attack that he dodged, the more likely his Evasion skill was to benefit from that—that wasn’t more clear than in this moment, and it was only a further argument for what he was about to do.

He didn’t wish to expend his soulkeeping reserve unless he had to, so Xavier drew upon the one thing he knew was sure to end this fight.

For the third time since he’d gained the spell, Xavier cast Summon Otherworldly Spirit.

Everything froze, but unlike when he had cast his Time Alteration spell, it didn’t only freeze outside a 100-met er radius.

It froze everywhere—even his robes stopped billowing, and they did not fall to rest. They just remained where they had been at the instant he’d cast the spell.

The Magma Bull didn’t move a single nanometre.

It was truly frozen, this time.

Colour drained from the world, turning everything black, white, and grey. A humming sounded—the noise that always came when he made a connection to the Otherworld and summoned forth a spirit.

You have successfully connected to the Otherworld.

What kind of Spirit do you wish to summon?

1. Spirit of Protection

2. Spirit of Vengeance

3. Spirit of Time

The cooldown for this spell varies significantly depending upon the spirit you summon.

Xavier blinked as he looked at the different options. He had summoned the Spirit of Protection once, but he hadn’t actually done anything with the spell, he had simply been testing it out.

The Spirit of Protection had not been happy about that. Not in the least. It had been enraged that Xavier had summoned it, only to do nothing with it. It made him wonder what would happen if he summoned the spirit a second time.

But he wasn’t here to summon the Spirit of Protection.

When he had summoned the Spirit of Vengeance, it had been an entirely different story. The Spirit of Vengeance had been overjoyed to be in his presence—overjoyed to carry out the task Xavier had set for it.

The only one of the three spirits he hadn’t tried summoning yet was the Spirit of Time. He tilted his head to the side, staring at that option. It wasn’t that he’d forgotten that he could call forth the Spirit of Time, but rather that he didn’t know what doing so would bring forth.

My Time Alteration spell specifically said that using it wouldn’t cause alternate universes to form. I assumed that, simply by the fact that was mentioned at all, it meant that other time spells might very well have that ability…

Maybe he’d had one of those spells at his disposal all along. Though he still didn’t know what he might do with it…

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Xavier was aware that summoning the otherworldly spirits took a toll on his soul, but he’d been building his soul up for this very purpose.

There was an odd part of him that felt almost like a coward for summoning the Spirit of Vengeance during this fight—as though he should have been able to defeat that beast on his own, without its help. But that was a ludicrous thought.

This was his spell. It was simply a spell he hadn’t used much lately.

He had only summoned the Spirit of Vengeance once—when he had been fighting a host of D Grade warriors on a planet that had been invading Earth.

That experience had shown him the true power of the spirit—and in a way, the true power of himself for being able to bring a spirit like that into their world from the otherworld.

The Spirit of Vengeance is an extension of my own abilities. I am an Otherworldly Reaper. And it is time to embrace that—my soul will survive whatever damage it takes.

Xavier summoned the Spirit of Vengeance. He narrowed his eyes and shielded them with a hand just as a bright light burst into existence ten feet away. The light was too bright to see what it brought, but that brightness dimmed quickly until finally, the dragon was revealed.

The dragon was massive. The size of a three-storey building. The dragon’s translucent skin didn’t stop its attacks from having a deadly, physical edge, even if it appeared to be immune to attacks itself. Energy bled from its scales, whisps of that energy drifting into the windless air.

The dragon raised its head, and its glowing red eyes fell on Xavier.

Ahhhhh, young one. It is good to see you once more. I did wonder when you would summon me again. Its head turned and tilted as he examined the area, then his gaze fell upon the Magma Bull. The sides of its mouth twitched up. What vengeance do you wish me to inflict? What wrong has this beast done upon you?

Xavier swallowed. Vengeance—that was what this spirit was summoned for. And here Xavier was, bringing it forth to kill a beast as part of a Hunt Quest, when the last time he had used the spell it had been because he was striking back against those from a world that had invaded his own.

The beast had not even struck him—could what he was doing even be considered vengeance?

Suddenly, he had a terrible feeling about his plan, realising that he had summoned the Spirit of Vengeance to him not with a sound mind, but out of fear.

The Spirit of Vengeance examined him. You are quiet, young Denizen. It sniffed the air. What is this fear I feel in you?

Xavier knew the dragon could read his thoughts when he willed it, so that was how he communicated to it. I wish you to take vengeance upon that beast.

The dragon blinked. It reared back. Narrowed its eyes. Has this beast wronged you, young Denizen? Suspicion and doubt leaked into the dragon’s words, as though it knew something was strange here.

Xavier tilted his chin up. He banished the fear he had been feeling. Fear would not serve him—only action would

I froze time, and this beast had the gall to break through my spell, ruining my plans.

The Spirit of Vengeance threw its head back. Seeing a dragon laugh was one thing, hearing one laugh was another thing altogether. It sounded more like a growling cough, energy flowed from its nose and mouth.

You seek vengeance over small things, young Denizen.

The dragon’s eyes narrowed further, and it peered down at him seriously.

If I did not like you, we might have a problem. Be warned, young Denizen, summoning a spirit from the otherworld to carry out the smallest of your tasks will not lead you where you wish to go. You are young, and you do not know better, but your ignorance can only be an excuse for so long before it becomes clear that it is not ignorance, but rashness, or even stupidity. I do not speak to wound, but only to utter truths.

Its head turned once more to look at the Magma Bull again. It was strange to think that the Magma Bull was actually larger than the Spirit of Vengeance—that the demon was half the size of this random beast on the hundredth floor of the Tower of Champions.

But when it came to power, size was not the best indicator.

I shall serve you this time, young Denizen. But do not summon me for such trifles again.

The dragon raised its head.

Now, I shall feast on the blood of your enemy—I shall crack its neck and much on its spine! I shall rip and tear and wound. If the beast could speak it would be begging for mercy before I am through with it, for your vengeance shall be mine!

Xavier titled his head to the side as he looked at the dragon.

How did you get like this?

The dragon’s eyes flashed a deeper, darker red.

I suffered more pain than any creature should ever endure. It kindled a flame of hatred within me that has been burning since the universe was young. I will forever seek revenge for others until I can one day seek it for myself.

Xavier blinked. He honestly hadn’t been expecting the Spirit of Vengeance to respond to him, though he was glad that it had.

Perhaps one day I will help you seek your vengeance in return.

It was the dragon’s turn to blink. The expression on its face as it stared down at him was like nothing it had ever worn.

I sense you may well one day grow strong enough for such a thing to be possible. As it stands, you are an ant compared to the object of my hatred.

Time shall continue forward—be prepared, young Denizen. And remember, be careful why you summon us, or else one day, we may very well take our vengeance upon you.

Xavier’s heart grew cold at the dragon’s words. He heard the warning loud and clear and was sad to realise that the spell had less utility than he’d previously imagined.

I was a fool to summon the Spirit of Vengeance… perhaps I was even a fool to come after the Magma Bull… he thought to himself.

But now was not the time to chastise himself. He needed to ensure he had not come here for nothing.

The Spirit of Vengeance had taken some sort of pity on him, but that wasn’t something he could afford to rely on a second time. The next time he summoned the dragon, he would have to ensure he was doing it for only the right reasons.

Time began to move forward once more. Xavier had gained a huge amount of Spirit since the last time he’d summoned the dragon, and he was sure it would be even stronger than it had been in the past.

Xavier had seen this thing one-hit D Grades—even if those D Grades had been considerably weaker than any of the ones he’d faced in this place.

The dragon sprang into action the moment it was able to. The Magma Bull, who had been stomping around where Xavier’s time bubble had been, puffed smoke from its nostrils and pawed the ground at the sight of the Spirit of Vengeance.

Blessedly, the beast turned its attention away from Xavier and focused on the dragon.

Xavier hadn’t even had a chance to cast a single spell on this thing—an unfortunate eventuation from his time barrier having been destroyed.

He wondered if he should even bother.

On the sidelines, he stood, watching as the Spirit of Vengeance tore through the air like an eel through water. The dragon looked small compared to the Magma Bull, but it looked no less ferocious. Though the expression on the dragon’s face was alien, it was clear as day that what it indicated was pure rage and hatred—it had worn an identical expression the last time Xavier had summoned it.

And this time, Xavier had gotten a window into its mind—into its motivations. It almost sounded as though the spirit hadn’t always been a part of the Otherworld.

Another thing I should learn about.

He had been genuine, when he had offered to help the dragon take its vengeance. If Xavier’s plans were not cut short, he would live countless centuries—countless millennia—if he were able to make this beast from the Otherworld into a true ally, rather than just a summoned spirit…

I’ll need all the allies I can get if I’m going to save the universe.

Having such a lofty goal after all he’d been through on the hundredth floor felt almost ridiculous, but he had to remind himself why he was here.

One day, I shall become the Weapon of the System.

The System sent me here to learn something, and I’m prepared to listen.