Jalen rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, he turned back to his cards, already thinking of the next test.

“Alright, let’s see how the Serpentine Spirit interacts with this.”

Jalen tried to find the trait the system left.

[System Prompt]

1: Draw A card

2 Generate Energy

3. Do Nothing

[ Just visualize the talent you want to activate it. Once a talent is used once it will be added to the status menu, and can be used instantaneously as long as the activation requirements are meet.]

Jalen closed his eyes for a brief moment, focusing on the talent he had traded 30 mana for. The knowledge of its activation method had settled into his mind as naturally as breathing.

"Just visualize it, huh?"

The system’s guidance echoed in his thoughts. It was strange—almost too convenient—but there was no time to dwell on that now. He visualized the talent he needed, picturing the energy shifting within him, and instantly…

A faint hum of power resonated through his body. His mana fluctuated, momentarily destabilizing before settling.

[Talent Activated: Cost Reduction – One selected card costs 0 for this turn.]

A ripple of light flickered across his deck, and immediately, Jalen knew which card had been affected. The Evolved Water Serpentine Spirit.

"Alright," he murmured, flipping the card between his fingers before pressing his palm against it. "Let’s see what you can really do."

The card flared with energy, dissolving into a wave of shimmering blue light that pooled at his feet before shooting upward in an elegant spiral.

From that swirling surge, the Evolved Water Serpentine Spirit emerged.

The Serpentine Spirit lifted its head, glowing eyes locking onto him. Unlike the Basic Water Spirit, this summon didn’t feel… passive.

It had a presence. A will. Jalen extended his mana, establishing a connection. It was different from the Basic Water Spirit.

Instead of simply obeying, the Serpentine Spirit responded instinctively, shifting with a fluid grace that suggested an understanding of its surroundings.

“Alright,” Jalen said, exhaling. “Let’s see what you can do.”

He gestured toward the same half-melted training dummy.

The spirit moved instantly but not in the way Jalen expected. Instead of attacking the dummy it opened it’s mouth and spewed water out. The water as if it was sentient instead of covering the whole floor, stopped a few meters in a circle shape surrounding the Spirit. Then the serpent-like creature shot forth a pressurized jet of water.

The impact was quick and explosive. The dummy shuddered, the stream ran right through the dummy before impacting against the wall.

Residual water clung to the surface of the wall—just like before. Only this time, it pulsed, as if infused with lingering energy. Then the water trickled down and when it reached the ground it rushed back to it’s origin and joined the circle of water.

“Interesting,” Jalen murmured. The Evolved Water Serpentine Spirit wasn’t just attacking—it was manipulating the battlefield. It was creating its perfect environment.

The water didn’t just dissipate after impact. It returned, feeding back into the circular formation surrounding the spirit. It was a closed system, constantly recycling its energy.

Jalen’s mind raced.

Was this an automatic trait, or could he control it?

He extended his mana, reaching out to the water at the spirit’s feet. Unlike the Basic Water Spirit’s more straightforward attacks, this felt complex—not just an element being used, but a living system in motion.

The water trembled at his command but resisted, almost like it was waiting for something.

"Alright," Jalen muttered. "Let’s test something else."

He gestured at the Serpentine Spirit, this time directing his will toward the circle of water instead of the summon itself.

The spirit responded immediately. The water rippled, the ring around it shifting subtly, and then raced towards Jalen and Ember.

The spirit responded immediately. The water rippled, the ring around it shifting subtly, and then—it surged toward Jalen and Ember.

For a split second, Jalen’s breath caught in his throat. His instincts screamed at him to react, to defend, but his rational mind was scrambling to catch up.

Stolen novel; please report.

Had he lost control?

The thought hit him hard. The Evolved Water Serpentine Spirit was stronger than his Basic Water Spirit, stronger than any summon he had used before. Was it too powerful for him to command?

His fingers twitched, mana coiling in his veins as he braced for the worst. The spirit’s glowing eyes locked onto him, unreadable. The rush of water closed the distance in an instant—

And then—

It stopped.

The water curled around his feet but didn’t strike. It didn’t attack. Instead, it lingered, circling him in slow, deliberate motions, as if waiting. As if… testing him.

Jalen exhaled sharply, his heart still hammering.

Ember, perched on his shoulder, flicked his tail. “You looked like you were about to pass out.”

Jalen ignored him, eyes still on the Serpentine Spirit. That wasn’t a hostile move. It had reacted to his mana, but not in defiance.

It was acknowledging him.

Testing his reaction.

Jalen swallowed, his grip tightening. His class shouldn’t allow a summon to go against his will. But for a moment, that hadn’t felt like an extension of his power—it had felt like he was facing down something independent.

“Did you panic?” Ember snickered.

Jalen shot him a glare. “No. I was—” He cut himself off.

He wasn’t about to admit that, for a moment, he actually had panicked. That, for the briefest second, he had thought his own summon was about to turn against him.

Which meant one thing.

I need to get stronger.

Not just in mana reserves or deck strategy. I need to establish dominance over my summons.

Because if he ever summoned something truly powerful—something that actually wanted to rebel—he had no doubt that hesitation would mean death.

To redeem some of his dignity he tried again but instead tried to communicate directly with the serpent.

“ Hello, do you understand me?”The Evolved Water Serpentine Spirit lifted its head, glowing eyes narrowing slightly as if considering his words. The water around it pulsed once, then stilled.

For a moment, there was nothing. No response. No shift in its posture. Just the quiet hum of energy between them.

Jalen frowned, pushing his mana outward in an attempt to reinforce the connection. If it could react to his mana, then maybe it could understand him.

The spirit exhaled a soft, hissing breath, its form undulating as the water around it rippled in response. And then—

A voice—not spoken, but felt—brushed against his mind.

“You call… and I answer…”

Jalen’s eyes widened.

It wasn’t the basic summon’s response. Actually it might be and the basic summon not being so basic 2 out of the 3 summons I summoned can talk.

He swallowed. “You can… think?”

The Serpentine Spirit didn’t reply in words this time, but the water shifted again, deliberate and controlled. As if the very liquid surrounding them was its body, its senses, its will.

“I am not mindless.”

Jalen exhaled sharply. His fingers curled instinctively. This was different.

Ember tilted his head, flicking his tail as if sensing the tension. “This one’s got a bit of a personality, huh?”

He focused on the spirit again. “Then… if you’re not mindless, what do you want?”

The Serpentine Spirit regarded him for a long, heavy moment. Then, the water around it swirled, shifting in slow, precise movements—controlled, intentional.

“Strength.”

Jalen inhaled.

The spirit wasn’t just a tool. It had its own desire.

It wanted power. It wanted growth. So it probably remembered something from its past. So it could have some information of some kind about the way the deck operates. Does it just kidnap random creatures and turn them into cards, or is there some kind of condition.

Jalen steadied his breathing, pushing aside the lingering tension from his earlier hesitation. If this summon wasn’t just an extension of his will but a being with its own thoughts, then there was potential—a lot of potential.

His mind worked through the implications quickly. Two of his three summons had spoken to him now. That wasn’t a coincidence.

Was this how his class was supposed to work? Or was something wrong with it?

“Alright,” Jalen said, his grip tightening. “Let’s see what else you can do.”

The Serpentine Spirit remained still, but the water beneath it pulsed again, a slow ripple of acknowledgment.

Jalen extended his mana, not in command, but as an invitation. Instead of forcing his will onto the spirit, he wanted to see if it would respond freely.

The air around them grew heavier. The water shifted, and then—it moved on its own.

The ring of water at the spirit’s base expanded outward, stretching beyond its original shape. Not just a passive formation, but an active one. The lines of liquid twisted, then—branched.

Jalen’s eyes flickered as he tracked the movement. The water wasn’t just circling anymore. It was forming patterns—runes.

Not just mana runes—summoning runes.

“Wait.”

His stomach flipped as realization hit. It was using summoning techniques—on its own.

Jalen had studied the mechanics of summoning, had memorized the formation patterns, had spent hours refining his card combinations to optimize his deck.

But the spirit was constructing something new.

“Ember,” he muttered. “Are you seeing this?”

The fox perched on his shoulder let out a low whistle. “Oh, I’m seeing it. And it looks like it’s about to break your class rules.”

Jalen clenched his jaw. Summons weren’t supposed to summon. That was a core limitation in his class. He was the summoner. The deck was the medium. The summons weren’t supposed to be able to act outside of that system.

And yet—the Serpentine Spirit was.

The runes completed. The water flashed, glowing with a deep, pulsing blue.

And then—another form began to take shape.

Not another Serpentine Spirit. Something smaller. Something humanoid.

Jalen tensed.

This wasn’t part of his deck.

This wasn’t part of his class.

The water swirled and compressed, coalescing into a distinct form. And then, standing there, dripping with residual energy—

Was a Water Sprite.

Jalen’s heart pounded. That wasn’t a card in his deck. He had never summoned this creature before. He didn’t even own a card like this.

His summon had just created a new summon.

For a long moment, Jalen just stared.

Then, very quietly, Ember muttered, “…Okay, that’s not supposed to happen.”

Jalen exhaled. “No. It’s not.”

And yet—it just did.

Jalen barely had time to process the impossible sight before him—the Water Sprite standing there, dripping in residual energy—when the Serpentine Spirit moved again.

The water that had formed the summoning runes did not dissipate. Instead, it rippled outward, spreading into a larger circular pattern that extended across the ground. The energy within it thrummed, alive, shifting.

Jalen’s pulse quickened.

It was forming another construct.

This time, however, the intent was different. It wasn’t pulling in new energy—it was reinforcing its own.

“Wait,” Jalen muttered under his breath, taking a slow step back.

The water didn’t lash out. It didn’t surge toward him or Ember like before. Instead, the ripples folded in on themselves, stacking in delicate layers, forming something more intricate.

And then, just as the last wave settled—it hardened.

The air around them grew dense with mana.

Jalen felt the shift before he saw it. A subtle but undeniable wall of pressure surrounded him. The light in the room bent ever so slightly, refracting through what looked like an invisible dome of water.