Levi retold the story of what happened and what he saw right before was teleported here. He told Professor Egret about the weird symbol on his phone, which he now has learned was the summoner symbol. He told her about landing here naked, several kilometers from the city of Arcross. Levi was somewhat relieved that he got to tell someone. His guild was tiny, and his professors would find it sooner or later because he knew nothing about magic. He lucked his way into a familiar, but that luck would not last.
Professor Egret sat and listened exceptionally well. She would jot notes, nod her head, and make noises occasionally. It wasn’t a daring tale of triumph; it was a short story of confusion and nudity.
“I see,” she finally said. “I have heard of this happening before. Now, Levi, tell me. Do you perceive the world differently?”
“I do,” he said.
“What do you see?” Professor Egret leaned in closer.
“Text boxes appear with quests and information.”
“We all see that dear,” she said softly. “Well, all magic users see that it comes with reaching 1-star.”
“Oh,” Levi said, scratching his head. “Do you have an inventory slot, a character customization tab- where you change your outfits and stuff, or a bar for mana and stamina?”
“I do not,” she said. “But that is not a completely unheard-of ability. Hmmm,” she mused. “By all accounts, you are normal to this world’s standards. We all get little text boxes; some can have the inventory or character tab that you are describing. Your aura is very weak, though.”
“Auras are real?” Levi asked.
“Of course they are! It is how you tell how strong a person is; you likely don’t have an ability or spell or power to perceive auras.”
“So, where I come from, Magic isn’t real…” Levi responded. “Can you teach me everything that would be seen as “basic?”
“Gladly!” she said with delight. “Let’s start with this,” she grabbed the air and tossed it toward Levi. In front of Levi appeared a green text box. “It should be green; this indicates the level of threat that the person poses to you. Green means none, yellow means some, and red means a lot. Blue means that they are on your team. As you can see, I am also a summoner but I’m a 4-star summoner.
Stars are how we rank. 0 stars are the lowest rank; these are for those who are unable to use magic. We don’t say zero stars to their faces; that is rude, and they often do the most for us. Being a magic user is a privilege. 1 Star is for those who have a combined stat score of less than 300. 2 Star is for those who have a combined state score of less than 600. 3 Star 1900, 4-star 4000, and 5-star 6200. Do you know what stats are?”
“Yeah, Strength, Speed, Stamina, Vitality, and Mana,” Levi replied.
“Very good!”
“I’m sorry professor, do you mind…”
“Mind what?” she asked.
Levi looked nervous, which was his default look as of late. “My familiar wants out and I want to let her out too. She’ll sit in the corner and be quiet. I just feel more comforted seeing her.”
“You have already have a familiar?” Professor Egret asked. Her tone suggested she was shocked and curious. “Of course. What is it a dog, cat, a bird?”
Anza began to appear as a bright white orb left Levi’s body and formed next to Levi.
“No, it’s a Mimic,” he said nervously. Levi looked at Professor Egret, expecting a violent reaction. After all, the textbooks he read essentially called all Mimics evil and deserving of death. That was not the look she gave. It was one of fascination and pride. She waited patiently as Anza formed fully.
“It is quite stunning,” Professor Egret said, staring at the beautiful creature before her. “It is young, very young. Like 0-star rank.”
“Is the rank system the same for beasts, creatures, and monsters?”
“Yes, but it is not exactly the same. A magic user who is in a star rank is much stronger one to one than a monster of the same star ranking. Mimics are harder to describe because they are hive-minded creatures, so you may see a drone, such as yours at o star with an omega being 5-star. This happens with a lot of hive minded or zombified creatures. Mimics can live to be 1000s of years old; some even say they are immortal. That is if they consume enough.” She looked over Anza with amazed eyes. “How long have you been bonded?”
“Almost three days,” Levi said. “I created an iron dust summoning circle, and it appeared. The book I had described the different summons that I could get.”
“Yes,” she replied. “COULD. Summoning based on randomness is dangerous. We change that by adding a piece to the summon that is specific to the being we are trying to summon. You were fortunate to get a weak familiar.”
“My familiar wouldn’t have killed me,” Levi protested. “This wasn’t a summoning ritual for anything to attack or do my biding, it was a familiar ritual, by all accounts the book said it was safe to do any familiar ritual because they would bond with the summoner.”
Professor Egret mused for a couple heartbeats. “I suppose that is true. Hmm well, what is done is done. Where were we... ah Yes. Auras. Each magic user has five base abilities that get unlocked randomly. There are those who are fortunate to have a sixth and seventh ability unlocked, however, they are usually 3-star or up. I have only heard of one case of a 2-star getting said rank.
Ranking up is simple for the physical stats, especially for you. You come from a realm void of magic, yes?” Levi nodded. “Right, to increase or level up, many people call it many things. For strength, speed, and stamina, they can be done by hard work and exercise. Have you seen our gym and swimming pool?”
“I have,” Levi responded.
“Good, lucky for you, no one else attends here so you’ll never have to wait,” Professor Egret said. “You may even bring friends to join if you are able to make any. Wisdom and Vitality are harder to level up. Especially for summoners, this is why we have so little apprentices. Word got around that you could rank up in stars quicker if you were a rogue, archer, or warrior, class evolutions were easier too. To be a good summoner and sorcerer, but more so for the former, meant you had to live dangerously. Fighting monsters, summoning creatures, raiding dungeons, exploring dangerous places. Wisdom is grown by performing magic, for summoners, which means completing summons; the easier the summon, the harder it gets to level up. To the point that you won’t gain anything summons if they are too low.
For example, I am a 4-star summoner, I can no longer gain anything experience, you might say, from completing a summon minor bird ritual. It is far too simple. You as a 1-star summoner would gain some small experience.”
“Okay but what is the formula? How much experience goes into one level gain?” Levi asked.
“There is none, it is just usages. It’s like lifting weights, how much weight do you need to lift in order to get stronger?”
“It varies, I guess. Some are easier than others and help progress you more but overall, the progression is just different.”
“Exactly, stats grow the same exact way.” Professor Egret said.
So, it’s not like video games. There isn’t a set amount of experience gained from each task completed. “If you don’t mind me asking… how many 5-stars are there in the world?”
“Few… 5-star summoners, even less.”
“Why so little?” Levi asked.
“It took me over four centuries to get to 4-stars…”
“Four Centuries!!!” Levi exclaimed. “That’s crazy!”
“Be careful around women with that reaction, young man.”
“Oh sorry!” Levi said embarrassed.
“There is a caveat to the star ranking. Every class has a stat that they rely on more heavily. Warrior is strength, Ranger is speed, Rogue is stamina, Sorcerer is vitality, and Summoner is wisdom. Each of those must be 55% of the points. before you rank up.”
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“So, for Summoners,” Levi said doing the math. “At 1-Star it has to be 100 wisdom. At 2-star it has to be 330. 3-star 1045, 4-star 2200, and 5-star 3410? That’s insane.”
“It is quite hard, by 3-stars we hit a plateau,” Professor Egret said softly. “We hope that by the time we are at 3-stars we get our class evolution which would allow our relied-on stat to advanced automatically. Making it easier to hit 4-stars. After that, most people retire and live their days out doing something else. It should be said that those days are lengthy because each star rank makes it that much harder to die. By 3-stars illness related deaths are no more, by 4-stars your age slows down drastically usually quadrupling your life span. With 5-stars you are usually immortal or as close to it. However, to be a 5-star every single stat must be 3410. AND still have wisdom at 3410.”
Levi whistled, “What makes it harder for Summoners then if everyone has to raise wisdom?”
“Because most summoners don’t learn spells, most can’t, the ones that are 5-stars are the ones with spells,” Professor Egret said. “In truth, choosing a guild doesn’t make that much of a difference in the long run besides choosing your class. Should a person’s desire be to reach 5-star then warrior would be the apt choice. People fear what is dangerous.”
“How is a magic user determined?”
“There are two different ways you can become a magic user; the first way is being born with it. The second way is using a magic essence in a ritual. The magic essence will then infuse in the person and allow them to become a magic user.”
“I take it magic essences are expensive,” Levi said softly.
“Oh yes dear boy,” Egret exclaimed. “One magic essence sells for 6 platinum coins!”
“How many coins is that?” Levi asked sheepishly.
“Right different realm, a platinum coin is the highest form of currency that most people don’t use. It is 1000 copper coins to 1 platinum coin. A gold coin is 100 copper coins. A silver coin is 10 copper coins. Most dealings are dealt with in copper or silver coins.”
“So, most people can save their entire lives to get two or three platinum coins at the very most?” Levi asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Are there other essences that could work in place gain magic?” Levi asked.
“There are other essences but none that allow the person to become a magic user, unfortunately. We have tested many different things.” Professor Egret said.
“I see, thank you, professor,” Levi said. “That was very helpful.”
“You are already advanced, being able to draw a summoning circle is not an easy accomplishment. This will help you’re your development in the long run. Expect all training to be similar to what we did today, for now, it’s just about noon. Off to lunch you go!” Professor Egret said.
Levi nodded and stood up. With Anza in toe, the pair walked out of his professor's office. Professor Egert didn’t drop the veil quite yet. She sat staring at the man who had just left her room. She had no idea who he was, but there was something different about him.
There is a lot of undiscovered potential in that boy, she thought. I wonder what his desires and goals are. I should keep an eye on that boy.
Levi went to the cafeteria and grabbed a plate of food. It was some fish, rice, and a salad. Surprised by how healthy everything was, he happily enjoyed the meal. He decided to go back outside; it was sunny, and he had just spent the better part of three hours talking and learning from Professor Egert. There was a small part of Levi that was upset he didn’t ask how he could have possibly been brought to this world. That part was quieted every time Levi looked at the magnificent beast standing beside him. Anza was the coolest thing that he had ever seen. It was awesome to look at, in a way, it was beautiful. Speaking of beautiful he saw Piper and Anna surrounded by a mass of men.
Levi shook his head and laughed, taking a seat at a different table. The sun was shining bright on the dark wood table he was sitting at. The table was a backyard picnic table with benches attached. There were tables in all different colors and sizes. The one he was at was meant for four people, whereas the table that Piper and Anna were at was meant to seat 16 people.
The rest of the courtyard was quite pleasant. There were food stalls selling various kinds of food, from rice bowls to kebabs to some magical cooking. The courtyard was in the middle of all the guilds and was presumably the place to hang out with those from other guilds. Levi wasn’t sure what the social hierarchy was for guilds. If he had to guess, which he would likely be wrong, Warriors would be at the top, then Sorcerers, then Rogues, then Rangers, then Summoners. Anza was lying down asleep on the warm concrete ground next to her partner eating lunch.
“You’re new,” a deep voice said in front of him.
“Uhh yep,” Levi said.
“Where you from friend,” he took a seat in front of Levi. Effectively blocking his view of the two women.
“Ugh,” he complained. “Man, you blocked my view, I’m not from here.”
“That was clear by your cloak and your skin,” the man said. He was surrounded by two other guys. Levi looked up to see that they weren't men at all. With a hairy yet crazy muscular upper body, Levi’s eyes worked their up to the face. They all had large bull faces with red beady eyes and a big nose ring. Each of them had different colored fur; the one talking to him had amber fur, with a dark brown and black fur for the two in the back. They were minotaurs. Real-life minotaurs right in front of him.
“What’s wrong with my skin?” Levi asked. Realizing he had not taken a look in the mirror, he looked at his arms. “Phew still black, that would have been awful.” he said with a chuckle.
“Not a lot of dark humans around these parts,” the minotaur responded. “The name is Fantoar; this is Vintoar and Bentoar; we’re brothers, the Wintoar brothers.”
“Nice to meet you, Fan, Vin, and Bentoar the Wintoars.” Levi said with an amused look on his face. “I’m Levi Winters,” he said holding out a hand. The Wintoars all shook it. “Y’all apart of the Warriors guild?”
“We are, what guild are you?” he asked.
“Summoners,” he jabbed a thumb at the campus.
“You got balls of steel to be a summoner, good for you!” Fantoar said with a big laugh and a hardy slap on the table.
“You’re the first person who hasn’t looked down on being a summoner,” Levi said with raised eyebrows. “Why’s that?”
“Because, friend, we’re not liars to ourselves or others,” Fantoar said. “We’re off to class; we’ll see you around Winters.” Upon leaving, a pretty girl stood behind the minotaurs, waiting for her turn.
“It seems you have some new friends,” Piper said. She smiled gently and took a seat. Anza lifted her head, and Piper nervously reached out a hand to pet the Mimic on the head. “Oh, that is not what I was expecting. It feels soft yet cool and metallic. Very strange but also quite nice.”
“I guess,” Levi said. “Apparently, so do you,” he laughed. Anza was graciously accepting all scratches and pets.
“You’re all people can talk about you know?” she said, looking up. “The man who is a summoner.” She giggled. “Quite the difference from seeing you naked a few days ago, huh?”
“You’re never gonna let me forget that huh?” he said with a smirk.
“Nope,” she said cheerfully.
“So, you’re a rogue?” Levi asked. He glanced over at the table where she had just left, Anna was still there surrounded by all the other men. Levi smiled; it did not go unnoticed that she left all of them to come sit with him.
Piper saw that Levi was looking at Anna. “Yes,” she said curtly.
“Whoa, are you okay?” Levi asked.
“Of course,” Piper said sharply. “I have to go.” She went to stand up, but Levi grabbed her arm.
“Please don’t go,” Levi said softly. On Earth Levi was not the best with women but he wasn’t the worst. He was able to engage in conversation, go on dates, and in general, have a good time. Never really had any serious relationships, a few one-night stands or situationships every now and again, but nothing substantial. He never knew to call it a character flaw or just simply not finding the right person. It’s not that he didn’t desire that deeper connection with someone else, like everything else in his life, he was not motivated. He was content with where he was in life and what he wanted.
Looking at Piper, if he was being honest with himself, that was all a facade. It was a mask to hide the fact that he was scared to be alone. His time here had exacerbated that feeling tenfold. That’s why he was so grateful for Anza. Even though they couldn’t communicate fully, they could at least be in each other’s presence. It was nice to have someone to talk to and it was a bonus, she was sweet and beautiful.
Piper, on the other hand, was very similar but for different reasons. She always wanted someone to look at her and notice her for who she was. Being best friends and quiet guardian to Anna, never let that happen. Either she was too attached to Anna that people thought Piper had a thing for her. Or they would instantly fall for Anna. On a number of occasions guys had used Piper to get closer to Anna. One rare occasion Piper had been dating someone for a couple months. Anna was away with her father on a trip to the Cloud-Plain Kingdom for those few months. Piper had met this boy and they hit it off, finally being seen as her own person, independent of Anna she got to date this person. She was as happy as she had been, until Anna came back.
The three had decided to go out and have a picnic, Piper was eager for her boyfriend to meet Anna. Anna was her best friend after all. Well, it turned out that he was so bewitched by the beauty and power of Anna that he asked Anna out right on the spot, in front of Piper. To Piper’s horror, Anna had said yes. Anna had since apologized profusely constantly, but Piper still had some small part of her that was littered with resentment. Seeing that Levi was looking over to Anna brought that pain spewing up to the surface.
She touched Levi’s hand softly and sat back down.
“Thank you,” Levi said, his hand lingering on her arm.
“I’m sorry,” Piper said. “I’m just so used to guys fawning over Anna, that it got me upset because I am here with you.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Levi said. “I know you’re here, that’s why I was looking. You chose to sit with me, and not alllllll those guys. I thought that was super cool.”
“Really?” She said perking up.
Levi chuckled, “yeah. I felt like a winner for once.” Piper sat staring at Levi for a few seconds. That was one of the nicer things someone had said about her in a long time. She couldn’t find the words to say but heard a bell.
“Okay, but now I really do have to go,” she said with a sad smile. “What are you up to the rest of the day?”
“Training,” Levi said. “Lessons don’t start for a couple days.”
“I’ll come find you for dinner,” Piper said and then ran off toward her guild. Levi watched her run away and felt a nudge from Anza.
“That was unexpected huh?” Levi asked. It nodded. Levi got up and started walking back toward the guild, he was going to start training. “Do you trust her?” Anza nodded slowly but still nodded. Levi put his hand on Anza’s neck and scratched. “I think I might be too.”