There are five types of summoning scroll in Battle of Summoners:

Low, Mid, High, Top and Ultimate.

[F Rank: 94%]
[E Rank: 5%]
[D Rank: 1%].

As mentioned before, these are the probabilities for a low-grade summoning scroll...

[E Rank: 94%] [D Rank: 5%]
[D Rank: 5%]
[C Rank: 1%]

These are the probabilities for a mid-grade Summoning scroll.

And for a high-level summoning scroll?

[D Rank: 94%]
[C Rank: 5%]
[B Rank: 1%]

As you can see, there's a pattern.

Each time the level of the scroll increases, the chance of a higher level summon appearing increases by one level.

What about the Ultimate Summoning Scroll, which is one level higher than the Top Level Summoning Scroll?

[B Rank: 94%]
[A Rank: 5%]
[S Rank: 1%]

It's the same, of course.

This shows how difficult it is to summon an S-rank summon.

Even with an Ultimate Summoning Scroll, there's only a 1% chance.

By the way, in 10 years, Jin-woo had only acquired 10 of these scrolls.

They were incredibly rare, even in dungeons.

Take it slowly.

There's no advantage in rushing.

It's better to take the time to prepare carefully and grow steadily without missing anything.

'Besides, I have Lamba.'

Jin-woo was confident.

If he trained Lamba properly?

Not only would he be able to climb the 100th floor of the tower with ease, but he would also be able to regain his place at the top of the world rankings in no time.

Time?

It didn't matter.

Lamba was that broken.

There was a reason why the AI had given her a balance patch.

"Oppa, by the way."

As they crossed the Jamsil Bridge over Seokchon Lake, Ah-jin looked up at her brother.

Time had passed and it was already getting dark.

"What summons did you get?"

"I got a wind fairy."

"Wind fairy? Can I see it?"

"What for?"

"I'm just curious. We're family, not strangers. Why can't I see your summons? Here."

Woooong!

Ah-jin waved her hand and with a flash of light her shadow elf appeared.

"This is my main summon. It's even C-rank. D-rank summons are a dime a dozen, but from C-rank on, you're in the noble ranks.

"Yeah, sure."

Jin-woo nodded indifferently.

Shadow elf?

He had never bothered to take this summon into a dungeon before.

He'd often used it as experience material in the Synthesis Station.

But one thing piqued his curiosity.

"Can this shadow elf speak Korean? Hey, elf?"

Lamba had been fluent in Korean from the moment she had appeared.

He wondered how the shadow elf would react.

He waved, but the elf remained indifferent.

Tch, rude.

Shouldn't she at least greet people in the land of courtesy?

"What are you doing, Oppa?"

Ah-jin knitted her brows and stared at him.

Her expression was like looking at a madman.

"Huh?"

"What summon is speaking?"

"What?"

Jin-woo blinked in confusion.

"Summons can't talk?"

"Seriously, where are you getting that nonsense from? There's no such thing as a talking summon."

"...!"

What?

Lamba is an anomaly?

Now that he thought about it, the furry gorilla only made guttural sounds like grroooar!

Come to think of it.

Even in 'Battle of Summoners', none of the summons could speak.

'Huh.

Then why could Lamba?

Is it because her rank is higher?

"Anyway, stop messing around and show me your summon."

"I'll show it later."

"Why not now?"

"Just because. Let's move on."

Swoosh.

Jin-woo turned his back and started walking fast.

"Ugh, he does whatever he wants."

Ah-jin muttered in an annoyed tone, summoning her shadow elf and following after him.

"Hey, wait for me!"

***

When Jin-woo finally arrived at Jamsil Station, the sight before him was completely different from what he remembered.

"Wow. What's all this?"

In the midst of the bustling crowd, a dazzling building stood tall.

"Amazing, isn't it?"

Ah-jin smiled brightly.

"The company that owned Jamsil Tower demolished Jamsil World when they had to give up the tower to become the Tower of Trials."

"Jamsil World?"

Jamsil World was one of the top amusement parks in the country, located near Jamsil Station.

It was a symbol of Jamsil, and now it was gone?

"Yes. Who would want to ride amusement park rides in front of that ominous Tower of Trials?"

"Wouldn't it make the rides more exciting?"

"Oppa, there's a difference between thrills and risking your life."

Anyway.

It made sense.

From a corporate perspective, it was probably more profitable to cater to the growing number of gamers than to run an amusement park.

It was all about the money.

"Besides, they couldn't have run the amusement park even if they wanted to. Synthesis stations and dungeons took its place."

"Ah."

Jin-woo nodded as he entered the player's zone opposite the Tower of Trials.

"Selling low-grade runes!"

"Low-grade summoning scrolls for sale!"

"Buy C-rank and higher summons for high prices!"

The place was buzzing with activity.

This must be the marketplace.

This was something that had existed in Battle of Summoners as well.

It was a place where players could trade freely with each other.

Since there was no in-game currency, real-world transactions were also common back then...

I remember it.

In the early days, Baekcheon used to spend all of his money to buy up tons of summoning scrolls and runes.

Of course, after the game died out, there were no players left to trade with.

"Everything you need is here. See that pamphlet?"

Ah-jin pointed to some papers on display at the information desk.

"It explains where all the buildings are. If you're curious, you can have a look. By the way, Oppa."

"Yeah?"

Jin-woo, who had been looking around like a country bumpkin visiting the big city, replied absentmindedly.

"You're still a beginner. There's an academy run by the player headquarters. How about you start there tomorrow?"

"No, I'm fine, sis."

His curiosity was satisfied.

He had found a place to plant himself.

He could grow while spending most of his time here.

"Thank you for showing me around. You can go home now."

"Huh? Are you staying here?"

"I want to look around on my own."

"Oh..."

Something felt wrong.

As if he was enchanted by something.

Ah-jin was worried about her brother.

Especially since he had just woken up from his coma.

But still.

She had no intention to rain on his parade or keep him from doing something he was passionate about.

"Well, okay. Just don't overdo it. And let me know if you need any help."

"Got it~"

Waving behind him, Jin-woo disappeared into the crowd.

***

A secluded spot.

- Jin-wooo!

"Shh!"

Jin-woo quickly called to Lamba and immediately covered her mouth.

He wrapped his hands around her and pressed his thumb to her lips, making her eyes widen in surprise.

"From now on, don't speak when there are people around, even if you are summoned."

- Mmph?

"Nod if you understand."

Nod, nod.

Though confused, Lamba, as a summon, had no choice but to follow her player's orders.

There are no other summons that can speak yet.

This meant that the mere act of Lamba speaking could attract unnecessary attention.

Jin-woo had no desire to be in the limelight.

For now, he decided to only talk to Lamba in the dungeons.

First things first.

From now on, he would spend a lot of time in dungeons...

Since this was his first time in the real world, it was a bit overwhelming.

He didn't have any runes properly equipped, and he only had two summons.

He needed some starting resources...

[Account Balance Checking]

[Account Holder: Baek Jin-woo]

[Preferred Savings Account]

[Available balance: 12,500 KRW]

"Man, what a life."

This wasn't just the lowest point - it was the sewer.

Even with the accident, how could this be all the money he had left?

He had no job, no income, no assets to use as collateral for a loan.

Taking out a personal loan meant losing too much in interest.

Getting a part-time job seemed like a waste of time.

Parental support?

No.

A man had to have some pride.

Borrowing money from his parents, who were already working three jobs to support the family, would make him less than human - it would make him an animal.

Besides, hadn't he wiped out the family's finances with his hospital bills over the past three years because of that damn truck?

He couldn't burden them any more.

It's all right.

Even if I have to start all over again, I can do it.

Yes.

This is the early stages of 'Battle of Summoners'.

What was one of Jin-woo's nicknames again?

The Free-to-Play Ranker.

That's right, he had earned that title.

He had always been like that.

Without any help from anyone and without spending any real money, he had become the number one ranker and was known as One Heaven.

Just because this is reality doesn't mean I can't do it.

First.

I'll clear the lowest level dungeons.

With these rewards, I'll keep summoning and make Lamba my top priority.

Let's do it!

Jin-woo stood up with determination.

Ding!

A message rang out from his phone.

[500,000 KRW has been deposited.]

"Huh?"

Bzzzz!

A text message arrived at the same time.

[Son. I heard from Ah-jin that you've been working hard to get back on your feet since you woke up. I know you wouldn't ask for money, given your personality... So just take this.]

"...Mum."

Tears welled up in his eyes.

After all, his mother had given him a sweet and comforting gift, like refreshing rain after a long drought.

His chest warmed, not burning with emotion.

Jin-woo made a silent vow in his heart.

For my family.

I will see to it that they live in luxury.

***

It was late in the evening.

Jin-woo didn't come home.

Even when he used to play 「Battle of Summoners」, he had never pulled an all-nighter.

I'll cut down on sleep as much as I can.

Others had a three-year head start.

He had to push himself to catch up.

No time to be soft.

He had to get his mind right.

To become the best, he had to act like the best.

Jin-woo spent all the money he had to buy three low-grade summoning scrolls and six low-grade speed runes.

I have to build my team first.

Five summons per team.

Originally, he had planned to use the Synthesis Station to fuse the Furry Gorilla into Lamba as material.

But after seeing how well it fought in the dungeon, he decided to keep it a little longer.

- Gruuur...?

Did the gorilla sense his intentions?

The summoned gorilla looked at him with a pitiful expression.

Don't get attached.

Using conjuration as material?

In "Battle of Summoners", this was a common occurrence.

According to the lore, using a summon as material didn't kill it.

It merely transported it elsewhere to wait for another player to summon it.

"Lamba.

- ...

Outside the dungeon, she kept her mouth shut!

She followed orders well.

"Equip these speed runes."

Each of the six runes had different abilities.

[Rune]

[Level: Low]

[Set Effect: Speed]

- Equip 4 for a 30% increase in attack speed, 6 for a 50% increase.

[Level: 1] [Stat Bonus

[Static Bonus]

Strength +1, Intellect +1, HP +100, Critical hit chance +4%.

Some of the runes were like this.

[Rune]

[Level: Low] [Set Effect: Speed]

[Set effect: Speed].

- Equip 4 for a 30% increase in attack speed, 6 for a 50% increase.

[Level: 1] [Stat Bonus

[Static Bonus]

Stamina +1, Agility +1, MP +100, Critical Hit Damage +6%.

Others were like this.

Summoners could equip a total of six runes, which worked like equipment in typical RPGs.

The maximum level for the runes was 10, and with each level-up, the four preset stats would increase.

I don't have time to worry about stats right now.

To raise Lamba properly, you should only focus on two stats.

Intelligence and Dexterity.

Intelligence increases the effect of her skills, while Agility increases her attack speed.

[Wind Fairy (EX) has equipped the 'Low-grade Speed Rune'.]

...

[Wind Fairy' (EX rank) has equipped 'Low-grade Speed Rune'.]

Psst, psst!

Lamba has equipped all six runes.

Her attack speed should now be slightly improved.

This will have to do for now.

Later, I'll show you what it really means to max out your attack speed.

Next up.

The Summoning.

Rip!

Jin-woo ripped open all three low-grade summoning scrolls at once.