Chapter 5: Summoned Power

The room was silent.

Lucien stood alone, the system interface hovering faintly before him. The rewards had been claimed, the poison erased, the gold secured—but one part of the system remained the most eye catching.

Two summoned cards

Not physical in the normal sense.

But present.

Waiting.

[EPIC SUMMONED CARDS ×2]

Lucien stared at them.

This was different from armor.

Different from gold.

This was... presence.

Power that did not belong to items.

Power that could act.

A sudden pressure filled the room.

Not explosive.

But overwhelming.

The air thickened as if something heavy had been placed into reality itself.

A man appeared.

Fully formed.

Standing.

Dark armor. Reinforced. Battle-worn but perfectly maintained. No excess design. No unnecessary detail.

Every piece of him spoke of function.

Of survival.

Of war.

He did not move immediately.

He simply stood there.

Calm.

Composed.

As if appearing in a sealed room through unknown means was nothing worth reacting to.

His eyes shifted once.

Toward Lucien.

Malen Voldric.

Peak Stage Knight.

Lucien felt it instantly.

Not mana.

Weight.

A presence that pressed down on the space around him.

Not hostile.

But undeniable.

Malen spoke.

His voice was steady.

"Summoned?"

Not confusion.

Just confirmation.

Lucien didn’t answer immediately.

Because the second card was already reacting.

The air changed again.

This time—

Mana moved.

Not violently.

But deeply.

Like the room itself had become aware of something greater entering it.

Another whoosh.

A second figure appeared.

Tall.

Robed.

And still.

His beard flowed downward—

Long.

Unnaturally long.

Reaching all the way to the floor, moving slightly as if touched by a current that didn’t exist.

His eyes opened slowly.

And the moment they did—

The mana in the room stabilized.

Completely.

Gandalf.

Grand Mage.

He did not speak immediately.

Instead, he looked at Lucien.

Long.

Quiet.

Assessing.

Then—

"You are not supposed to be alive," he said calmly.

Lucien didn’t flinch.

Not because he was fearless.

But because, at this point—

That statement had become normal.

Malen crossed his arms slightly.

"You pulled us here," he said. "So talk."

Lucien met their gaze.

Both of them.

A Peak Knight.

A Grand Mage.

Summoned by him.

"I need strength," Lucien said.

Simple.

Direct.

No explanation.

No lies.

Silence followed.

Not awkward.

Measured.

Gandalf’s beard shifted slightly as he stepped forward.

The wooden floor beneath him creaked faintly.

"You have something unnatural bound to you," he said.

His gaze sharpened.

"Not mana."

A pause.

"Not divine."

Another pause.

"Something else."

Lucien didn’t respond.

But internally—

The system flickered once.

Malen exhaled lightly.

"Doesn’t matter," he said. "If he called us, we move when needed."

Gandalf glanced at him once.

Then nodded faintly.

Agreement.

Not curiosity.

And in that moment—

Lucien understood something critical.

They were not free agents.

They were bound.

Not mindlessly.

But contractually.

Then—

The system reacted again.

Sharper.

Urgent.

[ALERT]

[MULTIPLE HOSTILE SIGNATURES DETECTED]

Lucien’s eyes shifted instantly toward the door.

Malen moved first.

No hesitation.

No questions.

His hand went to his weapon.

Gandalf did not move.

But the air around him changed.

Mana gathered—

Silently.

Perfectly controlled.

The next moment—

The inn door downstairs shattered.

Footsteps.

Fast.

Coordinated.

Multiple.

Malen tilted his head slightly.

"Assassins."

Gandalf closed his eyes briefly.

Then opened them again.

"Poorly concealed," he said.

Lucien stepped forward.

Toward the door.

Toward the fight.

Because now—

This wasn’t escape.

This wasn’t survival.

This was his first real test.

With power.

Malen glanced at him once.

"Stay behind me if you want to live."

Gandalf added calmly,

"Or don’t."

A faint pause.

"Learning requires risk."

Lucien opened the door.

Below—

Black-armored figures flooded the inn.

Weapons drawn.

Mana suppressed.

Killing intent clear.

They looked up.

Saw him.

"Target confirmed."

Lucien didn’t step back.

Not this time.

Behind him stood a Peak Knight.

A Grand Mage.

And for the first time since entering this world—

He was not the weakest person in the room.

End of Chapter 5l