Elias grinned with excitement as he quickly navigated to the Summoning Card Pull.
The screen shimmered, and a large, ornate wheel appeared in the center of the display. It was divided into glowing sections, each marked with strange runic symbols. The three Gacha Pull Cards he had were shown resting in the bottom corner.
Elias grinned like a fool, rubbing his hands together.
He immediately willed the Gacha Pull to begin. One of the three cards vanished as the wheel started spinning.
It spun with a burst of vibrant colors, lights dancing across the sections like a rainbow caught in a storm. The sound it made was something between wind chimes and the sound of a heart break.
As the wheel began to slow, Elias leaned forward, heart pounding with anticipation.
"Come on, give me something good…" he muttered, eyes locked on the screen.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Ding!
The wheel stopped. A small beam of light shot out from the center.
Then, a big red "Fail" message popped up on the screen.
"What? This is messed up. This has to be a crime—no, a scam. A hate crime!" Elias shouted at the screen, frustrated and annoyed.
But of course, the system politely ignored him.
He sighed dramatically, glaring at the system window.
"Fine. Second time's the charm…"
He tapped again, and the wheel began to spin once more.
Ding!
The wheel stopped—and this time, golden light burst out of the screen.
[You have obtained: Epic Summoning Card – Undead Assassin]
"Yeah!" Elias shouted in joy as the card appeared. It looked like a solid sheet of metal, purple in color with golden rune symbols etched across its surface. It floated out of the system screen into his hand.
"Finally."
Then, another window popped up:
[Would you like to use the card now?]
"Yes! Definitely yes!"
The moment he confirmed, he felt something click inside him.
A sudden jolt of energy surged through his body as his Undead Summoning skill activated.
Without warning, a powerful force slammed down around him. His mana started draining—no, it was flooding out of him at a terrifying speed.
A swirling portal of greenish-black energy opened in front of him, spinning like a violent storm. It felt alive, radiating hunger. Elias's legs weakened as the portal seemed to suck the strength right out of him.
The summoning card flew out of his hand, pulled toward the portal as if by an invisible force. The moment it touched the edge, it turned into black ash, which was immediately consumed by the portal.
"Okay… that's intense, but manageable," Elias muttered.
But no sooner had the words left his mouth than the drain on his mana grew even worse. His energy plummeted—so fast it felt like time itself had sped up. His body turned weak.
"Damn, I take that back," Elias said through gritted teeth as he quickly opened his status window.
Without a second thought, he dumped all his available 10 attribute points into Intelligence.
Mana: 54 ➝ 74
Elias stared at the portal with a tense expression.
"Please be enough…"
Even with the boost, the mana drain kept going strong. His mana ticked down… 43… 31… 19…
"This is NOT okay! Fuck! Fuck!" he shouted, panicking.
He didn't know what would happen if his mana hit zero, but he was sure it wouldn't be good. At best, he'd lose the summoning card. At worst, he'd suffer a massive backlash—and that was a scenario he didn't want to face.
Luckily, just before the numbers dropped into the single digits, the portal suddenly calmed down. The spinning slowed and stabilized, and the drain stopped.
Elias collapsed to his knees, breathing hard like he'd just finished running from a pack of wild dogs. There was no way he'd ever try this again without proper preparation.
Luckily, this time it didn't end in disaster. Crisis averted.
He looked up, eyes fixed on the now-stable portal.
Just then, a foot stepped through—a high-quality black boot.
It was followed by a cloaked figure wearing tight, jet-black combat gear. A hood hung low over the figure's head, and a half-mask covered his lower face.
Only a pair of glowing green, orb-like eyes stared out from the shadows beneath the hood—cold and eerie, sending a wave of pure instinctive danger washing over Elias.
He stumbled back in shock, instinctively raising his arms to defend himself.
It was only the familiar sound of the system notification that snapped him out of it.
> [Summoning Successful. You have summoned: Vael the Great.]
Elias read the message before shifting his gaze back to the figure standing before him. His fear slowly started to fade.
'This is my summon. There's no way it would harm me... right?'
The summoned figure stood silently, unmoving, staring at Elias as if waiting for orders. Seeing this, Elias let out a breath of relief. It looked like he was worried for nothing.
The portal had vanished after Vael stepped through it, leaving only silence around them.
Elias swallowed hard, still staring at the eerie figure of Vael. He took a shaky breath and finally spoke.
"I'm Elias... your summoner. Your master."
The figure immediately knelt on one knee.
"Acknowledged. I am yours to command."
His voice was calm, flat, and sharp—completely emotionless. The way he spoke sent a chill down Elias's spine.
Elias tried not to lose his cool. "Uh… cool. First… take off your mask and hood. I want to see you clearly."
Without hesitation, Vael reached up and removed them.
What was revealed made Elias freeze.
It wasn't a skeletal face or rotten flesh like he expected from an undead. No, Vael was… handsome. Dangerously so.
He had raven-black hair that looked well-kept, paired with sharp, aristocratic features. He seemed to be in his mid to late twenties. His face was clean and elegant, except for a long, pale scar running across his right eye. Instead of ruining his appearance, it made him look even more badass.
His skin was a bit pale, but not unnaturally so. The only thing that made him seem less human were his glowing green eyes, sunken and faintly lit like enchanted orbs.
If he wore a cloak and moved carefully, no one would even guess he wasn't human. That's... good.
Elias then decided to check Vael's status, and with a thought, the window popped up in front of him.
---
[Vael – Status]
Name: Vael the Great
Titles: Whispering Blade > Shadow's Edge
Level: 5
Class: Assassin
[Attributes:]
Strength : 36
Agility : 52
Intelligence : 34
Endurance : 31
Willpower : 33
[Skills:]
_Shadowmeld
Type: Active / Stealth Skill
Effect: Enter near-complete invisibility in darkness—immune to sight, sound, and non-magical detection.
Cooldown: 20s
_Smoke Veil
Type: Active / Area Control
Effect: Conjures shadowy smoke in a 120 m radius, blinding enemies for 6s (visibility and accuracy greatly reduced).
Cooldown: 45s
Assassin's Mark
Type: Active / Debuff
Effect: Marks a target—grants +25% Critical Rate and +25% Movement Speed when attacking the marked target.
Duration: 15s
Cooldown: 30s
[Equipment:]
_Nightweaver → {Armor}
Rarity: Epic
Type: Enchanted Light Armor
Effect: Armor weight reduced by 90% → Movement Speed +30%
Passive: Swift Shadow – +15% Evasion in low-light conditions
_Phantomstep → {Boots}
Rarity: Epic
Type: Enchanted Footgear
Active Ability: Phantomstep – +200% Movement Speed for 10s (no cooldown)
_Whisperlight → {Pendant}
Rarity: Epic
Type: Enchanted Amulet
Effect: Mental Clarity – +20% Perception & Clarity
Passive: Cooldown Reset – Instantly resets cooldown for one skill or item when triggered
_Venomfang → {Dagger}
Rarity: Rare
Type: Enchanted Dagger
Effect: Poison Strike – Applies Venom Debuff: Target Speed –10% (stacks up to 5x)
Passive: Hemorrhage – Each stack causes bleed damage over 5s
---
Elias gasped, his jaw slightly open as he read through everything.
"This guy... is a killing machine," he muttered. "He's built to erase people."
Fast, lethal, and completely terrifying—Vael was the kind of nightmare that struck from the shadows before you even knew he was there.
Thankfully, he was on Elias's side. That alone made Elias breathe easier. He didn't even want to imagine fighting someone like Vael.
Then something caught his eye.
"Level five?" he whispered. "With all this gear and power?"
Did the summoning reduce his level? Or was that just the base level of his summons?
'I'll have to ask the system about that later.'
His eyes then dropped to the final part of the status screen:
> [Bio: Vael the Great – Deadly Shadow]
A silent shadow that dances through the night.
Those who glimpse the flicker of his movement live only long enough to realize they are already dead.
Elias stared for a moment.
"Yeah… that checks out."
Just then, another chime rang in his ears.
> [Congratulations! You have formed a Soul Link with Vael the Great.]
[New Trait Acquired: Commander's Bond]