Ecosystem Invader: Trials in the Instant Area
Tall stature, mature looks, sociable charm that draws everyone in, and a sense of fun to boot. With the arrival of this invasive species, Class 1's ecosystem was utterly thrown into chaos.
"Oh, you know this perfume? It has such a luxurious scent, right?"
"You use it too?"
"Yeah! Even if you put it in your hair, it doesn't get dry or frizzy. When you spray it on your wrist, rub it in, and dab it behind your neck... the smell is just mmm..."
Despite being a guy, Teren understood women's hearts better than anyone.
"But it's so expensive, this perfume..."
"There are cheaper ones that smell similar. Want me to tell you about them?"
"For real? Thanks, Teren!"
The girls were already head over heels for Teren.
"Teren, that guy's got some serious muscles, huh?"
"A real man needs arm muscles! Delts! Biceps! Triceps! Forearm and brachioradialis too—essential!"
Teren flexed his thick arm muscles, and the boys swarmed like ants to touch them.
"It's rock hard!"
"Dude, this guy's a total tank! Harder than my thigh~ damn, I'm wrecked!"
Muscles equaled popularity. Winning over boys with their simple brain circuits was a piece of cake.
"I've got an eight-pack?"
"Bullshit! Show us!"
"Check this out!"
"No way! The legendary eight-pack that only the chosen ones get!"
The ecosystem disruptor had enchanted everyone in an instant. All that remained were the rabbit burrow and the fox's den.
"We met two days ago!"
"Huh? Oh... y-yeah..."
"Haha! What a coincidence! What novel are you reading?"
Lur shyly lifted her book to show the title.
"Romance novel, huh? Is it any good?"
Lur nodded, and Teren peered at it with genuine interest.
"I've never really read romance novels with a female lead! Looks fun, though! How many volumes are there? The author's pretty famous, right?"
Lur's head was spinning. In the presence of someone so effortlessly outgoing, she felt herself shrinking smaller and smaller.
She sensed no malice from him at all. Just pure, childlike innocence that made it impossible to push him away.
'Hiiiing... scary...'
The problem was that our master felt pure terror toward Teren. That boundless innocence exuded a cosmic horror too deep for humans to comprehend.
"Do they have this at the library?"
"Uh... w-well... y-yeah... they do..."
"Haha, awesome! I'll borrow it from the library tomorrow!"
If there had been a mouse hole, Lur would have jammed her head in it to escape right then and there.
"Hey, leave Lur alone already."
The class president finally stepped in, unable to watch any longer.
"What? Come on, prez, you saying I'm bullying Lur? That's ridiculous."
"Her soul just checked out."
"For real?"
It was real. Liz caught Lur, who looked ready to collapse, and shot Teren a wary glare.
"If you mess with our cute little Lur, I won't let it slide."
"Hmm... Lur is cute. Those cheeks look so soft."
"...Right?"
"Yeah."
Suddenly, it felt like Liz was siding with Teren. And it didn't seem like an illusion.
"Uhuhu..."
"Erhuu..."
"Eh...? Liz...? T-Teren...?"
Ahh, forgive me for failing to protect you and merely watching from afar, my master.
The day after our master received cuteness points from the fox and the muscle monster.
With Melle's withdrawal delaying it, the team performance evaluation was finally underway thanks to Teren's arrival.
Class 1's twenty students headed to the Instant Area, a short distance from the Academy.
An artificially created forest to test students' abilities—that was the Instant Area.
To ensure students wouldn't get hurt, it was stocked with external monsters programmed to target only summons.
"Nice to meet you all! I'm Zeke, the manager of this area."
A man appeared with a build so imposing he could pass for a summon himself—spiky hair like a delinquent biker, eyes always closed, and a smile that never faded, giving off a warm vibe.
"Monsters here only attack summons. Each one you take down is worth 1 point. You've got one hour—kills after that don't count."
Zeke began explaining the rules. Some kids ignored him, goofing off, only to get busted and scolded by Professor Ellie.
"This book logs your team's score and everyone else's in real-time. Oh, and there's a divine beast living in this Instant Area!"
The mention of "divine beast" made every student freak out.
Divine beasts—creatures that inherited even a drop of blood from ancient beings of old.
Sure, it sounds impressive when you put it like that, but basically, they're just strong, understand human speech, can speak it themselves, use magic... yeah, okay, they are pretty amazing. By human standards.
"Looks like they think the Instant Area is a real forest or something."
See? They're just beasts who mistake a human-made zone for the real deal. No idea why humans worship them so much. I could kill 'em with a flick of my finger.
"If a divine beast likes you, it'll give you a Divine Beast's Crystal. Bring one back for 50 points!"
Zeke's smile deepened.
"Attack a summoner for any reason? You're out. All your summons die? Out. And... I'll join in as a monster in ten minutes."
The students were dumbfounded.
"U-um... sir, aren't you a summoner too?"
"Yup. But I won't summon anything. Just me, the summoner, going in—so don't worry."
"C-can we attack you?"
"Of course! Hit me with everything you've got! Worry about your summons instead! Hahaha!"
Zeke laughed heartily, but the students couldn't join in. No matter how you sliced it, this Zeke guy looked stronger than any summon.
"Don't sweat it! Even if you're out, you keep the points you earned before! Now form your teams!"
Zeke clapped, and everyone shot to their feet like it was rehearsed. That booming clap carried an unconscious pressure—like you'd be in deep shit if you didn't move.
"Aren't you being a bit too intense with the students?"
"Haha, Professor, you worry too much. Humans are animals at heart. Gotta show some force or they won't respect you!"
Zeke patted Ellie's shoulder with a grin.
"You've gotta show some toughness too, Professor, or the kids won't listen going forward!"
"I-is that so..."
The twenty Class 1 students started forming teams of two, making ten pairs total.
"Lur, team up with me! I finished all the novels you recommended!"
Teren waved and approached our master, but she was already paired with Liz.
"Too bad—this cheekball is mine!"
Liz squished Lur's cheek as she yelled, and Teren made a regretful face before turning away.
"Next time, I'll snag Lur first—remember that!"
"Hmph! I'll monopolize her even sooner!"
Lur felt oddly like she'd become a pet.
"Lur, let's take first place in this team eval!"
"Uh... o-okay!"
"This eval's worth more than midterms, apparently."
"Really?"
The Summoner Academy didn't put much weight on exams. Performance evals were 90%, tests just 10%. And this team eval? A whopping 10%—on par with midterms and finals combined.
"Keep your summons out at all times—that's the rule. Dismiss them, and you're out!"
The students all turned to Lur.
"Hey, F-rank! Summon yours too!"
Zeke strode over and gave a thumbs-up.
"Lur's summon is already out! It's fine—hiding in the shadows, but..."
His closed eyes cracked open slightly, gaze locking onto me.
Zeke thought to himself: Can't gauge its exact power hidden in the shadows, but... that dragon aura that once drove me to death's door in my youth... it's emanating from beneath that girl named Lur.
'Oho... now that's an interesting prey.'
"Awoo!"
At that moment, Teren summoned his summon. A wolf-like outfit appeared, and when he put it on, it merged with him, turning him into a werewolf.
Teren's summon: Wear Wolf.
The students buzzed with curiosity at his transformation.
"Whoa, the fur looks so real!"
"It is real fur."
"Muscles got bigger too?"
"Attack power scales with my muscles! Feel my back—I'm serious!"
Zeke watched fondly.
"First-years are the most fun, for sure."
Zeke approached a nearby gong and smashed it with his fist. A eardrum-shattering ring echoed across the area.
"When you hear that again, your hour's up! What're you waiting for? The eval's started!"
"Huh?!"
The students scrambled into the Instant Area.