Chapter 4
pGTCHAPTER_TITLE: Summoned to the Academy /pGT
I had been summoned. The vast land before me resembled an entire forest transplanted in one piece, its grandeur so overwhelming it defied any estimate of the Rosenhart family's influence. Sunlight poured through the dense canopy of emerald leaves, fracturing into shafts of green light. "So, you'll be able to help until the academy's entrance ceremony?" My casual assent left Yurika's eyes glistening with tears. "Thank you... thank you so much. If anything happens to me, I'll send Kim Taesan back to Earth. I swear it on my name!" Her urgent voice held words pressed tightly from the heart. "But what exactly is this academy?" "It's one of the courses to become a summoner. In a way, it's the most elite path? At the top of that list is Aethernoa Academy." "Hmm. You just become a summoner if you summon anything, huh?" At my question, Yurika's eyes widened and she waved her hands. "Of course! Summoning is just the beginning. You have to learn how to communicate with your summon, share mana, manage tactics, and most importantly, understand and evolve with monster attributes... there's a mountain of things to learn." Her explanation that followed proved quite fascinating. The process of growing alongside your summon, battling, forging a stronger bond, and reaching the pinnacle of summoning. As I listened, a sense of déjà vu washed over me. This setting sounded familiar from somewhere. 'So... she's asking for help to get into Seoul University in the Puffton world. I'm Pikachu.' The complicated mess straightened out in an instant. I offered a wry smile and nodded. "Got it. Well, I should at least earn my keep. So I just fight there? I can handle the fighting." "No... there are no summon battles in the entrance exam. The academy's validation test consists of four parts: your summon's strength, speed, and mana. And finally, the summoner's intelligence." Yurika counted on her fingers and continued explaining calmly. An odd mix of anxiety and anticipation mingled in her voice. "For the intelligence part, I'll handle it entirely. You don't have to worry. The problem is..." "The remaining three." "Strength and speed? I'm confident." I answered lightly, jumping in place. The strange sensation of my body rising as lightly as a feather was still new, but this impossible lightness only fueled my confidence. "The physics here are a bit... no, quite light. But I'm not lacking in athleticism. I'll work on perfecting this sensation until the test." Yurika nodded faintly, though a crease of worry remained between her brows, refusing to smooth. "That's fortunate. But what about mana?" "Mana?" At the unfamiliar word, Yurika gave a troubled, awkward smile. "Most summoners are monsters from the other world. They are born with a mana core in their hearts. Measuring the concentration and quantity of mana they emit is one of the key parts of the test..." Her gaze swept over my ordinary body as though it held no mana at all. "Even humans have a trace of mana flowing in their veins, you know. It's a form of life force." She gently took my wrist and checked my pulse. "But there's absolutely no mana in your body, as if it were an empty bowl. You said the concept of mana doesn't exist in your dimension, right?" "Yes. It was the kind of thing that only happens in novels." I chuckled wryly and shrugged. No mana flowing through me. From here, it was as if I were disabled. "Ha... Even if strength and speed can somehow be managed, the mana meter can't be cheated." Yurika let out a deep sigh and lowered her head. "Let's just quit." "What?" My mouth opened to protest the unexpected decisiveness, then closed. Yurika's eyes had lightened, shedding the earlier worry. "It's just one of the four evaluation items anyway. I can avoid choosing mana studies or magic applications when selecting my major... so let's boldly give up on it." "But won't that be a problem? It's an entrance exam." My side was the one surprised by her cool attitude shift. Someone who had been worrying the world was about to collapse only moments ago. "Nothing's impossible." Yurika smiled brightly. "Summoners are basically fated by the heavens. Even if you have flaws, Taesan will be the fate given to me. I have to accept it." She extended her hand, palm up, and red light sparkled. Light seemed to emanate from my body too. As I accepted the hand mirror she offered, a new tattoo glowed on my neck. "This... is the evidence of the contract?" Tracing the tattoo with my fingertip sent a tingling current through my fingers and into my entire body. "Yes. Now, we are bound together that we can't be separated. Even a summoner who can't use mana has no choice." Her voice slipped softly into my ear. No, she was wrapping it in flowery words about fate... but in the end, it was no different from being a pet. A vague unease arose, like a hidden unease about the inevitable master-pet relationship. But what could I do? It was better than being kicked out of this mansion and dying on the streets. "Still, it's a blessing. They say it takes over a year to fully tame and bond with a new summon. Thanks to our conversation, Taesan." In her relieved voice, I furrowed my brows and asked, "Then why summon me now? There's only a week left until the entrance exam. That doesn't make sense logically." "Eh...? Ah, I see. I need to explain from there." Yurika nodded with a quick 'ah.' Her eyes wandered for a moment. "Per imperial law, performing a summoning ritual before adulthood is strictly forbidden." "Why?" "It's... because that's how it's decided. Um, I wonder why?" Yurika twisted the ends of her hair and showed a troubled expression, like someone who had taken the act of breathing for granted suddenly being asked 'why do you breathe?' "It's just... because it's dangerous, so don't do it, right?" Her casual answer made me swallow a laugh. This world's common sense was truly fragile. Druuuuuuuuk— a heavy noise cut through the silence, approaching. Turning my head, I saw Yurika dragging a massive circular structure. "Ah! It's here!" Yurika's eyes widened like a child's, and she dashed over excitedly. The serious look from earlier had vanished without a trace from her back. "Taesan-nim, look! We can do our physical training together with this!" The object she pointed to was a massive hamster wheel. Indeed, it was nothing more or less than an oversized hamster wheel grown comically large. "This is a necessary equipment for enhancing the basic physical strength of summoners. Want to try it?" "Eh...? This is just a cat wheel, right? A bit... no, much larger size..." At my hesitant reaction, Yurika's eyes sparkled. "Pet wheel? How did you know? Do they use those in Earth too?" "...Cat wheel. I use it. It's for cats." "Yes! Exactly. Even monster girls use pet wheels. After all, cats are excellent summoners." "Pet wheel...?" Yurika smiled brightly and nodded, as if marveling at my familiarity with the world's artifacts. "You mean Yurika-nim uses this too?" "Eh? No?" She blinked and asked, a purely innocent expression making my words stick. "Clearly... I said we'd do it together..." My voice trailed off. At the same time, other maids were bringing in a heavy mechanical device. It had a familiar form. No, there's a treadmill. "Yes! I... ah, it's here." Yurika pointed to the treadmill with a happy face. Then she stroked the giant hamster wheel lovingly and turned to me. "Taesan will ride this, and I'll ride that. Perfect, right?" Behind her cheerful smile, the massive hamster wheel cast a threatening shadow. The instinct buried deep in the subconscious is truly terrifying. To her, I was nothing more than a human-looking summon. "Um... can't I ride the treadmill too?" "Eh? No, treadmills are for humans. Taesan-nim is a pet wheel... oh!" Yurika's mouth froze mid-sentence. Only then did she realize the contradiction in her own words, her pupils shaking as if an earthquake had struck. "Ah...! I, I mean...! S-sorry! I just...!" Her face flushed bright red. She covered her mouth with both hands, feet stomping in confusion like a puppy who accidentally stepped on their master's foot. "No, I didn't mean anything bad! It's just... the scene from the summoner encyclopedia was too intense...! Really sorry!" "Ha... I understand. Calm down now that you know." Through constant bowing and apologies, I felt sorry for her instead. After all the twists and turns, I finally mounted the treadmill, the symbol of civilization. 'Phew...' I carefully stepped on. Carefully rolling my feet as if walking on thin ice, in case the light world's machine would crush under my first step. Whoosh— fortunately, the machine flowed beneath my feet with a smooth hum. The familiar rhythm slowly eased my tension. At that moment, a heavy clattering sound came from the side. Turning my head, Yurika ran inside the much larger pet wheel, panting heavily. "Huuu... sorry... uwa! I... uwa! I was too hasty...!" Without wiping the sweat beads from her forehead, she rolled the wheel as if atoning for her sin.