Chapter Forty-Two: When Oti Returns

As he walked to the front of the altar, a chill-laden mist swept over him, cold and damp. Yet Jen did not retreat; on the contrary, he carefully scrutinized the strange sculpture in the pool before him, as well as the inscriptions, symbols, and magic circles beyond. At the same time, he dredged up every bit of knowledge about grand summoning rituals from his mind, comparing each detail to ensure the best possible result.

It was no wonder Jen was so cautious. Grand summonings were a different matter altogether from ordinary ones. The one-hundred-percent rarity modification he had made in the system previously did nothing to help with grand summonings, since these rituals already produced only rare entities—the real question was whether they yielded merely common rares or truly extraordinary ones.

This meant that after pouring in hard-earned resources, players could very well end up with something that might appear in a routine summoning, rather than a genuinely rare grand summon creature. True, entities summoned from the Dark Sanctuary were innately stronger than those drawn from summoning crystals. But for a player, the difference in power between a creature called forth with twice the resources and one summoned with ten times that amount might be a meager +3 at best—a disparity difficult to accept.

Moreover, Jen had further considerations. To avoid bankrupting himself the moment his grand summon emerged, he had no choice but to lower the number of gems invested. Yet if the gems controlling appetite were too few, there was a high chance that the result would not be a grand summon at all.

Just as 7777 didn't guarantee a top-tier summon, 4661 made it even less likely.

Jen narrowed his eyes, studying the resources before him. After summoning the alien and constructing the Dark Sanctuary, his stores had dwindled once more. Another grand summoning now would likely force him to close the dungeon and send the goblins out to forage for resources for quite some time.

[Dark Sanctuary activated. Please insert summoning materials.]

Staring at the system prompt, Jen was silent for a moment. Then he reached out and began to carefully adjust the allocation of his resources.

A grand summoning required far more resources than a standard one—at minimum, 500, which was already above average for a normal summon.

[Ore inserted (2000)]
[Mercury inserted (1500)]
[Gems inserted (500)]
[Crystals inserted (3000)]

After readjusting the quantities, Jen frowned. According to the data he’d gleaned from models, 3000 crystals was the bare minimum to sustain a grand summon; anything less and there was no chance of success. Unlike before, this time he focused on a balance between physical and magical offense. Grand summoning creatures had high base attack power, at least three stars even at the lowest tier, so it would be wasteful to emphasize only physical or magical aspects.

As for constitution, 500 gems yielded higher stats than an ordinary summon, but among grand summons this was merely below average. It suggested this creature might be lacking in defensive prowess—but there was nothing to be done about that.

There was one more consideration. After some hesitation, Jen added three units each of sulfur and wood, which would increase the odds of a truly rare grand summon. Typically, players used just one or the other, but to maximize his chances, Jen gritted his teeth and included both.

Everything was ready. It was time.

After making his decision, Jen took a deep breath and recalculated. No wonder he was so tense—these resources had all been acquired during his earlier raids on the underground caravans. Beyond these, he had yet to establish a self-sustaining system; the “tribute” from Brandon Stone City was barely enough to keep the dungeon running. If he failed to produce a grand summon this time, it would mean wasting two-thirds of the dungeon’s entire resources. At that point, Jen might have to lead his troops on more raids just to survive.

After all, even among rare creatures, those from a top-tier summoning and those from a regular one were worlds apart.

[Summoning resources confirmed. Proceed with the summoning?]

Summon.

As the thought flashed through Jen's mind, the numbers before his eyes began to flicker rapidly, vanishing in an instant. At the same time, the Dark Sanctuary stirred—the ground trembled, and the pitch-black depths of the sanctuary grew even darker. Simply standing there gave one the illusion of being enveloped in some viscous, shadowy substance.

The crimson hexagram on the wall began to pulse with light. The massive stone hands slowly unfurled, and the once-still pool began to ripple with the sound of flowing water. Then, an intense radiance burst forth; golden lines coalesced and twisted, weaving together as if knitting some mysterious object...

No one knew how long it lasted—perhaps minutes, perhaps only seconds. When the light faded, the summoned entity was revealed before Jen. Yet upon seeing it, he felt neither joy nor disappointment, but rather, confusion.

“What is this?”

Before him stood a colossal metal egg, as tall as a man. It was silver-white, as if cast from some unknown alloy. On its surface, intricate black curves like circuit paths—formed of condensed dark iron meteorite—crisscrossed and entwined, resembling the gnarled roots of an old tree. Across its middle was a rough horizontal seam, and on its front, a ticking clock, the sound echoing steadily, making the egg look more like a time bomb. Peering closer, one could see a flickering golden light within, lending it a peculiar and striking beauty.

“Wow...”

Bix, ever enthusiastic about engineering as any gnome would be, cried out in awe. Fascinated by anything that resembled a technological marvel, she immediately approached the metallic egg, studying it with keen interest before turning to Jen.

“What is it, master?”

“I don’t know either...”

Jen shook his head at Bix’s question, then refocused on the egg. Soon, the detailed information hovered before him.

[Mysterious Egg (Unknown)]

[Quantity: 1]
[Attack: ??]
[Defense: ??]
[Special Ability: Incubation (No one truly knows how far-reaching the effects of multiplicity and indeterminacy may be. It’s like when a person grumbles, “My wife is an utter fool”—perhaps that complaint will echo through a wormhole into some other universe, sparking a war of unimaginable scale and devastation. The multiverse is wondrous in such ways, so we must always remind you: no matter how tough things get, never forget your towel.) — Can hatch a summoned creature. Time remaining: 739 hours]

What on earth is this?

Jen stared at the metallic egg in bewilderment. Though he was a veteran player, the number of rare summons in the dungeon system was simply too vast. Even he couldn’t possibly recall every detail, especially since resource requirements for grand summoning limited what he could collect. So when faced with this inexplicable metal egg, Jen was at a loss for words. He placed his hand on its surface, racking his brain for any relevant forum posts he might have seen.

Often, the forums were the best source of information. Many players would post pictures and stories of their rare summons, showcasing all manner of strange and wondrous beings. Yet even with all his searching, Jen could not find anything resembling this. In all the posts he’d read, nothing even came close.

Could it be a dragon?

He immediately dismissed the notion. Summoning a dragon required massive resources; even pouring in the maximum of 9000 crystals was no guarantee. His 3000 crystals were just enough to meet the minimum for a grand summon—one stroke of bad luck and even that might not suffice. Besides, this didn't resemble a dragon egg at all—it radiated an overwhelming aura of technology from inside out...

Well, whatever it is, I’ll just have to wait and see what hatches.

With a helpless shake of his head, Jen resigned himself to waiting. Seven hundred thirty-nine hours—neither too long nor too short—amounted to almost a month. In the past, he could have endured such a wait with patience. But now things were different. Obsidian Stone City and Brandon Stone City were both likely to face trouble soon, and with humans entering the fray, the situation throughout the north would only grow more chaotic. Would this month be enough to buy himself a buffer? And if not, which way would events turn?

Unfortunately, the world rarely unfolds as one hopes. Only a few days had passed before Jen received some troubling news from Vilna.

The army of Obsidian Stone City had mobilized.

PS: Friends, please do throw me some recommendation votes...