The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima

by Antony W. F. Chow

  Luka experimented with punches and kicks to disable his assailants quickly but without killing them. He focused on knocking them out with big hits to the head. By the time Luka stopped, the combatant had fought his minions a hundred times.

  Luka fell to the ground in complete physical and mental exhaustion because he relied on his Spatial Sense to keep track of his enemies during each fight. His body barely kept up with his brain because he rapidly consumed his stamina to fight off seven opponents.

  However, Luka gained many insights in positioning his body and using his opponents to block each other. The fighter also honed his tactic of eliminating the easy enemies first while saving the boss for last.

  Luka identified the shadow-Rory as the most challenging opponent and continuously moved around the battlefield to put a lackey between them. Luka also used his Critical Insight to defeat the enemies quickly and save his strength.

  Once the practitioner completed his review, Luka cast Cleanse on himself and returned to his dorm room. He heard the bell rang twelve-times but wasn't surprised by the late hour in the evening. He changed into sleepwear, dispelled his illusion, and took a spot next to Bel to sleep.

  * * *

  The first week of school passed in a flash. Luka attended lectures in the morning and afternoon and joined the gym class in the last hour before supper. Although he acted friendly toward his classmates, Luka was also cautious in his dealings with them.

  Conversely, the students knew that Luka received the church's protection and his status as the heir of a dukedom was also problematic. Only Terrwyn qualified to be his peer as an upper-class noble, but she practically ignored him in school.

  Consequently, Luka did not have any close friends at the academy aside from Matty. But then again, vassals from his duchy joined his table at the mess hall for lunch and dinner on a rotating basis. Each table provided seating for eight people while Luka, Bel, Gripper, and Matty took half of them.

  Luka saw different students at his table daily, and he assumed that they worked out a system of some kind to determine who would receive this privilege. For better or worse, most of them were freshmen and male. But occasionally, an upperclassman landed a spot as well.

  Luka took these opportunities to learn their names and characteristics and to build future relationships with his vassals. His pets were a frequent discussion topic because none of them possessed a mage's familiar or a contract beast.

  Bel and Gripper enjoyed the extra attention as well as more food. Thus, they behaved nicely in front of these curious students.

  The vassals invited Luka to visit Tirli City after school and enjoy meals, drinks, and desserts at fancy restaurants. The more lustful students implicitly suggested visiting a brothel.

  But Luka declined every invitation with the excuse of needing to spend extra time to study and keep up with the Elite Class.

  Since none of them belonged to his class, the students couldn't refute him. Instead, they made polite remarks praising his diligence and being a model student for everyone. Moreover, the vassals already knew Luka's schedule: he would return to his dorm room directly after dinner and stay inside until tomorrow morning to attend the class again.

  Unbeknownst to them, Luka teleported to his shadow plane for additional training after completing his homework assignments. And the mage cast an illusion to make Bel stand in his place inside his dorm room. Thus, Luka had a perfect alibi and devoted hours to physical and magical training.

  The mage spent this time exploring new applications for his existing magic. For example, Luka used Shadow Walk to make a series of jumps behind his shadow minions and stabbed them in the back like an assassin. He used air magic to recreate his voice and added it to his Clone.

  Luka experimented with casting multiple spells simultaneously and discovered that he could pull it off -- at the expense of doubling the required mana to power each successive magic beyond the first one.

  Finally, the mage summoned each divine spirit and practiced using its ability to increase Luka's affinity with them. Despite some grumbling, they proved very cooperative.

  Within a month, Luka's lack of interest in social activities earned him the nickname of "Chief Monk."

  Chapter 57

  School Field Trip (Part 1)

  Tannyll Ravahorn entered his homeroom with an extra bounce in his steps. The time had arrived for the first test of his precocious students in the Elite Class! The elven teacher felt a fire burning in his heart. For the past few weeks, he endured snide comments from other teachers jealous of his talented students and sought to knock them down.

  He stood in front of the class and looked at each student in the eye. Tannyll became very satisfied with their attentiveness. During his lectures on magical theory, an admitted dry and dull subject, none of his kids fell asleep. Instead, they took notes and listened carefully to every word he spoke. The teacher felt blessed to have them as his students.

  Tannyll turned around and pulled out a piece of chalk. Clack-clack-clack! The teacher wrote two words on the blackboard: "Field Trip."

  The room stirred as the pupils read the words.

  "Today, I will discuss our upcoming field trip to the Morninglory Dungeon. I'm sure many of you passed by the entrance already. It's a black portal located at a pavilion in the middle of the school campus. Officially, the dungeon provides a training ground for our academy students to use their fighting and magic abilities. The setting also requires excellent teamwork from you to succeed."

  "Our headmaster has full control as the recognized dungeon master, and he delegates various responsibilities to assistant dungeon administrators. For example, we could modify the layout of each floor. The assistants also insert monsters, traps, and treasure," the teacher explained.

  "Different classes within each grade compete with each other by reaching the lowest levels within the dungeon and defeating powerful monsters. Since we are the Elite Class, we must reach the lowest level amongst the freshmen students. Or else you will fall behind in your student evaluations for maintaining your spots in the Elite Class. Do you understand?" He glowered at them.

  "Yes, teacher!" the class shouted energetically.

  "Given the high stakes involved, the Elite Class will enter the dungeon last. Your class representative will be in charge of this field trip and decide how to split the class into teams and their responsibilities. But generally speaking, a dungeon party should have vanguards, midguards, and rearguards. And the individual roles include scouts, tankers, damage dealers, and healers. You may follow my advice or seek another method to divide your party responsibilities," Tannyll said. "Are there any questions?"

  Luka raised his hand. "May I bring my familiar and contract beast into the dungeon?" he asked.

  The homeroom teacher arched his thin brows. "Show them to me," he ordered.

  Bel and Gripper appeared next to the owner's seat.

  The elvish mage motioned with his hand for them to come to the front of the room. He used Appraisal to examine each animal. Tannyll confirmed that Gripper was a contract beast while Bel was a familiar! "There are no specific rules against bringing them. But I will double-check and seek permission from the school administration on your behalf," the teacher replied.

  "Thank you." Luka bobbed his head.

  Tannyll looked at Terrwyn Cadogan, who stood up and turned around to address the class. "I need everyone to write down your skills and abilities and your preferred role inside the dungeon. Once I have your data, I will determine how to split up the class." The homeroom teacher passed a stack of papers around the class.

  The students obeyed the class representative and filled out the requested information. They passed their sheets to her.

  At the beginning of the school semester, a student had also nominated Luka to serve this role, but he politely declined. Since no one else challenged Terrwyn, she became the representative by default.

  Luka stared at his paper for a moment while considering what to write down. His pr
oblem was that he could fulfill any party role. He could scout ahead with Spatial Sense, heal with light magic, fight upfront with a sword or a staff, tank with his body enhancement, and fight from the rear with either bow and arrow or magic.

  Frankly, Luka could solo the dungeon, but doing so would put his classmates in a bind for their student evaluations. He sighed and began to write a comprehensive list of his abilities with a declaration of "All-rounder" at the very top.

  Once Terrwyn collected all the papers, the bell rung. "I will read carefully and give out assignments tomorrow during homeroom," she promised.

  The history teacher, Theis Gade, entered the classroom and exchanged polite greetings with Tannyll, who was leaving. The newcomer noticed the excitement in the room and clapped his hands. "Okay, let's settle down. Please turn to page 68 in your textbook."

  * * *

  During lunchtime, Terrwyn began to browse through the sheets listing her classmates' abilities. When she laid eyes on Luka's information, her mouth dropped.

  "What's wrong?" her friend asked.

  Wordlessly, the class rep handed the sheet to Camellia.

  The princess' delicate brows arched. She couldn't understand Terrwyn's reaction. "Are you upset with what he wrote? Or do you think he's lying?" Camellia inquired cautiously.

  Terrwyn rolled her eyes. "Do you think I'm petty enough to be jealous of my archenemy?" she huffed and then stuffed a piece of candy in her mouth.

  "If Luka is truthful in what he wrote, then you should be thankful that he's offering so much private data about himself. This princess would probably list mage on the sheet and keep other abilities a secret," Camellia pointed out.

  The class rep shook her head. "I thought Luka was a light mage also skilled in stick-fighting and unarmored combat because that's all he has shown in school. But Luka claims he could use a bow, scout the dungeon with a special detection ability, and tank with a body enhancement skill too. Honestly, he's much better off hitting the dungeon as a solo adventurer," Terrwyn admitted with a shrug. "That way, Luka could maintain his top status in the freshmen grade while earning points for our Elite Class too."

  "That's true," Camellia nodded in agreement. "But maybe joining the class as a party member is Luka's way of practicing noblesse oblige," she surmised. "Perhaps the poor kid is starving for social interactions and bending backward to accommodate the Elite Class. This princess would take advantage of Luka's goodwill and make him the party subleader," she suggested.

  Terrwyn thought for a moment. "That's not a bad idea. Luka declined to fight me for the class representative position, and some people felt dissatisfied with his lack of ambition. If I make him the party subleader, the class would certainly support my decision."

  "Good for you!" the princess beamed with delight.

  * * *

  During the P.E. class, Terrwyn walked over to Luka and quietly stood next to him. She began to perform stretch exercises while following the teacher's lead. "Luka, I read your sheet, and I want you to become the party subleader."

  Luka frowned at her troublesome words. "Why?" he asked quietly.

  "You are the only All-rounder in our class of twenty kids. Based on what I read, we're quite melee-heavy with many knights who fight with sword-and-shields or spears. You're also our sole healer. We could mitigate the pressure somewhat by loading up on heal pots. But our commoner classmates wouldn't be able to afford them," Terrwyn explained her reasoning honestly. "As our subcommander, you could order party actions to minimize the damage received during hostile encounters."

  "Fine," he answered. From Terrwyn's brief description of the party roles, Luka realized that his priority during the field trip was maintaining everyone's health. Serving as the subleader gives him the power to pull injured members from fights for fast treatment. However, he would also become their de facto nanny and adopt a reactive role instead of becoming more proactive while dungeon delving.

  She sensed his disappointment. Terrwyn reached out and slapped his back lightly. "You're a man! Stop sulking!" she hissed.

  "Easy for you to say," he muttered.

  Suddenly, Hansie hovered over the two students. "You have a lot of guts to talk in my class. Now, run 50 laps!"

  "Yes, sir!" Terrwyn and Luka immediately dashed around the training grounds.

  The classmates watched in astonishment because the two rarely interacted with one another. But now, the gym teacher caught them red-handed chatting in his class!

  The class rep felt humiliated and began to run faster.

  Luka was equally unhappy with her and retaliated by trying to best her in an impromptu foot race.

  Hansie looked on with amusement and asked, "Anyone interested in placing bets on the winner?"

  The class quickly split in half with the same number of supporters for each side.

  Luka furtively used Enragement to pull a few steps ahead and beat his opponent right before the finish line. Then he quickly dropped the skill before his skin turned blue.

  Hansie noticed the slight change in Luka's physical appearance but assumed it was due to the sunlight tricking his eyes. The teacher clapped his hands. "Okay, choose your weapon and partner and go spar!" he barked.

  Terrwyn took a wooden sword and followed Luka. She respectfully waited for him to set his stance and then, "Crack!" She attacked with all her might and began a furious assault from all angles!

  Her opponent calmly parried each strike and knocked her sword to the side while expending a minimal amount of energy. Luka's strategy was to make her tire out while conserving his strength. But to his surprise, she kept swinging for ten minutes non-stop!

  The other students ended their spars to watch the two fight.

  Hansie noticed but declined to make them continue. He, too, wanted to see who was the better swordsman. The gym teacher noticed that each participant possessed an outstanding characteristic. He felt impressed by Terrwyn's incredible stamina and Luka's ungodly concentration. In his eyes, the two ranked among the top five fighters within the entire student body in terms of natural talent.

  Terrwyn grew angrier over time and started grunting louder and louder. "HA!" She subconsciously used a breathing technique to time her strikes while exhaling and increase their power. Terrwyn was unhappy at the fact that none of her blows connected. All she needed was to land one lousy hit! The fighter couldn't fathom anyone her age possibly enduring her continuous assault.

  Luka, on the other hand, maintained a blank facial expression. He relied solely on his Critical Insight to see through her movements. Once this occurred, his mind required only a split-second to determine the counterpoint to parry her attack. The mage didn't need to utilize Spatial Sense, which required a higher degree of mental strength to maintain.

  After fifteen minutes of intensive, heart-pounding action, Luka abruptly hopped back and lowered his sword. "Let's call this a draw," he declared.

  Terrwyn immediately dropped to her knees. Her adrenaline suddenly ran dry, and she couldn't move her arms. The class rep realized that Luka withdrew to give her face because she would lose if the fight continued.

  The bystanders applauded. "Way to go, class rep!" "You're awesome, chief monk!" Their excellent displays of swordsmanship gave the class confidence in their leadership during the upcoming field trip. Moreover, since the fight ended in a draw, no one lost money on betting the outcome.

  "You two should take a break. The rest of the class will continue sparring. Now, move it!" Hansie barked. The gym teacher took a canteen out of his storage ring and handed it to Terrwyn. "You lost a lot of body fluid. Drink this to replenish," he ordered.

  "Thank you, sir." The girl accepted the container and took a sip. She tasted herbal tea and slowly drank the entire bottle.

  Luka observed the spars to identity the frontline fighters for the upcoming class trip.

  Terrwyn couldn't stand being ignored and belatedly spoke up. "Our class fighters are Celyn, Durigguik Stronghood, Jarnui, Kelgra Honorhide, Noram, Rorlim, Tozhi
n Homolka, Thrabruil Ironfall, Wickkuil Orcarmour, Yosdrar, Zivadin Zajok, and myself. The mages are you, Evanora, Kayne Crimson, Thoma, and Uhaen."

  "Viggo Borgstrom and Gertorn Lagerfelt are rangers; they come from baronies in Droustan with lots of woodlands. Kherherac will be our thief; his father is a locksmith, and he learned to pick locks and disarm traps from his dad. Oh, Kherherac likes to fight using gadgets he made as a hobby." The class rep pointed at each person as she mentioned the name.

  Luka did a quick count and realized that the party would have only five magic casters, including himself. Eliminating the three ranged fighters, that meant the class had twelve muscleheads for him to look after. Luka felt very unhappy with his nanny assignment during the trip. When the gym class ended, Luka rushed out immediately and left a disbelieving Terrwyn behind!

  She stomped her feet in anger because Terrwyn wished to discuss party formation, fighting strategies, and other issues with him. Although she could run after him, the class representative didn't want the other students to misinterpret her action. Thus, Terrwyn decided to corner him during homeroom the next morning.

  Luka went home without using his teleportation magic because he didn't want to arouse Drinara's suspicion. He made sure that the dorm mother saw him enter and leave the residence hall daily. Once Luka stepped into the staircase, the dorm resident teleported directly to his room. He took a quick bath and changed his clothing. He exited the building with his pets in tow.

  Matty waited outside and joined the group to visit the mess hall for dinner. As they ate, he asked a question. "What is your assigned role for the dungeon field trip?"

  Luka frowned at the question but decided to humor his escort. "The class rep made me the party subleader. It turns out that I'm the only healer in class," he explained with a sigh.