The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima

by Antony W. F. Chow

  Luka remembered his harsh lessons from dealing with a hostile faction of elves in Langerlan village. He didn't wish to repeat the experience over the next three years. However, Luka felt thankful to Alectos for having the foresight to make his disciple encounter racism and learn to deal with it. Therefore, Luka felt confident in dealing with the beastmen faction within the academy.

  "After school, I plan to visit an alchemist shop to purchase magic recovery potions. I want the mages in our Elite Class to come along," Luka requested firmly.

  Evanora, Kayne, Thoma, and Uhaen eyed him wearily. Only Kayne was noble and possessed the funds to acquire another stack of potions. The other three had to borrow money from Luka to buy healing potions. They secretly felt unfairness in spending more money than the rest of the class for the field trip.

  "If money is an issue, I can lend you," Luka reminded them in a gentle voice.

  "We know!" Uhaen huffed in anger. The male gnome with the delicate appearance of a ten-year-old had a fiery personality.

  "We're thankful for your support," Thoma quickly added while raising his hands to placate his friend. Thoma's outward appearance was a mature adult; he wore a short beard under his squarish chin. His skin was bronze, and his muscular frame squeezed tightly into his school uniform. He came from a sailor family and spent his youth on ships. Thus, Thoma learned to become a peacemaker and help reduce tensions between disparate parties.

  "Are you trying to turn us into your slaves?" Evanora gave Luka the evil eye because she thought Luka wanted her as his debt slave. She possessed vibrant blonde hair, bright emerald eyes, and snowy skin. The boys rated her as the top beauty in the Elite Class and top-3 within the freshmen grade. Unfortunately, she was prone to wild ideas and conjured up unfounded conspiracies. Whenever Evanora opened her mouth, she crushed those who idolized and admired her in school.

  "Ah, you think Luka's goal is to make a harem out of debt slaves!" Kayne exclaimed. She looked at Luka and squirmed her body unconsciously, causing her enormous boobs to sway. She came from the Crimson family, well-known as a line of potent fire mages whose members gained glory (or infamy) during the Religious Wars. Kayne was wealthy enough to buy healing potions solely from her funds.

  "Luka is the heir of a duke's house. According to the Merchant Federation, he owns several registered businesses. So Luka is rich, successful, and powerful even before graduating from the royal academy. Joining his harem as a wife, concubine, or even a debt slave wouldn't be the worst thing in the world," she said with a grin. "So how about it? Are you interested in these fine-looking breasts?" Kayne teased while groping them through her uniform.

  The boys at the table stared at her enormous chest, and their noses began to bleed.

  "Stop it!" Evanora hissed and slapped her friend's head lightly.

  Fortunately, the bell rang and signified the end of the lunch period. Everyone exited the mess hall and returned to class.

  At the end of the school day, Terrwyn split the Elite Class into three sections: melee, magic, and utility. The last party consisted of two rangers and a thief; they directly returned to their dormitories. Terrwyn led the first section with 12 students. She took them to the training grounds to practice battle tactics and strategies.

  Luka brought the other four mages like a mother duck and her ducklings back to Tirli City. He followed Drinara's directions this morning and went to the church. From there, he journeyed two blocks north and found Fidget's Alchemist Shop. The store resembled a teapot with a curvy snout on the left side that emitted smoke, and shutters opened on the other end.

  When the students entered the establishment, the smell of poultice hung in the air. The visitors couldn't help wiggle their noses, and someone even sneezed.

  Evanora shouted, "I'll wait outside!" and fled the store!

  A haggard-looking woman stepped out from her workshop. She wore a dark apron over green robes, thick rubber gloves over her hands, a pair of goggles, and a white mask covering her nose and mouth. The employee cackled at the girl's obvious distress and muttered, "Well, that's another person who can't appreciate my custom-made fragrance." The woman removed the cover and pulled up her eyewear. Then she took off the thick gloves. "How may I help you kids?" she asked with a grin that revealed yellow-stained teeth.

  Luka stepped forward and answered. "Hi! We're seeking magic recovery potions. Do you have any in stock?"

  The woman wasn't surprised by his inquiry. "Unfortunately, I just sold out. I'm in the middle of making another batch right now. If you're willing to wait like ten minutes, I will sell them to you. How about it?"

  Their faces turned green at the thought of lingering here and suffering from the pungent odor.

  "I'll wait. You guys check on Evanora and see how she's doing," Luka volunteered.

  The three mages gazed at him like a saint for volunteering to suffer in their place. They quickly exited the store before he changed his mind.

  The shopkeeper laughed. "Who said chivalry is dead? My name is Fidget, the alchemist. What's your name, child?"

  "I'm Luka Heavensfell, a freshman at the royal academy," Luka introduced himself with a polite bow.

  Fidget's eyes narrowed in surprise. "Oh, you're Tsunka's son, eh? It's a pity that he died before you were born. Your dad used to visit my store to resupply his magic recovery potions. He was a bit of a brat, but Tsunka turned into a hero and embedded his tale forever in our hearts." The woman reached out with her hand and rubbed Luka's head. "You need to eat more to reach your dad's height," she admonished and chuckled. "Alright, grab a chair and sit for a bit while I check on my cauldron."

  The alchemist entered her workshop and left the customer by himself.

  Luka spent the sudden free time in meditation; this helped him withstand the awful smell.

  While he waited, his companions peeked through the window periodically. "What the heck is Luka doing?" Uhaen asked while adjusting his eyes. His fragile appearance coupled with pale skin but otherworldly handsome looks made girls stare at him from afar. The student felt annoyed by their excessive attention and desired to return to campus immediately.

  Thoma patted his friend's shoulder gently. "I believe our leader is waiting for the alchemist to create an additional supply of potions," he ventured a guess.

  "How can he stand that damn smell? Is Luka human?" Evanora asked in disbelief. The group already waited several minutes.

  "Better him than us," Kayne waved her delicate hand dismissively.

  The shopkeeper soon exited her workroom while holding a tray containing twenty vials of ale-like liquid. "Here is my latest batch of recovery potions," Fidget declared with a grin. She gently placed the tray on the counter. "They cost 50 gold apiece," she quickly added.

  "Do you sell pouches to store them?" the customer inquired.

  The woman's brows curled for a moment. "I have small leather bags with drawstrings that you tie to your belt," she offered.

  "How much is that?" Luka asked.

  Fidget waved her hand. "I'll throw them in for free as long as you agree to resupply those potions from my shop."

  "That's fine," he nodded. Luka placed 1,000 gold coins on the counter while the shopkeeper added five pouches to the tray.

  "It's a pleasure doing business with you," Fidget said with delight as she swept the money into a cash box and made it disappear.

  The customer quickly split the vials into five sets of four items each. He then placed them into the small bags and held the containers by their drawstrings. "I'll see you again," Luka said politely before leaving the establishment. He found his classmates standing outside and quickly distributed the leather pouches to each member.

  "How much does it cost?" Evanora asked anxiously. She already owed Luka a substantial sum for the healing potions.

  "I paid 50 gold each," he answered. "Fidget threw in the bags for free."

  She quickly did the math and groaned. "I owe you 2,200 gold coins." The girl gazed at her lender with a horrified expression.<
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  "I'm sure Luka will accept a big, wet kiss from you as interest," Kayne teased mercilessly.

  Evanora planted one on Luka's cheek and blushed.

  Thoma and Uhaen traded looks. "How about a man-hug?" Thoma asked and held out his arms toward Luka.

  "No need!" The moneylender shook his head and stepped away from the bigger person. Luka's face turned serious. "Why don't we return to the school and do some magic training?" he suggested.

  The others nodded in unison.

  They went back to the academy and walked over to the training ground. The mages saw that Terrwyn had split the melee fighters into groups of four members each. Surprisingly, Terrwyn used a tower shield as tall as she was and focused on tanking against two swordsmen and a spearman. The other groups had the same combination. After ten minutes, the members switched the role of shieldman since the group possessed only three shields in total.

  Luka felt impressed by Terrwyn's leadership because she helped each person adjust to different roles and expand the skillset. The tanker was the most challenging adjustment to make, especially since a sword and a spear had different attack ranges. Thus, the defender had to focus on the spearman first and track the swordsman peripherally.

  Luka led the mages to a far, isolated corner. "Let's have a magic duel; all of you will fight together against me. Also, I will handicap myself to using only light spells," he declared.

  Kayne became upset and leaned her face into his. "Are you looking down on us?"

  "No, he isn't. Luka wants us to work together against a common foe," Thoma explained.

  "Exactly," Luka nodded.

  "This sounds interesting," Evanora said as she narrowed her eyes.

  "When do we begin?" Uhaen asked.

  Luka backed away until he was ten feet from his opponents. The mage pulled his staff out of storage. "Begin!"

  Kayne began to chant the incantation for Fireball. Unfortunately, it took three seconds to complete.

  Luka raised his staff and cast Light Bolt. He instantly sent an arrow of light to hit each enemy.

  Since they were all chanting magic, the mages couldn't move to dodge. Consequently, the magical projectiles disrupted their magic casting. Each mage suffered from the backlash and sustained mental injuries. The classmates fell to their knees in pain.

  Luka coldheartedly watched because he realized that they needed to learn this painful lesson. Once the mages returned to their feet, Luka began his lecture. "In a magical duel, you need a plan of attack because your opponent will not wait for you to finish chanting. In a real fight, spell disruptions are key to winning against a magic-using enemy. Therefore, this tactic should be your top priority. That means relying on spells with faster casting time. The ideal battle magic should be instant."

  "Since there are four casters in your group, teamwork is essential to avoid getting into each other's way. For example, if one of you cast Fireball and a second mage cast Iceball simultaneously against the same target, then your spells will negate each other. Instead, you could stagger the two magics so that one arrives before the other to avoid this problem. Additionally, one mage could focus on disruptions and free up the other members to inflict damage on a staggered basis. But this requires teamwork and lots of practice to pull off."

  "I have no idea what monsters we will encounter inside the Morninglory Dungeon. But we might fight a magic-using guardian or floor boss. Hopefully, you will learn to work together as a team before we enter the dungeon next week. Okay, let's continue."

  The four mages huddled together and discussed their roles. Since Kayne was a fire specialist, she would serve as the primary damage dealer. Evanora will focus on sending Magic Missiles at Luka. Uhaen was a summoner; he will bring goblins to the field to harass their opponent. Thoma's specialty was enchantment, and he will buff his party members.

  Evanora led off with a quick Magic Missile.

  Luka allowed the spell to hit him and barely felt the sensation. He was curious to know how they planned to fight him. The mage noticed Kayne started chanting and sent Light Bolts at her. To his surprise, Thoma stood before her and accepted the hits in her place.

  Meanwhile, Uhaen summoned a half-dozen goblins and ordered them to attack Luka.

  The defender dispatched them promptly with another hailstorm of Light Bolts. Luka cast Dancing Lights at Kayne and her protector to distract them.

  But somehow, the fire mage pulled through and finished her spell: Firestorm!

  Luka immediately performed a dual cast -- Light Barrier and Dispel! He dispersed a significant portion of the fiery raindrops. The remainder fell harmlessly on his magical shield. When he noticed Kayne chanting another spell, the light mage stopped her cold with a Holy Word!

  "Ah! I'm blind!" she cried out fearfully.

  Kayne's teammates gathered around her and tried to calm the girl. They glared at the guilty party for hurting her.

  Luka jogged over and cast another Dispel to remove her abnormal condition.

  "What was that last spell he used?" someone asked. The students had all stopped what they were doing to watch the ugly, one-sided magical duel.

  The light mage smiled politely but kept silent. Luka felt that he went overboard in using the 8th tier spell against his classmate. But he had to stop her from unleashing Minor Meteor and accidentally hit the bystanders. Even though Luka saved everyone in the schoolyard, the magic duelist didn't think the boys would turn against the beautiful mage. Hence, Luka accepted the villain role and declined to justify his action.

  "Let's end the practice here for today. You need to recover your magic and spend time discussing how to improve your teamwork. Dismissed!" Luka left his group behind and visited the homeroom to pick up his camping bundle. Then he carried it on his back and trekked home with his pets.

  Chapter 60

  Morninglory Dungeon (Part 1)

  The students in the Elite Class steadily improved their skills and teamwork over the week. They practiced daily in the training ground after school. Even the utility group joined a hunter-and-prey game where Kerherac tried to evade shots fired by Viggo and Gertorn.

  Luka reluctantly skipped his weekend visit back to his duchy and stayed on campus. He used the two days to coordinate with Terrwyn and made their two groups practice together in various formations. Luka also provided several scenarios for the class to challenge together, such as fighting a magic-nullifying golem, a wyvern, or inside a 'monster house' (being stuck in a room full of monsters). He utilized light magic to create illusions and controlled them in these fights.

  On the day of the field trip, the Elite Class assembled in their homeroom. Tannyll led everyone to the dungeon entrance and checked in with the guards. His students stood together as a group while other freshmen classes arrived.

  The Elite Class sensed hostility from the other sections. Wickkuil glared back at these would-be oppressors and forced them to look elsewhere. Terrwyn nodded at him with heartfelt appreciation because his action demonstrated that her classmates were beginning to care about each other. Moreover, she had a good impression of Wickkuil and wouldn't mind dating him because he was her ideal man -- strong, fierce, and powerful. Unfortunately, his race wasn't human; therefore, her noble family wouldn't accept an interracial relationship.

  In contrast to Wickkhuil, the Cadogans would prefer Terrwyn's suitor to possess an upper-class noble background -- someone like Luka, for instance. However, she hated too many things about him -- his wimpy-looking physique, a girly face, and his aloofness. Thus, Terrwyn wouldn't consider marrying him, no matter how much her dad pleaded. Additionally, she still nursed a secret grudge against Luka for stealing her rightful place as the top-scorer in the entrance examination.

  In a typical aristocratic family, the children would have zero input in political marriages arranged by the family head. Luckily for Terrwyn, her grandpa doted on her, and he expressly forbade the marshal from doing this. Instead, she extracted a promise from her dad not to interfere in her future marr
iage. Hence, Terrwyn could freely choose her partner so long as he was human with a proper aristocratic background.

  When the bell rang at nine, the classes started entering the portal in an orderly fashion. The Elite Class was the last group to go inside the dungeon. Tannyll wished his pupils good luck before they disappeared from view.

  As soon as the party arrived in the Morninglory Dungeon, the members entered their starting formation. This grouping involved the two rangers standing in front, followed by Wickkuil leading his subgroup of five swordsmen, plus Terrwyn and two more shieldsmen in the rear with one spearman. The thief and Luka stood behind Wickkuil's subparty, and the four other mages followed the duo. Another spearman protected the casters on either side.

  Initially, Terrwyn was vehemently against this formation because it placed her on the back and presumably away from the action. But Luka eventually convinced her because her heavy armor made Terrwyn the best person to protect the vulnerable mages.

  The group was surprised to find itself in a desolate desert with endless sand as far as the eyes could see!

  "I need to check something," Luka said and abruptly used Void Step to ascend above the ground. He wished to investigate the ceiling and see how high it extended in the air.

  "He can fly?" someone asked in astonishment.

  Evanora stared at Luka's feet, and her eyes narrowed. She was a generalist in magic and sought to investigate how he accomplished this feat. The female mage studied the mana Luka absorbed to maintain his spell. She discovered that he used spatial magic! Evanora quickly shared her finding with her classmates.

  "I've never heard of anyone using spatial magic for flight," Thoma remarked with open admiration.

  "Luka defies common sense," Uhaen agreed.

  "You know, this would be a great chance to get revenge for our butt-kicking during magic practice at school," Kayne said as a ball of flame hovered over her palm.