Luke held the warm mask in both hands, fresh from the furnace. It was shaped to fit the head of a Triceratops beast, with two thick horns and smoldering eye sockets that seemed to watch him.

"This is incredible," Luke whispered. He couldn’t stop looking at it.

The system screen appeared right in front of the mask.

〖Molten Triceratops Mask〗

〖Type: Beast Armor〗

〖Effect: Grants the wearer increased defense senses by 50,000% and the defiance of the Molten Triceratops〗

〖Skill: Thermal Vision〗

〖Skill: Identity Hide〗

In this world, armor like this was usually made for beasts to wear so they could be stronger in battle. A human wearing it wouldn’t normally get these powers.

But Luke’s system was different. It was telling him that if he wore it, he would get the powers himself.

Luke felt very excited. With the gauntlet on his hand and this new mask, it felt like he finally had a starter pack to become a real hunter

〖You have gained 10 XP for a successful forge!〗

"I get it now," Luke said, a big grin on his face. "My vocation isn’t to be a normal summoner. I am a Divine Innovator. While everyone else is training their pets, I am going to forge the power of every beast into armor and wear it myself. I don’t need a beast to fight for me. I will be the beast."

The idea was almost too much for him to handle, making him very excited. He wanted to forge something else immediately as he looked around the workshop and the materials.

"System, give me another draft! I want to make a helm or a chest plate!"

〖Notification: The Forge Slot is currently empty.〗

"Huh? Why?" Luke asked, sounding disappointed. "How do I get more?"

〖The Forge Slot refreshes and provides a new draft every time the user levels up. Please gain more XP to unlock the next creation.〗

Luke nodded, trying to remember all this information. "Okay, so I have to use what I have to get stronger and level up. That makes sense."

But before he could ask anything else, the workshop started to quiver, and the red light from the furnace began to dim.

〖Warning! Your Soul Level is too low to maintain the Soul Space.〗

〖Forcefully exiting in 3... 2... 1...〗

"Wait, I’m not done—!"

Flash!

Luke’s eyes snapped open. He was back in the chilly, linoleum hallway of the Montclair School, still sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, the giant furnace and the legendary anvil gone.

His heart was still beating fast. He checked his hand. The gauntlet was invisible now, but he could feel it resting inside his soul, ready to be called out at any second.

"Luke! Luke! Are you here?"

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. Luke looked up and saw a girl running toward him. It was Vivian. Her long hair was messy, and her face was full of worry. When she saw him sitting there, she rushed forward and dropped to her knees, throwing her arms around him.

"Oh, Luke! I was so scared," Vivian cried, hugging him fiercely. "Don’t listen to them! Those people are mean, and they don’t know anything. I don’t care if you only summoned a glove. I’ll talk to Father. I won’t let him take away your birthright!"

Vivian then pulled back and looked at his face. Her eyes were red like she had been crying for him. She reached out to wipe his cheek, thinking Luke must be covered in his own tears of heartbreak.

But Luke looked into her eyes with calm. He felt bad that she was so worried, so he reached out and gently took her hands.

"Thanks for coming to find me, Vivian," Luke said. "And thank you for the comfort. But really... I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about me anymore."

Vivian’s jaw slackened as she tried as she looked at her brother closely, trying to make sense of his face.

Luke didn’t look like someone who had just lost his future; neither did he look like a weakling, too. There was a spark in his eyes that she had never seen before.

Vivian wasn’t sure if he was just acting brave, but she felt like something about her brother had changed in just a few minutes.

Back in the auditorium, the students had been talking and laughing about Luke Kingsley’s glove, but then, a massive Boom! shook the entire building.

From the center of the stage, a pillar of golden and red fire shot up toward the ceiling, forcing everyone to block their eyes from the radiance. When the light faded, a magnificent Phoenix was floating in the air. Its wings were huge and covered in feathers that looked like real flames. Every time it flapped its wings, sparks fell onto the stage like glowing snow, a sight so graceful and beautiful, everyone lost their breath.

"No way..." someone whispered. "Is that... a Phoenix?"

Standing right in front of the flaming bird was a girl with fair red hair. Her name was Scarlett Trump.

The light from the Phoenix made her skin look like it was glowing. She looked very calm and beautiful as she reached out her hand. The Phoenix lowered its head and let her touch its beak. It let out a soft, musical cry that made everyone feel a strange sense of peace.

Scarlett felt the heat of the bird, but it didn’t burn her.

’I did it," she thought to herself. "I finally summoned a Mythic-grade beast. My family will be so proud."

But in the back of her mind, she felt a little bit of a sting when she remembered Luke Kingsley, her promised husband. She knew what had happened to him just a few minutes ago. They were supposed to be the power couple of the country. Now, the gap between them was like the distance between the floor and the sun. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The teachers on the stage were losing their minds. One was jumping up and down, clapping her hands like a cheerleader. Another was checking his notes over and over again, flabbergasted. But the Vice Principal stood in the back, calm and proud. He already knew Scarlett was a genius, but this was even better than he expected.

"Silence!" the Vice Principal shouted, though his voice was full of joy. "I am proud to announce that Scarlett Trump has summoned a Mythic beast! An Empyrean Phoenix!"

The auditorium exploded as everyone started glazing Scarlett fervently.

"She’s a goddess!"

"A Phoenix? That’s groundbreaking! She’s definitely going to be the strongest in the country!"

"She’s so pretty and powerful. She’s perfect!"

But not everyone was happy. In the front row, a boy named Rake looked like he wanted to punch a wall. He had summoned an Ancient-grade Hydra earlier, which was a very high rank, but it wasn’t a Mythic. Next to him, a boy named Borg was scowling. Borg’s summon was a Greater Rot Tortoise. It was a very big and strong beast, but it looked like a pile of mud compared to the Phoenix. Both of them were left sour and jealous because they wanted to be the top students.

A teacher walked up to Scarlett and gave her a big smile. "Congratulations, Miss Trump. This is groundbreaking news. Please, come with me to the office. We need to handle the official formalities and contact the capital."

Scarlett nodded and followed the teacher out. As she walked, she didn’t look at any of the students. Her status was far above theirs.

Meanwhile, the assembly was over. All the students started filling out of the auditorium, chatting and excited, mostly talking about Scarlett’s Phoenix. But of course, they couldn’t help but bring up Luke again.

"Can you imagine the wedding?" one girl laughed. "The Phoenix Queen and the Glove Boy. What a joke."

In one of the long hallways, Luke and Vivian were walking slowly. Luke was still trying to process his new forge system, but the peaceful moment didn’t last long. Three boys stepped out from around a corner and blocked their path. They were Adrian’s top goons. The leader was a tall boy named Jax, and behind him were his friends, Leo and Mark.

These three were Luke’s pain in the ass. Usually, they would try to frustrate him and even go physical, but since Vivian was standing right there, they stayed a few feet back. Vivian was an Elder summoner, plus she was the Duke’s daughter. They weren’t stupid enough to pick a fight with her.

But one didn’t need to fight to be mean. Words can cut just as deep as a beast’s claws, and they’re much harder to get in trouble for.

"Well, well, if it isn’t the Master of Hands," Jax said with a nasty smirk as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "Hey, Luke. Did you hear the news? Your fiancée just summoned a Phoenix. A Mythic beast, buddy!"

Leo laughed behind him. "Yeah, a Phoenix. And you got a glove. I bet she’s already calling the lawyers to cancel the engagement. Who would want to marry a.. blacksmith?"

"Maybe he can make a tiny little ring for her bird," Mark added, and the three of them burst into loud laughter.

Vivian’s face turned bright red with anger. She stepped in front of Luke and her Seraph Leaper appeared behind her, its wings glowing with light. "Shut up! All of you! Luke is a Kingsley, and he has more talent in his pinky finger than all three of you combined! Go away before I make you!"

Jax held up his hands and backed away, but he didn’t stop smiling. "Relax, Vivian. We’re just stating the facts. The Kingsley heir is a dud. Everyone knows it. Have fun at the graduation party, ’Glove Master’!"

They walked away, still mocking him and making glove gestures with their hands.

Vivian turned back to Luke, her eyes full of worry. "Luke, don’t listen to those idiots. They’re just jealous of our family. Scarlett... Scarlett is your fiancée. She won’t care about what happened today. She knows who you are."

Luke looked at his sister, but he didn’t say anything. He knew the truth. In this world, power was everything. A Phoenix master and an armor forger couldn’t stay together. It just didn’t work like that. His father would never allow a weakling to marry into the Trump family, and the Trumps would probably be insulted by the match now.

It was very clear to Luke in that moment. He hadn’t just lost his place as the heir to the Duke. He had lost his future wife, too. Everything he thought his life would be was gone.

----

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A/N: Thanks for reading! Using this medium to welcome you, stumbling upon my book. I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions here and even in my review to come. In the meantime, kindly support with powerstones, as it gives me the motivation to continue writing.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Using this medium to welcome you, stumbling upon my book. I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions here and even in my review to come. In the meantime, kindly support with powerstones, as it gives me the motivation to continue writing.