Someone stirred awake in a medical room. It was Luke. His head felt like it had been hit by a truck, his eyes were sticky, and he couldn’t figure out where he was for a second.

"Oh, you’re finally awake," a voice said. A nurse was standing over him. She looked homely, wearing a nice smile as she helped Luke sit up despite his muscles still screaming at him to stay down.

"Take it easy, young man," the nurse said. "You were completely exhausted when they brought you in. You’re lucky you didn’t have any permanent damage."

She guided him out of the clinic room and into a big living area with high ceilings and walls lined with paintings. Luke eagerly sat down on a sofa to rest.

"Wait right here," the nurse told him. "I’m going to get the Warden. He’s been waiting to talk to you."

Immediately she left, Luke scanned the house because it looked familiar. He soon realized he had been here a few times as a kid. This was the manor of the Warden. The Warden was a friend to the Duke, Luke’s father. When Luke was little, Silas and Cedric used to disappear into the study to talk about adult business while Luke played on the floor with his sisters.

Looking out the window, Luke watched the sun rise as memories of the night before came visiting.

The mall. The Trolls. The Cyclops.

Luke couldn’t believe he had cleared a Gamma-grade entirely on his own. But what was he doing here?

"Oh no," Luke whispered. "Am I in trouble?"

This was the home of a high-ranking Bureau leader!

A door leading to the living room opened, and a very tall man walked in. It was the Warden. He looked exactly the same as Luke remembered.

"You’re looking much better than you did hours ago," Silas said. He glanced at the nurse and appreciated her efforts with a nod. "Thank you, Maria. You did a great job. You can go now."

Once the nurse was gone, Silas stepped forward and loomed over Luke. He was so tall that Luke had to crane his neck just to see the man’s chin.

"Uh... thank you for saving me, Mr. Warden," Luke managed to stammer, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"I didn’t save you, Luke. My men found you passed out in a pile of rubble after the gate collapsed. You’re lucky the ceiling didn’t come down on your head."

"Yes, sir. Very lucky."

"So," Silas continued. "Tell me. Why was Luke Kingsley at a mall during a Gamma-class manifestation? Why weren’t you running away like everyone else?"

Luke’s heart started to race. He couldn’t tell the truth. He couldn’t just say, "I have a system that lets me wear monster armor like clothes."

"I... I just wanted to help," came Luke’s flimsy excuse. "I thought maybe someone was trapped and I could lead them to the exit. I didn’t think it was that dangerous."

Silas stared at him for a long time, treating the words like a bad fairy tale. "You wanted to help? Without a beast? You’re a teenager with only school training. That’s not ’helping,’ Luke. That’s suicide."

"I know, sir. I’m sorry," Luke said.

"The survivors in the theater have a very interesting story," the Warden continued. "They claim they saw a ’summon.’ A warrior in a strange mask. Color: red. They say this warrior walked into the gate and cleared it in minutes."

Luke felt a chill crawl down his spine.

The Warden was cornering him, waiting for him to trip up and spill the truth.

But Luke wasn’t a naive kid. He knew Silas didn’t have any real evidence because the mask had altered his identity and even his voice.

Besides, he was tired of trying to convince the world that his summons were special. If they wanted to believe a mysterious hero had saved the day, he’d let them.

"A red mask?" Luke asked, making his eyes go wide with fake surprise. "Yeah, I think I saw that guy! I was going to follow him to see if he needed help, but then the whole place started shaking. I must have hit my head. I guess the dungeon collapsed because that hero cleared it so fast."

Silas didn’t respond immediately. He just stared, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. He clearly knew Luke was feeding him a line, but without proof, his hands were tied.

"Well," Luke said, rising to his feet. "Since I’m okay now, can I go? I have to... uh... find a place to stay."

"Not so fast," Silas replied. "You entered a restricted dungeon zone without Bureau permission. That’s a serious crime. Do you think you can just walk away without a penalty?"

He was right.

In this world, the Bureau had authority over local manifestations. Dungeons were government property the moment they appeared, and anyone caught inside or around without a permit was treated as a trespasser. Getting caught was usually enough to get a person blacklisted forever.

With his life already in shambles, Luke couldn’t afford another stain on his record. He tried to use the only weapon he had left—his family name.

Even if he wasn’t a fan of his father, the name Kingsley opened doors.

"Come on, Mr. Warden," Luke begged. "I’m Cedric’s son. You and my dad have been friends for years. Can’t you just let this one slide? I won’t do it again."

This worked every time, but today? Silas looked at him with an expression Luke couldn’t describe.

"Cedric’s son?" Silas repeated. "Unless... you aren’t anymore?"

What?

The Warden reached over to a table and picked up a tablet. He turned the screen toward Luke, showing him a news website with a bold headline:

>>BREAKING: KINGSLEY HEIR DISINHERITED AND BANISHED AFTER AWFUL SUMMONING DISASTER!

There was a picture of Luke standing on the stage at school, looking like a loser with his glove. The article said that Adrian was the new heir and that Luke was no longer a part of the family.

Luke felt like the floor was falling away. He realized that the news had already spread to the whole city. Everyone knew.

"I heard the news this morning. I’m sorry, Luke," came the Warden’s voice in the background.

Luke knew what this meant for him. Now, he didn’t have a name to protect him anymore, which meant he was just a normal civilian facing the law right now. And the law states he ought to be in a holding cell for forty-eight hours.

But the Warden wasn’t a mean man. He turned his back to Luke while looking out the window.

"However," Silas said. "I remember when you were a baby. You used to pull on my beard and laugh. And I don’t like seeing kids get locked up when they were just being... brave. Or stupid...

Luke? I’m letting you go off with a warning this time. But if I see you near another gate, I’ll lock you up myself. Do you understand?"

Luke exhaled in relief.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"Go," Silas said. "And Luke... try to find a job or something. New Florence is a hard city for someone with no one to watch their back."

**********

"Get a job?" Luke thought as he walked down the busy streets of New Florence where people rushed past him in their suits and uniforms.

Luke really doubted anyone would hire him. Why would they? He was the disinherited son of the city’s Duke. If someone hired him, they might get their business burned down or something.

Also, Luke had never really thought about having a job before, having been born in wealth. Sometimes, he actually felt bad for the workers he saw because he knew the system was designed to keep them poor while families like his stayed rich.

"These thoughts can wait," Luke muttered. "Right now, I’m so hungry I might actually eat my own shoes."

He found an ATM between a bookstore and a tech shop. Alice’s favor came to the rescue as he withdrew 2,000 Scrips. The money was more than enough to get him brunch.

Luke found the nearest eatery, a place called The Bachelor’s Grill, where he walked up to the counter and ordered a plate of salad and three chicken thighs.

The counter attendant recognized him, but she didn’t say anything. She just took his money and gave him his tray.

But as he was waiting for a table, three girls from Rubverton High—Montclair’s rival school—pointed at him. They weren’t even trying to be quiet.

"Oh my god, look! Is that him?" the blonde one whispered loudly. "The Kingsley who summoned a glove?"

"Yeah, that’s him," the girl in the purple sweater giggled. "He looks so... normal. Like, he doesn’t even look like a noble anymore. He just looks like a hobo eating chicken."

"His own father banished him because his soul was too weak for a beast, so it summoned a mitten instead," the third one added, sneering.

Luke ignored them. He had just cleared a Gamma-grade dungeon while they were probably struggling to summon a goldfish. Seated at his table, he gobbled down his meal in peace.

Once he was satisfied, he leaned back, feeling revitalized and confident that he could visit his soul space again. After all, had new cards waiting for him since he leveled up in the mall!

Before he submerged his mind, Luke checked his status profile.

〖Hunter: Luke Kingsley〗

〖Level: 7〗

〖Soul: E〗

〖Skills: Forge | Summon | Devour〗

〖Summons: Hell Ape Gauntlet | Molten Triceratops Mask〗

〖Forge Slot: 4/4〗

〖Flame: 1485.6〗

Luke noticed his forge slots were filled and the opportunity to forge was wide open, so he mentally tapped the four new cards.

All cards flipped, each one showing a piece of armor made for a different beast.

〖Draft Card: King Minotaur Helm〗

〖Requirement: 240 Flame Points〗

〖Description: A battle helmet worn by Ancient Minotaur kings. Grants powerful endurance.〗

〖Draft Card: Bluespine Centaur Chestplate〗

〖Requirement: 290 Flame Points〗

〖Description: A chestplate forged for Bluespine Centaurs. Grants increased defense, strong mobility, and charging power.〗

〖Draft Card: Nine-Arm Asura Waistplate〗

〖Requirement: 310 Flame Points〗

〖Description: A waistplate once worn by an Asura warrior. Grants explosive strength and combat stability.〗

But the fourth card was different. It didn’t have a name or a rank, only a question mark on it. Plus, it was black and gold with blue, green, and yellow flavor shimmering around it. A Mythic Draft Card.

Luke tapped it, trying to see the details, but the system refused.

〖Insufficient Level to View Details.〗

〖System Message: You may choose to Forge it blindly or wait until Level 10 to unlock the description.〗

〖Forge Cost: 1300 Flame Points〗

--

--

--

A/N: Thanks for reading!