The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima

by Antony W. F. Chow

  Luka smiled wryly at this essay question because he realized it pitted feudal lord loyalty against familial ties. The scenario raised a problematic dilemma with no obvious answer. He decided to spend allot two hours on this essay and leave an hour for the multiple-choice questions.

  The examinee flipped the test book back to the first page and began to work through the problems earnestly. The first section had a dozen short passages followed by questions to test reading comprehension. The second part tested his vocabulary by asking for definitions of given words.

  The third section was the most challenging part of the multiple-choice portion. It involved an extended essay taking up four pages followed by a dozen questions, some of which were misleading and obtuse. Instead of reading the passages first, Luka skipped directly to the questions to understand what they asked.

  Then he returned to the essay and read it while marking paragraphs related to the questions. He went over the questions and consulted the related sections to pick the right answers. Luka learned this technique from his previous life and didn't hesitate to apply it to this final exam. Unfortunately, he took longer than expected to complete the multiple-choice section; he went fifteen minutes over his allotted hour.

  Luka finally tackled the ethics portion. He reread the question and began to brainstorm possible responses. The examinee jotted them down on the question booklet as bullet points and added key phrases next to each one. Then he considered the reasonable outcome of each response and picked the best one as the action he would take.

  In the embezzlement scenario, the treasurer's son had three main choices: report the crime to his lord, help his father hide it, or pretend to be ignorant. Luka quickly declined to ignore the situation because it was the worst choice. Even without the son's involvement, the lord would still eventually uncover the embezzlement scheme. If that happens, then the baron would punish the entire family for this crime.

  Luka chose to disclose the embezzlement directly to the baron for several reasons. If the son actively helped his dad hide the crime, he would become an accomplice and equally guilty.

  If the son reported the embezzlement directly to his lord, the baron may spare his family and punish only the father. After all, how many subjects would choose loyalty to his feudal lord over familial ties? Furthermore, the son would act righteously and lawfully while pointedly disavow his father's criminal activity. In the final analysis, Luka believed this was the best outcome and stated so in the essay.

  For giggles, the test-taker recited applicable kingdom law to strengthen his answer. Even though Luka recognized he wouldn't receive credit for doing this, he wished to demonstrate how kingdom law was relevant to this scenario. When the exam period ended, the student felt confident that he did well in today's examination.

  Chapter 73

  Semester Finals (Part 2)

  After the week passed and the written finals were over, the Elite Class gathered for a group lunch in the cafeteria. Some members were hungry and ate a lot of food, while others felt miserable and had no appetite. Instead, these students turned their uneaten meals over to Bel and Gripper. The animals accepted the food as tribute from their worshippers.

  Luka sighed inwardly and ignored their misbehavior as he concentrated on eating his lunch. Afterward, he waved goodbye to Matty and the girls from his fan club; they sat at nearby tables.

  The Elite Class followed him out of the mess hall, and they teleported to Luka's private plane. The members began to spread out in the courtyard. Although the shadow realm still seemed eery, the students felt a sense of familiarity with it because they spent many weeks training in this area.

  Once they checked and confirmed the space was vacant, the classmates lowered their guard. The Elite Class remembered the abyssal creature's visual image, which Luka fought alone, and they worried about encountering one during this visit. The classmates turned toward Terrwyn and waited for her to speak up.

  The class representative glanced at every face. She saw mixed emotions of relief, frustration, and helplessness. She assumed that some people did poorly on the final exams. Terrwyn decided to encourage them. She startled them by clapping her hands. "Congratulations on surviving finals weeks, everyone!" Terrwyn declared with a big smile.

  "Regardless of how well you performed on the written examinations, they are worth only a third of your semester grades. The Battle Royale event is worth the same amount of points, and everyone, aside from Luka, will share in the outcome. So it behooves you to forget about the finals and turn your focus to our upcoming class battles!"

  "Although we will have only nineteen participants, we will demonstrate to the entire academy why we rightfully belong in the Elite Class!" Terrwyn punched her fists in the air, and the listeners copied her movement. "We're going to kick their butts so badly that they won't sit down for the entire winter break! We'll make them cry uncle and weep like babies! We'll smack them down and make them realize they're not worthy of licking our shoes!"

  "Why are you standing around? Grab a partner and start sparring!" she yelled.

  The students quickly split into groups and began to fight.

  Terrwyn watched for five minutes before she made another announcement. "Since you warmed up, take your two-man groups and fight each other!" She approached a group without a partner to spar with them. The class rep easily repelled their attacks with her tower shield. She also kept her partners off-balanced by bashing their bodies with her equipment.

  Luka pitied Jarnui and Tozhin because they couldn't break through Terrwyn's guard to retaliate.

  Ten minutes later, Terrwyn said, "Okay, your teams of two will now combine with your opponents to form teams of four and fight each other." She turned toward Luka and said, "You will fight the three of us."

  Luka took out his Staff of Alraune and began to spar against her team. He activated his Spatial Sense to track his enemies' movements. He quickly cast buffs to strengthen his body. Then Luka played a game of rope-a-dope by moving around and evading their attacks to tire them out. In particular, Luka tried to lead Jarnui and Tozhin into Terrwyn's path and block her shield because Luka identified her as the most dangerous opponent.

  The two teammates scowled whenever they bumped into her shield. However, they kept silent and didn't dare to voice their complaints to Terrwyn because she would punish them.

  After thirty minutes of fruitless sparring, she said in a loud voice, "Let's take a break!" Terrwyn gave her teammates a death stare but didn't yell at the two. She realized that she had played into Luka's hand and shared equal blame with them. The trio failed to land a single blow on Luka during the training session.

  The students were visibly exhausted from their strenuous workout and laid flat on the ground. Sweat poured out of their skins and soaked their clothes.

  Terrwyn's physical condition was much better relative to the rest of the class. She sat cross-legged on the floor and took deep breaths. The noble took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her stern face. She glanced at Luka and saw his eyes closed while he meditated.

  When the leader judged everyone received sufficient rest, she stood up and clapped her hands to draw their attention. "Let's do something different," Terrwyn grinned. "Since our ace will be dueling an upperclassman, we need to help Luka prepare for his match. And the best way to do so is to have all of us fight against him. Let's see how long he lasts."

  The mages were uncomfortable with her suggestion because they realized that he possessed more magical power than the four combined. Luka's magic was beyond the realm of humans, and melee fighters like Terrwyn couldn't appreciate the vast gap between him and everybody else. However, the four noticed the excited looks on their faces and declined to reject the class rep's proposal.

  "I'll do my best to protect everyone," Thoma promised with a faint smile. He didn't want to wave the white flag before the battle and sour everyone's mood.

  "I'm fine with it," Luka agreed with a nod. He climbed to his feet and took out his mag
ical staff.

  The fighters surrounded him and formed a circle while the mages stayed a short distance back.

  "Uhaen, please summon ogres and send them to fight Luka," Terrwyn ordered. "Thoma, start buffing everyone."

  The two mages executed her command.

  Meanwhile, Luka began to buff his body with light magic to increase his strength and speed. The defender activated Spatial Sense and tracked his opponents' movements. He closed his eyes to enhance his focus and concentration. Luka was curious to see what sort of strategy Terrwyn came up with to attack him. Hopefully, her efforts would uncover a hole in his defense.

  Luka cast Void Step and hovered slightly off the ground. He chose to rely on spatial magic for better maneuverability. The defender also worried that Kherherac would throw an oil bomb to make the ground slick. Lastly, Luka guarded against the possibility of Elenora freezing the floor and his feet with it.

  "Start firing!" Terrwyn barked.

  Viggo and Gertorn shot their arrows while Kherherac aimed his pistol at Luka. Elenora and Kayne cast Magic Missile.

  Luka teleported and reappeared behind the two female mages. He cast Earth Bind to neutralize the duo. Thick, green vines shot out of the ground and wrapped the two tightly. Luka used Touch the Horizon to reach Thoma and Uhaen and bundled them up with another Earth Bind.

  This ambush broke the summoner's concentration. Uhaen failed to maintain his magic link to his ogres, and they dissipated in thin air with a mournful cry.

  The rangers and gunslinger took advantage of Luka's preoccupation with the mages and sent more projectiles at him.

  However, the defender tracked these actions with his Spatial Sense. Luka cast Blink, and the three missiles harmlessly passed through his body. The mage retaliated by sending Dancing Lights into their eyes; the trio couldn't see correctly to aim at him.

  Some classmates tried to cut the vines and free the mages. However, the magical bindings resisted the blades. The students failed to realize that while the Earth Bind spell remained active, regular weapons couldn't cut these magical vines. Instead, the would-be rescuers must make the magic caster lose his concentration and cause his spell to drop.

  "Guys, forget about the mages. Concentrate our attacks on Luka! Chase him!" Terrwyn barked.

  The beastmen howled and ran toward Luka. To their pleasant surprise, their prey stayed in one spot!

  Luka smiled and welcomed their charge. He desired to fight them physically and determine who was the strongest within the Elite Class. He secretly hated being seen by his classmates as one-dimensional and reliant on magic. Thus, Luka wished to use his fist for once!

  When Wickkuil reached Luka, the beastman slammed his two-handed sword against the human's skull!

  However, the defender noticed that his classmate turned his grip at the moment of impact and used his blade's flat side.

  Luka held his magical staff by the edge and bravely pushed back. BAM!

  The beastmen were shocked to see the puny human withstand Wickkuil's assault! They declined to intervene and attack Luka because their honor demanded a fair, one-on-one melee between the two combatants.

  When Terrwyn tried to cut in with a shield bash while Luka was distracted, Wickkuil's lackeys blocked her. "What the hell are you doing?" she yelled in anger.

  "Wickkuil is dueling with Luka," Thrabruil answered in a calm voice. "Please don't interfere."

  She tried to push the beastmen aside, but they were too strong for her to move.

  Wickkuil retrieved his weapon and took a step back. "Let's have a fair fight," he grinned and revealed his sharp canines. Bash! Bash! Bash! The beastman treated his weapon as a club and continuously slammed it against the smaller enemy. Wickkuil thought he was physically superior to a mere human. His confident smile soon turned into an angry snarl when his full-strength attacks proved ineffective against his supposedly weaker opponent.

  Luka stood his ground and refused to take even a single step back. Although Wickkuil outweighed him by at least fifty pounds, Luka's buffs doubled his strength. His magical enhancements were just enough to match against the mighty beastman. The defender detected a slight lull in the attacks and immediately took advantage. Luka lunged forward and smashed his staff into Wickkuil's face!

  This sudden blow stung the opponent's nose and made him wince. He involuntarily took a step back to steady himself.

  Luka pressed his attack and slammed his stick into Wickkuil's gut. When his victim bent over into a v-shape, the human smashed his staff like a golf club. Luka struck a heavy blow behind Wickkuil's right ear! BAM!

  The beastman dropped, face first, into the floor. Wickkuil's body became immobile because he was out cold!

  "Boss!" his followers screamed. They turned berserk and immediately attacked Luka! Durigguik clawed at his face while Thrabuil slashed at his blindspot.

  However, Luka never dropped his Spatial Sense. He tracked their movements and took evasive actions. First, Luka ducked and rolled to his left. Then he activated Critical Insight and lashed out with his staff. The stick tripped Durigguik's feet, causing the beastman to stumble into his comrade's path.

  Psst! Thrabuil's blade tore through his teammate's shirt and cut deep into Durigguik's flesh! Hot blood gushed out of the wound, and the victim's clean uniform turned dark red as it soaked up his body fluids.

  The shocked swordsman dropped his weapon like a venomous snake and held the wounded beastman's shoulder. "I didn't mean to cut you!" Thrabuil exclaimed in guilt while shaking his unresponsive comrade.

  "STOP!" Terrwyn screamed when she saw other students rushing over to attack Luka. They blamed his tricky movements for Durigguik's injury and tried to avenge their fallen comrade.

  However, the enraged students ignored her order.

  Luka calmly stood his ground and used Blink multiple times to avoid these hits. The mage retaliated with Earth Bind to seal their movements. The mock battle finally ended when he wrapped up all the attackers. Then he treated Durigguik's wound with Medium Cure followed by Cleanse.

  During the melee, the healer kept his eye on Durigguik. The beastman possessed an extraordinarily high vitality. Although the wound looked gruesome from a distance, Durigguik stopped bleeding. Therefore, his life wasn't in danger.

  The patient's pale face regained some color after Luka's treatment.

  Thrabuil carefully helped his friend stand up.

  Durigguik grinned and patted Thrabuil's shoulder. "I'll forgive you if you take me there." The beastman winked his right eye.

  Thrabuil's thick brows rose. His friend enjoyed visiting a brothel in Tirli City and sleeping with human call girls. Unfortunately, the sex workers charged extra for beastmen clients because the prostitutes often needed healing potions after providing their services. Thus, Durigguik couldn't afford to frequent his favorite establishment, Sweet Candy, more than once a month. "Fine," Thrabuil agreed while sighing inwardly. If the swordsman had checked his swing in time, his wallet wouldn't be 100 gold lighter.

  Wickkuil approached Luka and abruptly prostrated before the human! "Thank you for saving Durigguik. And I apologize for my followers' cowardly actions," he said.

  The bystanders were shocked because Wickkuil was a proud beastman who never scraped his knees to a human before! They felt guilty at hearing their leader's words because the fighters trampled on Wickkuil's honor by violating the beastmen's dueling customs.

  "Please stand up," Luka replied and helped pull his classmate to his feet. "I don't think they acted with malice toward me. Their emotions carried over and temporarily made them lose their minds," he speculated.

  Terrwyn immediately rebuffed his kind gesture. "They disobeyed my direct command," she pointed out.

  Wickkuil bent his waist to her. "Please forgive them," he pleaded on their behalf.

  "After Luka dispels his magic, your followers will run twenty laps around the courtyard," the class rep responded. "And you will join them," she quickly added.

  The beastman accepted hi
s punishment. "Yes, I will make sure they don't skip a single lap," he promised.

  Luka waved his hand toward the bound students, and the vines disappeared.

  The followers had regained their minds while trapped. They heard Wickkuil's promise and wished to support him. The students lined up behind their leader and ran after him around the courtyard.

  Terrwyn turned toward Luka with a complicated expression. "I, too, owe you an apology. I need to discipline our members better," she reflected on her failure as a leader.

  Luka shook his head. "Your status as the class representative means little to the beastmen in our class. They will only obey Wickkuil," he noted.

  She sighed because he was right.

  Chapter 74

  Semester Finals (Part 3)

  After the disobedient students finished running around the courtyard, Terrwyn decided to end the group practice. After all, she made a mistake in asking the class to gang up on Luka. The class representative never expected him to defeat his classmates -- and made this task look easy to accomplish. Consequently, they were both tired and depressed. Hence, Terrwyn mercifully ended today's session earlier than planned.

  Luka magically transported everyone back to the academy.

  When the group broke up, Terrwyn grabbed his arm. "Let's talk privately. And I'll treat you to dinner."

  "Can you include my pets?" Luka negotiated with her. "They won't let me sleep tonight once they find out you treated me to a meal," he explained.

  "Fine." She rolled her eyes in exasperation.

  Befitting her status as an upper-class noble, Terrwyn brought Luka and his small entourage to the Noble District in Tirli City. But then, she faced an unexpected dilemma: which restaurant allowed pets? Her first choice, The Chocolate Chef, was her favorite eatery because it specialized in chocolate dishes. She loved to indulge in their chocolate shakes and felt a craving for one this evening.