Chapter 31: 31. Don’t mess with Iris!
AT THE SAME TIME
ALEXANDER
We had barely left the chamber, barely, and the entire situation with Iris was still processing in everyone’s brains. Mostly because nobody knew how to process it. Michael was still muttering about retirement, Scarlet was suspiciously quiet, Noa was watching Iris constantly while Rosalia seemed entertained. Aiko had accepted reality and moved on. I wished I could do that, unfortunately, reality had other plans. The cavern suddenly shook, and a deep roar echoed through the tunnels. Stone cracked, ice exploded from the walls. Everyone immediately reached for weapons.
"Contact." Rosalia said.
A gigantic shape emerged from the darkness. Four glowing blue eyes, massive claws, ice crystals growing from its back. The thing was easily six meters tall.
"DING." The system appeared. "Target identified: Frost tyrant. Rank: A+ Threat level: extremely high. Recommended action: Run."
"Wonderful." I sighed.
"WHY IS THERE AN A+ MONSTER HERE?"Michael looked at the screen.
The Frost tyrant roared and the entire cavern trembled. Ice spikes erupted from the ground, everyone immediately prepared for battle, Scarlet raised her staff, Noa drew her blades, Rosalia aimed and Aiko stepped in front of me. Then Iris looked at the monster, the monster looked at Iris, and it roared again.
"Master."Iris tilted her head.
"What?"I asked.
"Observe."She said and grinned.
Before anyone could ask what that meant, Iris disappeared. Not moved, disappeared. A sonic boom exploded through the cavern, the Frost tyrant didn’t even have time to react. BOOM. Something hit its face and the monster flew sideways, straight through a crystal pillar. The pillar exploded, the monster rolled across the cavern floor.
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"I missed it."Michael blinked.
The Frost tyrant struggled to stand, and Iris appeared beside it. She smiled politely and then punched it once. The entire monster vanished into a wall, and the wall shattered. A shockwave blasted across the cavern. Dust settled, and the Frost tyrant was unconscious. Michael slowly lowered his communication crystal.
"I spent twenty years becoming guild master."He said. Nobody answered. The Frost tyrant twitched once. Iris immediately appeared beside it and the monster stopped twitching.
"Good monster." Iris said.
The monster did not disagree.
"That was an A+ monster."Rosalia stared.
"Correct." Aiko replied.
"She defeated it in three seconds."Scarlet stared.
"Approximately 2.4 seconds." Aiko corrected.
"That is worse."I said.
Iris happily walked back and then stood beside me, waiting for something. Why do I have a feeling she is like Rosalia?
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"Good job?" I offered.
"Thank you, Master."The smile she gave could have powered a city.
"DING." The system suddenly appeared again.
"Oh, now what?"I asked.
Legacy record located, previous gacha summoner data recovered." A massive golden screen unfolded. Everyone froze, and even Iris looked surprised.
"Historical analysis complete. Unit: Iris. Original classification: impossible summon. Success Rate: 0.00003%."The system continued.
"What?"Michael stared.
"Strongest recorded summon produced by a gacha summoner. Status: legendary. Threat evaluation: capable of defeating armies, capable of destroying cities, capable of surviving national military operations, capable of functioning independently for centuries."The system explained.
"EXCUSE ME?"Michael looked like he was reading his own death certificate.
"Previous owner notes." The system ignored him. "Do not summon her."
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I blinked.
"What?"I asked.
"Additional Notes: if summoned, immediately apologize."The system said.
Michael sat down again, and Rosalia laughed. Actually laughed and Noa looked deeply concerned. Scarlet looked alarmed while Aiko adjusted his glasses.
"That explains several things."I sighed.
The screen vanished as silence remained, then everyone slowly turned toward Iris. Iris smiled, raised one finger.
"I was very helpful."She said.
Nobody could argue with that. Especially not the Frost tyrant embedded halfway into a wall behind her. After Iris had casually introduced an A+ monster to a wall, the rest of the journey felt strangely peaceful. Nobody said that out loud, because saying it out loud would immediately summon another disaster. The cavern eventually opened into a circular chamber, and blue crystals covered every surface. Ice flowers bloomed from the stone, and in the very center stood a single plant. A beautiful silver blue flower. Its petals glowed softly, and cold mist drifted around it. Even from a distance, I could feel the mana radiating from it.
"That is it."Scarlet stopped immediately.
"Frostheart bloom."Noa nodded.
Michael looked at the flower.
"I can’t believe it actually exists."He muttered.
"You sound disappointed." I said.
"I am emotionally exhausted."Michael sighed.
"Fair." Everyone approached carefully.
The Frostheart bloom stood untouched, perfect, no monsters, no traps, no ancient dungeon guardian, nothing suspicious. The moment my finger touched the flower, I heard the system inside my head again.
"DING." The system exploded with light. "Level Up! Current level: 10."
The entire cavern shook slightly as golden energy flowed through my body. Warmth spread through my mana circuits, as the feeling was completely different from previous level ups. Stronger and more complete. Everyone immediately turned towards me.
"You levelled up again?" Michael asked.
"Apparently."I sighed.
"DING. New skill acquired. Mana recovery Lv.1. Description: Mana regeneration speed greatly increased. Passive skill, functions continuously."The system explained.
I blinked, then blinked again and checked my mana. The empty portion of my mana pool was already recovering very fast.
"That regeneration speed is absurd."Scarlet’s eyes widened.
"Most adventurers train years for something similar."Noa frowned.
"I collected a flower."I sighed.
"Exactly."Michael pointed accusingly.
The system wasn’t finished, unfortunately.
"DING. Additional status analysis available."The system announced.
A sheet of paper suddenly appeared in midair and then fell directly into my face.
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Rosalia immediately started laughing.
"What is this?"Michael grabbed the paper.
The title was written in massive letters. CURRENT STATUS REPORT SUBJECT: ALEXANDER BLACKWOOD.
Michael slowly read downward, then stopped, and then read it again. He looked at me and then at the paper.
"Why do you have this many summons?"He asked.
"I don’t know."I sighed.
Name: Alexander Blackwood. Level: 10 Rank: C-Rank (pending B-rank promotion). Class: gacha card summoner. Mana capacity: exceptional. Mana recovery: exceptional. Danger rating: increasing."Michael continued reading. "Why does it say danger rating?" Known summons: Scarlet - divine Saintess, Noa - dark elf combat specialist, Aiko - butler class support unit, Zavier - legendary blacksmith, Iris - vampire queen (SSS). Threat Assessment: party considered unstable."
"Correct."Michael nodded immediately.
"Additional Assessment: owner appears unaware of the danger level of his summons."The paper continued.
"Also correct."Michael nodded again.
"Stop agreeing with the paper."I pointed at him.
Probability of future incidents: 99.8%"The paper continued.
"HOW IS IT THAT HIGH?"Michael looked horrified.
"Seems optimistic."Rosalia looked amused.
"OPTIMISTIC?" Michael nearly screamed.
"Special Note: subject has unknowingly acquired one of the strongest summon groups currently known. Further evaluation recommended. High possibility of attracting future legendary entities."Then the paper reached the final section.
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"Oh, that sounds interesting."Iris smiled.
"No." Michael said immediately.
"Yes." Iris replied.
"No."Michael said.
"Yes."She said.
"No."I said.
"Statistically speaking, Master will attract additional unusual individuals."Aiko adjusted his glasses.
"I don’t want statistics anymore."Michael looked ready to cry.
"The mission is complete."Scarlet folded her arms.
"We should leave before something notices us."Noa nodded.
Everyone agreed immediately. Unfortunately, just as we prepared to leave.
"DING." The system appeared again. "New milestone reached. Level 10 reward available. Special summon ticket generated."
"Why?"Michael asked.
The system did not answer, it never did, and somehow that made everything worse.
