Chapter 325. Headmaster’s Instructions.

  This is your first summoning with your evolved class. Unlike your time as a summoned being, there is no summoner compulsion during a contract unless specifically negotiated beforehand. While you can’t be compelled by the system to perform your summoner’s orders, your actions and performance will affect your Reputation, as well as any variable awards that may be granted by your summoner. You will be notified when the terms of your contract have been fulfilled, and you may then return to your personal space.

  I stepped from the portal and into a well-appointed office. The late afternoon sun illuminated the room with a warm light. Adding to that light was the glowing, humanoid figure that stood from behind a richly carved wooden desk. As I got my bearings, the glowing figure spoke with a deep, but friendly voice.

  “Thank you for arriving so promptly, I’m glad you accepted our contract, Mr. Kline,” the voice, who I recognized as Headmaster Glorine, said.

  “I’m glad to be here, Headmaster Glorine, though you can call me Rico if you wish,” I replied, taking the glowing figures hand as he offered it to shake.

  Maybe a handshake was more of a universal greeting than I figured, but it seemed like there was no hesitation on the headmaster’s part. As we shook, his hand felt remarkably normal for a glowing appendage, but there was a greater warmth than you’d expect from a human’s hand.

  “Well then, let’s just go with Rico and Glorine in an informal settings. When we’re among the students, it’s best to interact a bit more formally, lest they decide our informality is extended to them as well. Students, especially student mages, are a bit of a handful at times, as I know you’ve already experienced,” Glorine said, reminding me of my prior summoning to participate in a schoolyard fight.

  “You should see some of the schools in my world, the kids might give your mage students a run for their money as far as discipline issues are concerned. I admit that I am at a bit of a loss, what exactly will this job as an adjunct professor entail?” I asked.

  “Ah, yes, I suppose we should go over a few details about your position. After that, I’ll have one of your colleagues give you a tour and show you to your rooms. Tell me, Rico, have you ever taught before?” Glorine asked.

  “Not in a classroom setting, but I’ve had quite a bit of experience lately working with our world’s military to train soldiers and first responders to deal with the changes that our world’s pending integration will have,” I replied. I found that I had really enjoyed training with the military, and I was pretty sure I got as much or more from the work as the soldiers did.

  “Good, that’s a start. I’d like to talk more in the future about your world and the precursors to integration. Several of the professors here include the integration process into their curriculum and I’m sure they’d love your insight. Who knows, maybe your efforts will help other worlds in the future,” the headmaster said.

  I didn’t mind working with the other professors, but I doubt that the system will allow too much knowledge of the integration to be disseminated. From my experience, the system was keen on keeping new worlds in the dark until after integration. Everything we knew was hard won knowledge, and I had to think that our world’s technology allowed us to gather information and share it much more quickly than a world that wasn’t as advanced as Earth.

  “When do classes start?” I asked, curious if I would have some time to settle into my role and figure out what I was doing before students arrived.

  “We are just over a week out from the first day of classes. During this time, I’ll have you shadow one of our experienced teachers. Professor Zaraman will be teaching Summoning Essentials for the newest students, those that are tier zero, rank five. I think that should give you enough time to get a handle on things.

  “After you work with Professor Zaraman, the class you will be teaching is a new one, called Summoned Creature Optimization. We’ll have you give examples of various summoned minions and how they’ll fit in a party organization, potential in commercial ventures, and the like. Your class will also be for tier zero, rank five first or second semester students and your class will be an elective,” Glorine explained.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Are students broken down by tier and rank, or also by age?” I asked. Looking back at the time I was summoned to the school for the duel, I remembered that students were younger and those fighting the duel with their minions all seemed around the same age.

  “Those two are typically one and the same on the worlds we draw students from. These are generally well-established worlds and a person’s tier and rank will tend to follow their age, save for the few over and under achievers. Professor Zaraman will help with filling out your class roster, and I’ve instructed her to make sure you have a balanced group of students without any troublemakers. I’d suspect your students will be comprised mostly of what a human would consider to be the mid-teen years,” Glorine explained.

  “Great, I can deal with that. When will I meet Professor Zaraman?” I asked. Hopefully, the professor would be someone I could work with. Butting heads in this kind of summoning could lead to an early loss of Reputation, though I was still uncertain about how that worked.

  “The professor will be here shortly. She’ll guide you to the faculty commissary where you can have a meal, then she’ll show you to your quarters. While you’re working with her, she’ll set aside some time for you to explore and learn about our school. We work hard, and the initial weeks are exceptionally busy, but I want the faculty to have some free time to pursue their own interests,” Glorine said.

  “That brings up something else. Back home, I’m facing a rather dire circumstance. The contract mentioned training facilities will be available. Are these facilities something that can help me gain in tier and rank?” I asked hopefully. Unless the system had completely steered me wrong, there was some way at this school for me to grow my personal strength.

  “Yes, that’s one of the most attractive benefits for our faculty. We have several dungeons nearby that are controlled and regulated both the adventurer’s guild and the school. When you’re not engaged in school activities, you’re free to delve into them anytime you wish. The adventurer’s guild has a location in town, and they can get you signed up and in the queue. Normally, full parties are required, but faculty can go in smaller groups or solo if they wish. I do have a rule in place the tier and rank you can enter if you are if you’re delving solo,” Headmaster Glorine said.

  “Thank you, I’m looking forward to delving these dungeons. I’ve also spent a few summonings assisting dungeons, and enjoyed my interaction with them,” I said, greatly relieved that I wouldn’t be stuck here without any way to gain power before my confrontation with Gary.

  “Your experience on the side of assisting a dungeon will be of some interest to others in the school. I think, Rico, that you will be a popular special guest in many classrooms. Ah, here we are, Rico Kline, let me introduce you to Professor Zaraman,” Headmaster Glorine said as a human woman entered the office.

  I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from a professor of summoning magic, but a young, human woman that looked around my own age wasn’t it. She also wasn’t dressed like I’d expect, instead of some scholarly robes, she wore a complete set of leather armor with a steel breastplate. The breastplate had an image of an owl perched atop a tower, which could have been some individual coat of arms, or perhaps the school’s symbol.

  “Pleased to meet you, Professor Zaraman, I’m Rico,” I said offering my hand. The professor shook my hand with a firm grip. Her hand was calloused in areas I was familiar with after so much weapons training over the last few months.

  “Good to meet you, Rico, please, call me Melody, we’ll save the professor nonsense for the classroom,” Melody said.

  “Thanks, it’ll take me a while to get used to that. Speaking of time, Professor Glorine, exactly how long will you need me for?” I asked.

  “Our contract is for the semester, which is five months. Add a week or two to that for breaks and whatnot. I hope you enjoy your time here, and I’ll leave you in Professor Zaraman’s care,” Headmaster Glorine said.

  “So, you’re from a newly inducted world and you were a summoned being,” Melody said as she led me from the headmaster’s office. There was a small waiting room outside, and a door that led to the main hallway. I wasn’t sure what I had expected, something along the lines of a fantasy movie, but instead, the building we were in resembled an upscale hotel conference center more than a medieval tower that housed a mage academy.

  “Yes, my world’s called Earth, but we’re not actually inducted yet, at least I don’t think so. I was pulled away by the system after my class evolved and now, I can’t go back home for a while,” I explained, trying not to give my exact tier and rank if I didn’t have to.

  “I’m sorry, being away from home can be difficult, I know I miss my world and don’t get to visit as often as I’d like,” Melody explained.

  “What’s your world called, and what’s it like?” I asked as we entered an area with more traffic.

  The hallways were wide and people in work overalls, and many in the school robes I expected, hurried to their destinations. There was a delicious scent in the air which told me that Melody was indeed leading me to the commissary for dinner. I wasn’t in my personal space, and had to eat, sleep, and perform other bodily functions during this contract.

  “My world’s name can’t be pronounced by human mouths. When dealing with your kind, we typically refer to our world as the Mesh,” Melody said.

  “I’m sorry, I mistook you for a human. I come from a world where humans were the only intelligent species,” I apologized.

  “No worries, Rico. This body is just a summoned minion that I prefer to use for ease of conversation and locomotion. I’m actually right down here, look I’m waving my arms,” Melody said. I caught movement near the summoned warrior’s neck where a spider-like creature the size of my fist stood, waving two of its eight arms in the air.