Chapter 334. Updates on the Deal.

  Melody was kind enough to hand me a set of the course materials for the class she was teaching. The materials consisted of three leatherbound volumes that looked to have been handwritten and illustrated. I was sure there was some magic involved in the process as I really doubted that the school had a basement full of scribes churning out handwritten copies of every textbook for a new class each semester.

  I was able to pour through the texts at dinner that evening. A few of the other professors and teaching assistants did stop by to say hello, and more than one said they were looking forward to me joining their class for a discussion on my life as a summoned being. A newly integrated world was also a big point of interest for many of them. More than one professor expressed interest in bringing me back after I returned to Earth so I could give a firsthand account of the integration events there.

  The people here were friendly enough, and I was glad to find that the common trope I’d always read about, of a bully making the new guy in the school’s life miserable, wasn’t true. I was sure the students and their attitudes might be a different story. The halls outside of the faculty areas were starting to fill up with students as we got closer to the semester starting.

  After greeting the folks nearby, I cracked open the texts, excited about what I’d find. Sadly, the texts were designed for an introductory class, Summoning Essentials, and a lot of what I found was a rehash of things I’d already learned. The section on the various types of summoning classes people could acquire was interesting. Most seemed to be broken down and categorized by the way they summoned their minions.

  Some, like my Contracted Summoner class, focused on a few, more powerful minions, but others were shaped around bringing out a horde of disposable fodder to overwhelm a foe. I was also surprised that not all the information was targeted toward adventurers and combat. A good portion, if not most, of the instruction was on more practical applications for summoning.

  Having a class that could bring several minions to bolster a workforce was in high demand. It wasn’t as exciting as exploring a dungeon, but it could become a well-paying career for those not inclined to be in the thick of danger. There was also the interesting nugget that you could gain experience from the system by doing more mundane tasks.

  To be granted experience by the system, you had to be challenged by the task, so summoning a goblin to assemble widgets all day wasn’t going to be the path to ultimate power. Still, summoning that goblin would grant you a bit of experience at the start, but repetitive tasks quickly tamped down the experience the system would dole out.

  An adventurer, military summoner, and the like would advance their tier and rank at a much faster pace than taking a non-combatant approach, but they also faced possible death where the guy working for a factory or on a construction site would face about the same dangers as someone doing those jobs back on Earth. Sadly, with the integration occurring, a life of simple, safe work wasn’t in the cards for me anytime soon.

  That night, while I was reading in my room, a new system prompt appeared. It let me know that I’d received a message from Tzes’zod, and since it was related to a system-backed negotiation, I would receive the message directly. A ghostlike scroll opened in front of me as Tzes’zod’s message appeared.

  Rico,

  I was granted permission to inform you of the progress of our negotiations. The amount of delay I can manage before your confrontation with Gary may be more limited than I had hoped. Gary is a skilled negotiator and knows the counter to many of my gambits. Still, he will be tied up for quite a while, and I was able to get a concession from the system that will greatly benefit us in the coming conflict.

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  Gary had been trying to delay his final ranking for the conflict, realizing that if he waits, the time for you catch up to him in tier and rank will be minimized. I’m happy to say that the system has already ranked Gary. While there is still going to be a rather substantial gap in the power between the two of you, his cap for the conflict is now locked in while you will only grow stronger.

  He's going to be limited to a power level of Tier 5, Rank 2. Currently, I’m in negotiation for further concessions given the tier and rank disparity between the two of you, but even though I’m certain I can negotiate some rather beneficial concessions, you’re still going to have to do all you can to close the gap.

  As I receive further information, and when the system allows me to, I’ll send you further updates.

  Tzes’zod.

  Gary was going to be over two tiers higher than me. Fear and anxiety built as I considered how much of a difference that was. I could easily crush a foe that far below me now, and even a swarm of them would prove little problem. While I had learned a lot in my time as a summoned being, and through the various classes I’d encountered during my summonings, Gary had the advantage of decades, if not centuries, of experience.

  I’d need to pick up the pace and get as many dungeon runs scheduled as I possibly could. I couldn’t allow myself the luxury of becoming discouraged. My Contracted Summoner class was strong and was only going to get stronger as I trained. There was also the added advantage of being temporarily part of a magic academy that had to have at least some knowledge and tools that I could use against Gary. I’d have to become a bit more aggressive in my efforts, it was far too easy to slip into a comfortable pattern in a place like this.

  With another hour of time before I needed to sleep, I hit the texts again, hoping to glean something that could help. One thing did stand out, there was mention of one-on-one training for students taking a more combat-focused approach for their class. I’d have to see who the trainers were and if there was something offered that I could partake in.

  The next morning, my thoughts, fears, and concerns warred against my determination to win the coming fight. At breakfast, I was so distracted that I didn’t notice Melody sit down across from me at the table.

  “Is the school food not agreeing with you, Rico?” Melody asked, obviously noticing my rather sour expression as I contemplated the problems I was facing.

  “Sorry, no, it’s great. The food’s better than what I had in college back home. It’s just that I have a lot on my mind, problems that aren’t related to the academy,” I said, trying to scrounge up a smile as we spoke.

  “Anything you want to talk about? I know we just met, but I tend to be a good judge of character, and I get the feeling that you’re one of the good ones, Rico,” Melody asked.

  I needed to make a decision here. Melody had been nothing but helpful since I’d arrived, and I needed to confide and trust someone eventually, so it might as well be her. The old fears of revealing what I was returned from when I had first become a summoned being. I was afraid of trusting people, but my experience with Refuge had taught me that it was necessary to have people in your corner you could count on.

  This was a magic academy, not Earth, where people were looking to track down and use summoned beings for their own nefarious purposes. Here, I was just like anyone else that the system had granted a class. I was nothing special apart from my rare, but not unheard-of background. If I was going to create a support system here at the academy, I could do worse than start with Melody.

  “Thanks, I would like to talk to someone about it. I’m in a very dangerous situation, and it might take some time to explain. I don’t want to delay your tour though, what time do we have to start on that?” I asked, remembering my commitment from the night before.

  “We’ve got a few hours; the new students have an orientation they go through before the tours begin. Let’s head to my classroom and we can talk,” Melody said. I took care of my dirty dishes and followed her back to the classroom.

  Once we were alone, I began to tell the story of my personal space, Gary, Tzes’zod and the coming fight. I felt a bit concerned about disclosing the personal space after Tzes’zod’s warnings, but I didn’t get the impression that Melody was about to enact some evil plan to seize it from me.

  Melody proved to be a good listener and interrupted only to clarify a point and dig deeper into what my dilemma was. I didn’t expect any game-changing ideas from her, but when she dug deeper into Gary and what type of creature he was, she mentioned that she’d introduce me to one of the professors on our tour later.

  She claimed that Professor Dalzrin was someone with extensive knowledge of infernals, and the deals creatures like Gary crafted. I was excited to meet the professor and, just maybe, discover something to give me an edge in my coming fight. The only downside was that I had to help Melody give the dog and pony show tour to a bunch of incoming freshmen first.