I Became the Weakest Summon of the Genius Summoner

Chapter 8. The second summoning failed, but it was adorable.

When Lee Yeon-hee started speaking, Cho Giman leaned forward, showing maximum interest.

"The slime did fall from a tree branch, though."

"The slime... it just fell?"

"Oh, yes. I got startled by a sound from behind, but I took care of it immediately."

"Hmm... I see."

"Ooh, great job, Yeon-hee! I don't know why you're lying, but that's a clean answer."

Although Cho Giman still scanned Lee Yeon-hee with a suspicious look, when Kang Yeon-su gave him a firm hit on the shoulder, he cleared his throat and stood up.

After that, the conversation was exclusively between Kang Yeon-su and Lee Yeon-hee about the guild contract terms and future activities.

The guild held a high opinion of Yeon-hee's potential, and they discreetly encouraged her to join the guild instead of exploring dungeons alone.

In the meantime, Cho Giman slyly approached me, scrutinizing my body here and there.

While Yeon-hee politely asked Kang Yeon-su for water and headed to the refrigerator, he began to fidget with my bones.

'Ah! Where does this bastard think he's touching!'

I had never felt such unpleasantness in my life. This jerk was acting like he was born to piss me off.

"Sss- This is odd... The stats are the same. Is it an anomaly..."

'Did he just use 'Insight'? A skill he can only use once a week on a skeleton soldier?'

I thought it was absurd, but it turned out to be a stroke of luck.

Cho Giman's skill 【Insight】 allowed him to assess the potential growth of strength, Agility, stamina, and magic power of any creature he touched, as well as their current stats.

'Of course, it'd be similar. A skeleton soldier, no matter how hefty, is a skeleton soldier.'

After the investigation, his expression became much more relaxed, indicating that he believed there was no cause for concern.

They chatted a bit longer for about ten more minutes before leaving the room.

"Well then, Yeon-hee, do your best. I'll contact you right after graduation, so if your phone number changes, let me know, alright?"

"Yes, yes—oh, take care, unnie..."

"Oh, what are you being shy for? Yeon-hee, you're just too cute."

Watching them, who were now on familiar terms, brought back nostalgic memories.

"In the past, too, Yeon-su used to take great care of Yeon-hee, saying she felt like a little sister..."

"See you next time, Yeon-hee. Bye now."

"Yes, goodbye, director..."

After slithering snake-eyed Cho Giman disappeared and Yeon-hee carefully closed the door.

Click—

As soon as the door closed, she slid down to the floor.

"Phew! I almost suffocated."

Oh, my legs are jelly—

"Ilwol, can you help me up? Hehe."

With an arm stretched toward the sky, Yeon-hee urged, "C'mon, hurry."

'Lee Yeon-hee, acting cute to a summon... I can't get used to it.'

Clack-clack-clack

Following her orders, I moved to her, took her arm, and slowly helped her to her feet.

'Why is she so sweaty...?'

It seemed she had a hard time with the others, as her body was soaked in cold sweat as she kept taking deep breaths to regain her composure.

"Starting from March, I'll be working at the White Knight Guild... Is this really happening, Ilwol?"

'With your abilities, it's not something to get too emotional over.'

I didn't know what conditions were offered, but it must've shown Yeon-hee a promising vision.

Moreover, the White Knight Guild was undeniably one of the top 3 guilds in the country.

'It's the privilege of a regressor, isn't it? Even if I don't know what Yeon-hee lives for, I know what she wants.'

Joining the White Knight Guild was a predetermined step.

The one relief was that, as far as I remembered, Lee Yeon-hee and Cho Giman didn't frequently explore dungeons together in my previous life.

Even those few times were after I had joined them as a guide, several months later.

'So I must ensure that what the guild members report from March onward is consistent with Cho Giman's memories.'

For instance, if it got reported that a skeleton soldier spat out acid, it might attract unwanted interest again.

'I'd better be careful...'

Yet, no matter how cautious, hiding indefinitely was impossible; thus, the only solution was to quickly grow stronger.

"If mom had heard this, she would've been overjoyed, sob..."

'Are you crying? Oh no... I'm not good with crying women.'

That was true in my previous life and remains true now; seeing a woman cry was unbearable.

Watching Yeon-hee start to tear up, I pondered briefly before suddenly raising my arm.

Startled by my sudden movement, she paused her sniffles and, as my arm waved haphazardly like I was doing a ceremonial dance, her eyes widened, and soon her eyes and lips curled into a smile.

"Pfft—why are you doing that, Ilwol? Kya-haha!"

'For someone who saved my life, at least this much...'

Even now, I can vividly recall her last look as she met her end saving me during a dungeon break against an orc commander.

I sincerely hoped, in this life, she'd find happiness.

If possible, I wish that for myself as well.

Wishing earnestly, I waved my arm wildly.

"Pfft—hee-hee—ah, Ilwol, you're the best!"

The result was astounding.

After laughing her head off for quite some time, she suddenly covered her mouth, cautioning against making noise, and pressed a finger to her lips.

"Cause the neighbors might complain... shush, quiet."

Well... it's not like I'd understand such instructions, being unable to speak.

"Ahem—thanks to you, I laughed a lot, hee-hee."

....

"Do you think if another skeleton soldier gets summoned this time, we could watch it dance?"

"Huh? Summon?"

"Look—this is a gray summoning scroll I got after leveling up. Isn't it cool? Ilwol, you were summoned with this too!"

On her outstretched palm lay a thick scroll made of gray parchment, an item I had never seen before.

'Is this how you get a summoning scroll with a level-up? Didn't think it'd just be summoned by spell incantation...'

In all the memories of her knowledge, the term 'summoning scroll' never came up.

'So she kept it secret from others. Why?'

Regardless of the reasons, the fact that there was undisclosed information was heartening.

"Look—if you peel off this brown wax, you'll find strange letters written inside?"

Flap-flap-flap—

The scroll unfurled, and as she said, it was filled with unfamiliar language.

'What are all these characters...'

Pfff-

"No need to be so surprised, Ilwol. You just need to read the few lines glowing in gold, and you can summon."

'But those glowing letters... I can't see them?'

On a whim, I gingerly placed my hand on the scroll, and a brief overview of the scroll's information unfolded.

Ancient Gray Summoning Scroll

- The first summoner created this summoning script to call forth beings from another dimension.

- Occasionally summons a low-rank summon.

"So, Lee Yeon-hee wasn't the first summoner..."

Although the description was straightforward, something stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Low-rank summon..."

A skeleton soldier, doubtlessly categorized as the lowest rank, meant a higher-ranking summon could appear. It seemed the chances were slim, though.

'So, despite it being brief, such a chance of outstripping me can't be let to happen...it's not going to work.'

Unaware of my concern, she continued to read from the scroll, smiling brightly.

...?...

A familiar echo I'd heard once before. The incantation dragged me up from pitch darkness repeated once more.

"Could the next being summoned be human, like me?"

Filled with a flicker of anticipation, I watched her.

Toward the end of the incantation, I felt a thrill several times stronger than any battle in a dungeon.

Wooooom—

Finally, a gray portal, as tall as I was, opened, and she said puzzledly.

"Huh? It's not a door this time?"

Yeon-hee's reaction suggested a different summoning process from mine was underway. She now joined me, focusing on the swirling portal.

After a brief moment, a silhouette emerged from the gray portal—an outline of a beast on four legs.

"Those long claws, seem more formidable than me..."

The large shadow filled the studio apartment before vanishing alongside the portal, leaving behind a small figure.

That was...

Woof-woof!!

"...?"

"...?"

It was a mole cricket pup with white, fluffy white fur, like snow.

"Well, this is a disaster..."

The mole cricket pup, the epitome of barking up the wrong tree, became the second summon.

While I was relieved I wasn't yet rendered obsolete, a more alarming situation had arisen.

'This is utterly useless.'

Feeling a bit let down, Yeon-hee, in contrast, walked toward the mole cricket with trembling hands, and suddenly enveloped it in a hug.

"Oh my gosh, it's so cute! Aww..."

- Woof-woof! Pant-pant-