Level 0 Summoner

"Young master!" Emma exclaimed as she tried to keep up with Ren's brisk pace. "Are you sure this is a good idea? You should at least ask for some guards to accompany you. If you get hurt, you'll be bedridden for weeks!"

They were still within the sprawling grounds of the Allen family's noble estate, winding their way toward the nearest hunting grounds. As usual, Emma was deeply worried about Ren's safety, fearing he might get hurt and end up bedridden like before.

"I'll be very careful. No need to worry so much about me," Ren answered with a gentle smile.

Emma's brow furrowed as she studied him, still uneasy. What happened last night? He's completely different!

Ren thought he was doing a decent job at imitating the behavior of the former Ren, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Emma had already noticed the changes. However, without concrete proof of the transformation, she had no grounds to confront him.

"Alright, but if it gets too dangerous, we leave right away!" Emma insisted, leaving no room for discussion.

Ren nodded quietly, hoping that this time things would be different. He genuinely wanted to believe he'd be able to level up and that something had changed with him in control of this body.

"Oh, if it isn't the disgrace of this family!" an arrogant voice sneered from behind him, followed by a stifled laugh. "Tired of crying yourself to sleep?"

Ren turned and recognized the face immediately. It was his younger brother, Noah—a prodigy even by the Allen family's standards. At only sixteen, Noah had reached Level 32 in just a year, shattering family records. His class, [Berserker], was one of the most respected. In every way, Noah was the opposite of Ren in terms of talent.

Ren merely glanced at him and turned away without saying a word, finding no benefit in entertaining his brother's taunts.

"Hmph! Are you ignoring me?!" Noah's frown deepened as he caught up with Ren and Emma. "When I talk to you, answer."

Ren turned around with a bright, forced smile. "Oh! If it isn't Noah. Sorry, I didn't recognize you at all. Nice to see you. Though, if you don't mind, I'm a bit busy right now."

Noah laughed coldly. "My trash older brother is now too busy for me? Where are you off to? Maybe I can help you," he sneered, his smirk barely masking his intentions.

"I'm not up to anything worth your time. So, as I said, nice seeing you, but I'll be on my way." Ren turned to Emma. "Let's go, Emma. We shouldn't waste any more time."

Noah's expression darkened as Ren dismissed him without a second thought. How dare this trash humiliate me like this! Once you return, I'll make sure to shame you in front of the entire family! he vowed internally.

Unaware of Noah's silent rage, Ren continued his path toward the hunting grounds. The guards stationed around the estate cast disapproving glances at him as he passed. No one offered to accompany him, though the sight of Ren leaving the estate was a rare one; he'd hardly left his room in the past year, apart from the rare summons by the patriarch. Ren didn't mind the lack of company; he preferred to keep his venture private until he understood any new abilities he might obtain.

After a thirty-minute walk, Ren and Emma reached the entrance of an E-Rank hunting ground. This low-ranked area was a common training site for beginners, filled with only the weakest creatures—slimes and goblins. The entrance was framed by ancient stone pillars, half-covered in moss, and the surrounding forest was dense and dimly lit. Faint trails led into the forest, worn down by other adventurers. The ground was muddy and riddled with claw marks and footprints, signs of past battles.

The hunting grounds themselves held a damp, earthy smell, mingled with a faint sourness from the slimes that lingered at the entrance. In the distance, muffled sounds of low-level monsters echoed faintly through the dense underbrush. A few young adventurers were stationed at the edges, engaged in hesitant skirmishes with slimes.

"Young master… you're certain about this, right?" Emma's concern was evident in her voice.

"I'll hunt here until I gather enough experience to level up once. If I fail to do so, we'll leave right away," Ren declared. He didn't see the point in putting himself at risk for nothing, especially since if he failed to level up, trying again wouldn't change anything.

Emma handed him a small knife. "Here, a weapon in case you need to defend yourself. Just let your summon do the fighting. Don't get too close to any of the monsters in there, alright?"

Ren nodded as they stepped into the heart of the E-Rank grounds. Tall, twisted trees loomed over them, their branches forming dark silhouettes against the faint light that seeped through. Small puddles dotted the uneven ground, and the occasional blue slime could be seen bouncing aimlessly near the thick roots of the trees.

Let's do this, he thought, activating his skill. A faint portal opened before him, and a tiny, frail-looking skeleton emerged. It carried itself with an awkward gait, almost tripping over its own bones as it stepped forward. Ren quickly handed the skeleton the knife Emma had given him.

"Take this and go kill the slimes," he ordered, watching as the skeleton nodded and clattered forward obediently.

[You have used . You will be able to use it again in 24 hours.]

A notification flashed before him, detailing the skeleton's pitiful stats.

[Weak Skeleton]

[Level 1]

[Health Points: 3/3]

[Strength: 0.2]

[Agility: 0.1]

[Stamina: 0.4]

[Skills: None]

Ren couldn't help but feel disappointed. The people of this world were right—Summoner truly was a miserable class. He tried to keep his hopes up, thinking leveling up might yield something better.

Emma observed silently as the skeleton tottered forward, aiming at a nearby blue slime. "If your summon can't handle it, I'll weaken a slime and bring him to you. That way, you can still get the experience you need."

Ren nodded in agreement, focusing on the skeleton as it finally approached its target. It raised the knife clumsily, aiming at the slime, but the blue blob slid easily out of the way. Noticing its opponent, the slime lunged, knocking into the skeleton.

[-1 Health Point]

Ren's summon had lost a third of its health with a single hit. He winced, his frustration growing as he watched the struggle.

The skeleton swung the knife again, this time managing to strike the slime squarely.

[-2 Health Points]

The slime jiggled from the impact but continued to press forward, hitting the skeleton again and dropping its health further.

[-1 Health Point]

I really need a miracle, Ren thought, watching the unimpressive battle unfold.

Finally, the skeleton and the slime landed simultaneous hits, both creatures disintegrating as they defeated each other.

"Young master! Your summon did it! It killed a slime!" Emma cheered, relieved that Ren hadn't gotten close enough to be harmed.

[Your summon has killed a Lv.1 Blue Slime.]

[Your summon has died.]

[You have received 20 Experience Points.]

[You have reached the Experience Limit for Level 0.]

[Initializing the Leveling Up process…]

Ren held his breath as the familiar messages scrolled before him. This exact same process had also happened in the past of the former Ren, yet each time, the leveling process failed.

Please, let this time be different, he thought.

Emma, watching his face, could guess what he was seeing. She hoped he'd succeed, though she didn't believe anything had changed.

[98%…99%…100%]

[Leveling Up process completed.]

[You are now Level…$#@$!@$.]

[System Error: Leveling Up process failed. You are still Level 0.]

A wave of disappointment washed over Ren. Nothing had changed. He sighed, the bitter realization setting in.

"Young master?" Emma's soft voice broke the silence, filled with concern.

Ren simply shook his head, his shoulders slumping. Why was I even sent into this body if it's cursed with such a miserable fate?

"Let's go back, Emma. Nothing's different, not even after a year."

Just as he turned to leave, a bright light suddenly enveloped him, and a metallic sound echoed in his mind, startling Emma.

"Young master! What's happening?" Emma called, her worry intensifying.

Ren didn't respond immediately, staring in disbelief at the influx of messages.

-Ding!

[The conditions have finally been met.]

[Your class is undergoing an evolution!]

[Your class is now !]

[Because of this change, your skill is now ]

A spark of excitement flared in Ren. Beast Summoner?

Emma's voice broke through again, practically shouting in her confusion. "Your class evolved?! But how? How is that even possible?"

"I don't know," Ren replied. "It says my class is evolving. I'm now a Beast Summoner, and my skill has changed."

"Y-Your class evolved?!" Emma's eyes widened. "But you're still Level 0. This makes no sense… We should tell the patriarch! He might see you in a new light!"

But Ren wasn't keen to share the news just yet. He wanted to explore his new class in private.

"Before we tell anyone, I want to see what this new class can do. There's still 'Summoner' in the name, so it could be just as bad," he replied, managing to calm her down. "Let me try out the new skill, then we'll decide."

He opened his Status to check the description of his new ability.

[Beast Summoning (Lv.1): You can summon powerful beasts to aid you in battle! The summoned beasts will only disappear once they have lost all their Health Points. Since your skill is Level 1, you can only handle one summoned beast.]

[Cooldown: 24 Hours]

Powerful beasts? Ren's heart raced with excitement. He activated the new skill, and a large portal shimmered before him, exuding far more energy than his previous summoning.

A figure emerged—it was a beast, just like his system had described. However, it looked more like a human than a beast. It had two fox-like ears and a long, blonde tail. Apart from those beast-like features, she looked like a very cute girl with long, blonde hair and brownish eyes. She wore a tight, black combat onesie designed for agility, accentuating her graceful figure and ample curves.

[Unnamed Fox Girl]

[Level 1]

[Health Points: 125/125]

[Strength: 14]

[Agility: 22]

[Stamina: 12]

[Skills: None]

The fox girl met Ren's gaze and dropped to one knee, bowing with surprising poise.

"Master, it's nice to meet you!"