Chapter 3: Servant Summoning
"System, how exactly am I supposed to summon this Servant?"
The moment Chizuki finished speaking, the system's mechanical voice rang out, as if it had been expecting the question.
"Ding—Because personal Heroic Spirit summoning differs from system summoning, the host must personally carry out the summoning ritual in order to form a contract with the Servant. Only after the host becomes a Master can system-based Servant summoning be performed."
After hearing that, Chizuki nodded thoughtfully.
"So in other words, even if I've already drawn a Servant from the system, I still need to perform the ritual before they can actually appear, right?"
"Yes. The summoning method and ritual procedure have already been transmitted into the host's mind. Please comprehend them yourself."
Hearing that, Chizuki hurriedly searched his memory. Sure enough, there was now an extra portion of knowledge in his mind, as if he had gone through countless summonings before. The ritual requirements were deeply imprinted in his head.
"Alright, alright. In other novels, protagonists are always absurdly overpowered and domineering. Right now, I can only rely on you."
Chizuki looked at the black scrap of cloth in his hand, his voice filled with excitement.
He spread the unknown catalyst flat on the ground, then took out a kunai from his ninja pouch. There was still quite a bit of blood on it, and some parts of the blade were damaged, but it would do.
Using the cloth as the center, Chizuki carved a crude magic circle into the earth with the kunai.
In truth, summoning a Servant never required any grand, elaborate ritual. The real source of the summoning power was the Holy Grail—except now, that power came from the system instead. As long as Chizuki, as the host, provided blood and the required chakra, he could become a Master and allow the summoned Heroic Spirit to remain in this world in physical form.
Once he finished, Chizuki let out a light breath. Then his eyes turned firm, and he bit down on his fingertip.
"Hiss—"
The sharp pain made his mouth twitch. Blood quickly spread across his palm, but he didn't stop it. Enduring the sting, he clenched his fist over the magic circle and slowly began to chant:
"I announce—your body shall heed my command, and my fate shall be entrusted to your blade!"
"If you are willing to answer the summons of the Holy Grail, and abide by this will and reason, then respond!"
"I hereby swear: I am one who shall accomplish all good in this world. I am one who shall lay bare all evil in this world."
"You, clad in the three great words of power and bound by the seven heavens—come forth from the Wheel of Restraint, O guardian of the balance!"
"Obey me, and let this fate be decided by your sword!"
As the oath came to an end, Chizuki's blood dripped onto the magic circle.
White lines emerged from the blood on the ground, rapidly tracing over the circle. The crude and awkward pattern instantly transformed into something radiant and magnificent.
The moment the white lines completely covered the circle, a tremendous force burst forth along with blinding white light, shooting straight into the sky. The black night was illuminated as bright as day in an instant.
The surging power stirred the surrounding air into a gale, lashing against Chizuki's face with stinging force.
Damn, I went way too big with this. If I'd known the summoning would make this much of a scene, I would've picked somewhere safer.
Chizuki raised his elbow to shield his eyes as he complained inwardly.
Still, judging by this spectacle, the ritual should've succeeded, right? The only question is—which legendary figure did I just summon?
The light quickly vanished into the heavens, as though it had never appeared at all, like a fleeting dream.
Once everything settled, Chizuki turned his gaze toward the magic circle, wanting to see whether the summoned Servant was one of the heroes he knew.
"Ah… huh?"
Reality often refused to follow expectations—just like anime and novels that kept delaying updates, or like the completely empty patch of grass in front of Chizuki.
"I… where's my Servant?"
The corner of Chizuki's mouth twitched. He looked down at the back of his hand. The wound on his finger had already healed, leaving only some dried blood behind, along with the three Command Seals marking him as a Master.
"No, that's not right. The Command Seals have appeared on my hand, which means I really have become a Master. And judging from what just happened, the summoning ritual was definitely completed. The method the system gave me shouldn't be wrong. I should have succeeded. So then… where the hell is my Servant?"
After carefully thinking it through, Chizuki was certain that his procedure had been flawless—practically perfect, even. Especially since he had actually recited that embarrassingly chuuni summoning chant. There was no way it should have failed.
Which meant only one truth remained.
At that thought, a throbbing vein seemed to pop on his forehead.
"System, get out here. The two of us need to have a nice little talk. Were you screwing with me?!"
"Ding—There is no error in the system's method. Please explore on your own."
"Explore your ass! At least tell me where my Servant is!"
"Ding—There is no error in the system's method. Please explore on your own."
After that, no matter how much Chizuki questioned it, the system only repeated that exact same line. In the end, it seemed to get fed up with him and simply stopped responding altogether, as if to say: do whatever you want, I'm done listening.
"Motherf—"
"Kid, this isn't a place where you can just wander around."
Before Chizuki could finish cursing, a rough voice interrupted him.
Damn it—it's Mist ninja! The commotion from the ritual must've drawn them over!
A bad feeling rose in Chizuki's heart. He turned around and looked.
As expected, not far away, four or five figures stood atop the tall trees. Their clothing was loose-fitting, several of them wore special goggles over their eyes, and they clearly weren't local ninja. The forehead protectors on their heads, marked with four vertical wave-like lines, confirmed their identities.
They were Mist ninja—drawn here by the pillar of light that had pierced the sky.
"What the hell, it's just a little kid."
One of the Mist ninja spoke with clear disappointment.
"Hahahaha, look at the headband. He's a brat from Konoha."
"He really is. Sending someone this young onto the battlefield—won't he wet his pants from fear? Ahahahaha!"
"Yeah, why not just run home and play ninja games instead? Hahaha!"
"…"
The overlapping laughter stabbed into Chizuki's heart like knives.
Watching these Mist ninja casually chat right in front of him, not taking him seriously at all, Chizuki clenched his teeth and glared at them. He knew very well that the initiative was completely in their hands now. A mere genin like him had absolutely no power to resist.
"Ding—Mission system activated. Side Mission issued: Escape.
Mission description: You have been discovered and surrounded by enemy ninja. Escape their pursuit.
Mission reward: Ember ×1. For every enemy ninja you kill in return, you will receive a random additional reward."
What kind of garbage mission is this? There are five ninja on the other side—at least two of them are chūnin, right? And you expect me to kill them back? I'll be lucky if I can run at all!
You bastards… just wait. If I survive this, I'm going to twist off every single one of your heads!
According to the original memories, Chizuki's parents had died on the battlefield against the Mist. Though he had encountered Mist ninja before, that had only existed in the previous owner's memories. He had originally wanted to use the system to avenge both this body and its parents.
But now that he was truly facing Mist ninja in person, their mockery struck directly onto the tiny shred of dignity Chizuki had buried deep inside himself.
"Oh? Looks like the brat's angry. That glare of his is really pissing me off."
Seeing Chizuki's trembling body and the savage expression spreading across his once-youthful, delicate face, one gray-haired Mist ninja grinned viciously. His eyes turned cold as he slowly pulled several thin senbon needles from his person.
"So you might as well stay here."
It's over. My life ends here...