Heroine Creation: All My Summons Are Custom Made

Lancet bought himself a proper dinner before returning to the dorm.

He left the Academy food store with a covered tray of grilled riverfish, buttered potatoes, spiced vegetables and a small cup of cold fruit cream he had no intention of sharing with anyone.

The dorm was quiet when he entered.

Amira sat near the common table with several books open around her, attempting a Skill she was studying. Min Tu occupied the chair opposite her, one leg crossed beneath the other while she sharpened one of her daggers with slow, even strokes.

Soren had claimed the couch and was reading from a crystal screen, though the way his eyes remained fixed on the same section suggested he had stopped paying attention some time ago.

After greeting them, Lancet crossed the dorm, entered his section and dropped onto the edge of his bed. The mattress sank beneath him, soft enough that he almost lay back and abandoned every plan he had made for the evening.

He resisted.

The tray went onto his lap. He removed the cover, and warm spice rose into his face. Lancet broke apart the fish with his fork, took the first bite and immediately decided he had spent his money well.

He thought of Clevus Cattenham for a moment. ”Poor dude,” he said as he chewed slowly.

He had avoided Clevus’s hand for a reason.

Lancet’s power was not like the Class of a normal Awakener.

He had a system.

Clevus did not.

There had never been a clean way for that stealing ability to pull Heroine Creation out of him and place it inside someone else.

Even Lancet did not fully understand everything supporting his Class, and Clevus had tried to drag the whole thing through Grace channels built to hold stolen scraps.

It was never going to work.

Lancet cut into one of the potatoes. ”Still told him to stop.”

Clevus had taken the warning as fear and pulled harder.

Now his channels were fried, his stolen Classes were gone and his hand had become about as magical as a spoon.

Lancet ate another bite of fish and considered what probably happened after he ran.

By now, the Serpent Society had almost certainly removed him.

They did not keep people around for friendship. Clevus had been useful because he could steal powers. Without that, he was only a nervous senior with too many secrets and no way to protect himself.

Noctis would have discarded him before the tears dried.

Lancet dragged a piece of bread through the sauce at the bottom of the tray.

If Clevus reported what happened to the administration, he would have to explain why he had grabbed another student and attempted to steal his Class. That conversation would end with restraints, an investigation and probably a cell.

His best option was to leave the Academy quietly and find work somewhere no one asked too many questions.

”A Kingdom Ranger, maybe.”

They could always use another person willing to walk dangerous roads for poor pay.

Lancet took another bite.

”Sucks to be him.”

He finished the fish, pushed the empty bones to one side and opened the fruit cream. The first cold spoonful cleared the spice from his mouth and helped him turn his attention toward the reason he had come back early.

Tonight mattered.

He had promised Frieda help. More importantly, he had already begun shaping the woman who would provide it.

His new Heroine was going to be a Fire Mage.

Lancet set the cup beside him and leaned back against the wall. He already had the first pieces: her name, her appearance, and a good idea of her power and background.

The rest he would fill in later.

He also could not create someone this powerful carelessly, especially when she had not been part of his original plans. The Heroine needed to train Frieda, but she also needed a place in everything coming after.

The Human Citadel. The Warning Gates and then the Great Gates.

Lancet wiped his hand on a cloth and raised it before him.

”First, I have to level up. It’s my reward for beating Renan.”

He didn’t allocate the EXP manually this time. Lancet was powerful enough that his Strength, Agility and Constitution didn’t have to be carried by other Summoner-based stats.

[ You have leveled up 25 → 26 ]

[ You have leveled up 26 → 27 ]

[ You have leveled up 27 → 28 ]

[ You have leveled up 28 → 29 ]

[ You have leveled up 29 → 30 ]

[ You have leveled up 31 → 32 ]

[ You have leveled up 32 → 33 ]

...

[ You have leveled up 34 → 35 ]

[ Multi Level Up Achieved! Attribute Restoration Activated! ]

[ Your stats have been refilled to maximum capacity! ]

Lancet looked at what was left of his massive pool of EXP.

[ EXP : 3370 ]

”Alright, Now let’s see what I’m working with.”

The system answered.

Golden light gathered above his palm and formed two clean lines.

[ CP: 18,998 ]

[ Archetype Keys: 2 Gold ]

Lancet pouted worriedly. ’I need a Platinum Archetype Key.’

To get Archetype Keys, he had to level up his existing Heroines. The increase in level had to be quite massive for him to earn a Platinum one.

Lancet selected Spectra.

He tapped the card to open her profile.

⸢ Profile: Spectra Hexerra ⸥

⸢ Title: The Mother of Gehenna ⸥

⸢ Class: Mother of Demons - Demon Necromancy (Advanced) ⸥

⸢ Rank: 9★ Platinum ⸥

⸢ Level: 253/300 ⸥

⸢ Attributes: ⸥

⸢ Strength: 7,500 ⸥

⸢ Agility: 13,800 ⸥

⸢ Constitution: 9,500 ⸥

⸢ Intelligence: 13,200 ⸥

⸢ Dexterity: 9,500 ⸥

⸢ Weapon: Hellstaff (Mythic) ⸥

⸢ Skills: Demon Bind, Summon Demons, Transformation, Dark Thrall... ⸥

Spectra had gained 90,890 EXP over the days of them fighting together. Lancet pumped that into her and she thankfully leveled up.

⸢ 253 → 254 ⸥

⸢ 254 → 255 ⸥

Ding!

⸢ Congratulations! You have gained a Gold Archetype Key! ⸥

Lancet’s face deflated. ’Gold?! I needed Platinum!’

He selected Kestrel next.

⸢ Profile: Kestrel Highcastle ⸥

⸢ Title: The Emerald Blade⸥

⸢ Class: Dragon Blademaster (Advanced) ⸥

⸢ Rank: 5★ Platinum ⸥

⸢ Level: 230/250 ⸥

⸢ Attributes: ⸥

⸢ Strength: 8,500 ⸥

⸢ Agility: 11,900 ⸥

⸢ Constitution: 10,050 ⸥

⸢ Intelligence: 9,950 ⸥

⸢ Dexterity: 10,500 ⸥

⸢ Weapon: Dragonswords (Mythic) ⸥

⸢ Skills: Rising Dragon, Dragon Slash, Spinning Blade, Deflect... ⸥

Kestrel had earned 40,600 EXP. Not much so Lancet wasn’t expecting anything crazy. He only leveled her up by one.

⸢ 231 → 232 ⸥

Ding!

⸢ Congratulations! You have earned a Silver Archetype Key! ⸥

Yup. That was even worse.

He leveled up Thor and Astensia and still only managed to get two Gold for both of them. Even with all their EXP, the cost for leveling them was absurdly high so he could only manage two level ups for both.

But at Espel’s turn, things changed for the better.

⸢ Profile: Espel Fyrebloom ⸥

⸢ Title: — ⸥

⸢ Class: Entropy Mage (Advanced) ⸥

⸢ Rank: 5★ Platinum ⸥

⸢ Level: 228/250 ⸥

⸢ Attributes: ⸥

⸢ Strength: 4,200 ⸥

⸢ Agility: 11,500 ⸥

⸢ Constitution: 10,000 ⸥

⸢ Intelligence: 16,050 ⸥

⸢ Dexterity: 8,500 ⸥

⸢ Weapon: Lance of Samsara (Mythic) ⸥

⸢ Skills: Heal, Destroy, Rot, Pure Malice... ⸥

She had earned 170,090 EXP, and mostly from curing the land of Deathrock than from actually killing Demons.

When Lancet allocated the EXP to specific attributes like Dexterity, Constitution and Intelligence, she ended up leveling up by four!

⸢ 228 → 232 ⸥

Ding!

⸢ Congratulations! You have earned a Platinum Archetype Key!”

”Let’s go!” Lancet fist pumped.

[ CP: 18,998 ]

[ Archetype Keys: 1 Platinum | 5 Gold | 1 Silver ]

That would probably be enough.

The powers he had in plan for her would not be cheap, and the system had already proven that it considered mythic Advanced Classes a personal invitation to rob him. Still, his new Heroine had a strong connection to existing history.

Her lore was going to be deep. The system has to be impressed this time, Lancet thought.

”Like reallyyyy impressed.”

He did not want to spend half his remaining CP again. This Fire Mage had not been part of the plan when he started the week, and he still needed enough resources for whatever the Human Citadel demanded later.

He swallowed the last of the fruit cream, placed the empty cup on the tray and opened the system’s main interface.

The familiar modules appeared before him.

[ Modules : Creation | Summons | Stats | Relics | Archive | World Weave | Quest Log ]

His eyes moved across them until he found the one he needed.

⸢ Creation ⸥

Lancet selected it.

The rest of the interface faded. A larger golden screen opened in its place, clean and empty, waiting for him to begin.

⸢ HEROINE CREATION ⸥

⸢ Name: — ⸥

⸢ Appearance: — ⸥

⸢ Family/Birthplace: — ⸥

⸢ Event: — ⸥

⸢ Motive: — ⸥

⸢ Personality: — ⸥

⸢ Class: — ⸥

⸢ Advanced Class: — ⸥

⸢ Weapon: — ⸥

⸢ Description: — ⸥

⸢ Minor Details: — ⸥

Lancet set the tray aside, rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck once to the left, then the right.

”Let’s get to work.”