I Only Summon Amazon Giantesses

Later that night, Mark sat cross legged on his bed, hands carefully positioned in his lap, settling into a familiar meditative pose. His breathing came slow, soft, and deliberately controlled, his chest rising and falling in a steady, measured rhythm. This particular practice existed purely to help him better understand mana maintenance and consumption.

Unlike other summoners who had spent years learning how to properly preserve and store large reserves of mana, he was only just now beginning, well over a week and several days into the process. Which, by most standards, was already considered fairly late to start.

Had he been able to hold out longer, the junior earlier would have likely kept fighting, drawing on his own considerably deeper mana reserves.

Mark, by comparison, felt closer to a dying battery running on empty, with no meaningful reserve to fall back on, nor any real skill yet in retaining mana efficiently over time. He needed to master this technique properly, both to sustain his summon over longer stretches and to build up his own personal power endurance.

He had originally practiced this particular exercise for twenty minutes at a time, but tonight he wanted to push further, aiming for an additional ten minutes on top of that, bringing his total to a full thirty. More experienced summoners no longer needed formal meditation at all to preserve mana, since the process had long since become as natural and automatic to them as their own heartbeat.

People like Mia, Hermione, Kai, and plenty of other seasoned summoners had almost certainly already mastered that particular stance, allowing them to maintain massive reserves capable of lasting anywhere from several months to a full year without meaningful depletion.

This, then, was Mark’s chance to properly grasp the underlying principles behind mana reservation, consumption, and retention, all crucial if he hoped to perform better in both combat and everyday training.

After several minutes of steady meditation, he began to notice a subtle shift moving through his body, something flowing gently through him like an invisible, interconnected network.

It felt like living energy, quiet and vague for now, but carrying real vigor and strength beneath the surface. This, he realized, was the faint edge of brimming mana, a privilege experienced summoners simply took for granted. With enough discipline applied to this technique, he fully intended to earn that same privilege for himself.

Only a handful of minutes had passed so far, meaning he still had a considerable stretch left before reaching his thirty minute goal. He wanted to eventually push his meditation practice into entirely new territory, holding steady for potentially an hour or more down the line. All it would take, he reminded himself, was genuine passion, resilience, and consistent discipline to fully master the technique.

***

Mark jolted suddenly awake to the sharp, insistent sound of his ringtone. His phone lay just beside his head on the pillow. Still groggy, operating on barely half conscious instinct, he fumbled for the device, only to realize Hermione had already called him a dozen times before this one finally connected.

It was only then he understood he had fallen asleep somewhere in the middle of his thirty minute meditation session, never quite reaching his intended goal before drifting off entirely. Resisting that particular pull toward drowsiness during meditation always proved harder than expected.

Wiping the sleep from his groggy eyes, Mark finally answered the call right as it was about to cut off. Hermione’s light voice greeted him, though it carried a firm, clipped edge that made his ears burn slightly with embarrassment.

”Way to keep your promise, Mark. What took you so long? It’s already three in the morning, and I’ve been standing out here for a full thirty minutes straight, honestly believing you’d show up without any hiccups. But oh, look at that, here you finally are, bright and early!” The full weight of her sarcasm landed squarely, jolting Mark fully awake.

”Damn it, I’m such a terrible friend. I’m really sorry, it’s just that I’ve been trying to meditate for a longer stretch than usual, and...” his voice trailed off the moment a sharp giggle answered him on the other end. Wait, did she find the whole situation genuinely amusing rather than annoying?

”No, I get it. As a new summoner still adjusting to your own skills and abilities, something like that’s bound to be tricky at first. Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it eventually. It’s honestly pretty common, kind of like watching a toddler learn to walk, though it really does depend on the person.”

Hermione’s voice brightened considerably now that she understood the situation better. She really was an understanding, warmhearted girl.

”Still, you’re wasting my time out here. There’s literally no one else around, and my patience is running thin,” Hermione added matter of factly.

”Okay, got it. I’ll be right there in a second.” Mark felt a wave of genuine relief wash over him at her understanding response. While attempting to hit his meditation goal, he had once again lost the battle against sleep, hardly the first time this had happened, and probably not the last either, unless he found some way to actually fix the problem.

Mark quickly grabbed a tank top, a pair of athletic shorts, and his black and white sneakers, dressing quickly before heading out of the dormitory, headphones already looped around his neck.

At this early hour, the outside world remained shrouded in thick, drifting fog, the ground slick with condensed morning dew. The chill in the air seeped straight through his light clothing, and he found himself regretting not grabbing a sweater or light jacket on the way out.

Everywhere around him sat silent, giving the whole scene an eerie, faintly unsettling quality, the kind that might spook a child, though even Mark, for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, felt a small prickle of unease all the same.

Glancing around, he could make out a scattering of empty benches across the compound, visible only faintly through the haze. No one appeared to be around, not even Hermione. He found himself wondering where she actually was, or whether she had even been telling the truth about being here in the first place. Had his sleep addled mind simply imagined the entire phone call?

After a few more steps forward, Mark stopped, his breath visibly fogging in the cold morning air. It really was unusually frosty for this early. Just then, he sensed something approaching before he could fully register what it was.

”Boo!” Hermione’s voice rang out suddenly, sending a sharp jolt of shock straight through Mark’s entire body, causing him to leap backward instinctively, already bracing into a defensive stance against whatever creepy threat might be lurking nearby. Only then did he realize it had simply been her the whole time, sneaking up on him like some mischievous little ghost.

”Gotcha!” Hermione beamed, giggling at the priceless expression still frozen across his face, one she clearly found utterly adorable and amusing. She always did love watching people fall for her little pranks, unable to help herself whenever the opportunity arose.

Mark smiled, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. ”Yeah, you really got me good there. You’re surprisingly talented at that.” He chuckled at her obvious delight.

Hermione wore a set of comfortable night clothes paired with leggings that traced the graceful curve of her long, slender legs. Her appearance, as always, remained genuinely striking, and he considered himself quietly fortunate to have her around.

”I noticed it’s pretty cold out here, but I figure we can warm ourselves up naturally instead. Let’s just get moving and jog for a while, like we originally planned,” Hermione suggested cheerfully.

”...Huh? Sorry, what was that?” Mark asked, still slightly dazed. Hermione rolled her eyes and reached up, tugging the headphones off his head entirely, making him blink in surprise. She slipped them on herself for a moment, curious what he’d been listening to, before raising an eyebrow.

”Trending Brazilian funk? That’s actually pretty cool, I like it a lot, just maybe not exactly this,” Hermione said, handing the headphones back. Mark raised an eyebrow, giving her a slightly puzzled, quizzical look. ”Isn’t it cool enough on its own? Why the hesitation?”

”You clearly haven’t heard the English lyric version yet. Don’t worry about it, just get as curious as I already am,” Hermione said with a playful scoff.

”Oh really? Alright then, so what’s your favorite song?” Mark asked as they started walking together. Hermione paused thoughtfully for a moment before answering.

”Why don’t you try guessing,” she said, pulling out a pair of small earbuds and handing one over for him to listen to. After a moment, Mark’s expression shifted into something uncertain, though a small smile eventually crept across his face regardless.

The song playing was bright and vibrant, carrying just enough of a melancholic undertone woven through its melody to give it real emotional depth. It made the cool morning air feel oddly fitting, the kind of track suited for exactly this quiet, reflective moment.

”It’s called My Universe, a collaboration between two of my absolute favorite groups, ABC and HotFun. It actually topped the charts on the US Billboard!” Hermione said, practically squealing with excitement.

ABC was a wildly popular Korean group known for their meteoric rise in the music industry, consistently landing at the very top of major charts worldwide. They had picked up numerous prestigious awards across both the United States and Korea in steady, impressive succession, and their occasional live concerts alone were known to draw staggering crowds from across the entire region, tickets often selling out within minutes of release.

HotFun, on the other hand, was one of America’s biggest rock acts, a band celebrated for blending raw, guitar driven energy with surprisingly heartfelt, emotionally resonant songwriting, the kind of sound that had carried them steadily to the very top of the American music scene over the years.

For two acts of that caliber to come together and produce a single blending both English and Korean lyrics, one that managed to feel genuinely meaningful across both cultures rather than like a hollow marketing stunt, was nothing short of remarkable. The resulting track had gone on to rack up billions of streams across platforms worldwide, holding the top chart position for years running, even managing to outlast newer releases that came and went in the meantime.

Mark listened quietly for a while, genuinely enjoying it, before offering the earbud back, only for Hermione to shake her head and refuse.

”No, keep it for our jog. I want us listening to the same thing, so we actually stay in sync with each other instead of each hearing something different. Splitting attention like that just kills the whole vibe,” Hermione reasoned. ”You can just leave your own headphones off for now.”

”You look pretty fit, do you actually go to the gym? I try to stick to a set routine myself, it really helps with discipline,” Hermione asked suddenly.

”Honestly, it’s been a while since I have. There’s this one particular gym I used to go to as a kid. I’d actually like to start going back sometime,” Mark admitted.

”Hmm, there’s a decent gym nearby, good equipment, solid training programs, proper tutors on hand too. We could head over together sometime and work out as a pair,” Hermione offered casually. Mark glanced at her, his expression shifting slightly at the suggestion.

”Yeah, sure, sounds good. Hadn’t really thought about it until now, but it has been way too long since I’ve properly worked out, so I could definitely use it.” Mark nodded, accepting the idea readily.

If nothing else, he told himself, training alongside someone equally, if not far more, experienced would genuinely help him improve faster. Still, he couldn’t quite shake the passing thought of just how good she’d probably look in proper gym attire.

Hermione responded with a bright, genuine smile, clearly pleased by how easily he’d agreed to the idea.

She shifted into an easy jogging pace, glancing briefly back at Mark, who quickened his own steps to catch up and fall in beside her. The music played steadily in both their ears, syncing their footsteps and movements together in a strangely natural rhythm as they continued forward side by side.

Thinking it over, he realized it really did help, having music playing during a workout like this, the right kind of motivation quietly pushing him to keep going without even fully noticing the effort.

After a while of quiet, steady jogging, Hermione’s expression shifted into something noticeably more serious as she glanced over at him. Something about that particular look left Mark with an uneasy feeling.

”Alright, time to kick things up a notch, this was really just the warm up. Try to keep up with me, and let’s see who’s actually built for the long haul.”

She issued the challenge before suddenly accelerating, pushing her pace dramatically faster. Mark did his best to keep up, but as an already experienced summoner with finely honed skills and abilities, her endurance simply operated on an entirely different level from his own.

Hermione moved with such steady, effortless speed that closing the gap felt nearly impossible. Or maybe, he wondered bitterly, it was simply that he himself was still too slow and underprepared.

After well over an hour, Mark finally collapsed onto the grassy field, skin glistening with sweat, muscles burning from sheer exhaustion. His breathing came out ragged and heavy, legs trembling weakly from the dull, aching strain, yet to his genuine shock, Hermione remained completely composed, seemingly more than ready for another full round. She was practically a monster wrapped in human form.

Hermione smiled faintly, eyes closed in quiet satisfaction. ”So, up for another round?” The question landed less like a casual invitation and more like a challenge delivered with the weight of a falling hammer.