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Chapter 2
First Summon
Yeah. I was curious.
This perk.
What exactly it was.
No need to even ask.
《YES》
Bang! Boom!
《You will be granted a total of three perks.》
“Whoa!”
Three perks?
I didn’t even know what they were yet, but an exclamation just burst out of me.
《First perk granted.》
《Congratulations! Lucifer, you have awakened as an Adventurer.》
Flaaash—!
In that instant, I instinctively knew I had become an Adventurer.
The knowledge of how to access my status window, summon familiars, use the marketplace, and all the various functions etched itself straight into my brain.
Awakening as a perk?!
That alone was already a jackpot!
And yet… there were still two more left?
《Second perk: The End-Times Summoning Tome has been granted.》
End-Times Summoning Tome?
I didn’t even have time to wonder what it was before—
Thud!
A thick book of dark violet fell right in front of me.
When I tried to pick it up, it was heavy—easily around ten kilos.
“Damn… what is this thing? What’s it for?”
As if to answer, the system floated up another message.
《With the tome you’ve received, you can perform an “End-Times Summon.”》
“End-Times… what?”
Then came the final perk.
《Third perk: End-Times Summon Selection Ticket granted.》
The moment the message appeared, a dark violet ticket materialized—and was instantly sucked into the End-Times Summoning Tome I was holding.
I stared blankly at the sight, until something odd struck me.
End-Times Summon?
From the name, it sounded like a summon rank.
But as far as I knew, there was no “End-Times” rank in Legend Seven.
In that game, the summon ranks were only six:
Common – High – Rare – Heroic – Legendary – Mythic
‘If End-Times is included, that makes seven ranks…?’
It seemed like a new rank had been added without my knowing.
And since it was called a “selection ticket,” it probably meant I could pick a summon from that rank directly.
The real question was—where in the hierarchy did End-Times rank?
‘Well, it’s gotta be higher than Rare at least, right? I mean, it is a clear reward perk.’
I wasn’t even aiming for Legendary or Mythic.
Those two ranks, even without selection tickets, had summoning tickets worth astronomical sums.
Of course, I could make do even with a lower-ranked summon—it would just have more limited uses.
But still… if I could, why not go for something better?
“So! If it’s a perk, make it a perk! Give me something good!”
I clasped my hands together and slowly took deep breaths.
This was the kind of “summon ritual” every gacha gamer had.
Some little superstition that “doing this will make the pull luckier.”
With odds this horrible, you couldn’t help but cling to any superstition you could.
《To use the End-Times Summon Selection Ticket, please open the End-Times Summoning Tome.》
As the message appeared, I looked down at the dark violet tome—the one with ornate sun and moon engravings.
It almost looked like a binder for storing cards.
My palms were already sweating as I touched it.
“Phew…”
I took one last deep breath and slowly opened the book.
And what I saw made me doubt my own eyes.
【End-Times Summon Selection Ticket】
Description: A choice summon ticket that allows Lucifer to summon an Episode Villain bound to you.
[List]
-
Siren of the Hundred Valleys, Ruinbringer (Dark)
-
High Priestess of Rebellion, Marena (Light)
-
Death’s Liberator, Caligo (Dark)
-
Lord of the Skies, Ariel (Light)
-
Black Prince Theo (Dark)
-
Lion of Purity, Luchevar (Light)
-
Witch of the End-Times, Hertia (Dark)
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
‘You mean… I can summon an Episode Villain?!’
Now that’s a perk.
Being able to have an Episode Villain in my team from the start…
But—
‘…Is it really okay to summon a villain with no gear or preparation?’
Unlike in the game, summoning in the real world didn’t automatically mean a contract.
Most would agree to one, but higher-ranked or more temperamental summons could reject it outright and vanish.
And villains, in particular, were vicious and disobedient.
Back in the game days, I’d only managed to tame them after extreme effort—but whether they’d listen to Oh Hyun-woo instead of “Lucifer” was another matter.
Tic-tock.
And I’d never heard of summons retaining memories of their past masters. Which meant any villain I summoned would be “untamed” from scratch.
Meaning… I could end up face-to-face with a dangerous villain while completely defenseless.
‘Tsk… no, rushing this would be stupid. Better to prepare first and call them later.’
Like I said—I had confidence.
Even with normal summons, I could grow stronger far faster than others.
If I built my foundation solidly, I could plan strategies and setups for the perfect villain summon later…
Tic-tock.
“…Wait. What’s with that damn ticking?”
As the grating sound irritated me, another message popped up.
《Item usage time limit approaching. Time remaining: 05 minutes 16 seconds.》
《If you fail to complete the contract within the time limit, the perk will be lost.》
“What the hell?!”
Why so little time?!
Sure, nothing in life comes easy, but giving me a perk I waited ten years for and making it expire in five minutes? That’s just cruel!
No time to think.
It was either use it now or lose it forever.
The choice wasn’t hard.
“This… damn game! Go big or go home!”
It might seem reckless, but I had my reasons.
“A summoned creature cannot directly attack its summoner.”
That was a rule that held true both in the game and after the world changed.
Worst case scenario, my tiny one-room apartment would get trashed—but I could live with that.
“Quickly, quickly… who’s the best choice?”
All villains were individually strong.
But some needed heavy investment to be useful.
And right now, I was broke—barely awakened as an Adventurer.
‘First condition: must be trainable with zero capital.’
That alone ruled out three of them.
‘Next: must be versatile enough to offset disadvantages in gear, skills, and levels.’
Two more gone.
‘Lastly… this is a villain. Better not expect them to obey me right away. I need someone easier to befriend, so I can raise their favorability quickly.’
Only one fit all the criteria.
Episode 1’s final boss.
Queen of the Shadow Elves—Hertia.
Decision made, I tapped her name.
《Summoning the Witch of the End-Times, Hertia.》
Fwoooosh!
Dark storm clouds roared to life inside my room.
The vortex sent clothes, blankets, dishes—everything—flying around.
‘Oooohhh!’
Cleanup would be a nightmare, but the sight alone was worth it.
The storm gradually subsided, and from the black whirlpool stepped a woman.
Long, radiant silver hair.
Pale skin and delicate features.
Beautiful, yes—but more than attraction, her icy aura put me on edge.
She smiled, but from her eyes flowed a sticky, cold killing intent like dawn mist.
The Witch of the End-Times, Hertia.
In person, she looked even more villainous.
Which made me all the more pleased.
Gulp.
I swallowed and slowly spoke toward her.
“…Her… tia?”
And at that moment—her slender hand wrapped around my neck.
“—Kuh!”
《Hertia has broken the summoning contract and is attacking the summoner!》
《Summoner’s HP: 80% remaining.》
A summoned creature can’t attack its summoner.
That had been an unbreakable law—until now.
But she… broke it.
‘C-can’t… breathe…!’
I’d known she’d be hard to handle, but attacking me directly?!
“How dare a mere human summon me?!”
“K-Kuh…!”
“This body belongs to Lord Lucifer! Not to some pitiful wretch like you!”
Even through the chaos, one word rang in my ears—“Lucifer.”
How did she remember that name?
Summons weren’t supposed to retain any memories of past masters!
“To think we share a race, yet you are so utterly different from him! No dignity, no pride! Better to kill you and die myself!”
《Summoner’s HP: 50% remaining!》
The system flashed red, practically screaming for me to do something.
‘At least give me some info! What kind of perk tries to kill the user?!’
As if on cue, a new tooltip popped up.
《Warning: A summoned creature that breaks the contract and attacks the summoner will vanish if the summoner dies.》
Oh, screw you, system.
Clearly, it cared more about the summon than me.
I couldn’t count on it.
But I couldn’t just die here either.
What about my family? My younger sibling, who’d have to take care of our parents alone? My entire life?
No. Not like this.
《Summoner’s HP: 30% remaining!》
I bit my lip hard.
I’d have to give up on Hertia.
As precious as the ticket was, my life came first.
‘Reverse summon! Now! Reverse summon!’
《Attempting reverse summon of Witch of the End-Times, Hertia.》
“What a pathetic move—!”
Crackle!
《Summon has refused reverse summoning!》
Unbelievable!
Not only did she attack her summoner, now she refused to be dismissed?!
‘Think… think… how the hell do I stop this psycho?!’
My brain was shutting down from lack of oxygen.
‘Is this… the end…?’
My vision darkened, memories flashing like a film reel.
‘Life flashing before my eyes… huh?’
I’d always thought that cliché was silly—but here I was, living it.
Most of what I saw were moments from Legend Seven.
I’d really wasted my life on that game.
But… among the memories, there were a few useful scraps.
—My child! My children!
Hertia’s life story.
Born a Shadow Elf, persecuted by her own kin.
The joy of finding a mate and bearing three children.
The despair when those children were chosen as sacrifices to the World Tree.
The desperate struggle to change fate, only to lose them anyway.
The rage at the Shadow Elf King who allowed it all.
Overthrowing him by force, and the exultation of burning the elves and the World Tree after a long war.
I reviewed it all—and recalled her earlier words.
-
This body belongs to Lord Lucifer! Not to some pitiful wretch like you!
‘Lucifer…!’
She was furious because she thought a mere human—not Lucifer—had summoned her.
If I could prove I was Lucifer…
‘Think! Anything that could work!’
Something that could prove it—save my life—and maybe even win her loyalty.
‘…This might work.’
It was embarrassing, but who cared? This was life or death.
‘I just have to play the “old me.”’
The Oh Hyun-woo of my late teens, deep in my cringy chuunibyou phase.
I deliberately lowered my larynx.
Like swapping out my vocal filter—low, commanding, and resonant.
With my last breath, I spoke one word.
“Herr.”
“?!”
Hertia froze.
Her grip loosened, letting me gasp for air.
I seized the moment to speak again.
“That impulsive nature of yours… hasn’t changed.”
“H-how do you… know that nickname…?”
She pulled her hands from my neck and covered her mouth, staring at me in shock.
I slowly raised my left hand to cover part of my face.
Lowered my gaze by exactly sixty degrees.
It was the “coolest pose ever” according to eighteen-year-old me—full of theatrical bravado.
“Did I not tell you? That I would see your dream fulfilled… and the dream of Ser, Ner, and Var… the three children lost too soon.”
Her trembling hand pointed at me.
“…Could it be… Lord Lucifer?”
