You are Summoned

Chapter 242. A Poor Performance.

“Poor, where do they come up with that?” I ranted as I stepped into my personal space. The attendants looked at me, offering a warm washcloth and an assortment of beverages. I had to admit, the attention did help the disappointment of my ranking a bit. Still, I was not a big fan of the system right at this moment. Too bad there wasn’t a customer service line where I could call and complain.

Looking around the personal space, I could see that Tzes’zod wasn’t there, which was probably a good thing. He wouldn’t want to hear my ranting and would probably just reiterate that the system does what it does, and our desires and opinions didn’t matter to such a powerful entity.

“Hey, Melvin, how are things going?” I asked, seeing my buddy slide in on the ceiling from the training center. He sent me feelings of consolation, feeling through our link that I was angry and frustrated.

“No worries, I’ll make it up on the next one. If getting one poor ranking is the price I have to get the dungeon summoning gift activated, I suppose I should consider it a win,” I said, taking a moment to put things in perspective. Having been knocked out while the dungeon shard was installed had cost me my rating, but the ability I gained from the shard was much more important than a single poor rating on a random summoning. Feeling around my head, I didn’t notice any injury or scar from the shard entering inside me, which was to be expected after being summoned and healed of any injuries.

The pain in my head was gone as well, but I was a bit creeped out that there was a shard from a dungeon core lodged inside there. At least I could bring the core shard with me back home. Even better, it would survive the continuous summoning and returning cycles and wouldn’t be permanently stuck on Earth once I brought it there.

With low expectations, I opened my rewards chest to see what a poor showing had netted me.

Reward Chest.

New Inventory.

Silver coins, 11.

Copper coins, 39.

If this had been one of my first summonings, it would have been a decent haul, now, it felt depressing to see such poor compensation for being trampled by a dire bear. What a difference a few months as a summoned being made to my expectations. To top off the poor rewards, there wasn’t even a minion equipment token or any other piece of gear.

Melvin nudged my foot, bringing me out of my funk. He sent me feelings of excitement and a desire to show me something.

“What do you want to show me, buddy?” I asked. Instead of sending a mental communication, Melvin instead shifted form, turning his body into what looked like a gelatinous shirt of some kind.

“Oh, is this the armor project you’ve been working on?” I asked.

“Yes, Melvin is now armor,” he mentally replied.

“Well, show me how it works,” I said, eager to see what my companion had created. Melvin sent me an image of putting him on like a vest. When I went to pick him up, his body kept its shape, stretching and shrinking where needed to create a perfect fit. Once the armor was equipped, the system took over and explained what Melvin had created for me.

Gelatinous Barrier. Your companion, the being known as Melvin, has created a new piece of gear for you. When equipped, Melvin will add a layer of protection for your upper body. It will greatly mitigate crushing and slashing damage, as well as provide a minor benefit against piercing damage. In addition, the armor will absorb a small portion of all magic damage and provide insulation against most environmental effects.

This item can be equipped through Melvin’s summoning figurine. It shares a cooldown with your companion, and you must choose whether to summon Melvin as a companion, or as armor. If summoned as armor, Melvin’s cooldown between uses is shortened drastically. This item may improve over time as Melvin spends more of his time and energy working on the project.

As the system explanation ended, a figurine for Melvin’s armor appeared in my hand. “This is the coolest thing ever! Thank you, Melvin. Let’s go equip your armor in my loadout,” I said, making a show of placing the figurine reverently in the armory. Melvin had worked hard on this, and I wanted him to know I appreciated it.

“The next time we get back to Earth, I’ll treat you to my favorite Chinese restaurant. I think you’ll love the dry braised beef at Ta Chen’s,” I promised him. The little hole in the wall restaurant was in Garden Grove, but it was one of my favorites and I didn’t mind driving there from Huntington Beach where Refuge was located.

That brought up another thing, I could finally afford a car. I’d never been a big car guy but having my own wheels would be pretty nice. It wasn’t like it would be a financial burden, I was loaded after turning in the mana gauge and giving the government some valuable information. Melvin sent me images of tacos again, reminding me that he wanted them as well.

“Don’t worry, the next time you visit, I’ll have Julio take you back for more tacos. We’ve got a lot of different foods to try, and I know that the kids in Refuge will spoil you rotten when you visit again,” I told him.

Images of food flashed through our link as Melvin slid back into the training room. I was more than ready to give him all the time he wanted in there, especially if it meant he would keep improving his armor. Before I forgot, I checked on the return gauge to see if I was close to going home again.

The gauge was pegged near the return point at around 98%. Just one more summoning should do it. I found that I was looking forward to getting back into training with Major Finley and the other soldiers. Hopefully, I was providing them with as much of a benefit as they were to me. The only question was whether we would have enough time to train all the various military units before our world was integrated into the system.

I knew other summoned beings had been tasked with gathering information on system integration during their Somhagen visits. Once that was gathered, it would be shared with all the groups like Refuge. Despite the effort and resources that the government was putting into this, I worried that things would fall apart once the system arrived.

While I waited for my next summoning, I gave all the new furniture a test drive, seeing which chairs and couches were the most comfortable, and rearranging things a bit. It was more an effort to keep busy rather than some strong desire to play interior decorator.

“Sir, I feel I should warn you that things will revert back to their original placement once you’re summoned again,” one of the butlers said. All three of the male butler’s looked similar, but this one stood out by having longer hair tied up into a ponytail. He was like a hipster grandpa forced to dress up for a family wedding.

“That’s good to know, I wasn’t trying to change things permanently, just killing time,” I replied.

“Very good, sir. Might I suggest you tweak your next purchase if you find the standard layout is not to your satisfaction,” the butler added.

“Wait, that’s a thing? Chaladoom never mentioned that I could make adjustments to the furnishings,” I said.

“Yes, he usually likes to keep things simple for a first-time customer. Now that you’ve had a bit of experience with product, you’ll be able to opt for a bit more customization,” the butler said.

“Well, thanks for the information, if any of you can think of similar things, feel free to speak up,” I told the attendants.

“Only Issindra and I, the chief maid may interact with the customer,” the butler said, indicating one of the maids, who, like the butler, seemed a bit older than the rest.

“Might I have your name?” I asked.

“Whirtmir, sir. I should probably also advise that the others have no names, since they are less autonomous forms of mana constructs. At the price point of this furniture suite, you are only given two higher-functioning attendants,” Whirtmir advised.

“Thank you again, Whirtmir, I appreciate your help,” I replied.

“It is our pleasure to serve, sir,” Whirtmir said right as another small tremor shook the personal space.

“What is Gary up to now? Whirtmir, Issindra, has that been happening the whole time I’ve been gone?” I asked.

“Yes, sir, though the effects are lessening with each instance. That creature you let the space to slid another note under the door. The note mentioned aftershocks of diminishing power that will soon cease. He also made a promise to further compensate you for the inconvenience, but so far, has not paid anything.

“If I may be so bold, I don’t think that being is entirely trustworthy, sir,” Whirtmir said, giving Gary’s door a proper butler’s glare.

“Keep an eye on things for me. Let me know if Gary or anyone else tries to enter the personal space,” I ordered.

“It will be as you have commanded. Do you wish us to attack any intruders?” Issindra asked.

“No, not unless they’re hostile or try to steal something. I just want you to report what happens the next time I return,” I explained. The last thing I wanted was an overzealous maid taking a swipe at Gary and nullifying the protections I enjoyed from our contract.

I didn’t get a chance for any further instructions as another summoning portal appeared. This time, I was conscious and in my right mind, so I wouldn’t get dinged by the system for not entering promptly.

You are Summoned!