Meanwhile, back inside the game...
Kai kept his gaze at the far corner of the room, his human eyes squinted as though trying to see if he could peer through the solid stone walls.
'Strange, I could have sworn something was staring at me from that place. Ah well, the system did say I was being observed, so I shouldn't be that surprised.'
He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
'This is getting harder and harder for me. At the very least, if I am going to get deleted from the game without any means of fighting, then it's best I enjoy my time to the best of my ability.'
Kai turned his gaze towards the side of his view, where a system notification quickly popped up. He understood what he needed in that moment. A distraction. A gamble.
[Would you like to pull for a summon?]
Kai smiled at the notification.
In truth, he had been looking forward to doing some summons since he first called for Lyra. But seeing as the EXP he was making immediately went towards the production and maintenance of the dungeon, he didn't really have much of a choice before.
But now, with over 16,000 EXP in his account from wiping out that party, he could afford to pull for a rare summon.
From what he learned from the system, the summoning mechanic went as followed:
Upon opening the feature, the system grants you a choice of summon by random, and the selection pool could not be changed until 24 hours later.
The first tier cost 2,000 EXP, which were summons below Level 100.
The next was 5,000 EXP, giving summons lower than Level 500.
And then lastly was the price of 10,000 EXP, giving Level 500 and higher.
Most of the skeletons he commanded were based off the passive rewards for upgrading his dungeon and nothing more. They were fodder. He needed generals.
'I doubt I'd get an opportunity like that again, so for now, let me work on getting stronger summons.'
Agreeing to pull for a summon, the system flashed another notification right in front of him.
[Pull for Summon - Cost: 10,000 EXP.]
Without even so much as a hesitation, Kai clicked on the button. He was more than ready to spend all of his EXP if it meant he could get a character strong enough to rival Lyra or at least survive the coming storm.
[Congratulations, you have pulled for a new summon.]
Right in front of Kai, a bright light shone.
It was blinding and gold, so intense that the Skeleton Knights who were just right outside the door could see the light seeping from the small space underneath the heavy stone doors.
Soon, the light dimmed, taking the form of a humanoid figure.
To Kai's surprise, he did pull for a rather strong character.
[You have summoned Carlotta, the Witch of Judgement.]
The more Kai watched as the particles settled, the more his eyes widened even more.
The woman standing right before him had long, curly black hair that fell behind her back, dancing as though one with an invisible wind.
Her red eyes shone as she slightly opened them to look at her new Master.
She wore a white gown, no longer than her upper thighs, which was then covered by a pair of unique, thigh-high black boots. The boots were connected to multiple other black straps that decorated her dress and gloved arms, giving her a look that was equal parts gothic and dangerously elegant.
In one word, Kai found her to be perfect.
Now looking at her Master, Carlotta clasped her hands right in front of her and bowed her head slightly.
"Forgive my ignorance, but are you the one who has summoned me here?"
There was silence for a while.
'Uhn, where have I heard that before...?' Kai glanced to the side, ignoring his summons for a brief moment as he searched his memory.
'Ah right, Lyra said the exact same thing when I summoned her too. Wait, now that I think about it, she should also have a backstory of her own.'
Focusing his gaze on the summon, the system activated the info window.
[Name: Carlotta, the Witch of Judgment.]
[Level: 888]
[Class: Special Class - Lower Calamity Disaster]
[Backstory: After serving the church all her life as a kid growing up, she grew to be loved by everyone around her. Until one day, she was accused of a crime she never committed, and then labeled a witch, which led to her being burned in front of the entire village. She died, never doing anything for herself.]
'...'
From what Kai knew about the summoning system, those who were summoned were souls looking to get a second chance at life and were willing to do so at the expense of being a servant.
The character's latent wish is turned into a physical manifestation, and then transferred as a summon ready to form a contract.
"You wish for a new life," Kai blurted out.
While it was unintentional, he reached out and grabbed Carlotta, petting her head gently. It was an instinctual comfort, something he might have done for a grieving child, but the context here changed everything.
"My name is Kai, the Shadow of All Victims, and I have summoned you here to be my summon. This life you live now is a new one, free from the burden of the old, where you were burnt and cast aside."
Carlotta was shocked that a man she had only just met was speaking to her with so much familiarity and warmth. Her eyes widened, her breath hitching.
"Here, by my side, I promise you nations to rule, and servants to command. You will no longer live for anyone but me, and in return, all that you could not do in your former life can be accomplished here, under me, and only me."
'Shit! Did I say too much? I wanted to leave a good impression; did it work? She looks...'
Kai paused.
He noticed she was staring at him hard. Her cheeks were completely red, and both her hands were covering her mouth as though holding back the urge to scream.
Then, she suddenly covered her face and bent down. Small squeaks left her mouth in the process.
"P-Please give me time to gather my thoughts; this is too much for me to handle!"
Kai kept staring at her, a deadpan look on his face. He had expected fear, or perhaps gratitude. He hadn't expected... this.
Looking at the ground, her eyes wide behind her hands, Carlotta whispered in her mind.
'This has to be a miracle. It has to be. Rather than being summoned by a master who would treat me less than trash, this one agrees to play the role of my husband! He chooses to carry out the wish I never got to fulfill before I died. To serve him and only him, heheheheh~~~'
Before she knew it, she had begun giggling like a child.
All while Kai was standing there, wondering what was happening.