'I... I... I'm going!!!'
The golden light burst out so suddenly that Bell was completely caught off guard. He quickly drew in a sharp breath and stared intently at the summoning base in front of him. No matter what rank the Heroic Spirit was, this draw meant everything to him right now.
The glowing sphere slowly stopped spinning, and a card with a figure holding a wand and wearing a cloak appeared before his eyes.
It wasn't a golden card—so it wasn't a four-star or five-star Heroic Spirit.
But that was to be expected. Even with the current promotional rates, the guaranteed minimum was only three stars.
The image on the card gradually became clearer.
'Caster Cu!'
'It's Caster Cu!'
Cú Chulainn in the Caster Class—affectionately known as Caster Cu.
Just like his Lancer counterpart, though he wielded a staff, he was still someone who loved playing with spears. Known as "Caster Hound", he was quite formidable and used chantless Rune Magecraft.
Compared to other Heroic Spirits, his raw stats were quite plain, but in FGO, power isn't just about numbers. Skills and synergy mattered just as much.
And there was no doubt—Caster Cu was among the stronger Heroic Spirits.
His chantless Rune Magecraft made him no weaker than his Lancer version.
"System, how do Heroic Spirits work? Can they be summoned? Or do I just gain their power?"
[Warning: Different world detected. Heroic Spirit Summoning not permitted.]
'Damn it!'
That answer jolted Bell back to his senses.
He could understand it though. If different worlds allowed such things freely, everything would be in chaos.
[Additionally, the summoned spirit is incomplete.]
[The world rejects external entities. Only one element from the Spirit Origin may be retained.]
A bucket of cold water. That completely sobered him up.
There really was no shortcut to success in this world. He had finally drawn Caster Cu—only to get an incomplete Spirit Origin.
'This Type-Moon system... feels kind of underwhelming.'
Bell couldn't help but complain.
Drawing Craft Essences was no big deal, but summoning Heroic Spirits came with way too many issues.
[Warning: Please make your choice quickly. The incomplete Spirit Origin is collapsing.]
...'Fuck!'
Bell swore hard in his mind, then immediately made his choice.
'Keep Rune Magecraft.'
[Primordial Rune successfully extracted.]
[Cost to extract Primordial Rune from Spirit Origin: 10 million Valis.]
#!!!
'Not only did I draw a broken Heroic Spirit, I can only keep one of its abilities—and now I have to pay 10 million Valis just to extract it?
Isn't this a scam?'
Right now, Bell felt like he'd been completely screwed by this damn system. It felt like walking into a trap—and in the end, he had to foot the bill himself. Otherwise, he'd just have to watch the Spirit Origin slowly fade away.
But what choice did he have now?
Sunk cost.
'What else can I do but pay up?'
He could practically hear a heartbreaking "crack" echoing in his ears. The 24.1 million Valis he had saved from selling those Goblin daggers was instantly cut in half.
He had originally planned to use 20 million of that to repay his debt.
Now, it was down to 14.1 million Valis.
After setting aside 4.1 million Valis for daily expenses, he only had 10 million left—just enough to cover the debt.
[Fusion with "Primordial Runes".]
The voice in his ear made Bell close his eyes to receive the power.
But this time, unlike the discomfort he had felt when accepting one-star or two-star Craft Essences, Bell experienced no resistance at all.
He quickly understood why.
'It's not a skill or magic—it's knowledge.'
'Primordial Runes… it's not even Rune Magecraft.'
Rune Magecraft refers not to the original Runes, but to the altered versions that emerged later, ones that had already lost their divine essence.
Yet this power extracted from Caster Cu's Spirit Origin was the true Primordial Runes. Normally, it would only evolve into Primordial Runes after Caster Cu's Spirit Origin had been fully restored.
But now, the power removed from Caster Cu's Spirit Origin was already Primordial Runes. In that case, the money spent wasn't such a huge loss...
'The power of Primordial Runes is far greater than that of Rune Magecraft.'
'At the very least... I haven't lost out on this deal…'
Bell took a deep breath to steady his wildly fluctuating emotions, trying to calmly face the situation.
'So his master really passed the Primordial Runes to Caster Cu just to have him kill her. Otherwise, there's no way the master would've made such a choice.'
'No wonder Caster Cu exists. It probably only became possible because of the Primordial Runes.'
'The only downside is that Primordial Runes isn't a skill or a spell, but just knowledge.'
Honestly, spending ten million Valis on the "Primordial Runes" felt like a steal to Bell. Money can always be earned again, but if he missed the chance to get the Primordial Runes, there would be no second opportunity.
'Runes have powerful applications in offense, defense, healing, and support. Once mastered and used proficiently, Primordial Runes becomes an incredibly versatile force.'
'Perfect. I need to keep "Lightning Command" hidden for now—Runes can serve as a temporary substitute magic.'
Bell thought about his imbalanced stats. To become a well-rounded fighter, he needed to strengthen his weaker attributes. Strength and Endurance were next on his list.
Attributes typically aligned closely with the combat style one pursued. The type of battle one engaged in would influence which stats grew.
If he wanted to raise both "Strength" and "Endurance," then relying on "Lightning Command" for quick battles would be counterproductive.
'Rune Magecraft also takes time to understand and master. Good thing I've still got time.'
For Bell, rushing to raise his level at the cost of long-term potential would be putting the cart before the horse.
'So this is the Heroic Spirit, huh... I really can't expect too much from him.'
The Spirit Origin couldn't be fully summoned, and even weapons or Noble Phantasms weren't allowed—outside items were simply forbidden. That's just how this world worked.
Bell stopped overthinking it. Right now, the most important thing was to train in using Runes.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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