---

In the dark classroom,

Grantoni busily prepared for the summoning to call forth Barkabaran.

He drew a massive magic circle made of goat’s blood and sprinkled an unidentified bone powder on it.

After a while of arranging everything, Grantoni revealed his sense of satisfaction.

“Nice atmosphere, right?”

“Grantoni, this doesn’t really mean anything.”

What Grantoni was attempting was purely necromancy.

I had never heard of any such restrictions in practicing necromancy.

“Hehe, atmosphere is crucial for anything.”

A true oddball, indeed.

He just wanted to do it for the sake of it.

“So, who are we supposed to call?”

Had he forgotten in the meantime?

“Barkabaran.”

“No, I meant the name, not that nickname.”

Ah, right.

It wouldn’t make sense to call him Thunder Summoner and expect him to show up.

“Barkabaran.”

A name from the northern part of the Empire.

A name associated with the highest mountains in the world.

It was barbarian-sounding, living up there.

“Ehehe, got it.”

Grantoni stood at the center of the magic circle he had drawn, feeling proud.

Then, he flipped a chair around and sat on it backward, pressing its back against his chest.

“Now I’m going to call him. Just hold on and be quiet.”

Grantoni was a soul mage.

And among those soul mages, he had the greatest talent.

He was closer to the dead than the living.

A little mortuary.

He earned that creepy nickname for a reason.

As the light faded from Grantoni’s eye sockets, the atmosphere around him began to shift.

The classroom transformed into a place calling forth death.

Before I knew it, my steel skin slowly reacted to death, beginning to tremble.

An eerie chill crawled steadily across my body.

The colors of the surroundings began to shift.

The hues drained away, and everything turned to gray.

This indicated that we had entered the realm where souls lingered.

It was the reason Grantoni was acknowledged as the most talented soul mage.

His unique characteristic.

The Shadow World.

He was the only living being capable of traversing this Shadow World freely.

And he was well aware.

If he stayed in this Shadow World for too long, he would eventually not be able to return.

Even so, he kept stepping into the Shadow World.

He must have been looking for someone.

“And that is…”

He would give up after a certain point.

A rampaging magician.

In Act 4, during his final battle with Vinasha.

Grantoni was faced with two choices.

To remain in the Shadow World.

Or remain in the real world.

“If he stays in the Shadow World…”

Grantoni would bloom into another disaster.

In the Shadow World, he’d experience his happiest times.

However, due to that, the world would end up with one of 38 bad endings.

He would head straight to the ‘Shadow World.’

On the other hand, for Grantoni who chose reality, all that would remain were eternal farewells and despair.

The happiest times and eternal despair.

What to choose would be Grantoni’s burden.

“And I…”

Despite knowing all this about Grantoni, I had to ensure he remained in reality.

“It might be a bit far off still.”

As I looked around the Shadow World, a bittersweet smile appeared on my face.

This gray world, devoid of any life,

Was deemed a place where Grantoni experienced his happiest times.

Perhaps reality appeared even grayer than the Shadow World.

“Barkabaran.”

As Grantoni began to invoke, the windows flew open, and the blackout curtains fluttered.

With that, the harsh northern wind rushed in fiercely.

The sudden cold stung my skin, making me nearly exclaim.

Having endured many hardships, I had grown used to heat, but cold was foreign.

Moreover, my skin was steel.

It was highly sensitive to temperature changes.

As the cold gripped my body, my teeth began to chatter.

“I should get some cold resistance gear.”

Indeed, thinking about what lay ahead, cold resistance was essential.

I needed to find it quickly.

As I was contemplating, Grantoni stretched his hands toward the ceiling.

“Barkabaran.”

Once again, he called.

Kaboom!

A thunderous roar echoed as the wind howled loudly.

It was coming.

That thought spread through my entire being in an instant.

“Barkabaran!”

Kablam!

The sky erupted with lightning, igniting the surroundings with a bright flash.

For a moment, I was blinded and blinked rapidly.

As my vision gradually returned, a figure emerged from the smoke.

He appeared to have a hazy body and bore ominous lightning-shaped scars all over.

With a grim expression, he slowly surveyed his surroundings.

It seemed like he was searching for something.

When he turned, our eyes locked for a moment.

After a brief silence, he furrowed his brows.

Then, with a face that seemed to lose interest, he scoffed.

[ Impossible. ]

Did I just hear something bizarre?

“Hey there, buddy!”

At that moment, Grantoni popped out a skull from behind the man.

Seeing the skull, the man freaked out and swung his fist.

But the punch went right through Grantoni’s head, missing entirely.

That was to be expected since he was already dead.

Struck by lightning 108 times after death and yet lived.

Barkabaran.

He was indeed the bolt summoner.

“Hehe, your punch packs a spicy kick! This buddy here summoned you because he wanted to see you.”

[ How annoying. Send me back. ]

“Come on, don’t be like that. Talk to him a bit. He’s a fun guy.”

Grantoni earnestly tried to persuade Barkabaran.

He was certainly getting value from the pendant he received.

Despite his quirky personality, he was a decent chap.

[ Ugh, annoying. ]

Barkabaran, consistently annoyed, plopped himself down on the floor.

[ Just spit it out. ]

I forced a smile.

It was he who asked to say something.

“How did you end up committing lightning rape?”

Barkabaran shut his mouth.

＊ ＊ ＊

The Thunder Summoner, Barkabaran.

How he ended up as the Thunder Summoner is quite a grotesque tale.

Because he had raped the statue of the lightning goddess revered in the village.

You wonder how one might commit such an act on a goddess’s statue?

I don’t know.

But he did it.

And as punishment, he was struck by lightning 108 times.

[ …I don’t quite understand this ‘rape’ thing. ]

Barkabaran feigned ignorance.

Kaboom!

Once more, thunder roared in the Shadow World.

Barkabaran flinched, shoulders trembling.

He had been struck by lightning 108 times.

Surely, it must be ingrained in his body.

“I came knowing everything. Don’t hold back. Let’s not do this. Look, even the goddess is denying it and getting angry, right?”

[ Ahem. ]

Barkabaran repeatedly cleared his throat.

As mentioned earlier, he had violated the statue of the lightning goddess.

And was punished with lightning.

However, that doesn’t mean he had earned the goddess’s wrath.

To be precise,

It was jealousy from the lightning goddess.

‘A legendary libertine.’

Dressed as a barbarian, he was a libertine ready to try anything, assuming it was possible.

For some unknown reason, the lightning goddess liked this wild libertine after he raped her statue.

Though it sounds absurd.

He was struck by lightning 108 times after each encounter.

And each of those was with a different partner.

“Wow, that’s quite the scandal!”

Grantoni, upon hearing this, clapped his hands and laughed.

“But didn’t you mention the 108th lightning bolt came after you were buried?”

As he pondered, it seemed an inquiry emerged.

Grantoni asked the question.

I remained silent.

Barkabaran also didn’t respond.

The only sound that echoed was the thunder roaring outside the window.

[ …You’re digging too much into my personal affairs. ]

“Personal affairs? This is information easily found with a little attention. It’s documented in history.”

[ Surely, it must be recorded as an extraordinary figure. ]

In many ways, he truly was extraordinary.

“So, let’s get to the point.”

This was not why I summoned Barkabaran.

What I wanted to discuss was entirely different.

“When you violated the statue of the lightning goddess, what powers came along with it?”

Powers.

Special equipment that directly houses a divine ability.

However, most of these powers are treated as unusable equipment due to being sealed, among other things.

Some powers spew forth infinite seawater.

Others continuously pour forth sickness.

Most powers can be deemed a calamity to humankind.

Thus, they are merely referred to as divine powers.

Rather, they are treated as tools that should be sealed away.

Among them, Barkabaran’s power.

“Thunder Summoner.”

The Thunder Summoner isn’t merely a nickname given to him.

The divine power he obtained from the lightning goddess’s statue was named Thunder Summoner itself.

“I’d like that, please.”

And that’s why I came to Barkabaran to obtain the Thunder Summoner.

As the user of the divine power cannot pass it on unless they willingly do so before the soul of the deceased dissipates.

Being well aware of that fact, I deliberately summoned Barkabaran.

[ …It wouldn’t be beneficial to transfer the Thunder Summoner to you. ]

Barkabaran looked at me like I was a madman.

The Thunder Summoner literally summons lightning.

It meant one would have to endure getting struck by lightning relentlessly.

To accept that was akin to saying one wished to die.

However, I needed it.

To me, the Thunder Summoner would be the most powerful move.

“Anything can have its uses.”

[ Is it because you want to get struck by lightning? You certainly seem to intend to meet an early end at such a young age. ]

“Regrettably, that’s not why I’m doing this.”

I wasn’t seeking out lightning strikes.

Noticing my sincerity, Barkabaran rubbed his chin for a moment.

[ If I give you the divine power, what are you going to offer in return? ]

The already-dead figure had quite the greed.

With no choice, I took out a book I had brought along.

“Grantoni, can I use this as an offering?”

“Eh, just leave it here.”

Grantoni pointed under the chair he sat on, seemingly unbothered.

I placed the book neatly beneath it.

Moments later, Barkabaran had the book in hand.

He raised an eyebrow, turning several pages.

Soon, his eyes widened.

“This is Graviera!”

Such goods can be found anywhere where people dwell.

But in the Shadow World where only the dead reside, they were unobtainable.

“By the way, I have a few more.”

I lightly lifted the bag I had brought.

At that moment, I felt a sudden shock, almost like static electricity coursing through my body.

Soon, something was clutched in my hand.

It was a small ring meant for a finger.

A golden ring adorned with lightning patterns.

The divine power, Thunder Summoner.

[ The deal is done. ]

Barkabaran had a highly satisfied expression.

I offered him the remaining books as well.

‘Wow.’

To exchange a few Graviera books for divine power.

Still astounded by the absurdity of it all.

I properly slipped the ring onto my index finger.

As the gem of the Thunder Summoner glittered briefly along my finger.

[ Let me give you a piece of advice. ]

Then Barkabaran spoke without taking his eyes off the book.

[ The Thunder Summoner leaves an indelible scar on the user’s body. ]

He pointed to the lightning scars on his body as he said so.

[ And when the scars fill your entire body, your heart will come to a complete stop. ]

It was akin to the curse that came with the Thunder Summoner.

Divine power.

Humans using divine power multiple times are bound to endure a curse due to their bodies not being able to cope.

[ I cannot fathom why you wish to utilize lightning. ]

He walked out the window, still holding the books.

[ Divine powers enter the grand wheel of fate the moment they are invoked. Ultimately, your heart stopping due to the Thunder Summoner will become your destiny. ]

“It’s fine.”

My nonchalant tone made Barkabaran look at me oddly.

“Isn’t destiny just a twist of an even greater fate?”

I quoted Sharine’s words.

Upon hearing my next remark, he fell silent for a moment.

[ I hope never to see you in the Shadow World again. ]

And just like that, he slipped out of the window.

Kaboom!

Thunder rumbled outside once again.

As the Shadow World summoned by Grantoni faded away, we began to revert back to our original world.

In the meantime, Grantoni quietly stared out the window as if awaiting something.

Watching Grantoni’s back, I gripped the Thunder Summoner tightly in my hand.

‘Destiny and all that.’

I was in no position to hide while heading straight toward a bad ending.

With this, my preparation was complete.

‘A group battle.’

Let’s see how it all plays out.