The screen glowed softly in the dark room. Rudra sat in silence, his eyes fixed on the Zix Core's interface. For the past few days, something had felt different. Not loud, not dramatic—just... heavier. Like the air before a thunderstorm. A kind of pressure that didn't hurt, but told you something important had started to shift.
He had not touched the Core.
He had not tried to force anything.
But the faith he had built—the quiet, growing belief in the story of the two brothers—had begun to do more than just spread.
It had started to change things.
And tonight, the Core finally responded.
> [Faith Level Reached: 8.72% Realm Saturation]
[Zix Core – Secondary Function Activating]
A small pulse ran through the air, almost like a heartbeat.
Rudra blinked.
He didn't move right away. He just stared at the screen, letting it happen. For weeks, he had watched people in the second realm whisper a new story. They believed in the lost brothers, the ones who once loved and now fought. He had watched their faith grow like a quiet fire under ash.
Now, the system finally reacted to that belief.
It showed him something new.
> [Summoning Ability: Stage 0 – Inert Potential Found]
Rudra sat up straighter.
This was it.
The comic summoning ability—the one that had stayed hidden deep within the Zix Core—had finally begun to awaken. Not because he called for it. But because the world believed in him.
The system didn't open everything at once.
Instead, it gave him rules. Strict, heavy rules.
> [Stage 1 Requirements:]
• A medium—a matching object or symbol connected to the character you wish to summon
• A very large amount of points
• Total secrecy. No trace. No alerts. No detection by this world
The Core displayed the cost.
> [Minimum Required Points: 98,000]
[Current Balance: 39,214]
Rudra exhaled slowly.
This was no easy path.
The points needed were huge. And that was just for the first summon.
Even worse, the system wouldn't let him summon just anyone. Each comic character needed a specific emotional connection—a "medium" that acted like a key. It could be an old item, a memory, a place... something in the realm that matched who that character truly was.
This meant he couldn't just choose from a list.
He had to find the right moment. The right match. The right story.
And that made the power more personal... and more dangerous.
—
The next morning, something new appeared in the interface.
A location. A pull.
No explanation.
Just a strange feeling.
Like being slowly drawn toward something you forgot but somehow knew.
In the second realm, near the ruins east of Vaelion's old border, a hidden underground chamber lit up on the Core's map. It had been untouched for years. No soldiers. No enemies. Just a forgotten place.
The Core marked it as:
> [Summon Anchor Detected]
That was the first real sign.
A place matched the frequency of a summon.
Not just any summon.
Rudra knew.
It would be her.
The first summon.
The system didn't say her name, but he understood from the match type:
She was a woman from one of his favorite comics—a character who used intelligence, seduction, and power to shape nations. She was not a warrior in the usual sense, but her influence was deadly. She changed people's choices, bent armies without battle, made powerful men fall to their knees without lifting a blade.
This was perfect.
His first comic summon had to be female.
Not because of desire.
But because the world needed that kind of power—charming, patient, dangerous.
And yes, she would also become the foundation for his R18 arc. Because she wasn't just powerful.
She was beautiful.
Untouchable.
Obsessive.
And completely his.
But he could not bring her out just yet.
He still lacked the required points.
And he needed to find her medium—a piece of her story already existing in this world.
—
Later that day, the Core pinged again.
This time, with something closer to home.
> [Medium Match: Crimson Mask – 87% Sync]
[Location: College Auditorium Display Cabinet]
Rudra's eyes narrowed.
He remembered the item. A red velvet mask once used as a stage prop during a cultural festival. It had been placed behind glass years ago. Most people didn't care about it anymore.
But the system saw it differently.
To the Core, that mask held just enough symbolic weight to act as a medium.
And it matched her.
She always wore a mask when making deals, when spying, when seducing generals or killing kings.
It was not a perfect match.
But it was close enough to work.
Still...
> [Summon Cost: 118,000 Points]
[Current Balance: 39,214]
He remained far from the requirement.
But the path had appeared.
He now knew who would come first.
He now knew where she would arrive.
And he now knew what he had to do.
—
That night, the wind outside hit his windows harder than usual. But Rudra didn't close them. He sat quietly, watching the Core's glow reflect in his eyes.
No one in the world had sensed anything.
No gods noticed.
No systems triggered alerts.
No organizations guessed what had begun.
And that was how it should stay.
This power was not meant to shake the sky.
It was meant to change everything silently.
No one would trace the summons back to him.
They would never know how the summoned women arrived—beautiful, strong, seductive—ready to serve his growing empire.
They would only see the effects.
Never the source.
And when he finally had enough points...
He would bring her here.
She would not just be his tool.
She would be his queen.