After the test ended, the light on the training field gradually returned to normal.
The academy's defensive barrier slowly faded away, and sunlight once again poured down on the ground.
But the atmosphere surrounding Ryan did not ease up in the slightest.
The student group had silently parted to form a natural gap. Ryan stood in the middle, surrounded by an invisible barrier of silence and distance—no one dared to come near.
Some students instinctively stepped back, whispering behind cupped hands—
"That thing he summoned just now… was a demon, right?"
"Yeah! Didn't you see those claws? It lunged straight at him!"
"I heard demons eat people. That one's small, but who knows what it's capable of?"
Though whispered, every word reached Ryan's ears.
He wasn't surprised. The enmity between humans and demons ran deep. A summoner of demons like him was destined to be treated as an outcast.
Only one person broke through the isolation—Gavin Stone—wearing his signature mischievous grin.
"Hey, Ryan! Congrats on not getting vaporized," Gavin said as he sauntered over.
He ignored the wary looks from others, leaning in close and lowering his voice. "Where's that little thing you summoned? It looked pretty quick and nimble."
Ryan didn't say much. He simply lifted a hand.
A swirl of black mist coalesced beside him, and the Nightmare Imp appeared once more.
His Spirit stat instantly dropped from 10 to 0—completely drained.
The little imp crouched with folded legs, its limbs slender, frame petite. Its violet-red eyes scanned its surroundings warily, though it made no move to attack.
Its jet-black skin seemed to devour light itself, giving off an eerie and mysterious aura.
At the same time, Ryan's system interface surfaced in his mind:
[Name]: Ryan Blackwood
[Class]: Demon Summoner (Forbidden Tier)
[Level]: 1 (0.00%)
[Strength]: 5
[Agility]: 5
[Intelligence]: 10
[Spirit]: 10
[Endurance]: 5
[Equipment]: None
[Summon Slots]: 0/5
[Skill]: Summon Nightmare Imp – Summons a fiercely loyal Nightmare Imp to fight by your side.
He glanced at the imp, and the system automatically synced the summoned creature's stats:
[Name]: Nightmare Imp
[Race]: Low-Tier Demon (Contracted)
[Strength]: 10
[Agility]: 10
[Intelligence]: 10
[Spirit]: 10
[Endurance]: 10
[Skills]: None
[Loyalty]: Absolute
Ryan nodded slightly after reading the panel.
Its attributes were well-balanced. It didn't have any special skills yet—just basic attacks.
He had already sensed its obedience, but seeing "Absolute" loyalty written so plainly still sent a chill through his chest.
"Holy crap!" Gavin had been staring at the imp for a while and suddenly let out a loud whistle.
"This little guy... I thought it would be something huge—breathing fire, roaring, you know, demon stuff. Instead, it looks like a tiny shadow gremlin. Black as night and surprisingly cute!"
The imp turned its head, locking eyes with Gavin. Its red gaze shimmered slightly.
"Whoa, don't look at me like that. I was just kidding!" Gavin raised both hands in surrender, grinning.
Then he leaned in even closer. "But for real, it's kinda adorable. Look at those tiny arms and legs… so skinny and wiggly. The eyes look like sour candy. And the skin—damn, is it glow-in-the-dark or what?"
As he spoke, he actually reached out, fingers extending toward the imp's head.
Gasps echoed across the field. Several students quickly backed away, horrified.
Ryan opened his mouth to warn him, but before he could speak, a loud shout came from the front of the field:
"Gavin Stone, it's your turn to awaken!"
Gavin froze mid-reach, hand suspended in the air. He turned his head. "Huh? Already?"
He threw Ryan a wink. "Alright, I'll pet it later. Don't let it run off!"
And with that, he turned and jogged toward the awakening platform, his figure carefree and unbothered, as if he hadn't just flirted with death.
Ryan watched his retreating figure and shook his head slightly.
Beside him, the Nightmare Imp let out a soft, almost inaudible snort. It looked mildly disgusted—and maybe a little offended—as if seriously considering holding a grudge.
Ryan glanced at it and silently said in his mind, "Withdraw."
A black mist formed in front of him once more. The Nightmare Imp returned into the vortex and disappeared without a trace.
At the same time, his summon panel updated:
[Summon Slots]: 1/5
Contents: Nightmare Imp (Qty: 1)
He checked the system's tooltip.
[Summon Slots]: Storage space for summoned creatures.
Unsummoned familiars can be stored and recalled instantly without consuming Intelligence.
Current capacity: 5 slots.
Injured summons will recover more quickly while stored.
Capacity will expand as the summoner levels up.
That meant he could summon the imp, store it at will, and call it out in combat without additional cost—an efficient and flexible system.
The tension on the training field hadn't fully dissipated.
But at this moment, with a demon companion by his side, Ryan felt something faint yet unfamiliar—warmth.