SS Awakening: My Monster Merging System!

It was a request from a Velhari in Layer Two.

Zich stared at the race marker for a few seconds; he was not truly surprised that the Ascension Marketplace allowed other races to reach him, but he still had not expected one of them to approach so quickly, much less someone from the second layer of the mountain.

The fact alone made the request different from the human messages, because a Layer Two player should have access to better equipment, better parties, and better monsters, yet he was still sending interest toward a low-level summon listed by an unknown seller.

’Interracial trade is one thing, but reaching upward this fast means the bait is stronger than expected.’

He opened the message request, and after scanning the first few lines, his eyes narrowed slightly. It was not a simple rental offer.

Like many of the newer messages, the Velhari was asking the same core question in different wording, and the same theme had started appearing across almost every serious request.

"Can the summon truly revive after destruction?"

"Does death cancel the rental contract?"

"If the summon is destroyed repeatedly, does the owner pay the penalty or the renter?"

"Can it be used to trigger traps?"

"Can it draw boss aggression and return after being killed?"

Zich read them one after another, and the more he read, the clearer the situation became.

Most of them were not fascinated by the Silverback Grunt because it was strong, although its performance had certainly helped. They were fascinated because it could be used as cannon fodder, trap bait, disposable frontline support, and scouting meat that did not permanently disappear after being crushed.

’So that is the true selling point.’ 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Traditional summoners had companions that could die. They had to invest in food, training, loyalty, healing, and protection, and if the beast died in a bad mission, the loss could cripple them for months. Zich’s summons were different, because they were already dead; as long as he had mana, destruction was only temporary.

He scrolled further down and saw other summoners attempting to list their own beasts.

[Iron Horn Wolf — Level 4 — Rental Available]

[Fire Lizard — Level 3 — Combat Support]

[Wind Sparrow — Level 2 — Scout Type]

Their prices were lower than his updated rate, but the attention was almost nonexistent. A few had comments asking whether the beasts revived after death, and when the owners answered no, the listings were ignored with a cruelty that made the marketplace feel honest in the worst way possible.

As he watched this, a faint smile appeared on his face.

Since demand had risen, selling individual rental slots would be foolish. If multiple buyers wanted the same thing, the correct answer was not to choose quickly, but to let them compete while he sat back and watched the price climb, which was the sort of civilized greed that people called business when it succeeded.

He opened the listing controls and changed the rental mode.

[Rental Auction Scheduled]

[Start Time: Tonight]

[Asset: Silverback Grunt — Level 3]

[Minimum Bid: 12 Soul Stones]

[Rental Duration: 10 Hours]

The marketplace chat reacted almost immediately.

"An auction? Master Shroud is shameless."

"He raised from gold coins to soul stones, and now he wants bidding?"

"If the summon really revives, 12 soul stones is not absurd for a dangerous raid."

"Not absurd? Are you paying from your father’s storage?"

"Crimson Chain verified it. Stop crying."

"Summoners are finished if undead rentals become common."

"Master Shroud, open a permanent contract. I will pay double."

Zich read the messages with a calm expression, though the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. Some cursed him, some defended him, and others tried to pressure him into lowering the price, but all of them were doing one useful thing.

They were keeping his listing visible.

’Free advertisement from angry people. Very efficient.’

After setting the auction time, he closed the marketplace interface. Only after the blue light vanished did he notice how heavy his body felt. He had not moved much since returning to his room, but exhaustion sat deep in his limbs, and even his breathing felt slower than usual.

The boss battle had taken more from him than he had admitted.

Zich stood from the bed and adjusted the items on the table again, aligning the soul stones and shards until none of them sat out of place.

Satisfied, he closed his eyes and entered the graveyard.

The familiar cold space opened around him.

A light downpour fell from the gray sky, tapping softly against the rows of tombs, and the quiet felt different from the shelter room.

Here, the noise of the shelter and the whispers of players could not reach him, which was convenient for someone like him.

Zich walked forward.

Near the older tombs, 12 new tombs were stationed closely together, each belonging to the players he had killed during Rael’s failed ambush and the Silverback Apes. He looked at them without much reaction.

Usually, he should have been worried about turning them into summons, but because it was fusion, most of the faces of his summons were unrecognizable, so it would be extremely difficult for someone to find out.

His gaze shifted beyond them.

A much larger tombstone stood farther ahead, taller than the others and darker in color. Rain slid down its surface as pale blue markings glowed faintly across the stone.

When Zich stepped closer, the words carved into it made his heart beat faster despite his tired body.

[Here lies the Mother of All Dragons, Tiamant]

....

At the same time, in the privileged area of the shelter, Jayden stood inside a room far more luxurious than the one Zich had received.

The furniture was clean, the bed was larger, and the table held prepared food that most new players would not see unless they had strong backing. Jayden stood near the window with his arms folded, his expression cold as one of his men finished reporting.

"Rael has not returned."

Jayden frowned slightly.

Although Rael was idiotic, arrogant, and far too emotional whenever Helen was involved, he was still connected to the same family.

The Smith household would not ignore his disappearance if questions began spreading. Jayden did not like him, but he needed to do his job as a member of the household.

"He was last seen moving toward the mountain area," the man added.

"Send two people to look for him," Jayden said while turning from the window. "If he is alive, bring him back. If he is dead, find out who killed him."

The man lowered his head. "Understood."

Two lackeys left the room shortly after, unaware that Rael’s head had already been crushed into the ground during the competition, and that the person responsible was currently standing in a cold graveyard, staring at the tomb of a dragon mother.