SSS Awakening: Only My Summons Evolve

"No way..."

Verso stared at his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen as he refreshed the banking app one more time.

[Balance: 936,530 Credits]

The auction house staff had visited the VIP suite minutes ago, bowing politely as they requested his account details.

After taking their standard commission, they had transferred the final sum from the Mutated Golem bundle that they had just auctioned off.

In a single hour, Verso had gone from a beggar with barely enough for a meal to a man who was now holding nearly a million credits.

"Brother, a request." Han said, looking at Verso with a warm smile.

"If you ever find any other mutated summons, please let me buy them off of you first! It would save us both the trouble of this noisy pavilion."

’That could help me save off from that criminal commission they charged me.’

Verso nodded slowly in a yes, but as he did, he could feel a familiar burning sensation at the back of his neck.

He didn’t need to turn around to know that Han’s butler was glaring at him with suspicion.

It only made sense, as what normal person from a place like Meridian City just happens to wander into an auction with five perfectly mutated beasts?

’Note taken.’ Verso thought grimly.

’Never sell any of my summons in public again.’

He had just wanted to make a little bit of money so that he could afford to partake in some activities. But instead, he had essentially broadcasted the unique nature of his talent to the people at the auction house.

However, as he looked at the six figure balance on his phone, a small, reckless smile tugged at his lips.

With this much capital, he didn’t need to go out hunting for certain creatures. He could just buy a variety of different creatures from the auction house if he ever needed to.

Just then his thoughts were cut short by a roar from the stage below.

"It is time for the main event of the night!"

The screen behind the auctioneer flickered to life.

An image appeared of a creature that looked like it had been pulled from an ancient scroll.

It was a Loong Dragon, its serpent like body was colored in vibrant reds and deep yellows as the beast coiled through the air in the projection.

It had small yet powerful arms tucked against its sides as a small breath of fire was coming out of its mouth.

"It’s the Loong Dragon." Han whispered, leaning so far forward in his chair that he was practically pressing his face against the glass.

Verso watched the screen, completely glued to his seat.

This was an Elite rank creature, which was a tier above Mutants.

While Elite souls weren’t technically impossible to find, they were the absolute ceiling of what a public auction could provide.

But unlike other elite creatures, the Loong Dragon was a bit special and that wasn’t exactly about the stats.

The drop rate for a dragon’s beast soul was notoriously low because the creature was known for their aerial ability and tenacity, which meant that when they usually died they also took their killer with them.

Culturally, the beast was a symbol of absolute power and divine luck. Which meant that for a Great Clan, owning one was practically mandatory.

"The bid for The Loong Dragon starts at five million credits!" The auctioneer screamed.

The number got displayed on the screen but then instantly started climbing as bids started coming in.

"Twenty million!" Han shouted, slamming a button on the console beside his chair.

Verso whipped his head around, his neck nearly snapping.

"TWENTY MILLION?!"

He realized then how incredibly naive he had been.

He had felt like a king with his nine hundred thousand credits, but in the world of the Great Clans, that wasn’t even enough to cover the opening bid’s tax.

"Twenty five million!" a voice boomed from the VIP suite to their left.

"Thirty million!" Han countered the bid instantly, standing up and walking toward the window, his eyes locked on the cyan flame of the soul on stage.

"Thirty five million!" the rival suite shot back.

------

The room was silent as the deal finally closed.

Verso sat frozen in his chair, his mind struggling to process the sheer volume of wealth he had just seen exchanged.

The door hissed open, and a man in a pristine black suit entered, carrying a large flickering cyan flame on a silver tray.

"Mister Han, here is your purchase."

Han smiled wider and turned toward his butler.

"Secure this within a suitcase and deliver it to my father immediately."

Verso blinked, his confusion momentarily overriding his shock.

"Wait... you didn’t buy that for yourself?"

Han paused, then burst into a genuine laugh as if Verso had just told the funniest joke in the world.

"Brother Verso, you really are a character!" Han wiped a tear from his eye.

"I am but an apprentice summoner. How could I possibly absorb an Elite rank beast soul?"

The comment hit Verso like a bucket of ice water.

As he suddenly remembered a lecture from his first year at Meridian High.

A fundamental law of summoning he had almost forgotten because of his own unique system.

’To absorb a beast soul flame, a summoner must be of the same rank as the soul, unless they gained that soul by killing the higher grade monster themselves.’

A realization dawned on him making him feel a cold shiver.

Xavier had used an Umbra Panther, a Mutant rank beast, back when they both had not even condensed their cores.

’That means Xavier didn’t just buy that panther.’ Verso thought, his jaw tightening.

’He killed a Mutant rank beast with his own hands while his core was still uncondensed.’

And the best part about this, Xavier did not even have access to the Realm Menu like he did.

Which meant that him having an Umbra Panther meant that he must have killed hundreds of them with his actual life on the line just to get that one exact beast soul.