Night had fallen across E-Rantel.
In the quiet, cleaned room on the second floor, a small evil hound lay curled on the wooden floor, its slightly distended belly proof that it had just feasted on the corpse of another goblin.
Minori stood by the window, quietly observing the alley and the street beyond.
There was no movement from Eight Fingers tonight.Perhaps because he had only just arrived in E-Rantel today, they had yet to react.
It had been more than a month since he first began setting his plans in motion.
Minori muttered to himself:
"I hope you come knocking on my door."
Turning away from the window, he glanced at the heavy pile of white paper stacked neatly atop the wooden table.
There were 1,400 sheets in total—all produced using the second-tier magic, "Papermaking".
Not all of them were made today.
700 sheets had been produced back in the Great Tob Forest when Minori first evolved his papermaking technique to the second tier.
The other 700 sheets had been created earlier at the Magician's Guild.
Since realizing that this paper served as a primary alchemical material—capable of being turned into magic scrolls—Minori had no intention of selling it off.He had preserved every sheet.
Before attempting scroll crafting experiments,Minori retrieved a precious second-tier magic scroll: Angel Summoning.
Such high-grade scrolls could not be purchased openly in the city.They were only obtainable through special connections—such as Master Bellori of the Magician's Guild.
Minori hadn't spent a single coin on this scroll.
After politely declining payment and presenting a superior alchemical potion instead, Master Bellori had accepted the potion as barter and gifted him the scroll.
It had been a straightforward exchange.
Minori held a favorable opinion of Master Bellori—at least the man was generous and pragmatic.
Still—Minori did not believe in goodwill without cost.
There was no such thing as "free pie from the sky."It was obvious that trouble loomed over Bellori—serious trouble—and the man was subtly trying to pull Minori into it.
Minori had no interest in such distractions.
His path lay elsewhere.
Gripping the scroll tightly, Minori activated it.
A flash of white light engulfed the room.The scroll dissolved into shimmering motes of energy.
Swish—!
The mana shockwave rattled the nearby furniture slightly.
Hovering before Minori now floated a creature:
An angel, nearly two meters tall, clad in radiant silver armor, its helmet completely concealing its face.
Two bright golden wings unfurled behind its back.
It carried a silver spear, tipped with a glowing orb of sacred light.
—
Second-tier summon: Guardian Angel.
Minori studied the being carefully.
Rather than evoking the divine or holy, the angel's design leaned heavily toward a construct—a technological marvel.
It was a far cry from the angels depicted in Earth's mythology.
Even when watching the Overlord anime back in YGGDRASIL, he had found the game's angel aesthetics oddly mechanical, reminiscent more of Gundam mobile suits than celestial beings.
Seeing one now in person,the incongruity was even stronger.
Yet despite that—
The Guardian Angel projected an undeniable aura of power and intimidation.
Exactly what Minori needed.
—
"Awooo!"
The little evil hound sprang to its feet, barking nervously, and scampered to Minori's side, its hackles raised.
Minori reached down and gently stroked its head.
"Don't worry," he murmured reassuringly.
—
Just then, a series of messages flickered before Minori's inner vision.
"Discovered magic 'Angel Summoning (Second Tier)'.Requires faith-system caster level 8–14.Occupation requirements not met..."
"Activating 'Genius' profession.Temporarily transforming into 'Priest'.Learning conditions met.Consume 1 Skill Point to learn?"
Minori immediately confirmed in his mind:
"Yes."
—
[Skill Points: 42 → 41]
A small glow flared in his status sheet.
He now fully mastered Angel Summoning (Second Tier) as his own magic.
Opening his magic panel, he quickly reviewed the details:
Skill: Angel Summoning (Second Tier)
MP Cost: 10
Description: Summons a Guardian Angel of level 8–14.
Minori's gaze moved expectantly to the icon next to the spell.
Was there an "↑" indicating possible promotion?
He scoured the panel—
No.
There was nothing.
Minori's expression darkened slightly.
As he had feared,there was a stark difference between the artificially created daily-use life magics of this world and the structured combat magics derived from YGGDRASIL.
Unlike life magic, true systematized spells like Angel Summoning could not evolve via casual use.
—
Still, he wanted to test its limits.
Minori raised his hand, intoning the spell softly:
"Angel Summon."
White light gathered instantly.
Another Guardian Angel materialized, nearly identical to the first.
The room brightened even more, illuminated by the golden radiance of the two angels' wings.
Compared to the angel summoned by the scroll,Minori could clearly sense the difference:
The summoned angel's aura was stronger.
Its power level could be directly examined.
Guardian Angel (Level 14)
A maximum-level second-tier summon.
Minori was not surprised.
In standard summoning rules, summoned monsters were typically one or two levels lower than the caster—and without summoning specialization, only one creature could be maintained at a time.
If he attempted to summon another angel, the first would dissipate automatically.
Still—
Given his current personal level, far beyond the second-tier bracket,summoning a Level 14 angel was child's play.
Yet, despite this success—
Minori's heart was heavy.
If Angel Summoning could not be evolved using skill points,then it would eventually lag behind.
Especially considering—
The "Seventh-Tier Angel Summoning" preserved by the Slane Theocracy produced angels around levels 43–49.In that world, such creatures were terrifying.
But to someone like Ainz Ooal Gown—they were little more than trivial obstacles.
—
"Awooo."
The little evil hound whimpered and gently bumped Minori's leg with its nose.
Minori looked down, startled.
Then he smiled wryly.
"Didn't think I'd need comfort from you."
—
Shaking off his frustration, Minori forced himself to refocus.
Relying solely on skill points was dangerous.
He had been too complacent—too dependent.
Other magic casters, even in this world, progressed through study, prayer, training.Not through brute force skill point expenditure.
Faith-based magic advancement was different from arcane magic.For casters like priests or paladins, faith was the source of power.
But what did faith even mean here?
The so-called "gods" of the Six Great Gods were long-dead YGGDRASIL players.The "Ancestor God Cain" worshipped by Shalltear's kin was nothing more than a slain raid boss.
The power clearly came from within, not from outside divine grant.
Various thoughts flashed through Minori's mind.
Abruptly, he sat cross-legged in the center of the room and entered deep meditation.
Time passed.
The city outside fell deeper into night.
Then—
Without warning—
A tremendous surge of magical energy radiated from Minori's body.
His eyes snapped open, blazing with white light.
"Third-Tier: Angel Summoning."
Boom—!
The two summoned Guardian Angels dissolved into countless motes of light, swirling upward.
In the center of the vortex, the motes compressed, reshaped—
A new being took form:
Silver armor, more elaborate and elegant, layered with ornate etchings.
Shimmering golden wings retracted into powerful streamlined structures.
A flaming halo burned bright above its head.
In its hands—a lightsaber-like weapon wreathed in blazing magic.
Its very presence radiated oppressive might.
Flame Archangel (Level 20)