The Celestial TV glowed in the dim light of the Soul Keeper Chamber. The title faded, and a cheerful fanfare erupted again, throwing Thane into another episode of Elisha's colorful, slightly chaotic world.

The scene opened to the same balding man in his bright forest-green robes, the golden thread of bear motifs shimmering across his sleeves. Elisha clapped his hands with theatrical flair.

"The Art of Summoning! Lesson one: Bound Summoning!"

The words appeared in bold letters, floating midair before fading like glittering dust. Thane leaned forward instinctively as the montage began to speed up.

Elisha strode through a bustling training field filled with strange beasts, dire wolves with shimmering fur, scaled lions, and crystalline birds perched upon the arms of their masters. A storm of vibrant colors and magic circles flared across the field.

"The first summoner of this world was none other than the great, Noah! A summoner who took control of Cancer's forces after meeting with Aetherion! Cancer had bound many beasts to Noah as a second commander, but Noah managed to take full rein of them. And so, we understand bound summoning as a power of the ancient being, Cancer!"

"I thought so..." Libra chuckled.

Onscreen, Elisha raised his staff, drawing lines of light through the air. A glowing circle expanded beneath him, spinning with intricate runes. A colossal falcon materialized, screeching proudly as it perched behind him.

"A Bound Summon requires a link, a contract between summoner and creature. The stronger the bond, the farther apart they can be without the link snapping. With true mastery, one can summon their companion from miles away, across kingdoms even!"

The montage flashed to a map of Velithra, then zoomed out, its lands pale beside other continents burning bright with energy.

"Sadly, in lesser continents like Velithra, the heritage of true summoners has long withered. Here, most can only summon beasts nearby or within line of sight. But on the mid-tier continents, like the warring penta-nations of Pentaethnos, summoners there warp their bonded companions across whole battlefields! Imagine calling a wyvern from a thousand miles away!"

"Pentaethnos... First time I heard a name of a different continent."

"Hmmm... That could be Cancer's continent...! I do know his continent had ten great cities. If my guess is right, it should be one of the surviving centers of summoner warfare. Entire armies shaped by bloodlines that remember the First Wars."

"Of course," Elisha continued. "Not all summoners have the luxury of distance! Many store their companions inside spatial homes! The best example is the Bound Elemental being known as the Genies. They can be bound in magical lamps, jars, and even in precious stones and rings! Why walk your monsters when you can house them like pampered pets?"

Elisha revealed a diamond ring that he wore and summoned a tall, blueish creature of the wind.

"Is that a... genie?"

"What is your wish, master?" The genie of the ring asked.

"It's my monthly tax report. Please do it."

"...As you wish." The genie was clearly unwilling, but had no choice but to do so.

"...They have taxes even here, huh?" Thane sighed.

Elisha spun dramatically, and with a wave of his staff, a massive gate was summoned behind him.

"Now, like our ancient progenitor, Noah, the few capable ones can bind themselves to many powerful beasts. I... am one lucky man to have this power!"

The gates opened, and a horde of beasts stormed through. There were giant bears of all numerous features. Ice Bears, Spike-backed bears, and gigantic bears that were as big as a hill, who shrunk to fit in the gate, and grew large as it exited the gate.

"Now that, dear viewers, is a Horde Summoner! Rare even in Pentaethnos! Imagine leading an army of creatures bonded to you! All loyal, all linked by Spirit!"

"What an army... And their levels..." Libra was startled.

Thane could also tell. The bears that Elisha had could easily kill the Cyclops they fought!

"A middling Continent. Looks like Velithra really is a weak continent...!" Thane marveled.

Much explanation was made regarding the bound summoning types, and Thane learned about other practical ways to perform a bound summoning, including the Summoners: Party summoning.

"Isn't... Esau, my Party member?" Thane recalled that he had assigned Esau this.

The voice-over eventually declared the next episode.

"Episode Two: Anima Summoning!"

Thane watched eagerly but then...

"TIRED OF SWORDS THAT BREAK MID-BATTLE?!"

The commercial about the sword appeared once more, and Thane cursed.

"Damn this ad!"

"Master, can't you just buy that annoying sword to shut that man up?" Libra frowned.

Thane had a weird look.

"Huh? You know... You're right!" Thane chuckled and quickly clicked on the button, and was brought over to the transaction screen.

But to Thane's shock, the price was now 550 gold coins!

"Hey! It got expensive!" Thane cursed.

"It used to be 200 gold coins before!" Thane groaned.

He then noticed that there was a clock ticking next to it!

"It's gonna get more expensive in two minutes!" Thane panicked and began to review his options.

He quickly sold the other weapons he had acquired and kept from the barbarians he killed, and only kept Bolgard's weapon, the staff of the battle mage, and the hammer weapon of the other barbarian. Thane sold the rest, and even had to sell out some of the Bonky Sticks, the Stabby family, the Choppy Brothers, and other assortment of items he had.

In a bit, he managed to sell over 551 worth of gold coins.

"Damn it! This sword better be good!" Thane cursed as he shoved all the items into the Celestial TV screen, which ate up all the items.

A light flashed, and the sword appeared.

---

[Weapon: Excaliblade (Rare)]

Weapon Damage: 32 Weapon Durability: 32

Abilities:

Spirit Amplification – 10%

Magic Conduction- 10%

Fire Resistant

Lightning Resistant

---

Thane's expression froze. The beast weapon he had was Belgard's weapon, which he quickly summoned for comparison.

---

[Weapon: Molten Cleaver Axe]

Weapon Damage: 17 Weapon Durability: 19

Abilities:

- 2 Dex

Fire Resistant

---

"Whoa, dude! What a deal! Bolgard's axe ain't got nothing on this bad boy! I should really try to buy things the first time they appear." Thane took a mental note.

With his transaction over, the next episode continued.

The setting shifted to a rocky canyon littered with bones, stones, and shards of old statues. Elisha stood in the center, sleeves rolled up, rubbing his palms together with theatrical zeal.

"Not all summoners rely on beasts already made! Sometimes, you make your own!"

He stomped once, and blue light erupted beneath him. Stones, dirt, and fragments of old armor rose from the ground and gathered into a rough humanoid shape.

"This, my bright-eyed apprentices, is Anima Summoning! We borrow the world's body and breathe a fragment of soul into it!"

A glowing sigil appeared as Elisha pressed his palm to the golem's chest. The creation's eyes flickered alive, light pouring from their sockets.

"Your imagination, and your supply of mana, are your only limits. Necromancers who raise skeletons, golem crafters, and even some elementalists all fall into this category! The question is simple: what do you have, and what will you dare to animate?"

The montage accelerated. A scholar infused his own shadow to form a living double. A childlike prodigy used ice shards to form a winged serpent. The images moved so fast that Thane felt he was watching a thousand tutorials at once.

"So this is the art of giving form to the formless... This is also what you did to summon that giant skeleton..." Thane recalled his battle with Libra.

Libra's voice deepened.

"Indeed. Such arts border on divine territory, creation through will. In the old wars, entire cities were defended by anima armies."

Elisha clapped again. "Now then! Let's try something bigger!"

He spread his arms, summoning boulders that shook the canyon floor. They converged into a towering golem of stone and metal, glowing veins of mana crackling across its frame.

"Golems are the bread and butter of anima summoners! The stronger your will, the smarter your creation. But mind you, the greater the form, the heavier the burden on your spirit. Of course, Anima magic is dependent on the Container. The better you are at the skill of Container, the longer the anima remains in the stone. Of course, receiving powerful attacks weakens the stability of the Containment, so mages, you'd better work on your Containment! Now let's move on to the last summoning..."

A deep hum filled the air, darker than before. The setting shifted to a void-like expanse with floating shards of light suspended in endless darkness. Elisha's tone was quieter now, reverent.

"And now, dear students, we reach the high art... the Astral Summoning. It is a magic that combines Bound summoning and Anima summoning! A mystery of recreating a being from another realm...!"

"The Astrals...? Don't tell me... those were our generals!" Libra was amazed.

Elisha stood upon a glowing sigil of gold and crimson, his body trembling slightly as threads of mana lifted his robes. The scene felt less like a tutorial and more like a ritual out of scripture.

"The Astral Summoner calls not from this world, but from the sea beyond creation! The Astral World. A realm of wandering power, the resting place of forgotten beings."

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