"How about I knock out this whole city, and you loot everything?" Shanks asked with a smile. He was a pirate, after all, and since when did pirates ever play nice? His tone was casual, almost teasing, yet there was a sharp confidence behind it that made it clear he wasn't joking.
"Really? If you think so… but we would have to flee into the forest after that, since we would be hunted down," Vector said, his voice carrying a hint of hesitation. Shanks gave a small nod, thinking quietly for a moment. The grin on his face faded just slightly before he let out a long sigh.
"Well, let's head to the forest. Let's get you to tier up since you've only got two years to live," Shanks said simply. That was part of the reason he had even suggested looting the city—he knew time wasn't on Vector's side. Every very moment counted if the boy was going to survive long enough to change his fate.
So, the two of them set off toward the forest. Forget F, E, and D-tier monsters—within moments, they were already facing C-tier beasts, the weakest that could even exist in a place like this. The ground trembled as massive wolves, their eyes glowing red, rushed toward them in a pack.
Without hesitation, Shanks stepped forward and released his Conqueror's Haki. The air crackled as invisible pressure spread outward, and the huge wolves collapsed mid-charge, their bodies hitting the ground one after another with dull thuds.
"Well, good luck," Shanks said as his figure began to fade away, his body dissolving into particles of light. Vector gave a firm nod, catching the sword Shanks tossed toward him. The moment his hand closed around the hilt, a wave of dizziness hit him, but he forced himself to steady his breathing, shaking off the light-headedness that threatened to make him collapse.
Wasting no time, Vector sprinted toward the fallen wolves, his body screaming in protest with every step. His vision wavered, yet he pressed on, refusing to listen to his body. He wasn't going to be so weak that this would mark the end of his journey. He swung the sword with quick, practiced cuts, tearing open the monsters' bodies as he searched for the monster crystals buried within.
The urge to pass out was overwhelming; that single display of Conqueror's Haki had completely drained his Mana. Still, Vector gritted his teeth, snatched a glowing crystal from one of the carcasses, and swallowed it whole—ignoring the warm blood still coating its surface.
Instantly, the crystal dissolved into pure energy that surged through Vector's body like a raging current. The dizziness vanished in seconds, replaced by an overwhelming rush of strength and vitality that made every nerve come alive. His energy spiked sharply, and in an instant, he advanced from -F tier all the way to E tier—a massive leap few could ever hope to achieve so suddenly.
Normally, absorbing a crystal above one's level was a deadly gamble. The body could easily collapse under the raw force of uncontrolled energy, with many cultivators dying from internal explosions before even realizing what went wrong.
But Vector was different. With four powerful bloodlines constantly hungry for energy, his body devoured the surge without hesitation. There was no risk of bursting apart when every drop of that energy was being claimed and refined by his very blood.
Without wasting a second, Vector called forth Shanks once again. This time, he felt the pull of the summoning directly, his own energy being drawn out of him rather than the system handling it for him.
"So, did you return to your world?" Vector asked with curiosity, tilting his head slightly as he looked at Shanks.
"No," Shanks replied calmly, his expression thoughtful.
"I ended up in this strange space that felt… well, magical." His voice carried a trace of wonder as he spoke, recalling the sensation. "It seems I can't return to my world anymore. The system told me that if I ever wish to go back, I'd have to travel through something called the Great Void Sea."
Despite his words, there was no sorrow in his tone. Instead, a spark of excitement glimmered in his eyes—a familiar fire that belonged to an adventurer who had just discovered an entirely new ocean waiting to be explored.
"Great Void Sea? Never heard of it. Looks like we've got our future goal then—to conquer the Great Void Sea," Vector said with a grin, his eyes glinting with renewed determination. The statement made Shanks laugh, his deep, easy laughter echoing through the forest in agreement.
Wasting no time, Shanks took his sword from Vector. With smooth movements born from years of mastery, he cut open the wolves one after another. His strikes were effortless, unlike what Vector's were moments ago. Shanks easily retrieved the glowing monster crystals from their bodies.
There had only been six wolves in total. Vector had already consumed one of their crystals, leaving five behind. To prevent himself from growing too strong and unmanageable for this world, Shanks refrained from consuming any. Instead, he handed all five to Vector, who took them without hesitation and swallowed them one by one, feeling their power flood into him like a rising tide.
[The host has reached E tier. The host's summoning slot has increased by one.]
[A new skill has been unlocked — Mana Storage.]
[Mana Storage] — This skill allows the user to store excess energy that would normally go to waste. For instance, once the host has fully recovered their strength, continuing to rest would usually have no effect. However, with this ability, any surplus energy can be safely stored away and later used as a backup source.
This stored mana will always be drawn upon before the host's natural reserves, allowing the host to fight longer and avoid fatigue during extended battles or heavy training.
Current Mana Storage Limit: 50% of the host's current mana capacity
[Note that the limit increases as you tier up; it doubles each time.]
The sound of the system nullification echoed faintly in Vector's mind. His strength had increased sharply—he was now at E+ tier. Still, a faint hint of disappointment crossed his face. After consuming six crystals from C-tier monsters, that was all he had managed to achieve?
"I should have saved a crystal…" Vector murmured quietly, the words slipping out under his breath.
"It's all good. Looks like the blood has attracted more," Shanks said casually, his tone calm and unbothered. As he spoke, movement stirred ahead of them. From between the trees emerged a rabbit with scarlet-red eyes that glowed faintly. Its gaze flicked toward the six fallen wolves, studying them with eerie intelligence—then, without warning, it threw back its head and unleashed a powerful roar that shook the ground beneath their feet.
With a sharp kick against the ground, the rabbit shot forward like a blur, tearing through the dirt as it rushed straight toward them. Its speed was terrifying, the force of its movement leaving deep cracks in the earth—yet before it could even reach them, its body went limp. Shanks' Conqueror's Haki swept through the air like an invisible storm, crushing the creature's will in an instant.
Vector stumbled under the energy drain by Shanks's action, but it wasn't as bad as before, as he shook off the feeling.
A summon drained its summoner's energy in three distinct ways. The first was during the summoning itself—the act of bringing the summoned being into the world required the summoner to expend a significant amount of their own energy, serving as the foundation of the connection between the two.
The second way a summon drained energy was simply by existing. The moment a summon remained in this world, it began consuming its summoner's energy to maintain its presence. The stronger the summon, the greater the drain would be, as the very fabric of the world sought to reject their existence and force them back to where they belonged.
The last way was through battle. When a summon fought, it continuously drew upon the summoner's power. However, if the summon's strength was close to that of its summoner, the energy cost became negligible. In such cases, they could fight freely, as the energy used during combat barely made a difference, allowing both to push forward without much restraint.
In Vector's case, Shanks was simply far too powerful. Even the faint release of his Haki was enough to leave Vector feeling completely drained, his body trembling as if his strength had been siphoned away.
However, there was one more way a summon could drain its summoner's energy during battle—something known as Ultimate Mode. By sacrificing an immense amount of Mana, a summoner could temporarily boost their summon's overall capability, pushing them up an entire tier. This ability allowed the summon to challenge enemies far stronger than themselves.
But the stronger a summon was, the more mana it would require to ascend even a single tier above its current level. In Shanks' case, that cost was manageable for now—since he was still at -F tier, Vector could easily handle the mana needed to push him higher. The real problem wasn't his tier, but his Haki. Its intensity demanded a huge amount of energy even when he held it back, but aside from that, everything was fine.
[A/N: Guys, which world should be the next world MC summons from? It can't be a world where there are hax that outright ignore powers; such words will come later in the story. So, Bleach is off-limits thanks to the Almighty and the visionary. Jojo is off limits. JJK was the next world on the list, but I wanted to see if you guys had another world I might have missed.]