Limitless Summoner: Rise of the Soul God

[Ding! You have successfully evolved]

[Ding! Assessment of your evolution is complete]

[Ding! You have ascended from [F Rank] → [E Rank]]

[Ding! SSS rank assessment achieved]

[Ding! Your class Limitless Summoner is now upgraded]

[Ding! Error. Upgrade is not possible]

[Ding! Your class Mage is now upgraded]

[Ding! Your class [Mage] has evolved into [Master Mage of Duality]]

[Ding! Dual-class anomaly detected. Initiating fusion protocol.]

[Ding! Fusion protocol failed. Classes remain separate yet synergized.]

[Ding! New Title acquired: [Bearer of Twin Paths] — Grants immense compatibility between your Mage and Summoner classes, unlocking hidden growth possibilities.]

***

Ethan went through the notifications one after the other. He had finally crossed the barrier for which he had worked so hard. He had taken this step at the cost of everyone who mattered to him and he had only just now stepped from F rank, the lowest stage to the next E rank stage.

It was barely anything at all. He was still at the beginning of it all. He was still too weak and pathetic. This world did not care about the weak. Only the truly strong mattered. Someone like him was just an ant in front of the strong.

Images of the flight flitted past his mind. It was as if those red demonic eyes were still staring at him. His body trembled as he recollected that battle. He couldn't help but think how powerful the old hag was to stand up to someone like that.

If she were here right now, she would have definitely mocked him for making a huge deal out of the evolution process, or maybe she would have reprimanded him for taking his time to get here. In the end, he never trusted her and treated her with the respect that she deserved.

"I will find you again, Master." Ethan clenched his hand and continued reading as more notifications poured in.

[Ding! Skills unlocked based on your F Rank assessment.]

[Ding! SSS rank assessment achieved.]

[Ding! Due to your exceptional performance, you have unlocked the following unique skills:]

[Ding! Limitless Summoner Class New Skill Unlocked: [Arcane Synthesis, S Rank Active Skill] —Triggers rapid mutations within summoned minions, activating their growth potential. Each mutation grants unpredictable evolutionary enhancements, superior traits, and potential access to unique ancestral abilities. There is a chance for rare bloodline awakenings, significantly elevating the minion's power and granting them permanent special traits.]

[Ding! Limitless Summoner Class New Skill Unlocked: [Mana-back Guarantee, A Rank Passive Skill] - Every minion summoned restores your mana by a small percentage, effectively reducing the mana cost of continuous summoning. Mana restored scales with the minion's rank and power, ensuring sustained battlefield dominance.]

[Ding! Mage Class New Skill Unlocked: [Elemental Dichotomy, S Rank Active Skill] - Harness two opposing elemental spells simultaneously, creating a powerful, unstable spell combination, dealing massive hybrid elemental damage with unique secondary effects.]

[Ding! Mage Class New Skill Unlocked: [Mana Surge Burst, A Rank Active Skill] - Temporarily overload your mana circuits, amplifying the power and range of your next spell dramatically, at the risk of temporarily weakening your mana regeneration afterward.

Ethan stared at the glowing notifications. His evolution had far exceeded his expectations, delivering a powerful boost and opening up entirely new possibilities. He was desperately lacking skills and now that was taken care of.

In one fell swoop, he had gained two S-rank skills and two A-rank skills, all the skills perfectly addressing the gaps he currently had in his class.

Now, not only could he sustain longer battles with his massive army thanks to [Mana-back Guarantee], but he could also make his summons stronger through [Arcane Synthesis]. And while [Mana Surge Burst] had its risks, its potential to turn the tides in critical moments was undeniable.

Each skill brought several advantages and more power that he sorely lacked. He clenched his fists as he took everything in. The real power of his SSS-ranked class was slowly showing itself. He wondered how far he could push these new skills.

He needed power. More power. His blod boiled when he thought back to how helpless he had been when the real fight was taking place. That old woman had to send him away just so that she could save his life. Would these skills have helped? Would it have given him what he needed?

Ethan absent-mindedly stared at the list of notifications when new notifications continued to pop up in front of him.

[Ding! [Bearer of Twin Paths] title activated. Additional Skills unlocked]

[Ding! New Skill Unlocked: [Twin Mana Core, S Rank Passive Skill] – Your dual classes now generate separate mana pools, allowing independent regeneration. When one mana pool depletes, the other temporarily supports it, dramatically extending casting and summoning durations.]

[Ding! New Skill Unlocked: [Convergence, S Rank Active Skill] - Temporarily merge with any of your minions, absorbing their abilities, strengths, and traits, significantly boosting your combat potential. Duration and effectiveness scale with minion rank. Post-merge cooldown period required before minion can be summoned again.]

Ethan stared at the glowing lines in disbelief, his pulse racing despite everything. Two more S Rank skills!

The [Twin Mana Core] alone resolved his constant struggle for mana, dramatically extending his longevity in battle. And then there was [Convergence].

Ethan imagined merging with one of his strongest minions—temporarily gaining their raw physical power and special traits. Coupled with [Arcane Synthesis], this opened limitless strategic combinations, each potentially more powerful than the last.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and carefully examined each of his new skills again, methodically understanding their implications and interactions. After a long time, he closed his system screen, once again staring at the wilderness.

He couldn't help but replay all of the past few days in his mind. He could have done so many things differently to not be in his current situation.

If he just had this sort of power beforehand, would he still be in the same pathetic state? Maybe he should have worked harder. Maybe he should have worked smarter.

He stayed silent for a long while before eventually pushing away all the negative thoughts from his mind. There was no use wallowing in self-pity and what he could have done and could not have done. There was only one way forward.

To change himself, to better himself, to not be in this position ever again. Mulling over his thoughts, he was about to close the system screen when a last message appeared.

[Ding! You have new mail]

Hmmm? Ethan was confused. He opened the message when out of thin air a ring dropped onto his lap, and a familiar voice echoed softly from the system.

"Take this, brat. It will keep you hidden until you reach A Rank. Unless you decide to reveal your status, no one below that rank will be able to detect your true class or abilities. Try not to screw it up this time."

Ethan smiled weakly, clutching the ring in his hand. Even now, Agnes was still looking after him, protecting him from afar. He looked at the ring again and he felt as if he had seen it before. It took a couple of seconds but how could he not recognize it?

This was the same ring the old hag had on her finger all the time. Every time she pointed her finger at him and scolded her, he stared at this ring.

And now she gave it to him? Just like that? Why was she wearing it in the first place? Was she hiding from someone?

Ethan slipped the ring onto his finger, feeling a warm, gentle pulse of mana settle into his skin. Many questions swirled in his mind which he quietly pushed away.

"Thank you, old hag." He silently muttered.