"Hmmm... Not on this one either..."

Ice's brows were furrowed in slight frustration as he pored over a stack of thick and heavy books. He was currently in the CQMA library, trying to research and gain as much information as he could on Exclusive Classes, the Summoner Class and the mysterious term "Counterpoint".

He had already made an audience (officially) with Lord Alder earlier during the day. His seemingly tacit understanding with the prince reagent puzzled the others present in the meeting, including princess Thelma. He was a bit relieved that no one attempted to probe further. He excused himself as soon as the formalities were finished and headed straight for the library.

"___I seem to remember hearing about the term during music class in my college days..."

Ice vaguely remembered his professor discussing the term but he couldn't recall the essential points.

He also attempted to research about the 'capital' the mysterious woman mentioned back in Maleena, only to realize that having 'capital' as the only clue wouldn't get him anywhere. It was a fairly broad topic to investigate on. He didn't even know which 'capital' the woman meant. He had pored through the historic records of Ricksvale but did not find anything deeply tied with 'Counterpoints' or 'Exclusive Classes'.

Feeling increasingly frustrated from the vain search, he decided to take a breather and switch topics to the more easily found info about the Summoner Class. Of course it was only details about the standard Summoner Class but the info might still give him a bit of a feel for his Exclusive Class so it wouldn't hurt for him to study the available material.

He looked at all the available material and took note of all the essential points.

The Summoner Class was a fairly balanced Class within the magic caster Classes. As implied by the Class name, it utilized summoned creatures that performed a wide variety of roles in and out of battle.

It had balanced growths for both MP (a standard for most magic caster Classes) and HP, giving the Class a much needed boost in survivability, which was a nice enough bonus considering the characteristic fragility of most others of its Class type.

It was a fairly popular Class because of its inherently high adaptability but was a little problematic because of the "Affinity" mechanic.

Affinity was simply put, the amount of trust and understanding between a summon and the Summoner. Without high Affinity, summons tended to ignore commands or forcefully unsummon themselves more often, which is obviously a fairly serious problem considering they were the bread and butter of the Class and without them, a Summoner was essentially crippled.

It's a parameter that's shared by Classes like Creature Tamers. But it was more difficult to raise Affinity as a Summoner because of the lack of passives that provide bonuses to increasing or maintaining Affinity.

Other than that, it was a pretty versatile Class and experienced Summoners were in fairly high demand because of this trait.

"___Seems somewhat troublesome." Ice thought.

He opened his status window and checked out his new Skills. Only one was highlighted and another one was grayed out. The other five had question (?) marks on them. The highlighted Skill read 'Ancient Covenant Summon'.

Ancient Covenant Summon: ★Summoner/Passive - [Allows one to summon forth guardians that adhere to the ancient covenants made in a forgotten age.] -Special Level Up Conditions-

"___Well, that certainly wasn't helpful" Ice grumbled. It didn't even hint anything regarding the so called 'Special Level Up Conditions'. As far as his research goes, there was no mention of a case regarding Skills that had 'Special Level Up Conditions'. He surmised this was just another one of the 'unknowns' regarding Exclusive Classes.

Next, he inspected the grayed out Skill right below Ancient Covenant Summon. It being grayed out means it's not unlocked yet. It does have a description though.

Summon Silverpeak's Fallen Conqueror: ★Summoner/Active - [Summons the once mighty ruler of the ancient Silverpeak mountains.]

Other Skill details weren't displayed. They would probably be up once he unlocked the Skill. Still, it sounded pretty powerful, even when just going by the Skill name. Unlocking the Skill would actually almost deplete his APs. But seeing as it's the only Skill available for unlocking, Ice didn't really have much of a choice.

Realizing that he won't be able to get much progress on further research, Ice finally decided to try the Skill out. He placed the books on the library counter and went outside.

***

Ice went to a small clearing just outside the city gates. He had already spent his APs and unlocked his grayed out Skill and prepared to summon. One cast consumes 50 MP and had a cooldown of 20 minutes. Considering he only had 150 MP, it was a major MP hog. The cooldown time was also quite long. He had to be extra careful not to let his summon's HP go down to zero that often or he'll pay dearly for it.

"___Here goes nothing!"

Ice activated a summoning Skill for the first time. His eyes were filled with anticipation. An elaborate magic circle manifested on the ground. Bright light filled his vision.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the light finally subsided. And what appeared before Ice had torn his thoughts asunder. He stood there, stock still; unable to process what was before his eyes at that moment.

There, in the middle of the clearing, stood in all its glory, a silvery white and robust looking creature.

"___Sup kid."

The creature's deep, baritone voice resounded directly in Ice's head. Then it proceeded to bite off and chew some wild grass growing nearby.

Ice was struck speechless.

It was a fairly sized and absolutely healthy looking male goat (Ram)!

***

"Ba..."

"___Hmm?"

"Bambi!"

Ice became teary eyed and ran over to give the creature a tight hug...

"Gaaagh!"

It earned him a swift kick in the gut. His face contorted as he grimaced in pain.

"___Call me something that cutesy again and next time it'll be right in the nuts kid." the goat(?) said telepathically in an annoyed tone.

"S-Sorry... You really reminded me of my pet goat a while back."

"___Oh please... In what way do I look like a damn pet kid?"

"But you have the same cute stubby tail..."

"___Do not describe my tail as cute!"

"Sorry..."

"...."

After a few moments of awkward silence, the goat(?) sighed and approached Ice. It plopped itself right beside him and once again began a telepathic conversation.

"___Whatever. The name's Ibex kid. Ibex Silverhorn."

"I'm Ice."

"___Mm. So you're my new Summoner huh. You look a bit shabby but you'll do."

"...So you really are my summoned creature?"

"___Yep."

"But you're a goat..."

"___Is there something wrong with that?"

"Err... No... I guess..."

"___For the record kid, I'm no ordinary goat. I'm a proud wild mountain goat!"

"Uhuh..."

"......"

Both man and mountain goat looked up and stared at the clouds leisurely traveling across the sky in silence.

***

At 'The Goddess of Plenty', a popular restaurant located in the central square of the capital city of Ricksvale, sat a very unusual pair. They attracted a fair share of curious onlookers that created a small commotion just outside the establishment.

One was a slightly pale looking young man and another was a goat(?!) who sat on a chair as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"___Alright kid, we might as well start with the basics. How much do you know?"

"About what? My Class? Apart from basic knowledge of the standard Summoner Class, practically next to nothing."

"___So you gotta be taught from the ground up huh. Meh, that suits me just fine. You better thank your lucky stars that you got me as your first summon kid. I'm alright with guiding a rookie like you. As long as you're attentive and pick the lessons up quickly, I'm good."

Ibex shrugged and gave Ice a haughty look.

"Why do you sound like my mentor all of a sudden?" Ice retorted in a slightly annoyed tone.

"___Heh. Well, in a way, I AM your mentor. Think of me as a convenient guide as you embark on the beginning of the journey to greatness kid."

Ice looked unimpressed.

"That sure is a nice way of saying that you're sort of like a beginners manual for noobs."

Ibex remained indignant and kept his high attitude.

"___What? You got a problem with that? Just be thankful you got someone like me looking after you kid. If you summoned any of the others, I doubt they'll be as agreeable."

As the unusual pair engaged in telepathic conversation (meaning other people couldn't hear Ibex's retorts), a beautiful emerald haired waitress wearing something superficially resembling a maid uniform that was designed to expose as much skin as ethically possible (bared shoulders, midriff, a really, REALLY short skirt and white lace knee socks) brought two dishes to the table.

One was a triple decker hamburger with thick, meaty patties and the full complement of tomato slices, lettuce and cheese (with a hint of pickles). The other was a hefty slice of lasagna overflowing with creamy béchamel sauce and rich red meat sauce. It even had garnish.

"___Oooh! The food looks great. And the 'view' is even better! He he he. I sure did choose a nice place."

"...."

Ice continued making a disillusioned face as he stared blankly at the goat with flaring nostrils.

The sexy yet cute waitress looked at Ice with a face that revealed curiosity and mild confusion.

"Um... Mister customer... These are the dishes you ordered."

She placed the plates filled with food in front of Ice. He smiled bitterly and pointed across the table to Ibex.

"The hamburger's for this guy..."

The waitress' smile became somewhat stiff for a brief moment. She recovered quickly though; an evident result of the rigorous professional training she underwent as a waitress of 'The Goddess of Plenty' chain of restaurants.

"Here you go then."

She quickly placed the burger in front of Ibex without the slightest hint of agitation. She also arranged the tableware swiftly and efficiently.

"Will that be all sir?"

"Yeah, that'll be all. Thanks."

Ice answered, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. The waitress politely bowed and walked away. Ice couldn't help but notice her slightly hurried steps. She tried hard not to show it, but she really did feel a bit freaked out. Ice covered his face in a classic face palm pose.

"Why'd you want to eat at a restaurant anyway? And why a burger? Aren't goats herbivorous?..."

"___Don't lump me together with ordinary goats kid. I'm an omnivore. And I happen to like meat. Cheese too."

"...."

A kid at the nearby table pointed at them with a curious look.

"Mom, why is that person talking with a goat? And why is he feeding that goat a hamburger?"

His mother hurriedly pulled the child away and reprimanded him in a light voice.

"Hush now. Don't make eye contact! He may just be struggling with life a bit. Let's just wish him well and pray he recovers."

Needless to say, Ice wanted to bury himself in a hole from embarrassment. The various stares from the other customers and the restaurant employees kept him from properly tasting his food.

Ibex took large bites out of the burger without a care in the world, occasionally giving sneaking glances at the beautiful waitresses that went about the restaurant.

***

"___Why'd we need to leave kid? We could've discussed things just fine in that restaurant." Ibex asked in a slightly grumpy tone.

"You really want me to die from embarrassment don't you." Ice replied in annoyance.

"___What's the use of keeping appearances? You care too much about the opinions of others kid."

Ibex snorted as he gave Ice a critical look. Ice just shrugged it off.

"What about it? Let's just stop this. The last thing I want is to get caught debating with a goat. Anyway, about my Exclusive Class..."

"___Oh alright... I'll teach you."

They stopped at an out of the way corner of the city and began discussing about Ice's Class mechanics.

"___Let's start with the basics then. Open your Status Screen first. Open the sub-menu for mine as well while you're at it."

Ice did as instructed and found what he saw to be quite odd.

"___Hm? Wait, what'’s with these stat bonuses?"”Ice pondered; perplexed. He looked at Ibex to find him displaying a goat’s attempt at making a toothy grin.

"___What’'s wrong kid? Noticed something with your stats? Hehe."

Ice had clearly remembered just how much additional stats his current equipment provided. But the figures being displayed at the moment were clearly a bit higher than what he recalled. Even more telling was that he now had additional points to total health aside from the +50 he should have gained when he went up to a Basic Class.

"___A total of 505 HP That'’s about 35 extra points. I originally had +40 total additional points to Str and +65 to Def from my current equipment. I haven'’t changed any of them for something new but now I have an extra +6 to Str and +4 to Def making the points amount to +46 and +69 to Str and Def respectively. It’s not all that big a gain but if my hunch is correct...…"”

Ice looked incredulously at Ibex whose grin spread even further.

"___That'’s right kid, your summons, namely me and the rest of those you’'ve yet to meet, actually provide you with Stat Bonuses with set percentages. They’'re based on a part of our own base stats. In my case, right now I'’m providing you with +10% of my total HP, +30% of my Str and 20% of my Def stats. Different summons provide varying combinations of bonuses so you can fine tune your build somewhat.

This mechanic is called ‘'Synchronization’. If, in the future, you manage to unlock more summon Skills, remember that the current you would only be able sync with one of us. So you can’'t stack the bonuses just yet."

"That still sounds pretty good. So if you guys level up, it'll also affect my over all abilities right?"

"___Yep. But there's a catch. As is common knowledge, you can gain additional stats as you continue doing repeated actions like practicing with your weapon, jogging around or studying like mad.

You'll find it significantly more difficult to raise bonus stats this way. You'll also get less bonus stats when you change Classes. Sort of like a balancing factor. Not to say it's impossible. Just real difficult."

Ice's face brightened in realization.

"___So that's why I didn't get bonuses even though I've trained so much."

But still, Ice didn't think of it as being much of a drawback. It just meant he had to put in even more effort.

Ice then proceeded to check Ibex'’s stats to confirm them for himself.

Name: Ibex Silverhorn

Ancient Guardian

Level: 1

Element: Frost

HP: 350

MP: 80

EP: 120

Str: 30

Def: 20

Agi: 15

Dex: 15

Int: 15

Luk: 10

Current Affinity: 61%

Skills: Passive HP Recovery / Cold Aura (Lvl. 1) / Frost Charge (Lvl. 1) / Frost Breath (Lvl. 1) / Intimidation (Lvl. 1)

Title: Fallen Conqueror [Effect : +3% to Intimidation Skill activation chance]

"___Well those are some pretty high starting stats." ”Ice thought.

"___He even has a Title. And those Skills look pretty useful too. Those are Negative Effect causing Passives, a direct Burst Damage melee Skill and a ranged one. If I level him up a bit, this guy might overtake me in overall battle efficiency."”

Ice looked at Ibex with new found respect.

In truth, Ice was a bit disappointed when Ibex popped out after he used the summon Skill. He was actually expecting a cute girl... But it seems Ibex does live up to being the summoned creature of an Exclusive Class.

As far as Ice remembers from his earlier research, ordinary summons rarely had any starter skills except for the standard Passive HP Recovery; much less a Title. Ibex had an additional four Skills plus a Title. And all of them seemed useful.

Ibex nudged Ice on the arm, snapping him out of his current thoughts.

"___Hey kid, stop staring slack jawed at the screens like that. You seem to be checking my Skills out so let me discuss those to you as well."

Ibex made a sound akin to clearing his throat with a light cough (even if he was conversing through telepathy) and restarted his explanations.

"___Take a look at your Skill Table kid."

Ice hurriedly did so, not able to mask the slowly building excitement that showed in his expression.

"___Notice that new sub-menu option beside the ‘Hotkey’ tab? Open it."

The tab read ‘Extra Skills’. A bar with five empty slots appeared.

"___Those are Extra Skill slots. You do know you can just skip shouting the names of Active Skills out loud and just activate them using your thoughts if you place them on the Hotkey slots right?"

Ice nodded.

"Yeah, I do know that. But I’ve never tried it out. I don’t have any active Skills."

"___Haha. Well now you do kid. Or at least, now you have the option to have one. That’s how the Extra Skill slots work. You can place a Skill from any of your summons and use it as your own. Of course, this works with passives as well.

There are currently some limits though. You can only set one Skill from each summon for the moment. Since you only have me, you can only choose one of my present Skills to place on a slot. If you gain some more summons, your options would be more varied.

Another drawback is that the overall effectiveness of the Skill will be determined largely through Affinity. If you have low Affinity with your summons, the Skills will obviously be weaker."

Ice listened very attentively. He had already opened the Record sub-menu and was busily taking notes. He planned to review them later and remember them by heart.

"___On that note, let’s talk about Affinity next. Raising Affinity for summons, especially for beings like us, is fundamentally different from raising it for a tamed monster.

This is because we are generally prouder and more stubborn than your average monster. In your case, Ancient Guardians like us all hold a certain standard towards the one we’ll swear our services to.

We may have made a covenant with the forerunner of your Exclusive Class. But the successors are different from the forerunner. If we judge you to be unworthy, we have the right to withhold our support.

While we did swear allegiance, we’ are not mindless slaves. The covenant is a bond of equals. If we do not consider you as an equal worthy of respect, how could we ever serve you?"

Ibex was radiating an aura of majesty as he spoke. True to his words, his visage overflowed with pride.

Ice made a determined expression. He swore to work hard in order to gain that respect.

"But why are you cooperating with me like this Ibex? If you really are as proud as you say you are, shouldn’t you have tested me out first or something? (That’s the common trope anyway.)"

"___I may be proud, but I’m also quite the opportunist." Ibex replied in a light tone.

“___If I judge something would greatly benefit me, I’m more than willing to swallow my pride. I’ve already waited for far too long for another ★Summoner to appear. I’ll just have to work on you till I’m satisfied. I can’t speak for the others though. You’ll have to deal with them yourself."

Ice nodded in acknowledgement of Ibex’'s answer.

Ibex continued to give detailed explanations and Ice made efforts to keep up and record the important points. They had continued to discuss things well into the day.

***

It was already a few minutes past noon when the pair finally decided to take a break from Ibex’'s crash course on the ★Summoner Class.

They decided to make preparations for hunting monsters so Ibex can begin grinding his levels. Ice also wanted to test out their team work in real battles.

The pair had barely made it out of the city plaza when someone suddenly grabbed Ice’s arm while giggling happily.

"I finally found you dummy. Where have you been? The princess told me you went straight to the library but I didn’t catch you there."”

Ice would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Hi Sea. I was just busy testing out my new Class."”

"Oh. If I remember correctly, you’re a Summoner right?"

"Uhuh. I’ve already summoned earlier this morning."

Sea’'s eyes widened in obvious excitement.

"Really? So where’s your summoned creature?"

“"Uh Right here…"

Ice pointed towards Ibex who was seemingly busy using his handy BWH scouter while checking Sea out.

"Oh my. What a cute goat!" Sea exclaimed in delight.

"And look, his horns are silver. His fur is so white. And that cute tail…"

Sea suddenly gave Ice a pleading look.

"Um, Ice C-Can I pat him?"

Ibex was certainly looking eager. Ice sighed in resignation.

"Go right ahead…"

"Yay! Come here you adorable thing you."

Ibex looked like he was having the time of his life. He was actually sort of blushing. Ice didn't even know goats were able to blush.

Ice hailed Ibex using their telepathic link.

"___And I thought you disliked being called cute."

"___That depends on the one calling me cute. I said I was an opportunist remember? What fool would pass up being coddled by such a pretty lady?! And she's got quite the 'package' too. Nyehehehehe."

Ice gave Ibex a blank look.

At that point, he had already made a mental note to start reffering to Ibex as 'Horny'.

***

Sea had finally satisfied herself with patting Ibex and was currently sporting a refreshed expression. The three of them were now currently seated on a bench in the city park.

"So, what are you planning to do now?"” Sea inquired.

"Uh, I’m planning on heading out to start leveling this guy up."”

Ice gave Ibex a complicated look. It seems he was still basking in the afterglow after Sea's masterful patting.

"Aww. Look at the lil' fellow. You'd look after him properly right Ice?"

"Ahaha... Of course I will. Don't worry Sea."

Ice laughed awkwardly as he replied.

"___I don't think he needs looking after though."

But after looking at Ibex making a goat's version of a fairly stupid expression, Ice did a quick double take.

"___On second thought , maybe he does..."

Ice could only shake his head in slight annoyance.

"Oh, that reminds me! Since you're going for a monster hunt, take these with you Ice. They'll help keep you safe."

Sea took out some items from her storage and presented them to Ice, who was now staring at them wide eyed.

"But these are..."

What Sea brought out were a long and sleek looking black dagger with a fine red tinted point, a short sleeved vest lined with blood red fur and a necklace made from a large animal fang.

"Remember that Alpha Sable Wolf we encountered a while back Ice? These equipment were made from the loot it dropped.

The dagger and vest are for those above level 30 but you can equip the necklace right away. It raises both Str and Agi by a fair amount so it'll definitely be useful for you."

Ice's hunch was right. These were definitely high level rare equipment.

*Ebony Thorn - Dagger/Rare : A sleek, lightweight and perfectly balanced dagger suitable for piercing attacks. Since it doesn't reflect much light, it's a weapon favored by Assassins.

Level Requirement: 35

Str: +140

Crit Chance: +10%

Effect: 15% more damage with Piercing Attacks

*Crimson Wolf Vest - Leather Armor/Rare : Leather vest made from the skin and fur of a high ranking species of Lupine monster. Has excellent flexibility and toughness. Its fur lining provides good insulation.

Level Requirement: 32

Def: +85

Dex: +30

Effect: 10% more damage to Lupine monsters, 15% resistance to Frozen

*Crimson Fang Necklace - Accessory/Rare : Necklace worn by young warriors of several native Northern tribes in the Valis continent as a proof of valor and coming of age.

Level Requirement: 20

Str: +30

Agi: +20

Effect: Increases damage by 10-15% when HP falls below 20%

He inspected each of them in turn and the equipment's stats and effects didn't disappoint.

"A-Are you sure. I mean, these are all rare equips right?"

"It's fine. I don't really have any use for these. Besides, I actually had these made for you Ice."

"M-Me. Why?"

"Eh?... Um... Cause I'd be troubled... if you got hurt..."

Sea's face became redder by the second and her reply to Ice's question became a quiet mumble near the end. But Ice heard it like it came from a sub woofer with digital surround sound.

The prickly sweet atmosphere was interrupted by Ibex lightly nudging Ice with his horns.

"___Time to wake up Romeo. We gotta go. It's getting late in the afternoon."

"Sheesh. I know already. I gotta go Sea."

"Eh? Ah! O-Okay. Be careful out there."

"Will do. Come on you."

As the pair left the plaza, Ibex couldn't resist egging on Ice and he teased him good naturedly.

"___That was a fine young lady, kid. Nice going. If you got anymore cute acquaintances, be sure to introduce me alright."

"Whatever..."

"___Hehehehe."

Ice rapped Ibex's horns lightly and led the way towards the city gates.

-Chapter 10 End-