After discovering Voidpiercer, Ren didn't rush to touch anything else.
Instead, he sat back down at the crystal platform.
In his old life, the fastest way to lose everything was acting on excitement.
Here, excitement could get him torn apart by mana storms or ancient monsters.
He opened the system interface again.
[GACHA SOVEREIGN PROTOCOL]
Environment Bonus: +700%Mana Drain Risk: HighCurrent Pull Cost: Extremely ElevatedCooldown (High Tier): None Used
Ren frowned slightly.
"So the rewards are better here… but the cost is higher too."
Correct. High-density mana zones increase summon quality but dramatically increase consumption and backlash risk.
Ren exhaled slowly.
In other words—
Pull here for insane rewards, but one mistake could cripple him.
Classic high risk, high return.
He liked that.
But not blindly.
Ren remembered the fight earlier.
He lacked:
• sustained combat stamina• defensive tools• control over battlefield movement• support abilities
Summoning another massive dragon right now would just drain him again.
What he needed first was infrastructure.
Stability.
Something that could help him grow without killing himself every fight.
"System," Ren asked quietly, "do summon probabilities lean toward what the host lacks?"
Partial adaptive bias present. However, randomness remains dominant.
"…Figures."
Ren stared at the glowing button.
His mana pool pulsed violently inside his chest.
The abyss was feeding him nonstop.
He could afford one major pull.
But probably only one.
If this goes wrong, I'm in trouble.
He steadied his breathing.
Maintained circulation.
And pressed—
SUMMON
The cavern darkened instantly.
Mana was ripped out of the surroundings like a vacuum.
The glowing rivers dimmed slightly.
Ren felt a massive tug in his chest, as if his heart was being squeezed.
Pain flared.
But he stayed focused.
Light exploded in front of him.
Not fiery.
Not violent.
Soft.
Golden.
A large magic formation appeared, layered with rotating runes and glowing symbols.
From the center, a human figure slowly emerged.
A woman in long white-and-blue robes stepped forward.
Silver hair flowed down her back.
Her eyes glowed faintly with runic patterns.
The moment her feet touched the ground, the mana in the cavern stabilized slightly.
Ren felt pressure ease off his chest.
Interesting.
Summon Complete
Name: LyraRank: EpicClass: Grand Mana ScholarSpecialization: Mana Flow Control, Infrastructure Formation, Energy StabilizationLoyalty Status: Bound
Ren blinked.
"…A support unit."
Lyra looked around calmly, eyes analyzing the abyss like a researcher stepping into a laboratory.
"So this is the Abyss of Sovereigns," she murmured. "Mana density beyond normal world parameters. Fascinating."
Ignivar stared at her warily.
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"You're not shocked by dragons?"
Lyra turned toward Ignivar and bowed slightly.
"Dragon Sovereign guardian. It is an honor."
Ignivar snorted softly.
"Strange little human."
Ren almost smiled.
Lyra then looked at Ren.
Her gaze was sharp but respectful.
"My Sovereign. Your mana circulation is unstable but improving. You nearly tore your core earlier."
Ren rubbed his chest.
"Yeah, I noticed."
She walked closer, placing two fingers lightly in the air near his heart.
Mana threads shifted visibly.
"Your flow is too aggressive. You absorb like a dragon but your pathways are still human-structured. That causes overload."
"So I need to restructure it?"
"Gradually," she corrected. "Too fast and you die."
Ren sighed.
Another disclaimer.
"But I can help you optimize growth speed by roughly three to four times."
Ren's eyes lit up.
"That's more like it."
Lyra moved quickly, sketching glowing formations on the crystal floor.
"These stabilization arrays will reduce mana turbulence around your resting zone."
Crystals shifted automatically.
Mana streams smoothed.
The burning pressure in Ren's chest dropped noticeably.
"Oh wow," Ren muttered.
"That's… much better."
"Think of it as creating a controlled cultivation chamber," Lyra said calmly. "You were basically trying to absorb energy inside a hurricane."
Ren laughed softly.
"Sounds about right."
After a few minutes, the abyss felt completely different.
Still powerful.
But no longer hostile.
Ren could breathe easily.
His circulation flowed smoothly.
No surges.
No pain.
Mana Flow Stability: Moderate → High
Ren stared at the system update.
So one good summon just multiplied his growth safety.
Worth it.
Very worth it.
Ignivar lowered his head slightly.
"Your forces grow wiser, Sovereign."
Ren nodded.
"Strength alone won't rule this world."
He turned back to Lyra.
"Can you help me push growth without killing myself?"
Lyra smiled faintly.
"That is literally my specialty."
Ren exhaled slowly.
For the first time since arriving in Aetherra, he felt truly in control.
No longer reacting.
Now planning.
Far deeper within the abyss, something ancient stirred.
A massive presence shifted.
Sensing authority.
Sensing change.
Sensing a ruler awakening.