SSR Waifu Summoner

'The celebration is in three days!'

Brunhilde's excitement burst once more, rippling through Joanna's thoughts like a bell that refused to quiet down.

'Mhm. Which gives us time to prepare appropriately rather than rushing in and potentially scaring them off, you know.' Joanna turned toward Arthur with a gentle smile.

"If I may ask, Your Majesty, why did you specifically seek to invite this group?"

Arthur leaned back against the table. His arms folded, his posture shifting as he weighed his answer with care.

"They're either allies we desperately need or threats we cannot afford to ignore. They're someone capable of clearing multiple abnormal monsters at that efficiency while traveling with companions of such varied power..."

He met her stare without hesitation.

"That is not a coincidence. That is coordination born from trust and capability. In times like these, such people either help save the world or reshape it according to their own vision."

His hand drifted to Excalibur's hilt again.

The gesture looked unintentional, as though the sword tugged at his awareness whenever danger came to mind.

"I would rather determine which category they fall into as soon as possible before things could go worse."

Joanna nodded with understanding at his reason. The explanation aligned perfectly with what she already suspected.

'I know rushing is not wise, but… Joanna.'

Brunhilde's voice had softened. A trace of raw emotion spilled through the link.

'If it really is Master Aurelia there. I…'

'I understand, Brunhilde. We will confirm it soon. Three days is not that long.'

'... It feels like an eternity.'

A small internal smile tugged at Joanna despite the weight of their situation.

'Sometimes, you can be more childish than me.'

'I heard that, you know?'

'You were meant to.'

Aloud, Joanna shifted back to the formal tone.

"Then we will await their arrival at the celebration. In the meantime, I suggest we continue our preparations for the larger threat. The First Saintess remains at large, and the Obsidian Covenant's ritual continues progressing."

Arthur's expression tightened. Whatever hint of ease had existed before vanished as quickly as mist under sunlight.

"Agreed. Whatever is coming, we will need every advantage we can gather."

He looked at the spread of maps again.

The scattered markings of corrupted sites seemed to crawl across the parchment like dark veins.

"Even if that advantage comes in unexpected forms."

Joanna followed his line of sight. Her thoughts had split into separate paths, each one carrying its own dread.

The missing First Saintess.

The Dark Catastrophe.

The approaching Second Trial.

And now, somehow, the return of a legendary Valkyrie she heard was once killed in action.

'Things are escalating faster than we anticipated.'

An internal sigh escaped from Joanna.

'Tell me about it.' Brunhilde said with a shrug.

***

Legendor, Swamp Tower Dungeon

*Wooommm…*

Golden light spilled from the first card like warm liquid, filling the sealed chamber with brightness that chased every shadow into retreat.

Nero felt the heat seep into his fingers as the card dissolved.

The energy condensed, pulling itself into a physical shape with an efficiency that never stopped feeling unreal.

The glow grew stronger.

It brightened until his eyes watered just trying to keep focus.

Then the light settled.

*Shiiing…*

Weight appeared in his hands.

Solid, powerful and definitely alive with energy.

A staff materialized from the fading light.

It did not look forged.

It looked natural and ancient.

Nero blinked several times and adjusted his grip as details sharpened in front of him.

Beautiful did not feel enough to describe it.

The staff stood taller than him.

Six and a half feet of polished crystallized wood that resembled a living tree preserved in perfect condition.

Pale crystalline shards spiraled around the shaft. Each smooth groove caught what little ambient light existed and reflected it with a faint green glow.

But the crown...

*Woomm…*

A crystalline structure pulsed at the top.

Roots of different gemstones wrapped around a core that glowed like a star caught in a cage of living light.

Golden veins moved inside the crystal. They shifted whenever he stared directly at them, like they were swimming under the surface.

The staff radiated an aura so deep and potent the air tasted richer.

It reminded him of walking through untouched forests filled with mana, the kind that felt like they were listening.

Nero slowly turned the staff.

Light danced across the crystal core in rhythmic pulses.

His interface flickered with new information as the grin on his face widened in response.

===

Relic: Verdalume, "Rootspire of Living Energy"

Item Type: Mage Staff

Tier: SSR

Status Effects: +40% magic attack, +15% mana capacity, +50% all-element efficiency.

Class Effects: +20% magic efficiency for the user whose class is mage.

Origin: Born from the crystallized roots of the mother of all ancient life... the World Tree, Yggdrasil... it was a naturally formed object during a rare convergence where its lifeforce seeped into the earth. It was extracted by a famous elven craftsman, turning it into a perfect equipment for all mages and wielders of energy alike.

Description: Verdalume channels the pulse of living mana, letting its wielder shape spells with the least resistance and greater efficiency.

===

"... What an OP staff."

The words escaped him as awe pushed everything else out of the way.

A weapon formed from Yggdrasil's roots?

As an avid fantasy enjoyer, who hasn't heard of Yggdrasil referenced many times in games?

He might not be a mythology or history expert, but one thing he knows is the fact that anything that's involved with the World Tree is bound to be something significant… let alone a staff born from its roots.

And the stats before him were a testament to it.

Meanwhile, behind him,

"...!!!"

Luna stopped breathing for a moment.

Her heterochromic eyes brightened with a sharp intensity.

It felt like she was analyzing the staff through more magical senses than he could name them.

Because unlike Nero, as a being attuned and loved by mana, and as someone who has studied magic throughout her whole life, she could definitely feel and see more than him.

"T-That..." Luna whispered.

The high elf's voice wavered with strain from keeping herself calm.

"T-That is the root essence of the World Tree… How do you have that?!"

Her fingers twitched.

She clearly wanted to touch it.

She also clearly forced herself not to.

"... T-The mana density alone would let even the worst mage in existence cast continuously for hours without exhaustion…"

Luna's focus drifted mid-sentence as calculations blitzed through her mind.

"Hm…?"

Velraeth leaned forward slightly.

Her vertical amber pupils narrowed with interest.

"... Hooh? That is quality craftsmanship. Whoever handled that natural material knew exactly what they were doing."

The dragon woman showed all her teeth in a pleased grin.

Her amber eyes that could perceive the "truth" behind pretty much anything could see that what the human is holding is very substantial.

But rather than the item itself, she appreciated the godly craftsmanship and the way the smith handled such a very rare item and high-energy concentrated material without losing its quality during the crafting process.

Her tail flicked with approval.

"Natural material my ass! That took deliberate cultivation over centuries, maybe even millennials! You do not just stumble across concentrated World Tree essence!"

Luna retorted with a snap.

What a fool.

What do you mean by natural material?

Such a very rare item could be considered a national treasure even the High Council of elven society would fight over tooth and nail for!

It's the essence of the World Tree they're talking about! Something that serves as a god and guardian to all elven races!

*Hummm…*

Nero lifted the staff slightly.

The hum of contained power traveled through his hands like a low heartbeat.

It felt eager, almost expectant.

Nero chuckled as he found Luna's reaction absolutely adorable.

Now imagine if she found out he would actually give this to her as a gift…

'Luna would absolutely lose her mind over this thing.'

He could already picture her prideful and stoic expression breaking into a dumbfounded one once he handed it to her.

She would try to act composed while internally shrieking.

It's definitely a sight worth seeing later.

"..."

His fingers moved to the second golden card.

*Wooommm…*

This energy felt different.

It felt sharper and hotter.

The card dissolved with a flare that carried warmth like a bonfire pressed too close against skin.

Gold and silver twisted together in patterns that strained the eyes.

*CRACK!*

A divine metal screamed into existence.

Reality seemed to adjust around the sudden weight in his hand.

When the glow dimmed, Nero held a broadsword that looked like sunlight turned into steel.

Nearly 3.5 feet long.

Wider than his palm, but thick enough to look like it could bulldoze castle walls if someone annoyed it enough.

… And yet it felt weightless in his hand.

'Is it because of the blade or is it my strength.'

It was just a curious afterthought.

But regardless, the blade looks like an end-game content sword.

Totally and perfectly balanced.

The blade was pale gold with a mirror finish.

Flowing script glowed faintly along the surface, as though ichor fire wrote poetry on the metal.

Instead of a traditional crossguard, two wings of crystallized light curved backward.

They looked frozen mid-flight.

A spherical "eye" sat on the pommel, filled with dawn energy that radiated soft warmth through his gloves.

He gave it a test swing.

*Woooosh!*

Golden flames raced along the edge.

They did not burn, but rather, they simply existed.

A pure radiant fire that made shadows cower and corrupted residue hiss in irritation.

The interface appeared within his vision again.

===

Relic: Sollien, "Blade of the Dawn Sovereign"

Item Type: Divine Broadsword

Tier: SSR

Status Effects: +60% physical attack, +25% holy damage, +30% light resistance. Class Effects: +20% smite efficiency for the user whose class is paladin or crusader.

Origin: Forged from the radiance of a fallen sun-god, once wielded by a forgotten champion of the different heavens, only to fall into a slumber, until it finds a wielder who can utilize its true power.

Description: Sollien ignites with dawnfire when unsheathed, its edge slicing through darkness as if daylight itself were forged into steel.

===

"Okay, that is just showing off."

Nero laughed and turned the blade.

Flames moved smoothly along the metal without leaving a trace of heat.

The sword felt alive too.

Like it wanted to swing at something immediately.

… Preferably something vile and very punchable.

'Aurelia would probably appreciate the aesthetic.'

Yep, he already found the owner of this blade.

And again…

"Why does this sword perfectly fit her?"

Honestly, she could make anything look good.

But a divine broadsword lit with holy fire?

That practically screamed righteous angel slicing through corruption.

"Y-You! H-How…?!"

Luna stopped again.

This time, the mage elf was in disbelief!

How could something inside him (the system) produce these kinds of things out of thin air…!

… Or cards at this point.

She might not be a master blacksmith, but even she, in her long years in life, has never seen a blade this much refined!

The energy behind the blade is different from the staff she saw.

If the materials from Yggdrasil contain pure life essence, then this sword contains pure divine power!

So far, she hasn't heard of any known manmade material that can withhold such a huge amount of energy...!

'... No wait! There is!'

The true holy swords for heroes.

Made by the will of the world itself, it is the representation of power only those who are worthy can wield.

A great example of this is the legendary Excalibur owned by the King of All Heroes, Arthur Pendragon.

But the fact that his "Waifu System" can produce the same quality or even better than those out of thin air…

"..."

'... Just what is this system inside him?!'

The implications were both exhilarating, terrifying and frustrating for Luna!

So much so that she wanted to almost dissect the man in front of her.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Absurd! Completely absurd!"

Velraeth laughed loudly with a crazy grin on her face.

If Luna, who's not even a blacksmith can recognize the value of the sword in front of her, how about Velraeth, a being who spent her life forging steel?

The fact that a mysterious "system" that this human calls can produce such quality from those flimsy golden cards…

'I WANT HIM.'

The dragon was dead set on Nero's figure.

Not only does he have monstrous potential but he also has something like this she has never seen before.

'He might be able to master "that".'

The dragon's ember eyes gleamed as she stared at Nero.