In the far west of the continent, within the White Tiger Mountains—the highest peaks on the land—Ian stood on the open ridge, trembling.
To be precise, he was shaking as he stared at the golden eyes lying dormant within.
‘This is wrong… Did I… offend it too much?’
Those long, slit golden eyes flickered open, scanning the surroundings in a disoriented manner, as if disturbed from their slumber.
Then, finally—Ian and the others made eye contact.
[… …]
A chilling gaze fell upon them, filled with doubt. It was as if this massive being was questioning whether such insignificant insects had truly dared to wake it.
Humans instinctively feel terror when faced with wild beasts.
So, what would they feel if confronted with a dinosaur?
Or the fear of something beyond comprehension?
What if they stood before a god?
“AAH… AAH…!”
Korn trembled and covered her face.
The overwhelming presence—an existence that defied the constraints of the summoning system—instilled a primal terror. A being of divine authority could shake humans to their core with its mere existence.
Yet, surprisingly, Noah wasn’t as terrified.
And Ian? He simply stared at the White Tiger in a daze.
[Oh, how amusing.]
A voice of unknown origin echoed inside their minds. It was the kind of horror that could only be described as cosmic dread.
And yet… Ian remained composed.
‘I was scared for a moment.’
Humans could feel fear at the roar of a tiger behind a zoo cage or from the disturbing imagery on a computer screen.
Because humans were creatures of imagination, they could be frightened by beings that would never leave the screen, entities that could do them no real harm.
At the same time, however, some remain unfazed by digital graphics or caged beasts.
Ian was one of those people.
‘What are you going to do?’
The overwhelming sense of superiority—the knowledge that he had about this world that could manipulate it—was engraved into his very soul. It allowed him to view even the mighty White Tiger before him as nothing more than a piece of data.
What surprised him more was Noah.
Ian was aware that this world was just a game, and he knew the Protectors would take an interest in Noah, but…
From her perspective, it must have felt like a godlike beast had suddenly materialized before her.
He had expected her to panic, but instead, she…
“Oh, hello!”
[Huh?]
“Ah, um, nice to meet you! Academy cadet Noah! My name is Noah!”
[Cadet Noah? Noah?]
“Oh, no! It’s Noah! Just Noah!”
Despite the situation, Noah confidently introduced herself to the White Tiger.
To everyone’s surprise, the White Tiger actually responded, its voice tinged with amusement.
Korn, who had been listening, fainted on the spot.
Ian, ignoring Korn, turned his attention back to the massive creature conversing with Noah.
“White Tiger, is that really you?”
[And if it isn’t?]
“I believe it is.”
Of course, he said that, but he had no intention of doubting the identity of the White Tiger before him.
Unless it was a transcendent existence akin to a 5-star summon, nothing else could possess such immense eyes—so large they were visible even when buried within the mountain.
Fortunately, the White Tiger let out a deep, rumbling chuckle and acknowledged him.
[Believe it? Sure, if you wish. But don’t do so blindly, without reason…trust in what we have given you.]
Rumble…
As the White Tiger spoke, the mountain seemed to shake.
Slowly, it emerged, revealing its enormous form as it loomed over Ian and the others.
[Speak, human. Why have you come here?]
Before answering, Ian seized the moment and pushed Noah forward.
“White Tiger, before that… Look at this child.”
Noah, suddenly in the spotlight, blinked in confusion, alternating glances between Ian and the White Tiger.
Ian, keeping his grip on Noah, gestured toward her and began praising her appearance.
“What do you think? Isn’t she cute!? I mean, just look at her! I’d love to have her as my summon—I just want to cherish her!”
[… Now that I get a closer look, you’re a bit insane.]
Still, if it was a request from a human… the White Tiger humored him and observed Noah’s face.
Then, it reached a conclusion.
[She’s not very cute.]
“… No way.”
[In fact, from my perspective, I like you more. Human.]
“… Huh? Who?”
[You, you impudent little human.]
The White Tiger pointed a long, sharp claw directly at Ian.
Staring at the menacing talon aimed at him, Ian looked up at the White Tiger in disbelief.
“… Me? Why?”
Why would it like him?
* * *
[Ian’s POV]
Ian Clark.
A character so insignificant that his name never even appeared in the game’s storyline.
For gamers who disregarded anything below a 5-star summon, Ian Clark—who would have only summoned a 1-star creature—was less than a mere extra.
It would have been a waste to even record his name in the game’s data.
‘There’s… there’s no reason for it to like me.’
By nature, summons are drawn to the souls of summoners. In other words, higher-ranking summoners naturally attract stronger summons.
If this were still just a game, where summoning was based purely on gacha luck, then perhaps nothing would have changed.
But now, this was reality.
And in reality, summoning wasn’t dictated by random chance.
It was dictated by talent.
In other words, right now, it had no reason to like me.
‘No way… is that?’
Even though I lacked talent, I had summoned a large number of high-grade summons using the power of the system. Perhaps because of that, the very premise that only the talented could summon high-ranking creatures was overturned, and people admired me for having such powerful summons.
[That cheeky attitude, the courage to stand unfazed in front of me, the vessel of your soul already running low, burdened with far too much…]
As the White Tiger spoke, he slowly approached me. Of course, he was so massive that his movements were barely perceptible.
When he finally came close, the White Tiger pressed his nose against me and began sniffing. Each time he took a whiff, a peculiar smile spread across his face.
[Speak.]
“…What?”
[I asked you something. Listen when spoken to.]
This was slightly different from the original plan, but since the White Tiger had agreed to grant my request, I bowed and explained the current state of the continent.
Demons had infiltrated the human realm, burrowing their way in.
Human power was neither strong enough to stop them nor capable of detecting their presence.
“So, lend me your strength.”
After listening to everything, the White Tiger nodded and laid out his condition.
[You’re making a difficult request. Fine. I’ll grant it.]
“Thank you!”
[But in return, give me your life.]
“…What?”
Giving up my life out of nowhere? What was he talking about?
Annoyed, I frowned and immediately responded.
“Then I won’t take it.”
[…What?]
“I asked for help at the risk of my life, not to give it away.”
“Y-You! What are you saying…?!”
Korne, who had been awake and listening to our conversation, gasped in disbelief.
But I had my reasons.
First, there was no guarantee that those who demanded such a price would actually keep their end of the bargain.
Second, I wasn’t even from this world, so I had no obligation to sacrifice my life to save it.
If I were to risk my life, it would be for my own reasons—like clearing the main quest of defeating the Demon King.
the White Tiger seemed genuinely taken aback by my refusal and muttered in a bewildered voice.
[No, then… give me something precious. Something valuable. That will do.]
“Something precious…? I don’t have anything right now.”
[What? You spoke so confidently before!]
“No, I think you might like this… Ah, here it is.”
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the last rice ball I had left. It was emergency food, but I had avoided eating it because it was too salty and bland.
It was the only thing I had.
[Leftovers… a rice ball?]
“You either take this or you don’t.”
[Wait… hold on…]
the White Tiger stared at the rice ball, deep in thought. After a moment, he sighed.
[…I never expected you to be this kind of person.]
“So, will you take it?”
[Fine, hand it over, you cheeky human.]
With that, the White Tiger took the tiny rice ball—far too small for his enormous size—and then rose from the mountain.
As the saying goes, “What you see is only the tip of the iceberg.” Even from beneath the mountain range, the full scale of the White Tiger was overwhelming.
[Alright, I’ll get rid of the vermin lurking underground.]
The White Tiger straightened his massive body and stepped forward. The moment his soft, padded paw touched the earth, a pure white wave of energy surged across the land.
Just as the Yellow Dragon Artia had established a semi-permanent barrier at the Academy and Imperial Palace, her equal, the White Tiger, had the power to create lasting, far-reaching effects.
[Ahhh… This is exhausting.]
The White Tiger yawned, grumbling about the slight effort he had expended, then lay down on the ridge.
Immediately, the shattered mountains around him began to shift, rising and gathering to cover his body. Only then did I understand why the the White Tiger Mountains had their name.
The towering peaks were a blanket covering the White Tiger—formed by the excess energy that leaked from his very existence.
“Hey, wait!”
Just then, Noah called out to the White Tiger, who was about to drift into slumber. He cracked open his eyes ever so slightly, turning to look at her.
Locking eyes with the White Tiger, Noah bowed deeply.
“Thank you for your help!!”
[…]
The White Tiger silently observed her before shifting his gaze toward me.
Then, in a soft murmur, he muttered: […Yeah, that’s cute.]
And with that, the mighty White Tiger disappeared beneath the mountain range.