I Became the Weakest Summoned of the Genius Summoner

Chapter 1: Returning as a Skeleton

It was a pitch-black space where not even a glimmer of light could enter.

Crouched down as if rolling on the pavement like a bug. How much time had passed since I gritted my teeth and endured this? 

Just when I began to doubt if I had ever been alive, a faint sound from somewhere far away started to wake me up.

The sound gradually grew closer and now became distinct enough to hear clearly.

······

Yet, the reason I couldn't understand it was probably because it was truly a language I had never heard before.

That clear and pure voice, now that I was getting used to my crouched position, seemed like a somewhat annoying command.

However, contrary to my mind, my body was already creaking, and the things that had been contorted were beginning to straighten.

- Creak-!

'Huh?! My body...?'

The body that was fundamentally different from mine, with many things that should naturally be there omitted, was making a creaking sound as it walked forward.

'Since when...?'

Was this the body I had from the beginning?

Now, the fragmented memories that had been jumbled up shattered into pieces that couldn't be put together.

How long had it taken?

I arrived at a giant door faintly emitting a blue light.

Instinctively, I knew that taking a step forward here would lead me to the 'outside world.'

Although I should have considered it for a moment, without hesitation, I took a step forward.

The door, which looked heavy, opened strangely quickly, and my body was instantly sucked into that place.

* * *

'It's dazzling...'

That was my initial impression.

And I was deeply puzzled because I had a vague idea of what state my body was in.

'A skeleton being dazzled by light...'

As I was tilting my head, the clear voice that had raised me from the pitch-dark space came from behind me.

"Wow... Oh, hello?"

I immediately turned around. As if I had to, I began to bow deeply towards her.

Without even thinking about it, curiosity arose from the strange experience of my body moving on its own.

'Who is this child? Why does she seem familiar...?'

Although her face was obscured by her messy bangs, there was a familiar feeling about the girl.

It was the first time I had ever seen her. She looked like she hadn't even reached the age of 20, and her short hair, which barely touched her shoulders, was as dark black as the space I was in.

Her round, wide-open eyes sparkled like starlight, even between the cover of her bangs.

She wore faded black track pants and a white t-shirt with a ragged collar.

From a distance of several steps away, she was hugging a pillow and scanning me up and down.

'I have no idea what is happening...?'

However, it didn't take long to organize my confused thoughts. Could this be another change that occurred when I became a skeleton?

In a fleeting moment, I thought about what I should do first. The girl in front of me greeted me, so I should respond.

'A while ago, I bowed my head without realizing it... but I guess I'll have to formally say hello.'

After thinking about it, I spoke to the girl with short hair who was hesitant.

“Crack!”

"..."

There was a brief silence between us, and she judged it to be a good sign. She extended her eyes, peeking over the pillow pressed against her chest, and slowly approached me as she spoke.

"Wow... I didn't know it would actually work... No, of course, it has to because it’s my ability. But still... it's amazing!"

As she approached, lowering the pillow little by little, her cheeks were flushed, and in the narrow rectangular room, just a few steps brought us very close to each other.

Then, slowly spinning around me in a clockwise direction, she started pouring out words in an excited voice.

"I thought a small summon would come out for the first summoning, but a huge one came out! It seems like you're over 180 centimeters tall, right?"

"A skeletal soldier... That's reassuring, isn't it? It feels like an old soldier is protecting me. Hehe."

"But do I just give orders without needing to recite spells like during summoning? Since I have no information, I'll need time to figure things out one by one."

Then suddenly she stopped spinning around and stood in front of me, staring at me with a serious expression. Now that the restless child had stopped, her pupils became clear.

It was only then that I realized why this child was so familiar.

'The first summon... skeletal soldier... and purple eyes...'

With just a few keywords, I quickly reached a conclusion along with her face.

'Summoner Lee Yeon-hee...'

A genius who achieved Class A in just two years.

The only summoner in her class.

And the unfortunate hunter who ended her life miserably while blocking the sudden dungeon break.

As I looked at her, some of the fragmented memories began to fall into place.

'Yes, that's how it was known in the world... but it was what he intended.'

It still vividly came to my mind. His twisted, disgusting face as he smirked, while thrusting a dagger into my eye. Imprisoning her. Taking away not only my life but also...

'Jo Giman...'

A shiver ran down my spine.

Instantly, anger surged within me, but surprisingly, I quickly regained my composure.

'I'm much calmer than in my previous life. Is it because I have no brain?'

In front of me, the girl who had died in despair for a moment gathered her brows, deep in thought.

'I didn't recognize her right away because there are no scars on her face, but she's definitely Lee Yeon-hee...'

Although the information in my mind was still jumbled, one thing was certain: I had returned to the past and become her first summoned creature.

We were in the same guild, and she was my lifesaver...

"Oh! How about 'Crackle'?  It's easy to call!"

'...So she was thinking about my name.'

I thought there was nothing I didn't know about her, but now I realized that her naming sense was terrible. I firmly shook my head.

"Huh?! Did you just express your dislike now?"

'Is that such a surprise...'

Anyway, 'Crackle' was a name that even someone as insensitive as me couldn't accept. Perhaps it would be a name I would have to live with for the rest of my life, but what the heck is it...

"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... It's the first time I've ever named someone."

She was murmuring and seemed to be deeply contemplating. Since it didn't seem like her thinking would be resolved anytime soon, I had no choice but to step in.

"Ttt-Tik-"

"Hmm?"

She momentarily blinked at the sound produced by my teeth, but then her gaze followed the direction I turned my head.

"A calendar?"

She easily caught onto my intentions and moved towards the calendar. However, for some reason, I couldn't take a single step forward.

'My body... It's not moving?'

My legs didn't fall to the ground as if I had attached magnets of opposite poles to the soles of my feet. Did she realize that I was struggling?

"Ah! Walk over here!"

As she commanded, my feet finally detached from the floor.

- Tap, Tap, Tap-

The sound of the bones of my soles hitting the floor reverberated through the narrow one-room apartment. After a few steps, I arrived next to her and silently looked at the calendar.

"January 2020..."

I nodded my head slightly and pointed with my finger bone at a specific spot.

"...Day?"

"Ttt-Tik-"

Then I pointed to the next letter.

"Month?"

"Ttt-Tik-"

"January... Is this the name you want?"

I nodded my head. It was a name I came up with by looking at the calendar in a hurry. Even so, it had a better ring to it than 'Crackle'?

Upon hearing that, she kept her mouth wide open for a while and couldn't close it.

"No one will know that summoned creatures have such high intelligence! Could it be that summoners and summoned creatures share language skills?!"

Of course, that wasn't the case, but for her, who had obtained her first summoned creature, everything would be new and shocking.

'Well... It's something she will find out when she will summon the second one. Let's just leave it for now...'

"January... The name sounds pretty and nostalgic. It's surprising that a monster can come up with a better name than me."

She pretended to be discouraged for a moment, soon her eyes widened and she looked at me and said.

"January. Your name is now January! Please take good care of me!”

As she confidently spoke my name, a familiar message appeared in my mind like a hologram.

Skeletal Soldier January - Lv. 1

Strength: 3   Agility: 2   Stamina: 3   Intelligence: 24
Magic: 6   Resistance: 0   Perception: 15   Recovery: 1
Traits: Calm, Protection, Steal, 99 Lives
Skills: Strike, Stealth
Equipment: Old wooden club

'Looking at the stats alone, it's miserable... Agility with a value of 2? I wonder how that's possible. It's fortunate that my intelligence and perception from when I was human are reflected...'

--- END OF THE CHAPTER ---