Chapter 9

The reason Summoners are powerful is that they can summon creatures from other dimensions.

However, summoning these creatures to the real world requires a large amount of mental and life energy. Some Summoners, due to insufficient energy, force a summon, only to end up as dried-up corpses before the summoned creature even appears.

Therefore, to take a shortcut, the concept of sacrifices was born.

Sacrifices can be living people, dead people, insects, zombies, or even the Summoner's own flesh and soul.

Just like money, the more you have, the better the things you can buy. Similarly, the higher the quality of the sacrifice, the greater the effect on the summoning.

For example, a first-tier sacrifice, the blood-sucking worm, can summon a skeleton soldier; a second-tier sacrifice, the red-capped beetle, can summon an iron-armored corpse; a third-tier sacrifice, the highly venomous griffin, can summon a tyrannosaurus; a fourth-tier sacrifice, the blue-thunder eagle, can summon a lightning giant...

Of course, just as in the real world, sometimes even after spending a large sum of money, you might still end up with fakes, knock-offs, or imitations, the same can happen with summoning. Using high-tier sacrifices like bone dragons or zombie kings might result in summoning low-tier creatures like goblins or wild boars. Many Summoners have died due to such "substandard" products.

Even Li Jiayu once had a mishap—his Demon Hunter team was tasked with slaying a pair of Black Knights. When the main combatants in the team finally killed the female Black Knight, the team was already exhausted and on the brink of collapse. Their only hope was Li Jiayu's summoning. If he could summon a corresponding creature using the female Black Knight's corpse, dealing with the remaining male Black Knight would be much easier.

However, the unfortunate Li Jiayu ended up summoning a chicken!

As the chicken clucked, Li Jiayu's Demon Hunter team was so enraged that they spat blood. In the end, they had to retreat, leaving behind two teammates' bodies. Whenever he thought about it, Li Jiayu felt both resentment and self-reproach.

Of course, at that time, Li Jiayu was just an apprentice Summoner, and such mistakes were common. But after he advanced to a Great Summoner, such blunders never happened again.

On the other hand, just like the lottery in the real world, sometimes Summoners can summon creatures far beyond the tier of the sacrifice. If you are lucky enough, you could become rich overnight. You might even summon a Frost Dragon using an ordinary sow!

However, the probability of this... is almost zero, but it doesn't mean it's impossible.

So, being a Summoner is essentially a gambler's profession. Good luck can turn the tide and determine victory; bad luck can lead to a disastrous end, potentially costing the entire team.

Now, Li Jiayu was about to gamble again!

The scythe beetle in front of him was a mid-tier first-level sacrifice. If everything went as planned, Li Jiayu could summon creatures like skeleton soldiers, little fairies, raging goblins, or half-orcs. If he was a bit luckier, he might summon high-tier first-level creatures like a naga, an ogre, or a blue bear.

With a summoned creature to protect him, Li Jiayu believed that with his command and proficient axe skills, he could directly confront the red-capped beetle. By then, he could divide and conquer, quickly slaying over a dozen red-capped beetles and obtaining their insect crystals, thus earning his first fortune in the apocalypse!

"Li Jiayu... can you stop bringing up our wetting our pants all the time? It's really embarrassing, we didn't do it on purpose..."

Sun Weiwei's face turned red, and she stammered. She remembered that Li Jiayu used to be very polite and gentlemanly, treating girls well and earning the title of "friend of women." But now, his words and actions often made women blush. She couldn't understand what had changed in him.

"Who told you girls to pee standing up? If you can do it, I can't talk about it? Standing to pee is clearly a guy's thing. You imitated us, and look, your pants are wet, right?"

Li Jiayu was in a great mood and didn't mind making another joke. However, seeing the girls' flushed faces and their near tears, he stopped and changed the subject:

"Move aside, I need to properly handle its corpse."

Although the students didn't understand what Li Jiayu was going to do, they trusted him and obediently moved away, still closely watching his every move, curious about what he would do next.

"Who has a knife?" Li Jiayu touched the bloodstain on his face, left by the scythe beetle, and suddenly asked.

A student quickly handed him a small fruit knife attached to a keychain. It was useless against the beetle but sufficient for cutting his wrist.

Actually, he could use the axe, but the fire axe was stained with the beetle's blood, which, though not poisonous, would contaminate his own blood.

"Jiayu, what do you need the knife for? Are you going to dissect the beetle?"

"..." Li Jiayu was speechless at the girl's question. After a moment, he said stiffly:

"No, I'm using it to bleed myself."

As he spoke, Li Jiayu lightly cut his elbow with the knife, and blood immediately gushed out, dripping onto the beetle's corpse.

All the students watched with wide eyes, unable to understand why Li Jiayu was self-harming. However, seeing his serious expression, they kept quiet, not wanting to distract him.

Then, Li Jiayu's fingers moved like a butterfly, forming several hand signs, and he recited a cryptic incantation. To the students, he looked like a mysterious figure, not a charlatan but more like a mage from a game or an Eastern Taoist.

"... Endless void, deep rift, even though we are separated by countless layers of space, we are still connected by fate... I, Li Jiayu, a Summoner from the Central World, beseech you to hear my call..."

Just as Li Jiayu solemnly recited the incantation, Wang Siyuan suddenly changed his expression and shouted:

"Jiayu! Another scythe beetle is coming!"

Li Jiayu was shocked and quickly looked out the window. He saw another red scythe beetle flying in the air, about fifty meters away, its compound eyes glowing with hatred. It was clear that it considered Li Jiayu an enemy and wanted to avenge its fallen comrade!

"Damn! It's a Scythe Beetle King!"

Li Jiayu's heart raced. He hadn't expected another scythe beetle to arrive so quickly, and it was a red Scythe Beetle King!

This was a more powerful existence than a regular scythe beetle, reaching high-tier first level, on par with the red-capped beetle. However, its speed was terrifying, and in terms of lethality, the Scythe Beetle King was far more dangerous than the red-capped beetle!

(How could this happen... Encountering a Scythe Beetle King at this time is too dangerous. The chances of defeating it are less than thirty percent. Time, why don't you give me a few more seconds...)

"Whoosh!"

Without a word, the Scythe Beetle King charged over. Its speed was so fast that Li Jiayu's scalp tingled. Relying on his sharp battle instincts, he rolled on the ground. He felt the Scythe Beetle King fly over him!

Fortunately, the Scythe Beetle King's attack didn't hurt Li Jiayu, but it hit a male student standing not far behind him.

Without a doubt, the male student's chest was instantly split in two by the Scythe Beetle King's mandibles, his head and half of his chest flying out in a spray of blood!

"Ahh!"

At this moment, the students finally reacted, screaming in terror. No matter how afraid they were before, the beetle hadn't truly harmed them. But this time, it was a real, bloody dismemberment of a classmate they had known for over a year, a friend like a brother. In an instant, he became two bloody, mangled pieces!

Even more terrifying, the dead student's blood splattered on their faces, and they were so scared that their legs gave out, unable to move!

The Scythe Beetle King showed no mercy to these terrified students. It turned around, opened its mandibles like a scythe, and clamped down on the nearest student, slicing his legs off at the roots. Then, amidst his screams, it climbed onto his struggling upper body and, as if in a show of force, pierced his heart with its sharp front legs!

The student with his legs severed spurted a large amount of blood, convulsed, and died.

In the blink of an eye, the Scythe Beetle King had killed two students in less than two seconds. Li Jiayu was now completely enraged. Supporting himself, he finished the final summoning incantation with a fierce, angry voice:

"Please hear my call, become my partner, fight by my side. I will offer my sacrifice and show you the utmost respect... Come forth, my new partner!"

As Li Jiayu finished the incantation, the air around him became thick and sticky, like before a storm, oppressive and suffocating.

A light appeared under Li Jiayu's feet, with faint, strange patterns, like a magic circle!

At this moment, the Scythe Beetle King turned its compound eyes toward the strange scene and opened its mandibles, emitting a sharp cry, preparing to charge at Li Jiayu!

"Smack!"

A hammer was thrown, hitting the Scythe Beetle King's head with a dull thud.

It was Sun Weiwei!

Seeing Li Jiayu in danger, she had decided to draw the beetle's attention to herself, giving Li Jiayu time!

This foolish woman, does she not care about her life? Although your spirit is commendable, I, Li Jiayu, don't need a woman's pity...

Seeing the Scythe Beetle King turn toward Sun Weiwei, Li Jiayu was both angry and anxious. He threw the fire axe with all his might. The axe, moving at incredible speed, struck the Scythe Beetle King's compound eyes, splattering a large amount of red fluid and getting stuck in the eye's muscle!

"Ugh!"

The Scythe Beetle King let out a pained cry, its wings flapping like a fan, and it flew back into the air, preparing to launch a fatal aerial charge at Li Jiayu!

At this moment, Li Jiayu felt a connection forming in his mind!

(It's here! It's here! My summoned partner, finally here!)

Li Jiayu's heart raced with excitement, but the wound on his wrist suddenly gushed a large amount of blood!

(Why did it take so much blood... but the more blood it takes, the stronger it is... don't let me down!)

The Scythe Beetle King was already charging at Li Jiayu, only three to four meters away. In less than a second, Li Jiayu could be decapitated!

One meter...

Two meters...

Just as the Scythe Beetle King charged two meters, a black shadow suddenly appeared above it, bringing a strong, foul wind, and pressed down with immense force!

"Boom"

The Scythe Beetle King was forced to the ground, unable to fly, and fell!