Dia was the first to welcome me when I was teleported back to the Instance Dungeon portal near the Northern Gate of Maceria.

  As usual, she greeted me with a warm hug, she had always treated me like a brother when I was in the US.

  "You leaving alone reminds me of when you went to the Six Council," she said, concern evident in her voice.

  "But I had your grandfather with me back then," I replied.

  "Exactly, which is why I’m even more worried this time," she added.

  I patted her head reassuringly as I noticed the rest of my friends, along with Guild Master Gray, emerging from the Northern Gate.

  It seemed that Dia had been keeping watch over the instance dungeon portal, ready to stop any Minotaurs from spawning while also waiting for my return.

  She had even used a flare to alert the others of my arrival.

  The scene reminded me of when I returned from my meeting with the Six Council.

  Dia, Yui, and Alex had been patiently waiting for me then too.

  "Welcome back, young man," Guild Master Gray greeted with a nod.

  I saw Claire and the rest of my friends smiling, clearly relieved to see me back safely.

  "That didn’t take long," Earl commented with a grin.

  "Weren’t you supposed to be in Castor Town in case Minotaurs started spawning?" I asked.

  "I’ll just use a portal if needed, Big Brother," he replied confidently.

  "But Castor Town is far away… what if the portal fails?" I questioned.

  He simply looked at me with a knowing smile, as if he was about to show me something unexpected.

  "I doubt that’ll be an issue," he added before giving a command.

  "Come out, Cloud."

  A dimensional circle formed in the air, and moments later, a white wyvern emerged.

  It let out a friendly shriek, circling above us a few times before landing gracefully nearby.

  While my friends and even Guild Master Gray hesitated to approach it.

  Neil, ever fearless, stepped forward the moment Earl petted its head.

  "This is so cool," Neil murmured in awe.

  Dia, however, was looking at me intently, as if she had something on her mind.

  "Is it possible for me to summon my creature too?" she asked eagerly.

  "Probably," I said, glancing at Earl.

  "Cloud is his favorite summon in Arcadia Online, after all", I added.

  "You just have to command it to come out," Earl encouraged.

  Without hesitation, Dia gave the order.

  "Come out, Midnight."

  A large grey owl suddenly appeared from a dimensional circle, landing gracefully beside her.

  Dia's face lit up with a bright smile as she gazed at the giant bird.

  Midnight was a rare dungeon drop in Arcadia, one that Alex had obtained when we cleared a high-level dungeon.

  Instead of keeping it, he had given it to Dia as a gift.

  Dia hugged the giant owl as if she were reuniting with a long-lost friend.

  "Big Brother Asriel, do you have a cool creature too?" Neil asked eagerly, his curiosity piqued after seeing the two majestic summons.

  Earl shot me a knowing look, a silent plea to summon my most normal-looking creature.

  I glanced at my summon menu list and immediately understood why.

  Alright then, I guess I’ll summon Nao-chan’s gift.

  "Come out, Shiro."

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  A large dimensional circle opened above me, followed by a powerful roar.

  Slowly, a magnificent white lion stepped through the portal, its pristine white fur gleaming under the light.

  It was only the second time I had summoned him since receiving him from Nao-chan.

  To be precise, I had traded a celestial white tiger for this celestial white lion.

  Because Nao-chan had wanted a tiger, not a lion.

  As Shiro landed beside me, he seemed a little melancholic.

  Without hesitation, Claire stepped forward and gently patted his head, unfazed by his imposing size.

  Shiro responded warmly, leaning into her touch.

  "Paw," she commanded softly.

  Shiro instantly lifted his paw, placing it in her hand.

  Their interaction was so heartwarming that I made a spontaneous decision.

  "Claire, you can have him," I said.

  Her eyes widened. "Really! Can I?"

  "Of course. It looks like Shiro has already taken a liking to you," I replied with a smile.

  Rain, the others, and even Guild Master Gray stared at me as if they all suddenly wanted one too.

  "Big Brother can’t give you any," Earl interjected before they could ask.

  "Shiro is probably the only one that isn't bound", he added.

  He then sighed, shaking his head.

  "Besides, Big Brother already gives out rare items, including summoned creatures to our guild members.

  And he can only register five summons at a time," he added.

  Rain and the others looked visibly disappointed.

  "Summoned creatures drop from high-level bosses," I said reassuringly.

  "I’m sure everyone will get one eventually", I added

  "They also function as mounts for long-distance travel," I added, but that only seemed to make them more envious.

  "But looking at these three summoned creatures, I don’t think we’d all fit on them," Old Man Gray commented.

  "You don’t need to worry about that, Guild Master," Earl said confidently.

  "Big Brother has summoned creatures that could carry our entire guild if needed", he added

  "But," he added, "most of them are battle-oriented.

  We can’t be sure they’d behave as well as Shiro or Midnight, which are considered companion summons."

  "I see," Old Man Gray murmured in understanding.

  "But Big Brother," Earl continued, "I’m sure you still have Tear with you."

  "Yeah, Tear is still one of my registered summons," I confirmed.

  "Can you summon her?" he asked, excitement creeping into his voice.

  I nodded and began the summoning chant which is required when summoning higher rarity summoned creatures.

  "Ex caeruleis flammis renatus, surge alatus ignis magnificus, caelos in aeternum illumina."

  "Come out, Tear."

  In an instant, a burst of blue flames erupted, and from within, a colossal, blazing blue phoenix emerged.

  Some of my friends instinctively tensed, nearly panicking as the flames spread around us, engulfing everyone.

  However, instead of scorching heat, they felt only warmth and comfort.

  Tear, the Blue Phoenix, was a legendary summoned creature with a unique ability, it continuously healed and removed negative effects from all allies nearby.

  However, in exchange, it lacked any offensive capabilities.

  "Tear can carry up to ten people at most," Earl commented.

  "That looks absolutely majestic," Ash said in awe.

  "I never thought I'd ever see a phoenix in my lifetime… let alone a blue one," Old Man Gray remarked.

  As the sun began to set, Tear’s flames cast an ethereal glow over the surroundings, making Earl suddenly concerned.

  "Big Brother, I think you should recall Tear before people in Maceria start panicking at the sight of a giant flaming bluebird," he suggested.

  "You're right," I agreed.

  "Come back, Tear," I commanded.

  In an instant, the blue flames disappeared, and Tear vanished.

  "That was incredible! So we can actually ride it?" Neil asked excitedly.

  "Yes, you can," I confirmed.

  Meanwhile, Claire and Dia were preoccupied with their summoned companions, giving them their full attention.

  That reminded me, I had seen Dierka and some members of Eternity inside the Instance Dungeon earlier.

  "Really, Big Brother? I wish I could’ve seen him too," Earl said, clearly intrigued.

  "Does he look like his avatar?" he asked.

  "There are some similarities.

  He was with his brother and a few friends," I replied.

  Earl suddenly grew thoughtful. "I wonder if everyone in Endless is doing okay."

  "They’ll be fine. After all, we’re the strongest Asian guild," I reassured him.

  "You’re right," he said, nodding.

  Just then, my stomach grumbled.

  "Have you guys eaten? I’m starving," I admitted.

  "My dad said he’ll be cooking your favorite food so you can have it when you return from the Instance Dungeon," Rain suddenly chimed in, still focused on Shiro.

  "Wanna pet him?" Claire asked.

  "Can I?" Rain asked hesitantly.

  "Of course," Claire replied with a smile.

  Rain eagerly began petting Shiro, and the massive white lion seemed to enjoy the attention, especially from the girls.

  It reminded me that his original owner was Nao-chan.

  "You can command him to shift into his little form," Earl mentioned.

  Claire and Rain’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

  "Shiro, change into your little form," Claire commanded.

  In just a few seconds, the towering lion shrank into an adorable, cub-like version of itself.

  Without hesitation, Claire scooped him up and cradled him like a baby.

  Seeing this, Dia followed suit, shrinking Midnight into its small form and letting it perch on her shoulder.

  Both of them looked so cute that I wanted to pet them too, but my stomach was already protesting.

  "Let’s head to the Bellflower Diner," I said, watching as Claire and Rain continued fawning over the little lion.

  With that, our group made its way to the Bellflower Diner while Old Man Gray stayed behind to keep watch at the Northern Gate.

  Earl, on the other hand, returned to Castor Town, soaring through the sky on Cloud.