The misunderstood genius

Joe Hoeyol stared at the majestic phoenix hovering above him. It radiated an aura of pure power, its golden feathers shimmering like molten sunlight. The entire hall was in stunned silence, broken only by the murmurs of the archmages sitting in the grand seats above.

"Impossible," one of them muttered.

"Summoning magic of this caliber… This is beyond a prodigy," another whispered.

Joe, meanwhile, was still trying to process what had just happened. He had followed the summoning instructions exactly—well, mostly. He might have skipped a few words in the incantation because he sneezed halfway through. And instead of pouring mana into the spell, he just waved his hands dramatically and hoped for the best.

And now, somehow, he had summoned a legendary creature.

The phoenix let out a soft caw and landed beside him, tilting its head. Joe half-expected it to expose him for being a fraud. Instead, it simply nuzzled him with its beak.

"Oh, great Phoenix," boomed Archmage Rodrick, one of the most powerful mages in Eldoria. "You have chosen this boy as your master. Is he truly worthy?"

Joe gulped. If the phoenix could talk, it would definitely rat him out.

To his horror, the phoenix nodded.

A collective gasp filled the chamber. Even the most skeptical mages were now convinced.

Joe, meanwhile, was on the verge of passing out..

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