The Wrong Summon: Flaw Repair Guide

The room Jacob found himself in was large and open, the walls a pristine white, padded with a soft, almost styrofoam-like material. It gave under his touch, oddly spongy yet firm. Elaina had mentioned earlier that the material was highly absorbent and expensive. Apparently, most of their group's savings had gone into building and maintaining their training facilities.

"Where's your axe?" Rowan asked.

"Ah, shit. I forgot about that," Jacob muttered, scratching the back of his head. "But I don't think it's suitable for training. It's a bit… corrosive."

"Corrosive?" Elaina perked up immediately, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Bring it over. I want to see it."

Jacob sighed but nodded. Guess he wasn't getting out of this one. He jogged back to his room, grabbed his slime axe, and rushed back.

By the time he returned, his breathing was a little uneven. Yeah, he was seriously out of shape.

When he presented the axe, the group gathered around him like he'd just revealed some ancient artifact. They examined it closely, their faces a mix of intrigue and concern.

"Uh… last time I checked, axes aren't supposed to be… watery," Emma pointed out, wrinkling her nose. "Or, you know, icky green."

Jacob shrugged. "It solidifies when I swing it. You guys got anything I can test it on?"

"Just try the wall," Rowan offered, stepping back.

Without much thought, Jacob swung. The axe, fluid and gelatinous just moments ago, rapidly shifted its consistency mid-swing. It hardened in an instant, striking the padded wall with a sizzling hiss. The wall didn't slice cleanly, instead, the spot where the axe landed hissed and melted slightly, a small crater forming as the corrosive edge ate into the material.

The group stared, momentarily stunned.

"Yeah," Jacob said, deadpan. "That's what I meant by corrosive."

"That's sick!" Emma's excitement exploded out of her in full volume. "How did you make this?!"

Both Rowan and Elaina were now staring at him like he'd just handed them the blueprint to some forbidden weapon.

Jacob's mind blanked.

What was he supposed to say? "Oh, yeah, my system lets me cheat and slap monster cores onto weapons with no crafting skill required?"

Yeah. No.

"Uh, slime core plus, uh, great blacksmith," Jacob blurted out.

Elaina's eyes sparkled. "Can I study it in my lab?"

"Sure. Just be careful," Jacob said, holding it out.

Elaina didn't waste another second. She snatched the axe and sprinted out of the room, not even sparing him a glance.

"Which blacksmith? Can you hook us up?" Emma asked eagerly, practically bouncing on her heels.

Jacob's heart skipped. "He was, uh, my grandfather and he's sort of… dead. So, no can do."

"Oh…" Emma's excitement immediately deflated, guilt washing over her face. "Sorry, I got too excited."

"No problem," Jacob brushed it off quickly, eager to steer the conversation away from his terrible lie. "Anyway, since I can't use my axe here, Rowan, can you teach me how to use a sword?"

"For real? Hell yeah!" Rowan grinned, already pumped.

"Aw, why not the crossbow?" Emma whined. "I'd be a great teacher, trust me."

Jacob gave her a deadpan look. "No offense, but I trust Rowan a lot more."

Emma gasped, hand clutching her chest like she'd been mortally wounded. "You'll regret this betrayal."

With a dramatic huff, she stomped across the room toward the far left wall, stopping just before colliding with it. She extended her hand, and a robotic voice chimed:

Mana recognized. You may enter.

The styrofoam wall shimmered briefly before opening, forming a clean, rectangular doorway. Emma stepped inside and disappeared as the entrance sealed shut behind her.

Jacob blinked. "...What was that?"

"Cool, right?" Rowan laughed. "We each have our own personal training rooms. Except you, of course. You're new. This space here is for team training, but I can also use it to teach you since my room's kinda cramped."

Without another word, Rowan tossed Jacob a wooden sword. He fumbled but managed to catch it, barely.

"I'll start you off with the basics."

Jacob grinned, gripping the sword with both hands.

"Sounds good. I'm ready."