The Wrong Summon: Flaw Repair Guide

Rowan's grin widened. "First, we'll check your stance."

He approached, his own wooden sword resting casually against his side. Jacob watched him carefully, mimicking his every move. Feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, back straight but relaxed.

"Good, good. You catch on quick," Rowan praised, circling him slowly. "But grip a little tighter, if I hit your sword right now, it'd fly out of your hands."

Jacob adjusted, tightening his grip just as Rowan tapped the tip of his sword. Sure enough, it still wobbled.

"Yeah… we're gonna work on that."

The training started slow. Footwork, basic slashes, guard positions. Rowan drilled him through the motions, patient but sharp with his corrections.

"Step in, not back. You want to control the space, not surrender it."

"Right."

"Don't swing so wide. You're not chopping down trees. It's clean, direct movements."

"Got it."

Jacob's breathing grew heavier as the lesson went on. His arms burned, his legs trembled. His body wasn't used to this yet, but he refused to give up. Rowan noticed.

"You've got good grit," Rowan said, tossing Jacob a bottle of water. "That's more valuable than natural talent."

Jacob sat down, catching his breath between gulps of water. He wasn't making fast progress. In fact, he was painfully slow compared to most. But he didn't need to be fast. He just needed to move forward.

"You know," Rowan added, leaning against the wall, "you remind me a bit of myself when I was younger. Rough around the edges, not much going for me. But I worked my ass off. You'll get there."

Jacob gave a small, tired laugh. "Yeah? You think so?"

Rowan's grin softened. "I know so."

Just as the air settled, the sound of the door opening drew their attention. Emma walked back into the room, spinning a compact crossbow in her hand.

"Still alive, huh?" she teased. "Was half-expecting you to get flattened."

"Not this time," Jacob smirked, standing back up.

"Good, 'cause I'm calling dibs on your next lesson. Crossbow fundamentals, here we come."

"We'll see about that," Rowan chuckled, pushing off the wall.

The banter continued as the trio cleaned up the training space. It wasn't much; basic drills, a few awkward swings but it was something.

Small steps.

Jacob knew he was still weak. He knew he didn't have the raw power or flashy skills like the others. But he was starting to see where he could fit in. Starting to carve out his own space.

And that was enough for today.

…

Jacob made it back to his room, his face red from exhaustion. He laid down on his small bed, sinking into the comfortable mattress. He rested for a moment before calling

"My favorite God and Goddess, I haven't heard from you guys in a while."

Ares sends a message

"You weren't exactly free anytime to talk."

Aphrodite sends a message

"So, are you still mad at me over this predicament?"

"Honestly, not really. If it weren't for you pestering me, I wouldn't have met such a nice group of people and have a comfy bed to sleep on. Thanks my favorite goddess of lust who happens to be worshipped by succubuses and incubuses."

Aphrodite sends a message

"Hmph, you better be grateful!" *crosses arms and pouts cutely*

"...Yeah I'm gonna ignore that and move on. Is Marinette's plan really possible to meet you?"

Aphrodite sends a message

"Human meeting gods isn't unheard of. The hard part is whether she can convince me to join her cause. I'm not too fond of human domination, especially since my beloved streamer is one~"

Ares sends a message

"Humans becoming gods and gods getting punished by being cursed as humans isn't unheard of either." 

"Sigh, the whole world domination thing will take a long while. It's like my second day here; I have time." Jacob closes his eyes, the exhaustion sweeping over him. 

…

Jacob wakes up to a knock on his door.

Knock Knock Knock

"Huff, give me a second!" Jacob walks over and opens the door and gets greeted by Marinette.

"Sorry, were you sleeping? We were going to order dinner, is there anything you'd want to eat or any taboos or whatnot?" God, her voice was like heaven.

"Order? But we have so many ingredients in the kitchen."

"...No one here is exactly a good cook. It's easier to order out." 

"Who's no one? This guy over here is a pro. Where are the others? I'll ask them what they want." Jacob follows after Marinette, determined to prove his worth through cooking.