The bard who told me about Bond Summoning had this to say:
— "Normal summoning techniques are used to summon spirits, mythical beasts, or demons."
— "As the name suggests, Bond Summoning is a type of summoning technique, but the big difference with normal techniques is the target that can be summoned."
— "Not spiritual beings... it's objects that are being summoned. Inorganic objects, to be precise."
— "Of course it's not just a material thing."
— "Something that doesn't exist in this world. Something that comes from a lost world."
— "The only way to summon it into this world is Bond Summoning. ... Before this full-fledged professor appears, let me sing a song."
Why? Don't suddenly insert the bard setting.
Although he was a somewhat eccentric and whimsical bard, he did a good job of teaching the techniques.
Bond Summoning, A mysterious magic formula that summoned a substance that did not exist in this world.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see what would be summoned. It was a substance that didn't exist in this world, so what if it was an unknown mineral or a magical substance with strange properties?
If I used it to make swords and magic tools, it might be amazing!
The bard further added:
— "Summoning something that doesn't exist in this world... in other words, substances from another world, so it won't be that simple."
— "Since it's something that doesn't exist here, not even in legends, there's no connection to bring over. With this, there's really nothing that can be done."
— "The ancient sorcerers who developed Bond Summoning must have thought about it. Or perhaps they discovered it by chance. It could be a connection that summons things that don't exist in this world..."
— "One more song before I reveal that..."
In short, it was a magic that summoned otherworldly entities—substances that did not exist in this world, relying on the bond with monsters.
That was Bond Summoning!
Well, it's hard to understand just by explaining, so let's try it out.
Relying on the bond I had just made with the slime...
"Let's start!" (Idhir)
"Kyupipipipipii!!" (Slime)
The slime was also motivated. Lend me your strength and help me succeed in the summoning...!
"Bond Summon!!" (Idhir)
Activating magical power, I let it flow according to the formula.
Then, some words appeared in front of me...
[Plastic Bottle (Water)]
The sign appeared in the void.
"...Plastick bottol... water?" (Idhir)
What does that mean? I know the word water, but I don't know any of the other words.
The letters of the void were probably a console that accompanied magic. The whole display looked like this:
Bond Summoning Lv1
> Bond: Slime
> Summonable:
- Plastic Bottle (Water)
Do you want to summon? YES / NO
"Y... Yes?" (Idhir)
Then the magic was activated.
Something transparent appeared from thin air. What!?
I quickly grabbed it and saw that it was some kind of tube with a tapered end. The entire structure was transparent, and the view beyond was visible through it, like crystal.
"Is this a plastic bottle...?"
It was said that Bond Summoning summoned things that did not exist in this world, and it was certainly something I had never seen before. The texture was like nothing I had ever touched before.
"Kyupipi! Kyupipipipipipipii!!" (Slime)
"Hmm? What's wrong?" (Idhir)
The slime rumbled nearby. It seemed like it had something to say.
"Huh? Hold this tip and turn it?" (Idhir)
"Kyupipipii!" (Slime)
When I followed the slime's instructions, the tip of the bottle rotated with a clicking sound?! I spun it around and—...got it!?
"Could this really have been a lid?! The lid opened and the contents are... water!" (Idhir)
So that's what [Plastic Bottle (Water)] means!? Perhaps the transparent container holding this water is the plastic bottle?
Certainly this was something not of this world that I had ever seen before.
"Water is readily available, but...!?" (Idhir)
However, this water was also the clearest and most beautiful I had ever seen.
I tried drinking it. Delicious! And it's cold!
"Kyupipipipipipipipipipipii!" (Slime)
"You want one too? Okay okay...!" (Idhir)
It's only natural to share what I was able to summon thanks to you. I tilted the bottle and let the water flow.
"Kyupiiiiiiiiii!!" (Slime)
The slime absorbed water into its jelly-like body and looked so happy that it was trembling.
But water really helped.
Humans need water for everything they do, and in fact they cannot live without it. It is very important to secure water during a quest, and when you arrive in an unfamiliar place, the first thing you should do is to check the location of the water source. Always carry a water bottle with you, and if you run out of water, you may have to abandon the quest.
But now I had no such worries! Now that I've made a contract with the slime, I can summon water as long as my magical power lasts!
I tried various things, but the water I was able to summon through my bond with the slime was clean, fresh water that was perfectly safe to drink. It could be used for cooking and also for washing my body.
It was so nice not to have to worry about water while adventuring!
...So after you drink the water from the plastic bottle... does it disappear? This twist-to-open lid could be tightened again by twisting it in the opposite direction, and the bottle itself seemed sturdy, so it would be a shame to throw it away.
But if I think about summoning again, I can take out as many as I want, so it's fine.
However, now I could clearly see the results of Bond Summoning.
The [Plastic Bottle (Water)] I was able to summon was simple but extremely useful, and if I made contracts with other monsters to increase the number of monsters I could do Bond Summon, I might be able to summon something even more flashy.
My purpose was to verify Bond Summoning and train to become proficient in using it. That's why I came to the Ideonyr Great Sea of Trees, so I needed to gain as much experience as possible.
"To achieve that, I'll fight all kinds of monsters!" (Idhir)
"Kyupi!" (Slime)
Taking the slime with me, I plunged deeper and deeper into the Great Sea of Trees.
Ideonyr Great Sea of Trees was the perfect testing ground to further refine Bond Summoning. After all, there were many different kinds of monsters that attacked constantly. Normally, this would be a very difficult challenge with too many enemies and would be dangerous, but it was convenient for me.
"The more enemies there are, the more experience points you'll get!" (Idhir)
"Kyupipipipipipipipii!" (Slime)
The slime I had made a contract with would also fight alongside me.
I had originally intended to fight alone, but unexpectedly having an ally made the fight much easier.
If you fight alone, you will inevitably create blind spots, and if you are targeted from those spots, there is nothing you can do. The slime accurately covered my blind spots and intimidated or defended me, effectively shutting out attacks that came from outside my detection range.
Thanks to that, fighting was much easier.
Focusing your attention on things outside your field of vision is more draining than you might imagine, both physically and mentally. However, by leaving that to the slime, I was able to focus only on what was in front of me, and steadily take down the targeted monsters one by one.
"Even though we only just met, we already make a great team!" (Idhir)
"Kyupipipipipipii!!" (Slime)
Although I didn't understand what it was saying, I felt like it understood what I was thinking. Could it be also the effect of Bond Summoning?
After defeating quite a few monsters in the melee, I tried to form a new bond with one of them and make a contract, but...
…An alert appeared on the console.
[Your Bond Summoning level is insufficient. You can only contract one at your current level.]
"What?!" (Idhir)
"Kyuupipii?!" (Slime)
Even the slime was surprised. Apparently, I needed to level up in order to do various things in the Bond Summoning.
I only just started trying out Bond Summoning today, so naturally my Bond Summoning level was 1. Unless I raised the level further from here, I wouldn't be able to do much.
"In that case... what we have to do is decided, right?" (Idhir)
"Kyupipiii...?" (Slime)
A fearless look exchanges between the slime and me. Although I didn't know where the slime's gaze was directed from.
"Fight monsters in the Sea of Trees and earn experience points! Let's level up!" (Idhir)
"Kyupipipipii!" (Slime)