The Summoner: Rise Of The Night Vanguard

CHAPTER 7 - THE FIRST HUNT

The steady beeping of machines and the sharp, smell of medicine pulled Adrian back into consciousness. The Bright lights forced him to squeeze his eyes shut before slowly opening them again. His vision was blurry for a few seconds before finally getting clear.

He was lying on a hospital bed with an IV drip was attached to his arm and soft bandages wrapped around parts of his body.

“You’re awake,” a calm female voice said.

A young nurse walked into the room, clipboard in hand. She had a gentle face, neat hair tied back, and a professional yet soft expression on her face. Adrian blinked at her for a moment before a tired smile formed on his lips.

“Woah… is this heaven?” he asked, squinting dramatically.

The nurse stopped, looking slightly worried. “What? No. Why would you ask that?”

“Then why am I seeing an angel standing in front of me?” Adrian replied with a weak but playful grin.

The nurse stared at him for a second before letting out a genuine laugh. She reached over and lightly poked his shoulder.

“Such a cutie. But it’s going to take more than that to grab my attention.”

Adrian chuckled softly. In the past, he never would have flirted so freely. All his energy and attention had been kept for Ruby. Now that chapter of his life was over, and for the first time in years, he felt no guilt about speaking freely.

“What happened to me?” he asked more seriously.

The nurse checked the monitors and adjusted his drip.

“You were found collapsed outside an abandoned factory. From what the doctors could tell, you had just cleared a dungeon and completely ran out of mana and your body shut down from exhaustion. You need proper rest and time to build up your mana so this doesn’t happen again.”

She finished her checks and moved toward the door.

“Can I get your number, though?” Adrian asked, still smiling.

She was pretty, maybe a year or two older than him, and something about her calm presence made him want to see her again.

The nurse paused at the doorway and glanced back with a small, amused expression.

“Unfortunately, no. But let’s make a deal. The next time we meet, I’ll let you take me on a date.”

“Then I’ll come back to this hospital. Maybe injure myself just to see you,” Adrian shot back playfully making her chuckle.

“Today is my last day here. I won’t be working at this hospital any longer.”

Adrian’s smile faded slightly.

“Can you at least tell me where you’re going? This is a big world. I might not see you again.”

The nurse’s expression softened into something unreadable.

“If we don’t meet again, then it’s the will of the universe. If we do… then it’s a good sign. Goodbye, Adrian.”

She left the room without another word making Adrian stared at the closed door for a while.

“I didn’t even tell her my name… How did she know?”

The question lingered on his mind for a moment before he pushed it aside. There were more important things to check.

He opened the system panel.

[Main Quest Successful]

Host defeated the Goblin King.

Rewards:

• C-Rank Dungeon Core

• Night Vanguard Cloak (Permanent Unlock)

• Night Vanguard Skill: Overdrive

• Increase Physical Stat Attributes

• Complete Mana Refill

The moment the he read those words, a warm current of energy flooded through Adrian’s body. The emptiness in his chest disappeared and his mana was completely restored, leaving him feeling full and refreshed, as though he had just eaten a large meal after days of hunger.

Out of curiosity, he activated the Night Vanguard Cloak. Shadows immediately rose from the floor and wrapped around his upper body like living fabric. The cloak moved without delay, flowing and shifting as if it possessed a will of its own. After watching with satisfaction, he deactivated it, watching the darkness dissolve back into nothing.

Adrian closed his eyes and entered his soul space.

Noir stood waiting for him.

The Shadow Knight looked slightly different—more solid and more refined. When Adrian checked the status panel, he saw the change immediately.

Noir had risen from Low C-Rank to High C-Rank. In Overdrive mode, the knight could temporarily reach B-Rank power. The difference in power was significant.

A satisfied smile appeared on Adrian’s face as he left the soul space.

Over the next several days, he focused entirely on recovery and training.

He started with simple jogging through the streets of Ashvale early in the morning, pushing his newly strengthened body. Later, he went to a public gym and worked through basic exercises. In the evenings, he returned to his apartment and sparred with Noir inside his soul space, training his hand to hand combat and Blade work.

The Silent Knight could not speak, but he was an excellent teacher. Through repeated demonstrations and patient repetition, Adrian learned the fundamentals of swordsmanship. Proper footwork, timing, distance control, and how to put his full body weight behind a strike.

Every session left him exhausted, but the progress was visible. His movements became sharper, his reactions grew faster. The bond between him and Noir deepened with each passing day.

Meanwhile another scene was unfolding across the city.

Smoke sat in his dimly lit office, a glass of alcohol in one hand. The ashtray beside him was already full with cigarette butts.

His phone suddenly rang and the caller ID showed one of his underlings.

He answered with a bored tone.

“What is it?”

A panicked voice came through the speaker.

“Sir! There’s a boy here and he’s tearing the place apart. We need…..” he couldn't finish as the line went silent.

A loud crash could be heard in the background before the voice cut off completely.

Smoke frowned and shouted into the phone.

“Oi, What’s going on over there? Talk to me”

A calm, familiar voice answered instead.

“Where is my dagger?”

Smoke’s blood ran cold as He recognized that voice instantly.

“How the hell are you still alive?” he demanded.

“Simple,” Adrian replied. “You failed to finish the job. I’m coming for my dagger, so keep it nice and shiny for me.”

The call ended.

Smoke stared at the silent phone for a long second before hurling it against the wall with a loud curse.

“Sick motherfucker”

He had shot the boy multiple times, there was no way a normal human should have survived that. Yet somehow Adrian was not only alive but he was strong enough to attack one of Smoke’s bases. Was he working together with other summoners?

Smoke forced himself to calm down.

Even if the boy had somehow survived, he was still just a summonless human. Killing him again shouldn’t be difficult.

He grabbed a piece of paper, quickly wrote down Adrian’s address, and placed it on the desk.

“you know what to do” he muttered to the empty room.

A strange wind suddenly swept through the office, lifting the paper and carrying it out through the open window into the night.

Smoke watched it disappear with narrowed eyes.