SSS-Ranked Summoner: Only I Summon All Heroes And Heroines Of Legend-Chapter 26: Major Quest Rewards Are The Real Deal!

[HERALD FELLED - Choose An Artifact]

[Sands of Time]

[Herald’s Helm]

Altair was overwhelmed by the incoming streams of notification that appeared in his view, but quickly waved it off with a mental flick to avoid giving himself away. "I’ll check it out later."

He turned to Svenja and Ryka, both still catching their breath from the chaos they’d just survived.

"You two okay?"

Ryka nodded quickly, brushing dust from her sleeves. "Yeah. I’m fine."

Svenja gave a slight nod, her orbs already dismissed, and her face was back to its usual blank expression.

Altair glanced between them, then lowered his voice. "So listen. We need to keep what just happened between us."

Ryka frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we don’t tell anyone the real reason we got pulled out."

"Altair, a Herald, whatever that is, just tried to abduct you. The Academy needs to know..."

"The Academy should know," Altair cut in. "But think about it. We were in a controlled plane. One the instructors said was secure. If someone could breach that, influence it, pull us out without anyone noticing..." He paused, letting the weight of it settle. "That means the school itself is compromised."

Ryka’s expression shifted, the realization hitting her like cold water.

"We don’t know who to trust yet," Altair continued. "So we tell them half-truths. We got separated, encountered something dangerous, fought it off, came back. That’s it."

"And if they ask what we fought?" Ryka asked.

"A construct. Something old, We don’t know what it was, or what it wanted." Altair looked at Svenja. "You good with that?"

Svenja said nothing, but her expression was without objection.

"Okay," Ryka said reluctantly. "Half-truths."

The void around them began to fracture.

Cracks spread across the floating platforms like spiderwebs, glowing faintly at the edges. The air shimmered, reality itself starting to collapse inward.

"What’s happening?" Ryka asked, panic creeping into her voice.

"I guess we’re going back," Altair said.

The world folded in on itself, and everything went white.

---

Back at the Academy Technical Hub

The radar blipped.

The lead technician jerked upright in his chair, eyes locked on the screen. The icon representing Altair’s group, which had vanished nearly an hour ago, was back. Pulsing steadily on the grid.

"Sir!" he called out.

Master Oz entered first, his heavy robes sweeping the floor as he moved toward the console. Behind him came Instructor Scathach, her face tight with worry, and Vice Principal Vivienne Zaldris, whose sharp eyes immediately locked onto the screen.

"They’re back," the technician said, pointing at the blinking marker.

Scathach exhaled sharply, relief flooding her features. She reached over and hit the recall button, pulling the three students back to the hall.

"I’m going to meet them," she said, already turning toward the door.

Oz and Zaldris exchanged a glance, then followed.

---

Scathach arrived first.

The three students present in the center of the hall, standing on the return platform. Altair, Ryka, and Svenja. All upright, all breathing, and all seemingly unharmed.

They looked like they were exchanging contacts when the instructor interrupted.

"Thank the heavens," Scathach breathed, rushing toward them. "Are you all okay?"

She began inspecting them like a mother checking her children after a fall, her hands hovering over their shoulders, while her eyes scanned for injuries.

"We’re fine, Instructor," Ryka said quickly.

"What happened?" Scathach asked, her voice strained. "You disappeared from the radar for nearly an hour. We couldn’t track you, couldn’t pull you back—"

"We got separated," Altair said evenly. "We didn’t quite know where we were. then we encountered something... old. A construct of some kind. We fought it off together then our emergency talisman activated, and we were back here."

Scathach’s eyes narrowed slightly, but before she could press further, the hall doors opened.

Master Oz and Vice Principal Zaldris entered, their presence immediately commanding the space. Both moved with grace and dignity, despite the fact that their supposedly secure magical infrastructure had just failed spectacularly.

Zaldris approached first, her sharp gaze sweeping over the three students.

"Glad to see you’re all in one piece," she said, though her tone carried an edge. "We’ll need a full debrief later."

"I just need to rest."

He walked past her without waiting for permission. "Vice Principal," he said with a nod.

Then he moved toward Master Oz, whose gaze he noticed was fixed directly on him.

Altair looked straight ahead, but as he crossed paths with the master, his eyes darted to the side, flicking an unfriendly look.

Master Oz was his prime suspect.

After all, this man had been the only one present during his initial summoning. He’d seen the Codex up close. He’d witnessed Altair summon Heracles. And then there was the particular interest in choosing to mentor him, despite the fact that Altair looked nothing like a typical Slykharn.

Altair wasn’t certain. But he had a prime suspect.

And he was definitely going to find out.

He glanced back one last time at the two girls, still being questioned by the Vice Principal and Instructor Scathach, before heading out and straight back to his dorm.

---

Altair arrived at the dorm, shut the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment, letting out a long breath.

He crossed to his bed and sat down heavily, then opened his interface with a mental command.

The familiar glow materialized in his vision, and his eyes widened with excitement as he beheld his updated template.

---

[CHARACTER PROFILE]

[Name: Altair Elfender]

[Race: Human]

[Class: Summoner]

[Tier: C+]

[Mana Pool]: 800/800

[Health Pool]: 800/800

[Experience Points]: 11,800

---

Total Contracts Formed: 3

- Delilah [Bound] - Tier C++

- Heracles [Bound] — Tier: S

- King Arthur Pendragon [Bound] — Tier: A

ABILITIES

- Codex Authority (S): Access to Timeless Records. Summon legends from across all historical timelines.

- Summoners Authority (C+): Capacity to maintain multiple high-tier summons simultaneously (Requires increased bond strength and mana capacity).

SPELLS

nil

EQUIPMENT

- Codex Aeterna Heroica [Soul-Bound Artifact]

---

Altair stared at the screen.

C+ rank now. His mana pool had leaped. And he was sitting on nearly twelve thousand experience points.

"Not bad," he muttered to himself.

Then his attention shifted to the notification still waiting at the top of his vision.

---

[HERALD FELLED - Choose An Artifact]

[Sands of Time]

[Herald’s Helm]

--- 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He studied both options carefully.

"Details on the artifacts, please," he said quietly to the system.

The interface responded immediately.

---

[Sands of Time]

Ghrangoroth’s unique artifact. Grants the ability to influence time around marked targets and induce brief time stops. Targets superior to you or with great magic resistance can break this hold. Scales with user’s magic rank.

[Herald’s Helm]

A unique mask that grants enhanced perception. Allows the wearer to capture, store, and track magic signatures even across realms. Effective for scouting and long-range tracking.

---

Altair paused, weighing both options in his head.

The Helm was valuable. Being able to track magic signatures across realms? That could be a game-changer for reconnaissance. For finding threats before they found him.

But the Sands of Time offered something more immediate. A skill. An actual combat ability he could use now. And right now, he needed every edge he could get.

If he was still too weak, there was no point in tracking anyone.

He made his choice.

"Sands of Time."

---

[Congratulations, you have claimed the artifact ’Sands of Time’]

[New Spell Unlocked: Silencing of the Hour ]

---

A warmth spread through Altair’s chest, settling just beneath his ribs. It wasn’t painful, more like a gentle hum of energy integrating into his core.

He opened and closed his fist experimentally, feeling the new power settle into him like a second heartbeat.

A slow smile spread across his face.

He’d just survived an encounter with a Herald of the Watchers. Fought alongside Heracles. Gained six levels in a single battle. And now he had a time-manipulation ability.

Not bad for a kid who’d been called a failure less than two weeks ago.

Altair dismissed the interface and leaned back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

There was a chance the Watchers knew about him now, although Ghrangoroth had been killed before he could escape.

But that was a problem for tomorrow.

For now, he let himself rest with the thought of how Ryka and Svenja worked well with him.

That temporary trio, had to be permanent.