It was already past midnight when he returned to the dormitory. Because the Novice Dungeons were opening tomorrow, many students had already headed home after completing their class advancements. Consequently, the dormitory building was nearly empty tonight, save for the supervisor. Gu Chen was the only one left in his room, which at least offered some peace and quiet.

His gaze landed on the summoning skill book in his hand, his heart filled with anticipation.

[Skill Book: Summon Bloodthirsty Bat] [Level: 1] [Tier: Uncommon] [Effect: Form a contract with a Bloodthirsty Bat.]

Generally speaking, a Summoner's first contracted creature was crucial. Noble Summoners almost universally opted for Rare-tier or higher summons to start. However, considering Gu Chen's current situation, this Uncommon-tier Bloodthirsty Bat was the best choice available to him. Even if it wasn't a creature most Summoners would favor, it would at least allow him to take his first step.

Gu Chen's expression turned serious. Learn!

A white light bloomed from the skill book. Immediately afterward, Gu Chen felt a mysterious dimension connect to his mind—his Summoning Space. An entirely pitch-black, rather ugly bat materialized within the Summoning Space.

[You have successfully formed a contract with the Bloodthirsty Bat.]

[Summon: Bloodthirsty Bat] [Tier: Uncommon] [Level: 1] [HP: 150] [Attributes: Strength 5, Agility 4, Constitution 4, Spirit 5] [Talent: Vampirism] [Skill: Sonic Attack LV.1] [Summons can wear equipment. Upon summon death, equipped items have a chance to drop.] [If a summon perishes, it cannot be resummoned for 24 hours.]

Glancing at the stats, Gu Chen noted the Level 1 Bloodthirsty Bat had even less HP than a typical Level 1 Mage, and its attack power was mediocre at best. No wonder nobles wouldn't even glance twice at an Uncommon-tier summon. Jiang Songhua had been right; with a creature like this, clearing even the Novice Dungeons would likely be impossible. Without the means to contract high-tier summons, the Summoner class really was a path to nowhere.

At this thought, Gu Chen accessed his Talent interface in his mind. God-level Talent, Primal Dark Blood, activate!

The next second, a dark light bloomed before him. Streaks of crimson radiance, like intertwining, coiling veins, materialized in the air.

[You have obtained: Dark Bloodline · Progenitor] [Dark Bloodline · Progenitor: An incomparably pure dark bloodline. Can transform ordinary creatures into Progenitor Dark Creatures, granting them unparalleled talents and abilities.]

"Progenitor Bloodline? Interesting." Gu Chen peered into his Summoning Space and directly infused the Dark Bloodline into the Bloodthirsty Bat. The crimson light flared violently, vivid and blinding.

[Dark Bloodline · Progenitor Fusion Successful!] [Summon Evolving...] [Bloodthirsty Bat (Uncommon) -> Dracula (Epic)]

Dracula? The Progenitor Vampire? An Epic-tier one at that! This was actually possible! Gu Chen's face was a mask of astonishment. A single Dark Bloodline had allowed the Uncommon-tier Bloodthirsty Bat to leapfrog three quality tiers—Superior and Rare—to become the Epic-tier Dracula!

This was the power of a God-level Talent? Its effect was simply heaven-defying! One Dark Bloodline per level? What did nobles even matter then? Even a commoner Summoner could become godlike with this! And this was just the result from upgrading an Uncommon creature. What would happen if he used a Dark Bloodline on a Legendary-tier summon? What heights could it reach? And were there even higher tiers of Dark Bloodlines beyond 'Progenitor'?

Excitement flared in Gu Chen's eyes as he quickly focused back on his Summoning Space. Standing within was a figure dressed in a dark red formal suit, possessing a tall, straight posture and an air of refined elegance. It was a young man with lean cheeks and a high-bridged nose. His eyes were deep-set and sharp, glowing with a malevolent crimson light. His arms hung naturally at his sides, each hand gripping a heavy pistol—one matte black, the other gleaming silver. The two firearms shared the exact same design: large-caliber hand cannons firing ammunition far more potent than standard pistol rounds.

So this is Dracula? Gu Chen sized him up from head to toe and nodded slightly. The image wasn't far off from the vampires of his preconceptions. He then pulled up the creature's status panel.

[Summon: Dracula] [Tier: Epic] [Level: LV.1] [HP: 1800] [Attributes: Strength 28, Agility 32, Constitution 30, Spirit 29] [Talent: Blood Progeny Instinct (Epic)] [Skill I: Fatal Shot LV.10 (Epic)] [Skill II: Crimson Feast LV.10 (Epic)]

An Epic-tier Talent! Max-level Epic-tier skills! "As expected of an Epic-tier summon... truly terrifying," Gu Chen murmured.

[Summon Tier increased from Uncommon to Epic. Received Attribute Feedback. Summoner All Attributes +10.]

When a summoned creature's quality tier increased, the Summoner would also receive a corresponding boost to their own attributes. However, such opportunities were exceedingly rare. Evolving a summon consumed vast amounts of money and resources, making it generally more cost-effective to simply purchase a higher-tier creature outright. Consequently, attribute feedback from summon evolution was seldom witnessed.

Upon receiving the +10 boost to all attributes, Gu Chen felt an invigorating energy spread through his entire body, an indescribably refreshing sensation. He opened his own character panel.

[Name: Gu Chen] [Class: Summoner] [Level: LV.1 (0/100)] [Strength: 17] [Agility: 16] [Constitution: 18] [Spirit: 19] [Summon: Dracula LV.1 (Epic)]

An excited expression spread across Gu Chen's face; he felt inwardly thrilled. It had to be known that for any newly advanced Level 1 Class Holder, the average value across their four primary attributes wouldn't exceed 10. Yet his average stat value as a Level 1 Summoner was already approaching 20! If news of this spread, it would undoubtedly leave other Class Holders feeling utterly inadequate.

Moreover, Summoners typically avoided direct combat, commanding their creatures to fight for them in almost all situations. Entering the Novice Dungeons with an Epic-tier summon... wouldn't that be a complete cakewalk?

"Tomorrow... I'm really looking forward to it..."

Early the next morning, Gu Chen arrived punctually at the designated Novice Dungeon area for Lincheng First High School.

Artificial dungeons like this one were standard facilities at nearly every key high school throughout the Shenxia Empire. They opened for only ten days annually and were exclusively accessible to newly advanced Class Holders under Level 10. Despite being artificial constructs, the monsters within were identical to those found in the Abyss proper. Slaying them yielded experience, and there was a chance they would drop equipment and items. Crucially, death within the Novice Dungeon was real death. However, as these dungeons were intended as trials for students, the school provided every participant with a teleportation scroll. In case of life-threatening danger, they could use it to instantly exit the dungeon.

At this moment, a dense crowd of newly advanced students milled about the dungeon entrance. Although this dungeon belonged to Lincheng First High School, due to resource constraints, students from several surrounding non-key high schools were also directed here.

"LFG, Level 1 Warrior, full starter set!" "Extra teleport scrolls, selling cheap! Anyone need one?" "Need Archer or Gunslinger, must have gear and skills!" ...

Unless using a special item to block detection, Class Holders could generally perceive the level and class of others nearby through their spiritual sense. Gu Chen glanced around. The surrounding students mostly possessed common classes and were busy trying to form teams—the dungeon-clearing method most advocated by the schools. After all, no matter how strong an individual was, their capabilities were limited. Later in their careers, virtually all dungeons necessitated teamwork. It was extremely rare for any Class Holder to clear a dungeon entirely solo.

Just then, Gu Chen's presence caught the eye of a few nearby students. "Hey, look! A Summoner!" "Whoa, really! Definitely gotta be some rich noble kid." "No kidding! Who'd become a Summoner without a family fortune of tens of millions?" "Expert! Looking for a team! Please carry us!"