The Summoner

Hammed stared ahead in horror as his eyes finally adjusted to what waited beyond the trees. A gigantic anaconda rested across the forest floor, its enormous body thick enough to crush several people without showing the slightest difficulty.
"Nah, man," Hammed thought, his entire body becoming tense. "This is way worse than anything I ever saw in the movies." His fingers tightened around his spear while sweat slowly gathered across his forehead despite the cool forest breeze.
The enormous snake suddenly opened its jaws, revealing rows of curved teeth glistening beneath the afternoon sunlight. Something hung between them, partially hidden by its massive fangs. Hammed stared harder, desperately trying to understand what he was seeing.
Then he realized.
Human legs.
His stomach immediately twisted. The snake slowly pulled the remaining body deeper into its mouth before swallowing it completely. Hammed's face turned pale as he watched, horrified by how casually the creature consumed what had once been a person.
Hammed immediately looked toward Griz and Komo. The enormous snake had not noticed them yet, and every reasonable thought inside his head screamed at him to turn around. Running away now would be the safest possible decision.
But something stopped him.
His curiosity.
Ever since discovering that Griz and Komo obeyed his commands, questions had been piling inside his mind. Why did they listen? What exactly was this strange contract? What had the broken blue system actually been trying to reveal?
Most importantly, Hammed wanted to know whether he could control other beasts. The possibility sounded completely ridiculous, yet the evidence standing beside him was impossible to deny. If Griz and Komo responded to his commands, perhaps another creature could too.
Hammed swallowed nervously before turning toward his two companions. He kept his voice low, careful not to attract the anaconda's attention while explaining the dangerous idea forming inside his head. His heartbeat accelerated as he considered the consequences.
"Listen," he whispered. "I want to test a theory."
Griz slowly turned his massive head toward Hammed, his dark eyes carrying obvious suspicion. The bear had already learned that Hammed possessed a strange habit of making dangerous decisions whenever curiosity became stronger than common sense.
"If I'm right, everything will be fine. If I'm wrong..." Hammed glanced toward the enormous anaconda. "I'll probably die unless you two save me."
Griz stared at him for several seconds, seemingly weighing the stupidity of Hammed's plan before finally responding through their strange mental connection.
"Then wouldn't it be better if you simply didn't do it?"
Hammed shook his head firmly.
"No."
He clenched his fists, forcing himself to remain focused despite the fear crawling beneath his skin. This opportunity might never appear again, and he desperately needed answers before wandering farther into this dangerous and unfamiliar world.
"That weird system appeared, crashed, and disappeared. Now you two are following every command I give you. This entire situation is driving me crazy. I need to understand what's happening."
Komo lowered his enormous head slightly, his golden eyes remaining fixed on the anaconda. The Komodo dragon seemed less interested in Hammed's theory and more concerned about whether the predator might suddenly notice their presence.
Hammed took a deep breath before continuing, his expression becoming more serious as he remembered the body disappearing inside the snake. Whatever happened, there might still be a chance to save whoever had been swallowed.
"Besides, there's possibly a human inside that snake. If there's even a chance I can save them, I'm going to try."
A faint rustling suddenly came from the anaconda. Its enormous head began turning toward them while its long tongue slipped between its teeth. Hammed's heart jumped as the snake slowly lifted its body from the forest floor.
"Oh, crap."
The snake started moving away.
Hammed's heart pounded harder. If he allowed it to leave, his opportunity would disappear completely. Without thinking through the consequences, he bent down, picked up a stone, and weighed it nervously inside his palm.
"This is probably the stupidest thing I've ever done."
He pulled his arm backward and threw the stone with everything he had.
"Hey, you monster snake!"
The stone struck the anaconda's massive body with a dull crack. The enormous reptile immediately stopped moving, its muscles tightening beneath its scales as its head slowly turned back toward the small human foolish enough to challenge it.
Hammed's entire body froze as those enormous eyes locked directly onto him. For one terrifying moment, neither creature moved. Hammed suddenly realized that attracting the snake's attention might have been the worst decision he had made since arriving.
Then his trousers became slightly warm.
Hammed's face went pale.
"Okay," he thought nervously. "I may have underestimated this plan."
Despite the fear crawling through every part of his body, Hammed forced himself to remain standing. His legs wanted to run, but he knew turning his back would only make him look like helpless prey.
He slowly raised both hands toward the enormous creature, trying to imitate the confident posture he had seen characters use in countless fantasy stories. Inside, however, his courage was rapidly disappearing beneath overwhelming terror.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
The anaconda suddenly opened its massive jaws.
Hammed's eyes widened.
Instead of stopping, the creature launched itself directly toward him. Its enormous mouth opened wider as rows of sharp teeth became visible, and Hammed could practically imagine himself disappearing completely inside the monster's throat.
"STOP!"
Nothing happened.
The snake continued coming.
Hammed's legs refused to move. The distance between them vanished rapidly, while the enormous creature's jaws grew closer with every passing second. He finally understood that his experiment had failed, and there would be no second chance.
"This isn't working!"
Hammed closed his eyes for a brief moment, certain that his ridiculous experiment had just ended his life. His body tensed for the impact, but instead of feeling teeth tear through him, something strange suddenly appeared in front of his face.
A faint blue light flickered weakly in the air.
Hammed opened his eyes and stared at the tiny fragment floating before him. It looked like part of the broken system from earlier, except this time the glowing interface was barely functioning.
Three blue words appeared.
CONTRACTED BEAST 3
Hammed's eyes widened.
"What?"
The fragment vanished immediately after displaying those words. Hammed barely had time to process the message before the enormous anaconda suddenly stopped moving directly in front of him.
Its jaws slowly closed.
The creature lowered its massive head until it rested gently against Hammed's outstretched hands. The sudden change was so unbelievable that Hammed couldn't even react, his fingers remaining pressed against the snake's smooth scales.
The viciousness that had filled the snake's eyes moments earlier had completely disappeared. There was no rage, no hunger, and no intention to attack. Instead, the enormous predator remained strangely calm beside him.
Hammed slowly lowered his arms, staring between his hands and the snake's enormous face. His breathing gradually steadied as the impossible realization began settling inside his mind.
"It actually worked."
He looked toward Griz.
Then toward Komo.
Then back toward the enormous anaconda.
His fear slowly transformed into excitement. The strange system, the commands, and the beasts were connected somehow. For the first time, Hammed felt like he was beginning to understand his new existence.
"So that means..."
His eyes began sparkling.
"This is a magic world."
Hammed placed one hand against his chest, his expression brightening as memories from his old life returned. He had spent countless evenings reading fantasy novels and manga about people receiving incredible powers after being transported somewhere impossible.
"I've read enough manga and novels about reincarnation to know how these things usually work."
His grin widened.
"It takes a genius to figure this out within a day."
Komo stared at him without expression while Griz remained completely silent. Neither beast seemed remotely impressed by Hammed's sudden conclusion, but Hammed was far too excited to notice their lack of enthusiasm.
He raised both hands dramatically toward the sky.
"All those years of reading manga and novels after work finally paid off!"
Hammed pointed proudly toward himself, his entire body trembling with excitement as he prepared to announce what he believed was the greatest discovery of his new life.
"I definitely am..."
He paused dramatically.
"I am definitely..."
His grin stretched across his face.
"A SUMMONER!"
Hammed threw his head backward and laughed loudly.
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
His laughter echoed through the forest, startling birds from nearby branches. The enormous anaconda simply watched him, while Griz and Komo exchanged a long, silent look that suggested neither understood their contractor's sudden excitement.
"All those seniors who bullied me in school! My boss who treated me like absolute trash!
Hammed clenched his fists while laughing wildly, imagining all the people from his old life who had underestimated him. For the first time, he felt as though fate had finally handed him something worth celebrating.
"Guess who has powers now?!"
His laughter became increasingly enthusiastic as he pointed toward himself.
"That's right! Me!"
Griz eventually walked forward and nudged Hammed with his enormous head, interrupting his celebration. The force wasn't enough to hurt him, but it immediately reminded Hammed that there were still important matters requiring his attention.
Hammed blinked and looked toward the bear.
"What?"
Griz stared at him through their mental connection.
"I thought you were trying to rescue someone."
Komo immediately added his own thought.
"I guess we're not doing that anymore."
Hammed's laughter abruptly stopped. He slowly lowered his arms and glanced toward the unconscious person he had nearly forgotten about during his celebration.
"Ahem."
He straightened his clothes awkwardly.
"I'm sure you two didn't see that."
Griz stared directly at him.
"We all saw it."
Komo nodded.
"Definitely."
Hammed's face became red.
"Whatever."
He turned toward the enormous anaconda, which remained peacefully beside him. The creature lifted its head slightly, its long tongue flicking through the air as Hammed considered what to call his newest contracted beast.
"Now, I need to figure out what to call you."
The snake looked toward him.
"Master, what is my name?"
Hammed stared at it.
A strange feeling of pride filled his chest. He now had three contracted beasts, and somehow that number felt incredible despite him still having no idea how his ability actually worked.
He needed an amazing name.
Something powerful.
Something memorable.
Something that would strike fear into the hearts of his enemies.
Hammed folded his arms and thought deeply while the enormous snake patiently waited. Behind him, Griz slowly lowered his head, already appearing concerned about the name Hammed might eventually choose.
Komo slowly shook his head.
Griz sighed.
"Knowing how bad he is at naming things, I pity you already."
Hammed ignored him completely.
He pointed dramatically toward the snake.
"Your name is going to be..."
He paused, stretching the moment longer than necessary.
"Nake."
Silence filled the forest.
The enormous snake slowly lowered its head.
Its teeth became slightly visible.
Griz stared at Hammed in disbelief.
"That's too lame."
Hammed looked genuinely confused.
"What?"
Griz shook his massive head.
"Didn't you attend naming school?"
Hammed frowned.
"Is the name really that bad?"
The snake slowly raised its head again. Surprisingly, it didn't appear offended by the ridiculous name. Instead, it calmly stared at Hammed as though the name meant something important to it.
"Thank u master now have a name."
Hammed blinked.
The snake lowered its enormous head respectfully.
"Thank you, Master."
Hammed scratched his head, confused by the response. He said "Actually, just call me Hammed."
The snake nodded.
"Very well, Master... Hammed."
Hammed smiled before patting the snake's enormous head carefully.
"Okay, Nake."
The snake tilted its head slightly but didn't object. Hammed then remembered why they had approached the creature in the first place, and his expression immediately became serious.
"Now, Nake, I need you to vomit what's inside your stomach."
The snake stared at him.
"You want me to vomit my lunch or dinner?"
Hammed's expression changed immediately.
"No, no, no! When you put it that way, it sounds disgusting."
He pointed toward the snake's enormous stomach.
"I mean the human you ate."
Nake nodded.
"Alright. If you say so."
The enormous snake lowered its head toward the ground. Its massive body suddenly contracted as powerful muscles tightened beneath its scales, causing Hammed to instinctively step backward.
Nake gagged once.
Then again.
A moment later, the snake violently regurgitated the contents of its stomach onto the forest floor. Hammed immediately stepped backward while covering his nose, fighting against the horrible smell filling the surrounding air.
Among the disgusting remains lay an unconscious figure.
Hammed's expression changed immediately.
Nake lowered its head, its enormous eyes appearing strangely sad as it stared toward what it had brought back up. The creature seemed to understand that something about the situation had changed.
Griz noticed the snake's expression.
"Don't worry."
Nake looked toward him.
"Since we are together now, and I am the eldest among us."
Griz puffed out his massive chest slightly.
"How about we hunt later and ease your hunger?"
Nake slowly lifted its head.
"Really?"
Griz nodded.
"Yes. We bears are very good at hunting."
Nake's expression immediately brightened.
"Really?"
Griz gave a satisfied growl.
"Of course."
Hammed shook his head and walked away from them, deciding that discussing food immediately after such a disgusting scene was something he didn't want to hear.
"I'll leave you two to discuss your dinner plans."
He approached the unconscious person lying several meters away. At first, Hammed could only see a young man covered in dirt and partially digested slime, with torn clothing hanging loosely from his body.
Hammed crouched beside him and carefully examined his condition. His chest was moving slowly, proving that he was still alive. Relief immediately washed through Hammed as he checked for other obvious signs of serious injury.
"He's alive."
The words escaped Hammed quietly.
He carefully moved some dirt away from the stranger's face, trying to identify him. Something about the boy's features looked strangely familiar, but the mud and injuries made recognition difficult.
Hammed leaned closer.
His eyes widened.
"No way."
He wiped more dirt from the boy's face, revealing his familiar features. His heart suddenly began pounding as recognition spread through his mind, forcing him to question whether his eyes were playing tricks on him.
His jaw dropped.
"What the heck........What the heck are you doing here?!"?!"
"Matthew?!"