Heroine Creation: All My Summons Are Custom Made

Chapter 190: Let’s Do This

A heavy, looming silence hung over the rectangular valley, thick enough to make the skin crawl.

Despite the incredibly vast scale of the rugged terrain, the battlefield was laid out with clarity. The ground between the quadrants was flat and broken only by low lonely rocks, meaning every single team could see their competitors perfectly from across the field.

From there, Lancet could see the rest of the map clearly enough to understand how each territory had been tailored to its occupants.

Directly opposite Lancet’s team lay Elementalist-D’s territory. It was a volcanic wasteland of blackened earth, cracked stone, and glowing rivers of magma that crawled through the land like fiery veins.

To one side stood Enchanter-D’s territory, an expansive forest thick with towering trees, tangled roots, and pockets of dense undergrowth. Visibility was limited beneath the canopy, while natural cover and winding paths made it an excellent place for ambushes, traps, support formations, and hidden spellwork.

On the opposite side sat Specialist-D’s territory, which resembled the remnants of an ancient fort. Broken walls, collapsed watchtowers, weathered battlements, and fortified stone positions dotted the landscape.

In the dead center of the rectangle sat the neutral war zone—a barren expanse of scarred earth and exposed stone where the four territories bled into one another.

It was the space where they could fight freely, because the moment an opponent stepped on your territory, you would stop receiving the Tributes until they live or you are eliminated.

Above them, the Tribute totals hovered at equal starting values.

No one had moved.

The silence hanging over the valley was thin, tense, and ugly. Like the battlefield itself was holding its breath, waiting for someone to throw the first punch.

Kasto was the first to break it, glancing at Lancet after a nervous gulp. "So what do we focus on?" he asked. "Claiming other territories, or protecting our own?"

Lancet didn’t answer immediately. His gaze drifted across the plain, studying the posture, composition, and positioning of the three rival teams. A confident, highly relaxed smile played at the corners of his lips.

"Kasto, you’re usually a know-it-all," Lancet said, casting a dry smirk toward his close friend. "So I’m a little surprised you haven’t figured this out already."

Kasto snorted once, but he kept listening.

"This is the best challenge for Summoners to win," Lancet said. "Maybe the best one, period. I’d bet money Summoners have done well in this event before."

Kasto froze, thinking for a moment. His eyes lit up when he remembered. "Wait... that’s actually true! In past Inter-Class Competitions, Summoners consistently perform well in Territory War."

Lancet turned slightly, addressing Patton and Vera so they were also aligned on the strategy. "Yup. I mean think about the mechanics. To claim an enemy’s territory, you have to eliminate the defenders and have a member stand inside its borders. As Summoners, we can simply send out our Summons to attack and eliminate their players from a distance. Meanwhile, the rest of us stay right here, ensuring our home territory is never left defenseless while we attack others."

Vera nodded slowly, already understanding where he was going.

Lancet pointed a finger toward the volatile, steaming plateau across the valley.

"The Elementalists are going to fare exceptionally well in the opening minutes for an obvious reason: raw, wide-area destructive AoE spells. They can send distant attacks from their position without leaving their territory. Even though they’re not as good as us at distance, they’re the toughest challenge."

He eyed Soren, his roommate. "Enchanters will also be dangerous," he said. "Buffs, debuffs, rune control, healing support, mind interference. That kind of group doesn’t need to win by brute force. They can stall, reinforce, and make every fight more annoying than it should be."

Then he focused on Renan and his team.

"But the Specialists? They are going to have the hardest time out of everyone today."

"Really?" Patton asked.

"Isn’t it obvious?" Lancet said. "As powerful as they are individually, they are mainly built for combat; more precisely, close combat. That works wonders in a Dungeon, but when you only have a four-man roster and you’re forced to defend a massive territorial zone, physical bodies simply can’t cover enough ground. I’m not surprised their Instructor selected Sienna again since she’s an Archer. And having a strong Dragoon like Logan helps reinforce distance attacks."

Lancet lowered his hand, his eyes locking onto the center of the Specialist camp. "But of course, Renan is there. He has the raw power to singlehandedly carry them. He could definitely collect every single territory on the map all on his own."

He looked at Kasto with a boastful eyebrow raise. "Regardless of our edge as Summoners, if I wasn’t here today, you guys wouldn’t have stood a chance against him."

Kasto rolled his eyes. "Alright, big head."

Vera gripped her twisted wooden staff tighter and leaned forward to whisper something to Lancet. "Lancet, the Elementalists and Kallan keep glaring straight at us. They look absolutely furious. Looks like they want revenge for what happened during the Dungeon Raid."

Lancet’s smile sharpened. "Which is exactly why we’re going to take them out first."

Kasto’s jaw dropped slightly. "Wait, what? We’re not playing defensive?"

Lancet gave him a look that made the answer obvious.

"Everyone expects Summoners to play defensive," he said. "So we’re going ultra offensive."

His eyes narrowed toward the opposing territories.

"We take the second-best team for this challenge after us. That weakens the field immediately. I’m betting Renan and the Specialists go after Enchanters. That leaves two teams holding two territories each, and then we fight for all four."

Kasto stared at him for a moment, knowing that there was no point arguing it. Lancet was rarely wrong. "Alright. Let’s do this."

The announcer’s voice tore across the battlefield, startling the players. "What are you waiting for, competitors!" his voice echoed powerfully across the rectangular valley. "The competition timer is already running! all of you have the same amount of Tributes. If you want to win by the time the clock runs out, I suggest you start attacking some territories!"

KRAKRA-KOOMMM!

Suddenly, lightning struck the ground like a spear from the sky. A blast of blinding white lit up the entire valley forcing everyone but Lancet to shield their eyes.

A shockwave of wind spread through the battlefield, carrying a chill that went down the spine of all the contestants.

They slowly lowered their hands and peered into the dust that had gathered. There was crackling of lightning within the brown haze, and slowly, a figure started to form.

Feminine. Powerful. Sculpted.

Once the dust finally cleared, Thor Stormchild stood tall in the center of the ridge.