Players (玩家). Individuals who were suddenly transmigrated into the New World to participate in Deathmatch.
Upon arrival, each Player awakened their Innate Soul Ability through unknown means. In addition, they were granted a Summon bound directly to their Soul, forming what is known as a Master–Summon Pact, where one assumes the role of Master and the other Servant.
Every Player was branded with a Master Crest, which grants them the authority to issue up to three absolute Commands per day. This serves as a safeguard, preventing Summons from rebelling against or killing their Masters.
However, this relationship wasn't completely one-sided.
Mistreating or antagonizing a Summon is considered a fundamentally poor decision. First of all, the number of Commands is strictly limited. Once exhausted, a Master loses their absolute authority for the remainder of the day, leaving them vulnerable if their Summon harbors resentment.
Secondly, Summons are not mindless entities. They possess their own will, emotions, and intelligence. While the pact binds them, it does not erase their personality. A hostile relationship can result in disobedience, inefficiency, or even subtle sabotage within the boundaries of the contract.
Lastly, the Master–Summon Pact was built upon a shared connection of Soul and Mana. The stability and efficiency of this link are influenced by mutual compatibility. A strained relationship can disrupt synchronization, reducing combat effectiveness and limiting the potential of both parties.
For these reasons, even if their personalities clashed, both Player and Summon were required to cooperate or at least tolerate each other to a certain extent.
Kevin, however, was the kind of person who detested the idea of having a slave beneath him. As such, he avoided using the Command of the Master Crest whenever possible. As a result, his relationship with the succubus was relatively good, despite her… unique personality.
That said, there were moments when said succubus pushed him to his absolute limit, leaving him with no choice but to enforce discipline.
In total, he had used Command twice.
The first time… well, it was something he would rather not dwell on. If it were possible to erase that memory, he would have done so without hesitation.
No... If anything, that entire incident deserved to be erased from the history of the world.
Satisfied with his chocolate cake–induced revenge, Kevin severed the mental link just as Sera's scream rang out.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he pictured her being forced into an undeniably compromising position. He would have preferred to witness it firsthand, but for now, his imagination would suffice, at least until he returned.
His thoughts were soon interrupted by the soft sound of approaching footsteps, followed by the subtle shift of weight as someone took a seat beside him.
Kevin didn't need to turn his head to know who it was. Her presence was unmistakable, both in manner and in the familiar flow of her energy.
"How was your sleep? Feeling rested?"
"Somewhat. Did anything happen while we were asleep?"
"Nothing much. It's rare for something interesting to happen in this kind of radio silence. Even other creatures don't linger around these parts. Well... If you exclude the Carapace Centipedes beneath the ashen wasteland."
"Oh. I see."
Jasmine said that as though having nothing else to add.
What is this situation? Kevin thought to himself, not knowing what to do, resisting the urge to give her a look.
He had noticed a few details about this peculiar Lancer.
Firstly, she doesn't seem to be adept in communication. Aside from necessary matters or discussions, she rarely spoke and always remained silent. Silence seemed to be her default state, like a drawn blade waiting in its scabbard.
Kevin had met people like that before.
The type who weren't bad at talking, just unwilling.
Of course, it was only natural to keep quiet when there was nothing worth saying. In that sense, Kevin wasn't much different.
He, too, preferred silence over meaningless conversation to an extent.
That similarity led him to a rather unexpected conclusion.
Jasmine appeared mysterious, aloof, and undeniably composed. Coupled with her faintly masculine tone and manner of speech, she gave off an almost radiant presence. To others, she resembled a distant star, brilliant and untouchable. A prodigy who had risen rapidly through the ranks, becoming a Lancer at the age of twenty-two, already stepping onto the path toward Sainthood.
The less she spoke, the more she seemed to know.
That quiet confidence was both reassuring and captivating.
But that impression was completely wrong.
The truth had nothing to do with being cool or aloof. Recalling her interactions with the rest of the group, Kevin arrived at a far less glamorous realization.
Jasmine was simply… unbelievably, almost impressively awkward.
Painfully so.
In short, she was an introvert.
And not just any introvert, but one who somehow made Kevin look socially competent by comparison.
It wasn't that she didn't know how to talk to people. On the contrary, when the situation demanded it — when the topic was important or required clarity — she could communicate perfectly well.
But outside of that, she had absolutely no idea what to do.
Her situation was similar to an elderly person who had no idea how to use modern day technology. Jasmine couldn't navigate ordinary conversation.
Small talk, casual banter, the effortless back-and-forth most people took for granted, those things might as well have been written in an entirely foreign language to her.
She didn't dislike people.
She didn't avoid them out of disdain or arrogance.
She simply… didn't know how to engage.
Kevin suppressed a sigh.
'So that's what it is.'
All that silence, that composed demeanor, that almost intimidating presence; it was the result of doing nothing.
Or rather… not knowing what to do.
He resisted the urge to rub his temples.
This was troublesome in a different way. At least with openly difficult people, there was something to push against.
But this was like trying to grasp smoke.
"…You don't talk much," Kevin said after a moment, breaking the silence once again.
"Yes."
"…Is that intentional?"
Jasmine seemed to consider the question.
"…No."
Kevin blinked. "No?"
"I speak when necessary."
"That's not the same thing."
"…I do not know what else to say," she admitted.
Kevin stared at her for a second before letting out a quiet breath.
"…Right."
That certainly explained everything.
"…You know, most people just say whatever comes to mind."
"That sounds inefficient."
"It is."
"…Then why do they do it?"
Kevin smirked before deciding share a little bit of his wisdom.
"No clue. I'm a rather reserved and laid-back person myself, so I don't have all the answers. But not everything has to be perfect. People chat just for chatting sake while others want to know other people. That is just human nature. Humans can't exist with some sort of interaction, so I suppose you could say this is the way of humans."
Jasmine fell silent again.
She appeared to be thinking. After a while, she lowered her gaze and said:
"…I see. I'll take that into consideration."
It was a good start.
Feeling a bit proud, Kevin felt thankful that she could not see his perverted smile.
Recalling something, he rubbed the back of his head before casually adding, "By the way, the big guy downstairs is badly injured. It's practically on the verge of death, so it's absorbing the surrounding ley energy to reconstruct itself."
"…Eh? What?"
For the first time, Jasmine turned toward his direction with an incredulous expression.
If the young man had looked at her face right now, he would have undoubtedly been puzzled.