The Talentless Summoner

Through the power of rings, "Summoners" can call forth monstrous entities from another world. However, a summoner's true potential is dictated entirely by bloodline. Born into an ordinary family, young Minato Minase lacks the power to summon even a single phantom beast. His childhood friend, Yukimi Tohno, on the other hand, is a prodigy who commands formidable phantom beasts with ease. As time passes, the gulf between their talents only continues to widen. Yet, determined to stand by her side once more, Minato pushes himself through relentless, reckless sword training. Then one day, during a small-scale subjugation mission, disaster strikes, leaving Minato and Yukimi trapped in a desperate, life-or-death crisis. Just as they brace themselves for the end, a mysterious woman named Azami appears before Minato! "I shall lend you my power. In exchange, the price will be—" In return for overwhelming power, the "price of the contract" Azami demands of Minato isn't his life, his heart, or his soul... but something so unprecedented and unexpected ...