“Practical examination on the first day?”
“Why is it only our class when other classes are temporary?”
Observing the surprised students, Professor Yura spoke earnestly,
“I have already informed you. Those who lack commitment should not attend. Do you believe our field is equivalent to the other two?”
In response to her question, the students maintained their silence.
“If you are pursuing summoning, you should be aware. Summoning is not merely a matter of mana sensitivity. To form contracts with spirits, you must possess an affinity with them, and to control beasts, you require ‘taming’ skills.”
Professor Yura gestured expansively.
“As a result, the number of summoners is significantly fewer compared to knights or mages. Hence, the representation of heroes from our discipline is limited.”
The students gritted their teeth in the face of this undeniable argument.
“Nevertheless! Summoners who attain hero status achieve more remarkable feats than their counterparts in other disciplines!”
She exclaimed with a visibly proud expression.
“Do you think you should be treated the same as students from other majors?”
“No!”
“Aren’t you the chosen ones?”
“Yes! We are!”
“Then, let’s commence with great enthusiasm from the very beginning!”
“Yes!”
“Excellent! Let’s proceed!”
“Let’s proceed!”
As Professor Yura cheered with a raised fist, the first-year students followed suit.
The atmosphere instantly became lively.
Observing her students’ immediate engagement, Professor Yura displayed a satisfied expression. A silver-haired female student then raised her hand.
“So, what kind of practical examination are we to undertake on the first day?”
“An excellent question, Eliza Hergin.”
Upon hearing that name, the students began to murmur.
The Hergin family.
A renowned family of summoning heroes in the northern continent.
“On this island, there are beasts under the management of Lumeren.”
For summoners, these beasts function as weapons.
“We will evaluate your taming abilities.”
Yura gestured toward the forest.
“Tame a beast from this forest and present it. Your scores will depend on the type of beast you tame.”
Upon hearing the specifics of the examination, Eliza inquired once more,
“Do we need to both tame and form a contract?”
This question made the students nervous.
Taming and forming contracts were distinct processes.
Taming served as the initial step to establish a connection with the beast, and if one possessed the necessary ability, they could proceed to form a contract.
Smiling at Eliza’s query, Yura replied,
“If you successfully form a contract, that beast will be yours.”
“Wow!”
“As expected of Lumeren! Recognizing a contract made during class!”
There were two methods to form contracts with beasts.
The first involved summoning through a catalyst, while the second entailed directly encountering the beast to establish a contract.
In the latter scenario, a beast that had not yet formed a contract could be ‘sold.’ Consequently, such beasts commanded exceedingly high prices.
Having the opportunity to form contracts with such creatures naturally fueled their motivation.
“Professor, what about students aspiring to study spirit magic?”
This time, Chen Shia inquired.
“A summoner can effectively manage both spirits and beasts. While there are specializations, Lumeren’s summoning class focuses on maximizing proficiency in both, so put in your best effort,” Professor Yura emphasized.
Chen Shia nodded in agreement.
‘Beasts.’
In his previous life, Leo had also formed contracts with formidable beasts.
‘But they all vanished in battles.’
As he reminisced about those weaker creatures from the past, Professor Yura addressed the students,
“You have three hours! Begin!”
“Alright!”
The first-year students eagerly dashed into the forest.
“Hmm? Aren’t you going?”
Professor Yura gazed curiously at Leo, Chen Shia, Warden, and Eliza, who remained at the starting point.
The so-called top students of this first-year group were still standing there.
Eliza, casually cleaning her nails, remarked,
“I’m not interested in low-tier beasts.”
She playfully blew air from her fingertips, wearing a mischievous smile.
“…”
Warden, the quiet one, gave no response.
“Well… I only have theoretical knowledge of taming, so I’m still deciding.”
Chen Shia wore a somewhat troubled smile.
Finally, Leo, who had been staring into the forest, began to walk.
“Oh, Mr. Representative?”
Leo turned to look at Eliza.
“I’ve heard about your skills in the Knight class. Should I expect the same in the Summoning class?”
With a smirk, Eliza inquired, and Leo simply shrugged.
“I’ll give it my all.”
Observing Leo calmly brush off her provocation, Eliza expressed a bored expression.
As Leo entered the forest, Professor Yura chuckled.
“Ah, youth.”
“Well, Professor, you’re not exactly getting any younger either…”
Thud!
“Ugh?”
Professor Yura playfully punched Carlo in the ribs and grinned while watching Leo’s departing figure.
‘I have high hopes for him personally.’
Her intuition told her so.
***
‘I never imagined such a magical beast ecosystem could exist.’
Internally, Leo marveled as he ventured deeper into the forest.
In his previous life, he had never encountered such a diverse gathering of magical beasts in one place.
For summoners, this forest was an absolute treasure trove.
Students scoured the forest tirelessly in search of these creatures.
Frequently, disagreements erupted over a particular beast, resulting in some students losing their finds.
For those with a summoning reputation, caution was the key.
The more powerful the beast, the more hesitant it was to reveal itself to humans.
This explained why Warden and Eliza remained near the starting point.
In terms of skill, Eliza was on par with Warden.
“Isn’t that guy going too deep in?”
Some students appeared puzzled as they watched Leo venture further into the forest.
Though they were noisily exploring the forest, most refrained from going too deep.
Higher-ranked magical beasts often harbored hostility towards humans.
Moreover, this was not merely a class exercise; it was a practical exam.
In one way or another, they would be graded.
Attempting to recklessly contract with a high-ranking beast and failing would result in a score of zero.
Lumeren was an exceedingly competitive environment.
There was no room for excuses like “I had bad luck” or “At least I tried.”
“Just let him be; he probably thinks that if he fails here, he can always switch to the Knight course.”
“Likely, don’t you think?”
A few students chuckled and lost interest.
Deeper into the forest, Leo surveyed his surroundings.
Making sure no one was nearby, he produced a gray feather he had discovered upon arriving on the island.
‘Indeed, this is…’
With a gleam in his eyes, Leo generated an aura.
The gray aura gradually ignited.
It was the power of the Phoenix Breath that Leo had mastered.
The aura flames transferred to the feather, causing it to burn even more intensely.
Then, it turned to ash and dispersed.
Roar!
‘Could it be that this feather came from a Phoenix? Is there even a Phoenix in this forest?’
The Phoenix, one of the most potent magical beasts, was notoriously challenging to contract.
Its fiery feather, a summoning catalyst, would turn to ash upon reacting with mana, rendering it useless for summoning.
The only way to form a contract with a Phoenix was to encounter it directly.
However, the proud Phoenix was not easily swayed.
It was often considered the dream beast for summoners.
“It truly is Lumeren. Impressive.”
Just as Leo’s eyes sparkled,
Whoosh!
“…!”
A brilliant crimson flame flickered above Leo’s head.
Blinded by the intense light and overwhelmed by the heat, Leo swiftly shielded himself.
Roar!
Realizing what was happening, Leo looked stunned.
The intense flames soon transformed into a gigantic bird.
With each flap of its wings, flames danced.
Leo created an aura flame barrier to protect himself.
Responding to Leo’s action, the Phoenix spoke.
-Is that the flame of Zerdingher? I thought it would be Reina’s flame… I detected a familiar scent of the flames and came to see, but it wasn’t hers. Was I mistaken?
Hearing the murmurs, Leo, taken aback, asked,
“Do you know my mother?”
-Your mother?
The Phoenix’s eyes widened, and then it laughed joyfully.
-Indeed! It seems I wasn’t entirely wrong! Yes! If she had a child, he’d be around your age!
The intense flames subsided.
-Hehehe, do I know your mother? Of course, I do! I owe a great debt to your mother, Reina.
Flapping its beautiful wings, the Phoenix settled down in front of Leo.
The Phoenix, renowned for its pride, now radiated an unexpectedly gentle aura.
Leo couldn’t help but wear a surprised expression in response to such a change in the Phoenix’s demeanor.
‘The Phoenix Risinas had was worlds apart from this one. That bird was utterly rude.’
How serious must it have been for Luna to suggest capturing and eating it?
“Young son of Reina, what is your name?”
“It’s Leo Plov.”
“Alright, Leo. My name is Pirina.”
“What’s your relationship with my mother? You mentioned earlier that you owed her a favor, right?”
In response to Leo’s question, Pirina offered a subtle smile.
“Reina saved the life of my pact-bearer, Ellen Lund.”
“Ellen Lund?”
Pirina’s words caught Leo off guard.
The Lund family was a distinguished lineage of heroes among the elves.
Furthermore, Ellen served as the head of the Lund family, a hero whose name was enshrined in the Hero Records.
“At that time, Ellen was a dungeon explorer assigned to confront a dungeon in Seirun.”
“You mean the hero dungeon that appeared due to the runaway lost pages of the Hero Records?”
“Yes.”
Only five locations held the Hero Records.
However, Hero Records also existed elsewhere in the world.
To be precise, they were the lost pages of the Hero Records.
These scattered pages occasionally went awry, creating a world of heroes.
These were known as hero dungeons.
“Hero dungeons encroach upon reality. Over time, monsters from the dungeon world begin to emerge into our reality. Locating and dealing with these dungeons is one of the primary missions of the Hero Academy.”
Many countries concealed the existence of such dungeons.
If a dungeon was successfully cleared, it could inherit the world of the hero.
Numerous nations that attempted to hide these dungeons faced ruin.
Only the most skilled individuals could undertake such a perilous task.
“One day, Ellen was sent on a mission to clear a hero dungeon. The mission failed, and all her comrades perished. She, too, was on the verge of death when Reina saved her.”
Pirina recollected the past with a bittersweet sigh.
“In the process, Reina lost her flames. If that hadn’t happened, she might have achieved the status of a hero…”
“My mother never dwelled on the past. She always believed that the present was what mattered most.”
“Hehe… it seems she hasn’t changed.”
With a gentle smile, Pirina inquired,
“But why are you here in Lumeren?”
“I came at the request of Lumeren’s principal, Galian.”
“The principal’s request?”
“Yes, but I can’t disclose the exact reasons.”
Leo couldn’t help but be intrigued by this secret.
“And you, why are you on this island? Shouldn’t first-year students of the Knight Academy be elsewhere?”
Pirina had assumed that as Reina’s son, Leo would naturally be enrolled in the Knight Academy.
“I’m also enrolled in the summoning class.”
“What?”
Initially taken aback, Pirina then noticed a faint magical aura surrounding Leo.
‘Although his magical energy is weak… his potential is remarkable.’
Pirina, assessing Leo’s potential, chuckled.
“Hehe. This must be fate.”
“Pardon?”
“Leo, would you like to form a pact with me?”
Cliche Novel 