“Ha-ha! What a chaotic situation!”
“What does it mean to be a grade representative or a Southern Chief? They can’t even get started and they’re already in last place!”
Students from the Summoning Department who had engaged in this commotion laughed with delight.
“Hey! Eliza, how does it feel? Quite refreshing, I assume?”
Liu, the male student from Class 3 who had orchestrated this incident, chuckled as he spoke to Eliza, who was flying ahead.
At present, these students were among the high-achievers in the first-year Summoning Department, leading the way in this race.
Upon hearing Liu’s words, Eliza, who was at the forefront, responded.
“I don’t like it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can easily defeat Leo Plov and Warden Tyden. The same goes for you.”
Eliza regarded the students with a disdainful look.
“If you obstruct like this, you’ll only make Leo Plov and Warden Tyden appear more impressive. What impression do you think people will have of the Summoning Department then?”
“Well, even so, those guys will be humiliated…”
“Think before you act next time. Besides, we’re in the middle of an exam. Stay focused.”
Eliza coldly turned her head and ascended into the air.
Observing her retreating figure, Liu scowled.
‘What an unlucky bitch! Acting all superior just because she was born into a wealthy family!’
Liu sneered inwardly at Eliza.
‘If there’s this much of a difference, even Warden won’t be able to catch up. Other than Eliza, I’m the best at Familiar. I can easily secure second place. Plus, I’ve recently formed a new contract with a summon.’
Liu took a deep breath.
Just before the exam.
He had obtained a summoning catalyst in Lumeria City by luck!
‘I was able to get it because some ignorant merchant didn’t realize its value! I may not be able to control it yet, but… If I summon it at the last moment and defeat Eliza… first place will be mine!’
“Huh? Liu, someone is catching up.”
A female student from the Summoning Department looked perplexed.
They had thought they were the clear frontrunners, yet someone was gaining on them.
“What? Who… Gasp? Chen Shia?”
Chen Shia was flying at an astonishing speed.
However, her posture on the griffin was peculiar.
Chen Shia was crouching on the saddle.
“What’s with that posture?”
“She managed to catch up with that posture? Quite a feat, I suppose.”
“She only caught up because we slowed down. If we pick up the pace, she won’t be able to catch us.”
For summoners, spirit power not only controlled their summons but also enhanced them.
Because Chen Shia had used spirit power to enhance the griffin’s abilities, she was challenging to catch in terms of speed.
“Who knows what kind of surprise that girl might have in store.”
Liu smirked.
“Let’s work together to knock her out of the race.”
In the summoning race, cooperation was allowed, so they could team up against a strong competitor.
Eliza, leading the pack, subtly glanced back and narrowed her eyes.
“Heh, it would be easier to run away, but you’ve chosen the difficult path.”
Eliza smirked as if watching a spectacle.
“What’s the deal with this so-called Eastern Cheif? Unlucky.”
A female student from the Summoning Department maliciously summoned an elemental.
“Let’s make sure she can’t even complete the race! Go!”
A wind elemental sped towards Chen Shia, who was balancing on her saddle in an unstable position.
Sensing this, Chen Shia lowered his posture even further.
Whoosh—!
Chen Shia’s griffin suddenly shot upwards.
While the summoning students were bewildered, Chen Shia’s griffin flipped upside down, leaving Chen Shia hanging upside down.
“What, what, what?”
The female student who had assaulted Chen Shia was taken aback.
She hadn’t expected the rider to engage in a personal attack.
Using the summoned wind elemental to adjust his mid-air trajectory, Chen Shia grinned and executed a kick.
The female student, kicked by Chen Shia before she could react, let out a scream as she descended to the ground.
“Ah! This is cheating!”
“I didn’t use Aura, so what’s the issue?”
Chen Shia, wearing her distinctive warm smile, soothed the distressed griffin that had lost its rider by gently tugging on its reins.
“Damn! Chen Shia! You!”
“Hello, Lieutenant Liu.”
“Are you mocking me? But look at your situation now! You’ve made the wrong choice!”
This was the first time she had been caught off guard, but there were numerous ways to counter any attack.
“Hmm. Indeed, aerial combat is not my strong suit. But your adversary isn’t just me, you know?”
“What?”
“There’s one other person who is quite displeased with your antics.”
With a sly grin, Shia pointed her finger behind her.
Boom!
A colossal explosion erupted from the rear.
“What, what is this?”
Boom! Boom!
Explosions followed in a chain reaction.
From a distance, one could witness the fallen ones plummeting.
“Warden appears to be the type to repay you in kind, for all you’ve done to him.”
Saying this, Chen Shia waved her hand, leaped off the griffin without hesitation, and her waiting griffin caught her in mid-air.
“Damn it! Capture her and drop—”
Screeeech!
As Liu shouted urgently, the cry of a griffin echoed from a distance.
Startled, he turned his head to see Warden rapidly approaching, having caught up with the leading group in no time.
“I’ve received your gift graciously. Losers.”
Whoosh!
A large flame gathered around him.
“This is my return gift.”
“Scatter!”
Boom!
A massive explosion engulfed the area following Liu’s urgent command.
***
Leo, trailing far behind, leaped over the fence.
He approached the last remaining griffin.
Grrrr!
Baffled, Leo observed the highly alert griffin.
‘All the griffins provided for this competition are managed by Lumeren, right?’
A tamed magical beast typically doesn’t display hostility toward humans.
Noticing the griffin’s folded wings, Leo thought, ‘Is it injured?’
‘It’s not a wound from battling other griffins. Someone intentionally harmed it.’
Repulsed, Leo recalled the group hindrance that occurred just before the race began.
“Some people really know how to play dirty.”
Smiling, Leo approached.
Screeeech!
The griffin responded fiercely, but Leo didn’t back down.
Screeeech!
– Ah! Player Leo! You’re being too hasty! Even if it’s a lower-grade griffin, rushing in like that can complicate the taming process!
Selia, who was observing from the stands, began to stomp her feet in frustration.
“Ugh, why is he being so reckless?”
With an exasperated expression, Selia watched as Lis stroked his chin.
“He must have a plan.”
Screeeech! Screeeech!
The griffin’s reins were enthusiastically flapping, and Leo seized them.
Screeeech!
Ultimately, the infuriated griffin lunged at Leo with its talons.
Everyone was caught off guard by this sudden turn of events.
Squeeze!
Leo firmly pulled on the reins and locked eyes with the griffin.
“Kneel.”
The griffin hesitated but complied with Leo’s authoritative command, lowering its posture.
As if obeying, the griffin presented its back, and a contented Leo mounted the saddle.
“Good boy.”
Although he patted its neck, the griffin shivered.
-Hm, what’s happening? The griffin is obediently complying! Player Leo has tamed it in record time.
The commentator, Runba, spoke in a flustered tone.
The time it took to tame the griffin and mount it was the shortest for Leo.
Yura, who was observing, clicked her tongue.
‘Did he force it into submission? What can’t this guy do?’
The assumption that he would be weak in actual combat was completely wrong.
‘If Warden has overwhelming power, then Leo has overwhelming skill.’
Yura’s eyes lit up.
‘This match might actually become interesting.’
Kiyaaaaaaak!
As Leo pulled on the reins, the griffin let out a roar and took to the sky.
However, because one of its wings was injured, it struggled to gain speed.
-Ah! Leo’s griffin has an injured wing! He barely managed to take off, but his bad luck is stacking up! It seems like he’s definitely in last place!
Runba lamented as if he felt sorry for him.
Leo gently stroked the neck of the griffin, which was struggling to flap its injured wing, and focused his magic.
“In the name of the meek, I command you. Reveal yourself before me.”
Whooosh!
Flames flickered around Leo, and a massive fireball concealed his figure.
“What’s that?”
“It looks like he summoned a fire elemental?”
“Didn’t he say he hasn’t formed a contract with any elementals or spirits yet?”
The unexpected summoning caused a commotion among the audience.
“What’s with that fire?”
Even Selia’s eyes widened.
Lis’s eyes darted around.
“Is that Zerdingher’s fire? No, it’s not aura fire. Then what on earth is that?”
Within the flames, a summoning circle appeared on Leo’s palm.
The summoning circle, which had been spewing flames, released a small bird.
Chirp-Chirp-
“…It looks like a chick every time I see it.”
At Leo’s words, the baby Phoenix Fiora pecked at Leo’s thumb.
“Oh? Do you understand me now?”
On Leo’s palm, Fiora elegantly flapped her wings and raised her head.
It seemed as if she was trying to display the majesty of a Phoenix.
Of course, to Leo, it still looked like…
‘An unmistakable chick.’
“If we can communicate, things will go more smoothly. Fiora, could you grant a blessing to this griffin?”
Blessing.
It was one of the unique abilities possessed by the Phoenix, allowing it to bestow part of its power upon a specific target.
This ability to grant blessings was one of the reasons why a Phoenix summoner was considered the most powerful.
Fiora, who nodded, hopped off Leo’s palm and perched on the griffin’s head.
Upon seeing this, the already apprehensive griffin trembled even more.
Instinctively, it feared the highest-ranking summoned creature, the Phoenix.
Fiora gracefully stretched her neck and gently pecked the griffin’s head with her beak.
Grrrr-!
At that moment, the griffin’s feathers began to stand on end.
Despite its injured wing, it started to regain its strength.
Its white plumage took on a reddish tint, and its yellow eyes shifted to orange.
Leo chuckled and placed Fiora on his shoulder.
Whooosh-!
The flames surrounding them dissipated.
Screeeaaam-!
In tandem with this, the griffin unleashed a powerful roar.
“Let’s go!”
As he pulled on the reins, the griffin soared into the sky at an incredible speed.
“What? It’s so fast!”
“A first-year can achieve that level of summon creature enhancement?”
Astonishment spread throughout the spectators.
High in the sky, Leo spotted the trailing group in the distance and squinted before descending.
Then, screams erupted from the stands.
“Wait! Isn’t that way too fast?”
“How will he avoid obstacles at that speed?”
Before Leo, as he descended, a pillar of light appeared.
This magical pillar of light fired red magical bullets in all directions.
It was the most basic trap in the Summoning Race!
Getting hit by one of these bullets would result in significant physical damage, enough to disqualify a participant.
Obviously, the faster you flew, the more challenging it was to evade them.
However, there was a pattern.
‘Up-down-down-left-left-right-up-left.’
Leo’s eyes quickly discerned the pattern of the magical bullets.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Without slowing down, he skillfully dodged the bullets at a tremendous speed.
The audience gasped as they witnessed Leo, who appeared to be in perfect sync with the griffin, displaying incredible control.
-Ohh! Player Leo! Incredible control over his summoned creature!
The commentator also exclaimed with excitement.
In an instant, Leo, who had successfully navigated one obstacle, pulled on the reins.
Initially, he had controlled his speed to facilitate dodging, but now he had room to accelerate.
Leo swiftly traversed the sky, leaving the starting point behind.
During his journey, he noticed other students struggling to maintain stable flight.
‘It appears that Warden has plowed through everything in his path.’
To be clear, they hadn’t been wiped out entirely.
Nevertheless, it seemed that everyone was wrestling with the challenge of maintaining speed while enduring significant damage.
Thanks to this, Leo was able to swiftly catch up to the trailing group.
“Huh? Le, Leo Plov?”
“You escaped that elemental magic? More importantly, how did you manage to catch up so quickly?”
The students from the Summoning Department were taken aback as Leo approached from behind.
“Leo!”
Lora, a student from Class 5 in the Summoning Department, wore a delighted expression.
Observing Lora being held back by other students, Leo directed his griffin.
“It appears that Warden has already given you a hard time, but…”
Leo’s griffin seized the male student who was restraining Lora by the scruff of his neck.
“You, you rascal!”
“I have a tendency to reciprocate what I receive.”
Leo grinned at the male student.
Before the student could react, Leo’s griffin propelled him into the air.
The male student flailed as he was lifted by the neck.
Leo maneuvered his griffin to hurl the student toward another student.
“Aaah!”
“What do we do if he comes flying this way…!”
Crash-!
Both students collided and plummeted to the ground.
The trailing group of students was left in astonishment.
Flap-! Flap-!
Leo peered down at them from the sky and chuckled with a hint of coldness.
“Well, I hope you’re all prepared then?”
Cliche Novel 