Legend 40

Prev I TOC I Next

Chen Shia and Eliza both widened their eyes in surprise.

“That’s quite unusual. I’ve never come across such a demonic beast before,” Chen Shia remarked.

Eliza nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Wyverns aren’t classified like that in any records I’ve seen.”

Warden added to the discussion, “It’s rather peculiar. demonic beasts that were believed to have gone extinct during the Age of Calamity, thanks to the heroic efforts of the great heroes. I can’t fathom why one would appear now.”

Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound, and Fafnir unleashed its breath.

Leo, displaying remarkable agility, skillfully dodged the attack and commented, “And that doesn’t seem ordinary, does it?”

Eliza concurred, saying, “You’re right, Leo. It bears a resemblance to the side effects observed in those who form contracts with demonic beasts.”

As she stroked her chin thoughtfully, she continued, “In that case, we need a strategy. Among us, I possess the most knowledge of dual summoning.”

Eliza stood tall, her chest puffed out as she asserted, “So, are you suggesting that we follow your lead?”

“I didn’t mean it that way, but essentially, yes,” Eliza responded.

Warden smirked coldly and wasted no time, charging at Liu atop his Griffin.

Boom! Kaboom!

An explosive display of power, fueled by spirits, erupted before their eyes.

Observing the chaos, Eliza couldn’t help but click her tongue in frustration. “As expected, that person is unreasonable. Both of you should follow my guidance.”

Chen Shia scratched her cheek thoughtfully. “I agree that Eliza is the most knowledgeable about dual summoning. However, Leo seems to possess significant knowledge about this demonic beast, so it might be wise to heed his instructions.”

“Hmph, even if he knows about the demonic beast, I can provide more precise guidance…”

“Guidance aside, it’s clear that our coordination won’t function smoothly in this situation,” Leo interjected, taking hold of his Griffin’s reins.

“Just adapt to the situation,” he advised.

“Wait! Are you suggesting we recklessly attack? Clearly, I can’t entrust commands to you! I, from the Hergin family—”

Before Eliza could finish her protest, Leo charged headlong at Fafnir.

Chen Shia, with an apologetic smile, followed suit.

Eliza, left on her own, couldn’t contain her frustration. “I’m a direct descendant of the Hergin family! Don’t dismiss me!”

Determination gleaming in her eyes, she charged forward on her Griffin.

Boom! Kaboom!

A powerful explosion engulfed Fafnir.

As the smoke cleared, Fafnir remained unscathed.

“Haha… Hahaha! Remarkable! My summon is truly astounding!” Liu exclaimed with ecstasy, his earlier pallor replaced by jubilation.

“I can aspire to become the top summoner… No, even the grade representative! Yes! I’ve always been the best!”

Warden, watching Liu clench his fist and laugh maniacally, clicked his tongue in annoyance. “He’s definitely lost it.”

“It appears he’s struggling,” Leo remarked, flying beside Warden.

Grrrrrrr!

A substantial mass of earth began to coalesce behind Warden.

Leo’s eyes widened as he observed, ‘A golem spell?’

It was a colossal doll created through magic, combined with the power of earth spirits, resulting in a massive elemental golem.

‘This guy’s a true prodigy,’ Leo thought, marveling at the display.

Meanwhile, Liu turned pale at the sight of the immense earth golem.

Swoosh!

The golem swung its arm, slicing through the air.

“Dodge, dodge!” 

Liu, his face drained of color, urgently issued a command in the face of the menacing mass attack.

However, Fafnir paid no heed to Liu’s directive.

Roaaar!

Instead, it let out a guttural roar.

Warden’s eyes twitched in response.

“Fear?”

It was a technique that momentarily disrupted the flow of mana with overwhelming force.

The Griffins quivered momentarily, gripped by fear.

‘That Fafnir is a juvenile. Fear is a technique only adults should be capable of using!’

Leo scowled in frustration.

‘Liu’s skills are subpar. How did this happen?’

Ping! Ping!

At that moment, Fiora in Leo’s pocket chirped irritably.

Grrr!

Fafnir’s murderous gaze locked onto Leo.

Craaa!

It opened its mouth wide and charged towards Leo.

Leo ascended into the sky, calming the trembling griffin with his composure.

Meanwhile, Warden triggered a spirit explosion.

Bang-! Bang-!

Despite taking a direct hit from the explosion, Fafnir remained fixated on Leo.

It pursued Leo like a sworn enemy, displaying a level of aggression that bordered on madness.

‘Did it sense the presence of the Phoenix?’

The Phoenix and the demonic beast possessed mutually exclusive attributes, which fueled Fafnir’s intense hostility.

“Leo Plov! Prepare yourself!”

‘It appears that the beliefs of the summoner also play a role.’

Leo briefly glanced back.

Fafnir had closed the gap with incredible speed.

‘If it’s solely targeting me, this might end surprisingly quickly.’

While casting an annoyed look at Fiora, who was chirping incessantly in his arms, Leo tightened the reins of his griffin.

Flap-!

Squawk!

The griffin roared and accelerated powerfully with its wings.

Screech!

Fafnir pursued Leo with a fierce scream.

“Hold on! Leo! If you go alone…”

“What kind of divine protection do you have? And why are you going alone? Even if we fight together, it might not be enough!”

Chen Xia and Eliza, who were about to join the fray, were bewildered.

Leo and Liu vanished from sight at an astonishing speed.

***

-Ah! What just happened! Player Liu! Suddenly breaking the rules…!

“Hey! You fool! Is this the time for commentary?”

In the midst of the confused commentator booth, Yura kicked Runba’s backside and grabbed the microphone.

-Teaching assistants! Prepare your flying summons immediately! This is an emergency! The match is on hold!

She exclaimed.

As the students buzzed with excitement, the professors gathered around Yura.

“What happened, Yura?”

Sedgen furrowed his brow and inquired urgently, prompting Yura to explain.

“There’s no doubt that Sen Liu has formed a contract with a demonic beast!”

“What?”

The professors’ expressions shifted simultaneously.

“Don’t you find it peculiar? Sen Liu isn’t the type of student to cause an incident like this!”

Yura spoke as she retrieved a crystal ball from her pocket.

Although the magic screen for the audience was dark, the magic crystal ball in Yura’s hand continued to broadcast the video.

The class 3 homeroom teacher adopted a solemn tone in response to Yura’s revelation.

“Indeed, as the semester has progressed, he has displayed signs of inadequacy, but… so have other students. It hasn’t reached a serious level.”

New students at Lumeren often grapple with feelings of inadequacy at the beginning of the semester. Many of them have been top achievers since childhood, but at Lumeren, they are confronted with peers who excel even further.

Among these students, there are those who accept this challenge and make diligent efforts to improve, while others choose to deny their situation and seek ways to avoid it. Sen Liu belonged to the latter group.

However, as Yura had pointed out, Liu was not someone who would typically instigate such trouble.

“Rage management issues, irrational behavior, and the like. The conduct Liu has been exhibiting aligns with typical behaviors associated with contracting a demonic beast.”

The expressions of the professors immediately hardened in response to Yura’s words.

“But if a demonic beast can exert such a profound influence on a summoner, wouldn’t it have to be a high-ranking beast?”

Hallind raised a pertinent question, and Sera, who was closely monitoring the screen, cautiously voiced her thoughts.

“Is it possible that the mutated wyvern Liu is riding could indeed be a demonic beast?”

“…!”

“…!”

The professors exchanged uneasy glances.

“Could it be…”

“Then, could it potentially be an entirely new and undiscovered species of demonic beast?”

Observing the professors’ flustered reactions, Yura interjected, “The primary concern now is to halt Liu’s actions…”

Just then, Liu began chasing Leo on the screen.

“Wait! Hey! Leo! It’s perilous to go alone! Quickly, switch the screen!”

Yura was taken aback as Leo vanished at an astonishing pace.

The professor in the magic department took the crystal ball from Yura and manipulated it.

“It appears that they’ve moved beyond the range of our surveillance magic!”

“Ah! Seriously!”

Yura summoned a black wyvern using her magical abilities.

“Teaching assistants! Depart immediately! Locate Leo and Liu without delay!”

“Yes!”

***

Leo soared through the skies at an incredible speed, sharpening his senses.

‘I deliberately left the range of the surveillance magic.’

Leaving the magical detection zone was no accident; it was a deliberate decision made by Leo.

“Fiora.”

Chirp?

“It’s your time to shine.”

Leo brought his familiar out of his pocket and smiled, simultaneously harnessing his aura and spirit power.

Whoosh-!

Fiora’s feathers began to ignite.

Whirl!

One by one, Fiora’s feathers stood on end on Leo’s palm.

Fiora appeared bewildered by the changes taking place in her body, fluttering her wings and scanning her surroundings.

Then, Fiora started to grow in size.

Whoosh!

Fiora’s feathers burned even more intensely, quickly reaching the size of Leo’s torso.

“Now, you look a bit like a phoenix, don’t you?”

In response to Leo’s words, Fiora proudly perched on his forearm.

Fiora had shed her previous tiny, red-chick-like appearance, transforming into a stunning fiery bird. Although not a fully matured phoenix, her aura now radiated overwhelming power compared to before.

Caw?

Fafnir, who had been displaying signs of aggression, wore a puzzled expression.

“Fly!”

At Leo’s command, Fiora spread her wings and ascended gracefully into the sky.

Cawww!

Fiora soared higher, leaving behind a trail of fire.

Chirp-! Chirp-!

Regardless of her drastically altered appearance, Fiora chirped joyfully, seemingly content.

‘She still sounds like a chick,’ Leo thought with a chuckle.

Fiora, having soared high into the sky, extended her wings wide and began to descend.

Whoosh!

A more intense flame enveloped Fiora.

Unleashing a summon’s latent potential was the mark of a skilled summoner, but Leo possessed an additional, unique ability.

He had the power to infuse his summoned creatures with aura.

Normally, summoned beings were imbued with spirit power and couldn’t accommodate aura. However, Kyle had made it possible.

‘I was versatile, but ultimately, I lacked the ability to attain greatness.’

Kyle had lagged behind Aron and Dweno in terms of aura manipulation skills. In the realm of magic, he couldn’t keep up with Luna, and in summoning, he fell short of Risinas.

So, Leo had chosen to fuse these abilities together.

Aura and magic.

Magic and spirit.

Spirit and aura.

If he couldn’t achieve the pinnacle of any one discipline, he was determined to create something akin to it.

It was an absolute necessity to bring an end to the Age of Calamity.

However, even his comrades, upon witnessing his efforts, had deemed it impossible.

‘The moment you lose the pure form of mana, you can’t mix the power.’

After countless attempts, Leo had succeeded, and with his comrades by his side, they had risen to become great heroes and saved the world.

Goooo-!

Aura radiated from Fiora’s wings.

Fiora’s eyes widened, and she flapped her wings with even greater enthusiasm.

“What the heck! What’s up with this bird!” Liu exclaimed in frustration.

“Bring it down!”

Kyaahaaa!

Fafnir let out a shrill cry.

Fiora charged forward, body-slamming Fafnir.

Kwaang-!

“Ugh?”

Fafnir was sent reeling and crashed helplessly to the ground.

Liu appeared to have fainted upon impact, his eyes rolling back as he fell.

“……”

Leo observed Fiora’s approach with a bewildered expression.

“What’s happening? Why is it so powerful?”

He had utilized his spirit power to unlock Fiora’s latent abilities and further bolstered them with aura. This should have been sufficient to overpower Fafnir, who was still a juvenile demonic beast.

However, Fiora’s recent display of strength had exceeded Leo’s wildest expectations.

Puzzled, he realized that the aura he had infused Fiora with was burning even more intensely.

Leo examined his palm.

‘The aura I’ve mastered comes from the Zerdingher family, and it’s derived from the Phoenix.’

A flicker of understanding illuminated Leo’s eyes.

‘Could it be that the flames of the Phoenix have fused together to enhance its power?’

This was an effect even Leo hadn’t foreseen.

‘Does this mean there’s still room for further refinement and augmentation?’

It was at this moment that a smile curled on Leo’s lips.

Flicker-!

The previously unconscious Fafnir’s eyes sparked to life.

With Liu on its back, Fafnir took flight towards Leo.

As Leo locked eyes with Fafnir, his expression grew more serious.

“Who… are you?”

Prev I TOC I Next