Chapter 39

### Chapter 39

“Haha! Look at that!”

“What’s this nonsense about being the top representative of the year or the top student from the south? Looks like they won’t even get off the ground—they’re already destined to come in last!”

The group of students from the Department of Summoning who had just ganged up on someone were laughing gleefully.

“Hey! How’s it going, Eliza? Aren’t you feeling satisfied right now?”

Riu, the leader behind this incident and a male student from Class 3, approached Eliza, who was marching ahead, with a smug grin.

Currently, these students were among the top performers of the first-year summoners and were leading the pack in the race.

To Riu’s comment, Eliza, who was leading the group, replied:

“I’m not pleased.”

“What?”

“I can beat someone like Leo Flove anytime, and that goes for Warden Tyden too.”

Eliza glared at the students with reproach.

“Actions like this—ganging up and obstructing others—will only enhance Leo Flove and Warden Tyden’s reputation. Moreover, do you know what people will think of the Department of Summoning because of this?”

“Haha… Well, still, those guys will end up disgracing themselves…”

“Before you do anything else, think first. And remember, we’re still in the middle of an exam. Focus.”

Eliza coldly turned her head and flew gracefully upward.

The students watched her retreating silhouette as Riu frowned.

‘That annoying girl! Just because she was born into a good family, she acts so high and mighty!’

Riu chuckled sarcastically to himself.

‘There’s no way someone like Warden could catch up to me now. Besides Eliza, I’m the best at handling flying familiars. Without a doubt, I’m headed toward second place. And haven’t I just signed a contract with a new familiar?’

Riu forcibly exhaled through his nose.

Right before the test,

He had luckily obtained a summoning catalyst in Rumelia City.

‘I got it because that stupid merchant had no idea of its value! Though I can’t control it quite yet… If I summon it at the last minute and take down both Eliza and the others, this first place will be mine! We’ll see how high and mighty you can be then, Eliza!’

“Hey? Riu. Someone’s coming from behind.”

A female summoning student looked puzzled.

Though they believed they were comfortably ahead, there was someone chasing them.

“What? Who…? Huh? Chen Sia?”

Chen Sia was flying at an incredible speed.

However, her posture on the Griffin seemed off.

Chen Sia was squatting with both feet on the saddle.

“What’s with that posture?”

“Is she following us in that stance? That’s impressive.”

“It’s just that she slowed down intentionally, so obviously, she caught up. If she pushed her speed, she wouldn’t be able to keep up.”

For summoners, mana wasn’t merely the power to summon familiars but also the power to enhance them.

By channeling mana into the Griffin, Chen Sia was hard to catch up to in terms of speed.

“Still, we don’t know what kind of variable she might create.”

Riu smirked.

“Why don’t we eliminate her entirely from the competition.”

In a familiar race, cooperation is allowed.

Which meant they could join forces against strong competitors.

Glancing back, Eliza raised her tired eyes.

“Hmm. It would’ve been much better to just run away, but you’re choosing the hard way.”

Eliza smiled and watched as if it were an exhibition.

“What’s all this nonsense about being the top from the east? It’s annoying.”

A female student from the Department of Summoning smiled nastily and summoned a spirit.

“To make her fail the test outright and humiliate her! Go!”

A wind spirit transformed into a missile and shot toward Chen Sia, who was standing precariously on the saddle.

Sensing the attack, Chen Sia crouched lower.

Whoosh!

Chen Sia’s Griffin suddenly ascended sharply.

The summoners were caught off-guard as Chen Sia’s Griffin flipped, positioning the saddle facing downwards.

Hanging upside down from the Griffin, Chen Sia kicked off the saddle and released the reins.

“What, what, what the…?”

The female student, who attacked her, was completely unprepared for Chen Sia to come after her directly.

Using the wind spirit to adjust her trajectory midair, Chen Sia smiled gently and delivered a flying kick.

Before the student could react, she was kicked by Chen Sia and fell screaming to the ground.

“AAAAHHHH! That’s foul play!”

“Nothing involving aura manipulation was used, so it’s fine.”

Chen Sia smiled warmly and calmed the Griffin, which was frightened by the loss of its rider, by gently tugging on the reins.

“Tch! Chen Sia!”

“Hello, Riu.”

“You’re good, aren’t you? But look at your situation now! You’ve made the wrong choice!”

Riu was caught off-guard initially by the surprise attack, but once he knew the method, he could surely come up with countermeasures.

“Hm? Certainly, the aerial combat is unfavorable for me, but aren’t you fighting someone else as well?”

“What?”

“You’ve offended someone with your antics.”

Celia grinned and pointed behind them.

BOOM!

An enormous explosion erupted from the rear.

“What, what is that?”

BOOM! BOOM!

The explosions continued in succession.

In the distance, they could see participants falling out of the race.

“Looks like Warden pays back what he receives.”

Saying that, Chen Sia waved her hand amiably and jumped off the Griffin without hesitation.

Her Griffin was waiting beside her, caught her mid-air, and soared upwards.

“Tch! Let’s catch her and…”

Screeech!

Riu quickly shouted, but from far away came the cry of a Griffin.

Turning his head abruptly, Riu saw Warden Tyden’s Griffin coming at an incredible speed.

In no time, Warden caught up with the leading group and grinned.

“I received your present well, you pests.”

Whoosh!

A massive flame engulfed around him.

“This is my repayment.”

“Scatter!”

KAHHHHHH—!

With Riu’s frantic cry came a colossal explosion, enveloping the surrounding area.

*

Leo, with a commanding last place, finally crossed a fence.

And he approached the last remaining Griffin.

Grurr—!

Seeing the aggressive response from the Griffin, Leo raised an eyebrow.

‘These Griffs, given for the exam this time, should all be under the care of Lumeran, right?’

A domesticated familiar wouldn’t normally show hostility to humans.

Realizing something was off, Leo noticed shortly after that the Griffin was wing-bound.

‘Is it injured?’

Examining the wing carefully, Leo frowned.

‘This is not a wound from fighting other Griffs. Someone must have deliberately injured it.’

Remembering the earlier group suppression before the start, Leo clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Seems there’s someone who plays dirty.”

Leo smiled faintly and approached.

CRAAAAK!

Though the Griffin reacted fiercely, Leo didn’t retreat.

CRAAAACK!

– Ah! Leo, you’re pushing too hard! Even if it’s a low-class familiar, rushing in while it’s clearly on high alert can complicate the taming process! He’s making a mistake in haste!

Celia, watching from the stands, was visibly annoyed.

“Tsk! Why is he rushing like that?”

Ris rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful.

“He must have something in mind.”

CRAAAK! CRAAAK!

Leo grabbed the reins of the Griffin, which was wildly thrashing in excitement.

CRAAAKKKKK!

In the end, the Griffin, having lost all reason, swung its claws toward Leo.

Everyone was taken aback by the unexpected situation.

Snap!

Leo pulled the reins taut and stared intensely into the Griffin’s eyes.

“Down.”

With the forceful command, the Griffin froze in place, lowering its claws and slowly creeping lower, appearing to submit as it cowed.

Satisfied, Leo smirked and climbed onto the saddle.

“Good boy.”

He affectionately stroked its neck, but the Griffin shivered.

-Very peculiar situation, indeed. The Griffin has submitted! It took Leo the shortest time to tame the Griffin.

The commentator, Runba, exclaimed in confusion.

Indeed, the time it took Leo to tame the Griffin to the point of riding was the shortest among all participants.

Yura whistled seeing this.

‘Subduing it entirely with sheer presence? What can this kid not do?’

The initial assumption that he was weak in practice was completely off.

‘If Warden had overwhelming power, then Leo has overwhelming technique.’

Yura’s eyes sparkled.

‘This competition might just end up being interesting.’

CRAAAAACK!

As Leo pulled the reins, the Griffin roared and ascended into the sky.

However, one wing flapped awkwardly due to the injury, preventing much speed.

-Oh no! Leo’s Griffin! It’s injured! Barely getting off the ground, it seems luck’s against him! I’m afraid last place is certain.

With concern, Runba exclaimed.

Leo gently stroked the Griffin’s neck while concentrating his mana.

“In the name of the Vow Keeper, come forth!”

Whoosh!

As flames swirled around Leo, they formed into a great ball of fire that obscured his appearance.

“What is that?”

“Is he summoning a flame-class familiar?”

“Didn’t he say he hadn’t yet formed contracts with any familiars or spirits?”

The crowd murmured in confusion over this unexpected summoning.

“What’s going on? What’s with that fire?”

Celia’s eyes widened in amazement.

Ris squinted thoughtfully.

‘Is that Zerdinger’s fire? No, this isn’t aura fire. What could it possibly be then?’

A summoning circle appeared on Leo’s palm amid the flames.

Spitting flames, the circle soon spat out a small bird.

Cheep! Cheep!

“…Always looks like a chick to me.”

Leo’s comment earned him a peck from the baby Phoenix, Fiora.

“Ah? Do you understand me now?”

On Leo’s palm, Fiora gracefully flapped her wings and raised her chin haughtily, an air of Phoenix’s grandeur.

Of course, to Leo, it was…

‘Just a chick, no doubt about it.’

“Seeing as we can communicate, this will simplify things. Fiora, could you bestow your blessing upon this Griffin?”

Blessing.

One of the inherent abilities of the Phoenix, to bestow a fraction of the Phoenix’s power onto a target.

This was one of the reasons Phoenix summoners were called the strongest.

Fiora nodded, leaping off Leo’s palm and landing on the Griffin’s head.

The Griffin, already nervous around Leo, trembled even more in fear of the highest-ranked familiar.

Instinctively, the Griffin was frightened of the Phoenix.

Fiora stretched her neck elegantly and gently pecked the Griffin’s head with her beak.

GOOOOO—!

The Griffin’s feathers began to bristle with newfound vigor.

Its struggling wing movements became stronger.

The white feathers started to glow red, and the yellow eyes turned orange.

Leo smirked and placed Fiora on his shoulder.

Whoosh!

The flames surrounding them dispersed.

CRAAAKK—!

The Griffin roared fiercely.

“Go!”

As Leo pulled the reins, the Griffin shot upward at an incredible speed.

“What? That’s incredibly fast!”

“Is a first-year capable of such a level of familiar enhancement?”

Shouts of shock erupted from the stands.

Soaring high up, Leo spotted the trailing group in the distance and narrowed his eyes before descending.

This action elicited screams from the stands.

“Hold on! Isn’t that a bit too fast?”

“At this speed, how will he avoid the obstacles?”

A light pillar emerged in front of Leo’s descent.

The pillar, conjured by magic, continuously shot red magical bullets in all directions without pause.

A basic trap in the familiar race!

Being hit by these magical bullets subjected one to immense physical damage, potentially causing instant disqualification if one wasn’t careful.

Naturally, the faster the speed, the harder it was to avoid.

However, there was a pattern, not randomness.

‘Up-down-down-left-left-right-up-left.’

In an instant, Leo’s eyes analyzed the firing pattern.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Without reducing his speed, Leo skillfully dodged the magical bullets while maintaining incredible velocity.

The crowd was awestruck at Leo’s remarkable control of the Griffin as if it were an extension of himself.

-Wow! Look at Leo’s amazing familiar control!

The commentator exclaimed, excitedly.

Having swiftly passed through the obstacle, Leo pulled on the reins.

By anticipating the need for evasive maneuvers, Leo deliberately held back speed, saving the potential for further acceleration.

Escaping from the starting area, Leo swiftly crossed the sky.

Among this, he noticed other students struggling unsteadily in the air.

‘That Warden boy sure seems to have destroyed everything in his path.’

Of course, not everyone had been eliminated.

However, it appeared that most had been significantly damaged and couldn’t achieve proper speed.

As a result, Leo quickly merged with the trailing group.

“Huh? Le-Leo Flove?”

“Did he escape the elemental magic already? Wait, how could he join us so fast?”

The other summoning students were startled to see Leo flying in from behind them.

“Leo!”

Lora, a summoning student from Group 5, beamed with delight.

Seeing Lora being restrained by other students, Leo pulled his griffin towards her.

“Seems Warden has already taken his share, but…”

The front paw of the Griffin Leo was riding grabbed the neck of the male student restraining Lora.

“You, huh? I also have a character that pays back what I receive.”

Leo smiled warmly at the student.

The male student attempted frantically to dislodge Leo but before he could react, Leo’s Griffin had already ascended rapidly.

Caught by the neck, the male student struggled.

Using this opportunity, Leo maneuvered the Griffin and hurled the struggling student towards another.

“AAAHHHHH!”

“I-I can’t dodge him if he comes from this side!”

Crash!

The collision sent both students plummeting to the ground.

Watching this, the rest of the trailing group panicked.

Flap! Flap!

Above the sky, Leo looked down at them with a cold smile.

“Alright, is everyone ready?”