Book 1 Chapter 39

"Haha! Serves you right!"

"What's this about being class representative and top of the Southern district! You can't even start and you're guaranteed to be last!"

The students from the Summoning department who had gang-beaten him chortled.

"Hey! What do you think, Eliza? Isn't it satisfying?"

The male student who had taken the lead, Riu from class 3, said with a giggle to Eliza, who was ahead.

Currently, they were among the top-ranked students in the first-year Summoning department and were in the leading group of the race.

Eliza, who was at the very front, responded to Riu's words.

"I don't like it."

"What?"

"Beating Leo Flov is easy. Warden Tyden is the same."

Eliza looked at the students with a reproachful gaze.

"If you obstruct them as a group like this, it will only make Leo Flov and Warden Tyden shine even brighter. And what do you think people will think of the Summoning department?"

"Hahaha. Even so, those guys will be thoroughly humiliated…"

"When you do something in the future, try to think first. And this is a test right now. Concentrate."

Eliza said coldly, then turned her head sharply and soared high into the air.

Riu scowled as he watched her retreating back.

'Annoying brat! Acting all high and mighty just because she was born into a good family!'

Riu cursed Eliza in his mind and snorted.

'Even with this much of a lead, Warden won't be able to catch up. Aside from Eliza, I'm the best at handling flying familiars! I can easily get second place now. And I contracted a new familiar this time?'

Riu snorted loudly.

Just before the test.

The summoning catalyst he luckily managed to buy in Lumina City!

'I was able to buy it because of some stupid merchant who didn't know its value! I can't control it yet, though…! If I summon him at the last minute and take down Eliza too… first place will be mine! Let's see if she can still act so high and mighty then! Eliza!'

"Huh? Riu. Who's coming from behind?"

A female student from the Summoning department made a puzzled expression.

They thought they were the overwhelming frontrunners, but someone was catching up.

"What? Who… Huh? Chen Xia?"

Chen Xia was flying at an incredible speed.

However, her posture on the griffin was a little odd.

Chen Xia was crouching, balancing on the saddle with both feet.

"What's that? What's that posture?"

"She followed us with that posture? She managed to catch up."

"She only caught up because we slowed down. She won't be able to catch up if we speed up?"

For a summoner, spiritual energy was not just the power to command familiars but also the power to strengthen them.

Because Chen Xia had strengthened the griffin's abilities with spiritual energy, it was difficult for the Summoning department students to catch up to her in terms of speed.

"No, that guy might create some variable too."

Riu grinned.

"Let's just eliminate her entirely this time."

Cooperation in familiar races was allowed.

As such, it was possible to join forces against a strong competitor.

Eliza, who was at the front, glanced back and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Hmm. She'd be better off just running away quickly, but she chooses the difficult path."

Eliza smirked and watched with amusement.

"What's this about being top of the Eastern district? How annoying."

A female student from the Summoning department summoned a spirit with a fierce smile.

"I'll make sure she doesn't even finish! Go!"

The spirit of wind became a projectile and flew towards Chen Xia, who was standing precariously on the saddle.

Sensing this, Chen Xia lowered her posture even further.

Whoosh-!

Chen Xia's griffin suddenly soared upwards.

While the Summoning department students were bewildered, Chen Xia's griffin turned upside down, with the saddle facing the ground.

Chen Xia, now hanging upside down on the griffin, kicked off the saddle and let go of the reins.

"W-w-what?"

The female student who had attacked Chen Xia was aghast.

She had never expected the rider to come attack directly.

Chen Xia, who had altered her trajectory in mid-air by summoning a spirit of wind, grinned and delivered a kick.

Before she could react, the female student kicked by Chen Xia fell to the ground with a scream.

"Aaaaaaaah! Th-this is cheatinggggggggg!"

"You didn't use aura, though."

Chen Xia, with her characteristic good-natured smile, pulled the reins of the riderless griffin, which was in a panic, and calmed it down.

"Tch! Chen Xia! You!"

"Hello, Riu."

"Not bad, but look at your situation now! You made the wrong choice!"

She had been surprised by the surprise attack, but now that she knew the attack method, there were plenty of ways to respond.

"Hmm. Aerial combat is indeed my disadvantage. But I'm not your only enemy, am I?"

"What?"

"There's someone who's upset by your antics."

Celia grinned and pointed behind her with her finger.

KABOOM!

A huge explosion occurred from the rear.

"Wh-what?"

KABOOM! KABOOM!

The explosions were chain reactions.

From a distance, the eliminated participants could be seen falling.

"It seems Warden is the type to pay back what he receives."

Saying this, Chen Xia waved her hand and leaped off the griffin without hesitation.

Chen Xia's griffin, which had been waiting, picked her up and soared high into the sky.

"Tch! Catch her and knock her down…"

Kiyak!

As Riu shouted urgently, the cry of a griffin was heard from afar.

Startled, Riu turned his head and saw Warden's griffin flying towards them at an incredible speed.

Warden, who had instantly caught up to the leading group, laughed.

"Thanks for the gift, you losers."

Fwoosh-!

A giant flame gathered around him.

"This is my thanks for that."

"Scatter!"

KABOOOM-!

Along with Riu's desperate shout, a massive explosion engulfed the surroundings.

***

Leo, who was overwhelmingly last, climbed over the fence.

Then, he approached the last remaining griffin.

Grrrr-!

Leo looked at the griffin, which was extremely wary, with a puzzled expression.

'The griffins given for the race this time should all be managed by Lumerne, right?'

Familiars that have been tamed by humans do not show hostility towards humans.

Leo, feeling a sense of doubt, soon realized that the griffin had a broken wing.

'Is it injured?'

Leo scowled as he looked closely at the wing.

'This isn't a wound from a fight between griffins. Someone deliberately injured it.'

Leo recalled the group's harassment just before the start and clicked his tongue.

"There seems to be someone playing dirty in this race."

Leo chuckled and approached.

Kiyak!

The griffin reacted fiercely, but Leo did not back down.

Kiyak!

-Ah! Player Leo is approaching too recklessly! Even if a griffin is a low-level familiar, it can be difficult to tame if you approach it recklessly while it's so wary! He's making a mistake out of impatience!

Celia, watching from the stands, wrung her hands.

"Oh dear! Why is that guy pushing himself so hard?"

Seeing Celia's frustrated expression, Rys stroked his chin.

"He must have his reasons."

Kiyak! Kiyak!

Leo grabbed the reins of the griffin, which was thrashing around in excitement.

Kiyak!

Finally, the griffin, having lost its reason, swung its claws at Leo.

Everyone was taken aback by the sudden situation.

*Clench-*!

Leo tightened his grip on the griffin's reins and focused his gaze.

"Kneel."

As Leo spoke with force, the griffin flinched.

Then, it lowered its claws, glancing nervously, and lowered its posture.

The griffin, as if obeying, exposed its back, and Leo smiled with satisfaction as he mounted it.

"Good boy."

He stroked its neck, but the griffin trembled.

-Um. What is happening? The griffin is obeying on its own! Player Leo, the taming time was the shortest.

Commentator Runba said with a bewildered voice.

As expected, Leo was the fastest in taming the griffin and riding it.

Yura, watching this, shook her head in disbelief.

'He subdued it with sheer force? What can't this guy do?'

The thought that he would be weak in actual combat was a complete misjudgment.

'If Warden has overwhelming power, Leo has overwhelming skill.'

Yura's eyes sparkled.

'This match. It might actually be interesting?'

Kiyak!

As Leo pulled the reins, the griffin roared and soared into the sky.

However, its injured wing flapped awkwardly, making it difficult to gain speed.

-Ah! Player Leo's griffin! Its wing is injured! It barely got started, and bad luck strikes! It seems like being last is confirmed!

Runba said with an air of sympathy.

Leo stroked the neck of the griffin, which was struggling to flap its wings, and focused his spiritual energy.

"By the name of my sworn ally, reveal yourself before me."

Fwoosh-!

Flames flickered around Leo, and a large sphere of flame obscured his form.

"What is that?"

"It looks like he summoned a fire-elemental familiar."

"Didn't he say he couldn't contract familiars or spirits yet?"

The audience murmured at the sudden summoning of a familiar.

"What? What is that flame?"

Celia's eyes widened.

Rys's eyes twitched.

'Gerdinger's flame? No. It's not an aura flame. Then what is that?'

Within the flames, a summoning circle was drawn on Leo's palm.

The summoning circle, which had been spewing flames, then spat out a small bird.

Peep- peep-

"…It looks like a chick every time I see it."

At Leo's words, the baby phoenix Fiora pecked his thumb.

"Oh? You understand me now?"

On Leo's palm, Fiora gracefully flapped its wings and lifted its chin.

It looked as if it was trying to show the majesty of a phoenix.

Of course, from Leo's perspective…

'It's definitely a chick.'

"If we can communicate, it will be easier. Fiora, can you bestow a blessing upon this griffin?"

Blessing.

It was one of the unique abilities of a phoenix, the ability to manifest a portion of the phoenix's power upon a certain target.

This blessing ability was one of the reasons why phoenix summoners were called the strongest summoners.

Fiora nodded and hopped off Leo's palm, landing on the griffin's head.

As a result, the griffin, which was already terrified of Leo, trembled even more.

It was instinctively afraid of the phoenix, a top-tier familiar.

Fiora gracefully extended its neck and lightly pecked the griffin's head with its beak.

Gooooo-!

Then, the griffin's fur began to stand on end.

Even its labored wingbeats began to gain strength.

Its white fur started to turn reddish, and its yellow eyes changed to orange.

Leo grinned and placed Fiora on his shoulder.

Whoosh-!

The flames surrounding them scattered outwards.

Kiyak!

With that, the griffin let out a powerful roar.

"Let's go!"

As he pulled the reins, the griffin soared high into the sky at incredible speed.

"What? It's incredibly fast!"

"A first-year student can use this level of familiar enhancement?"

Gasps of astonishment erupted from the stands.

Leo, soaring high in the sky, squinted at the trailing group in the distance and descended.

Then, screams erupted from the stands.

"Wait! Even so, isn't that too fast?"

"How will it avoid obstacles flying at that speed?"

A pillar of light appeared in front of the descending Leo.

The pillars of light, created by magic, shot out red magic projectiles relentlessly in all directions.

The most basic trap in familiar races!

If hit by a projectile, immense physical damage would be inflicted, and one could be eliminated in a single blow if not careful.

Naturally, the faster one flies, the harder it is to avoid.

However, there was a pattern, not randomness.

'Up-Down-Down-Left-Left-Right-Up-Left.'

Leo's pupils instantly grasped the pattern of the magic projectile firing.

Whiz! Swish-! Swish!

And without slowing down at all, he flew at incredible speed, dodging the magic projectiles.

The spectators gasped in admiration at Leo's incredible control, as if he and the griffin were one body.

-Ooh! Player Leo! Incredible familiar control ability!

The commentator also shouted excitedly.

Leo, having passed through one obstacle in an instant, pulled on the reins.

Because he had limited his speed thinking about evasion, Leo had more room to accelerate.

Leaving the starting area, Leo quickly crossed the sky.

In the process, he spotted other students flying erratically.

'That Warden guy. It looks like he just smashed everything in sight.'

Of course, they were not all destroyed.

However, they all seemed to have suffered significant damage and were unable to reach their full speed.

Thanks to this, Leo was able to quickly join the trailing group.

"Huh? Leo Flov?"

"Did you get out of that spirit magic? No, more importantly, how did you join up so quickly?"

The Summoning department students were shocked to see Leo flying in from behind.

"Leo!"

Laura, a student from class 5 of the Summoning department, smiled brightly.

Leo pulled his griffin, seeing Laura being harassed by other students.

"It seems Warden already dealt with them…"

The griffin Leo was riding on grabbed the back of the neck of the male student who was harassing Laura.

"You- you bastard!"

"I'm also the type to pay back what I receive."

Leo smiled at the male student.

The male student frantically tried to break free from Leo, but before he could do anything, Leo's griffin soared into the sky.

The male student flailed, caught by the neck.

Leo controlled the griffin and threw the captured male student towards the other students.

"Uaaaaah!"

"Wh-why are you flying this way…!"

Thump-!

They crashed head-on, and the two students fell to the ground.

The students in the trailing group were bewildered by this.

Flap-! Flap-!

Leo looked down at them from the sky and smiled coldly.

"Now then, everyone, are you ready?"