Ch. 89 - Familiar Contract Ceremony (2)
I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic AcademyThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
Happy reading!
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Happy reading!
Chapter 89: Familiar Contract Ceremony (2)
Everyone wanted to form a contract with a divine beast, but it was well known that not everyone could make a contract.
Therefore, the main focus of this familiar contract event was one thing: "Who will succeed in getting a familiar?"
"How amazing would the familiar be?"
Divine beasts were ranked from the lowest grade of 7-star to the highest 1-star just before becoming a spirit.
Successfully getting a 7-star familiar was already quite remarkable.
Even at Stella Academy, where geniuses gathered, only about 5% of them succeeded each year.
However, Hong Bi-Yeon had no intention of settling for such a low grade.
“Wow…”
"Princess, the atmosphere here is really beautiful."
"Stop with the useless talk. We’re leaving."
As they entered the first layer, a world covered in green unfolded before them.
The ordinary boys and girls were mesmerized by the beautiful scenery, but it didn't catch Hong Bi-Yeon’s attention at all. “Only 7-star divine beasts exist in the first layer.”
They had to leave this place as soon as possible.
Leaving behind the other students who were leisurely enjoying the scenery, she quickly moved forward. Hong Bi-Yeon’s goal was a 5-star divine beast residing on the third layer.
Divine Beasts 5-star and above were considered very dangerous. They possessed self-awareness, intelligence, and distinct personalities.
Some with dark tendencies would attack humans for no reason, so she had to be careful.
It wasn’t going to be easy, but she had prepared herself enough for it.
"I've already finished studying about them in advance."
She studied the habits, characteristics, and temperaments of familiars all night long, even to the point of nosebleeds.
Which divine beasts were suitable for her? What was the probability of success? Which one could she absolutely not approach?
Thanks to that, she was able to narrow it down to a few familiars she had the highest probability with.
All 12 members of the faction supporting her were top-ranked in Class A, and among them, five were elite members who had overcome the necromancer incident alongside her, so if she moved with them, contracting with familiars wouldn't be too difficult.
Three hours soon passed since they entered.
Accompanied by the faction members, Hong Bi-Yeon reached the depths of the first layer and discovered a passage leading to the second layer.
Since the space was so chaotic and tangled, it took quite a long time. The first layer was filled with wild animals and not many powerful familiars, so the faction members found it rather easy.
Just as Hong Bi-Yeon was about to enter the second layer, one of the boys said to her, "Princess, Arshuang doesn’t look so good."
Arshuang, known as a prodigy of the flame attribute like Hong Bi-Yeon, was usually diligent in her training and had exceptional stamina. Hong Bi-Yeon was surprised at her state, but she didn’t think too deeply about it.
"Let's take a short break. We’ll conserve food and replenish our stamina by drinking water and eating chocolate bars."
Arshuang looked up. She wiped off the cold sweat and opened her dry lips.
"If it's because of me that we're delaying, I don't have any issue—"
"It's fine. Just do as I say. We still have a week anyway."
"But..."
"It's better than rushing in and getting tired at a crucial moment. I want to take a look around. I’ll be right back."
Leaving behind those words, Hong Bi-Yeon disappeared into the forest.
"Come on, even the princess said so."
"Rest quickly, Arshuang."
"Are you feverish? Is it a cold?"
"You seemed fine until we entered here."
"Ah, I read it in a book. Sometimes, when the connection with familiars is weak, even a slight energy drain can weaken the body."
While listening to their conversation, Arshuang clenched her fist.
‘Damn, how did it end up like this?’
She couldn't understand why her body was in such a state.
She had been looking forward to the Familiar Contract ceremony, so she had put special effort into taking care of her body. She was completely fine when she entered.
Suddenly, at some point, she felt as if her throat was being choked. Her head became dizzy, and her emotions became a mess.
Memories kept coming back to her.
“Arshuang, you are a once-in-a-century fire prodigy!”
“It's an amazing gift! You have the potential to become a great mage!”
“You have excellent magic skills. You will undoubtedly become a prominent mage even at Stella Academy.”
Arshuang believed that she was the best.
She possessed the ability to manipulate flames as if they were her limbs, an unparalleled talent that no one else in this world could replicate.
It didn't take her long to realize that she had been a frog in a well.
When she entered Stella, she met a true genius. A girl blessed with the power of fire, a girl who was loved by the flames themselves, Hong Bi-Yeon.
Without a doubt, Arshuang's talent was also remarkable. However, due to Hong Bi-Yeon’s overwhelmingly dominant abilities, Arshuang's talent was merely treated on par with any common pyromancer.
No one would attach the label of genius to Arshuang anymore. She was just a mage in Class A of Stella's first year, perhaps one slightly more proficient in fire manipulation than others and nothing more.
‘I didn't just sit idly by. Even when my mana was depleted, I forcibly squeezed out flames, studied while others slept, and secretly practiced in the early morning. How hard did I try, shedding blood, sweat, and tears to surpass Hong Bi-Yeon? However, the more I tried, the more I realized the harsh reality.’
Hong Bi-Yeon Adolevit was like a wall to Arshuang. No matter what tricks, training, studying, or efforts she used, catching up to her was impossible.
The moment she realized that, she felt even more...
"We've rested enough. Let's move."
Hong Bi-Yeon’s voice interrupted Arshuang’s thoughts. As the faction members gathered their belongings and stood up, Arshuang mustered the remaining strength in her weakening body and got up.
Unlike the entirely green first layer, the second layer had a blue hue. Additionally, the forms of the roaming familiars presented a drastically different appearance.
The 7-star divine beasts in the first layer were mere amorphous figures, and even the wild animals there were extremely docile.
However, the 6-star divine beasts in the second layer had taken on animal forms, and the occasionally appearing wild animals were mostly carnivorous.
Thanks to the influence of the divine beasts’ aura, the wild animals displayed considerable power, but they were no match for Hong Bi-Yeon’s faction members, who averaged Class 2 or 3.
Swish!
As the faction members unleashed the wind blades, one of them swiftly beheaded a wild boar.
Hong Bi-Yeon gave the order.
"Let's save our provisions and rely on that for tonight's dinner."
The provisions they brought in advance would only last for about three days. There was a limit to how much they could carry, so relying on wild animals for food was inevitable.
Swish!
At the back, Arshuang hunted and brought another wild animal.
Her physical condition had improved compared to earlier.
She felt much better than usual. It seemed like her stamina had increased, and she felt an unusual sense of excitement.
She felt good, and even when using magic, her concentration was much better.
"It feels good."
The faction members gradually started searching for divine beasts in the second layer.
Divine beasts at the 7-star class were difficult to contract with due to their low intelligence, while 5-star divine beasts had demanding conditions that made it challenging to form a contract.
The divine beasts with the highest contract success rate were the 6-star ones.
Arshuang's goal was also to form a contract with a 6-star divine beasts.
"Look, it's a red deer!"
"I read in the guidebook that if you form a contract with that deer, your understanding of fire attribute magic increases."
"I have the lightning attribute, so it's not really useful to me."
"Wait, why’s it coming this way?"
A 6-star fire-attribute divine beast, the red deer.
Most familiars were cautious of humans, but strangely, the red deer approached them stealthily. It charged straight to Hong Bi-Yeon and rubbed its cheek against hers.
"Oh my."
"The familiar is expressing affection first. You..."
"Princess, are you going to make a contract?"
The faction members looked at her with envy, but Hong Bi-Yeon gently stroked the deer's forehead and shook her head.
"No, it's not the familiar I want."
"As expected of you, Princess."
Arshuang clenched her fist tightly.
The red deer wouldn't stray far from Hong Bi-Yeon, so the faction members had the chance to observe the familiar up close.
Arshuang, being a fire mage, approached the red deer to attempt to establish a connection with it.
However...
Squeak!
Startled by Arshuang's touch, the red deer ran away.
"Uh, what?"
"Why did it suddenly...?"
"Ah, maybe it was a bit skittish."
"Don't worry too much, Arshuang."
It was clear to everyone that the red deer was frightened and ran away from Arshuang.
However, the faction members tried to console her with words that were of no comfort.
'What’s this...?'
Arshuang clenched her fist and looked at her hand with a sense of emptiness.
'Does the divine beast dislike me?'
She couldn't believe it. She wanted to believe that the red deer was just peculiar. But...
"Oh my, are the divine beasts gathering around the princess again?"
"I think they can smell a pleasant fragrance from the princess!"
All sorts of divine beasts were attracted to Princess Hong Bi-Yeon, and not a single one approached Arshuang.
On the contrary, some of them even tried to run away or bite if she got close. The familiars’ actions seemed to say, “We don't like you.” “Don't come near us,” or “We're scared.”
The faction members looked at Arshuang as if they were disappointed. Although it was unsurprising for the affinity between divine beasts and students to be low, and such incidents did happen occasionally, they never expected it to happen around her.
And so, another day passed.
On the morning of the second day, Hong Bi-Yeon’s faction unexpectedly discovered a path to the third layer.
The third layer was a world bathed in violet.
The wild animals that appeared there seemed to possess incredibly strong power, perhaps due to receiving the energy of the divine beasts. From there on, it would probably be difficult for Arshuang to act alone.
"It's fierce..."
"Phew."
Seeing the exhausted group who had just finished confronting a pack of wolves, Hong Bi-Yeon decided to take a rest.
"Since everyone is tired, let's rest for a while before we continue moving. As for the food, distribute high-calorie snacks to each person."
The students moved busily or took a break, chatting away.
"By the way, it was no joke back there. I was really surprised when those 5-star divine beasts suddenly attacked."
"Even if it's a joke, it was pretty damn scary."
"Even the wild animals here are aggressive. How dangerous do you think the fourth layer with the 4-star beasts is?"
"Don't even mention it. There are hardly any students who have gone down there and come back alive. They didn't seal off the fourth layer for no reason."
While the group members were chatting, two students who had gone on a short patrol returned.
"Princess, it seems like we shouldn't go north."
"Why?"
"The barrier leading to the fourth layer is blocking the way. Do you want to see for yourself?"
"..."
She nodded silently and stood up. Her motto was not to waste unnecessary time, but for some reason, her curiosity had been flourishing recently. She wanted to know everything and learn everything.
"It's over there."
After walking for a while, they reached a place where a translucent and massive red barrier was erected.
‘Beyond that is where the 4-star familiars reside…’
"Princess, there's a student over there," said one of the members.
Hong Bi-Yeon narrowed her eyes and looked in that direction.
It was a familiar face.
"Isn't that Baek Yu-Seol?"
"Yeah. But he's alone. It looks dangerous."
Was he bold enough to venture into this dangerous area alone?
"What do you think he's doing there?"
Baek Yu-Seol was gazing intently at the crimson barrier that blocked the entrance to the fourth layer. It seemed as if he expected the barrier to be pierced just by looking at it.
"Hmm, it seems like he doesn't know much about it. Should I go and bring him? It's dangerous to wander alone on the third layer."
"That's right. Let me go and—"
"Leave him be."
"What?"
The faction members widened their eyes at Hong Bi-Yeon’s words. She casually turned around and said, "Even if that commoner were to enter the fourth layer alone, he would be able to come out alive."
"Really? You can't be serious."
Just as the girl's eyes widened in surprise, a wild animal suddenly appeared behind Baek Yu-Seol. It was a massive wolf that was estimated to be grade 3.
Growl! Snap!
However, as soon as the wolf lunged toward Baek Yu-Seol, it collapsed to the ground.
A flash scattered from the short dagger that emerged from his left hand, revealing it as the culprit behind the wolf’s death.
"Wow, he took down that wolf with just a dagger..."
They experienced firsthand how tough, strong, and fast the wild animals were, so they couldn't help but be amazed.
Even Hong Bi-Yeon’s eyes subconsciously widened.
"Now that you understand, let's head back."
"Yes!"
As Hong Bi-Yeon led the faction members and disappeared back into the forest, Baek Yu-Seol quietly looked at the dagger in his left hand.
"Hmm, indeed, its destructive power is stronger than the Teripon Sword."
The issue was the short duration of only five minutes.
Additionally, the wild animals in the divine space received divine energy, granting them strong magical resistance while their physical resistance remained similar to ordinary animals.
Therefore, Baek Yu-Seol was their bane.
It was inconceivable for him to kill a grade 3 with a single blow.
But it was purely a favorable matchup.
"Well then, shall we?"
Baek Yu-Seol reached out toward the barrier blocking the fourth layer.
Flash!
A small cluster of light dispersed, revealing nothing but thin air. Only a silent breeze remained.