Ch. 78
The slope from the top of the cliff was steep, littered with rocks big and small, making the descent difficult.
The reason I was climbing down such a dangerous path was because I’d had Rai carve an advanced spirit summoning circle down below.
I needed a place not too far from the academy, rich in water, and inaccessible to most people—this location fit perfectly.
While the front side of Lake Baresa was often visited by many, the backside, which I was now descending, was a hidden area that could only be reached by passing through the cliffs.
Due to the lake’s warped geography, the area couldn’t be seen from the front, making it the perfect spot to draw a summoning circle.
“Argh!”
Of course, the path was horrendous, as expected of a place humans rarely ventured. Actually, it wasn’t even a path.
A branch I had pushed aside whipped back and struck me square in the forehead.
Rubbing my forehead, I slipped and tumbled down the slope, cursing instinctively.
Swishhh.
I ended up flat on my butt, the pain so intense I couldn’t even stand—just sat there groaning.
“Tch, Undain!”
I wanted to conserve mana for the upcoming advanced spirit summoning, but getting down with this clumsy body was impossible on my own.
Maybe because of the nearby lake, water rose with a soft ripple, forming the shape of a dolphin, and rushed toward me.
Smooth-bodied, translucent, and tinted with a deep, beautiful blue—when it came near, I could hear a low, watery resonance like a whale’s call.
It was Undain, the mid-grade water spirit.
[Did you call for me, Master?]
Whereas Undine’s voice was cute and childlike, Undain’s was more mature and androgynous.
“Take me down there.”
[Please get on, Master.]
I climbed onto Undain’s back and grabbed its fin.
It was cold and squishy, yet perfectly firm—like solidified water that didn’t leave any moisture behind.
Undain swam through the air as if gliding through water. Smooth and graceful, it floated us gently down to the base of the cliff.
“Well done. You can go back now.”
[Please call me again next time.]
Undain’s powers were honestly too good to be used just for transport, but since Undine wasn’t rideable, I had no choice.
When Undain dissolved into water, its body trickled back down the rocks and returned to the lake.
The lake’s base, connected to the cliff, was made entirely of rough stone, but the area where Rai had engraved the summoning circle had been smoothed out and flattened.
I could tell Rai had put in a lot of effort.
“All right, let’s do this!”
I pulled out the prepared mana concentrate and fairy powder from my bag.
The mana concentrate alone was overwhelming in quantity, but it had to be—that’s how massive an advanced spirit summoning circle was. It was nearly five times the size of a lower-grade one.
Basically, about the size of an entire room.
To fill such a massive circle, I needed that much material.
Before pouring the solution, I opened a book and carefully compared it to Rai’s engraving to make sure nothing was off.
Thankfully, he’d done it so many times by now that the quality was impressive.
That’s my number one underling for you!
—
As I moved along the lines and poured the solution little by little, irritation bubbled up.
I had no talent for this kind of meticulous, patience-demanding work.
Still, this was my third time doing it, and I was getting better.
The first time I’d tried contracting an advanced spirit was at seventeen.
Of course, I’d failed. The contract circle didn’t even glow.
The second time was last year—I’d barely glimpsed the shadow of an advanced spirit.
Truthfully, being a mid-grade Spirit Mage at my age was already an incredible achievement. Considering Master Yael Roenin was still a mid-grade Spirit Mage even in his thirties, summoning an advanced spirit before turning twenty should’ve been impossible.
At least in theory.
But who was I?
I was a genius destined to crush Rovenin Fedri.
“Done.”
I carelessly tossed the empty solution container over my shoulder and grabbed a fistful of fairy powder, sprinkling it generously.
By the end, I just dumped the entire pouch over the summoning circle.
Last time, I only used about half of this amount, but I didn’t care.
As long as I could summon an advanced spirit.
Even if the materials were worth the price of fifty horses, it didn’t matter.
“Sorry, Master, but I’m going to go first.”
Before summoning, I thought of my teacher, who was also striving toward the same goal.
My poor Master Yael, mentally tormented for having such a prodigious disciple.
Not that I was doing this for his well-being, of course—I had hidden the fact that I contracted a mid-grade spirit for about four years, and I planned to keep it a secret if I succeeded with this advanced one too.
The reason I was doing this in secret was simple—I hated being in the spotlight.
I didn’t want to be a famous prodigy like Rovenin Fedri.
I just wanted to reclaim my pride.
“O spirit of the blue waters.”
As the mana solution and fairy powder mixed and began to glow, I chanted the incantation.
I had studied it so obsessively, I’d memorized it long ago.
“O mighty and steadfast power.”
Mana began pouring out of me in chunks.
The summoning circle’s glow grew so intense I could barely keep my eyes open, and massive waves rose from the lake without a single breeze.
“Here and now, I offer all that I am and seek to join in your great power. In accordance with the ancient covenant, answer my call. Come to me so that we may become one. Endairon.”
I wished with all my might.
That the one behind that powerful name would come to me—lend me strength so great it could drain me dry.
Maybe my wish had been heard.
Or maybe the overflowing water energy of the radiant lake had chosen to help me.
The ground trembled, and the lake began to churn and swell.
I braced my legs, afraid I’d get sucked into the light and crashing waves.
I had only chanted the summoning spell, but over half of my mana had vanished—and before I could even feel the emptiness, it appeared before my eyes.
A sea dragon of such immense size it hardly felt real.
It had to be at least 20 meters long.
Most books described Endairon as resembling a sea monster, a sea serpent. But the Endairon that now appeared before me looked much more like an Eastern dragon from past memories.
Formed from deep blue water that resembled the sea itself, Endairon stirred the once-transparent lake into violent waves with its presence. I stood frozen, mouth agape, staring at the dragon’s head that reached the sky.
[The one… who calls me…]
It was the first time I’d heard its voice.
So deep, so vast—it felt like my mind was submerged underwater, the echo pressing in like the abyss.
“Endairon…”
[Human.]
“It’s me. I summoned you! Make a contract with me!”
[…If you wish it, then be tested.]
Information about high-grade spirits was extremely limited. Most accounts barely described their appearance.
There were thirteen Swordmasters and five 7-class mages known on the continent, but only one high-grade Spirit Mage had ever been identified.
An exceedingly rare number.
“A test?”
So I had no idea what kind of test Endairon meant.
There was a test?
Why don’t Spirit Mages ever share any of this info?!
As I wrestled with confusion, Endairon brought its massive face down in front of me.
Holy crap, one of its eyes was the size of my entire body.
What was it trying to do?
[Will you take it?]
My mana was already nearly depleted.
This wasn’t the time to hesitate—I shouted immediately.
“I don’t know what it is, but I’ll do it!”
Even getting this far was a first for me. I was going all in.
Whatever the test was… Wait, why is it opening its mouth?
[Welcome.]
“Wha—?!”
[I invite you inside me.]