Niara calmly headed back to Celestia Academy. On the way, she explained a bit to Darian about how the academy worked.
Aside from the massive Library of Blessings, where they'd just been, there was another one called the Celestia Library. That place stored top-tier martial arts techniques and secret documents. It wasn't just a regular library—any martial art ranked C or above required the Summoner to pass a test to access it.
Besides those places, the academy had exclusive training zones for its Summoners. There were the Five Elemental Fields, each specialized in one of the basic elements: Fire, Lightning, Earth, Wind, and Water.
Those fields weren't dangerous, as long as you stayed near the outer areas. Even a rookie could get a lot out of them. They were made for training endurance, blessing control, and martial arts—each field being filled with an intense elemental presence.
There were also three other zones—way more dangerous, but with just as many rewards—called: Tower of Mind's Darkness, Valley of the Celestial Roar, and Lake of Primordial Blood.
In those places, a rookie could die if they weren't careful. The pressure on a Summoner's body could make them straight-up explode. Still, they were the perfect spots to push your limits.
To enter any of those eight zones, you had to pay with Chaos Crystals, the currency used in Celestia Academy. Although the regular Mannaz had a different coin, Chaos Crystals could also be used outside the academy—and were worth a hundred times more than the normal currency.
'All rookies get one free use of the training zones. Only one person can enter an Elemental Field at a time, and they can stay for an hour. As for the three dangerous ones, you can stay as long as you can handle it. Usually, that's just a few minutes,' Niara added.
Darian got her point right away. Since rookies only had one free shot, and those zones were more valuable for solidifying and testing your power, everyone would save that use for the last few days.
Only one person at a time could enter, meaning most rookies would be gathered around trying to get in right now.
'There's only a few days left until the test. Most of them probably already learned the basics and now need to put it into practice. Usually, around thirty rookies pass each year. So, there's probably a line already,' she explained, clenching her fists after.
'I'm pretty well known among those with Divine Dragon blood. Had a lot of trouble with them—I'm seen as a criminal that should be captured or killed. During the test to become a Summoner, two genius kids with the same Bloodline as mine made it through...'
Darian nodded. That king he saw in the past vision had been a regular Mannaz. Now that Niara had become a Summoner, they'd lost their control over her. But even inside the academy, plenty of people still wanted to mess with her.
Darian asked, 'Why would they be dumb enough to attack you without a good reason?'
'Because my mutation's special. Others in my Bloodline can benefit from my blood,' she replied coldly, just as a large building came into view ahead.
Darian sighed. Niara's mutation seemed able to absorb other bloodlines and grow stronger. That's why the king tried to kill her in prison. Her blood was useful to others, even if the effect wasn't as strong.
Since they figured out she had no potential to become a powerful Summoner—after already investing so much in her—they wanted to take some of that power back and give it to someone more "promising."
Long story short, the two of them were about to walk straight into the tiger's mouth, hoping it would bite.
Need money? Just rob the ones looking for trouble.
Darian liked that way of thinking. She wasn't hurting anyone who didn't deserve it. If someone came after her, she'd just play with them.
At the same time... she didn't know anything about Darian, and everyone else had probably already learned how to use part of their powers. She had lost her head start—Niara wouldn't beat any of them head-on right now.
Still, she kept moving forward...
'She really doesn't do anything rationally. She just acts on instinct...' Darian thought, getting a better feel for his partner. She didn't know a thing about him, but she could sense that if it came down to it, he'd surprise her.
When they entered the building, sure enough, they saw about fifteen Mannaz lined up at the counter.
As soon as they stepped in, everyone turned around suddenly.
They immediately felt the atmosphere shift. The slug's spiritual body made the elements stir ever so slightly.
Darian watched the Spiritual Guardians closely. They were all small like him, but each looked like a miniature version of some mythic beast—like they were just waiting for the right time to grow and devour the world.
Of course, that was just looks. None of them could shake the atmosphere like the little slug and his partner did. Niara puffed her chest out with pride.
As for the Mannaz Summoners, each one was really different. Even among those from the same Tribe or Bloodline, there were big variations. Some looked more human, others almost like full beast-fusions.
Halfway through the line, Darian felt two sharp stares land directly on him.
One of them was a woman almost two meters tall. She had scarlet eyes, a thick tail, and a few reddish scales scattered across her skin. Resting on her head was her partner — a small multicolored snake. It was just a few centimeters long and looked like a kid's toy, but its eyes gave off a real sense of danger.
The other was a guy who, at first glance, seemed human and normal. But he had a pair of wings like Niara's — only way bigger. On his shoulder sat something that looked like a miniature version of a majestic, glowing bird.
"That bitch actually showed up..." the woman muttered coldly. Her voice was low, but everyone around heard it and swallowed hard.
Besides Niara, those two were the only rookie Summoners with the Divine Dragon bloodline. People with that blood were naturally way stronger than the rest, at least in the beginning. But as Summoners grew, that could change completely.
That's why everyone else avoided making trouble with these two — some even acted submissive if needed. Better to keep the peace while evolving. Later on, those two would be the ones forced to bow down.
"So that's the calamity-level Spiritual Guardian... what an oppressive aura..." the guy beside her murmured.
She clicked her tongue. "What's the point of giving something like that to someone so mediocre? What a waste. If he survives long enough to get three rings, it'll be a miracle."
Everyone in line sighed, watching the pair calmly walk up.
"It's better to stay quiet and rise slowly than to die tragically like a fool..." the guy added.
Everyone silently agreed. In every fight, even with a partner that terrifying, they'd always be one step away from falling off a cliff. Any powerful Risen could crush them with a laugh — and Niara was already a thousand times more dangerous than any Summoner. Potential was just that: potential. Odds were, he wouldn't even live long enough to use it.
'Is that it? Don't they have anything even remotely clever to say?' Darian thought with mild contempt.
Those two were considered young, same as Niara — even though she'd lived a long time already. People from that universe lived ten times longer than humans from Earth, but that didn't seem to come with wisdom.
They reached the end of the line.
The woman turned forward again, like they weren't even worth a second glance. Then she muttered, "A destined partner... fits her perfectly. Looks like a shiny jewel, but in the end, no matter how much hope people put into it, it's worth less than coal. Two pathetic bugs..."
'Come on... give us a decent insult already. I'm not gonna lower myself to respond to something that lame...' Darian thought, disappointed. 'It's like they're just...'
He stopped when he felt something above him suddenly stiffen. He turned to Niara — her face was completely twisted in rage.
With a furious roar, she lunged forward without even glancing around. Everyone in the building froze at the sudden movement.
The entire building shook.