Everyone wanted to contract with a familiar, 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 contracting with a familiar?"

"How amazing of a familiar will they contract with?"

The familiars also had grades. Starting from the lowest grade which was Grade 7, and going up to Grade 6, Grade 5... finally reaching the stage just before becoming a spirit, the Grade 1.

Even just contracting with the lowest Grade 7 was already quite remarkable.

Even at Stella Academy, where geniuses gathered, they could only contract with about 5% every year.

However, Hong Bi-Yeon had no intention of settling for such a low grade.

"Princess, the atmosphere here is really beautiful."

"Stop with the useless talk, we're going to leave here quickly."

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. "There's only Grade 7 familiars on the first layer."

They had to leave this place as soon as possible.

Leaving behind the other students who were leisurely enjoying the park, she quickly moved forward. Hong Bi-Yeon’s goal was a Grade 5 familiar residing on the third layer.

By the time the familiar reached the Grade 5, they were considered to be in a very dangerous category, possessing self-awareness and intelligence, and showing distinct personalities.

Some with dark tendencies would attack humans for no reason, so she had to be careful.

It would definitely not be easy, but she had prepared herself enough for it.

"I've already finished studying about familiars in advance."

She studied the habits, characteristics, tendencies, qualities, traits, and abilities of familiars all night long until her head was spinning.

Which familiars were suitable for her? The probability of success in contracting? And which familiar should not be approached by her...

Thanks to that, she was able to narrow down a few familiars with the highest possibility of contracting.

All 12 members of the formidable faction supporting her were top-ranked in Class A, and among them, five were elite members who had overcome the Necromancer incident together, so if she moved with them, contracting with familiars wouldn't be too difficult.

Three hours had passed since they entered.

Accompanied by the faction members, Hong Bi-Yeon had reached in 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, while the luck of the familiars was not strong either, so the faction members didn’t find it exhausting.

Hong Bi-Yeon was about to enter the second layer immediately, but one of the faction boys said to her, "Princess, Arshuang's complexion is pale."

Arshuang was a girl who was also known as the Flame attribute genius like Hong Bi-Yeon.

She usually trained well and should have plenty of stamina, so Hong Bi-Yeon was concerned when she heard that her complexion wasn't good, but she didn't dwell on it too deeply.

"Then let's take a short break. Let's conserve food and replenish our stamina by drinking water and eating chocolate bars."

Then 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 and getting tired at a crucial moment."

After saying that, Hong Bi-Yeon disappeared into the forest, saying she would look around for a moment.

"Come on, even the princess said so."

"Rest quickly, Arshuang."

"You feel a slight fever... 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 not good, 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…’

Suddenly, she couldn't understand why her body was in such a state.

Since the Familiar Contract ceremony was a long-awaited day for her, she had put special effort into taking care of her body, and even until she entered the root interior, she was fine.

But suddenly, at some point, she felt as if her breath was being choked, her head became dizzy, and her emotions became a mess.

Memories kept coming back to her.

'Arshuang, you're a once-in-a-century genius with a fiery talent!’

'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.

Since she entered Stella, she had met a "true genius." A girl blessed with the power of fire, a girl who was loved by the flames themselves, Hong Bi-Yeon.

Yes, 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 "Hope of a pyromancer" to Arshuang anymore. She was just a mage in Class A of Stella's first year, and slightly more proficient in fire manipulation than others, 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 Adolveit; she 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."

At the sudden voice of Hong Bi-Yeon, Arshuang raised her head. 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 Grade 7 familiars in the first layer were mere amorphous figures, and even the wild animals inhabiting there were extremely docile.

However, the Grade 6 familiars in the second layer began to take on animal forms, and occasionally, the appearing wild animals were mostly carnivorous.

Thanks to the influence of the familiars’ 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 let's 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.

Perhaps due to adaptation, her physical condition had improved compared to earlier.

No, it 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 members gradually started searching for familiars from the second layer.

Grade 7 familiars were difficult to contract with due to their low intelligence, and Grade 5 familiars had demanding conditions, making it challenging to form a contract.

The familiars with the highest contract success rate were the Grade 6 ones.

Arshuang's goal was also to contract with Grade 6 familiars.

"Look, it's a red deer!"

"I read in the guidebook that if you contract with that deer, your understanding of fire attribute magic increases."

"I have the lightning attribute, so it's not really relevant for me."

"Oh, why is it coming this way?"

The Grade 6 fire attribute familiar, the red deer.

Most familiars were cautious of humans, but strangely, the red deer approached them stealthily. And then, it went straight to Hong Bi-Yeon’s location 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 desire."

"As expected of you, Princess."

Arshuang clenched her fist tightly.

Some were wriggling around, trying to contract with the Grade 6 familiar, while others sat there with disdainful expressions.

The red deer couldn'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 the fire attribute familiar.

However...

-Eek!

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 is this...?'

Arshuang clenched her fist and looked at her own hand with a sense of emptiness.

'Does the familiar dislike me?'

She couldn't believe it. She wanted to believe that the red deer was just peculiar. But...

"Oh my, are the familiars gathering around the princess again?"

"I think they can smell a pleasant fragrance from the princess!"

All sorts of familiars were completely 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. It seemed like the familiars were speaking with their actions alone: “We don't like you”, "Don't come near us,” or "We're scared."

The members of the faction looked at Arshuang as if they were disappointed. Although it was surprising for the affinity between familiars and Arshuang 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, the Hong Bi-yeon faction was able to find a passage leading down to the third layer faster than expected.

The third layer was a world completely filled with purple. The wild animals that appeared there seemed to possess incredibly strong power, perhaps due to receiving the energy of the familiars. From here on, it would probably be difficult for Arshuang to act alone.

"It's fierce..."

"Phew."

Seeing the exhausted members of the faction 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 and then continue moving. As for the food, distribute high-calorie snacks to each person."

"Yes!"

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 Grade 5 familiars suddenly attacked."

"Even if it's a joke, we don't know how scary it is for us."

"Even the wild animals here are aggressive... How dangerous do you think the fourth layer with the Grade 4 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, learn everything... Such curiosity.

"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 Grade 4 beasts reside..."

The faction members said to Hong Bi-Yeon, who was silently gazing at the place.

"Princess, there's a student over there."

Hong Bi-Yeon narrowed her eyes and looked in that direction.

It was a familiar face of a boy wearing a Stella first-year uniform.

"Isn't that student Baek Yu-Seol?"

"Yeah. But he's alone. It looks dangerous."

Even if he was 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 which 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 it be."

"What?"

The factions' 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 manage to come out alive."

"Really? You can't be serious."

Just as the girls' eyes widened in surprise, a wild animal suddenly appeared behind Baek Yu-Seol. It was a massive wolf that was estimated to be a Level 3 Danger.

Growl! Snap!

However, as soon as the wolf rushed towards Baek Yu-Seol, it collapsed to the ground.

A flash scattered from the short dagger that emerged from his left hand, and the wolf's throat was pierced, causing instant death.

"Wow, he took down that wolf with just a dagger..."

They experienced firsthand how tough, strong, and fast those guys were when dealing with the wolf, so they couldn't help but be amazed.

Even Hong Bi-Yeon, who didn't expect it to be that intense, widened her eyes but turned her body without showing any concern.

"Now that you understand, let's go back."

"Yes!"

As Hong Bi-Yeon led the faction members and disappeared into the forest again, Baek Yu-Seol quietly looked at the dagger in his left hand.

"Hmm, indeed, its destructive power is stronger than that of an Argento 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 the perfect match to confront them, no matter how ordinary he might be.

It was inconceivable for him to kill a Level 3 Risk demon with a single blow.

But, it was purely a favorable matchup.

"Well then, shall we go?"

Baek Yu-Seol reached out towards the barrier blocking the fourth layer.

Flash!

A small cluster of light dispersed, and there was no one left in that spot. Only the silent breeze circulated there.