In truth, the phrase 'Familiar Contract Ceremony’ might have some awkwardness to it. After all, the reason why familiar and mages formed contracts was not to gain a sense of family-like bond but rather to reap mutual benefits.

Many might assume that once you contract with a familiar, you can summon a familiar from anywhere. However, it was not that simple.

The contract between a mage and a familiar was a structure where they gave each other certain 'benefits,' and unless they desired something more from each other, summoning was impossible.

For example, if one contract with a flame familiar, he could passively receive the effect of 'increased casting speed and power within the attribute of fire.'

But, to reach the stage of actually 'summoning' the familiar, an immense level of intimacy must be built.

In reality, in the original fantasy novels, mages who actually reached the stage of directly summoning familiars were not very common.

And among them, there was one named Eisel Morph.

Edna walked alone on the third layer with that thought in mind. She didn't bring any other friends along. After all, she was entering a slightly dangerous area with the intention of contracting with the Luminal Flower.

In the original fantasy novel, the Luminal Flower, a faintly mentioned and elusive existence, had the perfect effect of amplifying the nature of light, making it ideal for Edna.

"Ah, there it is."

As expected.

At the edge of a cliff, a place where light barely reached.

There was a description in the novel which mentioned that the Luminal Flower would be in such a location, but to actually discover it like this...

Floral familiars were extremely rare, and at this level, it was safe to say it was close to a Grade 4 existence.

Edna calmed her heart and reached out her hand towards the Luminal Flower.

Whoosh!

Like dandelions fluttering in the wind, the Luminal Flower spread a cluster of light in all directions. Although there was no communication, it was undoubtedly a sign of affirmation.

"Great...!"

As someone who was born with a strong affinity for the Light attribute, Edna thought it would be easy.

Contracting with the Luminal Flower filled her with joy, making her whole body tremble.

She had exerted a lot of stamina rushing here, and now there was nothing else to do for the remaining time. She could just find a suitable spot and pass the time.

"Let's see..."

Since there happened to be a flat and decent-looking plain nearby, Edna moved there.

However, there was already a seer.

"Hello, Edna."

"Oh, hello?"

"Ma... Yuseong? Eisel?"

A stylish tent was set up, and it was unclear where he had acquired it.

Yuseong was sitting by the campfire, grilling meat. Beside him, Eisel sat quietly, basking in the faint glow of the campfire.

As Edna felt the mysterious charm of the man and looked at the woman who could even turn a campfire into the best lighting, she gulped down.

Indeed, the feeling was different when reading about them in a novel compared to seeing them in person. Human descriptive power could never be enough to express their appearance.

"What a coincidence. Meeting in a place like this."

"Yeah. Why did you set up a tent in this secluded place?"

"I also happened to pass by and ran into him."

"I... just wanted to pass the time."

"Ah."

Come to think of it, Yuseong had a characteristic that made it impossible for him to get along with familiars. All the familiars would avoid him and run away, so he probably never had a proper interaction with them.

Knowing that fact, he set up a tent in a sparsely populated area to pass the time. It was quite regrettable, but what could be done?

"Hey, I should get some food too."

Likely, Eisel also happened to pass by this place and coincidentally encountered Yuseong, allowing her to have a meal. That was probably the unfolding of events.

Edna sat down on a patch of grass in front of Yuseong, casually picked up a skewer with crossed legs, and then rummaged through her backpack as if dissatisfied. Then, she took out some seasoning.

"It's tasteless when you eat it like this. Hey, try sprinkling this on it."

"What is this...?"

"You should always have salt and pepper with you. Just by looking, I can tell you're eating it blandly."

How did she know?

That was the expression on Eisel’s and Yuseong's faces.

She knew everything, recalling how tasteless their meals were in the original story,

Yuseong sprinkled the salt given by Edna and said.

"Edna, did you make a contract?"

"For now, yes."

"Really?"

"I-I really did?"

They were greatly surprised by the news that she had already made a contract so early.

Eisel and Mayuseong had astonished expressions on their faces.

Edna felt a sense of unease and scratched her cheek.

‘Come to think of it, I wonder what that man is up to.’

Edna recalled the rumor that Baek Yu-Seol would head to the fourth layer. It was a place that didn't exist in the original storyline, so it was an unknown space for Edna as well.

However, he was a "regressor," so he might have some information about that place.

She didn't know what he was going to do there, but it was undoubtedly a dangerous space.

‘Well, he's that guy, so he probably won't die.’

Edna thought while randomly tearing at Mayuseong's meat.

… Boom, crash!!

From a little distance away, a violent explosion resounded and spread. They immediately stood up and surveyed the nearby area.

"What's that sound?"

"It seems like there's a battle happening nearby..."

But, could a student create such a loud explosion?

… There was one person who could. Among the first-year students, there was a capable student.

Just one person, Hong Bi-Yeon.

However, something was strange.

It was because in the vicinity where the explosion was heard, there was a... unpleasant sensation.

"It's probably nothing. Since there are many wild animals around, there's no need to worry. If they made it to the third layer, it means they have confidence in their skills."

"Yes... that's true, but still..."

Just as Eisel was about to say something, shivers ran down their spines.

A repulsive energy, tingling through their entire bodies, swiftly passed through the air.

As soon as they felt it, Edna and Mayuseong simultaneously looked in a certain direction.

"This is...!"

There was no mistake, it was 'dark magic.'

'Why?'

It was certain that such a thing didn't happen in the original storyline. The Familiar Contract ceremony should have been a simple event where Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon clashed, nothing more...

After thinking that far, she regretted it. 'What foolish thoughts am I having again? It's not the first or second time that something happened that wasn't in the original...'

While she blamed herself, Mayuseong stood up from his seat and leaped towards that place without saying a word.

Bang!

"Whoa?! Wha-what..."

Watching Mayuseong soar into the sky, stirring up dirt and dust, Edna hardened her expression and swiftly followed suit.

"Eisel! Let's go too!"

"Yeah, got it!"

Something had happened.

There was no doubt about it.

However, she couldn't grasp what had happened at all.

'What on earth is going on...?'

Puff... Thick smoke gradually dissipated, and Hong Bi-Yeon let out a dry cough.

Feeling the sensation of something pressing against her chest, she reached out her hand and felt a warm touch.

"Cough...!"

While coughing, she tried to raise her upper body and confirmed the identity of something that had been pressing against her chest.

"Prin...cess...."

"Arshuang...?"

Arshuang collapsed unconscious. Although she was covered in dirt, she didn't seem to have any major wounds, luckily.

"What is this...?"

"Princess!"

Hastily laying Arshuang down on the side, the girl turned around as the members of the faction called out to her in screams.

Thump, thump...!

Something was shattered into pieces, and fragments were flying around.

Hong Bi-Yeon could immediately recognize the identity of that thing.

'The boundary of the fourth layer...'

The barrier that sealed off the dangerous creatures in the fourth layer was completely shattered.

And from the broken cracks, a single creature emerged, and soared through the sky while emitting ultrasonic waves.

Whoosh!

"Aaah!"

"Ugh!"

The students covered their ears and screamed, but amidst that, Hong Bi-Yeon calmly looked at it.

Although it was writhing in pain, seemingly engulfed in dark energy, there was no mistake.

It was the creature Hong Bi-Yeon had been searching for, the 'Frostfire Dolphin.'

There was no time to be happy about finding it. Its appearance, covered in sparks of dark, looked incredibly unstable and precarious.

'The corruption of a familiar by dark magic... It used to happen commonly a thousand years ago when the dark mages went rampant, but now it's a phenomenon rarely seen since all the familiars have hidden away in the shadows of the world. The familiars are particularly vulnerable to dark magic, and once they start to be consumed by it, their emotions and magic go out of control, posing a great danger.'

'I have no choice but to subdue it quickly.'

Crack!

As Hong Bi-Yeon raised her staff to conjure flames, a massive chunk of ice fell from the sky, hitting the back of the dolphin.

The dolphin froze, unable to move. Then, a chain of light fell from the sky and wrapped around the dolphin's body.

Above it, Mayuseong revealed himself and struck it with a giant rock fist, sending it crashing to the ground.

Rumble~!

Thud…

Although the fog thickened, the wind blew soon and visibility was restored.

Within that, a boy and a group of girls came into view.

Edna had imbued mana into the chains, containing the power of dark magic.

Clang...!!

Perhaps because the corruption of dark magic hadn't progressed much, the dark energy was quickly purified, and the dolphin seemed to lose its strength and closed its eyes.

"Phew... That was close..."

It was a close call. An important creature that always appeared in the main story almost succumbed to corruption by darkness.

Edna took a deep breath and shouted towards Hong Bi-Yeon, "Hey! Princess! What's going on here!"

However, before an answer could come back, they too fell silent.

Thump, thump...!*

The red barrier that blocked the fourth layer was shattering into pieces.

"What, what is this...?"

And through the cracks in the barrier, a person walked out.

The students stepped back, regrouping themselves, and Edna’s group also stood alongside them, aiming their weapons towards the barrier.

"... The most delicious food is meant to be eaten last, but it seems the plan has gone awry."

The person revealed there was none other than Professor Maizen Tyren.

"Professor...?"

Someone called out to him, but it seemed there was no need for a response.

A pair of horns rose up in red. Eyes covered by a membrane of blood. A gigantic body almost reaching three meters in height, with grotesque pieces of bone protruding from all over his body.

He was no longer human, but a dark mage.

Maizen scanned the students with a quick glance. There were a whopping four students from Class S, and an estimated eighteen students from other classes, most likely from Class A.

He licked his lips with the tip of his tongue and flicked his hands.

Poof!

A storm of dark energy spread in all directions.

"Aah!"

"Ugh!"

Despite just releasing mana, the students were forced to retreat by the tremendous force.

'Sigh... Yes, this power.’

Maizen was originally an alchemist, and his talent as a mage was mediocre at best, and he barely reached the level of a Class 4.

His shift to alchemy could be seen as somewhat forced due to his lack of talent.

But now, things were different.

If he exerted his maximum output at the Class 5, he could even unleash the destructive power of the Class 6.

No longer limited to potions and trivial tricks, he possessed true power.

With his true magic, he would gradually make the name Maizen Tyren widely known in the world.

"Well then... Shall we enjoy the feast?"