REAPER SCANS

[The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student]

[Translator – Aine ]

[Proofreader – Ash ]

Chapter 19

"A practical exam right from the start?"

"Other classes just had a lecture today. Why are we the only ones doing this?"

Observing the flustered students, Professor Yura announced, "I've said it before. Those of you with half-hearted commitment should go ahead and leave. We're not like the other majors."

The students fell silent at her stern remark.

"As summoning students, I’m sure you know this. Summoning isn't just something you can learn by putting in a little bit of effort. It requires spiritual depth for contracting spirits, as well as an impeccable sense for taming in order to be victorious.”

Professor Yura gestured widely.

"As a result, we have far fewer summoners here compared to the knight studies or sorcery departments. That's why summoners among our heroes are so rare."

The summoning students clenched their jaws at the undeniable truth.

"But! The summoners who've become heroes have achieved remarkable feats compared to other heroes!" she declared proudly. "Thus, do you think it's fair for you to have the same standards as students from the other departments?"

"No, it's not!"

"You are the chosen ones! Are you not?"

"Yes! Absolutely!"

"Then we start guns blazing from day one!"

"Yes!"

"Excellent! Let's begin!"

"Let's do it!"

As Professor Yura raised her fist and cheered, the first-years followed suit.

Her encouragement instantly ignited the once dreary atmosphere.

Satisfied with the heightened sense of pride and focus, Professor Yura nodded.

Then, a silver-haired girl raised her hand.

"What kind of exam shall we have on the first day?"

"Good question, Eliza Hergin."

The name stirred murmurs among the students.

The Hergin family.

A family of renowned summoner heroes from the northern continent.

"This island houses all the summons under Lumene's management."

Summons, the closest a summoner had to a weapon.

"Today, I'll be evaluating your taming skills."

Yura gestured toward the forest.

"Tame one of the summons in this forest and bring it back. Points will be awarded based on how well you handle the taming."

Eliza asked another question. "What if we manage to contract with a summons during the test?"

The students swallowed nervously.

Taming and contracting were distinctly different processes.

Taming initiated familiarity with the summons, a crucial step toward contracting.

Though, even if taming went well, there were further steps required to sign a contract.

Yura chuckled at Eliza's question.

"If you can successfully contract, the summons is yours."

"Wow!"

"Of course Lumene would allow it! If you manage to contract during the test, it counts!"

There were two methods by which you could contract with a summons.

First, via a summoning contract using a catalyst, and second, via a direct meeting with the summons to sign the contract.

In the latter case, uncontracted summons might be ‘sold'.

Thus, summons often came with a hefty price tag.

Offering the chance to freely contract during the test naturally spurred motivation.

"Professor, what about aspiring spiritualists?"

This time, it was Chen Xia who inquired.

"The typical summoner can basically deal with both spirits and summons. There are some specialized aspects, but Lumene's summoning class is designed to help you maximize your ability in either realm."

Chen Xia nodded.

‘Summons, huh.’

Leo reminisced about his past life, when he had also signed with powerful summons.

‘Though, they all vanished during the fight,’

As he thought to himself, Professor Yura announced.

“You have three hours! Begin!”

“Woah, let’s go!”

Excitedly, the first-years dashed off.

"Why aren't you going?" 

Professor Yura asked Leo, Chen Xia, Walden, and Eliza, who all had stayed behind at the starting line.

The quartet of freshmen remained unmoved.

"I'm not so keen on dealing with lower-tier summons," Eliza said casually, preening her nails.

“...”

Walden stayed silent.

"I only know taming theory, so I'm still planning my best course of action,” Chen Xia admitted with a shy smile.

Finally, Leo, who had been gazing into the forest, moved.

"Hey, Freshman rep?" Eliza called out.

Leo looked back at her.

“I heard about your performance in the knight studies class. Should I expect great things from you in the summoning class, as well?"

Leo shrugged as he smiled back at her.

“I’ll do my best, I guess.”

Eliza responded with indifference to his playful provocation.

Professor Yura chuckled as Leo ventured into the forest.

"Ah, youth,” she remarked nostalgically.

“You must be pretty old now, Professor.”

Punch

“Ugh!”

Carlo grunted while Professor Yura put her fist back to her side.

She smiled, watching Leo’s back.

‘I’m quite excited for this, aren’t I?’

At least, that’s what her intuition was telling her.

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Translator – Aine]

[Proofreader – Ash]

Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics

* * *

‘I didn’t think it was possible to create an ecosystem like this just for summons.’

Leo marveled at the diverse ecosystem of summons as he traversed the forest.

He’d never seen such a collection of species all in one place before.

‘This forest is like a treasure trove for summoners.’

The rest of the students were busy searching for summons.

Though, they perpetually missed their targets, arguing amongst themselves over the summons that had just slipped by.

Anyone with a better understanding of summoning would’ve moved much more carefully.

Especially since the stronger the summons, the less likely it would appear in front of people.

That’s why Walden and Eliza had remained at the starting line.

Though, Eliza was certainly second to Walden in terms of skills.

“Isn’t he going a little too far?”

Some students observed Leo's actions with confusion, watching him go deeper and deeper into the forest.

The other students had been searching together in larger packs, refraining from straying too far from each other.

In the case of high-level summons, there had been quite a few documented cases of them showing hostility toward humans.

Besides, it wasn’t just a random foray into the wilderness. 

Worse, it was a practical exam.

In a graded exam like this, failure could result in zero points, making some students hesitant to risk contracting with a high-level summons.

Lumene was an endlessly competitive environment.

There was no such thing as ‘good luck’ or an ‘off day’... or ‘partial credit.’

“He must be thinking it’ll be just like it was in the knights studies course.”

“I guess he’ll at least have somewhere to go when it doesn’t work out for him.”

A group of students snorted at him.

Leo, undeterred, looked around.

After confirming that there were no others in sight, he examined the gray feathers he found earlier.

‘Just what I thought. This is…’

Leo’s eyes began to shine.

His gray Aura began to burn bright.

It was Phoenix Breath.

The flame of his Aura transferred to the feathers, beginning to burn even more fiercely.

The feathers transformed into ash and dispersed into the air.

Whooooooosh

'These were Phoenix feathers. But is there really a Phoenix in this forest?'

The phoenix, known for its strength, was notoriously hard to contract.

Its feathers, when contacted by mana, turned to ash and disappeared, making them useless as summoning catalysts.

Signing a contract with a phoenix required encountering one in person, a rare feat.

But even if one found a phoenix, it was notoriously picky about forming contracts.

Hence, it was typically regarded as just a pipe-dream summons for summoners.

“Wow, Lumene really is amazing.”

Leo’s eyes shone again.

Crackle

“...!”

A crimson flame suddenly appeared above Leo's head, startling him.

As the intense heat and light enveloped him, he instinctively lowered himself.

CAW!

In disbelief, Leo watched as the flame took the shape of a magnificent bird.

Flames flickered with every beat of its wings.

Leo summoned his Aura flame for protection.

The phoenix, responding to Leo's Aura, addressed him.

{I thought it was a Zerdinger’s flame, Reina’s specifically… it felt like quite a familiar flame, however, that appears to be untrue. Was I mistaken?}

Leo was taken aback by the phoenix's suspicions.

"Do you know my mother?"

{Your mother?}

The phoenix's eyes opened wide and smiled cheerfully in response to his words.

{I guess I was not completely wrong! Yes! If she had a baby, I suppose they would be around the same age as you!}

The Phoenix's intense flames subsided, revealing a gentler demeanor.

[Huhuhu, do I know your mother? Of course I do! I owe your mother, Reina, a great favor.}

The phoenix sat in front of Leo, flapping its beautiful wings.

Despite the phoenix’s famed arrogance, this phoenix’s demeanor was incredibly soft.

Leo was dazed by her response.

‘She’s a world apart from the phoenix Lysinas had. That bird was such a pain.’

Luna had always insisted on boiling it for a nice dinner.

{Reina’s son, what’s your name?}

“My name is Leo Plov.”

{Alright, Leo. My name is Phirina.}

"How did you know my mother? You mentioned being indebted to her?" 

Firina smiled at Leo's question.

{Reina was my savior. She was the one who saved Ellen Lunda.}

"Ellen Lunda?" 

Leo repeated, surprised by the mention of the renowned Elf hero.

Furthermore, Ellen was one of the leaders of the Lunda lineage; a hero whose name belonged in the hero record.

{At the time, Ellen was in charge of a dungeon raid at Seiren.}

“By dungeon, do you mean one of the Hero Dungeons created by the explosions of lost pages of the hero records?”

{Yes.}
The hero records existed in five known places in the world.

Besides that, however, the hero records may have existed elsewhere.

Those fragments of the records were known as the lost pages of the hero records.

Those pages scattered all over the world had occasionally manifested Hero’s Worlds where they landed.

Those manifestations were called Hero Dungeons.

{Hero Dungeons invade the fabric of reality. Over time, monsters from the Hero's World will cross the Dungeon’s boundary into reality itself. One of the main tasks of the hero academies is to find and subdue these Dungeons.}

Many countries covered up the emergence of Hero Dungeons if they were detected within their borders.

This was because if a country subdued the Dungeon itself, they boasted the benefits derived from defeating the manifested scenario, as it worked in a typical Hero’s World.

Because of this, countless countries had actually been destroyed by concealing the appearance of Hero Dungeons within their borders.

Thus, now it was understood that Hero Dungeons posed a great danger, requiring only the most skilled individuals to undertake its challenges.

{One day, Ellen was assigned a mission to enter a Hero Dungeon. Despite their efforts, their party failed, and nearly all of their comrades perished. It was Reina who saved them from the brink of death.}

Phirina reminisced bitterly about the past events.

{During that ordeal, Reina lost her spark. If not for that, she could have become a great hero…}

"Mom doesn't dwell on the past. She doesn’t regret what she did. She always tells me that she believes the present is what matters most." 

{Huhu…I guess that’s one part about her personality that hasn’t changed.}

Leo asked Phirina, who was smiling softly, “Why are you at one of Lumene’s islands, Phirina?”

{I came at Kalian’s request.}

"The principal's request?"

{Yes, however, I'm not at liberty to disclose the details.}

Leo was intrigued by the secrecy.

{Why are you here on this island? Normally, a freshman in knight studies wouldn't be here.}

Phirina had assumed that Leo would be pursuing a career as a knight, like his mother.

“I'm also studying summoning.”

{Really?}

Phirina was surprised, noticing Leo's faint spiritual aura. 

‘His spirituality may be weak, but his potential is impressive.’

Phirina chuckled as she assessed Leo's abilities.

{Huhu. Maybe it's fate.} 

She mused.

"What do you mean?" 

{Why don't you form a contract with me?}

____

Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics

____