Blank Check

Everyone was stunned by that declaration of hers.

As for that Summoner's reaction—he just stayed silent… though his eyes, glued to her curves as she walked away, said plenty.

Niara was well known for the trouble she'd caused… but also for her beauty. Now that she was a Summoner, she was bound by many restrictions and couldn't cause trouble anymore—technically, she was under control.

All the other Summoners had always kept their guard up around her. But now, after seeing that move of hers, the men started seeing her differently. As for the one who got the milk—his eyes were practically glowing… with a shine that was honestly kind of disgusting.

Niara stopped in front of Darian and leaned on his shoulder. Her face looked indifferent, but inside, Darian could feel the disgust and anger she was trying to hold back.

'You better make it up to me later!' she muttered to him in her mind. 'Who the hell would think a creep like that is cute? I feel sick just thinking about it…'

Darian sighed. 'Alright, you can ask for anything later. But… are you sure?'

She heard that and gave a small smile that made Darian break into a cold sweat. Then she answered lightly: 'Yeah, I'm sure. He's connected to the traitors too.'

Darian took a deep breath and looked at that elite Summoner in the distance. He activated his curse and saw a dark, ordinary-looking aura around him. Darian couldn't tell if that person was really a traitor or not—his karma wasn't thick enough to reveal his actions in this life.

That was a weakness in his power: people who weren't directly involved didn't fall into his net. Even if he had contact with traitors, the man had just started as a Summoner and hadn't had the chance to do anything major yet.

But… his partner seemed to have some kind of insane intuition.

'Shit… he won't stop staring at me now,' Niara said angrily. 'Before, he'd stare at any woman with even a bit of charm. He's just from some no-name bird tribe, but he's clearly a bastard with no boundaries.'

Darian understood—this was a woman's defensive instinct. He definitely hadn't noticed anything before, but Niara had.

So he watched for a bit…

None of the women coming back went anywhere near that guy. He was part of the elite and had gotten one of the best Yang roots… which was weird. You'd expect them all to try to trade with him.

Niara wasn't liked by any Mannaz because of her past. On top of that, she never bothered studying, so she didn't really know anyone—and everyone avoided her.

It was just a bad reputation. Darian was sure there were good people among the Summoners, and that once they got to know her, things would change.

Normal Mannaz who wanted to become Summoners had to go through tons of training and talent tests their whole lives. Those who stood out were definitely well known among the Summoners and Mannaz.

The women clearly knew that guy—and were avoiding him. Meanwhile, he wasn't even trying to hide his pervy stares. As Summoners, they were supposed to be proud and fearless, but… if they were still afraid of him, it meant he'd probably caused problems even for other Summoners before.

He had definitely done things—and probably got reported. But punishment for a Summoner who does something awful (but not life-threatening) was just a heavy fine in resources. For most, that would be a death sentence. But if an Elder secretly helped him pay, he'd barely be affected.

In the end, they realized he wasn't afraid of punishment—and that he kept getting worse. So, the safest thing was to just stay the hell away from him.

'So that's it… he must really have connections to important Elders at the academy. To get that kind of protection without family or background—just talent—that's a solid sign he's someone special,' Darian murmured.

The elite of the rookie Summoners was made up of high-talent Summoners paired with partners whose bodies had immortal-level potential. Every year, people with equivalent potential popped up. There was no reason for an Elder to show favoritism to anyone.

Darian sighed. Niara's instincts were seriously scary. She didn't overthink things, but when you needed her, she was sharp. She really was the perfect match for the things he lacked.

There were still several hours left until the test ended. Suddenly, that elite guy snorted and stepped away from the crowd.

He'd realized no woman was going to give him milk. Since there was a time limit for drinking it, and it would take a few days to fully absorb the benefits, he chose to drink it right away.

He picked up the bottle with a faint smile, opened it, and downed it in one go.

At that moment, Darian focused—

Earlier, he'd filled Niara with the power of the ring, and it had taken a while because he had also planted that canine tooth inside her.

Since they were linked by a contract, they could communicate even from a distance. And since she had no use for the milk, it turned into a perfect opportunity.

The milk wasn't really liquid—it was more like a clump of Yin runes that dissolved gently in the body, strengthening it. Hiding a little "gift" inside wasn't hard, so she coordinated with Darian to sneak something into the runes.

Would he notice when drinking it?

Not right away. His body had almost no Yin, which already made the sensation of absorption feel off. He wouldn't realize anything immediately. But… as his body slowly digested the contents, he'd definitely start to sense something more was in there.

In other words, it would take a few days — the same amount of time that guy would need to recover his strength and notice.

'Now we've got two people linked to the traitors. In three days max, they'll figure it out,' Darian muttered to himself. 'I can activate that on them and kill them instantly. There's probably no way they'd trace it back to me. Let's wait and see if they're still useful somehow.'

Niara nodded silently, but Darian felt something disturbing inside her… she was thinking! 

Definitely thinking of how she was gonna use the blank check he'd just handed over. He was already starting to regret asking her to do that.

The day dragged on. Eventually, the head Elder announced the end.

This time there was no countdown. All the women who had taken the milk had already been recorded and their points calculated. He just made the results public.

Niara scored 350 points. She'd taken milk from a goat far above average, reaching the maximum score. But she wasn't the only one—twelve others had done the same.

With that, she and Darian were in first place, with 4100 points, while second place had only 3200. The gap was massive, almost impossible to close.

Still, the guy in second place looked pretty confident.

Everyone left the inner region of the academy and returned to the starting area, the big courtyard.

"With that, the second test, split into three stages, has come to an end. Now we'll begin the final one, where everything will be decided," the head Elder announced seriously.

"The first test was focused on intelligence and individual capability. The second, on technique and skill..."

**Buzz!**

He stopped abruptly when a loud buzzing echoed through the Celestia Academy. All the Summoners reached into their clothes and pulled out their emblems.

At the center of each emblem, a red mark was pulsing.

Everyone's expression turned serious. The Elder quickly made an announcement:

"It's an emergency signal. Something very serious just happened!"