‘Almost done… just a bit more…’

My eyes were crinkled as I felt the tiny dots become one with a much larger swirling orb located in my heart.

The other three resonated well with the forming last one, and all that was needed was a little more push.

Fortunately, with the spike in the Mana I absorbed and the energizing of the excited particles within me, the final piece was unified with my fourth core, making it fully established!

“Haa… haaa…” I huffed.

Sweat covered my face and I felt drenched all over. Fortunately, everyone maintained some level of distance from one another so no one could notice the pungent odor I emitted thanks to exercising myself in such limited time.

The fragrance of the flowers around also helped, and the lake gave off a lovely scent that overpowered any foul odor residual in the atmosphere. I was saved thanks to those factors.

A magical clock was placed above us, allowing everyone on the Oasis grounds to see it just by lifting our heads. I did so after smiling proudly to myself and found out I had a little over thirty minutes of free time left.

My face returned to its position and I looked at both Edward and Anabelle, both were focused on firmly establishing their core and even increasing its capacity. They had both made considerable progress ever since training started and it was fortunate that they showed no limits to their growth yet.

I noticed the other students, some of which were looking at me strangely. The majority of students were either practicing basic spells to further improve themselves before the main show began or some simply just relaxed.

A few could be seen discussing, but other than I and my two comrades, no one else was meditating.

They didn’t know, to begin with. Plus, doing something so absurd at such a critical moment seemed off. This made us there garner a bit of attention.I ignored the multitude and considered my next approach. Now that I had four cores, I was a step closer to my goal.

‘This should be enough for my Familiar Selection Ceremony!’

With that out of the way, I stared at the pool and waited for the show to begin. Once it did, I would enact the next phase!

*******************

Time passed in nearly the blink of an eye, most likely since I was practicing combinations in my head while waiting.

The moment the clock hit 12 noon, the most incredible sight emerged!

The blue lake suddenly emitted a bright white light that covered the entire watery surface. Just as how ice would permeate a river during winter, the brilliant light hardened the body of water in front of all of us, giving it a solid shape.

Everyone seemed to marvel as I noticed from the corners of my eyes, and I also couldn’t stop myself from smiling in amazement. Seeing something like this up close was truly amazing.

Different colors began swirling within the lake as sparks flew out. The white lace that covered the surface like glass maintained its form, but within it, different colored lights bloomed and formed a whirlpool.

Red. Blue. Yellow. Green. Orange—so many hues that could make the eyes of any human sparkle.

‘That must be the Gate!’ I reasoned.

FWOOOOOOSSHHHH

After a few seconds of swirling, balls of light began to pop out of the Gate. They sparkled and glowed, warbling as they made their way past the glassy white light and appeared in the environment where we all stayed.

Those were the Familiars!

Hundreds of them poured out and glowed, taking on various shapes and sizes.

Some appeared to be flickering light, some had the form of flaming crimson, some were simply spheres of light, and some had mushy forms that changed as their colors warbled.With hundreds of these seemingly alive souls pervading the environment, the students could not help but feel amazed.

However, now wasn’t the time for sightseeing! The Gate had opened, the Familiars had poured out. The only thing left for us to do… was to call for them!

The Call, a term coined by an expert on Familiars who appeared after I died, was simply done by releasing one’s Mana to attract the lingering souls to the person.

If the Familiar felt attracted to a person’s Man, they would flock around the individual and offer their terms for a contract. While it was simple, it also very tricky.

Familiars can sense a person’s potential and growth from the energy being emitted since they are in the form of pure mana—souls searching for a residence.

A weak Call would, of course, attract weak Familiars and the opposite also applied. Using this rationale, it was best to get as strong as possible to attract the best of the best.

‘Now, then… I should begin, shouldn’t I?’

As soon as I was about to infuse my mana and generate my Call, a sharp sensation pulsated through my body, causing me to cease my attempt immediately.

‘T-this is…?!’

The moment I realized this, my plans were altered immediately.

The density of Mana in the atmosphere had gotten far more than before. I could sense the saturation, so thick that I could almost touch it. Compared to this vast flood of mana, the one I had been enjoying previously could be said to be no more than a trickle.

It was too amazing, too distracting! The Mana called for me!

‘So many Mana-based beings are here, and that Gate too… the Mana around is overwhelmingly huge! I can’t pass this up!’

I was faced with two choices at that moment. Choose a familiar with my newfound prowess… or patiently cultivate and increase my capacity.

I was obviously going to go with the second.

‘I have time… let’s do this! With this much Mana, I should be able to do it…”

Right there and then, the assurance was so high it was guaranteed. It was possible, after all. If I played my cards right, I would be able to make a fifth Mana core!

And so, while the rest of the students attracted their Bonds and began conversing with the balls of light that were gathering around them—some having a few dozen, while some having one or two, I closed my eyes and began the most exciting venture of my life!

… Making a Mana Core in less than three hours!