Victoria put down the lesson plan in her hand and was silent for a few seconds, as if weighing her words.
“Since you’ve asked…”
She finally spoke, her voice lower than usual.
“Find a seat and sit down. Anyone else who wants to listen can stay.”
There was a rustle in the classroom as the students who had been about to leave sat back down. Camilla hesitated, then hugged her satchel and returned to her corner seat—after all, there was no rush to get to the cafeteria.
“The Dark Beast Legion is an illegal summoner organization on the wanted list in every country, and they’ve been active for nearly thirty years. Their main area of activity is along the empire’s borders and several small principalities, but in recent years… there have been signs of them infiltrating inland.”
Victoria leaned against the lectern, arms crossed, pausing for a moment as if organizing her thoughts.
“The core philosophy of this organization is deeply twisted—they believe that the so-called ‘Equal Contract’ between summoners and their summoned beasts is nothing but a shackle, a self-deluding lie of the weak. What they seek is absolute dominance over summoned beasts and so-called ‘Beast Modification.'”
The classroom was quiet, only the occasional sound of birdsong coming from outside the window.
“What kind of ‘modification’ are we talking about?”
The bespectacled boy who had asked earlier spoke softly.
Victoria glanced at him, her eyes complicated.
“Stripping summoned beasts of their autonomy, forcibly enhancing their combat abilities through Forbidden Drugs and Dark Rituals, or… something even crueler—stitching together the limbs and organs of different summoned beasts to create so-called ‘Chimera Synthesis Beasts.'”
The sound of people sucking in cold breaths rippled throughout the room.
“They also steal other people’s summoned beasts, especially rare and powerful ones. If the original owner refuses to break the contract, they might even take the person along with the beast…”
She didn’t finish the sentence, but her meaning was clear.
“W-Why would they do such things?” a girl asked in a trembling voice.
“Power.”
Victoria’s answer was simple.
“A quick path to strength—using Forbidden Drugs, a third-rank summoner can control fifth- or even sixth-rank modified beasts for a short period. Of course, the price is that the summoned beasts won’t live long, and the process is excruciating.”
She straightened up, her gaze sweeping over every face in the class.
“I’m telling you all this not to frighten you, but so you understand—on the path of a summoner, shortcuts always have a price. The so-called ‘modifications’ of the Dark Beast Legion will eventually backfire, not just on the summoned beasts but on the summoners themselves. Over the years, not a single member of the Dark Beast Legion captured by the empire has remained sane.”
The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“Next month’s assessment will be held in the B4 sector of the back mountain.”
Victoria changed the subject, clapping her hands, trying to lighten the oppressive mood.
“That area was indeed once a target for infiltration by the Dark Beast Legion, but the academy has since tightened its defenses. During the assessment, professors will take turns on duty. What you need to do is focus on your tasks and improve your strength—using legitimate methods, of course.”
She rapped on the lectern, her tone turning stern again.
“If anyone tries to take shortcuts and messes with Forbidden Drugs or any crooked paths… don’t expect the academy to show mercy. As your professor, I’ll be the first to make sure you pay. Understood?”
“Understood…”
The students answered weakly, scattered voices blending together.
“Louder! I can’t hear you!”
“Understood, Professor!”
“Good, much more energetic… Go eat now, and remember what I’ve told you today.”
The students trickled out of the classroom. This time, no one stayed behind to ask questions. Every face was clouded with various degrees of seriousness—it was clear the story they’d just heard had shaken most of the freshmen.
Camilla stood up slowly, and Limlu in her satchel shifted slightly, sending her a ripple of unease.
[Bad people… scary…]
“It’s okay. I’m here,” Camilla patted her satchel, whispering comfort.
She walked out of the classroom, fragments of in-game information floating through her mind. What Victoria said was mostly accurate, but she left out a few crucial points.
The founder—or rather, the current leader—of the Dark Beast Legion, the “Stitcher,” was actually an apprentice taken in by Headmaster Kolova in her early years. That guy had tremendous talent, but after his own contracted beast was gravely injured in an accident, he began researching forbidden techniques for modifying summoned beasts to save it, and ultimately went astray.
Kolova had intended to deal with him herself, but he escaped. This incident had been a sore spot for the headmaster ever since. In the game, when this past event is brought up, the usually cheerful Kolova would fall into an unusually long silence.
Additionally, Victoria’s claim that none of the Dark Beast Legion members were sane wasn’t entirely true.
Strictly speaking, it was those who abused Forbidden Drugs and Dark Rituals that went mad, while the real high-level members—like the Stitcher himself—remained perfectly lucid, though their values had become completely twisted.
As for the “evil summoner” profession… Camilla couldn’t help but purse her lips.
In the system of “Tarora Continent,” the dark summoner was one of the hidden advanced professions, with exceedingly harsh and malicious requirements to unlock, and its strength was… complicated. Early on, relying on Forbidden Drugs and modified beasts, you could crush all comers. But by the mid to late game, the top-tier summoned beasts nurtured by regular summoners completely outclassed the modified ones in both potential and stability.
For example, if a player chose the summoner path, their first summoned beast would be the “Elemental Holy Dragon” hatched from the egg given by the headmaster. Its final form, “Sky Dragon God,” had a base stat of 720.
If you went down the dark summoner route, the Elemental Holy Dragon would instead become the “Doomsday Dragon” in its final form, with a base stat of 780.
On paper, the Doomsday Dragon seemed stronger than the Sky Dragon God, and in fact, it was. But think about it—wasn’t it possible for players to have up to six summoned beasts on the field?
On the normal summoner path, players could contract all kinds of Divine Beasts by the late game—flying through the sky, running on land, swimming in water…
But on the dark summoner route, you could never earn the recognition of Divine Beasts. Instead, your corrupted Elemental Holy Dragon had to devour them one by one, and in the end, you’d basically have just one main fighter left.
Not to mention all the other side effects: summoned beast backlash, mental corruption, being wanted by every nation… it was a true “hell difficulty” profession designed by the devs for players seeking a challenge.
To be fair, the growth rate was blazing fast early on. You’d be invincible even before graduating from the academy. But once you hit the midgame, you’d have to face a certain eternally youthful headmaster pursuing you all over the map.
“For that little early-game advantage, is it really worth it…”
Camilla shook her head and walked down the stairs.
The cafeteria was already bustling. As she was wondering what to eat today, she heard a familiar voice.
“Camilla! Over here!”
Looking up, she saw Emma and Lilian sitting by the window, waving at her. Emma wore her usual shy smile, while Lilian was elegantly sipping her soup. When her light golden eyes met Camilla’s, they curved gently.