They don't want me to try anymore.

"Do not attempt to contract with silver-tier demons, monster lords, or other creatures that are inherently hostile to humans. That is something you absolutely cannot handle right now. Also, do not touch the otherworld that causes your spirit to ache... You are aware of the many more rules."

After Arno and Richard went inside, they closed the iron gate.

"I'll stand guard outside the door and watch over the magic circle. You just need to focus all your energy on it."

"Thank you teacher."

Richard went to the center of the magic circle in the secret room and sat down cross-legged.

He took out the prepared spices, potions, and a ruby ​​as a sacrifice—summoning a powerful creature from another realm isn't like catching a rabbit in the forest; it can't be done by force. It's like playing a game where if you want to get a good character, sometimes you have to offer up your wallet...

Then, he entered a meditative state and began chanting incantations in the ancient Elvish language.

Outside the door, Arno sensed the slightly unfamiliar magical fluctuations, his brow furrowed, and he muttered to himself:

"It's neither the elemental realm nor the abyss, but some obscure small illusionary realm? This aura... a dragon-like creature? A wyvern? Ah, why did I choose such a difficult target?"

As a teaching assistant specializing in summoning, Arno knew very well that compared to simple-minded elemental creatures or malevolent demons, otherworldly beings with dragon bloodlines were often far more arrogant, and therefore…

It is even more difficult to reach an agreement.

Especially for bronze.

"It's a bit too youthful..."

Chapter Thirty-Two: Each Gathering Their Strength

Two full hours passed.

Accompanied by a red warning light, the maximum usage time for a single student's classroom application has expired.

Richard, covered in sweat, withdrew.

Arno's experience told him that, generally speaking, the longer it takes for a summoner to communicate with otherworldly creatures, the more difficult the summoning process becomes, and the outcome is often unpredictable.

So, direct contact with wyverns is really too difficult after all... Sigh, poor thing...

He couldn't help but feel a little regretful, and without asking Richard for details about the outcome, he simply wished him victory.

Richard thanked Arno and hurriedly left the tower.

Instead of returning to his dormitory to rest, he went to the school's training ground and met the second person who was waiting for him.

"Thank you for your help, senior."

In addition to acquiring stronger summons, Richard also did not forget practical combat training.

That's why he asked Alice for help.

Alice is the only one among Richard's acquaintances who is willing and has the time to be his sparring partner for two consecutive days, and her skill level is just at the mid-silver tier, which is higher than Linda's.

...By the way, when Richard first heard about Alice's class, he was so envious he was almost in a state of plasmolysis.

"You're welcome. We Vanderbilts will always help our friends to the end."

Alice, almost habitually spouting nonsense about Vanderbilt traditions, led Richard to the center of the venue.

Looking at the handsome face opposite her, the girl suddenly felt conflicted—she wanted Richard to win, but she also wanted him to lose, because then Richard would drop out of school, and she would have a chance to bring him back to Vanderbilt.

This Roland Empire, which can't distinguish right from wrong, is not worth her beloved staying in for long! They, the Vanderbilts, also have their own "Saint Goethes," and will never hold Richard back!

But she quickly banished the idea from her mind and reflected on it deeply!

In the simulation, Richard sacrificed himself for him, so how could I be so selfish and not think of him?

We still have to help him win!

Alice exhaled, then said to Richard seriously, "If you're ready, we can begin."

"Okay senior."

"You should know that Silver-rank professionals all possess adaptive magic shields, right? So don't hold back, just attack."

"clear."

Richard raised an eyebrow, knowing that was one of the obstacles to his challenge against Linda.

Silver-tier professionals are not only stronger than Bronze-tier professionals in terms of basic attributes, but they also gain a natural, close-range defensive shield, somewhat similar to the protective qi in martial arts novels of the past. This shield can significantly reduce damage from lower-tier professionals and is known as the self-adaptive magic shield.

In the game, it can also be called advanced damage reduction.

This is also the fundamental reason why Silver-rank professionals don't need to dodge when facing low-yield gunpowder weapons.

With time of the essence, Richard didn't hesitate and immediately began sparring with Alice.

The training ground was suddenly illuminated with colorful magical light.

Zoe and Katyusha arrived midway.

Lacking sufficient skills, they were unable to participate in actual combat training, so they stayed on the sidelines serving tea and water and providing logistical support.

The group stayed until very late.

And at the same time.

Linda Dulles did not go to the training ground.

In her mind, if she were to be nervous even when facing a bronze-level opponent, it would only tarnish the family's reputation—at least, she couldn't do that on the surface.

So, as usual, she attended the private banquet hosted by her aristocratic classmates, indulging in revelry and drinking until late at night when she finally went to the club's lounge to sober up.

Gazing at the cold, high walls of the campus bathed in moonlight, her smile gradually faded, transforming under the influence of alcohol into a gloomy expression tinged with anger.

She was far from being as elegant and composed as she appeared.

Although half a day had passed, Richard's declaration of war was still flashing through her mind.

This country bumpkin bastard, how dare he talk to me like that...

He even challenged me to a duel...

Suddenly, as if possessed, Linda remembered another version of the family origins that her father had told her in private…

The Dulles family were never farmers at all!

Instead, they were a group of bandits who pretended to do farm work during the day and robbed people at night while wearing masks!

They gradually rose to power through burning, killing, and looting, and eventually managed to become followers of St. William!

The claim that he came from a farming family is just a romanticized notion embellished by later generations.

Ah, yes.

Thinking about it this way, perhaps a duel is the best solution.

I, Linda Dulles, should use force to make that Connaught man understand what despair is! What an insurmountable gap is!

dong dong dong.

"Linda?"

At that moment, Hamilton walked in.

He leaned down, his face full of apology and trepidation, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect things to turn out this way..."

Linda shook her head, suppressing her anger.

She wanted to yell at Hamilton, but she knew that blaming the dog at this point would be pointless.

On the contrary, it is precisely in such situations that one must simultaneously display both authority and tolerance, so that the collar around the dog's neck will become tighter and tighter.

So she simply asked, "It's alright. Any plan can fail. Besides, no one expected Princess Vandan and the principal to get involved this time. It's not your fault."

"Thank you, thank you for your kindness."

"Don't you have anything else to tell me?"

"Yes, yes."

Hamilton bowed and scraped, saying, "My friend saw Richard sneak off to the tower..."

Ah, as expected.

Although Linda didn't think she would lose at all, she wasn't completely unaware of her opponent's strengths.

She remembered Richard's outstanding performance in the placement exam and the exploration of the illusionary realm, and guessed that this person would definitely use the unique way of enhancing his strength as a summoner...

Linda knew very well that Richard's strength was definitely much stronger than that of an ordinary mid-Bronze rank, and no weaker than that of a high-Bronze rank.

But so what?

She is not an ordinary silver-level person.

Moreover, bronze is bronze after all, and a country bumpkin is a country bumpkin after all. Even with Saint Goethe's help, Linda doesn't believe Richard can obtain any powerful summons!

Thinking of this, she smiled at Hamilton and said, "Go and investigate further, then come back and tell me."

"Okay, I won't let you down again."

Linda nodded, turned around and continued to admire the night view outside the window, saying nothing more.

Time flies by.

News of the duel spread throughout the entire school.

From the initial accident in the illusionary realm to the subsequent hearing, and finally the bronze-level challenge against the silver-level, the development of events took an unexpected turn for the better and attracted everyone's interest.