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nIt was unorthodox, I hadn’t seen a single book that talked about this method. However, after carefully considering my options, it was bound to work in theory.

nI sluggishly moved my tired body and rose to my feet. Every joint and muscle within me ached severely, as I thought it would. My tummy growled in hunger, but I neglected the pangs.

nAs I moved, I slowly got closer to the pool, so clear and white, like a crystal. The swirling within the clear glass surface was mesmerizing, but I maintained focus.

n‘As long as this white surface is here, the Familiars that have come out can not go back in until the allotted time is up…’

nThat was why a great deal of them still lingered in the area even though they appeared to be practically done with their business.

nI was the only one left, and so far no Call had come from me. They must have already given up on gaining a Host and would probably have to wait until the next year.

nHowever…

n‘Judging from the swirling within this pool and the glimmering colors within, there seem to be more Familiars inside…’

nThey just refused to come out.

n‘All the impressive Familiars would have probably been taken by the talented students, and I am not interested in leftovers.’

nThe ones that piqued my interest were the beings who didn’t even bother to find a Host among our batch of students. I could only think of two reasons why.

nOne would be that they were lazy or uninterested in a Contract with a Host.

nAs long as they remained in the artificial Mana core, they had a home, so they were probably comfortable with that.

nThe second would be that they had a great deal of pride. For a Familiar to refuse searching for a Host and not respond to the Call of any of the students, it meant that the Ego making them up was quite huge.

nThe bigger the Ego, the better the Familiar!

nA grin formed on my face as I noticed even more time had passed. Only fifteen minutes were left so I had to hurry.

nThis was a risky venture with an unconfirmed success rate.

nDeducing the fact that no one else was here, it meant they had all succeeded, one way or the other, in gaining Familiars. It would be a bummer if I was the only one who failed.

n“Let’s do this!”

nI sat on the grass directly facing the lake just inches from my body. A little push would make me fall into it, no doubt. Now closer to the source of the vast mana that I had exploited to better myself, I was grateful for not being so close while I absorbed it.

n‘At this distance, the Mana would have been too much for me to handle… I would have gone into Mana Shock.’

nI reached out my hand, limp and tired, stretching it toward the glassy surface of the lake. I made my movements slow and calculated, watching out for any warning from the staff that I was violating some sort of rule.

n‘Nothing, uh?’

nDamien Lawcroft also didn’t mention my actions as a violation of any rule, so that meant I was well within my rights.

nMy hand moved more swiftly now and I made contact with the glassy surface of the lake. It felt sturdy, as I predicted. It was cold too.

nShaking off my perception of the white barrier, I focused on my next action.

nNo matter how hard I tried to ‘Call’, I was probably never going to obtain the attention of any of the Familiars within the lake. Only the ones nearby would flock to me, and it would be a pain to sort them all out.

nThis was why… I would need to resort to this!

n‘Mana Resonance!’

nIn an instant, four of my five Mana Cores shone, resonating with one another at the very same time. Instantly, my Mana was leaked out of my body and all gathered on the hand that touched the lake’s barrier.

nLike shockwaves rippling through water, the Mana I released served as a probe and distorted the swirling water in the lake.

nFWUUUMMMM

nI felt a shift in the atmosphere, like the very air around me vibrated. It only lasted for a few moments, and then it disappeared.

n‘Huu, I’m done… now, let’s see your response!’

nThe technique I just used, ‘Mana Resonance’, was only possible when a person had very high proficiency in Mana Manipulation.

nIt was achieved by pulsing one’s Core through the area to reveal one’s presence and also to detect the presence of others.

nIn a place with zero visibility, Mana Resonance was useful since allies could spot one another. High-Level Resonance made telepathy between two individuals possible—even without the use of Spells!

nAll I had done was to use all four of my Mana Cores to resonate my intentions into the deep. It was a hassle to deliberate on a Bond Contract between myself and a prospective Familiar.

nInstead of going back and forth with offers and counter-offers, it was best to simply give out my contract offer.

nI achieved this with Mana Resonance!

n‘Now, let’s see which one among you will bite!’

nFor a moment, silence prevailed.

nI received no response.

nFive seconds passed. One minute passed. Three minutes passed. Five minutes passed… not a single feedback!

n‘Shit! Did I make a mistake!’ My eyes bulged as panic began seeping into me.

nWith less than ten minutes left, I was already on my last straw. Should I have just settled for the ones available?

nFortunately, I was worried in vain.

nI saw four balls of light ascend from the swirling pool beneath me. They seemed so pure and unsullied, even as I viewed them from behind the glassy layer that separated us.

nRed

nBlue

nGreen

nAshen

nThese creatures, no, souls, popped out of the pool and went past the white barrier.

nMy eyes widened more in surprise as I witnessed their splendor. They had an appearance unlike any other.

nTheir shapes resembled tiny sparkling beings made up of flaming lights in their respective colors. Their shapes were humanoid, having larger heads compared to their bodies. I saw eyes too, two round indications on their faces… and these four approached me closely.

nMy eyes weren’t deceiving me!

nThere was no way I wouldn’t know these creatures—what kind of Familiars they were!

nIt appeared staying behind and trying this method was worth it, after all. Before me, floated the most unique of Familiars—having the title of the original Bond Souls.

nWisps!

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