The duo made their way through the halls of Celestia Academy until they reached a large open courtyard outside.
There, nearly two hundred beginner Summoners were gathered, along with their Spiritual Guardians.
Of course, not everyone had waited until the end to use the free benefits. Some had used them early on or at random moments. But others… Darian could tell, just from the look in about a third of them, that they were arrogant and overly confident.
Those ones hadn't touched the free benefits because they believed they'd get even more out of them by using them later. They were sure they could pass the trials without any help.
The fifteen they had seen in the hall before were just the average ones. They needed to use everything they had just to have a shot. The true elites weren't worried about any of that.
Among the crowd were that same man and woman from earlier. They were staring at Niara and Darian like they were standing in front of someone who'd murdered their parents.
Niara stopped off to the side in silence. Darian, meanwhile, scanned all the academy's new students and sighed. Back on Earth, the instructor had said that if three people passed the test from the Earth's group, that would already be impressive.
The entrance test happened once a year, and all the planets from the Divine Protection Universe sent their candidates.
Looking at that crowd, the division between the groups was obvious. They were organized in small groups, each standing apart from the others.
Why would they group up? The answer was obvious — they all came from the same planet and trusted in that shared origin.
They had only been here for twenty days, and this was a hostile universe where everything was unfamiliar. Even for the elite, trusting total strangers right away wasn't easy — just trusting their own Summoners was already enough of a leap.
So sticking close to people from their own planet was the only way to feel a bit safer. That way, at least, they didn't feel completely alone.
The groups varied from six to twelve people. As for Earth… everything pointed to it being, at best, a mediocre planet, with very few people passing the test each time.
The instructor had said that, in this universe, any planet with qualified people had Spiritual Guardians. And he specifically said there were hundreds of planets. That gave Darian a clearer picture now.
Based on the number of newbies, there were about a dozen extremely powerful planets, sending lots of people at once. A few dozen more were average, with far fewer passing. Then there were the mediocre ones like Earth, lucky if they managed three.
There was probably an even lower tier, ones that couldn't even create new Spiritual Guardians every test — maybe one or two every now and then, with only a handful living on those planets.
Everyone was waiting patiently.
It only took a few minutes before an Elder covered in bluish scales showed up. Everyone turned to face him.
"Today, we begin the first test for the new students," he announced loudly, making everyone hold their breath. "There will be three tests, each lasting three days. On the final remaining day, you'll get your results and your rewards."
He looked over the crowd seriously, sizing up the groups that had already formed.
"As you probably know, the competition is individual, not in teams. That said, you're allowed to form alliances to support each other. The first test is pretty simple: it's a point-based competition. We'll count up what each of you gathers by the end. The top hundred will get chaos crystals. The top ten will get way more, and as you can guess, first place will get a ridiculous bonus."
"As for the actual test, it's also straightforward. You'll be sent to a wild planet to the west of the galaxy. It's home to demonic beasts, and there's a medicinal herb that grows there called the Rainbow Lily."
"You can harvest it directly and store it in your spatial rings without much loss. The goal is to collect as many as possible. The purer and older the herb, the more points it's worth."
"As for the difficulties… obviously, the Demonic Beasts won't let you take the herbs so easily. You'll only be able to face them by using your blessings and powers together."
"This will be a major test for all of you. The beasts on that planet move in groups and help each other. They can gather dozens of individuals in no time. If you get cocky and draw attention, you might end up surrounded by tons of them. Even if you can take down one easily, you don't have the stamina to kill dozens back-to-back. These beasts don't care about sacrificing their own — because of that, you could end up dead pretty quick."
The weaker ones swallowed hard when they heard that, visibly shaken. Weren't they supposed to be the hope of this universe? Were they really being thrown into something that dangerous this early on?
The Elder, expecting that reaction, added coldly:
"What's the point of keeping a Summoner and their Spiritual Guardian if they can't even handle the basics? They're just Demonic Beasts. Inferior creatures like that should be like ants to you. They're only useful as material and training."
Hearing that, Darian felt a wave of fury and indignation coming from Niara. He sighed, understanding — she was acting on instinct, not logic.
Darian knew from the book. Demonic or Divine Beasts only had those names because they weren't like normal beasts. It wasn't about raw strength — regular beasts could also be really powerful.
The difference between them came down to intelligence. A Divine or Demonic Beast was just like any person—they could think, feel, and communicate just like anyone else. Some could even take on humanoid forms through metamorphosis.
So, they weren't really different from anyone. The only reason they couldn't become Summoners was because they didn't have divine bloodlines. That's why they were treated like resources by everyone.
"If weaklings go to the real battlefield, they'll get crushed by the Risen. You know what happens when they lose?" the Elder went on, blunt as ever. "The Spiritual Guardians get eaten, which powers up the Risen. And the Summoners? They get turned into one of them. Having a weak person around just boosts the enemy. It's not worth it."
The place went completely silent. Only the elite stayed calm. In this world, being weak was basically a sin. Better to die on some random planet than become a burden to others.
Did they really think that just passing the test meant they could relax? Darian remembered when Rhea recruited him—there was a reason she warned him and tried to make him give up. Accepting this power was like moving into hell.
"You'll stay there exactly three days. After that, you have to return to the starting point and use the inscription to come back to the academy," the Elder continued. Then he paused, and his expression grew sharper. "One important warning: being competitive, fighting for what's yours—that's allowed. You can even fight each other if you want."
"But if you kill someone outright, we'll know who did it and when. The punishment can easily be death. How could anyone trust someone who murders an ally? On the real battlefield, trust is everything. People like that need to be removed before they cause more problems."
The weaker ones let out a quiet sigh of relief. At least now they only had to seriously worry about the Demonic Beasts. If there was any conflict between them, they could just choose to run or fight.
'The Elder said "outright". How naive can they be…' Darian muttered to himself, already seeing what those weaker kids were thinking.
If a weaker one gathered too many points, would a stronger one just let them keep it? Of course not.
All they had to do was set up a deadly situation—maybe lure some beasts in. That way, they wouldn't be the ones doing the actual killing. And stealing? Just take someone's spatial ring and keep everything.
Most of the rookie Spiritual Guardians were like Darian: kids from planets that were nothing like the dangerous universe they were in now. A lot of them probably hadn't even fought seriously before.
The Summoners were supposed to be older and more experienced, meant to balance things out. But in reality? It didn't work that way.
Most of the time, the Spiritual Guardians were the ones calling the shots, since they were the ones holding the real power in the duo.
If a young guy suddenly gained supreme power, would he really listen to some Summoner he barely knew—someone who relied entirely on him? Of course not. His word was the one that counted.
The Elder didn't wait any longer. After finishing, he took out a golden emblem and activated it.
That whole courtyard had been built on a teleportation inscription. The ground lit up in all kinds of colors.
"Go. Remember what I said and come back in three days." His voice rang out clearly for everyone to hear.
In the next second, the space around them began to warp.
It only took five seconds—and everything returned to normal.
The test had begun.