"Oh?" Berger was amused. "A spirit familiar, eh?"
A familiar was a creature of magic that formed a bond with the Magus. The bond they shared was very special.
After the bond was formed between the Magus and the familiar, the Magus would be able to use some of the innate abilities of the familiar. Similarly, the familiar would also be able to use spells that the Magus knew!
In some ways, it could be said that the Magus and the familiar shared a common existence.
There were two types of familiars that a magus could contract. The first type was the creatures that could be found in the material world. And the second type was creatures such as Blackie.
These were called spirit familiars, for they weren't creatures of the material world, but the Spirit World!
Ever since Adam learned that Blackie was a spirit familiar, he'd been wanting to have one for himself as well. There was no particular reason behind this decision. He just found it very cool.
"Yes!" Adam nodded excitedly. "Is it possible?"
"It is possible but…"
"But what?"
Berger explained, "Spirit familiars are very different from normal familiars. Firstly, unlike normal familiars, spirit familiars won't always be in your company. After all, they are creatures of the Spirit World and like to spend most of their time there."
"That's okay! It's not like I was going to depend on my familiar for every little thing." Adam waved his hand.
"It's good that you think that way." Berger nodded in approval. After all, there have been many cases where Magi became complacent after contracting a familiar.
"But keep in mind, the ritual for contracting a spirit familiar has a high chance of failure. The chances of a Spirit World creature resonating with you and responding to your call are very slim." The old gnome added.
"So then how did you form a contract with Blackie?" Adam asked curiously.
Berger revealed a rare gentle smile. "I managed to come across a heavily injured Blackie many years back when I had visited the Spirit World. At the time, I had healed him with my potion. And ever since then, he's always answered my call."
"Aww, that's so touching." Adam clasped his hands over his chest and smiled.
POW!
"Don't get sentimental with me, boy!" Berger returned to his grumpy self and smacked Adam in the forehead.
"S-Sorry!" Adam wanted to curse the old gnome but didn't have the balls to.
His face turned solemn and he spoke, "Sir, I'd still like to give this a shot. If I don't succeed, I can always contract a normal familiar."
"Hmm." Berger nodded as he smoked from his pipe. "Give me a week to prepare everything for the ritual. The materials required shouldn't exceed 100 gold pieces, and I believe this wine recipe of yours is worth many times more. So what else do you want?"
Adam was ecstatic that Berger would help him with the ritual. Hence, he decided to act magnanimously for once. He raised his head and spoke like a true young master, "You can consider the rest of it as my gift to you."
POW! POW! POW!
Berger ruthlessly hit Adam with his smoking pipe. He roared, "Stingy human! If you have so much money to squander, why can't you buy yourself some nice clothes to wear?!"
"Arrghh! W-Wait!" Adam was on the verge of tears. "My clothes are fine—"
POW! POW! POW!
"Why must you dress like a hobo and embarrass yourself? Get lost!" Berger kicked Adam out of his store.
Adam ran away like his life depended on it.
"D-Damn you!!" His aggrieved voice lingered in the crowded cobblestoned streets of the market district.
…
A week later.
Adam was sitting on his bunk bed and practicing mindfulness. The mana particles in the air swirled around him and endlessly entered his body through his flesh.
The mana constantly nourished every inch of Adam's skin. And soon, he seemed to have reached a breakthrough point. The mana seeped in through his skin and was finally able to come in contact with the muscles!
Sensing this, a smile crept up on Adam's lips. But he continued to revolve the Mana Extraction Technique. About half an hour later, he opened his eyes and smiled brightly.
"I've finally advanced to the Muscle Stage of Mana foundation!"
It had been almost two months since he entered the academy. Finally, he had advanced to Rank 1 - Second Stage.
He jumped off the bed and landed on the ground. "Fatty, let's go!"
Edward who was reading arcane theories in the study room looked at Adam excitedly. "Is it time already?"
"Yep!" Adam was excited as well.
SCREECH!
Suddenly, a small creature flew out from the other end of the room and landed in Edward's arms. The creature was the size of a household cat. Except it had the body of a feline and the wings and head of an eagle.
This was Edward's familiar, a griffin!
However, currently, it was only a baby. It had only recently hatched a week ago during Edward's familiar binding ritual.
Edward gently rubbed his griffin's head. "Aquila, are you ready?"
SCREECH!
Aquila fondly rubbed its head against Edward's chest.
"Haha, let's go then!" Edward laughed and then together with Adam, left the dorm room.
The duo ran through the campus and finally stopped at the white marble gateway, which was the main entrance of the academy.
"Where is that nerd?" Edward grumbled.
"Here." Came a voice from behind him.
"Eeeek!" Edward jumped in fright. He hurriedly turned around and screamed. "Don't scare me like that!"
Lisa simply rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, the white fox cub in her arms menacingly growled at Edward, however, it ended up looking extremely adorable instead. Lisa looked at Adam and nodded. "Let's get going."
Ever since their duel, Lisa had surprisingly become great friends with Adam. The girl had come to respect Adam after their battle. The two would always get together to study arcane spells and other magic-related studies.
As a result, she also became acquainted with Edward who always hung out with Adam. Initially, the two were like oil and water. But now, thanks to Adam, they got along quite well.
She, just like Edward, had agreed to witness Adam's familiar binding ritual. After all, it was very rare for someone to carry out a ritual to form a contract with a Spirit World creature. As Magi, the two were naturally curious and decided to tag along.
Johnathan wanted to join as well, but at the last minute, he was called by his father to attend something family-related. Hence, he wasn't able to make it.
Adam greeted Lisa and then suddenly shot off into the distance. "The last one to reach the old man's store buys dinner for everyone. Hahaha!"
Lisa and Edward were momentarily stunned. But soon, Lisa began running after Adam, a faint smile adorning her lips.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Edward struggled to catch up to his friends. "This is unfair!"