Chapter 37: Real Battle
Six hours went by fast.
It definitely wasn't enough time to fully prepare, especially since the merchants weren't dumb. As soon as they noticed the number of Summoners rising, they realized it was the perfect moment to cash in. Prices went up, cutting down how many resources each person could actually buy.
Only those with fewer than five rings even cared about the regular trade goods; anything that really mattered at higher levels could only be bought directly from the academy.
Because of that, there were no rules or anyone to help the weaker ones. In fact, it was better that way—it pushed them to fight for their own resources and grow stronger.
But in the current situation, jacking up prices also increased the chance of Summoners failing... and that put the entire galaxy at risk of being destroyed.
Some Summoners tried to argue, but the merchants just laughed, thinking it was a joke. Summoners and their Spiritual Guardians were usually arrogant beings who treated common Mannaz like trash. Now, karma was coming back for them.
Another reason was that everyone assumed the weaker ones wouldn't be involved in anything that big anyway. There should've been a few hundred Summoners with more than five rings ready to step in and fix everything.
But... the traitors' plan had been pulled off way too well, and now everything was falling apart.
Only a few rich and lucky ones managed to buy the twenty core weapons that suddenly popped up in the black market.
When time was up, everyone gathered again in the courtyard.
The Elders brought the 160 rookies with just one ring and split them into two groups. The interrupted test at least served to measure each of their capabilities.