SSS-Ranked Awakening: I Can Only Summon Mythical Beasts - Chapter 366: This Is What He’s Made For
Chapter 366: This Is What He’s Made For
The spiral gate to the Maze of Wills had opened like the mouth of some ancient creature they’d never before seen.
The crowd hushed as ElderGlow’s Year Five team stepped toward it, four students with cloaks pulled tight and expressions like carved stone.
Among them, one figure lagged half a step behind—not out of fear or sloppiness, but like someone who wanted to be overlooked.
Elias Verdan.
Damon’s gaze locked on him the moment the team emerged.
Average height. Brown hair a little too long for regulation, brushing his ears and the back of his collar.
Unremarkable posture, the kind you’d expect from someone trying to stay out of his instructor’s line of sight. Black eyes. But not the kind that gleamed with ambition or sharpened with cunning.
Black like still water. Black like nothing.
Damon leaned forward on the railing of the viewing deck, elbows on the cool stone ledge, watching the descent begin.
“He’s doing it again,” he muttered under his breath.
Miss Leana’s voice followed coolly. “Of course he is.”
She stood beside him, arms crossed, her gaze never leaving Elias’s shape.
“He’s the most prepared for this trial,” she said.
“You think?”
“I know.”
Below, the students disappeared into the staircase one by one. Their backs vanishing into shadow, their presence swallowed whole by the enchantments lacing the Maze. Nothing was left behind.
No projections followed.
No shared view.
Just the great spiral remaining open for the next academy, and a series of glowing magic circles floating midair to track participant stability and time as well as their locations.
Damon’s gaze flicked to Elias’s name. The magic circle beneath it remained steady—unmoving. Calm.
“Remind me,” Damon said, glancing sideways, “who flagged him again?”
Leana didn’t hesitate. “I did.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And the Council approved?”
“The Dean didn’t question it.”
“I don’t think he ever does when it’s you.”
Leana gave him a sidelong glance. “Elias was one of the first applicants I assessed when this year’s participants were shortlisted.
At first glance, I thought he was filler. An acceptable mid-rank pick to round out the team.”
“But?”
“But then I watched him spar.”
Damon raised both eyebrows now. “And?”
“He didn’t win.”
Damon blinked. “Okay, you’re losing me.”
Leana’s gaze sharpened. “He didn’t win. He didn’t lose. Every bout he was in ended in what looked like a natural stalemate. Slight errors. Mistimed counters. Movements just a breath too slow. Enough to seem real. Enough to sell it.”
“But you saw through it.”
“I saw him. He fights like someone who knows ten times more than he’s letting on. His footwork is too efficient. His Essence control is barely detectable—like a breeze pretending to be airless.”
Damon stared back down at the spiral.
“You think he’s stronger than the rest of the team?”
“I almost certainly believe he is.”
“Well, if our teacher says he is, then I guess he is.” Daveon who’d been listening in on the whole story finally added leaning forward as though trying to see clearer from where he sat.
The magic circles above the arena shifted slightly. Still no visuals. Just motionless sigils reading stability, emotional integrity, and cohesion percentage.
Three of the four circles flickered yellow.
But Elias’s?
Still green.
Still steady. Very steady.
Elsewhere, inside the Maze of Wills, Elias walked alone.
The walls of the maze weren’t made of stone but mirrored crystal — half-transparent, showing flickering illusions and pulsing with light that bent memory and time.
He didn’t rush.
Didn’t hesitate.
He moved like someone walking a hallway they’d memorized.
No wasted motion or action. No glancing over his shoulder. No signs of panic.
His fingers trailed lightly across the reflective surface of the wall, and for a moment, it shimmered—showing a glimpse of his childhood village.
He paused.
Watched the memory play.
A boy hiding in a broken-down barn, knees tucked to chest, hands bleeding from essence backlash. The sound of shouts in the distance. A mage’s voice yelling for blood.
Elias blinked once. “Well, that’s such a harsh memory to display first. I think I remember it vividly enough to not be reminded by a trial.” He clicked his tongue as he finished his lazy complaint.
The memory faded just as he finished speaking.
He looked around for a second and then kept walking.
Up above, Damon had crossed his arms now, still watching.
“Why the act?” he asked, voice low.
“Because,” Leana replied, “it gives him freedom.”
“To do what?”
“To observe. To prepare. To remain underestimated until the last possible moment.”
“Sounds like someone else I know.”
Leana smiled faintly. “Yes, but you were flashy. Elias is the opposite.”
“He ever show real potential before?”
“Twice.”
“When?”
“The first time was when he constructed a dual-layered barrier at age seventeen—without vocal incantation.”
Damon’s lips parted slightly. “That’s… hard.”
“Very.”
“And the second?”
Leana paused.
“When another senior student attempted to assault one of our junior alchemists behind the training halls last winter. No one reported it. There was no incident record. No punishment. But the assailant woke up two days later with shattered essence channels in his right hand. Couldn’t channel for three months.”
“You’re saying…”
“I’m saying Elias was seen that same night, walking calmly from that direction. No scratches. No burn marks. And his room’s essence barrier had never been activated.”
Damon was silent for a long moment.
Then he muttered, “So we’ve got a ghost in student robes.”
“Precisely. Luckily, he’s not one of the rebellious ones. He’s a good one.”
Miss Leana paused for a moment, stared at Damon and smirked. “Unlike a certain gambler I know.”
Damon nearly choked on his saliva as she spoke. “That’s not fair.”
~~~~~
Inside the Maze, Elias paused again.
A new corridor opened in front of him. This one was dark—not illusionary dark, but something deeper. Something woven from fear essence.
The maze was finally testing him.
He let out a slow breath.
And stepped in.
Up top, three of the four ElderGlow magic circles shifted to dark yellow.
Panic levels rising.
Essence fluctuations unstable.
Only Elias remained untouched.
Damon squinted at his readout.
“Still flat.”
Leana nodded. “This is what he’s made for.”
