SSS-Ranked Summoner: Only I Summon All Heroes And Heroines Of Legend-Chapter 36: Training With Master Oz (Part 1)

Six in the morning came too early.

Altair jolted awake to the sound of his alarm, groaning as he slapped it silent. The room was still dark, the first hints of dawn barely creeping through the window. Beside him, Finn was already sitting up, looking like he’d been awake for hours.

"You look terrible," Finn said.

"Thanks," Altair muttered, swinging his legs out of bed. "You look chipper."

"I Couldn’t sleep. A bit too nervous."

"About the training?"

"Yeah, I really don’t know what to expect."

Altair snorted despite himself. "We’ll be fine."

"Easy for you to say."

"Not really," Altair admitted, pulling on his jacket. "I also have my doubts, from the things I’ve learned, I know we have a mountain to climb. But that’s not gonna stop me from trying"

"You know what?." Finn’s mood brightened a bit. "You’re absolutely right!".

"Of course I’m right" Altair teased with a playful smile

They freshened quickly, and changed into regular clothes, nit academy uniforms, this was unofficial business.

And after they were done, it was already 6:53 AM. Altair picked up his phone, and texted the group. "Good morning, hope we’re all ready?". He attached the link to the location on the map and hit send.

"Alright Finn, let’s go.

They grabbed their gear, and headed out.

---

They walk to the eastern extremes of the academy took nearly an hr. It was a slow stroll, not the frantic sprinting Altair engaged in the last time he went there. This time they had time, and the cool morning breeze made their journey more comfortable.

They arrived at 7:45Am.

Outside was Ryka, standing with her arms crossed, she looked like she’d been up for hours. Her hair was tied firmly to the back in a tight braid, and she wore practical training clothes instead of her usual Academy uniform.

Svenja stood a few feet away, perfectly still, her pale eyes staring at nothing in particular.

"Morning," Ryka said as they approached.

"Morning," Altair replied. "You two been here long?"

"Barely ten minutes," Ryka said. "Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t late."

"Same," Finn said, then glanced at Svenja. "What about you?"

Svenja didn’t respond. She just turned her head slightly, acknowledging his presence without words.

"Right," Finn muttered awkwardly. "...Good talk."

CREAAKKKK

The front door opened, and footsteps echoed.

Master Oz emerged from the darkness inside the house, his hands crossed behind him as his robes flower with each step. He looked exactly as he always did—calm, composed, and vaguely intimidating.

"Good," he said, stopping a few feet in front of them. "You’re all on time. That’s a promising start."

He surveyed the group with sharp eyes.

"Come," he said sharply, turning and heading back into the building.

He looked back shortly, ensuring they were all following him as he continued to speak. "Before we begin, I want to make something clear. What you’re about to undergo is not the Academy training. This is not gentle, This is not entirely safe. And this is not designed to make you feel good about yourselves."

He let that sink in.

"You will be pushed to your limits. You will fail. You will hurt. And if you’re not careful, you will break."

Ryka shifted adjusted herself slightly as she followed. Finn swallowed hard. Svenja and Altair remained perfectly calm as they followed at the back.

Altair turned towards Svenja slightly, anticipating her acknowledgement given they hadn’t spoken privately since there last awkwardly ending meeting.

But she looked head on.

He then turned to Oz’s who’d turned back a second time. "We understand."

"Do you, really?" Oz looked ahead again. "We’ll see."

He raised one hand, signalling them to stop as they entered his corridor. And Altair noticed, Master Oz wore two of the five rings used to decorate the carved fist he saw in the underground chamber. This meant, that structure wasn’t a mere decoration.

Master Oz snapped the fingers of the upraised hand and a massive magic circle materialized beneath their feet. The air shimmered, reality bending around them as the house itself was covered in a white blinding light.

---

When the light faded, they were somewhere else entirely.

The ground beneath their feet was smooth stone, stretching out in all directions. The sky above was a swirling mass of colors—reds, purples, golds— There were no walls. Nor boundaries. It was just and endless space.

"Welcome to your training domain," Oz said. "A pocket dimension separate from the Academy."

He gestured broadly.

"This is where you will, grow."

The group murmured, shifting in discomfort as their minds raced, their previous experience with alternate domains did not make it an easier for them.

But Master Oz was having none of that, if they wanted to face the forces that were after them, traveling through alternate domains should be the least of their worries.

He conjured another magic circle, this one larger and far more complex. It split the space into four distinct sections, each one separated by glowing barriers that hummed with energy.

"Bounded fields," Oz explained. "Each of you will train in isolation. Without distractions. And no interruptions."

Then he raised the same hand. One of the rings glowed , and his form blurred.

Three identical copies of Master Oz materialized beside him, each one perfectly identical down to the last detail.

"Clones," Oz said simply. "I’ll be training all of you simultaneously."

Finn’s eyes widened. "You can do that?"

"I can do many things," Oz said. "Now, to your stations."

His three clones walked to each of Altair’s companions, teleporting them to other sections of the barrier.

He was left with Altair.

"Shall we begin" Master Oz said.

He hands clasped behind his back.

"Your training," Oz began, "will focus on you. Not your summons, or contracts. But primarily, You."

Altair frowned. "I thought the whole point was to get stronger."

"It is. But strength doesn’t come from your legends alone. It comes from your ability to wield them."

Oz stepped closer.

"The Codex is a tool. A powerful one. But tools are only as effective as the hands that hold them. Right now, your hands are weak."

Altair bristled. "I’m not—"

"You are," Oz cut him off. "Your mana capacity is mediocre for a tool of that scale. Your physical conditioning is subpar. Your mental fortitude is untested. And your understanding of magical theory is rudimentary at best."

He paused.

"The better you become as a mage, the more control you’ll have over the Codex. The more technical and powerful heroes you’ll be able to negotiate with. Which means, more options for you in combat."

Oz gestured, and the air around them shifted.

Books materialized. Dozens of them. Floating in the air like satellites orbiting a planet.

"These contain foundational knowledge. Mana manipulation. Energy circulation. Combat theory. You will study them. You will master them. And you will apply them."

Altair stared at the books. "All of them?"

"Every single one."

"How long—" Altair asked. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"As long as it takes."

Oz raised pulled out one of his rings, "As a summoner, casting other spells might not come as easy for you, but still it is not impossible."

He handed one of the books and the ring over to Altair "You will use it in your early training."

Altair received it and sat calmly on the floor, opening the book.

"I will leave you to your study and return in an hour"

Oz said, as his form vanished from the domain.