Book 1 Chapter 108

【108】107.

"There are many spirited youngsters this year too."

Berga, a beastman with cat ears and a tail, said as he checked the documents.

Normally, the Cat tribe were slender, aesthetically pleasing beastfolk.

But Berga was different.

He stood at 2 meters tall, and his build was large and burly.

He was so large that one could believe he was a bear beastman rather than a cat beastman.

His face was also very stern, and the scar on his left eye made his impression even more terrifying.

"I, I will punish them severely! Instructor Berga!"

Aljea, a cat beastman vice-instructor who had reported the fight among the admission candidates, shouted with all her might, her ears and tail pricked up.

Berga was a figure of fear not only among students but also among vice-instructors.

"Why should I punish them?"

"Huh?"

Berga Tune.

He had become an instructor at Azonia's request three years ago and was a hero who had made it into the Hero Record.

In his education, he pursued only one value.

Strength.

That was why he was a man respected by countless Azonia students.

Berga stood up and approached the window.

Clatter-!

Roar-!

As he opened the window, the cheers, which had been blocked by soundproofing magic, poured in.

Hearing them, Berga curled the corners of his lips.

"Struggle is the direction our Azonia should pursue!"

Aljea swallowed dryly at Berga's words.

'As expected, Instructor Berga! The most suitable instructor for Azonia!'

The Colosseum was packed with spectators.

And among them, the admission candidates were entering.

A moment later, the iron bars of the arena opened, and Tartarus's monster, the Mammoth, appeared.

It was a monster captured in Azonia.

Upon seeing the Mammoth, the admission candidates quickly dispersed.

Then, they began hunting the Mammoth with their weapons.

They drove the Mammoth back, showcasing their individual skills.

With each burst of flashy techniques, the crowd let out cheers.

Thump-!

Finally, seeing the Mammoth fall, Berga asked,

"How long did it take to bring it down?"

"It took 36 minutes!"

"What are the current rankings of the ten students in the free lecture?"

"They are all in the upper-middle tier!"

"I don't like it."

"What? 36 minutes is a respectable time."

"Hmph. That's when things are normal. Vice-instructor Aljea. Did you not hear about this year's Lumin 1st graders?"

Aljea's mouth shut at Berga's words.

The fact that the Lumin 1st graders had succeeded in the Gigantes raid was already a famous issue.

If it hadn't been an official event, even Lumin would not have easily believed it.

It was that extraordinary a major event.

"Besides, Seirun is not to be underestimated either. Especially Ellen's daughter, Lunia, wasn't it? She's rumored to be exceptionally talented."

Berga snorted, recalling an elf hero of the same generation with whom they had long competed.

"Therefore, our new students this year must also have many outstanding individuals!"

With the pride of their races at stake, the Hero Military Academies could not help but have strong competitive spirits toward each other.

Aljea nodded at Berga's words.

"Indeed, this generation seems to have Lumin ahead! But our candidates are also brilliant! Especially this year!"

Roar-!

"Instructor Berga's daughter is also participating!"

Berga snorted at Aljea's words.

"Of course!"

In Berga's eyes, his daughter, Ar, was a warrior with talent surpassing his own.

'She could easily be the class representative!'

As Berga proudly looked at his daughter, his eyes fell upon a black-haired rabbit beastman boy entering last.

The moment he saw the boy, Berga involuntarily gasped.

"Instructor?"

"Aljea. Do you know anything about that half-breed boy at the very end?"

"Huh? Um… I've never seen his face before?"

Aljea looked through the admission candidate list with a flustered expression.

She had already identified the faces and names of candidates with some level of skill.

A student Aljea didn't know would either be in the lower ranks, not drawing much attention, or would have only received an admission recommendation.

As Aljea frantically searched the list.

Berga narrowed his eyes as he looked at the boy.

'Those eyes resemble Reina's!'

During his school days.

Berga thought, recalling the woman who was Lumin's class representative and whom he had aimed for.

'Now that I think about it, Reina received a recommendation to Azonia.'

Recalling a forgotten past event, Berga's eyes widened.

'Is he truly Reina's son?!'

***

"Woooah!"

"We're looking forward to it!"

"Show us a cool performance!"

Leo, who entered the arena, looked puzzled at the roaring beastfolk.

Leaning against the wall, Leo wore a perplexed expression.

'Is this part of the entrance ceremony? Isn't the Azonia entrance ceremony just the desert crossing marathon?'

Looking at other candidates, they were busy showing off in front of the spectators.

Some showed off their weapons and swung them spectacularly, while others showed off their sharp claws and boasted about their strength.

Among them were familiar faces.

'The guys who picked a fight with me earlier are here too.'

The three beastfolk who had picked a fight with him earlier were now showing off their strength.

Of course, there were other familiar faces.

It was Ar, the cat girl, who was drawing gasps from the crowd with her light footwork.

Ar, who was hopping around, spotted Leo leaning against the wall and showed a happy expression.

"We ended up in the same group?!"

"Is this also part of the Azonia entrance ceremony?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Isn't the entrance ceremony just the desert crossing marathon?"

At Leo's words, Ar made a look of disbelief.

"This isn't the entrance ceremony! It's the Monster Carnival!"

"Monster Carnival?"

"You don't know the Monster Carnival? Are you really a beastman?"

"I'm a half-breed, so I mostly lived in human society. So I don't know much about beastman culture."

"The Azonia entrance ceremony is not just a simple entrance ceremony! It's one of the biggest festivals."

"Cat sister! We're looking forward to a great performance!"

As a boy cheered energetically, Ar chuckled and clenched her fist, punching the wall.

Kwahng-!

"Woooooah!"

"That girl is no joke!"

"They say she's the heir to the Tune family!"

"As expected!"

The crowd cheered louder as they watched Ar shatter the wall with her fist.

"An enormous number of beastfolk visit Azrek every year to witness the entrance ceremony! This is one of the festivals to entertain those visitors!"

Rumble-!

"And while it's a festival for them, it's also a ritual for us admission candidates!"

"Ritual?"

"Yes! The threat of Tartarus continues! So we shout to our kin during this entrance ceremony!"

With her hands on her hips and chest puffed out, Ar shouted confidently.

"'We have arrived!'"

"Ho?"

Leo exclaimed in admiration.

Then, Thump-! Thump-!

The ground shook.

The candidates who had been showing off to the crowd wore tense expressions.

Ar also chuckled and got into a fighting stance.

Rumble-! Clang-!

Kuwah-!

The iron bars opened, and a 3-meter tall monster with orange skin sprang out.

"Cyclops! This will be fun!"

Ar, with a belligerent smile, nudged Leo's nose.

"Boop! Don't be scared like before, and fight well! Black Rabbit!"

Winking with one eye, Ar charged at the Cyclops.

"'We have arrived,' huh."

Leo smirked.

'I don't need to stand out, so I'll hang back and watch the skill of the Azonia admission candidates.'

If it weren't for the entrance ceremony, there would be no need for him to step forward.

Leo attended the Azonia entrance ceremony because he wanted to see the hero candidates of other races with his own eyes.

'I also need to find someone who can inherit Arion's techniques.'

Leo's goal was the complete annihilation of Erebus.

To achieve that goal, he needed companions.

Kyle had certainly succeeded in defeating Erebus as the ultimate great hero.

However, that was possible because he inherited the essence of power left by his companions.

Moreover, even at that time, the best they could do was divide Erebus into several pieces and seal it.

Even if Leo regained the power of Kyle's era, it would be difficult for him to completely annihilate Erebus alone.

'New great heroes are needed.'

To do that, he needed people who could inherit the power of the friends he knew.

In a sense, Leo himself was the great heroes 'plural'.

Leo calmly watched the nine Azonia admission candidates fighting the Cyclops.

As Leo observed the movements of the Azonia admission candidates, he tilted his head.

'Their skill is on par with the Lumin kids.'

These were individuals who had survived the free lectures conducted at Azonia over the past six months.

It was no exaggeration to say that they had received education comparable to the Lumin 1st graders.

'And that one is definitely on a different level.'

Leo's eyes gleamed.

He imbued aura into the tip of his sharp claws and slashed at the Cyclops.

'He's not even showing his full power yet.'

Ar was a skilled individual who could handle the Cyclops alone.

With the numerical advantage, she was practically playing with it.

With every swing of her hand, the tough skin of the Cyclops was torn apart.

Although the bones weren't broken, if it hadn't been a high-grade monster with tenacious vitality, it might have died long ago.

It was when Leo was leisurely watching the fight.

Whoosh-!

Something flew towards Leo.

Turning his head, he heard boos from the crowd.

"Who are you!"

"The other kids are fighting hard, why are you just watching!"

"You coward rabbit!"

With all nine of them busy dealing with the Cyclops, Leo was the only one idly watching, so the crowd's dissatisfaction exploded.

Beastfolk who pursued strength hated cowardice more than anyone else.

As Leo scratched his head at their reaction.

Gooooh!

Suddenly, the Cyclops charged towards Leo.

Reaching Leo, the Cyclops raised its thick palm.

Seeing that, Leo let out a light sigh and unleashed his aura.

***

'That rabbit bastard!'

Glare-!

Ar, standing at the front, glared at Leo behind her.

The same was true for the other admission candidates.

Leo, who was calmly watching the fight as if it had nothing to do with him, did not sit well with them.

'Completely disappointing!'

Ar, who had quite liked Leo, let her cat ears droop.

The other candidates felt the same about Leo.

"That cowardly bastard! I don't like him!"

"Let's teach him a lesson!"

Some beastfolk wore malicious expressions.

Then, they forcibly pushed the defenseless Leo towards the Cyclops.

The Cyclops, which had been unilaterally hunted by nine opponents, found Leo alone and charged without hesitation.

Goooh!

The Cyclops, which had only been on the receiving end, showed intense killing intent in its eyes.

Hwaak-!

Reaching Leo, the Cyclops raised its hand.

Seeing that, Ar leaped forward urgently.

'What? Either dodge or counter! Otherwise, you'll get hurt…'

Boom-!

The spectators and other admission candidates wore expressions of horror.

With a single punch from Leo, the Cyclops's arm was not just crushed but exploded.

Leo's ability to instantly kill the Cyclops with a single blow was truly awe-inspiring.

"Ooooh…!"

"Woooooah!"

Screams that threatened to tear the sky apart erupted.

Ar's eyes also widened.

It wasn't because Leo had defeated the Cyclops in a single blow.

Ar could do that much herself, so it wasn't surprising.

The reason she was surprised.

'Just now…!'

It was because of the change that occurred in Leo's body, which only Ar, who was directly in front of him, could see.

Ar looked at Leo, who was covering his right eye with a look of disbelief.

'It's certain… he just transformed!'

------------------==