Book 1 Chapter 125

125.

"This is so sudden, isn't it?"

"What can we do? Is this the first or second time our school has suddenly pushed students to their limits?"

"True."

Kyle shrugged his shoulders at Tade's grumbling.

Hearing that, Tade also understood.

Until the first semester, the first-year students were flustered by sudden situations, but now everyone was calm.

Everyone had become accustomed to unexpected situations, so they calmly accepted this much.

No, rather, the dominant reaction was that they had expected this much.

"Then."

The students' gazes turned towards Reben.

"Start."

As soon as Reben finished speaking, the entire first year simultaneously rushed towards Lumerne.

Reben stroked his chin, watching them.

'Everyone's reactions are good. Is being able to move this quickly really a difference in experience points?'

All the first-year students this time had experienced crisis situations in the inter-departmental competition.

'Celia, Sia, Duran, Abad, Chloe, Chelsea, Worrden, Eliza. And Leo. The nine who subjugated the Gigantes at that time. The public only pays attention to them, but…'

Other students also fought monsters.

That experience was making this batch special.

'Sometimes there are, these kinds of generations.'

A special generation.

Normally, a hero who might appear once in a generation is born in multiples in a batch showing such characteristics.

'The fifth-year students were like this too.'

The fifth-year students were also a generation that drew attention due to many outstanding talents.

However, Reben had no desire to teach the first-year students.

'Has there been a hero from Lumerne who achieved remarkable results in the past few hundred years? No. It's the same not only for Lumerne but also for other hero academies.'

Many heroes were born over a long time.

Becoming a hero means overcoming a great ordeal.

Therefore, most heroes were content with achieving the status of a hero.

'But that's not enough.'

The reason the gods gifted the Hero Record to the mortal realm.

It was to completely subjugate Erebus and Tartarus.

'By now, the ultimate goal seems to have become 'being a hero'.'

Reben had lived for a long time as a professor at Lumerne.

Only a very small number within Lumerne knew he was a dragon.

100 years ago, he received an order from the Dragon Lord to guide Lumerne's students and became a teacher at Lumerne.

The lifespan of the Dragon race is approximately 300 years.

Reben had lived a significant portion of his life as a professor at Lumerne.

After the Age of Calamity.

Following the will of Lysinas, the King of Wisdom, dragons developed a tradition of selecting and assisting heroes.

Perhaps because of this, heroes recognized by dragons achieved greater feats.

Reben was also full of enthusiasm at first.

He had no doubt that a hero who would overthrow Erebus and Tartarus, continuing the will of the great Arch-Heroes, would be born in the near future.

However, the global situation had not seen much change for hundreds of years.

The fight against Tartarus continued endlessly, but it too was in a stagnant situation.

'Children of this era rarely look beyond the ideal of 'hero'.'

So he had no enthusiasm.

'I've also gotten older.'

Reben looked up at the sky, watching the students disappear in an instant.

A world without change for a long time was enough to exhaust a dragon.

'Is it time to retire?'

***

There are several islands in Lake Lumeria, which is so vast it could be mistaken for a sea.

At the center of it is the enormous island where the sprawling Lumerne Academy is located.

'Come to think of it, wasn't this place a lake even before the Age of Calamity?'

The center of the world.

Now it was where Lumerne Academy stood, but originally, this was the land of dragons.

'Was it the first land attacked when Erebus appeared?'

Even in his previous life, it was a story from his childhood, so Leo's memory was hazy.

Even during the time he traveled all over the world to subjugate Erebus, he had never been around where Lumeria City is now.

Leo, who was recalling the past, suddenly lifted his head.

"Prepare yourself! Leo Flove!"

Pajijijijik-!

Intense sparks flew, and at the same time, a golden lightning aura flashed.

Kwajijijijik-!

Pabababababat-!

"Aargh! Get out of the way!"

"Get away from there!"

The students shrieked and scattered in all directions at the sudden attack.

They defended against the lightning swirling around them with their respective means.

"He dodged."

Duran, standing on the water with an aura step, looked at Leo and smiled coldly.

Seeing this, Leo crossed his arms.

"We're not really competing amongst students right now, so why are you attacking?"

"There was no mention of competing, but there was also no mention of not competing."

Intense fighting spirit swirled in Duran's eyes.

"If so, there's no reason not to fight. I trained during the break to defeat you. Bring it on, Leo Flove."

Pajijijijijik-!

Duran enveloped his body in a lightning aura.

Seeing this, Leo scratched his head.

"Ah, I don't want to exert myself on the first day of school."

"Hmph. Arrogant fellow. Such composure will soon disappear…"

"You were there! Leo Flove!"

A sharp voice cut between the two of them.

Hwaak-!

Eliza, riding her top-tier phantom beast Delphinus, charged forward with her eyes narrowed.

"Be prepared!"

Delphinus created a spray of water.

"Huh! Even Eliza Hergin?!"

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

"If we get caught between them, we won't even be able to pick up our bones! Retreat!"

At the appearance of Eliza, another top-tier combatant who unleashed attacks without any regard for her surroundings, the students hurriedly- created distance from Leo.

Yet, they didn't exactly run away.

Duran and Eliza.

Both were top-tier combatants of this batch and shared the common trait of having strong personalities.

Moreover, they wanted to defeat Leo more than anyone else.

So they also shared the common trait of constantly looking for an opportunity.

Other students also aimed for the grade representative position, but these two were particularly aggressive.

'I can't miss such an interesting spectacle!'

'It's fun from the first day of school~'

Isn't one of the most entertaining spectacles in the world a fight?

The students watched the confrontation between the three students with sparkling eyes.

Leo sighed, looking at the wave rushing towards him, and summoned magic power.

"Freezing."

Cheojeojjeojeojeojeok-!

The massive wave that was about to engulf Leo instantly froze.

But as if expecting it, Eliza prepared her next attack.

Delphinus, empowered by Eliza's spiritual power, opened its mouth and roared.

Kkaaaaaaaak-!

The powerful sonic attack instantly shattered the ice.

Leo felt his head throb- for a moment and generated an aura to resist the sonic attack.

Duran, caught in the attack as well, also grimaced.

Unlike the two who endured the sonic attack head-on, some students with weaker resistance among those indirectly affected foamed at the mouth and fainted.

The students watching from a distance swallowed dryly.

'If we watch this, something really bad might happen, mightn't it?'

As everyone tensed, Duran's sharp gaze turned towards Eliza.

Pajijik-!

Duran, who approached Eliza with incredible speed using an aura step, raised his sword.

Kwagagagagak-!

As a lightning-like sword strike came down, Eliza grimaced and unleashed spiritual power.

"Luri! Move!"

Delphinus, enhanced by Eliza's spiritual power, dove straight down.

Duran flashed a murderous smile at the sight.

"Do you think you can escape by diving deep underwater?"

Kwareung-!

As a thunderous sound rang from Duran's sword, the faces of the watching students turned pale.

"Hey! Hey! Run! It's an area attack!"

"Aaaaargh!"

"I don't want to get roasted by lightning on the first day of the semester!"

As Duran thrust his sword, a storm of lightning swept across the surrounding area.

The students who barely escaped the range of the attack looked at Leo, who had defended against Duran's attack, with disgusted expressions.

Even though he wasn't the direct target of the attack, Leo's composure despite being caught in such an attack was nothing short of astonishing.

"Indeed, such attacks don't even make you flinch."

It was as Duran curled up the corners of his mouth, looking at such a Leo.

GoooOOoOOOooO-!

An unusual presence was felt from underwater.

Poohwahahahahak-!

The students' faces were filled with horror as they saw the creatures that burst through the surface of the water.

"Aqua Gorgos!"

They were water snake-shaped monsters, aquatic monsters that were difficult to deal with when encountered in water.

Five Aqua Gorgos rushed at Duran as if enraged.

It was the domination ability, one of Delphinus's powers.

Duran snorted, seeing the Aqua Gorgos, and swung his sword.

Flash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

As a golden flash gleamed, sword strikes of incredible speed cut down the Aqua Gorgos.

It was just as the heads of all the Aqua Gorgos fell with those clean sword strikes.

Chwaaaaaak-!

A vortex of water enveloped Duran.

Duran grimaced and swung his sword.

Chwaak-!

He succeeded in cutting through the water vortex, but he was thrown back by the impact.

Murderous intent dwelled in Duran's face.

"Hmph!"

Eliza, who had somehow risen to the water's surface, also snorted and glared at Duran.

"It seems you wish to die. To interfere with me."

"You're the one who shouldn't interfere with me."

Eliza retorted with a venomous expression to Duran's cold voice.

It was when a murderous smile appeared on the lips of the two students who were glaring at each other.

"You two are full of energy on the first day of school, aren't you?"

Leo sighed and said, and the two's gazes turned to Leo.

"It's just that an opportunity to quickly settle this has arrived."

"This time, I will definitely take the grade representative position."

"So, are you two going to attack me together?"

"Rest assured, we won't do such a lowly thing, Leo Flove."

"There's no reason to combine forces with this human, and defeating you that way would have no value."

"Then decide who will attack first."

"Of course, it's me."

"Don't be ridiculous. It's me first."

Sparks flew between the two again.

Leo said, watching them.

"Then let's do this. You two fight first, and I'll compete with the winner. Wouldn't that be right?"

Hearing Leo's words, Duran curled up the corners of his mouth.

"Simple and concise, I like it. Bring it on, Eliza Hergin."

"It's what I wished for. Duran Moira."

The two, famous for their terrible tempers, glared at each other, and then an intense battle began.

One of the other students, who was engrossed in watching the dazzling fight of the top-tier combatants of the grade, suddenly asked Leo.

"Where are you going? Weren't you going to compete with one of them?"

"Yeah. But I didn't say I'd compete right away."

"What?"

"Then I'm going first."

Leo waved his hand and left abruptly.

Duran and Eliza were so focused on defeating each other that they didn't even realize Leo was leaving.

The students watching the situation around them looked at Duran and Eliza with pity.

'Hey, you guys got played by Leo.'

'Oh dear. How disappointed they'll be when they realize Leo is gone.'

As they were thinking that, one student mumbled.

"Hey. If Leo finds out we're gone, and gets angry and takes it out on everyone around, wouldn't we all be in big trouble?"

"…"

The students looked at each other.

Come to think of it, there was no law saying they wouldn't.

The students, watching each other's reactions, subtly left their spots.

A little later.

Duran and Eliza, realizing they were the only ones left, also stopped fighting.

And tremendous anger rose on the faces of the two, who realized that Leo had also disappeared.

"Leo Flove! You scoundrel!"

"You bastard!"

The hollow rage of the two, who realized they had been played by Leo, spread in all directions.

But Leo was already far ahead, in a position where the two could not catch up.