Book 1 Chapter 137

137.

"Ah, Teacher Akint! I mean! This is…"

Luna said, flustered, looking at Leo.

Hearing her words, Leo, who had been stiff, came to his senses.

'Akint?'

Leo subtly rolled his eyes, lost in thought to grasp the situation.

"It's true I missed class, but that…! Should I call it magic research? I missed it for that!"

Luna, in her girlhood, hastily made excuses.

Listening to Luna's words and stroking his chin, Leo suddenly looked at the wide windowpane next to the hallway.

Seeing his dimly reflected image, he finished assessing the situation.

'I see. It's a possession type.'

The world of heroes comes in various forms.

The world of heroes Leo had entered was a type where one possessed the body of a real person who existed in history.

In other words, Leo's soul had now entered the body of a person named Akint.

And Akint, fortunately, was someone Leo also knew.

'Akint Rubesha. One of Luna's magic teachers.'

He had never met him directly during his time as Kyle.

This was because Akint had already passed away by the time Kyle met Luna.

He was a person Luna often mentioned when she told stories of her past.

Remembering Luna's longing for him, calling him her benefactor and a father figure, Leo knelt.

And he helped Luna stack the books she had dropped.

Seeing Leo, Luna's eyes widened.

"Where are you going?"

"Huh?"

"I said, where are you going?"

"Aren't you going to scold me?"

"It's not like you skipping class is a one or two-day thing."

"Ugh."

At Leo's words, Luna flinched and trembled.

Leo, who burst out laughing at her reaction, effortlessly lifted the pile of books that would have been difficult for Luna to carry, and said,

"I'll help you."

Luna was flustered seeing Leo obediently helping her, but soon delighted at not being scolded, she hummed a tune.

'She's simple, whether as a child or grown up.'

He burst out laughing at the sight of Luna from a time he didn't know.

Luna, now known as the benevolent progenitor of the nebula.

'Benevolent, my foot. She was just an eccentric tomboy.'

Her personality was also very simple, with many quirky aspects.

'If today's elves saw Luna's real self, they'd be incredibly shocked.'

Thinking of Luna's image as known in fairy tales and literature, Leo shook his head.

However, her drive to rush into something without hesitation once she was set on it was remarkable.

The magic of the stars was also a product born from her fervent desire to become a great mage.

Leo smiled bitterly, watching Luna's back as she walked with light, bouncy steps, seemingly in a good mood.

'I want to talk, but…'

Deep conversations were impossible.

The current Luna is long before she met Kyle.

Leo knew Luna, but she didn't know Leo.

Leo felt a bitter sadness at the fact that, even within the world of heroes, having finally met like this, there were no stories they could share.

Before he knew it, Luna arrived in front of a room.

The room was a dilapidated storage room.

"It's here, Teacher Akint. Please give me the magic books. I'll study here."

At her words, Leo handed over the magic books he was holding to Luna.

The stack of magic books blocked Luna's vision.

Leo opened the door to the storage room.

"Thank you, Teacher Akint!"

Luna grinned and entered the room.

"Kyaak!"

Then she tripped and fell.

Leo, who burst out laughing at the sight, closed the door.

He felt like staying with her longer, but there were things he had to do now.

'Right now, understanding the Hero Dungeon is the priority. And I also need to find the three people who came in with me.'

Stomp- Stomp-

Leo walked down the hallway.

'I definitely passed through the warp gate heading to Gadstron, but I immediately entered the Hero Dungeon, didn't I?'

Recalling the situation just before entering the Hero Dungeon, Leo narrowed his eyes.

He remembered what he had learned about the Hero Dungeon in Lumerne.

'Was it said that Hero Dungeons are phenomena that occur when Hero Records go berserk?'

Initially, Hero Dungeons encroach upon a certain part of reality, creating only a dungeon 'entrance'.

But if the berserker state continues, the Hero Dungeon distorts reality itself.

If it's cleared quickly, it's fine, but a Hero Dungeon left uncleared turns into a catastrophe.

'Things like monsters from the Hero Dungeon crossing over into reality happen.'

In addition to that, phenomena where the entire surrounding area is encroached upon occur.

'This world right now is Luna's world.'

Although the name was erased upon entering the Hero Dungeon, it was clear.

Barcharun.

This was the name of an elf city that existed before the Age of Calamity.

'More precisely, it was a massive academy.'

An academy where only chosen elves could enroll.

At that time, graduating from Barcharun meant being recognized as a High Elf.

And like today's Sei'run, Barcharun was also a place of learning to cultivate certain candidates.

'Elf King.'

The king of the elves was not determined by lineage succession, but by the election of an excellent elf among the High Elves.

The position of Elf King disappeared after passing through the Age of Calamity.

Along with that, Barcharun also faded into the forgotten pages of history.

'Was it around this time that Luna was about fifteen years old?'

The period Luna was in Barcharun was before the Age of Calamity.

'What exactly was the great feat Luna achieved at this time?'

Even Leo couldn't precisely know what great feat Luna had accomplished during this period.

Luna, a genius of magic, was literally an elf whose very existence was a great feat.

'Because she used to brag a lot about how amazing she was when she was in school.'

Leo recalled the school-day achievements Luna proudly boasted about.

Each one was so remarkable that his head became even more complicated.

Leo scratched his head roughly.

'First, I need to join Lunia, Elena, and Hadin.'

Just as Leo possessed Akint's body, the three others must have possessed someone else's body too.

'In that case, their appearances will be different, making them hard to find.'

"Teacher Akint! What are you doing here?"

"Hm?"

At the sound of someone rushing over, Leo turned his head.

And looking at the male elf in his early twenties standing there, he said,

"Who?"

"This is no time for jokes! You're late for class! All the students are protesting and it's a mess!"

At his words, Leo scratched his head.

'Come to think of it, I was a teacher.'

His mind was so cluttered with thoughts about the Hero Dungeon that he had forgotten.

'First, to properly clear the world of heroes, one must also faithfully perform the duties of the character they've taken on.'

In a possession-type hero world, the possessed individual must become that character entirely.

As such, there should be no deficiency as a teacher of Barcharun.

Because if even a little goes awry, the entire clearance of the hero world will be jeopardized.

'Unlike the other worlds I've experienced so far, this is complicated in many ways.'

Sighing, Leo followed the elf man who had come to fetch him to the class location.

The place they arrived at was none other than a massive training ground.

Elves were lined up in that training ground.

"I apologize for being late."

At Leo's words, the elf who appeared to be the representative expressed dissatisfaction.

"This isn't something that can be explained away as merely being late, Teacher Akint!"

At his shout, other elves nodded.

"We are all candidates for the Elf King! We are here with the pride of our families and our race! But for a teacher who is supposed to teach us to be so neglectful! How can we trust and follow you, Teacher!"

At his vehement outcry, Leo asked,

"So, what do you want?"

"We want a new teacher!"

"We want one!"

When he shouted as a representative, the other students followed suit.

At their reaction, Leo wore a dumbfounded expression.

'Asking for a teacher replacement just for being a bit late for class? Are these guys in their right minds?'

Moreover, according to Luna, Akint was an excellent teacher.

"You, what's your name?"

"…? That's an odd question. I am Hyrcanian Vesron."

'Hyrcanian? This guy?'

Leo's eyes turned cold.

He had never met him.

But he was someone Kyle knew.

An elf renowned for his infamy during the Age of Calamity.

'Hyrcanian Vesron, the Kinslayer.'

The Vesron family was a prestigious elf household that existed before the Age of Calamity.

It was a family that had produced many Elf Kings throughout generations and wielded immense influence in elf society before the Age of Calamity.

'The Vesron family became the elves' disaster.'

Barcharun's disappearance from elf history wasn't simply because it was old.

It was because the surviving elves hated Barcharun.

'Not only did they needlessly squander the powerful elf forces during Tartarus's first invasion, but later, Barcharun itself surrendered to Tartarus.'

The High Elves, who boasted of their high pride, were the first to betray their race and the land, turning their swords against their kin.

'Not all High Elves betrayed, though.'

There were also proud High Elves, led by the Fairy Knights, who protected their race until the end.

However, the fact that the High Elves, who could be called the pride of their race, abandoned their kin was shocking.

Thanks to this, the name High Elf became a derogatory term among elves during the Age of Calamity.

The position of Elf King also became an object of ridicule.

Consequently, Barcharun and the Elf King disappeared into the annals of history due to its repercussions.

The one who stood at the forefront of that betrayal was right before his eyes.

Filled with pride, he relied on his family's background and was trying to manipulate even the teachers of Barcharun.

"I don't understand replacing a teacher for being a little late for class."

Leo said coldly.

"What's the real reason?"

At Leo's chilling voice, Hyrcanian flinched.

But soon, as if unwilling to be defeated, he raised his chin.

"It's because we believe that Teacher Akint lacks the qualifications to be a proud teacher of Barcharun."

"The reason?"

"Aren't you showing favoritism to 'Luna Rubinence', who could be called the shame of our race?"

A murderous glint flickered in Leo's eyes.

From Leo's perspective, having saved the world, he could never tolerate hearing Luna called the shame of her race.

Even more so, if Hyrcanian made that remark.

'Hero Dungeon or not, I'll smash him to pieces…'

It was when Leo gritted his teeth.

"How dare you call someone the shame of our race?"

A voice filled with murderous intent flowed out.

Everyone's gaze turned to one male student.

The male student, small-framed and appearing delicate, was exuding a fierce aura that didn't match his appearance.

"How can an elf utter such outrageous nonsense! Do you even know who that person is!"

Leo, seeing the male student instinctively erupt in furious anger, immediately understood his identity.

This era was long before Luna became a great figure among the elves.

Yet, to show such a reaction meant…

'Lunia… no. Is it Hadin, the Sei'run third-year?'

***

A tower located on the outskirts of Barcharun.

In a high place called the Tower of God, a man with a bored expression was looking up at the sky.

"How curious."

Life returned to his bored face.

"Souls blessed by a god."