Book 1 Chapter 18

【18】17

Leo and Duran stood in the center, and the students split left and right.

Everyone was excited by the title match: Freshman Representative vs. Top Enrollee.

"Who do you think will win?"

"I'm for Duran!"

"Right, he was famous even before admission, wasn't he?"

"Even so, he's the freshman representative, won't he show us something?"

"Nah. Still, he wasn't first in the exam, was he? And from what I heard, it seems he hasn't even learned Aura Step."

All first-years predicted Duran's victory.

In the midst of that, Celia asked, looking worried.

"Will you be alright?"

"Don't you trust me?"

"You just learned Aura Step in theory a moment ago."

"Don't worry, I'll win."

Duran pointed to a large tree attached to the far end of the training ground wall and said.

"The duel method is simple. The one who rounds that tree and returns here first wins."

"Understood."

The two warmed up before running.

Leo removed the bracelets and anklets from his wrists and ankles, recalling the Aura Step theory Professor Ain had taught him.

After the warm-up, as the two stood at the starting line, the student acting as referee raised their hand.

"Ready."

Leo tensed his muscles.

"Go!"

The two simultaneously pushed off the ground and ran forward.

It was Leo who took the lead first.

Duran frowned, looking at Leo's back.

'Brutally fast.'

"Alright! Fast!"

"Go, Leo oppa!"

Kyle clenched his fist tight-! and shouted, while Chelsea hopped up and down in delight.

But Celia's expression remained dark.

'Duran hasn't used Aura Step yet.'

Currently, both of them are running solely with pure physical strength.

Leo's physical abilities were tremendous, to the point where even Celia would have to concede a few steps.

So, it was natural for Leo to be fast without using Aura Step.

But he only gained an early lead.

As Duran activated his aura, the distance closed instantly.

Crackle-! Golden sparks enveloped Duran's legs.

It was lightning aura.

"I'm going ahead, slowpoke."

Duran sneered and shot forward.

Duran, who rounded the turning point much faster than Leo, sprinted at incredible speed.

To anyone watching, it was Leo's defeat.

Just then, Leo accelerated explosively towards the training ground wall.

"Aura Step? Didn't they say the freshman representative couldn't use Aura Step?"

"Was it a lie?"

Students murmured, and Celia's eyes widened.

'No, how is that monster so fast at learning things!'

Amidst her silent scream.

Even though the training ground wall was within reach, Leo showed no sign of slowing down.

Whoosh-!

"Wait, isn't he unable to stop that?"

"He's going to crash!"

Students screamed, watching Leo sprint towards the wall at terrifying speed.

Thwack-!

Just then, Leo concentrated power in his legs and leaped.

And with both feet planted on the wall, he raised his head and looked at Duran's back.

Crack-!

Leo, who had leaped with enough force to crack the wall, used that power to chase after Duran.

The students who saw that sight were aghast.

Duran, who turned back at their reaction, his face hardened.

He saw Leo flying towards him as if he were a bullet.

'This bastard!'

He was flustered by the unexpected chase but soon regained his composure.

'He lost acceleration while landing on the ground!'

Duran had maintained his speed, so he wasn't worried about being caught.

Leo pushed off the ground again and ran forward.

Since he had activated Aura Step, his speed was incomparable to before.

But the distance between him and Duran did not close.

Now, with about half the distance left to the starting line.

"Go, Leo!"

"Duran! Run!"

Students split up and raised their cheering voices.

Celia bit her lip slightly.

'No, he can't catch up.'

Leo also knew that fact.

Whoosh-!

Just then, flames flared up at Leo's toes.

'The method Professor Ain used earlier when walking on air.'

He recalled the demonstration Professor Ain had shown.

It was impossible to imitate that now.

Because Leo was merely an Aura Step beginner now.

But he could refer to Professor Ain's operating method.

Leo, who had activated Phoenix Breath, concentrated his aura at his toes.

Fwoosh-!

And then…

'Kick off the ground!'

Thwack-! Boom!

At the sudden sound of explosions, students flinched.

Celia's mouth hung open.

'Phoenix Step? Leo shouldn't have mastered that yet?'

Boom-! Boom-!

Small explosions were heard in quick succession.

Accordingly, Leo began to accelerate at tremendous speed.

Burning all the little aura he had left in his body, Leo caught up right behind Duran's back.

"Hmph? This bastard!"

"I'm going ahead, slowpoke."

Leo grinned- and powerfully pushed off the ground.

Boom-!

"Leo Flobe!"

Duran's eyes widened as he shouted, chasing closely behind Leo.

The distance didn't widen, but he couldn't keep up with Leo, who had truly gained momentum.

Leo's aura flames and Duran's lightning aura streaked through the air, racing.

And by a hair's breadth, Leo crossed the finish line first.

"Whoaaaaaa!"

"Crazy! He's incredibly fast!"

Students let out exclamations of admiration.

"Pant-! Pant-!"

Duran glared at Leo, panting heavily.

Leo also put his hands on his knees, sweating profusely, and took deep breaths.

"Hey! That's awesome! He was really fast, wasn't he? Duran is supposed to be the fastest guy among the first-years, but he beat him?"

As Kyle fussed, Celia said.

"If it had been a long-distance race, he couldn't have won."

"Huh?"

"Celia's right. The other guy has a lot more aura capacity."

Leo nodded at Celia's words.

"But I still won, didn't I? See? I told you I'd win, didn't I?"

"Oh geez, fine. You're amazing."

Celia shook her head, watching Leo puff out his chest.

"Leo oppa! Water here!"

"Thank you."

Leo smiled gently as he took the water bottle Chelsea handed him.

"Even a guy can see he's cool. He'd be popular with girls. Is this what a well-mannered gentleman feels like?"

As Kyle admired him, Chelsea shook her head.

"He's no gentleman."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because during the entrance exam, he threatened to burn my butt to a crisp to get my cooperation."

Chelsea's face, as she said it sullenly, was a picture of misery.

Kyle, who heard that, muttered.

"A perverted gentleman, then."

***

"I felt it yesterday too, but Professor Albi didn't recommend him as freshman representative for nothing."

Professor Ain muttered from the rooftop overlooking the training ground.

"Isn't it a professor's duty to stop conflicts between students, Professor Ain?"

As Associate Professor Claria sighed deeply and pointed it out, Ain chuckled.

"Isn't it an annual event that happens every year?"

Rumelun gathers selected students from various cultures around the world.

Furthermore, their statuses vary widely.

As such, situations like the one just now often occurred annually in the early days of admission.

"I think it's more problematic that you knew about it but didn't stop it."

"There are many first-years this year with the potential to become heroes. That's why they're getting attention at the academy level. As such, I simply thought it was necessary to distinguish the worthy from the unworthy from the start of the semester."

Rumelun's professors uphold equality as a principle for all students.

However, as humans, it's inevitable for them to have favorite students.

Though outwardly cold, Ain, who is passionate about his students, is still highly respected by his disciples even after they graduate.

Ain also took pride in his students.

However, if there was one regrettable thing, it was that none of his disciples had yet ascended to the position of a hero.

"To raise a hero. Claria. You know how much I desire that, don't you?"

"As if I didn't know."

Claria, sighing, took out a notebook from her pocket and asked.

"So, what should we do?"

Even if it was an impromptu class, engaging in a duel without a professor's permission was a violation of school rules.

"They didn't even fight, just leave them be."

'It seems he really took a liking to student Leo.'

Professor Ain, who highly valued school rules, turned a blind eye to this incident.

Claria burst into laughter, watching Leo chat with his friends.

***

After class, Leo sat in the student cafe.

In the meantime, the story of Leo and Duran spread throughout the entire school in an instant.

"He's been the center of attention since day one, hasn't he?"

As Kyle gave a thumbs-up, Chelsea, who was drinking fruit juice with a straw in her mouth, said.

"Leo oppa's performance was certainly impressive, wasn't it?"

"Hey, Chelsea Lewallyn. I've been feeling this for a while, but why do you call Leo 'oppa' but call me by my name?"

"It's my choice."

Chelsea stuck out her tongue.

"You!"

"If you don't like that, then you call my older brother 'oppa,' too, I guess!"

"Just call me by my name comfortably."

Celia gave up cleanly.

"Next is Summoning Studies class, no one's taking it, right?"

Kyle took out his timetable from his pocket, checked it, and asked.

"I'm taking it."

The three looked at Leo with expressions that said, 'What's the point of taking that?'

Knight classes allow one to learn skills, and magic classes can improve magical response abilities.

Therefore, they are popular as minors, whereas Summoning Studies is useless for those without talent.

At the three people's reactions, Leo brought the straw to his mouth and muttered to himself.

'I wonder what kind of faces they'd make if I told them I'm taking all three majors.'

After parting ways with the three, he immediately headed to the lecture hall.

As he did so, he recalled the reward he had obtained during the entrance exam.

Originally, even if the world of a living hero was conquered, there was no reward.

'But I received a reward.'

Something unusual had happened.

Furthermore, there was one more question related to the reward.

'Why, of all things, a pact with the Fairy King?'

Rewards obtained from a hero's world are related to the power held by the world's master.

'Professor Albi is a pure mage.'

Originally, he should have gained abilities related to magic.

But the reward Leo received was summoning ability.

The last contractor of the Fairy King recorded in history was none other than Luna.

The pact with the Fairy King, which had been severed since the Age of Calamity, had been bestowed upon Leo.

'But with just a pact, I can't form a contract.'

To summon a phantom beast, a catalyst related to the phantom beast is needed.

The summoning catalyst for fairies is a leaf from the World Tree.

The World Tree was completely wiped out by Erebus during the Age of Despair.

To make a contract with a fairy now, he needed to go to Fairy Land, where fairies reside.

'But Fairy Land is elven territory, inaccessible to humans. And even if I went, there's no guarantee I'd meet the Fairy King.'

For now, it was a useless reward.

"You're also taking Summoning Studies?"

Someone spoke to him from behind.

When he turned his head with a puzzled expression, a female student was standing there.

'Let's see… she was definitely the top student from the East, right?'

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