Book 1 Chapter 183

Watching the two people standing in the middle of the training ground, Elena smirked.

"I wonder how this will turn out."

Takon, standing next to Elena, responded to her mumbling.

"What's so interesting about it? It's only natural that Leo Flov isn't a match for Senior Liss."

The third-year students around them nodded in agreement.

"Right."

"No matter how great he is, he's still a first-year."

Elena smiled at their words.

"That's what people usually think, but."

Elena's eyes sparkled.

"Leo has many unknown abilities."

Looking at Leo, Elena smiled faintly.

"This spar probably won't end easily."

Elena had set the stage.

She wanted Leo to become the student council president, and she had the ability to do so.

However, Leo was using that stage to try and become the student council president himself.

'If I'm given a chance, I never let it go.'

Leo's seasoned response always surprised Elena.

Even her peers had never seen Elena, who was now looking with anticipation and excitement, exhibit such a reaction.

'Leo Flov.'

Takon watched Leo, arms crossed.

The noble queen of Lumern was showing a fresh demeanor like a girl her age.

'Just what kind of person are you?'

Takon furrowed his brow slightly.

Meanwhile.

"Huh? Is it finally starting? Haaawm!"

Hark, who had been sleeping in the fourth-year spectator seats with an eyepatch, yawned widely and stretched.

The other fourth-year students looked at him with disdain.

"Did you just wake up after sleeping all this time?"

"I wasn't sleeping. I watched some of the matches."

Hark chuckled and licked his lips with a face still half-asleep.

The fourth-year female students who had been glaring at him blushed slightly at his appearance.

Hark was exceptionally handsome, at least in appearance.

'No! Don't fall for that appearance!'

'He's just a lazy sleepyhead!'

"By the way, I don't know what Elena Zerone is thinking."

Tul Venia, a fourth-year student from the Department of Magic, muttered, adjusting her glasses.

Hark replied in a listless voice,

"She genuinely wants to make Leo Flov the student council president."

"Why would she do that? Is she trying to make a first-year the student council president and use him as a puppet? But if that's the case, it would be much more efficient for her to become the student council president herself."

"She wouldn't think that way."

Hark, who had known her since childhood, smirked.

"She probably saw something in that first-year kid. Should I ask to spar with him next time?"

Tul, sighing softly at Hark's aggressive competitiveness, looked at Leo with slightly cold eyes.

'If that first-year becomes the student council president, it might be better to try and recruit him beforehand.'

From a fourth-year's perspective, it was much better for a malleable first-year to become the student council president than Elena.

Meanwhile, all the second-year students were looking at Leo with displeasure.

"Who does he think he is, challenging the student council president?"

"He needs to be humbled by being embarrassed like that."

Amidst this, Lil alternated between looking at Leo and Liss with a trembling heart.

'As expected, Leo has the charisma of a grade representative! I could never do that!'

Thinking of him as a great junior, Lil was impressed.

Meanwhile.

The professors were also watching this match with keen interest.

"Popcorn for sale! Pop-corn!"

"You there."

"Yes! Professor Yura!"

Professor Yura approached Kal, who was selling snacks around the spectator seats.

"Can I have a box of popcorn? Caramel flavored."

"Yes!"

"Thank you."

Kal grabbed Yura's hand as she smiled and paid.

"Professor Yura."

"Yes?"

"Wouldn't you like to buy a drink as well?"

"I'm not thirsty…"

*Swipe-*!

Kal opened the lid of the paper cup and showed her the contents.

Seeing the golden liquid, Kal whispered.

"If you purchase it now, you'll also receive buttered squid…"

"Huh? You're trying to sell me this stuff as a professor watching a sacred spar evaluation?"

Yura smiled coldly.

Kal flinched at her expression.

'Ouch! Was that too hasty?'

"Don't you have anything stronger?"

"…No."

"Tsk. You lack guts. Will this even whet my appetite? Back in my day! Huh? We didn't sell weak stuff like beer! Huh? We sold really expensive liquor! Huh?"

While grumbling at Kal, Yura took the buttered squid and returned to the spectators.

Chewing on the squid, Yura said to Ain,

"Would you like some too, Senior?"

"You eat it."

"Ah, then could you generate some Aura for me?"

"Why?"

"So I can eat it cool."

Watching Yura swing her cup around, Ain punched her on the head.

Meanwhile, at a distance, Ren stood with his arms crossed, closely observing the training ground.

"Professor Ren, what do you think about student Leo becoming the student council president?"

"Of course, I'm all for it. What could be happier than a first-year becoming the student council president in the Department of Magic?"

"…No. Student Leo is not yet a student of the Department of Magic."

"Furthermore! Wouldn't it stop those beastly guys and pointy-eared folk from making unwanted advances on student Leo?"

Announcer shook her head at Ren's words.

As the entire school was keenly watching the duel between the two, Cheira approached between the two standing in the center of the training ground.

"Then, don't overdo it, either of you. I hope you show us a wonderful performance."

With those words, Cheira stepped down from the training ground.

"I never expected you to nominate me like this."

"I prefer to solve things on my own rather than receive help."

"Self-reliance is good, but are you confident?"

"Please watch me."

"Heh. I'll be looking forward to it."

Liss chuckled at Leo's confident demeanor and channeled mana into the bracelet imbued with spatial magic.

The space opened, and a long sword appeared.

Seeing this, Leo also opened his spatial dimension.

*Clank-*! *Whoosh-*!

And when the weapon that appeared was seen, Liss wore a puzzled expression.

Not only Liss but the spectators also murmured.

"A spear?"

"Did you know he could use a spear?"

The weapon Leo pulled out was none other than a spear.

Seeing this, Liss inwardly smiled.

'Come to think of it, didn't they say he was skilled with various weapons during the entrance exam?'

Since entering the academy, Leo had only used a sword, so everyone had completely forgotten.

Meanwhile, the first-year students also looked bewildered.

"Why a spear out of nowhere?"

"Is it for showmanship?"

"That's not Leo's personality, though?"

Just as the students of Class 5 wore perplexed expressions.

"Wow! Wow!"

Chelsea's eyes sparkled as she jumped up and down in her seat.

Watching Chelsea, who couldn't contain her excitement, Iliana asked with a curious face,

"What's wrong?"

"Brother Leo is good at using other weapons too!"

"What?"

"He looks so cool!"

During the entrance ceremony.

Chelsea, who had witnessed Leo defend against monsters without being able to use Aura, couldn't help but remember the situation at that time.

'Brother Leo was so cool back then!'

Chelsea clenched her fists.

Meanwhile, Liss on the training ground fiddled with the hilt of his sword.

'Alright, let's see how well he uses it.'

*Thump-*

Liss strode towards Leo.

*WHOOSH-*!

Towards Liss, who was charging with tremendous speed, Leo adjusted his grip on the spear and quickly executed a thrust.

*WHOOSH-*!

Liss dodged the spear in an instant.

Although it had tremendous speed and sharpness aimed at vital points, it was not enough to stop Liss.

'In a fight between a sword and a spear, you can't allow close combat.'

A situation that could end quite anticlimactically.

Liss plunged into Leo's guard without hesitation.

At that moment.

*FLASH-*!

Leo swung his free hand, not holding the spear.

Liss reacted quickly and retreated backward.

Leo had already drawn a sword from his spatial dimension and was swinging it.

'A spear in the right hand, a sword in the left. Dual-wielding.'

Liss smirked, thinking it was a rather peculiar fighting style.

'But it must be incredibly difficult to fight while utilizing the characteristics of two weapons?'

Attacking with the spear when at a distance.

Defending with the sword when approached.

On the surface, it seemed like a balanced and ideal combat method.

However, the moment one of them falters, a gap is instantly created.

Especially against a swordsman like Liss, who is seasoned in swordsmanship, it is a very dangerous action.

'Are you confident? Leo.'

Liss charged towards Leo again.

*WHOOSH-*! *CLANG-*!

Liss blocked the spear Leo swung.

Sparks flew as the spear shaft and the sword blade collided.

*CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-*!

Liss, with his sword blade pointed at Leo, plunged into his guard.

*CLANG-*!

However, Leo defended Liss's attack with his sword without hesitation.

*THWACK-*!

But his stance was unstable.

As Liss applied force and pushed, Leo's body swayed and was pushed back.

"Ah!"

"Is it going to end too anticlimactically?"

A pure skill vs. skill battle where neither has even used Aura yet.

Yet, the students were bound to be disappointed as the fight seemed to be ending so anticlimactically.

Liss, not holding back, aimed to finish Leo the moment he found an opening.

At that moment, Leo simultaneously let go of both his sword and spear.

Seeing Leo defenseless for a moment, Liss narrowed his eyes.

'Is he trying to baffle me? If that's his intention, his plan is too shallow.'

Liss had experienced too many battles to be flustered by this.

Without a moment's hesitation, Liss swung his sword at the defenseless Leo.

*WHOOSH-*! *CLACK-*!

In an instant, Liss's eyes widened.

Leo had accurately read the trajectory of Liss's sword and struck its surface with his palm.

That wasn't all.

*CLACK-*! *TICK-TACK-*!

Liss swung his sword to shake off Leo, who had leaped into the air like a gymnast on a balance beam.

But in that fleeting moment, Leo, who had regained his balance, spun around and struck Liss's shoulder.

*THWACK-*!

Liss's eyes twitched.

He endured the attack by tensing his shoulder, but a heavy pain washed over him.

*WHOOSH-*! Leo used the momentum to quickly move behind Liss.

And grabbing the shaft of the spear that was scattering in the air, he launched a flurry of attacks at Liss in an instant.

*CLANG! CRASH-CRASH! WHOOSH! THWACK! CLANG!*

Leo's storm-like spear attacks began.

Liss blocked the attacks, creating an opening for a counter.

*WHOOSH! THWACK-!*

Leo blocked Liss's swung sword by laying the spear horizontally.

For a moment, Leo and Liss's eyes met.

Leo charged at Liss in that stance and pushed the sword away with the spear shaft.

*THUD-*! *THWACK-*! *SWISH-*!

Leo, allowing him to get close, swung his leg.

But Liss instantly retrieved his sword and swung it at Leo.

Leo distanced himself from Liss and landed on the ground.

*DRIP-DRIP-DRIP-*!

From his right shoulder, across his chest, to his side.

His school uniform was sharply cut.

And a faint line-like cut appeared.

It wasn't a major wound, but blood seeped through his uniform.

'It's not at a level that hinders my movement.'

Leo ignored the stinging pain and took his stance.

Meanwhile, feeling the pain in his shoulder and side, Liss let out a hollow laugh.

'What is this kid?'

Leo's martial arts skills were in no way inferior to Liss's.

Rather, he displayed astonishing spear and body techniques, precisely hitting Liss's openings and landing two effective blows.

'No. In terms of strategy, he is clearly superior to me.'

It was chilling.

In a pure skill-based fight, Leo had overwhelmed Liss, who was called the strongest in his grade.

All the students watched Leo with eyes filled with shock.

Liss looked at Leo with admiration.

As a knight who had held a sword for his entire life and reached its pinnacle.

Leo's almost divine movements felt like art.

'As expected, Leo is something beyond a genius.'

Admiringly, Liss generated Aura.

*FLARE-*!

Zerdinger's flames blazed.

"Then, shall we start in earnest?"

Both Leo and Liss knew that this was just a warm-up.

"Shall we?"

*WHOOSH-*!

The same flames ignited from Leo's body.

But that wasn't all.

*ZZZZZZING-*!

Numerous magic circles adorned the air.

Seeing that, Liss gripped his sword.

"Finally, I get to see his full power, huh?"

*CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-*!

A vortex of flames swirled around Liss.