Book 1 Chapter 200
200
“A first-year student, and not even a Seirun student, is using Lampas? What kind of creepy guy is that?”
A voice filled with astonishment came from the stands.
At the highest point of the stands, a woman with silver hair and golden eyes glittered.
“As expected of the boy selected by Senior.”
“Didn’t you also recognize the value of Leo Flobe and try to make a move, Nerjia?”
Riben let out a small sigh.
Nerjia.
The vice principal of Seirun, dispatched from Dragonia.
From Riben’s perspective, she was a much younger junior.
“That sword he has right now, wasn’t it a gift from you?”
“Yes. But I was surprised he handled it better than I expected.”
The longsword Leo received as a gift was made by Nerjia.
It was a magic sword that could be a top-grade famous sword and a high-grade staff for a magic swordsman who uses star magic.
If one were to consider its price, it was something whose value could not possibly be estimated.
“Even so, I’m curious how the magic formula was constructed for it to overload with just one spell.”
Magic staffs produce various effects depending on the engraved formulas.
Typical examples include shortening spellcasting time, increasing power, and so on.
The more powerful the staff, the more difficult it is to use, but if it can be wielded perfectly, the power of magic shows a tremendous difference.
‘It’s not surprising that he used Lampas. Lunia, the top honor student in the first year, can also use Lampas sufficiently.’
Lampas.
It was one of the magic spells called the foundation among star magic.
This is because, unlike other formulas, it was not created based on the formulas left by Luna, but rather transmitted exactly as the original text left by Luna.
As a magic created directly by the progenitor, its power is extremely formidable.
Therefore, it was a magic that anyone who entered Seirun yearned to learn.
However, just as its power was immense, the cost was also clear.
That was consuming a vast amount of magical power and having a very complex formula structure.
Therefore, it was a magic so difficult that first and second-year students could not even dare to try.
‘Current Leo Flobe doesn't seem to have enough magical power to use Lampas?’
Unless it was his ability to construct magic formulas.
With Leo’s current magical power, manifesting Lampas was difficult.
Yet, he completed a spell of immense power.
‘That means it’s not an ordinary spell.’
Thanks to that, the sword made of his dragon bone was momentarily overloaded.
“Senior Riben. Can’t you really send Leo Flobe to our Seirun?”
Nerjia looked back at Riben and said.
“Senior, you’re at an age to retire now. And I heard you’ve been secluded for a while, so I, with more ambition, think it would be better if I took him on rather than you.”
“If you covet Leo Flobe, couldn’t you just come to Lumerne?”
“I can’t do that. I can’t abandon the children of Seirun.”
Nerjia was a dragon who actively guided students for hero development.
“Then you try to persuade him well.”
‘I don’t know if your words will work though.’
***
Leo, who had blown away the Cyclops, tried to pursue the leading group.
Until then, even if he wanted to pick up speed, it wasn't easy because of the overwhelming interference from Seirun students pouring on Leo.
But the appearance of the Cyclops created a gap in that interference.
Leo, not missing that gap, immediately sprinted to catch the leading group.
That's when it happened.
“That’s far enough, Leo Flobe.”
“We will not tolerate you going any further than this.”
Two male and female Seirun students blocked Leo's path.
“Who are you guys?”
“Hmph. My name is Garin Twyna.”
“And my name is Aris Twyna. You must have heard our names, right?”
The two elves, who appeared to be siblings, blocked Leo's way.
“No. First time hearing them.”
“What? You haven’t heard of the Twyna siblings?”
“Is it possible you haven’t heard our names, who advanced to the advanced class 1 in the second semester and are ranked 4th and 5th?”
Garin and Aris looked flustered.
“Yep.”
Seeing Leo nod his head innocently, Garin clenched his fist.
“Hmph! Such an arrogant fellow! To not even investigate a student from a rival school!”
“Be prepared! We’ll eliminate you right here!”
It was when Leo lightly sighed, looking at the twins making an indignant expression.
“Brother Leo. Why aren’t you going?”
“They’re in the way.”
Chelsea, who had approached with a curious look, heard Leo’s words and swung her staff.
Kwagagagak-!
A tremendous gust of wind swept over Garin and Aris.
Instantly, Garin used barrier magic to deflect Chelsea’s attack.
Seeing that, Chelsea’s eyes narrowed.
“Not bad?”
Flash!- Kwagagagak-!
In a fleeting moment, Aris used magic.
Fragments of light poured down from high in the sky towards Leo and Chelsea.
Whoosh-!
But the fragments of light were soon blown away by another strong gust of wind.
Thump- Thump-
Avad approached Chelsea’s side.
“The Rwalin siblings, I see.”
Garin curled up the corners of his mouth.
“You two would know about us, the Twyna siblings, right?”
“First time hearing that.”
As Avad replied with a warm smile, Aris pointed her finger at Garin.
“This is all your fault! Because of you, I got dragged into this for nothing! I shouldn’t have teamed up with you after all!”
“Don’t make me laugh! Haven’t you ever thought that maybe it’s because of *you* that the Lumerne kids don’t know about me? And you? What kind of language is that to your older brother!”
“Does being born 30 seconds earlier matter that much?!”
“I’ll tell Mom?!”
Looking at the Twyna siblings showing a 'friendly' display, Chelsea said seriously.
“If we leave them like that, won’t they self-destruct?”
“They won’t. They’re very skilled.”
As expected of Seirun’s 1st year 4th and 5th place students, the two’s skills were not to be underestimated.
“Leo, we’ll take care of these siblings, so you go first.”
“Go, Brother Leo, fighting!”
“I’m counting on you.”
Leo smiled and left them behind.
As Avad expected, Garin reacted quickly, but his interference was blocked by Chelsea.
“Alright, then, will you show us your siblings’ skills?”
As Avad said with a gentle smile, Aris flinched for a moment and then blushed.
“Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you.”
“Ugh.”
Aris kicked Garin.
Leo immediately pursued the lead.
Leo was not the only one who escaped that pandemonium and pursued the lead.
Flash-! Kwagagagak-!
In an instant, Leo threw his body as beams of light extended from all directions.
Leo narrowed his eyes, looking at the half-elf boy holding a magic staff.
‘Was his name Luka Eneres?’
Seirun’s 1st year 3rd-ranked student after Lunia and Eiran, and the class representative.
Despite the cold weather, Luka’s attire was very light.
He seemed to feel no cold.
Crack-
Suddenly, the ground around Luka began to freeze.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t go any further than this. If you chase them too, Eiran would have a very hard time.”
Crackle-!
In an instant, the entire ground from where Luka stood to where Leo was standing froze.
It was a fleeting moment.
But Leo did not miss that brief moment.
Jumping, Leo narrowed his eyes, looking at Luka, who wore a troubled smile.
‘It’s not magic. It’s the power of spirits. But there’s no sign of him summoning a spirit either. I felt it during the field trip, but… what exactly is this guy?’
Luka was using the power of spirits.
But it wasn't power gained from contracting with a spirit.
He was, literally, directly using the power of spirits himself.
[Perhaps he’s blessed by a Great Spirit?]
‘Blessed by a Great Spirit?’
[Yes. I’ve heard from other spirits. That there’s someone who inherited the power of a Great Spirit. And that person can use the power of spirits.]
‘Come to think of it, I remember reading about it in a book a long time ago.’
Recalling the contents of a book he read in his past life, Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘Then this guy inherited power from an ice-attribute Great Spirit?’
‘The probability seems high.’
Leo clicked his tongue.
The bitterly cold, frigid weather.
If he had indeed received power from an ice-attribute Great Spirit, this place was like his own living room.
‘It doesn’t seem easy to break through.’
It was when Leo shook his head.
“What are you doing here, Flobe.”
A dull voice was heard.
Turning his head, a male student with a massive physique, Wareden, stood there.
“I’m having a bit of trouble with him.”
“Hmph.”
Wareden snorted at Leo’s words and summoned a fire spirit.
Whoosh-!
Instantly, the fire spirit was sucked into Wareden’s fist.
Spirit Armored.
It was an advanced spirit art that allowed the power of spirits to dwell in the body.
Flash-!
Wareden charged at Luka without hesitation.
Swoosh-! Bam-!
And without a moment’s hesitation, he threw a punch at Luka, who looked a head shorter than him.
Along with a massive explosion, flames swirled around.
It was Spirit Explosion, Wareden’s specialty, who was called a monster by students from the southern regions.
Crack-!
Wareden's strike, which even Lumerne upperclassmen would marvel at.
However, Luka endured such an attack and, instead, froze Wareden's right arm, which had thrown the punch.
“Hmm.”
Wareden exhaled, looking at his frozen arm.
“Close-quarters combat with me is too reckless a fight.”
As Luka said with a smile, Wareden curled up the corners of his mouth.
Whoosh-!
Then he generated heat and melted his frozen arm.
“Indeed, it might be reckless.”
“Seeing you use Spirit Armored, you seem to be a spirit user specialized in close combat… we don’t have good compatibility…”
Whoosh-!
Suddenly, Wareden charged at Luka once again.
“…!”
Wareden, completely unfazed by Luka’s freezing, struck Luka’s neck directly with his thick forearm.
Thump-! Whoosh-! Splish-!
Crack-
Wareden melted his arm, which was beginning to freeze, using a fire spirit, and said.
“It’s simple. Isn’t it a battle of whether I become incapacitated by your freezing attack first, or you become incapacitated by my attack first?”
Wareden curled up the corners of his mouth.
“Get up, Luka Eneres.”
“Cough. Cough. Indeed…”
Luka coughed, spitting out blood, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and made a troubled expression.
“It seems I picked the wrong fight.”
“I’ll take care of this one. You go ahead, Leo Flobe.”
“Oh, alright. Don’t overdo it.”
“Don’t worry about me, worry about yourself.”
While Wareden, with a cynical look, blocked Luka.
Leo, completely free from interference, began to run at an incredible speed to pursue the leading group.
Because there were those who had run well without getting caught in the earlier pandemonium, quite a few students were running ahead of Leo besides the leading group.
Seirun students persistently interfered with Leo.
In addition, there were continuous obstacles thereafter.
‘Too much time has been delayed. At this rate, there will be too much of a difference with the leading group?’
Leo, who was breaking through all obstacles and quickly chasing the leading group, recalled the three in the leading group who had run without any hindrance.
At their speed, it wouldn’t be strange if they were already close to the finish line.
‘Did Duran and Eliza overtake Eiran?’
He thought that at their speed, they might have easily outpaced Eiran and were competing among themselves.
The other two riders from Seirun seemed unable to escape the persistent interference of the Lumerne students.
It was at that moment, as Leo was sprinting towards the finish line at an incredible speed.
“Don’t run away!”
“Fight us!”
Duran and Eliza’s angry voices were heard from afar.
Leo looked at Duran and Eliza, who were frantically chasing Eiran, with a bewildered look.
‘No, why are these guys still here?’
Contrary to expectations, the three hadn’t gone as far as he thought.
Just then, Eiran, who was being chased by Duran and Eliza, spotted Leo and came running, crying.
“Lord Leo! Please save me!”
Eiran, full of fear, hid behind Leo’s back.
“…What is this situation?”
“I, I don’t know! The Lumerne riders said they wouldn’t leave me alone…!”
Leo patted Eiran’s head, who was whimpering and too scared to speak properly, and asked Duran and Eliza, who had approached him.
“Why are you so desperate to get him?”
“Move aside, Leo Flobe. I must have an honorable duel with that fellow who so clearly ignored me.”
“I was first. Duran Moira.”
‘Why are these guys talking about duels again?’
Leo clicked his tongue, looking at his two classmates, famous for their quick tempers.
“It seems there’s some misunderstanding. He’s not the type of kid to ignore you two.”
“Then what was the reason he didn’t even look at us?”
As Eliza crossed her arms and frowned, Leo said indifferently.
“You must have been mistaken.”
At his words, Duran and Eliza looked at Eiran, who was hiccuping and trembling.
The elf, who looked frail in some way, clearly seemed like a victim to anyone.
Nowhere in his appearance did he seem to have ignored them.
Duran and Eliza made embarrassed expressions.
“It seems I was mistaken.”
“I’m sorry. For getting angry for no reason.”
Duran and Eliza quickly apologized.
Seeing them, Eiran, who had been trembling in fear, cautiously showed himself from behind Leo.
“Oh, no, it’s not. My attitude must have made you two misunderstand.”
“Uh, anyway, from now on, let’s compete fairly and squarely.”
Eliza said with a forced smile to lighten the mood.
At her words, Eiran smiled brightly and nodded.
That bright and innocent appearance made Duran and Eliza feel a pang of conscience for no reason.
Seeing them, Leo nodded.
“Good, then if the misunderstanding is cleared.”
“Huh?”
Leo grabbed Eiran and immediately snatched away the headband symbolizing a rider.
“Ah!”
Eiran was startled and screamed.
“Eliminated.”
Leo smiled and patted Eiran’s shoulder.
“Because we’re enemies.”
“Th-that… I trusted Lord Leo…”
Eiran whimpered, making a tearful face.
“Leo Flobe! That’s despicable!”
“How can you be so cruel to someone who trusted you and asked for help!”
Duran and Eliza criticized Leo.
“Where’s despicable in a competition?”
Leo chuckled indifferently and turned towards the finish line.
“I’m going first. It’ll be hard if I get caught by the kids chasing behind and get my ankles grabbed for nothing.”
Leo ran towards the finish line without hesitation.
“Waaah… That’s too much, Lord Leo.”
“D-don’t cry.”
“Don’t cry, okay?”
Duran and Eliza, flustered, tried to comfort Eiran, who was sitting on the ground and sniffling.