Book 1 Chapter 324

Turrets installed to protect Glory's barrier.

Iliana, who burst out of the turret, crossed her arms and burst into laughter, "Uhahahaha!"

"As long as I'm here, no one can ever breach our Glory's walls!"

Iliana puffed up her chest as she watched the other dorm students retreat, mimicking a heroic character from a story.

Then, she suddenly stopped, sensing the silence around her, and wore a surprised expression.

'That's strange? A tackle should have come by now?'

Perplexed by the unusual reaction, Iliana looked at her dorm mates.

They were all staring in one direction, standing on the barrier.

Turning her head in that direction, Iliana smiled brightly and waved.

"Oh! Class President! Did you successfully intercept the kids who broke into the rear?"

Leo smiled faintly at Iliana's cheerful greeting as he returned to Glory's base.

The Glory students muttered as they watched Leo.

"Celiah, Abad, Chelsea, all three at once…"

"What happened to Warden, Duran, and Eliza who went to the rear?"

"The reconnaissance team said… they were declared dead."

"So he's declared five people, top-tier in their year, dead on his own?"

"Leo's strength is that much?"

Everyone looked disgusted.

Iliana's expression also turned surprised when she heard that.

'The class president dealt with all the dormitory heads alone?'

Of course, they weren't dealt with all at once.

But even so, winning against three people alone was already at a level that sent shivers down their spines.

***

Murmur-murmur-

"…They were that overwhelming."

"All-class, like the hero of the beginning…"

"Is it even possible to control both a Phoenix and a Fairy at the same time?"

Bewildered voices erupted from the spectators.

When Leo and Warden first started fighting seriously, it was cheers that erupted.

The battle between the Phoenix, one of the three mythical beasts, and Titan, the Great Earth Spirit.

This unexpected major match was enough to excite not only the students but also outsiders.

But the subsequent turn of events in the battle was shocking.

Overwhelming power that no one had predicted.

Leo's combat prowess was literally shocking.

Especially in the spectator seats where the first-year students were gathered, everyone had a look of shock.

Shasha pursed her lips and clenched her fists.

The secret only she knew.

'…A Phoenix… a Fairy… and even a Pegasus.'

The Pegasus Arti, who had been contracted with the imperial family of the Lorden Empire for generations.

Shasha knew that Arti had contracted with Leo.

Just contracting with one of the three mythical beasts was a dream that ordinary beast summoners couldn't even imagine.

Yet, he contracted with all three mythical beasts.

It was bound to be a shock to Shasha.

Juane also gritted his teeth.

'What is that person?'

Mages usually specialized in one field.

But Leo had none of that.

'He freely uses star magic and even draconic magic…'

On top of that, Leo's unique magic, Bible.

That magic had caused a huge stir in the magic community last year.

It possessed everything a mage dreams of.

The fact that such a senior existed one year above them was enough to make them feel intimidated.

Habiden seemed to be thinking along the same lines, his expression grim.

Luke clenched his fists.

'Senior Leo.'

It wasn't just the first-years.

The third, fourth, and fifth-year students were also shocked by Leo's skill.

Even the students who inwardly resented Leo being student council president were speechless.

The professors were the same.

Leo's true strength, finally revealed, was enough to have an immense impact on everyone involved in Lumern.

"…This is serious."

Ain muttered in a strained voice.

Reina was also watching the screen with rare seriousness.

Reina was the former owner of the Flame Storm that Celia used.

Therefore, Reina knew better than anyone what it meant for Flame Storm to be broken.

'The sword wouldn't be damaged, would it?'

Flame Storm is a sword made of flames.

If the owner's will revived, it would regain its original form.

'But it's not easy for a extinguished ember to reignite.'

Reina sighed.

'And the other kids…'

Celia wouldn't be the only one who was broken.

"It's as if he's trying to break his peers," Ain muttered.

Reina replied, "He probably is."

" …Why? Leo, as far as I know, isn't a student who tries to break opponents. He has no reason to."

"That's right. Leo isn't that kind of kid."

Reina rested her chin on her hand.

And narrowed her eyes.

"But wouldn't there be a reason to break them?"

"A reason to break them?"

"Yes."

Reina made a sound of 'Hmm' to organize her thoughts, and then said,

"My son was unnecessarily mature, and he lacked any cuteness from a young age."

Ain focused on Reina's words.

"So he has been considerate of others since he was young. It must have been the same in school. He might not have been hiding his strength, but rather has been considerate of his peers until now."

Bottomless potential that keeps unfolding.

If other students had known about this gap, would they have been able to ignite their competitive spirit towards Leo?

'They wouldn't have.'

Ain narrowed his eyes.

"But he couldn't have been considerate forever. This is the first time he's shown his true feelings to his peers who have always faced him sincerely."

"Indeed. Is he trying to test the other students by showing them the gap?"

"That's right."

Reina smiled.

"There are things professors can't teach. You know that well, don't you?"

"When you experience despair against the one you aim for… some things become visible."

"Yes. That's right."

Reina's expression turned nostalgic.

"Look at you. After the first-year midterms, you were completely beaten by me and cried a lot, weren't you?"

"…"

Ain's face turned miserable.

The secret known only to Reina and Ain.

Ain, who placed second in the Knight Department when he entered as a first-year, also placed second to Reina in the first-semester midterms.

Unable to accept it, he challenged her to a spar after the midterms and tasted the bitterness of defeat.

He cried profusely that day out of sheer frustration.

"It wasn't a complete defeat. It was a narrow loss."

"Hmm. Should I tell Yura and Ren?"

"Tch…"

Ain gritted his teeth, facing Reina's blackmail with his dark past.

"You are… still a witch, Reina Zedinger."

"It's Reina Flov now. Don't worry. I won't tell the juniors."

Reina burst into laughter, and Ain let out a deep sigh.

And he looked at the screen.

'It's okay to despair. It's okay to be broken. Because the opportunity to continue is a student's privilege. However.'

Ain's eyes darkened.

'Do not lose sight of your goal.'

***

"Huff! Huff! I… I almost died."

The sword grazed his heart.

And looking at the devastated interior of Noble's base, he wore a disgusted expression.

"Eliza. Th-thank you! If you hadn't come, Cal might have been done for."

"Uh… well… we did our best."

"…"

The Noble dorm students hesitantly spoke to Eliza, who had chased Chen Xia away.

Eliza, who had lowered her head with an ominous expression, looked like she was about to explode.

At that moment, Cal brushed the dust off his rear and stood up.

And he trembled as if he had a chill.

Chen Xia's relentless pursuit of him was terrifying.

"Wow~ Thanks, Eliza. If it wasn't for you…"

Flick!

"Don't be mad. I'll be properly guarded… Eliza?"

Seeing Eliza turn sharply towards him and walk over, Cal flinched.

Then, he paused as he looked at Eliza's trembling hands.

"Did you… fight Leo?"

"Yes."

Eliza said with her head bowed.

"Warden, Duran, and I. The three of us fought Leo Flov."

"The three of you?"

"Wow…"

"That's unexpected. The three of you ganging up on one person."

The Noble students exclaimed in admiration.

Just then, Duran walked over.

The Noble students looked flustered by Duran's ominous aura.

"What's wrong?"

"What's going on?"

The two who were always confident were silent.

The Noble students couldn't help but be flustered when the two, who should have spoken up after allowing Chen Xia's intrusion, remained silent.

Amidst this, Cal cautiously opened his mouth.

"Did… Leo get you?"

The Noble students looked incredulous at Cal's question.

"Hey, Cal. No matter how great Leo Flov is, do you think Duran, Eliza, and Warden, these three combined, could be defeated?"

"That's right."

"…"

"…"

However, Duran and Eliza remained silent despite the words of the other Noble students.

At that, the Noble students' faces hardened.

"Hey, no way."

"No, right?"

It was when everyone wore a shocked expression.

"Everyone, gather around."

Abad, who had returned to the base, called out to the Noble students.

Everyone gathered with confused faces.

"We need to change the plan."

Abad looked around at the Noble students and said.

"Avoid fighting Leo as much as possible. Fighting Leo now will only raise Glory dorm's points."

Upon hearing Abad's words, the Noble dorm students looked at Duran and Eliza.

The two who should have reacted most strongly to Abad's words remained silent.

Afterward, the students who participated in the battles returned one after another.

And upon hearing about Leo, everyone wore shocked expressions.

The fact that Leo won both times despite the combined efforts of the two dormitory heads was truly shocking.

"He controls a Phoenix and a Fairy?"

"Such a broken defensive magic that nullifies the combined efforts of three people…"

"He overwhelmed Abad and Celia?"

Unbelievable stories.

But it was true.

At that moment, Cal, who had been pondering, spoke.

"Didn't you say Leo went alone to attack the rear detachment at first?"

"That's right."

Abad nodded.

"Chen Xia infiltrated our base to find the King, and the rest of the students were engaged in base defense."

Cal, who had been contemplating, said,

"This confirms it. Glory's King is Leo."

Abad smiled faintly.

"The reason?"

"If he had stayed at the base, he would have had to face you, which would have been a greater risk. So, by sending him to the front lines, he would avoid suspicion of being the King. Besides."

Cal wore a serious expression.

"The more Leo goes rampant alone, the higher the probability he's the King."

"Why? Isn't it more dangerous the more he runs wild?"

A Noble student asked with a puzzled expression.

"It is dangerous. But the more he does, the less likely you are to think he's the King. I think Leo's actions were a show of force."

Cal looked at Abad.

"For now, Abad has devised a plan to avoid Leo. If the dormitory heads avoid Leo? Eventually, there will be no student to confront Leo. They will be unilaterally defeated."

Cal took a deep breath.

"Leo is determined to crush us thoroughly."

"Why is he suddenly acting like this after hiding his strength until now?"

Duran asked, his face contorted.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't imagine winning against Leo.

It would probably be the same even if the dormitory heads joined forces.

If the power gap was that overwhelming.

Even with four people, victory wouldn't be guaranteed.

'There would need to be at least five people.'

Duran estimated the difference in strength between Leo and themselves to be about that much.

But…

'It's not just Leo Flov on their side. There's Chloe and Chen Xia too.'

The balance of power was broken long ago due to Leo's existence alone.

In such a situation, winning against Glory was close to impossible.

Cal replied to Duran's words,

"There must have been a change of heart. We don't know what kind of change, but at least he's taking us seriously."

Cal wore a serious expression.

"The dormitory heads I know are sly, avoid things, are rude and annoying, but…"

He looked at Abad, Duran, and Eliza.

"They were never the type to avoid a challenge."

Cal emphasized his voice.

"You knew the gap was far, right? It's just gotten a bit wider! Are you going to give up just because of that? No! From the start!"

Cal shouted as if wronged.

"Hey! Even I, the lowest ranked second-year, am thinking of beating Leo, so what are you guys doing giving up! Aren't you guys worse than me right now!"

Duran's face contorted, and Eliza, who had been shaking her shoulders, whipped her whip around Cal's neck and dragged him.

"What are you, a nobody, saying right now?"

"Eek? P-please forgive me…!"

Seeing Eliza's menacing demeanor, Cal, whose spirit was broken, begged.

Abad burst into laughter seeing Cal's reaction.

"The last place is thinking of beating the first place?"

"Yes. Of course, if I fought directly, it would be suicide."

Cal, having escaped Eliza's grasp, said with a cheerful expression.

"I don't think it's impossible for you guys."

"…Leo Flov has no weaknesses. He was literally a perfect monster. Can you win against such a monster?"

As Eliza replied in a weak voice, Cal was impressed.

"…You have a surprisingly girlish side. Acting like a fragile beautiful girl after getting thoroughly beaten."

"…I'll kill you."

"Stop! Stop! If I die, our dorm is finished!"

Cal screamed.

Abad calmed the blushing and huffing Eliza, while Duran crossed his arms.

"…Are you confident?"

"Of course not."

Cal shrugged and smiled.

"But if we leave Leo as he is, we're bound to lose. So let's try to defeat this perfect monster."