Book 1 Chapter 33
【33】32
All first-year students gathered in the grand auditorium.
The murmur of teenage students, in their mid-teens, filled the entire auditorium.
Meanwhile, associate professors and teaching assistants came out to prepare for class.
Soon, when the class preparations were finished, one of the associate professors spoke.
“Everyone, please be quiet. Class will begin soon!”
“Yes.”
The students answered the teaching assistants' words.
The murmuring quieted down a bit, but it didn’t completely disappear.
Teenagers, who loved to play with their friends at that age, were not beings that an adult could silence with just words.
The associate professors knew this but did not admonish them further.
This was because the one in charge of today's class was none other than Professor Artian Niere.
“Everyone! Sorry I’m late!”
Professor Artian, who entered the auditorium, climbed onto the platform and apologized.
Thump!
“Ack!”
Then she tripped over her foot and fell.
At that, all the students straightened their posture and quieted down.
Professor Artian, with an embarrassed expression, rubbed her knee and headed to the center of the platform.
Artian Niere.
Currently, the professor the first-year students feared the most.
The reason was simple.
If you were noisy in her class, physical punishment would immediately follow.
Of course, it wasn't her will, but the work of short-tempered spirits contracted with Professor Artian.
Thanks to this, students were tense as soon as Professor Artian appeared.
Artian, who managed to control the students just by her appearance, clapped her hands and smiled brightly.
“Our students are good after all! To be so quiet in front of the professor!”
Optimistic Artian simply thought the students were good.
“Last class, we talked about the stories of the hero noble families, right? Before today's class, shall we review what we learned a little?”
Artian began the class.
“Which student can tell me why hero noble families could be created after the appearance of the Hero Records?”
At that question, hands went up everywhere.
Apart from being scary, she was a good professor.
She made classes easy to understand and was generous with grades.
Considering that some strict professors are so stingy with grades that they even deduct them, there’s no harm in actively participating in Artian’s class.
Even Kyle actively raised his hand.
“Kyle, from Class 5?”
“Alright!”
Kyle, who let out a small cheer, stood up from his seat.
“It's because to open a hero’s world in the Hero Records, an item deeply related to or having a profound anecdote about that hero is required. Descendants of heroes inherit heirlooms from their ancestors, making access to the hero’s world easy!”
“That’s correct. I'll give Kyle 5 points.”
Kyle smiled broadly and sat down.
“Though it’s a political matter, the deep connection between the Lumerun Academy, which stores the Hero Records, and the hero noble families is also for this reason.”
Even if one possesses the key to open a hero’s world, the recorded hero’s records are stored in the Hero Records at Lumerun.
“In the case of heroes from before the emergence of hero worlds, whose relics did not remain, items related to them can be obtained through ruin investigation and excavation.”
The Hero Records have existed since the Age of Calamity, before the hero worlds were revealed, so there are countless hero pages that only exist as pages and cannot open a hero’s world.
“Even for the same hero, not all pages can be opened with one person's heirloom, so excavation is the most important act in this era, next to conquering hero dungeons. Furthermore, hero dungeons created by rampages often provide rewards, but the inheritance of power can be unstable. Now, here's a question.”
Artian looked at the students again.
“Which student can talk about the importance of Heroics, apart from what I’ve explained?”
Again, students actively raised their hands.
“Dylan, from Class 1.”
“It can be a clue to conquering a hero’s world.”
“That’s right. 5 points to Dylan.”
Dylan sat down calmly.
“A hero’s world is a trial experienced by a preceding hero. Even knowing the hero’s anecdote, it's a colossal trial, almost impossible to conquer. Many lose their lives there. Therefore, even a small clue or anecdote becomes a key keyword for the conquest.”
That is also why students dedicate themselves to Heroics.
“When you reach upper grades, you will choose a hero to inherit power from and attempt to conquer that hero's page. Until then, you should figure out which hero suits your disposition, right?”
Illiana clapped lightly.
“Alright, shall we begin with the homework presentations now?”
Last week, Artian gave all first-year students homework.
Of course, it wasn't particularly difficult homework.
It was to think about what they wanted to do as a hero and present it in the next Heroics class.
Though it seemed insignificant, anyone who dreamed of being a hero needed to establish their heroic ideal.
And since everyone entered Lumerun with serious intentions, the first-year students had pondered this homework seriously over the weekend.
“Alright, then we’ll start with Class 1.”
The students of Class 1 fidgeted, glancing at each other.
It was embarrassing to speak about their goals as heroes in front of hundreds of people.
“Class 1! There's nothing to be ashamed of! Your goals are your guide! To proudly state them in front of people is something to be proud of— *muffled*!”
“This is Artian’s class right now. It's not your turn.”
“Professor Sedgen! Please! Professor Artian is timid enough as it is!”
Professor Sedgen, who had been enthusiastically cheering on the hesitant Class 1, was seized by the homeroom professors of other classes.
Just then, Celia stood up from her seat.
Standing with her back ramrod straight, she swept her hair back and spoke proudly.
“I want to become a knight who surpasses the ancestors of my family.”
A knight who surpasses the ancestors of Gerdinger.
For someone from a hero noble family, there was no goal with more weight than that.
“Wow! What a wonderful goal!”
Next to stand up was Chloe.
“I want to create a grimoire that only contains my original spells.”
“That’s an ambitious goal for a magician.”
Starting with Celia, students one by one began to share their goals.
At first, everyone hesitated, but once they started speaking, there was nothing holding them back.
The homeroom professors observing from behind listened attentively to their students' presentations.
They knew well that these short presentations represented the path the students wished to take.
Soon, it was Class 5’s turn.
“I want to be of help to heroes.”
When Kyle revealed his ambition, Artian showed a surprised expression.
But she soon understood Kyle’s intention and smiled.
“It seems Kyle wants to be someone who supports heroes.”
“Yes.”
While most other students didn't understand Kyle, who was walking the path of a supporter early on, professors often positively evaluated the path Kyle intended to take.
When Kyle sat down, it was Leo’s turn.
Leo stood up and said calmly.
“My goal is the complete annihilation of Erebus.”
A momentary silence fell over the grand auditorium.
Artian was surprised, and the students also looked at Leo with bewildered faces.
The complete annihilation of Erebus.
That wasn't merely a personal wish.
It was the fervent desire the world had held since the Age of Calamity.
But even the great heroes had failed. A foolish wish that would only be met with ridicule if spoken aloud.
Since he had spoken it without hesitation, they couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.
“Ah, um…! What an incredible goal!”
Artian barely collected herself and forced a smile.
“Isn’t that too much of a dream-like statement?”
“There was a foolish guy who used to say such dream-like things a long time ago.”
Leo leaned his chin on his hand and chuckled.
“At some point, I too was moved by those foolish words. So I decided to inherit that dream instead.”
Kyle looked at Leo, who was speaking nonsense, with a bewildered expression.
Then he grinned.
“A great supporter is needed for someone aiming for such a magnificent feat, aren’t they?”
“I'll be counting on you, Kyle.”
***
“The class representative has an extraordinary ambition.”
One of the homeroom professors, watching the first-year students’ presentations, muttered.
“Don’t you think he answered too flippantly?”
“His homeroom professor is Professor Hallinde, isn’t it? Would he really joke around in a setting like this?”
“Still, isn’t that ambition too preposterous?”
Opinions diverged among the professors.
Sedgen then asked Hallinde, who was next to him.
“Does it look like a joke to you?”
“No. He’s not a student who would talk nonsense.”
Hallinde frowned.
“That’s why it’s a little scary.”
Thousands of years had passed since Erebus was vanquished by great heroes, divided into several pieces, and sealed.
There had been several resurrections over time.
However, even the resurrection of just one piece had plunged the world into immense disaster.
And a student who dreams of Erebus's complete annihilation.
‘Is he simply a fool? Or is his ambition truly that grand?’
It had been a month, but even Hallinde still couldn’t fully gauge Leo.
It was while Hallinde was intently watching the direction where Leo was sitting.
“Professors.”
Erena, the principal's secretary, approached the professors, holding a box.
“These are the pages from the Hero Records to be used as teaching materials this time.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Secretary Erena.”
Professor Sedgen took it and stood up.
The other homeroom professors also rose.
This joint class also involved the professors.
Specifically, it was to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.
In the past, pages retrieved from hero dungeons during class had caused rampages several times.
It wasn't a frequent occurrence, but it wasn’t unheard of either, so professors always attended when Hero Records were used as teaching materials to protect the students.
By the time the professors headed to the platform, the presentations from the remaining classes had also finished.
“Everyone. From now on, we will proceed with the Heroics class using the Hero Records pages recovered by the dungeon conquerors this time.”
Professor Artian said, taking the sealed box of Hero Records from Sedgen.
“Finally!”
“This is my first time touching a Hero Record!”
“I’m nervous!”
The students showed excited reactions.
“Today's class will involve reading a page from the Hero Records, inferring which hero's page it is by class, and devising a strategy for conquering the hero’s world.”
This class didn’t strictly need to use the Hero Records.
However, it was something they would encounter in real practice someday.
Therefore, to add weight to the class, students used Hero Records whose contents they did not know.
“Class representatives from each class, please come forward.”
“I’m jealous, Leo. To be able to touch a Hero Record directly!”
Nella laughed at Illiana’s words.
“You'll all be able to touch them after class anyway, so what's the big deal?”
“Still, being able to touch it early is a privilege!”
Illiana was envious of this privilege as a class representative.
Thus, ten class representatives ascended the platform.
“Oh ho. The Class 5 representative was Young Master Leo?”
Chen Xia, the representative of Class 10, greeted him warmly.
“I was decided in a hurry today.”
“In a hurry?”
Chen Xia tilted her head.
As the most prominent students among the first-years gathered in one place, a subtle atmosphere formed.
Artian opened the sealed box.
“Two Hero Records were recovered this time. Of course, only one page will be used as a teaching aid. The other one is a page fragment… I brought it to show you that such things exist too.”
Artian held up the page fragment.
And handed it to Leo, who was closest.
Leo reached out without thinking.
Instantly, the page fragment emitted a faint light.
And the moment the page touched Leo’s hand.
[Hero Record Open. World of ■■. Chapter: ■■-■■■]
A familiar message appeared before Leo's eyes.
Not just Artian and the class representatives.
But even the professors who were preparing for any contingency looked aghast.
Whoosh-!
Light rose from the platform floor.
The unknown language of the gods, incomprehensible to the inhabitants of the lower realm.
“Rampage?”
Along with Professor Sedgen’s bewildered voice, a bright light engulfed the platform.
Soon, when the light disappeared, Leo, along with the professors and class representatives from each class, found themselves standing in some space.
It was the middle of a battlefield.
Corpses of all sorts of grotesque magic beasts littered the ground.
“Everyone be on alert! It’s a hero dungeon!”
At Hallinde's shout, the representatives' faces turned pale.
“Hallinde! I see the city walls over there!”
Sedgen pointed to the city walls Leo was looking at.
Leo stared blankly at those city walls.
They were city walls familiar to Leo.
A place that no longer existed in the current era.
The final defensive line and the last city in the Age of Calamity.
The city walls of Gadslon.
The stench of burning monster, magic beast, and demon corpses stung his nostrils.
Leo could never forget this sight.
If it was that time… if his memory was not mistaken, he had certainly said this.
‘That’s right, Kyle. My fervent wish is too foolish.’
“That’s right, ■■. My fervent wish is too foolish.”
At the voice heard from behind, the professors and class representatives flinched and turned their heads.
And then, without realizing it, they gasped.
The being there was too famous.
Leo blankly turned his head towards the source of the voice.
The woman spoke with the same confident tone as back then.
“But ■■. We will save the world.”
The Black Dragon, now known as the King of Wisdom.
A great and noble hero who shot a beacon of hope into the despairing age when the world was heading towards destruction.
At this time, a close friend who was ridiculed as foolish.
Feeling his throat constrict, Leo called out that name.
“Lysinas.”
At the call, Lysinas smiled gently.
Whoosh-!
Simultaneously, the world crumbled.
In the blink of an eye, they were back in the grand auditorium.
“What…!”
“Pro-professors, what just happened?”
The students asked in trembling, bewildered voices.
Hallinde made a calm judgment.
“Class is suspended for now. Everyone, calm down and evacuate the auditorium.”
At his words, the associate professors escorted the students.
Leo stood blankly, looking down at the Hero Record page fragment in his hand.
He knew whose page this fragment was.
‘Kyle’s page. This is my record.’