Book 1 Chapter 349
349
Anre and Eclair flinched, their shoulders trembling, as they watched the bodies of monsters begin to rise.
The phenomenon of corpses rising and moving.
They had studied countless times in class what this was.
The dark magic of the necromancers under the command of the Lich King, commander of Tartaros' legions.
A product of necromancy, considered the most vicious magic among Tartaros' wicked spells.
‘Undead…!’
First-year students, taking their test, made surprised expressions at the appearance of the undead.
The sudden appearance of undead in a test against monsters was bound to be perplexing.
Especially the first-year students had combat experience against monsters, but absolutely none against the undead.
But soon, like hero candidates, the first-year students quickly reacted.
“Hmph, just some low-level undead.”
A female student from the advanced class stepped forward and snorted.
She glanced, glared at the lower-class students, and gritted her teeth.
‘You think I’d lose to mere lower-class students?!’
Advanced class.
Among them, the formidable pride of Class 1.
But that pride was brutally shattered.
In this test, the advanced class was boasting an overwhelming score.
However, that was entirely due to Rea's power.
No one in the advanced class had shown a more impressive performance than any student in the lower class.
Besides the female student, other students also reinforced their fighting spirit.
Their pressure, in particular, was immense.
This was because they felt the cold, doubtful gazes of their seniors, whom they admired and held in high regard.
‘I’ll prove it! Why I’m in Advanced Class 1!’
Whoosh-!
Magic was activated.
Bang-!
A powerful explosion and shockwave swept through.
Undead flesh scattered everywhere.
Seeing this, the advanced class cheered loudly.
“Such low-level undead! They’re not even a slight threat!”
“That’s right!”
The advanced class students shouted triumphantly.
Rea narrowed her eyes, watching them.
“Conserve your mana. When fighting undead, you need to consider a long-term battle.”
“Rea. This is just a test, not a real battle. Besides, this is the middle of Seirun.”
A male student grinned.
“There’s no way undead can resurrect infinitely without dark magic being supplied….”
Twitch-twitch-
The scattered pieces of flesh twitched and began to gather.
Seeing the monsters return to their original form in an instant, the advanced class students showed slightly bewildered expressions.
“Undead are persistent, after all.”
But soon they used magic with a look of disdain.
They poured magic upon the undead that resurrected again and again.
However, after repeating it several times, the advanced class students also started to get tired.
“Why! Why is there no end!”
“We’re, we’re going to be overwhelmed at this rate!”
Bewilderment colored the faces of the advanced class students.
“We have no choice but to call for help. This is an unexpected situation!”
A male student said urgently.
He was right.
This was an unscheduled, unexpected situation.
But the first-year students had no worries.
This was the middle of Seirun.
They thought there was no way the students would be left in danger.
“Kikikikikik!”
The undead charged at the first-year students, making an unpleasant sound.
Even monsters have a fear of death.
But the dead have no fear of death.
That was one of the most terrifying aspects of the undead.
Thwack-!
“Aargh?!”
A crude goblin's knife pierced the shoulder of one advanced class student.
Clutching his shoulder, he fell to the ground and writhed.
“My, my arm!”
A scream of pain burst out.
The pain was doubled by the undead's characteristic corpse poison.
“Wh-what?”
“Teachers! There’s an injured student here!”
The advanced class students cried out urgently.
But Seirun’s teachers showed no sign of intervening.
It wasn't just the teachers.
Other senior students also watched the first-year students with cold eyes.
The immortal legion, endlessly resurrecting, surged forward without end.
“Sa-save me!”
“Get me out of here!”
Students panicked and began screaming in the sudden real battle that erupted.
***
“Sh-shouldn’t we help them?”
“Teachers! Seniors! Something terrible is going to happen at this rate!”
Urgent shouts erupted from among the first-year students watching from outside the test area.
But no one reacted.
“Worthless brats! If you can’t even properly handle one undead and it’s a crisis, can you even call yourselves Seirun students?!”
Gerras shouted, veins popping in his neck.
“Don’t disgrace Seirun’s pride!”
At Gerras's shout, the first-year students' faces contorted.
The lower-class students looked at Laura with bewildered eyes.
“Teacher Laura! We need to save the children quickly….”
“Everyone. This is a test you are taking as Seirun students.”
The lower-class students flinched at Laura's stern voice.
“It’s true that you are still inexperienced first-years. But before that… you are hero candidates.”
Laura emphasized.
“You are people who must bravely confront trials and win the qualifications of a hero.”
The lower-class students clenched their fists at Laura's resolute words.
“You don’t have to worry too much.”
Leo said, looking at the test area.
“If it was truly a level they couldn’t handle, either the teachers or the seniors would have intervened long ago.”
Leo said, watching the lower-class students confronting the undead.
‘I can feel the Lich King’s mana, but the Lich King isn’t the one pulling strings.’
Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘The magic is too crude.’
He knew more about the Lich King’s magic than anyone.
It was truly sickening.
‘It’s merely borrowed dark magic from the Lich King.’
The expression vanished from Leo’s face.
‘Then why was the magic suddenly activated?’
The monsters Seirun had procured for the test were monsters found in the wild.
They must have been monsters caught in the elves’ territory.
‘If they had played tricks on the monsters beforehand, Seirun would not have been unaware.’
Nor could demons have invaded Seirun.
The barrier of the Hero Academy was powerful.
Moreover, Seirun had extensively checked its barriers and strengthened its defenses after the monster queen’s attack last year.
No matter how formidable a demon, it would be difficult to invade so easily.
Yet, the dark magic utilizing the Lich King’s mana was activated.
‘There’s someone inside Seirun making a deal with the Lich King.’
A fierce light flashed in Leo’s eyes.
Killing intent flickered in his gaze.
During the Age of Calamity.
He had buried countless traitors in the darkness.
A rage far greater than anything in the past surged within him.
At that time, Erebus was in an era when the world was heading for destruction.
To live was the instinct of the living.
It was a time when the emergence of traitors was inevitable.
But now was different.
It was an age of peace, and there was no reason to betray.
‘Even so! Those who follow Luna!’
He wanted to find the traitor and tear them to shreds immediately.
‘But unless they’re a fool, they wouldn’t have left any traces.’
Leo quickly thought.
‘What’s important now is why this suddenly happened.’
To suddenly use undead in a test.
Although the undead legion before them consisted of low-level undead, they were the dead resurrected through the Lich King’s mana.
It wasn't impossible for the first-year students to solve, but they were not easy opponents.
If Leo stepped forward, it would be cleared in an instant.
But Leo watched.
‘If you truly wish to follow Luna… if you say you will inherit Seirun’s will.’
Leo wore a cold expression.
‘Prove now that you are the sprouts of a hero, not hothouse flowers.’
***
The undead legion surged forward like a raging wave.
It wasn’t just the advanced class that was overwhelmed by its momentum.
“I can’t hold out anymore!”
A male student from Anre’s group shouted urgently.
At his cry, Anre, who had been casting magic, took a deep breath.
“Let’s use it.”
“Use what?”
“Aura.”
At Anre’s words, the male student made an urgent expression.
“Hey! If you use other powers besides magic during the test, you’ll fail!”
Anre replied to that.
“So, are we just going to keep using magic like this? That’s not our real strength, is it?”
Anre stretched out his hand.
A silver spear appeared from subspace.
“Our family has been lancers for generations, and I’ve always been proud of that fact.”
Anre smiled and said.
“I came to Seirun to become a hero, not a wizard.”
“Anre.”
“This is me. Me as a hero candidate.”
Gohooooo-!
Aura surged around Anre’s body.
“If what I’m proud of and the path I take aren’t recognized.”
Whoosh-! Thump-
Anre re-gripped his spear and lowered his stance.
“I don’t think there’s any need for me to be in Seirun.”
Seeing Anre reveal his firm will, the lower-class vanguard students looked at each other, then burst into laughter and drew their weapons.
Aura imbued their weapons.
“You’re right!”
“It’s frustrating only using magic! I’m a knight!”
The eyes of the lower-class students, who looked relieved, shone sharply.
The shrinking, watchful appearance they usually had was gone.
Kwagagagagak-!
As Anre swung his spear, a cold wind swept through.
Anre, enveloped in a blizzard, charged into the undead without hesitation.
Kwagagagak-!
The released aura sent the undead flying.
Seeing this, the advanced class shouted.
“He used aura!”
“That’s cheating! He’ll fail the test!”
Rea said coldly, looking at the advanced class students who were cheering.
“Are you saying such things right now?”
At her words, the advanced class students flinched.
Rea, looking at her classmates with a look of disdain, gazed at the center of the undead legion.
Crunch! Crunch! Crackle!
Chunks of decaying flesh began to clump together.
Along with that, a gigantic mass of corpses, emitting a terrible stench and evil aura, rose to its feet.
“Corpse Golem?”
The faces of the advanced class students turned pale at the appearance of a high-tier undead.
“H-help us!”
“There’s no way we can defeat such an undead with our strength now!”
The advanced class students cried out urgently.
‘It would be too much to ask them to be the vanguard.’
Rea sighed and moved her body.
The panicked advanced class students didn’t even realize that Rea was stepping into the front lines.
“Stella Via.”
A path shining like starlight appeared before Rea.
Undead swept away by that starlight melted.
It was a magic used by Seirun, the Mage of Comets, in the distant past when he broke through tens of thousands of undead legions.
While everyone's eyes widened.
Rea, reaching Anre with elegant steps, said.
“I need a reliable vanguard. Will you help?”
Smiling, Rea extended her hand.
The lower-class students looked at Rea with wary expressions.
Before them was the pinnacle of the advanced class, Rea Tingel, whom they so disliked.
But Anre, after looking at Rea’s hand several times, smiled and took it.
“Yes.”
“Eclair, assist Anre.”
“Oh, okay! Got it.”
Rea closed her eyes and began to chant a spell.
Seeing her, Anre said.
“A big spell is coming! Protect Rea Tingel!”
Simultaneously with Anre’s shout, the lower-class students guarded Rea.
Eclair looked surprised at their perfectly coordinated movements.
Although they hadn't received proper training, their efforts to somehow improve their skills by training together day by day were not in vain.
The bond they had built by not giving up on their efforts was now exerting great power.
They linked up with just eye contact, blocking the offensive of the undead legion.
Anre blocked the advance of the corpse golem with an aura slash.
The hideous greatsword of the corpse, thickly covered in flesh, cleaved through the air.
Boom-! Kwagagagagak-!
“Ugh?!”
Anre gritted his teeth, blocking the greatsword imbued with dark magic.
“Who…! Do you think will lose! Haaap!”
With a yell, he released his aura.
The swirling blizzard sent the corpse’s greatsword flying.
At that moment, Rea opened her eyes.
“Lux Strike.”
As she released the magic, a powerful flash of light burst from Rea’s staff.
Kwagagagak-!
Rea, who had obliterated the corpse golem without a trace, sighed.
Anre, having poured out all his strength, also slumped to the ground.
The undead no longer resurrected.
It was then that the first-year students felt relieved.
Boom-!
Growoooooowl!
A giant skeleton pierced through the summoning circle and appeared.
Its enormous size was incomparable to the corpse golem.
Overwhelming pressure and dense evil aura.
Above all, the intense dark magic that seemed to steal the life of living beings by its mere presence.
The faces of the first-year students turned pale at the sudden appearance of a supreme undead.
“Skeleton… King?!”
Anre gasped in shock.
Growoooooowl-! Boom-!
The Skeleton King’s sword plunged down towards Anre.
Anre involuntarily squeezed his eyes shut.
Kagagagagak! Gagagagak-
And at the sound of grinding metal, he cautiously opened his eyes.
Anre’s eyes widened as he met the gaze of a boy enveloped in flames.
“L-Leo…?”
Leo smiled.
“Excellent.”
Kwagagagak-!
Crimson flames swirled around Leo’s body.
Leo, who had blocked the Skeleton King’s attack with one hand, put a hand to his neck, seeing the audience making surprised expressions as they looked at him.
“Well, I suppose everyone who should know has figured it out by now… so there’s no need to pretend to be a Seirun student anymore.”
Thump-!
Whoosh-!
His pointed ears returned to rounded ears.
Anre’s mouth dropped open.
“H-human?”
Leo, who gave a smile to the surprised Anre, tightened his grip.
Kuang-!
The Skeleton King’s arm shot towards the sky as if rising.
“I intended to watch until the end… but this undead is too strong for you to handle right now. So I stepped in myself.”
Leo swung his sword towards the Skeleton King, whose crimson eyes glowed.
Kwagagagagagagak-!
The intense flames of Zerdinger soared high into the sky.
Crack-!
The Skeleton King’s body was severed by Leo’s sword strike.
Thwack-!
But it quickly recovered and resumed its stance.
Seeing this, Leo narrowed his eyes, kicked off the ground, and leaped powerfully.
Whoosh-!
Leo, who reached the Skeleton King’s face, said.
“That’s enough spying, isn’t it?”
[Hoo?]
Beyond the Skeleton King’s eye glow.
The hateful ruler of the dead gasped in amusement.
“Radius.”
A bright light erupted from Leo’s hand.
Flash-!
Starlight swirled.
The flash of starlight that burst forth pierced through the Skeleton King.
Rumble-! Boom-!
The massive body of the Skeleton King collapsed.
Thump-!
Leo, landing lightly on the ground, approached the Skeleton King’s eyeball rolling on the floor.
[Leo Flobe, what exactly is your identity?]
From beyond the eye.
The Lich King Hel Kaiser asked with interest.
“Me?”
Leo curled the corner of his mouth and lifted his leg.
Thwack-! Thud-!
And after stomping on and bursting the Skeleton King’s eye, he answered coldly.
“The one who will destroy you.”