Book 1 Chapter 429

429.

Lunia looked around with her arms crossed.

‘Avard of Lumerne, Rwen of Azonia, Digness and Ameran of Demian.’

Lunia is the class representative of Seirun.

And a candidate for student council president.

She has a fierce and hot-blooded personality, but the fact that she is Seirun's top honor student remains unchanged.

As such, she was well aware of the personal details of the talented individuals from other hero academies, who were basically her rivals.

‘They are all famous mage students from each school.’

It is no exaggeration to say that all of them are the best mages among the second-year students at the Hero Academy.

‘Luca and Chloe Müller of Lumerne are missing, but… they were probably assigned somewhere else.’

She hadn't realized it when she fell down the cliff, but when she came to her senses, they were scattered.

"It seems like it started as soon as we entered the training camp."

When Avard said, smiling gently with his unique smile, Rwen replied,

"Yes, it does. The five of us gathered like this probably means we're in the same group, right?"

Digness opened his mouth, watching Rwen fondle his luscious fox tail.

"The fact that only mages are gathered must be to give us a challenge befitting that."

"Yes, definitely. I just checked, and it seems we can't go back up the cliff. There's a barrier."

Ameran of Demian also chimed in.

"Everyone seems to think alike."

Lunia smiled faintly.

As befitting mages, everyone's situation analysis was quick and accurate.

"Alright, then the destination is beyond this bush, is that it? I wonder what kind of trial awaits… Huh?"

Lunia, who was looking at the bush, suddenly lifted her head at the wave of magic power she felt from above.

Thump-!

Swords, spears, and shields dropped from the top of the cliff and stuck into the ground.

"Weapons?"

"Why did these come to us?"

They approached with puzzled faces and each grabbed the weapon they liked.

It was when Lunia picked up a spear, making a reluctant expression.

Boom-! Boom-!

The ground shook.

Flash-!

Red eyes gleamed in the darkness beyond the bush.

"It seems the test has begun."

Rwen raised her index finger with a nonchalant expression.

Whoosh-

A small fireball ignited at her fingertip.

The fiercely burning sphere of flame flew into the bush.

KWAANG! Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!

With a powerful explosion, flames surged, burning the surrounding area.

Boom-! Thud!

But the unknown monster didn't budge.

Rwen's eyes twitched at the sight.

Thud! Thud-!

A large brown object that entered their sight raised both hands and roared fiercely.

"Kya-ho!"

"What is that?"

"Hehe."

"…A bear?"

Lunia made a dumbfounded expression, and Avard burst out laughing.

Digness wore a reluctant expression.

"It's a very cute teddy bear."

Ameran exclaimed in admiration.

"I thought something amazing would come out, but this is disappointing."

Rwen scoffed and created a magic circle on her palm.

Then, she unleashed magic towards the teddy bear that had its hands raised.

KWAGAGAGAGANG-!

A terrifying gale swept through, blowing away everything in front of them.

As the thick dust settled, Rwen flinched.

At the moment the others also looked surprised.

Clack-!

An eerie sound echoed from the teddy bear's fingertips, and sharp claws popped out.

"Eh?"

The moment Rwen uttered a blank sound.

"Kyaaaah!"

The teddy bear, with a fierce expression, brought its hand down.

KWAANG-!

Rwen quickly threw her body to dodge the attack.

The teddy bear's front paw was stuck where she had been standing.

With eerie claw marks, the ground seemed to burst, scattering dirt everywhere.

Everyone froze for a moment at the gruesome sight, so different from its cute appearance.

"This bear! Why isn't magic working on it?!"

"It seems like a type of guardian moved by magical engineering. Its magic resistance is high, so it won't budge with ordinary magic."

At Rwen's urgent cry, Avard stepped forward.

Lunia stood beside Avard and said,

"Then that means we just need to burn it with powerful firepower from the start, right?"

Whoosh-

Flames ignited from Lunia's body.

"Shall we see the skills of Seirun's class representative?"

"You can look forward to it."

Lunia smiled faintly and unleashed her magic.

Flash! KWAHAAAAAAANG-!

A pillar of flame shot up from under the teddy bear's feet.

"It's fine?"

Lunia muttered with a slightly bewildered expression.

Avard also completed his magic.

KWAHAAAAAAANG-!

A giant whirlwind trapped Lunia's flames and the teddy bear.

Swoosh-!

But as if unaffected by such magic, the teddy bear tore through the flames and wind with its claws and charged.

"Run for now!"

"What in the world is that teddy bear?!"

The five mages screamed and fled in terror.

When Digness used earth magic, the ground surged up, creating a giant wall.

KWAANG-!

The teddy bear, which effortlessly broke through the thick wall, wildly swung its front paws and accelerated.

This time, Ameran used water magic to create a huge swamp on the ground.

Splash- Splash- Splash-!

But the teddy bear ran across it as if it were flat ground, chasing the five people.

"Kiyooooh!"

The teddy bear twisted its head wildly and started drooling.

At this point, it was pure terror that transcended grotesqueness.

"That teddy bear! It just tripped on a rock and its leg tore!"

"What?!"

"It seems pure physical force works, not magic!"

At Avard's shout, Lunia observed the teddy bear closely.

Indeed, cotton wadding was sticking out from the soft-looking cloth, as if it had torn after getting caught on a branch and a rock.

Seeing that, Digness shouted to Rwen, who had an exclusive contract with him.

"This means we have to defeat the teddy bear with these weapons! Rwen! It's your turn!"

"Why is it my turn?!"

"You're a beastkin!"

"Get rid of the prejudice that all beastkin are strong in martial arts!"

Rwen yelled hysterically.

"Rather, you, the strong dwarf, should deal with it! Or Lunia El Rundah, who can handle phantom beasts! You should step forward!"

"Not all dwarves are insanely strong! I'm a delicate mage artisan!"

"I've been trying to do that for a while, but I can't summon phantom beasts!"

It was when they were shouting at each other.

"KEEEEEK!"

"Kyaaaaaah!"

The students, seeing the teddy bear roaring right behind them, shrieked and increased their speed even further.

***

"Don't you hear screaming from somewhere?"

"Well, I don't know."

Chen Shia tilted her head at Chelsea's words.

"It seems some coward is screaming somewhere."

"Bormann-kun seems fearless."

"Of course! This body is an Azonian warrior full of savagery and a descendant of the hero Arion!"

Bormann shouted, boasting of his bulging muscles.

Driana, who was quietly watching him, said,

"You."

"What? Strange-speaking dwarf girl!"

"You have an excellent physique."

"Oh? Do you understand the beauty of my muscles?"

"Of course. Would you be willing to be a model for art?"

"What do I need to do?"

"Undress."

"Good! Behold! Dwarf girl! The trained, beautiful physique of a beastkin!"

Bormann, who loved showing off his strength and muscles, casually took off his top without hesitation.

Bormann posed, showing off his magnificent muscles.

Chelsea, who had been in a party with him before, frowned.

"He's doing it again."

"Chelsea! If you're a battle mage, don't neglect your physical training!"

"I have no intention of becoming a muscle-bound lump like you."

"If you consistently train your body, not only your muscles but also your short height might grow!"

When a frustrated Chelsea was about to hit Bormann with her staff, Chen Shia stopped her.

"Good, splendid!"

Regardless, Driana smiled brightly and clapped, making Bormann preen.

"Undress the rest."

"No, that's a bit much."

But even the confident Bormann's shoulders slumped at Driana's words, which transcended imagination.

"Shouldn't we stop fooling around and get out of here quickly?"

A male student from Seirun said, adjusting his glasses.

The place they had fallen into was none other than an underground stone chamber.

Inside the vast rectangular room, the only light source was magical lamps.

"We can't find an exit, can we? So we were just doing something constructive."

The Seirun student sighed deeply at Driana's words.

"I don't think a strip show is constructive."

Rumble-

Just then, the floor flashed red and glowed.

Whirrr-!

The students hastily moved away from the red-lit area.

"Hey! Bormann! What are you doing! Get out of the way!"

Bormann stood confidently in the red-glowing area, which looked dangerous at a glance.

"Hmph! I don't know what it is, but avoiding it isn't my style! I'll just try to deal with it…"

Crackle-crackle-crackle!

"Ugh-ugh-ugh-ugh?"

Bormann trembled as if he had been electrocuted.

Hiss-!

As the floor returned to normal, the smell of burning flesh spread.

Bormann staggered, barely regaining his balance.

"Hmph, a bit stinging."

Once again, the floor where Bormann was standing began to glow.

"Hey! Get out of the way now!"

"No! I won't give in to a mere trap like this and I'll show you I can win… Cough-!"

Thwack-!

Chen Shia quickly approached Bormann and kicked him in the side.

Bang-!

Bormann flew and hit the wall.

Crackle-crackle-crackle!

Fierce sparks flew in the spot where Bormann had been.

As the light disappeared, Chen Shia smiled faintly.

"I was trying to save you."

"You might die saving him twice."

Driana, with her arms crossed, shook her head.

Flash-!

Red-lit areas simultaneously appeared all over the floor.

"It seems like this is training to avoid this floor."

"Will a path open if we clear all the patterns, like a trap?"

Chen Shia tilted her head at the Seirun student's mumble.

Chelsea lowered her stance and muttered confidently,

"What, this will be easy."

"It won't stay easy."

Along with Driana's words, the floor patterns glowed more complexly.

***

"It's quite harsh from the start."

Leo muttered, looking at the screen floating with magic, and Melina smiled faintly.

"I prepared training that maximizes each person's strengths or complements their weaknesses."

It was Melina who planned the training for the first day of admission.

"I thought candidates with the ability to annihilate enemies on the front lines, like Lord Arion, were still physically lacking. So, I restricted their aura and added gravity magic to their bodies to help them train to overcome their limits."

Melina pointed at the students climbing the cliff, then pointed at the students being chased by cotton dolls.

"I wanted mages like Lady Luna to develop their ability to respond in crisis situations."

"Certainly, Luna was active even in situations where she couldn't use magic."

Luna did not become useless even against opponents immune to magic or in situations where magic was difficult to use.

‘Whether her sword became a bow… she even bludgeoned enemies with a club.’

Having gone through all sorts of hardships, Luna was formidable in close combat despite being a mage.

In fact, in crisis situations, she had the ability to escape on her own, even without Leo and Dwayno protecting her.

"But why cotton dolls?"

Bears, rabbits, puppies, cats, etc.

When asked about the unusual appearance for guardians, Melina smiled brightly.

"They're cute, aren't they?"

The cotton dolls, drooling and emitting grotesque screams while chasing the students, were far from cute.

‘She sometimes has a truly unique sensibility.’

Leo shook his head.

"Students who need to protect someone, like Lord Dwayno, need persistence the most, don't they? Furthermore, they also need the mental strength to endure pain."

"So, what you prepared was electric torture?"

"It's not electric torture. It's repetitive training to help them endure for a long time."

If they make one mistake in the floor pattern, they go back to the beginning.

And the patterns become more complex, and the electric shock upon failure also gets stronger.

‘Certainly, their response ability and concentration can be improved.’

The saddest thing for the students was that today was just the beginning compared to the training that lay ahead.

Leo clicked his tongue.

"Everyone's having a hard time. It's vacation, but they can't even play."

‘It was you, Lord Leo, who pushed the children into the abyss of hell.’

Melina did not make the foolish mistake of speaking her true thoughts aloud.

She didn't want to suffer together if she spoke up unnecessarily.

‘Rolling around with kids at this age isn't right either, somehow.’

Melina patted her shoulder and let out a deep sigh.

***

Crack- Crack- Crack-

The firewood was burning.

The dwarf put out the firewood with his foot and tidied up the camp.

The elf sorcerer groaned, stretched, and got up from his seat.

The dragon was already awake, gazing at the black flames burning beyond the mountain.

The beastkin warrior sat down, drawing his sword, and stared intently at his face reflected in the blade.

A human, sitting on a nearby rock and chewing on jerky, spoke.

"Arion."

"…"

"Arion?"

"Uh, yeah? Did you call me?"

Arion, regaining his senses, looked at Kyle who had called him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Tell me if you're scared."

"I'm fine."

Arion smiled and shook his head.

Luna, who was stretching, opened her eyes wide as she watched Arion.

"How unusual! The battle is right around the corner, and Arion isn't trembling! Isn't this the first time this has happened?"

Luna fussed and snatched the bread Kyle was about to eat.

When Kyle frowned and tried to take it back, Luna stuffed the bread into her mouth, gobbling it down.

"You damn elf."

As Kyle pressed Luna's cheeks with both hands, Luna choked Kyle.

"Idiots are full of energy first thing in the morning."

Dwayno clicked his tongue and looked at Arion.

"You seem to have braced yourself."

"Yeah, I can't tremble forever."

Arion answered vigorously.

Lisinas, watching Arion intently, asked,

"Arion."

"Yes?"

"Are you really okay?"

"Of course."

Arion re-gripped the sword named Courage.

"Don't worry."

Shing-!

The sword gleamed sharply.

"I will… definitely protect you all."