Book 1 Chapter 429

429.

Runia looked around with her arms crossed.

'Abad of Rumern, Ruwen of Azonia, Digness of Demian, and Ameran.'

Runia was the class representative of Seirun.

And a candidate for student council president.

Despite her fierce and hot-tempered personality, she was undeniably Seirun's top honor student.

As such, she was well aware of the profiles of talented individuals from other hero academies, with whom she was fundamentally in competition.

'They are all famous mage students from their respective schools.'

It was no exaggeration to say that all of them were the top mages among the second-year students of the hero academies.

'Luca and Chloe Müller of Rumern are missing, but… they've probably been assigned elsewhere.'

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

"It seems like it starts as soon as we enter the training camp."

As Abad spoke with his characteristic gentle smile, Ruwen said.

"Yes. The fact that the five of us are gathered here probably means we're in the same team, right?"

Watching Ruwen fiddle with her voluminous fox tail, Digness spoke.

"It's probably to give us a fitting trial since we're all mages."

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

Ameran of Demian also chimed in.

"It seems we're all thinking alike."

Runia smiled faintly.

Like mages, they were all quick and accurate in their analysis of the situation.

"So, the destination is beyond this bush? I wonder what kind of trial awaits us… Huh?"

As Runia looked at the bush, she suddenly raised her head at the magical fluctuation she felt from above.

*Thump-!*

Swords, spears, and shields that had fallen from the cliff top were stuck in the ground.

"Weapons?"

"Why did these come to us?"

They approached with puzzled expressions and each grabbed a weapon of their liking.

It was when Runia picked up a spear with a sullen expression.

*Boom-! Boom-!*

The ground shook.

*Flash-!*

Red eyes gleamed in the darkness beyond the bush.

"It looks like the test has begun."

Ruwen said indifferently, raising a finger.

*Fwoosh-!*

A small fireball ignited at her fingertip.

A fiercely burning sphere of flame flew into the bush.

*Koww-! Fwoosh-!*

With a powerful explosion, flames raged and burned the surrounding area.

*Boom-! Thump!*

However, the unknown monster didn't budge.

Ruwen's eyes twitched at the sight.

*Thump! Thump-!*

A large brown object that came into view raised its hands and roared ferociously.

"Kyah-ho!"

"What is that?"

"Heh."

"…A bear?"

Runia wore an expression of disbelief, and Abad burst into laughter.

Digness wore a sullen expression.

"It's a very cute teddy bear."

Ameran exclaimed in admiration.

"I thought something amazing would come out, but I'm disappointed."

Ruwen snorted and created a magic circle on her palm.

Then, raising both hands, she unleashed her magic towards the teddy bear.

*Kwakakakakak-!*

A terrifying gust of wind swept through, blowing away everything in sight.

When the thick dust settled, Ruwen flinched.

The moment everyone else showed surprised expressions.

*Snap-!*

A chilling sound echoed from the bear's fingertips, and sharp claws sprang out.

"Ack?"

The moment Ruwen let out a dazed sound.

"Kyaaaaah!"

The bear, with a fierce expression, struck down with its hands.

*Kowang-!*

Ruwen desperately threw herself to the side to dodge the attack.

The bear's forepaws were embedded in the spot where she had been.

Dirt scattered everywhere as if the ground had burst, with chilling claw marks.

Everyone froze for a moment at the terrifying appearance, so different from its cute exterior.

"This bear! Why isn't my magic working?!"

"It seems to be a type of guardian that moves by magical engineering. Its magic resistance is high, so it won't be affected by ordinary magic."

In response to Ruwen's desperate cry, Abad stepped forward.

Runia stood by Abad's side and said.

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

*Fwoosh-!*

Flames ignited from Runia's body.

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

"You can look forward to it."

Runia smiled and unleashed her magic.

*Flash! Kwah-ah-ah-ah-!*

A pillar of flame erupted from beneath the teddy bear.

"It's still okay?"

Runia muttered with a slightly flustered expression.

Abad also completed his magic.

*Kwah-ah-ah-ah-!*

A giant vortex trapped Runia's flames and the teddy bear.

*Fwah-!*

However, the teddy bear seemed unaffected by such magic and tore through the flames and wind with its claws before charging.

"Run for it!"

"What on earth is that teddy bear?!"

The five mages fled in panic.

As Digness used earth magic, the ground rose, creating a massive wall.

*Kwawng-!*

The teddy bear effortlessly broke through the thick wall and accelerated, swinging its forepaws wildly.

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

*Splish- splash- splish-!*

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

"Kiyooo-!"

The teddy bear began to drool from its mouth, shaking its head erratically.

By now, it had transcended mere grotesqueness and was pure terror.

"That teddy bear! Its foot ripped when it got caught on a rock just now!"

"What?!"

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

At Abad's shout, Runia closely observed the teddy bear.

Indeed, where it had been caught on branches and rocks, stuffing was peeking out from the seemingly soft fabric.

Seeing this, Digness shouted to Ruwen, with whom he had a contract.

"This is a sign that we should defeat the teddy bear with this weapon! Ruwen! It's your turn!"

"Why is it my turn?!"

"You're a beastkin!"

"Get rid of the prejudice that all beastkin are strong fighters!"

Ruwen shouted hysterically.

"You, the strong dwarf, should fight it instead! Or Runia El Lundia, who can control spirit beasts! You should step up!"

"Not all dwarves are incredibly strong! I'm a craftsman of delicate magic!"

"I was going to do that from the start, but I can't summon spirit beasts!"

It was when they were shouting at each other.

"Keeeek!"

"Kyaaaaak!"

Seeing the teddy bear, which had somehow caught up to their backs and was roaring, the students screamed and increased their speed.

***

"Do you hear screams from somewhere?"

"I don't know, honestly."

Chelsea tilted her head at Chen Xia's words.

"It seems some coward is screaming from somewhere."

"Borman doesn't seem to have any fear."

"Of course! I am a warrior of Azonia, full of wild spirit, and a descendant of the hero Arion!"

Borman shouted, boasting about his bulging muscles.

Dryana, who had been watching him quietly, said.

"You."

"What? Dwarf girl with a strange way of speaking!"

"You have a magnificent physique."

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

"Of course. Perhaps you'd be willing to model for art?"

"What do I need to do?"

"Take it off."

"Alright! Behold! Dwarf girl! The trained and beautiful body of a beastkin!"

Borman, who loved showing off his strength and muscles, unhesitatingly took off his upper garment.

Borman struck a pose, showing off his robust muscles.

Chelsea, who had teamed up with him before, scowled.

"There he goes again."

"Chelsea! You shouldn't neglect physical training if you're a combat mage!"

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

"If you train your body consistently, maybe your short stature will grow too!"

Chelsea, feeling provoked, tried to hit Borman with her staff, but Chen Xia stopped her.

"Great, it's magnificent!"

Regardless, Dryana clapped her hands with a bright smile, making Borman swell with pride.

"Take off more."

"No, that's a bit…"

However, Borman, who had been confident, shrunk his shoulders at Dryana's words, which exceeded his imagination.

"Can't we stop joking around and try to get out of here quickly?"

A male student from Seirun adjusted his glasses and said.

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

Inside the vast, rectangular room, the only light sources were magic lamps.

"We can't find the entrance, can we? That's why we were doing something constructive."

Dryana's words caused the Seirun student to sigh deeply.

"I don't think a striptease is constructive work."

*Rumble-!*

At that moment, the floor flashed red and illuminated.

*Woong-!*

The students hastily moved away from the glowing red area.

"Hey! Borman! What are you doing! Move!"

Borman stood confidently in the red glowing area, which looked dangerous.

"Hmph! I don't know what's what, but avoiding things isn't my style! Let's just bump into it…"

*Fzzzzzt!*

"Ugh- ugh- ugh-?"

Borman shivered as if he had been electrocuted.

*Chiiik-!*

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

Borman staggered but barely maintained his balance.

"Hmph, a bit stinging."

Once again, the floor where Borman stood began to glow.

"Hey! Move now!"

"No! I will not yield to such a trap and will overcome it… Cough-!"

*Snap-!*

Chen Xia quickly approached Borman and kicked him in the side.

*Bang-!*

Borman flew away and hit the wall.

*Fzzzzzt!*

Fierce sparks flew from where Borman had been.

As the light disappeared, Chen Xia smiled faintly.

"I was trying to save you."

"You might die trying to save me twice."

Dryana, with her arms crossed, shook her head.

*Flash-!*

Red illuminated areas appeared simultaneously in various places on the floor.

"It seems like a training exercise to avoid the floor."

"Will the path open after we clear all the patterns?"

Chen Xia tilted her head at the Seirun student's mumbling.

Chelsea lowered her stance and muttered confidently.

"What, this will be easy."

"It won't continue to be easy."

As Dryana spoke, the floor patterns illuminated complicatedly.

***

"This is quite harsh from the start."

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

"We have prepared training that maximizes each person's strengths or compensates for 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 Arion, were still physically lacking. So, to push them beyond their limits, I restricted their aura and added gravity magic to their bodies."

Melina pointed to the students climbing the cliff, then to the students being chased by the stuffed animals.

"For mages like Luna, I wanted to foster their crisis response abilities."

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

Luna was not useless even against opponents against whom magic didn't work or in situations where using magic was difficult.

'Whether a sword, a bow, or even a club to strike down enemies.'

Luna, who had been through many trials, was formidable in close combat despite being a mage.

In fact, in crisis situations, she had the ability to escape by herself without Leo or Dwenno protecting her.

"But why stuffed animals?"

Leo asked about the peculiar appearance of the guardians, such as bears, rabbits, dogs, and cats.

Melina smiled brightly.

"They're cute."

The stuffed animals that chased the students, drooling and letting out grotesque screams, were far from cute.

'She has a peculiar sensibility sometimes.'

Leo shook his head.

"For students who need to protect someone, like Dwenno, persistence is the most important, right? Moreover, mental strength to endure pain is also necessary."

"So, you prepared electric torture?"

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

If you make one mistake on the floor pattern, you go back to the beginning.

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

'It certainly develops response ability and concentration.'

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

Leo clicked his tongue.

"They're all having a hard time. Not being able to play during their vacation."

'It was you, Leo, who pushed the children into the abyss of hell.'

Melina did not commit the foolish act of speaking her thoughts aloud.

She didn't want to suffer along by mentioning it unnecessarily.

'It doesn't seem right to be rolling around with kids at this age.'

Melina patted her shoulder and sighed deeply.

***

*Crack- crack- crack-*

The firewood was burning.

A dwarf extinguished the firewood with his foot and tidied up the camp.

An elf mage yawned with a groan and got up.

A dragon was already awake, gazing at the black flame burning over the mountain.

A beastkin warrior sat, drawing his sword, staring intently at his reflection in the blade.

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

"Arion."

"…"

"Arion?"

"Huh? Did you call?"

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

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Tell me if you're scared."

"I'm fine."

Arion shook his head with a smile.

Luna, who was stretching, widened her eyes at the sight of Arion.

"What a surprise! The battle is imminent, and Arion isn't trembling! Isn't this the first time something like this has happened?"

Luna, in a fuss, snatched the bread Kyle was about to eat.

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

"You damn elf."

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

"The fools are energetic from the morning."

Dwenno clicked his tongue and looked at Arion.

"You seem to have prepared yourself mentally."

"Yeah, I can't keep trembling forever."

Arion replied energetically.

Lisinas, who had been watching Arion intently, asked.

"Arion."

"Yeah?"

"Are you really okay?"

"Of course."

Arion gripped the sword named Courage anew.

"Don't worry."

*Screeeech-!*

The sword shone sharply.

"I will definitely protect you all…"