Book 1 Chapter 46
“No one is here. It’s just the two of us.”
“Let's put the situation together. Originally, we should have received a quest alarm as part of a rescue team with other squad members. But….”
Chloe looked at the Hero’s World alarm, visible only to her.
[Capture Target: -]
The blank space for the capture target.
It was the same for Leo.
“So, it’s an anomalous situation.”
“Exactly.”
Hearing Chloe’s explanation of the situation, Leo brought his index finger to his right temple without hesitation.
The Hero’s World, composed of Hero Records, allowed contact with the outside world at any time.
“Contacting the outside? Then we’ll get penalized.”
“This isn’t the time to worry about that.”
As he concentrated, a blue light flowed from his index finger.
“This is Leo Flove. I don’t see the other squad members; what should I do?”
Despite the question, there was no answer.
“…No one is answering?”
“What? That can’t be!”
A surprised Chloe also frantically tried to contact the outside but failed.
“It’s impossible… This isn’t even a Hero Dungeon…!”
Leo asked the flustered Chloe.
“Chloe. Didn’t you feel anything strange when we entered?”
“Strange? What do you mean?”
“Like the entry message being odd.”
“No, it was the same as what we learned.”
Chloe shook her head as she replied, then put a hand to her head.
“Haa! What on earth is going on?”
“We can’t just stay like this.”
Chloe, who had been stamping her feet, flinched.
“You’re not suggesting we try to clear the Hero’s World now, are you?”
“I am.”
“It’s impossible. The Hero’s World is difficult to clear even with a team of ten! We won’t be able to meet the clear conditions!”
“You know very well that staying still like this is more dangerous, don’t you?”
Tartaros’s reason for causing the Chedmotherus incident 30 years ago was to eliminate future threats.
This entire forest is a trap set by Tartaros.
There was no telling when or where danger would strike.
“Then we absolutely shouldn’t try to clear it! The test will be suspended soon anyway.”
“If they could suspend it, they would have done so already. It’s a situation where it wouldn’t be strange to deactivate the Hero’s World, yet we are still in it. It's clear that the outside world can't control the Hero’s World.”
“Surely….”
“Yes. I can only conclude that this world has become a Hero Dungeon.”
Hero Dungeon.
The rampage of a Hero Record page.
“I’ve never heard of a case where a Hero’s page in a Hero Record turned into a Hero Dungeon, rather than a lost page.”
“But other than a Hero Dungeon, how else can you explain this situation?”
Chloe’s face hardened.
“You know there’s only one way to deactivate a Hero Dungeon, right?”
That method was to clear it.
Leo’s hypothesis was very plausible.
Even so, Chloe hesitated.
No matter how much of an honor student she was, Chloe was still a 15-year-old girl.
She lacked the experience to judge and act calmly.
“You and I are the best among the first-year students, aren't we? If we plan our strategy well, we can definitely clear it.”
Seeing Leo speak with a smile, Chloe clenched her fists.
‘I thought I had caught up.’
She thought she had caught up to Leo through this midterm exam.
But when she came to her senses, Leo was once again far ahead.
‘Besides, Leo said he even planned a strategy. I was in a panic and couldn’t think of anything….’
Chloe bit her lip and asked.
‘What is this difference….’
“What’s the strategy?”
“It’s true that we are currently short on power, and we can’t achieve the clear conditions either.”
There were two clear conditions for the Chedmotherus incident.
[Rescue the first-year students in danger] and [Ensure the safety of the first-year students]
That was why Chloe said clearing it was impossible.
Even if the condition [Rescue the first-year students in danger] could somehow be met, [Ensure the safety of the first-year students] was a condition that could not be solved by just the two of them.
“So, first, we need to reinforce our party’s strength.”
“Reinforce strength? If it’s a Hero Dungeon, external access is impossible. How are you going to reinforce our strength?”
“We’re not the only Lumen students in this forest right now, are we?”
Hearing Leo’s words, Chloe realized something.
“You mean we should join forces with the seniors from 30 years ago?”
“Yes. If we escape the forest, the safety assurance condition can be met.”
“That’s true. But there are demons ambushing everywhere in this forest. It’s hard for the two of us to handle; can we really join up with the seniors while fighting?”
Chloe was right.
For Leo’s strategy to succeed, the condition of breaking through Tartaros’s encirclement was attached.
“Combat certainly carries a big risk. Especially against demons. So, we’ll avoid fighting as much as possible.”
“Can you do it?”
“I can. Just trust me. So.”
Leo smiled and showed Chloe his back, kneeling down.
“Huh?”
“Get on my back.”
“What?! W-what are you suddenly talking about?!”
“You’re a mage, so your mobility is low, aren’t you? It’ll be much faster if I carry you and run. Besides, mages need to conserve as much stamina as possible in situations like this.”
Magic was a game-changing card that could turn the tide of battle.
“Even so, carrying me? Then your back will touch… touch!”
“I don’t know what you’re saying, but there’s no time to waste. Quickly.”
“……”
Chloe, her face bright red, hesitated before reluctantly getting on Leo’s back.
“Don’t grab my shoulders, wrap your arms around my neck. Otherwise, you’ll fall.”
Chloe wrapped her arms around Leo’s neck.
“Then, let’s go.”
CRUNCH-!
Taking an Aura Step, Leo leaped with incredible speed.
Clinging tightly to Leo from behind, Chloe thought.
‘This means I’m just relying on Leo, after all.’
Her heart sank, feeling like she was no help to Leo, whom she considered her rival.
WHOOSH-!
Meanwhile, Leo concentrated.
Even utilizing mobility, breaking through Tartaros’s encirclement with almost no combat would originally have been difficult.
But Leo had one means that made it possible.
Aura began to burn within Leo’s body.
Veins bulged on his temples and all over his body.
All the fine hairs on his body stood on end, and his senses sharpened several times more than usual.
THUMP-! THUMP-!
The sound of his heart beating was several times louder.
‘Super Senses.’
A technique of the Great Hero Arion that finely manipulates aura to push all sensory organs to their limits.
Of course, compared to the original, it was incomparably crude.
‘Arion’s Super Senses didn't just sharpen his senses; they were capable of predicting the future.’
But it was a sufficient technique to overcome this current situation.
CRUNCH-!
Stepping on a branch, Leo began to sprint through the forest at an incredible speed.
***
The giant, with a body nearly 3 meters tall, stood stiffly in the middle of the forest.
He was Chyubarn, a demon dispatched from Tartaros to deal with the heroic sprouts.
He was staring at several screens floating in the air.
The Tartaros surveillance network spread throughout the forest showed the Lumen first-year students.
While searching for targets, one screen caught his attention.
“Has the rescue team already arrived?”
Chyubarn soon lost interest in the two.
He had been told to eliminate anyone who interfered, but not to actively seek them out.
There was only one goal.
‘To eliminate the hero candidates who could become future threats.’
As he was about to move to carry out his orders, Leo, who had encountered a monster, was just entering combat.
Leo and Chloe were merely distractions.
Originally, the target would not have changed.
But Chyubarn’s gaze was fixed on Leo and Chloe.
More precisely, it was fixed on Leo, who summoned aura, magic, and spirits.
In Chyubarn’s eyes, clear hostility and hatred burned.
Chyubarn, glaring at Leo, shouted as if spitting out words.
“Kyle!”
***
“Orc group detected ahead.”
“Understood.”
Even if one tries to avoid combat as much as possible, there are times when fighting is unavoidable.
This was one of those times.
Chloe chanted a spell, completing her magic in an instant.
Three ice shards flew in a straight trajectory toward the direction Leo indicated.
CRACK-!
“KWA-A-A-A-A-A-K!”
Orcs pierced by the ice shards screamed.
Five orcs died instantly.
But five orcs still remained.
ROAR!
The orcs raged, swinging their crude weapons.
The rearmost orc pulled a horn from its waist.
Chloe knew well what that meant.
‘I have to stop it! If I don’t, more orcs will flock here!’
She hurriedly chanted a spell.
But Leo was one tempo faster than her.
He released his right hand, which was supporting Chloe’s thigh, and drew his sword.
SWISH-!
Then he gripped the sword in reverse and threw it.
ZING! THUD-!
“SQUEAK?”
The orc’s neck was pierced along with the horn.
Leo approached the instantly killed orc, gripped the sword hilt, and said.
“Sorry, there might be some blood splatters.”
SLASH!
He roughly pulled out the sword and swung it backwards.
RIP! SLICE! CRUNCH!
Leo’s sword drew an eerie trajectory.
Where the sword had swept past, the orcs stood as if frozen.
Leo leaped, leaving the orcs behind.
SWISH-!
Then the orcs bled and collapsed.
‘Fast.’
Two hours had already passed since entering the Hero’s World.
There had been a total of seven battles during that time.
‘Originally, the number of battles should have exceeded twenty.’
Of course, Leo did not take the shortest route.
But what was important to Leo and Chloe now was not time, but safely joining up with the first-year students from 30 years ago.
In that sense, Leo was definitely conserving his strength.
Even in the seven battles, there had never been a fight with demons, and Chloe never had to get off Leo’s back.
Although he hadn't encountered any particularly strong monsters, Leo maximized combat efficiency with the most optimized movements.
All Chloe did was cast spells as Leo instructed.
It was almost unbelievable that this was possible.
Chloe glanced at Leo’s back.
There was no sign of fatigue at all.
‘To have such a difference in real combat.’
It was when Chloe bit her lip.
“Found them.”
“Huh?”
Chloe turned her head in the direction Leo was looking.
There, a group of students were confronting unidentified assailants.
“That’s…!”
Unidentified assailants wearing black hoods.
“Demons?”
Chloe’s face hardened as she sensed an ominous aura emanating from them.
“Chloe.”
“Yes.”
“I need your support.”
Leo released the hand that was supporting Chloe’s thigh.
Chloe quickly chanted Fly, a flight magic spell.
Confirming that, Leo activated his aura without delay and descended.
The leading demon confronting the Lumen students shouted.
“Prepare yourselves, hateful hero candidates.”
WHOOSH-!
A silver flash gleamed above the demon’s head.
SLASH-!
The demon, split from the crown of its head, bled and vanished into sand.
“It’s been a while. Hunting demons, that is.”
The demons were flustered, seeing Leo, who had suddenly intervened.
“Who are you?!”
“Me?”
Leo smiled coldly.
“I’m the one who’s going to kill you.”