Book 1 Chapter 518
“Ready to die?”
Eliza narrowed her eyes and looked at Leo.
“I know very well that you put Celia Zerdinger and Chelsea Rewallin through harsh training.”
As Eliza said that, she curled the corners of her lips up.
“Do you think I wouldn’t have trained that much?”
Even now, Celia and Chelsea continue to train.
However, they no longer trained with Leo as they used to.
They trained on their own without Leo needing to keep an eye on them, as they continuously trained by his side.
And seeing the intensity of Celia and Chelsea’s training, the other students also increased the intensity of their personal training.
As a result, Eliza also underwent harsh training comparable to Celia and Chelsea.
Watching Eliza snort, Leo crossed his arms.
“I didn’t exactly put those two through harsh training.”
“What did you say?”
“I put them through slightly difficult training, but I never pushed them to the point where it would be called harsh.”
At those words, Eliza’s eyes fluttered.
‘This human.’
Eliza had always pretended to be indifferent, but she had pushed herself to the extreme.
Seeing Leo call that ‘slightly difficult’ training made her grind her teeth.
“Well, I suppose physical training is necessary, but the training you need to risk your life for isn’t that kind of training.”
“Then what are you going to make me do?”
In response to Eliza’s question, Leo spread his palm.
Crackle-!
Eliza’s eyes widened as she saw the pure white lightning that manifested from Leo’s hand.
“The power of Pegasus? But such purity?”
The Hergin family has a tradition of forming contracts with powerful mythical beasts.
As such, from birth, those born with the talent to make pacts with the three great mythical beasts were assigned pact-makers.
Eliza was no exception.
The spiritual power she possessed had good compatibility with Pegasus.
Therefore, Eliza had a destined pact-maker from childhood, and she had met that pact-maker several times.
Of course, they never spoke.
The three great mythical beasts are fundamentally proud creatures.
Even towards their future contractors, they did not deign to speak with someone who was not yet qualified.
However, even so, she could recognize that the power of the lightning imbued in Leo’s hand was incomparable to the power of other Pegasi.
As he watched Eliza swallow dryly, Leo said.
“This is the essence of lightning.”
“The essence of lightning? Wait a moment, that’s…!”
Eliza’s eyes were filled with shock.
“That’s right.”
Leo withdrew the essence of lightning.
“It is the essence of the power of the Pegasus kings who went extinct 5,000 years ago.”
“How do you have that?”
“It was a reward for clearing the Hero Record.”
“When did you get it?”
As Eliza asked with a serious expression, Leo replied nonchalantly.
“That’s a trade secret.”
At that, Eliza narrowed her eyes and glanced at Kal.
Then, Kal shrugged and shook his head.
‘Kal Thomas didn’t know about it either. Still, the essence of lightning.’
It was hard to believe.
However, Eliza knew at least that Leo was not the type of person to lie about such matters.
Moreover, there was a case where Lunia of Seirun revived the power of the Phoenix King after 5,000 years as a reward for clearing the Hero Record.
‘There’s no reason Leo Frof couldn’t do the same.’
“You truly have no limits.”
As Eliza let out a wry laugh, Leo said.
“Not really. That’s why I need strong companions.”
Looking down at his hand, Leo spoke again.
“In the case of Lunia El Lundaa, why are you hiding that fact?”
“To be precise, it’s different from Lunia.”
“How is it different?”
“In Lunia’s case, she overcame the trial given by the Phoenix King and obtained that flame. She is like the successor to the Phoenix King, though not the Phoenix itself.”
Therefore, Lunia’s flame is the Emperor of Flame itself.
It was a power that could only be obtained by a successor to a family that had passed down the purifying flames that burned away impurities for generations.
“In contrast, I literally got it as a reward.”
At first glance, there might not seem to be a big difference, but in reality, it is different.
In Lunia’s case, it is the flame of the Phoenix King itself.
She can unleash the Phoenix King’s flame with her own pure spiritual power.
In addition, it can strengthen the power of the contracted Phoenix and even imbue magic with power to maximize that power.
Unlike that, Leo needs Pegasus to properly draw out the power of the essence of lightning.
‘Moreover, it’s a power that causes considerable pain to the Pegasus that contracted with me.’
This is the limitation of someone who obtained power through a trick called Hero Record, rather than being a legitimate user.
“Crucially, Lunia can hand over that power to others when she wants, but I can’t.”
“Hmm, so? Your offer to help me seems related to that essence of lightning.”
“That’s right. Even if I can’t handle it perfectly, it can accelerate your growth.”
“In other words, you can forcibly awaken my potential?”
“Yes.”
“Hmph. That’s why you asked if I was ready to die.”
Eliza curled the corners of her lips up.
She had perfectly understood Leo’s intention.
‘A shortcut.’
Not all shortcuts are good.
‘There are no safe shortcuts.’
Eliza is a summoner.
And unlike Aura and magic, the essence of a summoner is ‘contract.’
Therefore, she knew well.
There is balance in this world.
The faster you go, the greater the price.
And in the case of forced awakening of talent, the price is dire if you fail.
‘Becoming a complete cripple, or in a worse case, dying.’
Forced awakening is inherently dangerous.
The very act of forcibly awakening power is against the norm, so how could it be safe?
‘If there were, that would be true charlatanism.’
Eliza looked down at her own hands.
‘Is it right to receive help from Leo Frof?’
From Eliza’s perspective, it was humiliating.
It was a crack in her pride.
But…
‘I don’t want to fall behind on my own.’
She didn’t know if time would solve everything, as Leo said.
But when she overcame the wall, what about others?
Perhaps they might hit a wall like her and be caught up to her.
But conversely, they might overcome or break through the wall and go far ahead.
‘That’s worse than dying.’
Eliza’s eyes flashed.
‘I am the successor of the Hergin family.’
Celia, Duran, Chen Xia, Chloe, Abad, Chelsea, and Warden flashed through her mind.
Finally, she looked at Leo’s face before her.
‘If it’s not the best, it’s meaningless.’
This was not the childish stubbornness of a teenage girl.
‘I must reach the best stage. Both as a summoner and as a hero.’
This was the goal that the hero candidate Eliza Hergin lived by.
Before her stood someone who might never reach even if she chased him for her entire life.
It was a wall that was like immense despair.
But in another sense, it meant having a goal to strive for her entire life.
‘There’s no time to hesitate here. This human is moving further away even at this moment.’
To remain still out of fear of danger when there was a way to not hesitate.
That was a greater humiliation than receiving help.
“What do I have to do?”
At that, Leo extended his hand.
Crackle-!
The essence of lightning manifested.
“Take it.”
At those words, Eliza took a deep breath and grabbed Leo’s hand.
“Grrk?!”
And at that moment.
Eliza’s body, electrocuted, stiffened and rolled her eyes back before fainting.
In her fading consciousness, she heard Kal’s urgent voice.
As she lost consciousness, Eliza muttered inwardly.
‘This… won’t be easy.’
***
“Isn’t that too dangerous?”
As Kal carried the unconscious Eliza back to the dormitory and Leo sat alone on a bench, Chen Xia, who appeared from behind, asked with a slightly worried expression.
“It is dangerous.”
Leo said nonchalantly.
“You don’t intend to adjust the training intensity or anything, do you?”
“No. If I did that, Eliza would take it as an insult.”
Leo asked Chen Xia, who sat beside him.
“Imagine you were in Eliza’s situation. Would you feel good if I went easy on you and trained you?”
“…No. I would get angry instead.”
“See. Despite being little kids, you’re desperate to act like adults.”
“Now you’re openly acting like an old man? And I’m not acting like an adult; I am mature. Don’t treat me like a child.”
Chen Xia, who opened her eyes and came closer to Leo, glared at him, but Leo cut her off.
“Adults don’t get angry even if they are offended by consideration, little girl.”
Leo pinched Chen Xia’s nose with his hand.
Chen Xia, blocking her nose and pouting, said.
“It’s late, aren’t you going in?”
“My mind is troubled. I want to feel the night breeze a bit more.”
Chen Xia gave a bitter smile.
‘She must be lonely and having a hard time because Luna-nim left.’
It couldn’t be helped.
To have met a friend who risked her life to save the world, transcending 5,000 years, and then parted ways.
Moreover, Luna had special feelings for Leo.
‘I can’t be sure of Leo-doryeong’s feelings, but.’
Leo clearly had complex feelings for Luna as well.
‘Leo-doryeong must be having a hard time too. Should I offer words of comfort?’
Despite being a great hero, Leo was also human.
When his heart was troubled, he would surely show weakness.
‘How should I comfort him?’
“Because of Luna, I might have to ask you for a slightly difficult favor.”
‘A difficult favor because of Luna-nim?’
Chen Xia rolled her eyes slightly.
‘Aeran-yang, this book ‘When the heart is lonely, the body also becomes lonely’… It looks like a prohibited book in Lumern.’
‘How… how did you find that!’
‘And this book, ‘History is made at night,’ is the same.’
‘Kyaaaaaak!’
Recalling the books she had found while visiting Aeran’s dormitory room, Chen Xia slightly lifted her hips and moved closer to Leo, sitting down.
“Leo-doryeong, I am an adult. It’s okay to ask for difficult favors. No, I will obey your command, Leo-doryeong, no matter what.”
“Really? I want to borrow the power of the Shan Empire.”
At those words, Chen Xia, who blinked her large eyes several times, smiled.
“…A job as a shadow.”
“That’s right.”
‘This is serious. I’ve been influenced too much by Aeran-yang. My mind feels a bit strange.’
Chen Xia licked her lips and sighed.
“It seems Berkiya has been revived as an undead.”
However, the words Leo said later made her face stiffen.
“Ber… Berkiya-nim?”
“Yes.”
Leo continued speaking with a stiff expression.
“It seems she is active in the shadows. If she has been revived as an undead… she won’t be doing good deeds. So, can you find any traces?”
“Yes. I understand.”
After answering, Chen Xia immediately disappeared into the darkness.
Leo, sitting on the bench, looked at the full moon and took a deep breath.