Book 1 Chapter 574
574.
Rea clenched her fist, looking at Aina who was blocking her path.
‘Aina Veydna.’
It was a name she had heard ad nauseam since the moment she entered Seirun.
‘The world was abuzz about her being the descendant of the Sword Saint. Just like me.’
Like herself, who, as the successor of the Tingel family, had received the full expectations of her race.
Aina must have been the same.
That’s why she couldn't help but be aware of her.
It was the same even after she learned that Luke was Leo's mentee.
An opponent she absolutely had to defeat.
Since her admission, countless people around her had watched Rea defeat Aina.
‘It seems this person is no different. Seeing as she came to face me.’
Rea grinned.
“It must be annoying for both of us. Having an opponent whom everyone expects you to defeat.”
“What?”
At her words, Aina made a bewildered expression.
“Didn’t you come to defeat me?”
“No.”
“……”
For a moment, Rea wore a dumbfounded expression.
“Didn't you just say your opponent was me?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ve come to defeat me, haven’t you?”
“No.”
Rea was speechless watching Aina shake her head.
“I just want to protect Luke from you. You’ve been strangely obsessed with Luke for a while now.”
“Are you appointing yourself as Luke Elda’s bodyguard?”
“Yes.”
Shwa-ka-ka-ka-k-!
Aina swung her sword.
Sword energy scattered around Rea.
“Luke must not fall to anyone.”
Aina's eyes gleamed as sharp as blades.
“Until he falls to me.”
Aina showed an obsession with Luke no less than Rea's.
‘Indeed, Luke Elda is worth defeating.’
When Rea first learned of Luke's existence, she was interested because he was Leo's mentee.
Her feelings towards him were also closer to jealousy than a desire to win.
And at the end of the first semester.
Luke's appearance, when she first saw him during the World Summit, was astonishing.
‘He kept growing even while fighting Aina Veydna.’
Luke's image, constantly challenging his limits and surpassing them, was vivid in her mind.
Only then did she realize why Leo had chosen Luke.
‘He was amazing during the training camp too.’
So it made sense that Aina strongly perceived Luke as a rival from the same school.
‘But… but you see…’
Rea's shoulders trembled.
“There’s a limit to ignoring people! What’s with that attitude, treating me like I’m nothing?!”
Unusual magical power surged from Rea's enraged body.
Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeo-jeok-!
Numerous cracks appeared in the ground where Rea stood.
“I’ll defeat you and make sure you remember me!”
Magical power concentrated in Rea's hands.
“If you want to defeat Luke Elda, you have to defeat me first!”
“As long as I'm here, Luke won't be able to touch a single hair on him! Because I'm going to be the one to defeat Luke!”
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gang-!
Explosive magical power and sharp sword energy intertwined and clashed.
***
Luke broke out in a cold sweat, hearing the chilling clash behind him.
“Why do I hear my name when those two are fighting?”
“Hmph. It seems they’re fiercely fighting to claim you.”
“I’m declining that kind of claiming.”
Luke made a pained expression.
As a magic swordsman, Luke keenly felt how terrifying Aina's swordsmanship was and how destructive Rea's magic was.
The fact that those swords and magic were aimed at him was not welcome at all.
‘As it is, Juwon, Sasha, and Habiden are all itching to get their hands on me these days.’
It's not that they have a bad relationship.
No, it's actually good.
But his friends' eyes, as if targeting prey, always made Luke nervous.
But with Aina and Rea, who had been harsh with him since the first time they met, joining in, Luke felt like dying.
‘And this person too.’
Luke gulped, looking at Medvez, the first-year representative of Azonia.
Overwhelming size and rugged muscles.
Of course, being big doesn't automatically mean being strong.
But Medvez wasn't just big.
‘He’s strong.’
Every time his muscles twitched, he unconsciously tensed up.
Medvez spoke, looking at Luke, who was crouching low.
“You’re like a herbivore.”
“Huh?”
“Are you not shaking at all, watching those two fight?”
“I am shaking.”
Just thinking about those brutal attacks heading towards him made him tremble.
“That’s not what I mean.”
Medvez looked at Luke with displeased eyes.
“Those two strong individuals are doing their best to earn the right to defeat you. Yet you, a man, are just trembling. How pathetic, how pathetic.”
At Medvez's words, Luke took a deep breath.
‘Is this person at least trying to lose interest in me?’
He had no intention of avoiding a challenge.
But what Luke needed to focus on now wasn't defeating a strong opponent.
‘Lumerne’s victory.’
Rea, Aina, and Medvez all seemed to have slightly forgotten that objective.
A team battle where 100 people combined their strengths.
Moreover, they were chosen from the first-years.
‘It’s impossible to overturn the tide of battle alone.’
Thinking calmly, wasting energy now would be a waste.
If Medvez lost interest in him and left, it wouldn't be bad for Luke either.
‘It’s not bad, but…’
Luke glanced up at the sky.
There was Leo, who had announced the opening match.
‘Senior Leo single-handedly shook the battlefield.’
Leo's image, exuding overwhelming grandeur during the second-year dormitory competition, flashed through his mind.
‘Comparing someone like me to Senior Leo is laughable in itself, but…’
That powerful image wouldn't leave his mind.
***
It was then.
Koo-goo-goo-goo-goo-goong-!
The ground began to vibrate.
The small tremor soon began to shake violently as if an earthquake had occurred.
“W-what is it?”
The first-years, who had formed their formations and were attacking other schools, made bewildered expressions.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gang-!
Lava began to surge up, breaking through the ground.
The first-years who saw it made expressions of horror.
“The ground is shrinking because of the lava!”
“Those who can fight in the air, quickly get into the air…”
Boo-geul-boo-geul-boo-geul Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gang-!
A gigantic monster surged up from the lava.
“Lava Golem?!”
Exclamations of horror erupted among the first-years.
The gigantic Lava Golem began wildly swinging its arms at the students flying in the sky.
At the same time, lava dripping from its arms fell to the ground like rain.
“It’s dangerous to be in the air!”
“Ugh! Do we have to deal with those guys and worry about the Lava Golem too?!”
“That’s not all! The space to fight is also shrinking due to the lava!”
Panic-stricken voices erupted everywhere.
Building defensive formations and hunting enemies became difficult.
With the situation like this, a strategy to quickly start a chaotic battle and defeat the enemies became favorable.
“Everyone attack!”
“Ugh!”
“Avoid fighting the Lava Golem as much as possible! It’ll just drain our strength!”
“Hmm, if we stay here, we’ll get caught in the Lava Golem’s attacks.”
“Tsk! This is troublesome.”
“Luke, let’s get out of here quickly.”
Medvez, Rea, and Aina, who were near where the Lava Golem was summoned, tried to quickly evacuate the area.
Aina then saw Luke's face for a moment and slightly opened her mouth.
‘He’s smiling?’
***
“The Seirun first-year representative is a spitting image of that thug elf.”
Ar muttered, watching the match.
And then looked at his juniors.
“Good movement.”
In such a chaotic situation, Azonia students with overwhelming physical abilities had a significant advantage.
This is because such chaotic battles are frequent in Azonia, where fighting never ceases.
“The variable is, as expected, the Lava Golem.”
Ar, with his arms crossed, narrowed his eyes.
It rampages indiscriminately, causing damage to all four schools.
‘Defeating it doesn’t really offer any particular advantage.’
On the contrary, it would clearly only drain strength.
‘What would I have done if it were me?’
Ar, who had been tilting his head, soon came to a simple conclusion.
‘I would have defeated the Lava Golem first.’
There was no other reason.
It's simply a threat to all four schools.
And if they win in that state, the element of ‘luck’ would inevitably be involved.
‘Because a rampaging Lava Golem is literally an unpredictable variable.’
Even if they won, Ar probably wouldn't be able to shake off a lingering sense of uneasiness.
Ar had the confidence that he could defeat the enemy even after defeating the Lava Golem.
Even if he lost, it wouldn't be more joyful than winning.
‘A victory won by luck? It’s worthless. I’d rather lose.’
Ar looked around.
It seemed Ar wasn't the only one thinking that way.
The Azonia students were also the same.
Not just the Azonia students.
Students from other hero academies seemed to be the same.
Everyone has the pride that ‘we’ are the best.
Ultimately, they have to overcome all adversities and prove they are the best.
The Lava Golem is threatening, but for a ‘top-tier’ student of their year, it's not impossible to defeat alone.
It's just that the risk is too high, so they don't engage it.
‘How wicked, Black Rabbit.’
Ar, who had grasped Leo's intention, pouted his lips as he looked at Leo in the sky.
***
“Leo, sometimes when I see him, he’s really mercilessly harsh, you know.”
Cal shook his head.
“Huh? What?”
Chelsea made a puzzled expression.
“He subtly created a situation so that the first-years couldn’t defeat the Lava Golem.”
“Yeah. But is there a problem with that?”
Cal let out a small laugh.
“Winning without creating risk is ideal. But the Hero’s Festival is a place of celebration and harmony before it’s a competition among hero academies.”
Cal said, looking at the first-years who were busy trying to pass the Lava Golem off to each other.
“Everyone in the world is watching.”
“Yeah. So?”
“This is why heroes can’t understand the hearts of ordinary people, you know.”
Cal let out a hollow laugh and said.
“People want heroes.”
Cal looked at Leo.
“They want heroes who believe in themselves, pursue possibilities, move forward, and overcome their limits.”
Cal took his eyes off Leo and looked at Chelsea.
“What would you have done in that situation?”
“I would have trusted myself and my comrades and defeated the Lava Golem.”
“Yes. That’s what people want to see. But the first-years are still immature. So it’s hard for them to move rashly like that.”
Cal narrowed his eyes, looking at the Lava Golem.
“Leo is testing them. To see if there are any talents among the first-years. If there are any who deserve to stand on stage with you.”
“Ah…”
Chelsea made an expression of understanding.
“But you said ‘you’ instead of ‘us’?”
Chelsea tilted her head.
Cal shrugged his shoulders, looking at such Chelsea.
“Could you please not put a commoner like me in the same category as you?”
“What kind of category is ‘like us’?”
“Monsters.”
Chelsea punched Cal in the side with her fist.
Chelsea looked down intently at Cal, who was clutching his side and collapsed on the floor, and said.
“…Have you given up on advancing to the third year?”
“Oopsa.”
At that question, Cal dusted himself off and stood up.
“Give up, my foot. I’ll struggle until the very end. But you know what.”
Cal let out a small laugh.
“Effort doesn’t guarantee everything, does it? No matter how much you overcome your limits, what’s not meant to be, won’t be. I know myself best.”
“……”
“This is as far as I go, Chelsea.”
“Cal…”
“Still, I’ll do my best as a supporting character. Keep using my products! You’ll definitely become a hero in the future. If a hero is a regular customer, the promotional effect will clearly be enormous!”
“You damn brat.”
Chelsea sighed softly, looking at Cal who was grinning, giving a thumbs-up.
“Oh?”
It was then that Cal let out an exclamation.
“Luke, that guy, he’s charging at the Lava Golem, isn’t he?”