Book 1 Chapter 577
577.
At Lyan's words, Kal swallowed dryly.
The feeling he had experienced when he first saw a being called a god some time ago was, contrary to his expectations, extremely ordinary.
If it weren't for the Dragon Lord's guarantee, he wouldn't have believed Lyan's identity, nor any words that came from his mouth.
But now, from the being before his eyes, an unimaginable presence was felt.
‘My breath…’
Just facing him made his breath catch, and he felt a shortness of breath.
Lyan hadn't done anything in particular.
He was just looking at him as if observing him.
However, that alone had the power to freeze his entire body.
He realized that the being before his eyes was of a different dimension than any race he had met so far.
He was literally overwhelmed by its mere presence.
‘This feeling… I've felt it before.’
Trembling, Kal took a deep breath and quickly regained his composure.
Watching him, Lyan's eyes gleamed.
“This must be the first time you’ve met a god face-to-face, yet you quickly regain your composure?”
Having become a part of the Hero Record long ago to become its administrator, Lyan, strictly speaking, could not be called a god.
However, it remained unchanged that he was a being comparable to a god.
Ordinary humans lose their composure just by Lyan revealing his presence.
And Kal was a human who perfectly fit into the category of ordinary.
‘If they were children with large vessels, they wouldn't have been agitated in the first place.’
In the eyes of the Absolute, Kal was merely a common stone scattered on the roadside.
At Lyan's question, Kal scratched his cheek.
“It's somewhat similar to how it felt when I saw Erebus.”
“Ah. That monstrosity, you mean.”
Lyan nodded.
“Indeed, when the hero came to this world through the Hero Record, you also met that monstrosity, didn't you? In that case, this isn't your first encounter with a divine being.”
“Is the Flame of Calamity also a god?”
“In essence, it is like us. Of course, what it pursues is different. We desire the world’s continued existence, while that monstrosity wishes for the world’s destruction.”
“Why is that? Weren’t you comrades from the beginning or something?”
“Not at all. That monstrosity was born that way. It exists solely to burn the world to ashes.”
Lyan shook his head as if recalling something disgusting.
‘Even if he has seen Erebus, regaining his composure so quickly seems to be this child’s ability.’
The more he saw, the more interesting he found it.
He stood out despite having nothing.
‘Luck must have been on his side. But what Kal Thomas has achieved cannot be done with mere luck.’
“By the way, you said I have two things that Lord Lumern doesn't. What are they?”
Anticipation filled Kal’s face.
“Do I perhaps have some hidden talent?”
Lyan gazed intently at Kal, who asked in a slightly excited voice, then smiled brightly.
“Ugliness and foolishness.”
“Huh?”
For a moment, Kal looked dumbfounded.
“Lumern was not foolish, so he did not do the ugly act of clinging to the impossible.”
Lyan gave Kal a thumbs-up.
“Kal Thomas! You are an terribly foolish human, clinging to the impossible! So you are very ugly to behold!”
Thump—!
Kal put his hands on the floor and knelt.
“Stand tall and puff out your chest! You are doing what Lumern could never do.”
“Don’t make fun of me. It makes me depressed.”
“What nonsense! It’s a compliment! A compliment!”
Lyan patted Kal’s back, smack-smack.
“Why are you depressed when a god is complimenting you?”
“Of course I’m depressed! A god, no less, said it so plausibly, so I thought I had some hidden talent I didn’t know about!”
“I clearly told you earlier. You are a student who doesn’t resemble Lumern in the slightest.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you are not heroic at all.”
Lyan shrugged his shoulders and pulled out a carved figurine made of jewels from his pocket.
It was a sculpture of Lumern, the Knight of Twilight.
“Lumern, though born a slave, was born with a very noble soul.”
Lyan said, examining the Lumern sculpture this way and that.
“The heroes most loved by the gods are, without a doubt, the great heroes. But the next most loved hero is Lumern.”
“He must have been born with great talent because he was loved by the gods.”
“There’s a contradiction in that statement.”
Lyan glanced at Kal.
“There are certainly beings loved by the gods. But that doesn’t mean a god grants that being special talent. That far exceeds the authority granted to gods in the first place.”
“Huh?”
“A human loved by the gods has earned that love themselves. Remember that, Kal Thomas.”
Lyan smiled faintly and shrugged.
“Well, gods have their preferences from the start, though.”
“What kind of preferences are those?”
“Heroes like Lumern.”
“….”
“Talented, righteous in character, handsome, strong, achieved great feats, popular with women. And also…”
“Could you stop? I’m starting to feel that life is increasingly unfair.”
Kal let out a hollow laugh.
“Lord Lumern really doesn’t have anything in common with me. I understand why the gods love him. The gods like perfect people.”
“There are no perfect people. There are only people with fewer flaws.”
Lyan shrugged.
“That’s why there hasn’t been a hero like you in 5000 years, Kal.”
“I know better than anyone that I can’t be a hero.”
“Then why don’t you give up?”
“Because I’m ugly and foolish.”
“….”
“Shouldn’t I set high goals to get even a little closer to them?”
“You’ll hit a wall soon.”
“I’ll overcome it. Like Lord Lumern.”
“….”
“Regardless of anything else, I learned clearly from Lumern that I must resemble him in that aspect.”
“Kal Thomas! Where are you?”
“Eh? Eliza?”
Kal, who had turned his head at Eliza’s call, turned back, flustered.
“God, I think I have to go now? Huh?”
Kal, turning his head back again, realized Lyan was gone and searched the bathroom here and there, then scratched his head.
“Did he leave?”
“Kal Thomas!”
“Are you rushing someone who's in the bathroom?”
At Eliza's voice, Kal sighed and exited the bathroom.
Lyan, who had reappeared unnoticed, shook his head.
‘He’s truly not heroic.’
In the long hero era of 5000 years, which was by no means short, no one like Kal had ever been recorded in the Hero Record.
It wasn't simply because he didn't fit the gods' preferences.
‘It’s because he can’t achieve great deeds alone.’
Ultimately, those who achieve great deeds are beings with immense power.
Heroes who protect and lead the world must ultimately possess outstanding individual combat prowess.
‘He’s ordinary, Kal Thomas is too ordinary.’
The gods do not pay attention to ordinary humans.
They only liked special humans.
The same went for Lyan.
However…
‘You will never be able to resemble Lumern, Kal Thomas.’
Lyan gazed at the jewel sculpture of Lumern he had made.
‘Lumern was too un-ugly to be foolish, so he gave up.’
He closed his own possibilities.
Lyan smiled faintly.
‘Instead, he resembles the Hero of Beginnings.’
Of course, comparing Leo, who possessed pure mana characteristics, with Kal was absurd.
‘But Lord Leo also saved the world because he struggled foolishly and uglily.’
Lyan pulled out an uncarved jewel from his pocket and toyed with it.
‘Kal Thomas is not heroic at all. But that’s only by the standards of the Age of Gods.’
Even now, fragments of the Age of Gods remain.
‘But the Age of Gods was an era that already met its end 5000 years ago.’
Lyan smiled.
‘And it ended as a failed era.’
From the gods' perspective, the Age of Gods was clearly a failed era.
It was true that they suppressed Erebus for a long time and created a world full of light.
But in the end, they could not stop Erebus.
On the contrary, they burned down so helplessly and disappeared.
In that failure, singularities called Great Heroes appeared and merely saved the world.
And a new era was ushered in.
But…
‘Is the Age of Heroes truly the Age of Heroes?’
The gods disappeared, but the legacy of the gods, the Hero Record, sustains this era.
‘Perhaps I am incredibly lucky.’
He abandoned his divine status and fell to merely being a part of a system.
But…
‘Perhaps I am witnessing the true beginning of a new era right before my eyes.’
Lyan’s mouth stretched into a wide grin.
How exciting and thrilling was this?
‘Ah, my choice was not wrong! The era that gods truly deemed worthless… I might be able to witness it firsthand!’
***
The second round of the Hero Festival was competed by second-year students.
It was a competition to see which school's ten-member strategy team could conquer the Hero's World faster.
The scale, different from the first-years', excited the spectators.
Moreover, the current second-year students in every school were all called the Golden Generation.
As such, expectations were bound to be even higher.
“To be able to see them conquer the Hero’s World firsthand!”
“But it’s not a Hero Dungeon, is it? So it’s not dangerous, right?”
“Know what you’re talking about! A Hero Dungeon is just the Hero Record going berserk! A Hero Dungeon is still ultimately a Hero’s World!”
“Let’s see… Leo Flobe isn’t participating for Lumern, is he?”
“Isn’t it because he’s already achieved hero status?”
“But look! Lunia El Rundia from Seirun is participating!”
“Hmm… Is it because he’s the student council president and busy? No. Lunia El Rundia is also the student council president?”
Seeing that Leo was not participating, voices filled with questions erupted from here and there.
Watching them, Lunia muttered.
“At least they have some conscience. Seeing as they excluded Leo.”
To be honest, if Leo were to participate, the outcome would be obvious.
Though frustrating, the current Seirun found it difficult to handle Leo.
‘Not just Seirun, no school could handle him.’
Lunia sighed softly.
“Still, conquering the Hero’s World is a relief.”
“This isn’t easy either, so what’s a relief?”
When Eiran said this beside her, Aris Tyna asked, puzzled.
“I was worried that the first-years might have to fight against Young Master Leo.”
At her words, Aris’s twin, Garin Tyna, made a bewildered expression.
“Is that a big problem?”
“Did you forget that Leo Flobe swept away all the Lumern second-years? Conquering the Hero’s World is at least better than fighting a monster whose strength you can’t even estimate.”
It was then that Garin, at Aris's words, crossed his arms and nodded.
“You’re right, now that you mention it.”
“By the way, Kal Thomas? He’s the one who conquered Lord Dweno’s world, isn’t he? I heard his grades aren’t particularly great, but he was chosen as a representative?”
As Aris looked puzzled, Lunia said.
“He’s worthy of being chosen.”
“That’s right, with Lord Kal, the Lumern people would feel reassured.”
It was when the Seirun students looked bewildered at the reactions of the top and second-ranked students.
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, a resonant sound arose from the floor.
[Hero Record Open.]
At the sudden message, the Seirun second-year students looked slightly flustered.
But they quickly regained their composure.
“We’re used to sudden situations like this now.”
Lunia let out a snicker, as if amused.
It wasn't just Seirun Academy.
Similar reactions erupted from other schools as well.
At that moment, Eiran’s ears perked up.
“Didn’t they say we’d conquer the ‘same’ Hero’s World in order?”
“Yes.”
“But it seems students from other schools also got a Hero Record message?”
“What?”
The moment Eiran, whose hearing had entered the realm of hypersensitivity, made a bewildered expression.
[Se■ of Lumern. ■Chapter: ■■■■■]
“What?!”
Lunia’s face showed shock at the message before her eyes.
Simultaneously, a bright light erupted, engulfing the students in the Erec training ground.
“Agh?!”
It was when Lunia frantically opened her eyes.
She saw a fist flying towards her.
“Kyaaah?!”
Lunia instinctively dodged the punch.
“Kyaaah? Kyaaah? What’s with this disgusting attempt at cuteness! You sly elf!”
“Ugh!”
At the words of her opponent who had thrown the punch, Lunia calmly assessed the situation.
‘I don’t know the situation, but I’m fighting! Counterattack…!’
The moment Lunia tried to aim for her opponent’s opening.
“Huh?”
Lunia, having confirmed her opponent’s face, let out a blank sound.
“What are you spacing out for! Your side!”
“Ugh?!”
The opponent mercilessly struck Lunia’s side.
“Finisher! Solar plexus!”
Thwack—!
“Urrgh?!”
Hit in the solar plexus, Lunia made gasping, choking sounds, then immediately knelt down with a thud.
“Huh? She got hit by that?”
And the opponent who hit Lunia was even more flustered, despite having thrown the punch herself.
Lunia, clutching her chest and gasping for breath, called her opponent.
“Rodi… a… ni…”
Thump—
And then she rolled her eyes back and fainted.
“Hey! Breathe! Breathe! I said breathe!”
Smack— Smack—!
Rodia, terrified, slapped Lunia’s cheeks.
“Seirun! Breathe!”