Book 1 Chapter 592

592.

The Flame of Disaster appeared during the Festival of Heroes.

A grand event that occurred while the eyes of the entire world were focused on it.

However, the disaster soon turned into a miracle.

The appearance of the Hero of Beginnings, Kyle.

The world was immediately enthralled by Kyle's figure as he defeated the Flame of Disaster and disappeared.

After the chaos subsided, the Festival of Heroes resumed.

There was a crisis, but there were no casualties.

"Phew~ For a while there, I really thought it was going to be the end of everything."

Kal, who was preparing his stall, said with a laugh.

"You seem to be in a good mood."

"Of course! I worked myself to the bone preparing for the Festival of Heroes! It would have been a shame if it was canceled!"

After the incident was resolved, there was discussion about whether to continue the Festival of Heroes.

However, due to the wishes of countless people who had been looking forward to the Festival of Heroes, it was decided to continue it until the end.

"The incident actually increased interest even more. All thanks to the Hero of Beginnings appearing at the right time."

Three days had already passed since the Festival of Heroes began.

Currently, all four Hero academies were competing fiercely, maintaining similar scores.

The enthusiasm of the spectators watching the hero candidates' performances grew with each passing moment.

Before they knew it, it had become the festival everyone enjoyed, just as Leo had wished.

"By the way, what are you preparing?"

Leo asked with a puzzled expression, and Kal grinned.

"This is my last big score in Lumern."

Kal, with a triumphant expression, gave a thumbs up.

"Shouldn't the finale be spectacular?"

"What are you planning?"

In response to Leo's question, Kal showed him a sign.

"A gacha?"

"Yeah, what's a festival without a gacha? I partnered with Driana to open a stall."

"Why Driana?"

"She'll be running another stall next to mine."

Kal hummed a tune.

Watching Kal, Leo said,

"What about advancing to the third year?"

"I'd like to, if I can. But it's hopeless, isn't it?"

Kal shrugged.

"That doesn't mean I'm going back to my hometown or giving up."

"Then?"

"I bought a small building in Lumina City this time."

"When? With what money?"

"A little while ago. I've been working hard selling things since I enrolled, remember?"

Kal made a circle with his index finger and thumb and grinned.

"Our noble customers were very generous, so I saved up quite a bit. I bought a building with that money."

Kal said as he prepared the stall.

"Starting next year, I plan to expand my business based in Lumina City, using what I learned in Lumern."

"Business?"

"I plan to build a system that can immediately confirm and report to Lumern on things like combat supplies, information, and ongoing incidents and accidents around the world. I also want to build my own warp gate using the connections I've made in Lumern."

Kal looked at Leo.

"You guys will be active all over the world from now on. I need to be thoroughly prepared to support you before you graduate."

"Are you satisfied with that?"

"I was aiming to be a supporter from the beginning. So, I just need to do my best to support you, right?"

Kal cleared his throat.

"And honestly, even if I could advance to the third year, I'm a bit scared."

Kal grabbed his head with both hands and trembled.

"That witch… how much more will she overwork me next year? I don't want to… I don't want to!"

Leo shook his head, watching Kal shudder.

'It was quite severe.'

If things were going well, Elina would create problems instead of resolving them.

What's more, she was insidious enough to assign tasks that were only up to the very limit of one's abilities.

"So, I'll prepare thoroughly outside and wait."

***

Riina, the principal of Lumern, was discussing the schedule for the Festival of Heroes in her office with Elena, the vice student council president, and Professor Sedjen.

"How is the security in Lumina City?"

"It's good. Due to the impact of the incident on the first day, people are maintaining a sense of tension, so the crime rate seems to have decreased."

"So, that damned incident actually helped?"

Riina scratched her head.

Indeed, if it hadn't been for the appearance of Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, there would have been tremendous casualties.

"What happened with finding the perpetrator of the incident?"

"The Dragon Lord is personally tracking them."

"They'll be caught soon then."

"Yes."

It was illogical for this incident to have happened so suddenly.

A fragment of Lumern's Hero Record suddenly went berserk in the middle of the Ereck training grounds.

This meant that an outsider had brought the Hero Record inside.

"Just as there is the Pure Blood Society in Seirun. There are plenty of traitors within us too."

Riina's eyes turned cold.

Even if they had retreated from the front lines, they were shadows.

It was her principle to pursue and exterminate traitors.

"First, we need to finish the Festival of Heroes properly."

Sedjen said to Riina.

Riina nodded.

Knock, knock.

With a knock, the door opened and Halind entered.

Halind, holding a document, approached Riina and handed it to her.

"Here is the document you asked for."

"You've already prepared it. It's amazing you did that amidst your busy schedule."

Riina exclaimed in admiration and took the document to review it.

Elena looked puzzled at her.

"What document is it?"

"It's a document regarding Kal Thomas's promotion."

Elena's eyes widened at Halind's indifferent words.

Halind's nickname was the Lumern Weeping Wall.

He was a figure of fear among the senior students.

This was because Halind was known for expelling students who did not meet the standards without hesitation.

Last year and this year.

While his tendency decreased after he began to be in charge of first-year students, it was only because the evaluation target became first-year students.

Elena had witnessed countless seniors packing their bags due to Halind.

It was surprising that Halind, of all people, was preparing a document for a student's promotion instead of expulsion.

Moreover, Kal did not even have the grades to be promoted.

"This is unexpected. For Professor Halind to prepare a document to promote a student who doesn't even have the grades to the next year."

"I simply believed that Lumern's current evaluation method cannot fully assess Kal Thomas's potential."

Halind said indifferently.

"Since his enrollment, he has attended Lumern aspiring to be a supporter. He has shown strengths in assisting others from behind rather than taking the lead."

Elena nodded at his words.

"I thought that was all. But as I watched him, I saw something a little different."

Having been Kal's homeroom teacher in his first year, Halind had observed him closely and was aware of Kal's abilities.

"Drawing out the potential of others and uniting their strength to unleash greater power. That's what I came to believe is Kal Thomas's true ability."

Halind looked at the report on Kal Thomas in Riina's hand and said,

"This was a new ability that we were unaware of until now. I considered such aspects as well to be the potential of a hero. That's why I prepared the document."

Elena nodded at his words.

"The intention is good. But persuading the board will not be easy."

Sedjen, who had been listening, clicked his tongue.

He also agreed with Halind's opinion.

However, special cases were not easily created.

Even though Halind and Sedjen had served as professors at Lumern for many years and had significant influence, the authority to create exceptions lay solely with the board.

And it was highly probable that the conservative board would not recognize Kal's existence.

"I am simply doing my best for the student."

At Halind's indifferent words, Elena nodded.

"As expected of the best professor at the academy."

"What are you talking about! The best professor at Lumern is me! Sedjen!"

Sedjen shouted in a fit of pique.

"Yes, yes. Professor Sedjen is also the best professor."

Elena smiled sweetly and her eyes sparkled as she looked at the document in Riina's hand.

***

A few more days passed.

As the Festival of Heroes neared its end.

"……What is this."

Eliza looked with a sullen expression at the long line stretched out before her.

In her hand was the championship medal from the Fantasy Beast Race.

After winning the race, she had some free time and remembered hearing that Kal was selling things to the spectators, so she came to check it out, only to find a terrifying crowd lined up in front of Kal's stall.

"Come! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Knights! Wizards! Summoners! Here! A chance to win legendary artifacts made by Driana, the exclusive smith of Leo Flove! Don't miss it!"

Kal stood on stage, holding a megaphone, enthusiastically hawking his wares.

Around Kal, knights, wizards, and summoners had gathered like clouds, each seeking to obtain legendary artifacts, magic staffs, and summoning catalysts.

At that moment, someone who appeared to be a knight ascended the stage with a tense expression.

"Everyone! A knight from the Kingdom of Del in the southern continent is challenging the 10 consecutive gacha pulls!"

As Kal shouted enthusiastically into the megaphone, the crowd roared, "Ooooooh-!"

Brilliant magic lights illuminated the stage, focusing on a giant glass container hanging from the ceiling.

Inside the glass container, fist-sized, colorful balls shone like jewels.

Clatter-!

The balls inside began to mix violently, and soon the opening of the glass container opened, and ten balls dropped.

Upon seeing a crystal-shaped ball among them, the knight from the Kingdom of Del roared.

"Diiiiaaaaaa!"

He knelt down to his knees, clasped the crystal ball with both hands, and raised it high, eliciting sighs from all around.

"Ugh! A diamond grade! That's what I was aiming for!"

With trembling hands, the knight opened the crystal ball, and his face fell as he saw the small slip of paper inside.

"Ugh! A magic staff!"

"Yes! You have drawn a diamond-grade magic staff! Congratulations!"

Although he had drawn something very good, the knight, unable to use it himself, wailed.

Then, wizards rushed to the stage.

"Sell that to me!"

"No! To me…!"

"Me!"

Eliza's jaw dropped at the scene of chaos that bordered on madness.

"What in the world is this?"

"It's what they call a highly addictive gacha."

"Leo Flove?"

Eliza looked at Leo with surprised eyes.

"I'm currently debating whether to impose sanctions as the student council."

The prizes Kal had prepared were literally gacha tickets.

While slightly expensive, the price was not exorbitant compared to the value of the prizes awarded.

The problem was the extremely low probability.

With flashy presentations, people's souls were drawn out, and they kept buying gacha tickets.

The thought that they might win an artifact made by Driana if they were lucky drove people to open their wallets like madmen.

Of course, even if they were lucky enough to draw what they wanted, it wasn't over.

"I got it!"

A beastkin wizard shouted in triumph, holding up the magic staff he had just drawn with both hands.

Then, with bloodshot eyes, he headed towards the gacha stall.

Driana, holding a hammer, was there.

"I'm here to enhance it."

"This is your third attempt. I recommend just taking it as is."

"Hmph. I am a beastkin."

The wizard chuckled as if he found it amusing.

"A beast's heart beats in my chest."

"A brave spirit, chasing after Lord Aron."

"Hmph."

Driana took the magic staff offered by the wizard.

She placed it on the anvil and began to hammer.

Clang- clang- clang-!

Beastkin wizards, and indeed everyone around, watched with bated breath.

As they watched with anxiety.

Crack-!

"Oh dear. My hand slipped."

Driana's tutting sound was heard.

"Nooooooo!"

The beastkin wizard who had attempted enhancement clutched his head and wailed.

"Try again next time."

Driana patted the beastkin wizard on the shoulder.

"……"

"It seems that if you break through the low probability and succeed in enhancement, they will upgrade it to an even more powerful artifact."

Of course, the enhancement was not done on the spot; it was a staged production using a replica that withstood hammering with a certain probability.

However, for some reason, the effect was disproportionately impactful to people, leading to tears of joy and sorrow.

This further spurred people to cling to enhancement.

"How do they even come up with such ideas?"

Leo watched Kal, who was enthusiastically hawking his wares, with a look of wonder.

"Leo oppaaaaaaa!"

Chelsea, from afar, called out to Leo and ran towards him at an incredible speed.

"Hah-! Hah-!"

Seeing Chelsea panting, leaning on her knees, Leo looked puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

"Kaal! Where is Kal?"

Seeing Chelsea asking with her breath ragged, Leo pointed to the stage.

"Kal!"

Chelsea called out to Kal.

Thanks to the amplified voice using wind magic, everyone's attention was momentarily drawn to Chelsea.

"Chelsea? What is it?"

Kal asked in a bewildered voice, and Chelsea said in a breathless voice,

"It just got confirmed! Your name has been added to the Hero Record!"

"Huh?"

"What?"

Murmur, murmur, murmur-

At Chelsea's shout, Kal looked dazed, and Eliza's eyes widened.

Everyone around also began to murmur.

"Ho ho?"

Leo's eyes lit up as he stroked his chin.

Seeing Kal, who still looked stunned and unable to grasp the situation, Chelsea stamped her foot impatiently.

"In other words! You've become a hero!"

"Eeeek?!"

Kal let out a cry of disbelief.

At that moment, Elena appeared from behind Chelsea.

"Oh, have you already come to deliver the news? That was fast."

Elena said with a smile, looking at Kal.

"Kal-kun. An emergency meeting of the board has been convened to discuss your promotion to the third year… Judging by the atmosphere, it seems you'll be promoted."

Chelsea's face brightened at Elena's words, spoken with a smile.

Eliza, uncharacteristically, could not hide her surprise and joy.

"Oooooh!"

The spectators, though not fully grasping the situation, began to cheer at the birth of a new hero.

The only one frozen in place, with his mouth agape, was Kal.

Elena smiled at Kal and said,

"So, I look forward to working with you next year, acting student council president."

Kal, seeing the ominous smile that only he could perceive, clutched his head.

"Nooooooo!"

Watching Kal's despair, Leo muttered,

"He succeeded in the promotion enhancement."