Book 1 Chapter 635

635.

[Roar!]

[They're coming! Fall back! Fall back!]

[Waaah! Don't come this wayyyyy! Go over there!]

[Hey! That's cheating!]

[Aaaargh!]

The frontline warriors who stepped forward to stop Leo were in a terrible state.

The professors watching the horrific scene of devastation unfold before their eyes couldn't help but cover their faces.

Especially the professors of the Knight Department, who were responsible for the 4th and 5th graders, looked even more miserable.

Leo, unleashing howls without rest and crushing the seniors' will to fight, pushed them forward like a typhoon.

Overwhelmed by Leo's terrifying appearance, the 4th and 5th graders were helplessly swept away.

Even so, as expected of those who had advanced to the 4th and 5th grades in Lumern, they were effectively stopping Leo.

The lack of coordination, which was considered a weakness of the 4th and 5th graders, was not a major problem yet.

'Not yet.'

Harind watched Leo on the screen.

Leo's fighting style was clearly different from his previous one.

'Never lose composure under any circumstances, find the opponent's weakness, and exploit it.'

Leo, who usually did that, was now pushing his opponents with a ferocity that seemed almost crude.

'He's openly revealing his attack strategy.'

There's a surprisingly simple way to deal with an enemy who charges at you as if to crush everything in front of them.

Simply dodge the charging enemy at the last moment and strike a fatal blow to their exposed side.

The 4th and 5th graders would plan based on this.

But what if that plan fails?

'From then on, it will be decided by how well they coordinate.'

If they fail to exploit an enemy with a clear attack method, two things will happen.

'Either they will regroup and try again, or they will falter.'

With a clear leader, they can rethink their strategy.

But what if there is no such leader?

'The moment opinions clash, cracks will begin to form.'

That's precisely what Leo is aiming for.

'The 4th and 5th graders still have some leeway.'

Except for the initial surprise attack, none of the students were rendered combat-ineffective and declared dead in vain, despite being thoroughly dominated by Leo.

They might be crying for him not to come at them, but if they were truly in serious trouble, they wouldn't be able to make such sounds.

'It will be soon. When they really hit a wall.'

Having thought that far, Harind turned his head.

On that screen, he could see the freshmen looking for keys.

***

"Wow~ I'm totally famous now, aren't I?"

Kal burst into laughter, looking up at the blue sky, standing on one of the countless uninhabited islands within Lake Lumeria.

"Hundreds of Lumern freshmen are going on a large-scale raid just to catch me. Hmph. It's me, alright. I deserve to be called a hero."

Kal, twirling the key in his hand like a pencil, suddenly knelt and placed his hands on the ground.

"Hero, my foot! This is just a beating!"

Even as freshmen, they were Lumern freshmen, all of whom were geniuses!

And not just one, but a whopping 500 of them!

During the entrance exams of the current 2nd graders, who could be considered his direct juniors.

Kal had faced juniors targeting him before, but never hundreds of them.

'Besides, strictly speaking, those guys back then were examinees, not admitted students!'

The difference between students who passed the Lumern entrance exam and those who didn't is enormous.

'The professors said they would help students realize their shortcomings, but actually, the biggest shortcoming of freshmen is obvious.'

Despairing, Kal let out a deep sigh.

'Overconfidence in their abilities. And absolute faith in their specs.'

No matter how talented they were, they were ultimately inexperienced youngsters.

As such, the freshmen all had a narrow view of the world.

'Leo wasn't like that, though. Well, he's a complete anomaly, so he's an exception.'

*Thump-* Kal sat down cross-legged, cupped his chin, and began to assess the current situation.

'Professor Harind chose me for a reason, and it's only one: when they actually fight me, I'll seem easy to them as freshmen.'

Although he had earned the title of hero, Kal's actual combat power was not that high.

There would likely be some freshmen who thought they could fight him.

Kal looked around.

'The terrain is advantageous to me. Since it's not open ground, I can prepare many things. Even so…'

Kal let out a hollow laugh.

'I think I could handle about 100 people, but 500 people… Isn't this too harsh?'

After grumbling internally for a moment, Kal threw the key in his hand with all his might.

The key flew far, then suddenly flashed and dropped into Kal's palm.

"Hmm. It seems impossible to hide or detach the key."

Nodding, Kal got up with a "Hocha-".

"Well, strictly speaking, it's not about defeating 500 people, but about tag, right? I just need to avoid getting caught as much as possible. Besides, this is uninhabited island. It's Island No. 1."

The islands in Lake Lumeria, except for the Dragon Island, were referred to by numbers by the students.

Island No. 1 meant the largest island.

"That means there's plenty of time to prepare."

Kal spun the key with his finger with a "Wheeeel-" and smiled.

"Now, shall I show my juniors what Lumern is all about? Uwuhahaha!"

Kal entered the forest, laughing sinisterly.

***

"First, let's find Senior Sia."

On a beautiful sandy beach, Luke, who was admiring Lake Lumeria, said to the 2nd graders behind him.

Aina, who had been staring intently at the dense forest, nodded at his words.

The 2nd graders were all currently on the sandy beach of an uninhabited island.

Despite being a lake, this island had a sandy beach.

"Wow~ The seniors were right. Island No. 6 is perfect for a swim!"

Juen exclaimed, looking around.

Habiden squinted at Juen, who said that.

"You seem awfully carefree. The person we have to face is Senior Chen Sia."

"I know. I know. I was just saying!"

Juen opened his eyes lazily.

Shasha, standing next to Juen, stared intently into the forest and said,

"By the way, it looks completely dark in there."

Even though the sun was high in the sky, the forest on the uninhabited island was as dark as night.

This was because the dense forest blocked the sunlight.

"This is troubling."

El Jayne muttered with a serious voice, and Aina looked puzzled.

"Is there a problem?"

Fritz, from the Magic Department's Shadow division, answered the question.

"There is a problem. A very big one."

"Huh?"

"The problem is that we have to face Senior Chen Sia."

"Ah."

Aina's eyes widened as she understood Fritz's words.

Luke, who didn't understand, looked confused.

"Aina, what does Fritz mean?"

"Darkness is the battlefield of shadows."

"Ah…"

At Aina's answer, Luke's face also became serious.

The other 2nd graders looked confused at their reactions.

"Even though Senior Sia is the princess of Shan… is she really that serious to warrant such a reaction?"

"If it were Senior Celia and Senior Duran, it would be relatively easier than Senior Sia."

Compared to Celia and Duran, who possessed wide-ranging attacks even though they were from the Knight Department, Chen Sia was certainly less of a burden.

It wasn't that Chen Sia was weaker than Celia and Duran, but rather a difference in their aura tendency.

After all, the water aura that Chen Sia wielded was an aura with a strong defensive tendency.

El Jayne scoffed at his classmates' words.

"You don't know how terrifying shadows are in the dark, so you say things like that."

There was no way they, who had just become 2nd graders, had ever witnessed a shadow battle.

"I see. This is what the professors meant by our areas for improvement."

Habiden narrowed his eyes.

Juen nodded at his words.

"A battle with a Hero Hunter."

In fact, Lumern 2nd graders rarely faced Hero Hunters.

Yet, being made to experience this from the first day of school.

"For some reason, I have a feeling that our 2nd-year life will be rough too."

*Tak-* Shasha, who had folded her fan, let out a small sigh.

Aina said,

"Standing here won't do any good. Let's go find Senior Sia first."

At her words, the 2nd graders nodded.

"Form ranks. So you can respond to surprise attacks anytime, anywhere!"

"El! Fritz! Form a reconnaissance team!"

The 2nd graders began to prepare quickly.

Meanwhile, Luke shivered as he looked into the dark forest.

"For some reason, I'm getting goosebumps."

***

"As expected, our 3rd graders are very capable. To find us so quickly."

Elena was clapping her hands with a smile.

Elena, perched on her staff with her legs crossed, looked at the 3rd graders surrounding them with a relaxed expression.

"That's unexpected."

Celia stepped forward and said,

"I didn't expect you to be waiting so boldly. I thought you'd use guerrilla tactics… Is this perhaps a trap?"

Watching Celia cautiously survey the surroundings, Elena, who had been clapping, widened her eyes.

Then, resting her elbows on her knees and propping her chin, Elena frowned with a petulant expression.

"I was wondering what the shortcomings of our perfect 3rd-grade juniors were… So this is it. Well, their goal is too brilliant."

Elena grumbled, looking at the 3rd graders with displeasure.

"So brilliant it blinds them."

As the 3rd graders looked confused at her cryptic words.

"Here, my juniors, this is what you want, right?"

Elena took out a key from her pocket.

"Try and take it."

*Flash-!*

"Oh my?"

A powerful lightning strike swept through.

"Aren't you being too aggressive?"

Duran, who had somehow appeared right in front of Elena, reached out towards the key.

As Duran snorted and tried to snatch the key from Elena's hand.

*Whash-!*

'When did that happen!'

Duran's face stiffened slightly as a massive hunk of metal filled his vision.

*Kwagagagagag-!* *Ujjeuk!* *Kwadeuk!* *Wajijik!* *Kwang!*

The battle hammer, swung with terrifying force, struck Duran's face.

Duran, who was sent flying, managed to stop after breaking a few trees.

*Pajijik-* *Pajijijik-*

Duran, protecting himself with his Aura Armor, got up.

But soon, his legs gave out, and he staggered.

*Thump-!*

Everyone's gaze turned to the person slamming the battle hammer onto the ground.

"You cannot touch Senior Elena or the key without my permission."

The 3rd graders swallowed dryly at the emotionless voice of Lil, who was usually kind and good-natured.

They could feel an overwhelming charisma.

As Lil was overwhelming the 3rd graders with his presence alone.

"Our Lil is so reliable, isn't he?"

*Thump-*

"Nghhh?!"

Elena, who had hugged Lil from behind, placed her hands on Lil's chest.

"Uh… Senior Elena. This is an important moment where I'm showing my juniors the dignity of a senior… Heeeyk?!"

"Oh my? I find your flustered look cuter than your dignified one, Lil?"

Lil pouted at Elena's touch.

The male 3rd graders coughed and looked away.

Elena, resting her chin on Lil's shoulder and giggling, widened her eyes as she saw them, then glanced down and muttered,

"Ah, I've found a safe place to keep the key."

"A safe place?"

As Lil tilted his head in confusion, Elena smiled wickedly at the 3rd graders.

"You know, Lil looks thin when he wears clothes? He's actually very well-endowed."

Elena, with a witch-like smile, suddenly slipped her hand holding the key into Lil's uniform top.

"Ugh! S-Senior!"

When Elena pulled her hand out, Lil recoiled, clutching his chest in shock.

Seeing Lil like that, Elena smiled brightly.

"With this, the male students can never touch the key."

"Yes? Will this method work?"

Lil tilted his head.

The male students' mouths dropped open.

"Of course, it will work."

Elena giggled and climbed onto her staff.

"Now, Lil, can I ask you to be the vanguard?"

"I'm not confident, but I will do my best."

"You're reliable."

Elena rose high into the sky on her staff.

*Gooo-!*

Spiritual energy began to ripple from Lil's body.

"3rd graders."

*Tak-*

Lil, holding the battle hammer in both hands, said in a low voice.

"I will show you the fear of a senior."