Book 1 Chapter 641
641.
“……”
The problem with the 4th and 5th graders is not just a matter of simple unity.
There was a crucial difference between the current 3rd graders and the 4th and 5th graders.
‘These kids lack the obsession to be the best.’
It couldn't be helped.
Just as the 3rd graders had Leo.
The 4th and 5th graders had Elena and Lil.
The difference was that Leo initially walked in step with his peers.
And he continuously made them look at his back.
So that no matter how far away he got, they wouldn't lose sight of the goal.
That’s why the 3rd graders haven’t given up, even with such a vast distance that he is now out of sight.
Right now. Even if it becomes a distant future, they won't be able to reach it.
‘But you never know.’
There’s no law saying they won’t someday stick right behind him and grab onto his back.
But Elena and Lil didn't walk in step with them.
That's why the 4th and 5th graders gave up on chasing Elena and Lil.
And instinctively, they set Elena and Lil as their limit.
It’s not their fault.
Unlike Leo, the two are young enough not to worry about their surroundings.
“They can probably become heroes even like this.”
To have their name recorded in the Hero Record.
That is the goal of hero candidates.
But…
“That’s probably as far as they’ll go.”
‘At this rate, the outcome is obvious.’
Leo knows.
That these are excellent hero candidates.
His seniors will never turn a blind eye to the disasters that will come in the future.
‘They’ll risk everything and fight for the future.’
But can they survive that chaos?
‘There’s a high probability that they’ll end up being sacrificed for the era, like us… like the Heroes of the Great Opening.’
That’s not wrong.
No, it’s actually a very noble and honorable thing.
But…
‘If possible, I’d rather live and see the future.’
During the Era of Disaster, Leo never once dreamed of the future.
Even he himself enjoys and is happy in this current era.
That's why his heart is even heavier.
It would have been even more enjoyable and happier if they had been together…
‘Even if they were revived instead of me, they would have thought the same thing.’
That’s why Leo wished that the future generations would be different from them.
He sincerely wished that his loved ones could move forward into the future together.
The desire for future generations to live a better future.
‘Because that’s what an adult does.’
That’s why Leo decided to be cold.
‘From the moment you set your own limits… it’s truly the end.’
But the future that is coming.
The battlefield they will stand on is not a smooth place where those who set Elena and Lil as their limits can survive.
People grow stronger the more they see.
The higher the goal.
Even if it's so incredibly high that it's out of sight, people can only truly overcome their limits when they reach out their hand towards that goal.
‘Perhaps the seniors can no longer overcome it on their own.’
Their framework has already been set.
After graduation, the limits they set for themselves will become even stronger and bind them.
Even if they overcome their limits, it will take a long time, and they might never overcome them in their lifetime.
‘And I don’t think there will be time to wait that long.’
Then…
“What kind of future are you seeing, exactly?”
Leo smiled at Runba’s question.
“Do you want to know?”
“……”
“Then I’ll tell you.”
Goooooooo-
Gray mana flowed from Leo’s body.
He couldn’t take those who were clearly going to die to the battlefield.
‘Then crushing them thoroughly is the answer. To the point of no recovery.’
That's the only way to break the shell of limits.
If they can rise again even after being crushed like that… only then will they earn the qualification.
“Prove it.”
“What?”
“That you, too, are heroes worthy of a new era.”
***
Luke closed his eyes and concentrated.
Whirrr-! Bang!
“Gah!”
He heard the pained scream of a fellow knight student.
Luke clutched the swords in both hands and recalled what Chen Sia had said a little while ago.
‘I, you know, am the strongest among the 3rd graders, with the exception of just one person, in the dark?’
As if to prove that her words were not empty boast.
Chen Sia began to hunt the 2nd graders, one by one.
‘The scary thing about Sia senior… is that she can’t be found in the dark.’
No matter how much the 2nd graders used detection magic, utilized spirits and summoning, and sharpened their senses, it was impossible to find Chen Sia, who had hidden herself within the veil of darkness.
But…
“Haap!”
Pwahahahak-!
Habidun swung his sword towards Chen Sia, who was targeting him.
Chen Sia avoided Habidun’s attack with fluid movements.
Kiiing-! Kwaang-!
With a huge explosion, Ju-eun, who was being protected by the knight students, fired a magic bullet.
Sasha's phantom beasts surrounded Chen Sia and attacked.
Summoners are largely divided into two categories before elementalists and phantom beasts.
Combat-type summoners who summon powerful summoned beasts and enhance them.
And commander-type summoners who summon countless summoned beasts.
And Sasha was clearly the latter.
Sasha, who had summoned a hundred summoned beasts based on her overwhelming spiritual power, commanded the phantom beasts.
A tight encirclement, like an inescapable net.
But Chen Sia smoothly flowed through the encirclement like water, then vanished back into the darkness.
“She's like a water spirit!”
“Beautiful…”
“Is this really the time to be admiring?!”
Ju-eun gritted her teeth and shouted.
But Chen Sia’s appearance was beautiful enough to make the situation seem out of place.
The water dress draped over Chen Sia’s body, like silk, fluttered beautifully every time she appeared.
When she performed an Aura Step barefoot, she glided across the floor as if a water spirit were running on a lake.
Her gentle touch when attacking.
Honestly, even to Luke, she looked beautiful.
She was so elegant and beautiful that any man couldn’t help but admire her.
But…
Kwaang-!
“Ugh!”
The power of the attack unleashed from her fingertips was terribly brutal.
Chen Sia, who had appeared behind Aina, stretched out her palm and struck Aina’s back.
Like a water bomb exploding.
Aina knelt down and gritted her teeth under the immense water pressure.
They couldn’t attack Chen Sia, who had disappeared into the darkness.
Even if they used light magic, darkness hung over the entire forest, and that darkness was Chen Sia’s world.
But even Chen Sia had to reveal herself when she attacked.
And the 2nd graders didn’t miss that moment, trying to catch Chen Sia.
But Chen Sia calmly slipped through their attacks and disappeared.
They were being hunted unilaterally.
But surprisingly, there was no impatience in the eyes of the 2nd graders.
“Time is on our side!”
Sasha said, covering her mouth with her folding fan.
That was true.
Time was on the 2nd graders’ side.
It was true that Chen Sia had rendered many 2nd graders incapacitated.
It was also true that they were currently helpless.
But Chen Sia was still consuming mana.
Hiding her presence in the darkness inevitably consumed aura.
Naturally, the same applied when attacking.
The number of 2nd graders Chen Sia had to face was in the hundreds, not tens.
If it became a prolonged battle, Chen Sia would get tired.
Then they could win.
As the 2nd graders thought this and focused on defense.
Silver aura began to surge from Luke’s body as he closed his eyes and concentrated.
‘Transcendence.’
Luke’s unique magic that allowed him to go one step beyond his limits.
Luke, who had become a silver flash, charged towards Sasha.
“Eh? Eeh? Kyaaaak!”
“Sorry!”
Sasha shrieked in fright at the flash of light emanating from Luke’s sword.
Luke, who had narrowly grazed Sasha’s side, apologized with sincerity.
“At least that’s better than Aina! She didn’t even apologize to me!”
A surprised Sasha let out a squawk.
Luke, realizing that meant it was somewhat acceptable, let out a small laugh and pursued Chen Sia, who had revealed herself.
“Remarkable concentration.”
Chen Sia smiled and took an Aura Step.
Her white soles splashed-! as they stepped on water, sliding forward.
Incredible speed.
But Luke was confident in his speed.
‘Got her! Caught….’
Luke’s eyes gleamed as he tried to slash Chen Sia’s clothing.
At that moment, Chen Sia evaded Luke’s sword strike.
‘Huh?’
The reason Luke’s sword didn’t reach Chen Sia was simple.
Because Chen Sia was faster than Luke.
But…
‘Why?’
Luke’s face was filled with bewilderment.
Luke was one of the fastest students among the 2nd graders.
He was even evaluated to have the advantage over Chen Sia in pure speed.
Unless he couldn’t grasp her movements in advance?
Until now, he couldn’t pursue Chen Sia because he couldn’t figure out her movement path.
But now it was different.
He had anticipated Chen Sia’s movements and blocked her attack.
In that case, it should have been possible to catch up with Chen Sia now.
But now he was falling behind Chen Sia in speed.
‘Was Sia senior hiding her power?’
As Luke’s face filled with bewilderment, Aina and Habidun were already swinging their swords from both sides of Chen Sia.
Chen Sia stretched out her palms to both sides.
Kwaang-!
The unleashed water aura clashed with Aina and Habidun’s aura.
Aina and Habidun were flung back by the immense impact.
“Ugh?!”
“Wait! This power has increased…?”
Aina and Habidun’s eyes widened.
Chen Sia had already disappeared again.
‘Faster… and stronger?’
Luke stared blankly at where Chen Sia had vanished.
Her movements were calm and carefree, like flowing water.
‘Flowing water…?’
“Ah…!”
Suddenly, Luke let out a scream of horror.
“What’s wrong, Luke?”
Aina asked with a puzzled expression, and Luke replied.
“Flow! It’s the flow!”
“What do you mean?”
As Sasha tilted her head, Luke said urgently.
“Look around! Even though Sia senior attacked, there’s no wet spot anywhere!”
Just as a place swept by fire aura burns.
A place swept by water aura is soaked with water.
But there was no such thing around.
“Sia senior’s aura never scattered! It’s flowing around Sia senior as it is!”
Everyone’s faces hardened as they understood his words.
If fire grows stronger the more it burns. Wind grows stronger the faster it blows, and earth grows stronger the harder it gets.
Similarly, water grows stronger the more it gathers.
But water aura doesn’t flow around the user.
Once used, water spreads in all directions.
That’s why the attack power of a water aura user had a weak point compared to other attributes.
But what if that water continued to flow around the user?
The flow would become more intense, faster, and heavier.
“Time wasn’t on our side!”
As time passed, the destructive power of the aura would dramatically increase.
At the same time Luke finished his words.
“That’s correct.”
Chen Sia appeared from the darkness, her arms spread wide.
“Making water flow around me, that’s my aura’s characteristic.”
Chen Sia smiled gently.
“But if the water’s flow is broken, the water will scatter.”
The flow of water is broken.
That meant an opponent's attack touching the water.
But in the dark, an opponent's attack wouldn't reach.
That's why Chen Sia could confidently say.
‘That I am the strongest in the dark, except for Young Master Leo.’
Chen Sia clenched her fist.
Kuguguooh-!
The massive water aura gathered in Chen Sia’s fist began to rage like an angry wave.
“You never know what someone in the dark will do. They might dig a cowardly trap, or prepare a trump card like now. They’ll fearlessly do things beyond your common sense.”
Chen Sia walked slowly.
“That’s why countless heroes were hunted by traitors living in the darkness, and why shadows have protected heroes.”
Chen Sia smiled faintly.
“If this were a real battle, I could have killed all of you.”
Those words did not sound like an empty boast at all.
Chen Sia’s current appearance was, quite literally, effortlessly shattering the common sense of the 2nd graders up until now.
“So, now it’s time for a scolding, my juniors?”
The 2nd graders were instantly wiped out by Chen Sia.
Sitting alone on a rock, Chen Sia smiled faintly as she flapped-flapped- to shake off the mud from her horse.
“Next time, maybe I’ll dig a trap?”
In the forest, which was devastated as if by a tsunami.
Chen Sia’s innocent smile looked a little eerie.