Book 1 Chapter 684

684.

Crackling, popping-

The bonfire was burning brightly.

In front of it, boys and girls gathered, resting.

“Delicious!”

“Yeah! It’s really delicious! I can eat it endlessly and never get tired of it!”

“I’ve never eaten anything this delicious before!”

Beastkin and Dwarf warrior cadets made happy expressions as they ate the food.

Watching them, Artian covered his mouth.

“Kuh-heup!”

Artian’s eyes were moist as he looked at the warrior cadets.

What the warrior cadets were currently eating was combat rations distributed when embarking on long-term missions from Lumerne.

Regardless of the school, hero cadets often find themselves in extreme situations when deployed on long-term missions.

And to maintain strong mental fortitude over a long period in extreme situations, nutritious meals are essential.

As such, each hero academy puts a lot of effort into creating combat rations that maintain freshness in sub-spatial dimensions.

Hero academy combat rations even have distinct characteristics for each race, to the point where they have become a unique specialty representing their respective schools.

The hero academies themselves were conscious of this, even investing heavily in research and development.

As such, the taste was also guaranteed.

‘This is the biggest difference from our time.’

Leo muttered, chewing on the jerky in the combat rations.

Risinas also did his best to pay attention to supplies.

But in a world already collapsing and leaning towards destruction, there were limits to supplies.

Not even the deceitful savior who led the world to hope.

Nor the eccentric magical genius who showed a brilliant light in despair.

Nor the perverted smith who created weapons praised by the gods.

They couldn't help it with that.

‘How convenient, these kids nowadays.’

Of course, hero cadets aren't simply spoiled by convenience.

There are limits to supplies.

A hero cadet should be tough enough to cut and eat the meat of monsters or magical beasts and purify blood to drink if they don't have immediate food and water.

‘Well, it’s best not to be pushed into such situations in the first place.’

Once the mission began and they tasted Lumerne’s combat rations, the warrior cadets couldn't help but be impressed.

These were warrior cadets born in an era where scarcity was commonplace.

It was common for them to go hungry for two or three days when the situation was bad.

The previous banquet was a very special occasion.

By leaving Ivaldi and coming to the present-day fortress, they had obtained supplies hidden underground and were able to enjoy a brief period of abundance.

Even that was only abundant from Ivaldi’s perspective; from the perspective of a hero cadet living in the current era, it was a very insufficient amount.

In such a situation, when they encountered combat rations intentionally made delicious by Lumerne to reduce student mission stress, it was, in a way, natural for Ivaldi’s warrior cadets to be moved.

Artian, who was soft-hearted, welled up with tears at the sight.

“Tere, aren’t you eating more?”

“No. I’ve eaten a lot.”

Tere, a bear beastkin boy nearly 2 meters tall, smiled awkwardly.

But soon, his stomach rumbled.

“We don’t know when enemies might attack, shouldn’t we eat our fill?”

At Chelsea’s words, who was eating next to him, Tere replied.

“I want my younger sibling to eat it too.”

At his words, Chelsea looked around.

Besides Tere, there were other warrior cadets leaving food behind.

At that sight, tears welled up in Artian’s already moist eyes.

“Everyone! When we return to the fortress, supplies will be distributed, so don’t worry about that…!”

“No! You can’t do that!”

Kanea shook her head in surprise.

“You said supplies, right? We don’t know when those Tartaros guys will invade, so you shouldn’t carelessly provide such things to civilians!”

At her words, Artian flinched and then slumped his shoulders.

“R-right. To let my emotions get ahead of me as a professor… I was foolish.”

“Oh, no, it’s not that. You were thinking of us, weren’t you?”

Kanea said to Artian in a fluster.

The warrior cadets on this reconnaissance mission had not only grown close to the hero cadets but had also come to respect Artian.

As long as it wasn’t fearsome spirits, Artian’s inclusiveness was highly praised even in Lumerne.

In a way, it was natural for the warrior cadets to follow him.

Watching the situation, Leo said.

“Whether you take it to your family or not, it’s something you can do *after* you return alive. Don’t starve yourself for nothing and then be unable to exert power in a desperate situation, dying or holding others back. Just eat.”

At his cold words, the warrior cadets who were leaving food behind flinched and nodded.

“Leo Plov, do you know that sometimes you’re truly horribly cold-hearted?”

Even the cynical Eliza felt pity for the warrior cadets.

She felt it even more keenly because they stood in stark contrast to her, who had lived in an era of abundance.

The same was true for Duran.

In contrast, Leo was surprisingly calm.

‘While Leo Plov doesn’t have a kind personality.’

Rather, Leo’s personality leaned towards the bad side.

He just didn’t show it often.

In a good sense, he was mature, and in a bad sense, he was twisted.

“It’s not a situation for these kids to be swayed by sentiment, so I just gave them advice.”

At his words, Kanea smiled bitterly.

“You’re definitely right.”

Kanea, who agreed with Leo, said as if marveling.

“Looking at Artian-nim, it’s truly amazing.”

“What is?”

“How to put it, it’s like he’s from a different world than us.”

At her words, Artian smiled awkwardly and scratched his cheek.

“Not just Artian-nim, but you all are similar in age to us, aren’t you? But you’re completely different.”

“How are we different?”

“Hmm.”

Kanea thought for a moment, then said.

“Should I say, kind?”

“Even if it’s not me and Leo oppa, these two are far from kind. They have very nasty personalities.”

“If you’re picking a fight, say it directly to me, Chelsea Rualin.”

“I don’t think you, who can’t even match 1\/10th of Abbad Rualin’s character, have any right to speak?”

Duran spoke menacingly, and Eliza retorted coldly.

“In my opinion, all three of you have bad personalities, so stop fighting.”

Leo shrugged.

Watching him, Kanea chuckled, “Ahaha,” and said.

“Being kind isn’t about personality. Hmm… should I say, altruistic?”

Kanea nodded.

“You’re fighting for others, aren’t you? That’s what’s amazing.”

“You, and even the warriors of Ivaldi, fight to protect the fortress, don’t you?”

“That’s… because we’re like one big family.”

A family formed on a grand scale.

It was natural to help each other.

Because if they didn’t, they would die.

But they couldn't help but be wary of outsiders.

It was only because Dweno, Ivaldi’s leader, vouched for their identity that they became close so quickly.

Normally, getting this close would have been impossible.

Among the warrior cadets, very few have biological parents.

If not for Enniha, who ran Ivaldi’s orphanage.

If not for Dweno, who sponsored Enniha.

Most of the warrior cadets here would not have survived.

In that sense, they were brothers and sisters who had parents in Dweno and Enniha.

“It’s amazing that you, who have no connection to us, fight for us to this extent. If we were in the opposite situation… the old me would definitely have ignored you. We’re really… mean, aren’t we?”

Led by Kanea, the warrior cadets looked embarrassed.

“When I look at you, I feel like you’re shining.”

Kanea’s face darkened.

“You’re different from us.”

Seeing Kanea’s darkened expression, Leo said.

“What about the current you?”

“What?”

“What about the current you, after meeting us? Even if the situation were reversed now, would you ignore us?”

“No.”

“Then that’s what matters.”

Kanea and the warrior cadets of Ivaldi, born in the age of calamity, simply hadn’t known.

That there was also this way of living in the world.

It’s not wrong to ignore the crisis of others.

‘Even more so in this era.’

It was an era where they didn’t know how to act that way, and couldn’t survive if they lived that way.

As far as Leo knew, there was only one person born in this dark era who could shine brightly.

‘Verkia.’

Verkia, one of his disciples, was someone who illuminated his surroundings like the sun.

‘That’s why he was special.’

Even Aron couldn't do that.

“What you were like in the past isn’t important. It’s that you’ve changed now.”

Leo chuckled.

“You’ve changed and taken a step forward, you’ve grown. That’s a great thing, so be proud.”

At Leo’s words, Kanea scratched her cheek.

“As expected, you have a similar feeling to us.”

Kanea felt that the only person she felt a sense of camaraderie with in this group was Leo.

Of course…

“It’s only a similar feeling, but otherwise, completely different.”

Aside from the camaraderie, they were completely different.

“How to put it, looking at you is like looking at Dweno-nim.”

‘Good intuition.’

“The old me would definitely have fallen for you! But now! I’m completely smitten with Khal!”

“That Khal fellow. He’s popular.”

At Leo’s murmur, Duran said.

“Hmph. As he’s also a hero, it means he has a charm that draws others in.”

“Why are you complimenting Khal for once?”

“I merely stated a fact.”

Duran snorted and said.

“If he has charm as a man, from my perspective, I welcome it.”

At Duran’s words, Leo made a strange expression.

“What is it? That unpleasant look?”

“Your taste was that way?”

“If you’re picking a fight, I welcome it, Leo Plov.”

Seeing Duran growl fiercely, Leo raised both hands.

“I apologize. But why do you welcome it?”

“Though he’s more than my sister deserves, I merely consider him a candidate for her husband. So as her brother, I said I welcome it.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

At Eliza’s question, Duran said indifferently.

“Nonsense? Khal Thomas is a citizen of Moira. I am the lord of Moira. As a king, considering marriage with royalty to retain excellent talent is a basic of basics. I never dreamed that the heir of Hergin wouldn’t know something so simple.”

Eliza’s shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

“Why are you upset, Eliza Hergin?”

Watching that, Chelsea muttered to herself.

‘Does that Duran guy know what he’s doing, or is he ignorant?’

Chelsea shook her head and looked at Leo.

“Leo Oppa. Is something bothering you?”

“More than ten days have passed since the reconnaissance began.”

“Yeah. That’s right. We’ve already searched every nook and cranny up to the Wall of Constraints.”

At Chelsea’s words, Artian said.

“It seems to be well hidden.”

The surrounding area of the fortress enclosed by the Wall of Constraints wasn’t that wide.

‘It’s also concerning that the Giath guy isn’t visible.’

Not just Giath.

The Giant King’s legion itself was nowhere to be seen.

‘That means they’ve gone outside the Wall of Constraints.’

Is that possible? Leo wondered, then formed a hypothesis.

The inside of the Wall of Constraints is a realm of reality, but it’s also a realm of a dungeon.

In other words, a place where reality and the dungeon world intersect.

The laws of the dungeon apply there.

And Leo knew a way to disregard the laws of the Legion’s world, or more accurately, the Hero’s world.

‘The method of using divine power.’

Just as Leo had used divine power to bring Luna and Aron out into the real world.

Tartaros might also be able to use Erebus’s power to bring those from the Legion’s world outside.

‘Was that previous invasion… to reduce numbers?’

Recalling the previous invasion, Leo clicked his tongue.

What the Giant King’s legion, having gone outside, would do was obvious.

‘Reinforce their strength.’

It would come soon.

A large-scale invasion incomparable to actual history.

‘If I destroy the Legion’s record before that, it should solve the problem.’

But no entrance to the Legion’s world could be found in this surrounding area.

Leo, having thought that far, stealthily turned his head.

The direction was where Ivaldi’s fortress was located.

‘Is the entrance inside the fortress?’