Book 1 Chapter 775

As Leo was sucked in as if swept away by a strong current, the moment he felt gravity again.

*Crash-*

Leo crashed straight to the floor.

*Snap-*

Leo tightened his grip on his sword and scanned his surroundings with red eyes.

'…It's hot.'

Wearing thick clothes due to the abnormal temperature, Leo felt an overwhelming, stifling heat.

'A jungle?'

Just a moment ago, he was in Daeng.

But now, Leo was in the middle of a dense jungle.

Not feeling Nix's presence, Leo relaxed his stance.

And then.

*Swish- swish-*

Something descended from the sky.

Leo grabbed it.

'Hero Record?'

It was his final chapter, which had just been burnt.

'This definitely turned into ice a moment ago….'

Leo looked back with a puzzled expression.

And he found the ice mirror he had tried to cut earlier.

'…If I can sense its energy, this is also a Hero Record.'

Leo narrowed his brow and cautiously touched the mirror with his sword tip.

*Thrum-*

Ripples spread across the mirror's surface, like a calm lake.

"What in the world is this situation?"

As Leo looked bewildered.

"Suspicious individual!"

*Whoosh-*

From behind, a large voice sounded, and the sound of a fist cutting through the wind approached.

Leo reached out and blocked the fist.

*Crash-*

The fist was blocked by Leo's palm.

However, a massive shockwave, caused by the clash of strength against strength, engulfed the surroundings.

Leo looked at the beastman who had thrown the large fist and tilted his head.

"Boruman of Azonia?"

"Hoho? You know who I am and you're still so calm! You've got guts!"

Watching Boruman snort dismissively, Leo frowned.

"What are you talking about. You don't know who I am…."

Just then, a bear beastman attacked from behind Leo.

"This is a restricted area, what are you doing here!"

With a fierce voice, a large palm swung towards Leo.

Tavon, a third-year at Azonia.

Boruman and Tavon.

Both were students in the third-year top at Azonia.

*Bang-*

Leo kicked out and blocked Tavon's attack.

"No…!"

"Why the sudden attack? And where is this place? Is Ardo here too?"

"You know Ardo?"

"Ardo is here too…"

"Then go and get that guy."

Seeing Leo calmly block their attacks, Boruman and Tavon stepped back with wary expressions.

They seemed to realize Leo had no intention of fighting.

Just then.

"Suspicious person spotted! Boruman! Tavon! What are you spacing out about!"

A familiar voice was heard.

Leo turned his head, and there was Ardo, with his arms crossed, looking displeased, his tail swaying.

"Ardo! This person says they know you?"

"Huh?"

Ardo opened his eyes sharply and looked Leo up and down.

Then he tilted his head.

"He's my type of face, but I've never seen him before!"

'What did he say?'

Leo felt something was strange.

'Is it an illusion?'

He had felt it was strange from the reactions of Boruman and Tavon.

But it was only after Ardo's reaction that he became certain something was wrong.

No matter how foolish Ardo was, he wouldn't forget him.

Thinking so, Leo sharpened his senses.

'What is it?'

Leo frowned as he felt no trace of the usual illusionary sensation.

Just then.

As expected, Dion, the vice-captain of the Azonia third-years, a wolf beastman Leo knew, and Ruwen, the third-ranked fox beastman, appeared.

Ruwen narrowed his eyes, observed Leo, and then said, noticing something in Leo's hand.

"Excuse me. Isn't that a Hero Record?"

"Huh? Could it be Master Kyle's Hero Record?"

Ardo's eyes widened.

"If he snuck in here to get Master Kyle's Hero Record, isn't there a chance he's a Hero Hunter?"

At Dion's words, Boruman and Tavon looked tense.

"His skills were certainly unusual."

"And he spoke as if he knew us."

'I seem to have caused a misunderstanding.'

Leo clicked his tongue lightly.

'Either way, the fact that I have to take them down hasn't changed.'

"Boruman!"

"Huh?"

*Pow!*

"Cough?!"

Leo's punch, imbued with aura, struck Boruman's side.

Boruman fell to his knees.

Tavon quickly tried to attack Leo, but Leo was faster, appearing behind Tavon and striking the back of his neck with the back of his hand.

*Thwack!*

"Gasp?!"

Just as Boruman and Tavon, who were instantly subdued, were about to lose consciousness.

*Flash-*

A bright light burst from their bodies, and they regained consciousness and counter-attacked Leo.

Leo, dodging the counter-attack, glanced at Ruwen.

Ruwen, forming a mudra with his fingers, glared at Leo.

*Tap-*

As Leo landed, plants grew around him and attacked him.

It was Ruwen's magic.

"You used magic for an Azonia student?"

Leo smirked.

Moreover, he wasn't just skilled in offensive magic.

He was a very competent mage who handled healing and support magic at an expert level.

*Crash-*

Leo kicked off the ground and closed the distance to Ruwen at incredible speed.

Just then.

*Clang-*

Dion swung his battle axe at Leo.

Leo, holding his sword, parried the battle axe.

*Clang-*

"Kuhk?!"

Dion's eyes were filled with shock.

"Where did such a skilled person come from…!"

Leo, who had knocked Dion away, kicked off the ground again.

And then, a smooth leg struck Leo's face.

*Thump! CRASH-*

Leo blocked Ardo's kick with his hand and felt his hand go numb.

Ardo snorted and grinned.

"This looks fun!"

And then, revealing his fighting spirit, he attacked Leo.

*Whoosh-*

Ardo's sharp kicks and punches aimed at Leo from all sides.

Dodging the attacks, Leo narrowed his eyes.

'He's different from the Ardo I know.'

Much more feral.

'Like Arion.'

Thinking so, Leo lunged into Ardo's embrace.

"Hah!"

As Ardo hastily tried to retreat.

*Snap-*

"Nyaaaaaaaak! My tail!"

When Leo yanked his tail, Ardo lunged as if to devour him.

*WHOOSH! WHOOSH!*

"Niaaaaaaaak?!"

Leo grabbed Ardo's tail, spun it around, and then threw him towards Ruwen.

"Wh-what… Kyaaaaaaaak?!"

Ruwen, tangled with Ardo, rolled on the ground.

*BAM-*

"How dare you touch a lady's tail… her tail…!"

Ardo, who had sprung to his feet, trembled and glared.

"Kuhuuuuhurrrrrrrrrrrng-!"

A massive roar echoed.

'Howling.'

And then the Azonia students began to sign language.

Seeing that, Leo clenched and unclenched his fingers.

'Is this how it feels when your cat hisses?'

***

*Thud-*

"Ugh?!"

Dion rolled on the ground.

It was instant. Five Azonia students were rolling on the ground.

"Kiiiik!"

Ardo tried to stand up, baring his teeth and claws.

*Snap-*

"Gasp?!"

At that moment, Leo firmly stepped on Ardo's stomach.

Ardo, who had been glaring up at Leo with a fierce expression, flinched.

His body recoiled as his eyes met Leo's red eyes looking down at him.

But then, gritting his teeth, he glared.

Looking down at Ardo, whose stubbornness had kicked in, Leo clenched and unclenched his fist.

'What in the world is this?'

This situation was clearly not real.

But no matter how much he sharpened his senses with his extrasensory perception, his senses told him this situation was real.

Leo glanced at the ice mirror.

The Azonia students didn't notice the mirror at all.

"You… what is your true identity!"

Ardo asked fiercely, and Leo replied.

"I'm a student from Lumern."

"Don't be ridiculous! If there was a monster like you in Lumern, it wouldn't be a secret!"

"You're quite noisy."

"Huk?!"

As Leo increased the pressure on his foot, which was stepping on Ardo's stomach, a sound like escaping air came from Ardo's mouth.

At that moment.

*Fwoosh-*

Leo moved his sword as he saw a palm strike towards his face.

*Crash-*

Leo's body was thrown back as he barely blocked the attack with his sword.

*Whirr-* *Tap-*

Landing on the ground, Leo felt his hand tremble from the shock transmitted through his sword.

'What power….'

Leo frowned and looked up at the one who had attacked him.

It was a black wolf beastman with sparkling silver eyes.

'I've never seen him before!'

He was wearing the Azonia uniform, but Leo had never seen such a student.

He couldn't possibly forget someone capable of such a powerful attack.

"Senior Kar!"

Ardo's face lit up.

"Are you alright, Ardo?"

"Yes!"

Seeing Ardo nod fiercely with shining eyes, Leo felt a strange emotion.

To Leo, Kar said in a low voice.

"How dare you attack my juniors?"

Seeing the black wolf beastman baring his teeth fiercely, Leo said indifferently.

"Your juniors attacked me first."

Leo replied nonchalantly and rested his sword on his shoulder.

Kar's gaze shifted to Leo's hand.

Kar's silver eyes turned even more ferocious.

"Give it back."

At those words, Leo chuckled.

"Give it back? I'm sorry, but this is mine."

*Snap-*

The moment the answer ended, Kar closed the distance to Leo with incredible speed.

*CRASH-*

*KUGA GAGAGAGANG-*

The Azonia students' mouths gaped open.

Trees were uprooted and the ground was overturned by the shockwave created as Leo was thrown back.

"He's… he's dead, right?"

"This is the first time I've seen Senior Kar so angry."

As Boruman mumbled, Ruwen looked blank.

*Thump- thump-*

At that moment, Leo walked out of the ruins.

Seeing that, Dion looked horrified.

"What a monstrous…!"

Leo rolled his shoulders and clicked his tongue.

And then he looked at Kar.

With a fierce expression, Leo charged straight towards Kar.

*Crash-*

Leo, who had bounced Kar away just as he had done to him, pursued the flying Kar.

*Flash-*

Leo's sword gleamed.

At some point, Kar also drew his sword and parried Leo's sword, which was swinging towards him.

*CRASH-*

The clash of flame aura and silver aura.

*KAGAGAK-*

Leo was pushed back in the battle of sword against sword.

*KUGA GAK-*

Leo let his sword flow.

And then, spinning his body, he used magic.

*WHOOSH-*

Flame magic engulfed Kar.

Kar took the flame magic head-on and charged towards Leo.

'This guy.'

Leo's eyes twitched.

For a moment, Kar's image overlapped with someone.

Leo unleashed gray aura.

And seeing the gray aura formed on Leo's sword, Kar's eyes widened.

*CRASH-*

The clash of aura against aura.

But there was no rough exchange like before.

"Huh?"

Upon seeing Leo's aura, a blank voice came from Kar's mouth.

Leo also looked at Kar's golden aura with a confused expression.

Their eyes met with Kar's eyes, which had turned golden.

"Ah… Ah…"

*Clang.*

Kar dropped his sword.

The color of the aura he could never forget.

How could he forget?

That color that had given him courage countless times.

The color he had been searching for endlessly since his rebirth.

How many times had his hope of waking up under the same sky as him been dashed?

How many tears had he shed?

Was this time wrong too? Was it just speculation?

Fear struck him at the thought, but.

The wolf beastman uttered the name in a choked voice.

"Kyle…"

The hero, still a coward even after being reborn, piteously called out his friend's name, his face begging for a response.

"You're Kyle, right?"