Book 1 Chapter 775
775
The moment Leo, who was being sucked in as if swept away by a current, felt gravity again.
Thump-!
Leo slammed straight into the ground.
Clang-!
Leo, gripping his sword tightly, scanned his surroundings with red eyes.
‘…It’s hot.’
Leo, who had been wearing thick clothes due to the abnormal temperature, felt the scorching heat wash over him.
‘Jungle?’
He had been in Deang just moments ago.
But now, Leo was in the middle of a dense jungle.
Not feeling Nix’s energy, Leo relaxed his posture.
Along with that.
Flutter-flutter-
Something floated down from the sky.
Leo grasped it.
‘Hero Record?’
It was his own final chapter, burned.
‘This definitely turned into ice just now…’
Leo, feeling puzzled, looked back.
And he discovered the ice mirror he had been about to cut earlier.
‘…Judging by the energy, this is also a Hero Record.’
Leo furrowed his brows and cautiously touched the mirror with the tip of his sword.
Boing-!
Ripples spread across the mirror’s surface, like a calm lake.
“What in the world is going on here?”
As Leo made a bewildered expression.
“Suspicious fellow!”
Whoosh-!
From behind, a loud voice and the sound of a fist cutting through the wind approached.
Leo reached out and blocked the fist.
Thump-!
The fist was blocked by Leo’s palm.
However, a massive shockwave, caused by the clash of power, engulfed the surroundings.
Leo looked at the beastman who had thrown the large fist and tilted his head.
“Borman of Azonia?”
“Hoho? You know who I am and yet you’re so calm! You’ve got guts, kid!”
Leo frowned, watching Borman snort, “Hmph!”
“What are you talking about? You don’t know who I am…”
Just then, a bear beastman lunged at Leo from behind.
“This is a restricted area! What are you doing here?!”
With a fierce voice, a large palm tried to strike Leo.
Tabon, a third-year at Azonia.
Borman and Tabon.
Both were students who ranked at the top of their third year at Azonia.
Slam-!
Leo extended his leg and blocked Tabon’s attack.
“No…!”
“Why the sudden attack? And where is this place? Is Ar here too?”
“You know Ar?”
“Ar is here, but…”
“Then call him over.”
Borman and Tabon, seeing Leo calmly block their attacks, exchanged wary glances and stepped back.
It seemed they realized Leo had no intention of fighting.
Just then.
“Suspicious person found! Borman! Tabon! What are you just standing there for?!”
A familiar voice was heard.
Leo turned his head to see Ar, arms crossed, tail wagging, with an annoyed expression.
“Ar! This person says he knows you?”
“Huh?”
Ar’s eyes narrowed fiercely, and she scrutinized Leo from head to toe.
Then she tilted her head.
“His face is to my liking, but I’ve never seen this human before?”
‘What did she say?’
Leo felt something was off.
‘Is it an illusion?’
He had felt something was strange ever since he saw Borman and Tabon’s reactions.
But it was after seeing Ar’s reaction that he was sure something was wrong.
No matter how foolish Ar was, she wouldn’t forget him.
Thinking that, Leo sharpened his senses.
‘What is it?’
Leo frowned, as he felt none of the unique sensations of an illusion.
Just then.
As expected, Dion, the wolf beastman who was the vice-chief of Azonia’s third year, and Ruwen, the fox beastman who was ranked third, appeared.
Ruwen narrowed her eyes, observing Leo, then discovered something in Leo’s hand and spoke.
“Excuse me. Isn’t that a Hero Record?”
“Huh? Surely not Sir Kyle’s Hero Record?”
Ar’s eyes widened.
“If he snuck in here to get Sir Kyle’s Hero Record, isn’t there a chance he’s a Hero Hunter?”
At Dion’s words, Borman and Tabon made tense expressions.
“His skill certainly wasn’t ordinary.”
“He also spoke as if he knew us.”
‘I seem to have caused an unnecessary misunderstanding.’
Leo lightly clicked his tongue.
‘Regardless, defeating them remains the same.’
“Borman!”
“Huh?”
Slam-!
“Cough?!”
Leo’s fist, imbued with aura, struck Borman’s side.
Borman collapsed to his knees.
Tabon hurriedly tried to attack Leo, but Leo was faster, appearing behind Tabon and striking the back of his neck with the back of his hand.
Thwack-!
“Gasp?!”
Just as Borman and Tabon, instantly subdued, were about to lose consciousness.
Flash-!
A bright light burst from their bodies, and they quickly regained their senses and counterattacked Leo.
Leo, dodging the counterattack, glanced at Ruwen.
Ruwen, forming hand signs with her fingers, was glaring at Leo.
Thud-!
As he landed on the ground, plants grew around him and attacked Leo.
It was Ruwen’s magic.
“You used magic for an Azonia student, didn’t you?”
Leo curled the corners of his mouth.
Furthermore, she wasn’t just skilled in offensive magic.
She was a highly capable mage, also handling recovery and support magic at an expert level.
Crash-!
Leo pushed off the ground, rapidly closing the distance with Ruwen.
Just then.
Crunch-!
Dion swung a battle-axe at Leo.
Leo, holding his sword, parried the battle-axe.
Clang-!
“Gah?!”
Dion’s eyes widened in shock.
“Where did such a skilled person come from?!”
Leo, who had sent Dion flying, once again pushed off the ground.
At the same time, a sleek leg swept towards Leo’s face.
Thump-! Boom-!
Leo blocked Ar’s kick with his hand, feeling his hand tingle.
Ar snorted, “Hmph-!” then grinned.
“This should be fun!”
And revealing her fighting spirit, she lunged at Leo.
Whoosh-!
Ar’s sharp kicks and punches aimed at Leo from all directions.
Dodging the attacks, Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘She’s different from the Ar I know.’
Much more feral.
‘Like Arion.’
Thinking that, Leo dove into Ar’s embrace.
“Gasp!”
As Ar hastily tried to retreat.
Clang-!
“Nyaaaaaak! My tail!”
As Leo pulled her tail, Ar lunged at him as if to devour him.
Whoosh-! Whoosh-!
“N-yaaaaaaak?!”
Leo, holding Ar’s tail, swung her around and around, then threw her directly at Ruwen.
“W-what…? Kyaaaaaak?!”
Ruwen, entangled with Ar, tumbled onto the ground.
Thud-
“How dare you touch a lady’s tail… my tail…!”
Ar, who had sprung to her feet, trembled and then her eyes widened.
“Grrrrroooowwwllll-!”
A massive roar echoed.
‘Howling.’
With that, the Azonia students began to transform into beast forms.
Seeing that, Leo clenched and unclenched his fingers.
“Is this how it feels when your pet cat hisses?”
***
Thump-!
“Gasp?!”
Dion rolled on the ground.
All five Azonia students were on the ground in an instant.
“Kiiieeeek!”
Ar bared her teeth and claws, trying to get up.
Clang-!
“Cough?!”
At that moment, Leo pressed down hard on Ar’s stomach with his foot.
Ar, who had been looking up at Leo with a fierce expression, flinched.
Her body instinctively recoiled as her eyes met the red eyes staring down at her.
But soon, she gritted her teeth and glared.
Looking down at Ar, whose stubbornness had been triggered, Leo clenched and unclenched his fist.
‘What the hell is this?’
This situation was clearly not real.
But no matter how sharply he honed his senses with super-perception, his senses told him this situation was real.
Leo subtly glanced at the ice mirror.
The Azonia students didn’t seem to notice the mirror at all.
“You… what’s your true identity!”
When Ar fiercely asked, Leo replied.
“I’m a Lumerne student.”
“Don’t make me laugh! If there was a monster like you in Lumerne, there’s no way the rumors wouldn’t have spread!”
“You’re really noisy.”
“Huuuuk?!”
As Leo put more force into the foot pressing on Ar’s stomach, a sound of air escaping burst from Ar’s mouth.
At that moment.
Whoosh-!
Leo saw a palm rushing towards his face and moved his sword instantly.
Boom-!
Leo’s body was flung back, barely blocking the attack with his sword.
Swish-! Thud-!
Landing on the ground, Leo felt his hand tremble from the shock traveling up the sword.
‘What power…’
Leo frowned and looked up at his attacker.
It was a black wolf beastman with gleaming silver eyes.
‘Never seen this guy before?’
He was wearing the Azonia uniform, but Leo had no recollection of such a student.
It was impossible for him to forget someone capable of an attack with such power.
“Senior Kar!”
Ar’s face brightened.
“Are you okay, Ar?”
“Yes!”
Leo felt a strange sensation looking at Ar, who nodded vigorously with sparkling eyes.
Kar lowered his voice and spoke to Leo.
“How dare you attack my juniors?”
Leo spoke nonchalantly, looking at the black wolf beastman who bared his teeth fiercely.
“Your juniors attacked me first.”
Leo answered indifferently, slinging his sword over his shoulder.
Kar’s gaze went to Leo’s hand.
Kar’s silver eyes became even more ferocious.
“Give that back.”
At his words, Leo chuckled.
“Give it back? Sorry, but this is mine.”
Clang-!
As soon as his answer ended, Kar closed the distance with Leo at incredible speed.
Crraash-!
Kugagagagagang-!
The Azonia students’ mouths dropped open.
Trees were uprooted and the ground overturned by the shockwave created as Leo was flung back.
“He, he must be dead, right?”
“I’ve never seen Senior Kar that angry before.”
Ruwen made a blank expression at Borman’s mumble.
Thud- Thud-
Just then, Leo walked out of the ruins.
Seeing that, Dion made a horrified expression.
“What a monster like…!”
Leo rotated his shoulder and clicked his tongue.
Then he looked at Kar.
Leo, with a fierce expression, charged straight at Kar.
Slam-!
Leo, who had sent Kar flying just as Kar had done to him, pursued the flying Kar.
Flash-!
Leo’s sword gleamed.
Kar had already drawn his sword and parried Leo’s sword, which was swinging towards him.
Crraash-!
A clash of fiery aura and silver aura.
Kagagak-!
It was Leo who was pushed back in the sword-to-sword power struggle.
Quagagak-!
Leo deflected the sword.
And then he rotated his body and used magic.
Whoosh-!
Flame magic engulfed Kar directly.
Kar took the fire magic head-on and charged at Leo.
‘This guy.’
Leo’s eyes twitched.
For a moment, someone’s image overlapped with Kar.
Leo unleashed a gray aura.
And Kar’s eyes widened significantly upon seeing the gray aura coalescing on Leo’s sword.
Crraash-!
A clash of aura and aura.
But there was no longer the fierce offense and defense like before.
“Huh?”
A dazed voice burst from Kar’s mouth as he saw Leo’s aura.
Leo also made a confused expression upon seeing Kar’s golden aura.
Their eyes met, Kar’s having somehow turned golden.
“Ah… Ah…”
Clink.
Kar dropped his sword.
It was the unforgettable color of aura.
How could he forget it?
That color, which had given him courage countless times.
The color he had relentlessly searched for since being reborn.
How many times had the hope that they would open their eyes under the same sky been frustrated?
How many tears had he shed?
Could this time also be wrong? Could it be a presumption?
Such thoughts filled him with sudden fear, but.
The wolf beastman uttered that name with a choked voice.
“Kyle…”
The hero, still a coward even after being reborn, called his friend’s name piteously, with a face yearning for an answer.
“It’s Kyle, right?”