Book 1 Chapter 920

920.

Clack, clack, clack-

The sound of low-level skeletons' teeth clattering echoed eerily.

Unfortunate beings, resurrected by necromancy, unable to rest in death.

Regardless of the era, low-level skeletons were the most basic soldiers of the Necromancer King's army.

A single low-level skeleton was not particularly fearsome.

Even a soldier wielding a weapon could easily subdue one.

However, their tireless nature and the sheer overwhelming numbers, befitting basic soldiers, made them a threatening undead.

It was no different now.

A unit of over a hundred skeletons, wielding crude weapons, threatened the hero candidates.

Skeleton mages, a higher-ranked skeleton than low-level skeletons, were continuously regenerating the damaged low-level skeletons.

Clack-!

A skeleton that had been broken moments ago and was now regenerated, holding a shield, clacked its teeth as if to mock them.

Grind-!

At that moment, the red-haired elf in front of it's eyes flashed, and she charged at the skeleton.

"How dare you!"

Crash-!

Ferocity ignited in her blazing red eyes.

"You're shattering them! It's disgusting!"

Crunch-!

As she charged, she stomped on the skeleton's shield.

The impact made the skeleton falter.

Lunia, standing on the shield, kicked the skeleton's head with a "pong-!"

The skeleton's head, sent flying high in a straight line, soon fell with a "kong-!" onto someone's head.

"Ouch! What was that for!"

Iliana, who was blocking the skeleton with her sword, protested.

"It wasn't intentional!"

"Then it can't be helped."

Nodding at Lunia's words, Iliana swung her sword.

Crunch-!

Iliana's sword flashed like lightning, severing the skeleton's joints.

Her swordsmanship was clean and efficient.

Demian's third-year smith, Dignace, marveled at Iliana's swordsmanship, which demonstrated optimal efficiency.

"That's incredibly efficient swordsmanship!"

"Hmph! What do you think? It's the swordsmanship of 'Speed of Light Quick Sword' Iliana!"

"…What? That abysmal sense of naming?"

"What?!"

Iliana's eyes narrowed.

However, the four Demian students nearby nodded in agreement with Dignace's opinion.

Currently, Lunia was paired with Iliana and five Demian students.

"Th-these guys! Using numbers like that… Lunia! Lunia! Isn't 'Speed of Light Quick Sword' a really cool name?!"

"Is this the time to argue about that?!"

Lunia shouted fiercely.

Flare-!

Flames erupted from Lunia's fists.

Fwoosh! Roar!

As Lunia swung her fist at the skeleton before her.

The skeleton was shattered into pieces with an explosion.

Watching the scene, a third-year female student from Demian flinched.

"Wasn't Lunia El Lundea a beast tamer?"

"Yes. She was."

"But her current form looks like a berserker, no matter how I look at it."

"She seems quite angry about having to fight monsters with her mana restricted."

Iliana shrugged.

"Seriously! That Leo guy, no matter what, he has to know his limits!"

Lunia roared with fury.

At her cry, Iliana moved swiftly.

Low-level skeletons, formed with mid-level undead, skeleton mages, would continuously regenerate unless the skeleton mage was dealt with.

Therefore, quickly dispatching the skeleton mage was the top priority.

Normally, it would have been finished with a single spell, but the mana restriction imposed by Leo made it difficult.

Dignace smashed a skeleton with his shield, which was as large as his body.

Other Demian students also formed a formation and followed behind Iliana and Lunia.

Currently, the party formation had Iliana at the forefront, with Lunia right behind her.

The five Demian students, led by Dignace, covered the rear, pushing back the skeletons attacking from the left and right.

Dignace glanced at Lunia and marveled inwardly.

'To be able to fight this much even with such weak mana.'

Lunia was maximizing efficiency with minimal mana.

Even as a beast tamer, her reason for being at the forefront was mana efficiency.

Since casting spells also consumed mana, she chose close-quarters combat.

Even so, it was a tactic difficult to choose without basic physical abilities.

'Indeed. She had a reason to become a hero, even at the same grade as us.'

As Dignace marveled, his gaze turned to Iliana.

Even without using aura, she wielded her sword with incredible speed.

It wasn't just fast.

'Her swordplay has no wasted movements.'

That's why her swordsmanship felt even faster.

When she used mana, it was hidden by the flashiness, but now it was clearly visible.

The solid fundamentals that formed the basis of Lunia and Iliana's strength.

It seemed that not only Dignace but also the other Demian students were expressing their admiration.

Groooan-!

At that moment, a wave of dark magic echoed.

The skeleton mage had used dark magic.

Bone fragments, dyed black, aimed at Lunia like arrows.

As Dignace frantically moved to block the attack.

Fwoosh-!

Iliana, who had increased her speed with aura, deflected the arrows aimed at Lunia with her sword.

Clang-!

Dignace's eyes widened.

The bright flash disappeared, and Iliana reappeared.

Her body, which had been running with aura deployed, landed softly on the ground.

Her hair fluttered.

All of this seemed to be in slow motion.

Even the way she looked at the skeleton mage.

Dignace, pondering how to describe the scene, nodded.

'Beautiful.'

He wasn't smitten.

It was a purely objective evaluation.

In the midst of this life-or-death battle, it felt like seeing a flower bloom strongly.

Her unwavering stance was undoubtedly the image of a hero.

As Dignace marveled at her strong, elegant, and unwavering posture, like a painting.

"Heh! As long as I'm here, no way!"

Iliana's boisterous voice shattered the atmosphere for a moment.

"Tsk."

As Dignace lightly clicked his tongue.

Iliana, once again at the forefront, swung her sword without hesitation.

Finally, reaching the skeleton mage, Iliana swung her sword like a flash.

Clang-!

"Huh?"

Iliana tilted her head.

Her sword was deflected by the shield spell cast by the skeleton mage.

Clack, clack, clack-!

The skeleton mage made its teeth clatter as if to mock her.

Seeing that, Iliana smirked and clacked her teeth.

The skeleton mage was momentarily taken aback by Iliana's unexpected action of mimicking it.

Seeing the flustered skeleton mage, Iliana grinned and pointed behind her with her finger.

"Laughing? How dare you laugh at me!"

Lunia, filled with rage, yelled and swung her fist.

Crunch-!

Lunia's fist broke through the barrier and shattered the skeleton mage's head.

However, the skeleton mage did not become combat-incapacitated immediately.

As the staggering skeleton mage attempted to cast a spell, Dignace, who had quickly approached, struck its remaining body with his large shield.

Thwack-!

The skeleton mage's body shattered into pieces and scattered in all directions.

Along with it, the low-level skeletons, having lost their master, lost their strength and collapsed on the spot.

"I expected it to be a tougher fight, but it ended surprisingly easily."

At those words, the Demian students groaned.

"Isn't student council president Lumern too cruel?"

"It's an exam, so I guess it's necessary… but it's too difficult."

"Ugh… Thinking about navigating this desert while fighting monsters makes my stomach churn."

With their mana restricted, even low-level monsters couldn't be underestimated.

The biggest characteristic of individually weak low-level monsters was their tendency to swarm.

When hundreds of them gathered, it was bound to be difficult to deal with.

Especially with a skeleton mage present, the probability of mid-level monsters appearing was also high.

Watching the whimpering Demian students, Lunia said.

"Don't be too pessimistic. We can overcome it with our abilities."

Saying so, Lunia glanced towards the desert horizon.

"And Lumern always seems to have these kinds of exams."

At those words, the Demian students looked at Lunia.

"Seirun and Demian are both hero academies like Lumern. If Lumern can do it, we should be able to do it too."

At her words, the Demian students seemed to regain their resolve and gripped their weapons.

"Yeah. Let's just do it! We are all descendants of the indomitable!"

"We can't whine about this level of hardship!"

The Demian students, steeling their resolve, clenched their fists and ignited their fighting spirit.

Lunia smiled as she watched them.

Then, she declared to Iliana, as if making a statement.

"You said these bizarre things were common sense to you? Then we will face them with composure as well."

Lunia's eyes shone with a competitive spirit.

However, Iliana, who heard her words, frowned.

"What are you talking about? What's common sense about these absurd things?"

"Huh?"

"Even Lumern wouldn't do something as unreasonable as restricting mana and throwing us into a desert teeming with monsters!"

"…"

"This time, the class president has crossed the line, and then some."

Watching Iliana grumble with her arms crossed, Lunia sighed inwardly.

'I can't understand Lumern's common sense at all.'

Whatever the case, Leo seemed to be in the wrong this time.

"What? Monsters?"

"Yes."

Leo wore a serious expression at the report from Anyas Beggs, the successor to the Shadow Lord of the North and the Northern Mage Tower, who had come to report to him.

Seeing Leo's expression, Anyas said.

"Monsters suddenly appeared, and while the Shadows did respond… it's a strange phenomenon occurring across the entire Ajo Desert, so we couldn't eliminate them all."

"The exam must be stopped."

The appearance of monsters was an unexpected situation that Leo hadn't foreseen.

"Forgive me for being presumptuous… Leo-nim. I think the exam can proceed."

"Why?"

"Although the difficulty has certainly increased, the third-year students are managing to reach here without any major issues."

Anyas said, organizing real-time reports from the Shadows scattered throughout the Ajo Desert.

"If monsters appeared, it might be possible for the second-year students, but it would be difficult for the first-year students?"

"Yes, but the third-year students, who are in the vanguard, are taking care of the monsters that would pose a threat to the lower-grade students."

Anyas said.

"The Shadows are also preparing for any contingencies… Wouldn't this be a good opportunity to gain practical experience?"

As Leo considered Anyas's words, Melina, who had been listening nearby, said.

"I also think it's a good suggestion. After all, the students will think it's just another difficult assignment from Leo-nim."

With Melina also agreeing, Leo, who had been contemplating, nodded.

"Then, let's proceed for now. Anyas, you must prepare thoroughly for any contingencies."

"Yes."

"Melina, investigate the abnormal situation further."

"Understood."

Left alone, Leo fell into thought.

'Suddenly monsters? Those Tartarus guys… What are they planning this time?'

***

Dawn, just before the break of day.

Leo, standing at the entrance of the city that served as the stage for this exam, was amazed to see the leading group of students.

'They arrived earlier than I expected?'

He had been consistently receiving reports about the appearance of monsters.

Therefore, Leo knew that monsters had appeared, which he thought would be difficult for them with their mana restricted.

Despite that, the third-year students had not only defeated all the monsters but also arrived at the exam site faster than Leo had anticipated.

Leo smiled slightly with satisfaction.

'It's rewarding to have raised them strongly.'

It was at this moment that Leo felt pride in the growth of his future comrades, upon whom he could rely.

"Leo, you bastard! Where are you!"

Lunia's sharp voice was heard.

"Class president! This is too much!"

Iliana's resentful voice was also heard.

Lunia strode forward to Leo.

"What do you mean, restricting our mana and throwing us into a desert teeming with monsters! Do you know how hard it was?!"

"Couldn't you have just broken through that mana restriction?"

"I could have broken it! But it's an exam!"

Lunia lamented that she had followed along because it was an exam.

"Lunia is right. Even so, this is too much."

Ar, who had arrived similarly to Lunia's group, also protested.

Elena, who was with him, came to Leo's side and pinched his cheek.

"Could you explain, Student Council President?"

Although Elena was smiling brightly, her eyes were not smiling.

It seemed Elena had also gone through considerable hardship.

Leo answered calmly, as these were the expected reactions.

"Actually, the appearance of monsters was not planned. An abnormal situation occurred."

At those words, the students looked surprised.

Chloe, who had been listening to the story, felt something was amiss and asked.

"Then why didn't you stop the exam?"

"I intended to stop it at first."

"But?"

"You were all overcoming it so well."

"…"

"I thought it was a great opportunity to gain practical experience, so I decided to proceed. How was it, a good experience?"

The students were speechless at his shameless attitude.

"So, this incident is not my fault. It's your fault because you all did too well."

Lunia thought as she watched Leo shift the blame.

'Did Luna-nim feel this way too?'

For some reason, Lunia felt a strong urge to hit Leo today.