The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 225
Chapter 225
A storm of Aura surged towards Leo.
Whoosh-!
A spear darted towards his neck.
Behind him, a sword swung from a sharp angle.
‘Not bad for a hastily assembled group.’
He snickered as he watched Aina and Haviden pressuring him.
Their movements had noticeably quickened.
‘Did Sasha call a summons to protect them?’
Thump-! Thump-!
“…!”
“…!”
Leo reached out and grabbed Aina and Haviden’s wrists with precise accuracy.
The two, now floating in the air, glared at him.
“It would’ve been wise to learn how to handle this situation in advance.”
Whoosh-! Bang-!
“Choke?”
“Cough?!”
Leo slammed the two to the ground with immense force.
They were helplessly thrown down, unable to resist.
Having subdued them, Leo turned his head.
Whoosh-!
A powerful sniping sorcery whizzed past where Leo’s head had been.
It was Juen’s sniping, from a direction he hadn’t anticipated.
Leo looked in the opposite direction from where the sorcery had come.
‘Did he discover my location?’
Juen’s face went pale.
Despite her efforts to mask her presence and erase all traces of mana, Leo had pinpointed her location perfectly.
‘He’s a complete monster…’
Startled, Juen quickly lowered her head.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-!
Juen, perched in the tree, realized she was exposed.
She cautiously raised her head.
The treetop had vanished.
‘Was that sniping sorcery?!’
Infuriated, Juen attempted to find a new hiding spot.
“If my location were discovered, I would join my comrades quickly. A sorcerer alone is easier to deal with.”
“…!”
Juen turned in shock at the voice behind her.
‘When did…!’
Crackle-!
Sparks erupted from Leo’s hand.
Booooooooom-!
“Gyaaaaak!”
Juen screamed as lightning sorcery coursed through her.
At that moment.
Whoosh-!
Luke charged at Leo.
Thunk-!
Leo seized the sword swinging towards him and countered with a powerful punch.
Whomp-!
“…!”
Luke quickly enveloped his arm in Aura.
Bam-!
Luke, his body thrown backward, crashed to the ground and tumbled several times.
‘He’s clumsy, both in swordsmanship and in handling Aura.’
Leo shifted his gaze from Luke to Juen.
She had already vanished again.
‘Her skills are impressive, though.’
While Leo laughed, Aina and Haviden, who had been sprawled on the ground, struggled to their feet.
Juen, now at the rear, spoke provocatively.
“You claimed you could easily subdue us without drawing your sword, but that’s clearly not the case.”
“It seems you’re tougher than I expected, Senior Leo.”
Haviden chuckled in agreement.
“How about drawing your sword?” Sasha added, her voice edged with anger.
It was undeniable that Leo’s power was overwhelming, yet they believed they could endure it.
Luke, who had fractured his arm while blocking an attack moments ago, groaned as he stood up.
Leo smirked as he observed the five, fueled by their fighting spirit.
“Really?”
Sliiiiiiing-!
The test takers tensed as Leo drew his sword.
“Shall I begin for real, then?”
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – Aine]
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“Wh-what happened?”
“As soon as he drew his sword…”
Aina, Sasha, Haviden, Juen, and Luke.
While the five combined their efforts against Leo, the excitement in the audience reached its peak.
It was a fierce clash between the strongest second-year and potential freshman representatives.
Clearly, this would be the highlight of the entrance exam.
Yet, the moment Leo drew his sword, the outcome had been instantly decided.
Most of the audience didn’t even grasp what had occurred.
Ar, in the crowd, crossed her arms.
“It’s over.”
Ar’s blue eyes were fixed on Leo, who appeared on the screen.
‘Black Rabbit keeps getting stronger.’
His strength now had clearly surpassed what Ar had seen six months ago during the Azonia entrance exam.
Ar, too, had become vastly stronger in that time.
Her relentless training was solely focused on catching up with Leo.
Yet, Leo’s stamina, when they met again after half a year, was unchanged.
No, he had only grown stronger in that respect, too.
Goosebumps ran down Ar’s spine.
The fierce, battle-hungry nature of his people was fully displayed.
Her tail stood rigid, and her ears perked up.
Ar trembled with excitement.
“Huhuhuhu-! Meeting Black Rabbit was truly the luckiest moment of my life!”
Her eyes sparkled with admiration.
A goal to chase.
A reason to grow stronger.
For Ar, that was Leo.
“Excellent! After the entrance exam, we’ll have to spar until we can’t even stand!”
Eiran winced at Ar’s words, clearly unable to tolerate her monologue.
“Can’t even stand?”
“What are you imagining now?”
“Oh, nothing! I wasn’t imagining anything!”
Lunia shook her head in disbelief at her friend’s reaction and turned her attention back to Leo.
‘Leo, what on earth are you thinking?’
The disparity in power had been evident from the start.
‘Are you trying to discourage all of the promising juniors?’
Despite the difference in their class years, they were only one or two years apart in age.
Confronting Leo was an utterly demoralizing experience.
And watching it, too, was truly heart-wrenching.
‘This year’s first-years might turn out to be just average.’
Tremble-
Aina struggled to rise.
She was the most skilled among them.
‘He’s a monster.’
Yet, Aina’s eyes were clouded with despair.
She needed to prove herself to the man before her.
Only then would she be worthy of avenging her lineage as the true successor of the Swordmaster.
However, Leo wasn’t even glancing her way.
If she wanted to catch his attention, she had to impress him with her skills.
But she lacked the confidence to do so.
The situation was overwhelming.
Flutter-whooosh-!
Sorcery surged from Leo’s hands.
“Ugh!”
Aina quickly deployed her Aura armor.
Crash!
She was hurled backward by the force of the explosion.
“Ugh… This is a complete wash.”
Juen, struggling on the ground, managed to lift his head.
“His sword skills, sorcery, summoning. They’re all overwhelming…!”
To them, Leo appeared flawless.
There was no weakness to exploit.
This realization was enough to instill despair in his opponents.
“Is it over? Shall we end it here?”
Leo’s cold voice cut through the silence as he raised his hand.
Aina, Sasha, Haviden, and Juen wore expressions of resignation.
Rustle-
“Not yet… Not yet.”
Luke struggled to his feet.
Of the five, he was in the worst condition.
Despite his lack of skill, Luke had persistently fought Leo, determined to contribute to the makeshift team.
Even after falling repeatedly, he had risen each time to block Leo’s advance.
Thus, his state was the most pitiful of all.
Every deep breath he took was accompanied by the grating sound of wheezing as the air narrowly escaped his lungs.
“I can still fight.”
Observing Luke’s strained grip on his sword, Leo announced, “You’ve already reached your limit. Push yourself any further, and you might die from exhaustion.”
Leo’s words were the truth.
His Aura had long since depleted, and his body was severely damaged.
His physical strength had also been exhausted.
He was relying solely on sheer willpower to keep going.
“You’re all outstanding,” Leo said calmly. “If you receive a good evaluation from this fight, you might still make it in. Even if you fail, your level of skill ensures you’ll definitely pass next year. You just had a bit of bad luck this time around.”
As Leo spoke, his gentle encouragement eased their minds.
On the other hand, Aina clenched her teeth.
She didn’t need such comfort, as her goal wasn’t just to go to Lumene.
She was overwhelmed by despair.
And Luke…
“I won’t give up.”
Leo continued to watch Luke, who was still trying to fight him.
Though weaker than the others, Luke’s persistence stood out.
“Why don’t you?”
“This might be my last chance.”
While acutely recognizing the vast skill gap, Luke felt an overwhelming sense of despair.
He knew his efforts were futile.
Yet he refused to surrender.
“I’m different from the others. I might never go to Lumene, and I may never get another chance to meet you, Leo.”
To Luke, Leo was an object of admiration.
A figure who had achieved heroic feats despite being so young.
“I want to know. How much longer can I fight against you, Leo?”
Luke gripped his sword tightly and laughed. “Going past your limits is the essence of Lumene.”
Leo’s eyes widened slightly at the sound of Luke’s laugh.
He was surprised—no, astounded.
He recalled someone else who could laugh while clinging to an impossible dream.
“Do you want to be a hero?”
“…Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to help as many people as possible.”
“Why do you want to help people?”
Luke blushed at Leo’s question.
He hesitated before answering.
“Well… because it would be cool to be that kind of hero.”
The spectators watched with bewilderment as Luke laughed awkwardly.
Wanting to be a hero for such a trivial reason?
“Because it’s cool?”
Luke lowered his head, embarrassed, as Leo burst into laughter.
The idea of saving many people was a grand ideal.
Yet his reason for aspiring to such a grand goal seemed absurd.
But Leo did not laugh because of that.
He understood that some fought against the world’s destruction simply because it was in danger.
‘If it’s in danger, shouldn’t you save it?’
He was one of those who had embarked on that great and absurd journey.
“What’s your name?”
“Luke Eldar.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Luke’s eyes widened at Leo’s words.
The others were equally astonished.
Leo aimed his sword at Luke.
Rumble!
A new, overwhelming momentum surged over him.
Luke’s face went pale.
Yet he quickly gathered his courage and gripped his sword again.
Leo’s eyes flashed as he smirked at Luke.
Crack!
Leo’s sword came down on Luke.
Luke’s sword shattered, and he collapsed.
Leo chuckled, watching his junior fight valiantly until the end.
Crack-crack-crack—
Cracks in the world began to open and their surroundings began to fade away.
“The exam has concluded.”
Unconquered Hero Records could be closed by external decree.
Leo, with his sword still embedded, addressed the four who stared at him and Luke in shock.
“Then I’ll see you at school, my juniors.”
Leo gave a casual wave.
‘Did he expect the exam to end like this?’
Aina gritted her teeth.
‘You just let us go in the end!’
But her anger was directed at the ground.
Her gaze shifted to Luke, who lay unconscious before Leo.
Anyone could see.
The boy had earned Leo’s approval.
‘Why?’
A bright light suddenly filled her vision.
“Huh. He let them go.”
Harrid snorted, muttering to himself.
“That’s right. He predicted the timing of the exam’s conclusion. Hoho! As expected of the future of the Summoning Department!”
“Senior Yura, you’re talking nonsense. Leo is the future of the Sorcery Department.”
“Huh? What’s with the sass?”
“It’s not sass, just the truth. Perhaps Senior Yura finds my explanation difficult. Let me adjust the diction to something more on your level…”
“You’re right, it’s not sass; it’s you picking a fight.”
Yura sneered and grabbed Len by the collar.
Harrid nodded coldly.
“Handle them.”
The other professors restrained the two.
Harrid, who had created a scene where half of the Lumene professors sat calmly in their chairs and the other half kneeling, glanced at the five documents of those who had confronted Leo.
“What to do? Regardless, Leo managed to handle all five.”
“True. But it’s amusing to claim he didn’t do his best while he thoroughly trounced them all.”
Harrid turned to the last page with a calm expression.
There was a picture of Luke.
“Sedgen might appreciate him. He would surely love to work with his potential.”
The persistence to never give up was one of Sedgen’s core values.
Of course, it wasn’t something Harrid rated highly.
“What should we do with this candidate?” Ain inquired.
Though Aina, Sasha, Harviden, and Juen were clear passers, Luke’s status remained uncertain.
His ability to fight Leo to any extent was largely due to the influence of his companions.
“In your opinion?”
“…He is immature. His swordsmanship is rough compared to the other candidates, and his Aura skills are lacking.” Ain assessed him coldly. “But… he definitely has talent.”
Harrid rested his chin on his hand, considering the words.
He tapped the desk a few times and marked a triangle over Luke’s picture.
It indicated that the decision was on hold.
Harrid rose and exited the examination room.
Ain sighed in relief as he watched him leave.
‘At least some freshmen passed.’
Only 53 people passed the exam immediately.
Out of thousands of candidates, just 53 survived to the time limit.
Fortunately, 724 other students were being given consideration.
‘The good and the bad will be sorted out at the faculty meeting.’
Sedgen would be involved in the decisions.
Ain sighed, observing the examinees with mixed feelings.
‘I really hope they don’t cower in front of the second-years.’
A crack was forming in the sky above the Hero’s World.
The examinees and second-years had already returned to their original world.
But Leo remained there alone.
‘What’s happening?’
Leo, confused, scanned the quiet forest.
There was no sign of any monsters.
It was as if the forest was holding its breath.
Frowning, Leo turned in surprise.
He then saw the giant crimson eyes floating in the air.
His heart froze.
The power emanating from the crimson eyes felt weak.
It was almost as if they had no power at all.
But they clearly conveyed a ‘will’.
As soon as he realized the consciousness within those eyes—
Whoosh!
Leo’s vision brightened, and he found himself back in the examination room.
He stood there, frozen.
“Leo?” Carr approached him, puzzled. “What’s wrong? Why are you sweating so much?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Leo wiped the sweat from his chin.
The crimson eyes from before…
‘That was definitely… Erebos.’