The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 253
Chapter 253
“Get him!”
“Attack!”
A throng of first-year students surged towards Leo.
Their movements were swift and determined.
The scene was a stark contrast to the entrance exam.
Back then, they had feared being eliminated if Leo struck them.
But now, there was no hesitation.
Every first-year student eagerly tried to take a hit at Leo.
Their shared thought was clear.
‘If we push him hard enough, even the great Leo Plov will tire out! If he does, we might have a chance!’
They all waited for Leo to show signs of exhaustion.
“Place your bets~ Place your bets~ Who will become Leo’s mentee! Here’s the current dividend status!”
Carr displayed the board showing the latest standings.
“Hoo? I’ll bet on Aina Beidna.”
“Senior! Over here!”
The excitement grew, drawing first-year students to the Sorcery Department building, eager to secure Leo’s mentorship.
The spectacle was so captivating that even second-year students and a number of third and fourth years, who had left for missions, returned to watch..
“How do you think this will turn out?”
Meanwhile, Abad, observing from a distance, inquired, “Do you mean to ask what the result of this will be?”
Duran, who had come to watch after hearing the news, chuckled.
“There’s no way the first-year students can land a solid hit on Leo Plov right now. Especially in this chaotic state.”
“That’s true.”
Abad agreed.
“Leo Plov doesn’t tire easily. Besides, if guerrilla tactics were employed… the first-year students would likely collapse under the pressure.”
He was right.
Leo skillfully dodged or blocked the freshmen’s attacks, retaliating with precision.
Each time he struck, the freshmen often ended up hitting each other.
Some might have done it deliberately to lessen the competition.
“These first-years aren’t true hero candidates yet.”
Freshmen were most notable for their rapid skill development.
It was during this time that hidden talents often emerged, with those who performed poorly on the entrance exam sometimes rising to the top.
It was nearly impossible for these inexperienced students to land a hit on Leo.
“Actually, they would honestly have better chances with one-on-one fights.”
Duran’s observation was accurate.
Right now, the students attacking him were scattered and unfocused.
They couldn’t track Leo’s movements closely.
Whoosh-!
Leo soared into the air.
“I’ve been waiting for this one!”
Sasha, riding a flying water dragon, swooped in.
Leo, spotting her, smirked and cast Fly sorcery.
Shuaang-!
“Huh!”
Sasha was astonished by his incredible speed and agility.
“Is it really possible to move like that with Fly sorcery?”
The first-years stared in awe.
“You’re still adjusting to Lumene’s way of life.”
“Well, you are first-years, after all.”
The upperclassmen regarded the freshmen with amused affection.
The freshmen’s attacks had little impact on the seasoned students.
Of course, no upperclassman would be bothered by such weak attempts.
In the end, no first-year managed to land a successful hit on Leo before lunchtime.
The preliminary bell rang, signaling the end of the session.
“Huh! Huh!”
“I-I can’t move anymore… ugh!”
“Cough! Cough!”
The first-year students, collapsed on the ground, were exhausted from mana and stamina depletion.
The older students observed their plight with chuckles before heading back to their classrooms.
“Ah~ That was fun.”
“There have been so many interesting events already this semester.”
The third and fourth-year students returned to their classes, laughing.
The second-year students, pitying the first-years, also returned to their classes.
Leo looked at the worn-out first-years and asked, “Isn’t your next class a joint heroics class taught by Professor Artianne?”
“Yes.”
“Y-yes, Senior.”
“Then shouldn’t you head there quickly?”
Leo glanced at the clock tower in the Sorcery Department building.
“If you’re late as a group, you’ll be in serious trouble, so let’s go.”
“But I can’t move.”
“Professor Artianne is kind. She might be lenient if we’re a bit late.”
The first-years groaned.
The second-year students paused upon hearing this.
“They still don’t know Professor Artianne well.”
The teacher who guided the second-year students through their entrance ceremony last year was Professor Artianne.
On that first day, they experienced the fear she could instill firsthand.
That’s why they were rigid with their behavior in front of her from the very start.
However, the first-years still seemed unaware of Artianne’s true nature.
Comparable to Harrid, she was less intimidating.
The second-years thought simultaneously, ‘They’re doomed.’
That evening.
Leo, relaxing in the Glory dormitory, went outside to meet the first-years who had come to see him.
The five knights who visited were students from the Knight Studies Department.
“Hello, Leo. We’re so out of it that we’ve only come to greet you now.”
Martina, their representative, greeted him with a smile.
They were none other than Leo’s own knights, the Slayer Knights.
“Yes, hello. By the way, why didn’t you try to attack me at lunchtime?”
Leo smiled at his knights.
The knights flinched at the question.
“Do you not want to be my mentees?”
Julan and Carin quickly waved their hands in denial.
“T-That’s not it.”
“When we started training with you, Master Leo, you helped us immensely! But nobody else has received any assistance, so that’s why!”
“Yes! We want to succeed at Lumene through our own efforts!”
Martina, Austin, and Valerie nodded in agreement with Julan and Carin’s statements.
Indeed, this was true.
The five had undergone special training with Leo before the entrance exam and quickly enhanced their skills.
This preparation enabled them to pass the Lumene entrance exam.
However, they were apprehensive about becoming Leo’s mentees.
As knights who had experienced Leo’s rigorous training, they found it overwhelming.
‘I can’t imagine what more he could even put us through!’
Leo, seated on a bench, chuckled as he observed his knights speaking urgently.
“How was it after lunch?”
“It was chaotic.”
Martina’s face went pale.
“I never imagined Professor Artianne could be so terrifying.”
She recounted how about fifty students were late for Artianne’s heroics class.
Though it was a class with no crucial content, that large of a group of late students was deemed unacceptable.
Initially disheartened, Artianne had changed drastically upon seeing the group of late students.
“Ahhh?! You’re late because you fought with Leo Plov? If you enjoy fighting so much, I’ll just change my syllabus to make our class one big fight!”
Artianne, whose fervor as a hero was fueled by necromancy, had gone into a rage.
The first-year students, already drained by Leo’s challenges, were overwhelmed by Artianne’s fury.
“It was terrifying…!”
“I now understand why Miss Celia warned me to be cautious of Professor Artianne.”
Carin hugged herself, trembling, and Valerie sweated nervously.
Leo sighed as if he had anticipated this.
“By the way, Master Leo, are you planning to take on any first-year students as mentees?” Martina asked respectfully.
The Slayer Knights, having trained under Leo, were well aware of his capabilities.
Currently, many first-year students hoped that Leo might show a vulnerability someday.
‘But Master Leo has no weaknesses.’
Leo’s movements were nearly miraculous, with no blind spots.
Equipped with Arron’s ‘super sensitivity,’ Leo had no weaknesses.
‘And he never tires.’
Most first-year students thought they might become Leo’s mentees by chance or luck, but Martina saw no real hope.
‘He’s essentially saying he won’t accept any mentees.’
Leo chuckled at Martina’s puzzled expression.
“Well, there are five possible candidates.”
“The Crown Prince of Birsen, the Princess, the daughter of the Southern Sorcery Tower, and the granddaughter of the Swordmaster.”
“That’s right.”
Martina nodded.
Even in her eyes, these four were exceptional.
Aina Beidna especially was so remarkable that even Martina, who had witnessed numerous sword geniuses as a Zerdinger knight apprentice, was impressed.
“Who’s the fifth?” Carin asked eagerly.
“There he comes,” Leo grinned and said.
At those words, the knights’ gazes shifted to Leo.
They were taken aback.
“Luke Eldar?”
The lowest-ranking first-year student approached Leo timidly.
Leo stood on the parade ground where the second-year dormitory buildings were clustered.
Luke held his wooden sword with a tense expression, facing Leo.
‘He was there during lunchtime too.’
Luke had not attempted to attack Leo at all.
He merely observed Leo’s movements from a distance.
“T-thank you for giving me your time.”
“I told you, you can attack me whenever you want. Don’t worry about it.”
Leo chuckled at Luke, who seemed quite intimidated.
Luke’s face displayed his apprehension as he looked at Leo.
‘It’s different from the entrance exam. Now I am a Lumene student like Leo!’
The person he had admired was right in front of him.
Leo Plov, who Luke had once seen in his hometown’s outdated newspaper, had instantly become his idol.
A person like the Great Hero he had read about in fairy tales as a child.
Among the five Great Heroes, Luke’s favorite was Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning.
Most people didn’t favor Kyle, even as a fictional character.
But for Luke, who came from the countryside, it didn’t matter if he was real or not.
An all-class hero like Kyle.
And the heroic deeds that made his heart race.
To Luke, Leo seemed like he had stepped out of a fairy tale.
A figure of pure admiration.
He was standing right there with him.
‘Is it alright for someone like me to do this?’
Luke laughed nervously.
But he wanted to speak with Leo.
“Whew.”
Luke took a deep breath and assumed his stance.
Whoosh-!
Luke swung his sword, closing the gap between him and Leo.
His sword moved swiftly.
But Luke was clearly tracking Leo’s movements.
‘He is definitely the weakest among the first-years right now.’
Leo easily dodged Luke’s strike.
‘His swordsmanship is rough, and his Aura control is lacking.’
As Luke’s sword aimed for his neck with an Aura-filled attack, Leo snapped his fingers.
Koong-!
“Huh?!”
Luke’s body shook merely from blocking the attack.
Typically, seeing such a vast difference in skill can demoralize an opponent.
They often lose the will to fight and become desperate.
Luke was no different.
At the end of lunch today, all the first-years shared Luke’s sense of despair.
They felt overwhelmed by the disparity in skill.
Nevertheless, Luke, despite his frustration, swung his sword again.
Leo laughed as he watched him.
‘It’s only natural that his skills are lacking. He taught himself entirely on his own.’
Luke had truly entered Lumene by his own effort.
And…
Whooom-!
Luke’s mana surged.
‘I sensed it during the entrance exam, but now it’s clearer—this guy’s mana characteristic.’
His aura expanded even further.
‘Is it mana amplification through emotion?’
Even in his despair, he persisted, refusing to stop moving forward.
His emotions amplified once more, and he charged again.
He wasn’t taught to do this.
He did it instinctively.
‘The world calls people like that heroes.’
“Gasp- gasp- choke!”
Luke covered his mouth, barely managing to keep from vomiting.
He had no strength left to move a single finger.
Despite his efforts, he couldn’t even touch Leo.
‘Incredible.’
Luke gazed at Leo, who sat calmly in front of him, and spoke with admiration, “Leo.”
“What is it?”
“Do you think… Can I… become a hero?”
“I don’t know.”
Leo chuckled.
“But if you keep challenging the impossible, people can achieve great feats.”
“Ah, that’s what Lysinas said!”
“Yes. I don’t mind not taking on a mentee, but give it a real try.”
Leo chuckled again.
“Overcoming limits is heroic, but making the impossible possible is also what heroes do.”