KakaoPage Originals
The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student
[Original — Yerona]
[TL — MiT7]
[PR — Spades]
[QC — Lumi]
Chapter 10 — The Hidden Predator
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"Conquer the world? That's absurd!"
Following Leo, Chelsea shook her head.
"Even Lumern students struggle to conquer a Hero's World. Why would they make entrance candidates do it?"
She had a point.
Conquering a Hero's World was a daunting task, even for Lumern's top hero candidates.
To expect that of entrance exam candidates?
It sounded ridiculous.
But Leo saw it differently.
"We're being tested for heroic potential, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then shouldn't we be capable of what heroes do? Plus, an exam's trials are designed to be within our reach."
Chelsea paused.
'He's not wrong.'
"Hmm! So what's the conquest condition? If it's a trial candidates can handle, it's likely tied to Albi's early exploits. But almost nothing's known about the Demon-Eyed Wizard's past."
Arms crossed, deep in thought, Chelsea caught Leo's amused glance.
'She's sharp.'
A skilled girl with the pride of a noble family.
Most like her ignored their peers' opinions.
Yet Chelsea considered Leo's words, deemed them valid, and immediately brainstormed strategies.
'Her thinking's flexible. A great trait for a wizard.'
Though still green, she was a worthy hero candidate, Leo thought.
"Probably a subjugation," he said.
"Makes sense."
Chelsea nodded.
A feat in a monster-infested place likely involved defeating something.
And Leo had a hunch about the target.
'It could be something else, given the era.'
Recalling the drained monster corpses, Leo clenched his fist and grabbed Chelsea's wrist.
"What're you doing?"
Her sharp look met his sudden move.
Whoosh—!
Leo yanked her toward him.
Thwack-thwack—!
Two arrows struck where she'd stood.
Chelsea's eyes widened.
And then…
"Wha—?!"
Stumble—Thud!
"Ow!"
She fell on her rear.
Rubbing her backside with teary eyes, Chelsea glared.
"If you're gonna pull me, catch me so I don't fall!"
"Uh, sorry. Thought you'd get mad if I held you."
"Making me fall is worse!"
"So, no thanks?"
"Hmph! Those arrows wouldn't have hurt me anyway!"
"They were aura-infused."
Chelsea froze at Leo's point.
"My pre-cast shield spell would've blocked them!"
She huffed, then muttered, "W-Well, thanks anyway."
Leo burst out laughing.
"Tch!"
"Damn, we could've taken out Chelsea Lewallin!"
Other candidates emerged from the bushes, glaring at Leo and Chelsea.
"You guys."
As Chelsea stepped forward, the five-candidate group tensed.
"Don't fight. Join us instead."
"What?"
Her unexpected proposal startled them.
"Your party's all knights, right? Having a wizard like me would balance things out. Doesn't cooperation make sense?"
Despite the attack, Chelsea offered collaboration without a hint of resentment.
It was an exam—eliminating others was par for the course.
'If this were a rival-elimination test, I'd attack without mercy. But we need to conquer this Hero's World.'
Glancing at Leo for input, he nodded.
"Cooperating could—"
"We're all knights, but we've got ranged attacks, so our party's balanced."
"Huh?"
The apparent leader sneered.
"You're just two people. If we fight now, we've got the advantage."
"Yeah, noble families or not, you're our age!"
"Think we don't know you're scared and begging to team up?"
Emboldened by Chelsea's deference, they grew cocky.
"Eliminating you means one less top candidate! Why would we cooperate?"
"Yeah, exactly!"
As they readied for battle, Chelsea tried to speak.
"Give it up. They're not listening," Leo said, drawing his sword.
"But—"
Chelsea's frustration was palpable.
This talented girl found their refusal to listen maddening.
"If they want a fight, we'll give them one."
"Fine."
Sighing, Chelsea raised her staff.
Leo glanced at her.
"Stay back and support."
"What?"
"No need to waste mana on these small fries."
"Are you insane? They're using aura!"
"Leave it to me."
"Hmph. Don't blame me if you get wrecked."
Despite her cold tone, Chelsea planned to step in if Leo was in danger.
'Gotta repay him for earlier.'
She fiddled with her staff.
The other candidates scowled at Leo.
"Who're you?"
"Taking us on alone?"
"Yup. Nice to meet you."
"That punk!"
Feeling mocked, the archer candidate yanked his bowstring.
Whoosh—!
An aura-less arrow flew at Leo.
They'd conserved aura for Chelsea, avoiding wasteful shots.
'If he dodges, he'll leave an opening! Then we surround and finish—'
Grab—!
"…!"
"Shouldn't hold back."
Leo caught the arrow, snapping it with a bored look.
"No way! My arrow… with bare hands?!"
Whoosh—!
Before the archer finished, Leo charged.
"Stop him!"
"Surround him!"
Swords swung from all sides as Leo's eyes darted.
But the candidates couldn't fully focus on him.
'Her presence alone is a distraction, even without fighting.'
Unlike the unknown Leo, Chelsea's reputation as a top candidate drew their attention.
'Works for me.'
Clang—Thud!
"Urk?!"
Leo parried a sword and drove a fist into a candidate's solar plexus.
"No aura at all?!"
"Of course. Just raw strength."
Unfazed by their misconception, Leo spun.
A candidate aiming for his back froze, as if Leo had eyes in the back of his head.
Thwack—!
"Guah!"
A side kick to the ribs left only two standing.
"Use aura!"
"Damn it!"
Leo overwhelmed five alone.
Watching, Chelsea's eyes widened.
'How does he move like that without aura?'
As a Battle Magician aspirant, she trained rigorously in martial arts.
She vaguely grasped how near-miraculous Leo's movements were.
'So cool!'
Her heart raced, then she jolted.
'No! He's with Celia Zerdinger! Snap out of it, Chelsea!'
Shaking her head, she couldn't tear her eyes away.
***
Candidates dropped rapidly.
Their aggressive moves to eliminate rivals backfired.
'They probably think they're being proactive,' Albi mused.
He observed a few students.
Some bragged about how many they'd eliminated.
Irrelevant to the exam.
An hour in, only about fifty of the 569 candidates remained.
"Albi, those candidates are all…"
"Failures."
Albi's cold words startled the Lumern aide.
"B-But, Albi, they're exceptional talents. And typically, exams pass around a hundred—"
Albi's icy gaze silenced the aide.
"The headmaster heard the same from me when he appointed me examiner. I warned that anyone not meeting my standards would fail. Yet he entrusted me with this role."
"Ugh!"
"As examiner, I decide who passes. No more on this."
Cutting off the discussion, Albi turned to the magic mirror.
His gaze landed on Leo.
'He's noticed the forest's anomaly.'
Albi touched his left eye.
'Can he conquer this world?'
***
"You're safe, Chelsea."
"Of course, Brother."
Two hours into the exam.
Leo had safely joined Celia and Abad's party.
"You're unharmed too. But with Chelsea Lewallin?" Celia asked.
"Met her early on and teamed up."
"Huh? She's got a ton of pride. She agreed easily?"
"I was… persuasive."
Leo's cryptic smile made Celia mutter inwardly, 'What did you do?'
A week with him had taught her his ruthless streak.
"You called Abad greasy and annoying, yet you're with him."
"Couldn't fight blindly without knowing the passing criteria."
Celia tossed her hair.
"Quite the crew you've got."
"Abad and I move fast. We scoured the forest, gathering allies. Mostly Rodren Empire folks."
The empire's two greatest families.
Few from Rodren would refuse Zerdinger and Lewallin's call to cooperate.
"Good job."
"Huh? Why?"
"I think I've figured out how to pass this exam."
"Oh? You know?"
Celia's eyes sparkled.
"World conquest."
"World conquest?"
Celia tilted her head, then nodded.
"This exam's too bizarre. World conquest wouldn't be surprising."
"Right?"
"But that raises a problem. What's the conquest condition?"
Every Hero's World had a conquest condition.
It's why Hero Studies was a vital field.
Researching a hero's deeds directly informed conquest strategies.
But some heroes had well-documented sagas, others didn't.
Living heroes' worlds were rarely conquered.
Not only did they offer no rewards, but only the hero could open them.
Only past heroes' worlds could be opened by meeting conditions.
"Albi's renowned, but his past is barely known. No clues for conquest."
"I've got a guess there too."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Leo sighed.
"The Demon Forest is in an abnormal state."
"Abnormal?"
"Notice how few monsters are appearing?"
"True…"
Normally, the Demon Forest teemed with relentless monster attacks.
But in Albi's world, their frequency was oddly low.
'Like they're scared of something?'
Celia's face grew grave.
"Probably an apex monster strong enough to terrify the forest's creatures."
"And Albi earned his fame by defeating it?"
"Exactly."
"What kind of apex monster could scare the entire Demon Forest? I've never heard of such an anomaly."
"Well—"
As Leo began to answer Celia's question—
"Aaaaaaaaah—!"
A scream echoed from afar.
"Looks like it's here."