KakaoPage Originals
The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student
[Original — Yerona]
[TL — MiT7]
[PR — Spades]
[QC — Lumi]
Chapter 8 — The Demon Forest Trial
——————
As examinees sized each other up or forged alliances, a tense atmosphere hung in the air.
[It seems everyone's here.]
A voice boomed across the grounds.
A man stood atop a platform.
Light blonde hair, golden eyes.
Dressed in a casually worn uniform.
[I'm Albi.]
The examinees gasped.
"The Demon-Eyed Wizard Albi?"
Celia's face lit up with shock.
A wizard hero etched in the Hero Record.
'So this is what they call a hero in this era?'
Leo studied Albi closely, focusing on his left eye.
The power residing there.
'That mana…?'
As Leo's eyes widened, Albi pulled a sheet of paper from his coat.
[This year, 569 candidates are participating in the western region's entrance exam.]
Adjusting his glasses, he continued.
[The exam consists of two parts: combat against opponents and monster subjugation. Normally, you'd face these one by one. But honestly…]
Albi burned the paper with a flick of magic.
[That's a hassle.]
Murmurs rippled through the crowd at the abrupt declaration.
[It takes too long and is inefficient. So I thought, why not combine everything?]
"What?"
Celia blinked, stunned.
The other candidates were equally thrown.
[Seeing is believing. The exam starts now.]
Albi drew an old book from his coat.
[Hero Record, open. Albi's World. Chapter: Prologue—Demon Forest.]
Humm—!
A massive glyph appeared on the ground.
Inscribed in the divine language, unreadable to mortals.
Flash—!
Blinding light enveloped the area.
When it faded, the scenery had transformed.
A dense, towering forest.
As if they'd stepped into another world.
'And it really is another world.'
[This is the Demon Forest. The exam is simple: survive. Beyond that, do as you please. Cooperate to defeat monsters or eliminate rivals—it's your choice. If you wish to withdraw, crush the orb in your possession.]
The Demon Forest.
A real place in the continent's south.
But Leo knew this wasn't the true forest.
This was a hero's memory.
Specifically, a world crafted from Examiner Albi's memories.
'Not some mere illusion, though.'
A virtual world, yet everything here was real.
A miracle gifted by the gods to the mortal realm.
The true power of the Hero Record.
The ability to recreate a hero's trials.
'The Hero's World.'
This power was revealed 3,000 years ago.
On the day called the Calamity's Revival.
Until then, the Hero Record was merely a chronicle.
But when it was discovered that it could manifest the 'Hero's World,' the world changed.
Some say the true Age of Heroes began 3,000 years ago.
Conquering a hero's trials in their world granted rewards.
The inheritance of power.
Be it weapons, techniques, or unique abilities exclusive to that hero.
Success meant inheriting the hero's strength.
'An absurd ability.'
The reason the gods bestowed the Hero Record upon mortals.
'A system to cultivate heroes, plain and simple.'
A power to prevent world-ending catastrophes like 5,000 years ago.
The reason the four hero academies were special.
Lumern, the human hero academy.
Seirun, the elven hero academy.
Azonia, the beastman hero academy.
Demian, the dwarven hero academy.
Each safeguarded their race's Hero Record.
Leo's goal was to access the Hero Records of all four academies.
A divine miracle that could recreate the past.
'The Hero Record could reveal what happened to the sealed Erebos. And Tartaros.'
Leo clenched and unclenched his fist.
'For now, the exam comes first.'
Narrowing his eyes, he scanned his surroundings.
Celia, who'd been beside him, was gone.
They must've been scattered upon entering the Hero's World.
'The Demon Forest, huh.'
A real, infamous location.
The continent's south was a vast desert.
The Demon Forest was a massive woodland at its heart.
A lush forest in a desert naturally drew the greed of nearby nations.
Yet it remained unconquered.
Its monsters—mostly low-tier like gnolls, goblins, and orcs.
The strongest were trolls.
A dispatched army could subdue them.
But the endless swarm of monsters forced people to abandon conquest.
'The curse on this forest still lingers.'
Leo had visited this forest in his past life.
It was the homeland of his comrade, Luna.
Five thousand years ago, it was the elves' forest.
But it fell under the curse of Tartaros's Demon Queen, Silatuna.
Five thousand years ago, their expedition defeated Silatuna but failed to kill her.
Her curse persisted even now.
Recalling Luna's hope that her descendants would one day slay Silatuna and save their homeland, Leo gave a bitter smile.
'Her damn curse has weakened, at least.'
Five thousand years ago, this forest was one of the greatest threats.
A ceaseless onslaught of abyssal horrors.
The monster armies threatening life itself were born here.
Compared to then, this was paradise.
'Focus on the exam. The examiner said it's a free-for-all, right?'
Defeat rivals or monsters.
The choice was the candidates'.
'Anyone with a brain wouldn't start fights in this forest.'
Even low-tier, monsters could appear anytime, anywhere.
Fighting in such conditions risked disaster.
'Though some might not care.'
Celia came to mind.
A prodigy who outclassed her peers.
Sure, Leo had knocked her out in two blows a week ago.
But that was due to her carelessness.
If she fought at full strength, even Leo would struggle now.
'In real combat, I'd lose outright.'
Shrugging, Leo drew his sword.
'Should I look for Celia?'
Cooperation was allowed.
Moving together would be easier.
With that, Leo leaped forward.
Swish—!
Wind arrows struck where he'd stood.
Glancing back, he saw a familiar girl with a staff.
Chelsea Lewallin, who'd sparred verbally with Celia earlier.
"We've met, haven't we?"
"Yeah. But why the sudden attack?"
"We're rivals, aren't we? I didn't expect you to dodge, though."
Chelsea shrugged.
"Revealing yourself to a swordsman? Awfully confident."
"No worries. I'm prepared."
Chelsea smirked, exuding confidence.
And she had reason to.
Wind scythes swirled around her.
Approaching carelessly would mean getting sliced.
'A magic that didn't exist back then.'
Leo stroked his chin.
If one field had changed beyond recognition, it was magic.
Aura and summoning frameworks remained similar.
But magic was different.
Magic was a discipline before it was power.
Every spell was endlessly studied and refined.
The magical systems of then and now were worlds apart.
Most spells Leo knew were now considered ancient magic.
'The basics haven't changed, though.'
Chelsea narrowed her eyes at Leo's relaxed demeanor.
"Pretty calm with me right in front of you."
Her skill far exceeded the average wizard taking Lumern's exam.
She was one of those Leo pegged as reckless enough to fight without caution.
"I've got a proposal."
"Proposal?"
"The longer you survive, the better your score, right? Why not team up? As a wizard, having a vanguard would help."
Chelsea grinned.
"Thanks, but I'm good. I'm a Battle Magician. I don't need a vanguard."
Battle Magician.
A wizard who fights on the front lines, not chanting from the rear.
"Wind Sickle."
Activating a spell with a short chant, Chelsea's eyes gleamed.
"And I've got no interest in teaming up with a Zerdinger."
"I'm not exactly a Zerdinger."
"But you were chummy with Celia Zerdinger. So, no reason to cooperate. Bleh!"
Chelsea stuck out her tongue.
Given their families' rivalry, she had no intention of teaming up.
"No cooperation, huh?"
"Obviously."
Pointing her staff at Leo, she answered firmly.
The gesture triggered her spell.
Wind scythes hurtled at incredible speed.
Leo extended his sword.
Swish—! Screech—!
Sparks flew with a metallic grind.
'He blocked it? No sign of aura.'
Chelsea tensed.
'Must be an aura that's hard to detect. I need to be careful.'
She mistook Leo for an aura user.
It was reasonable—blocking a 2nd-circle spell without aura was impossible.
But Leo hadn't blocked the Wind Sickle.
'It's powerful and flashy, but predictable.'
He'd read the spell's trajectory and redirected it with his sword.
Unless the magic's power was overwhelming, physical magic could be countered this way.
Not a simple technique.
It required perfect reading of mana flow.
But for a great hero like Leo, it was no challenge.
"Wind Sickle! Wind Arrow!"
Whoosh—!
A gust swirled around Chelsea.
Her hair fluttering, she declared, "Surrender before I draw blood. Blocking this won't be easy."
"I'll give you credit for the magic's power."
Leo shrugged.
"But for wind magic, your attacks are too straightforward."
Chelsea's face flushed with irritation.
"Are you, a Lewallin direct descendant, lecturing me on magic?"
Fuming, she scoffed.
"Hmph. No holding back now. I'll take you out by force!"
Swinging her staff, she unleashed her queued spells.
Rushing wind scythes and arrows.
Wind magic was visually subtle.
Nearly invisible to the untrained eye.
Alongside fire, it was a premier offensive magic type.
But to Leo, the mana winds were crystal clear.
Grinning, he tensed his legs.
"Too simple."
Thud—!
Leo vanished like a shadow.
The spells hesitated, losing their target.
'So fast! Where?'
Chelsea hurriedly cast a mana detection spell.
As a self-proclaimed Battle Magician, her reactions were swift.
But she hadn't accounted for one thing.
Leo didn't use aura.
Thus, he emitted no mana residue typical of aura users.
This let him close the distance instantly.
"Gasp?"
Seeing Leo appear before her, Chelsea scrambled to react.
Thud—!
"Urk?"
Leo's fist slammed into her stomach first.
As she collapsed, unconscious, Leo muttered, "Now, let's have a little chat."
Orcs and similar monsters were no issue.
But Leo lacked the firepower for larger foes like trolls.
'And here's a wizard with serious offensive power. Wouldn't it be nice to team up?'
Leo sliced nearby vines.
Snap—! He tugged one.
"Hm. Sturdy enough."
Satisfied with the vines' strength, Leo looked down at the unconscious Chelsea with a wicked grin.