Editor : Amethyst00



Fwoooosh—! Sizzle—!

The aura flames burning on Leo’s arm went out, leaving only smoke rising.

“Kiran.”

At Leo’s call, a small summoning circle opened and Kiran appeared.

[Good grief! What kind of reckless stunt is this!]

Kiran looked at Leo’s left arm with a disgusted expression, then cast a healing spell.

A soft, silvery light of healing mended the burns on Leo’s arm.

[Leo! Fairy magic’s healing isn’t all-powerful! If your stamina runs out, it won’t work anymore!]

“I know.”

Testing his recovered arm, Leo lightly rotated his wrist.

[Anyway, is that thing a Gigantes? Ugh! How revolting!]

Kiran stuck out his tongue with a face full of open disgust.

For a fairy—one of the highest-ranked phantom beasts—a Gigantes was practically the very embodiment of its natural nemesis.

The flames embedded in Gigantes’s back went out.

Thud—!

The giant rose to its feet again.

Grrraaarrr—!

Its murderous gaze locked onto Leo.

Gigantes opened its mouth wide.

Uwooooooohhhhhh!

A purple light shimmered within.

Ssssshhhhh—! Flash!

A breath like a laser blasted forth, scraping the ground at terrifying speed.

Leo hurled himself aside without hesitation.

Whooosh—! The purple breath barely grazed past him.

Kwagagagagagang—!

The spot it struck erupted in a chain of explosions.

Kugugugugung—!

The outer wall collapsed.

‘Even a single graze means the end.’

Despite the chilling reality, Leo calmly roused his aura.

He spun out threads of aura as thin as silk, hooking them onto the nearby buildings.

Then he pulled back with force.

Like an arrow drawn to its limit, Leo stepped back as far as possible, then released the strength in his legs.

Fwoooosh—!

Leo shot toward Gigantes like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Uwoooooohhh!

Enraged, Gigantes raised a clenched fist.

Seeing that, Leo spun his body.

It was Kyle’s aura technique, Vortex.

Adding Zerdinger’s aura on top, a whirlwind of flames raged forth.

Fwooooom!

Gwaaaaarghhh!

With slash and flame, Leo mercilessly severed Gigantes’s right arm, then went flying toward the inner wall.

Crunch—!

Landing atop the wall, his feet sank deep into the stone.

Rising to his feet, Leo looked at Chloe, who stood proudly before Gigantes, and spoke.

“You’ve grown quite impressive, Chloe.”

“What?”

“Just now. You looked like a hero.”

“…!”

At those words, Chloe faltered, her cheeks faintly reddening.

“I-I was just imitating someone, that’s all.”

“And whose imitation might that be?”

At Leo’s teasing, Chloe smacked his head lightly with her staff.

“Hey! Where the hell have you been till now?!”

“I had some… personal business.”

Groooaaarrr!

Gigantes roared, its severed arm already regenerated.

The students flinched, but Leo remained composed.

“Leave it. That monster’s not stupid. It knows if it rushes in recklessly now, it’ll be in danger itself.”

“What?”

“It’ll try to recover its stamina.”

“How does it do that?”

At Chloe’s question, Leo jerked his chin.

Riiip—!

Kyaaaahhh!

Kraang!

Opening its maw, Gigantes began devouring the fleeing monsters indiscriminately.

The students grimaced at the grotesque sight.

“Leo-oppa!”

“Leo!”

Chelsea, Carl, and the rest of Class 5 came running.

“Chloe! Leo! Here, mana potions.”

Carl urgently handed them mana potions, which Leo and Chloe drank down.

“What’s the situation?”

Leo asked, and Carl answered with a grim expression.

“Since we entered the inner castle, no one’s been seriously injured. But…”

Carl’s fearful gaze turned to Gigantes.

“Everyone’s terrified of that monster.”

“Then the solution’s simple. We take it down.”

“What?”

At Leo’s calm words, everyone stared in shock.

Leo tilted his head at their reactions.

“Why the surprise? Isn’t it obvious?”

“I-I know! But still…!”

Celia ground her teeth as she answered.

Her once-confident hands were trembling.

And not just Celia—most of the students’ faces were pale with fear.

‘It can’t be helped. Hero candidates or not, in the end, they’re just teenagers.’

Rough, unpolished gems.

And yet, still shining.

“There is another choice.”

Everyone focused on Leo’s words.

“Running away. No matter how strong that beast is, if a hundred of us scatter at once, it can’t catch us all.”

“T-that’s true!”

“Yeah, fighting it head-on is suicide—”

“Of course, most of you will die.”

Leo’s words made them all suck in sharp breaths.

“The moment we scatter, it’ll be a slaughter. If that’s what you want, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”

But no one moved.

As the heavy silence pressed down, Leo spoke.

“So that’s why I’m saying—”

He crossed his arms.

“Why don’t you let me take command?”

“What?”

“We’re going to kill that thing.”

Everyone gaped at him.

Watching, Chen Xia spoke up.

“I’ll listen to Leo-doryeon’s plan.”

“M-me too!”

Chelsea quickly joined Leo’s side.

Chloe, of course, didn’t even need to say anything.

“Hmph! Showing off again, Leo Plov.”

Eliza scoffed.

“Well, fleeing doesn’t suit me either. But! I’ll be second-in-command after you—”

“Save the chatter and fall in line, Eliza Hergin.”

“W-wait! Walden! How dare you shove me like that?!”

Expressionless, Walden pushed Eliza toward Leo.

Everyone stared in shock.

For someone like Walden, infamous for solo play, to so readily put his life under Leo’s command was astonishing.

As classmates whispered in disbelief, Eliza curled her lips.

“Well, well. For someone as arrogant as you, following another’s lead?”

“That monster needs to be slain. Everyone knows it, but no one dares to say it aloud because they lack the confidence. Myself included.”

Walden looked squarely at Leo.

“So, it’s right to follow the one who does have that confidence. Isn’t that why you’ve staked your life on him as well?”

“Hmph. As a daughter of House Hergin, I would never turn my back on that accursed monster.”

Eliza glared venomously at Gigantes.

Duran, too, stepped forward.

“I’ll be expecting your leadership, Leo Plov.”

“You won’t be disappointed.”

Leo turned to Celia and Abad.

“Just like the entrance exam, huh.”

Abad gave a wry smile.

“Even then, you dove headlong into an impossible fight.”

Though it was Celia and Abad who defeated Talatnia, the one who had carried that battle to victory was Leo.

“I thought I’d caught up a little…”

Abad clenched and unclenched his fist.

“Still far to go. Celia, you feel the same, don’t you?”

“Shut it, butterball.” Celia brushed her hair back.

“If Leo says we fight, I’m not about to refuse.”

At last, all the core first-years had gathered their strength.

Carl gave a dry laugh.

“With that lineup, maybe we really can take it down.”

The strongest of the first-years, who’d always been at each other’s throats, now stood united.

It felt like a hidden path had finally revealed itself.

“W-what about us?”

One student asked timidly.

Celia brushed her hair back and replied.

“Only the nine of us can deal real damage to that monster. The rest of you back us up in case things go wrong.”

The students swallowed hard.

“How will you set the formation?”

Abad asked.

Leo explained the formation and strategy.

Once the briefing ended, the nine checked their weapons and climbed the wall.

Leo placed his foot on the battlement.

Step—

“Alright, then.”

The front line to halt Gigantes would be Leo, Chen Xia, Duran, and Walden.

The center, dealing continuous heavy damage, would be Celia and Abad.

Chelsea and Eliza were supports, maintaining the link between the front and center.

And finally, the rearmost main dealer—Chloe.

Leo looked at Gigantes still feasting on monsters and shouted.

“Let’s go!”

At his words, the four on the front line charged together.

Grrraah?

The crimson eyes of Gigantes, chewing on monsters, turned toward them.

“Chelsea Lewellin. Launch me as high as you can.”

“What?”

Chelsea was startled at Walden’s sudden request, but quickly used magic to fling him into the sky.

In midair, Walden’s body radiated powerful spiritual power.

Rumble—!

Rising stone wrapped around him like armor.

Fwoooosh—!

Like a meteor, his body plummeted toward Gigantes at incredible speed.

Kwang!

Grooooooar!

Walden slammed into Gigantes’s head, staggering the giant.

“How can a Elemental Summoner be so reckless?! No—how did he even do that?!”

Eliza exclaimed in shock.

‘Elemental Armor?’

Leo watched Walden with admiration.

[Elemental Armor.]

A high-level elemental art, fusing an elemental directly into one’s body to wield its power.

Inspired, Leo summoned his own spiritual power.

‘Kiran.’

[Yeah.]

‘Bless the four of us in the vanguard.’

[Got it.]

Kiran closed his eyes and spread his arms.

At once, the blessing of the fairies descended upon Leo, Chen Xia, Duran, and Walden.

Fairies were phantom beasts of life, and their blessing bestowed unending stamina upon those chosen.

As the aura enveloped them, the three glanced at Leo, their bodies feeling suddenly light.

[Ha! How about it, brats! Feel honored to fight under the Fairy Prince’s blessing—now go crush that disgusting lump—]

Leo grabbed Kiran off his shoulder.

[What?]

“You’re too noisy. Step back a bit.”

Setting Kiran aside, Leo turned his mana on Gigantes, which was rising once more.

Slam—!

Leo blasted off the ground and hurtled toward it.

Seeing him, Gigantes raised its arm.

Groooooar!

The veins in its massive forearm bulged grotesquely as it swung down with monstrous force.

Whoooosh—!

The vicious palm tore through the air toward Leo.

But just before it struck—

Wooooong—!

Leo’s body split into dozens.

Mirage.

Illusions conjured by star magic.

Gigantes faltered at the sight.

Raising his sword, Leo summoned dozens of aura flames.

Seeing them, Gigantes lashed out wildly at the phantoms.

“Over here, lump.”

Crackling with golden lightning, Duran’s sword slashed into Gigantes’s left knee while it was distracted.

Thud—!

The giant collapsed to one knee, its face lowered near the ground.

At that moment—

From the rooftop, Celia’s eyes met Gigantes’s.

Fwooosh!

Crimson flames gathered on her blade.

Summoning Zerdinger’s fire to its limit, wings of flame flared from her back.

Shhk—!

She drew into a thrusting stance, the fire pulling into her sword’s tip.

‘Prominence!’

Flash—! Crack!

The crimson blaze pierced Gigantes’s head.

Its skull half-blown away, the giant’s body convulsed.

Celia brushed back her hair with a smirk.

Crack—! Crackle-crack!

But seeing its head rapidly regenerating, her face twisted in a scowl.

Gigantes’s monstrous vitality kept it alive, even with half its head gone.

Celia swiftly dashed away with aura steps, escaping its reach.

Kwagagagang—!

The spot she’d stood was obliterated by its furious swing.

Watching, the first-years thought as one.

‘We can do this!’