Editor : Amethyst00



At the Erek training ground, the audience held their breath.

What filled their eyes was the sight of the first-years beginning their assault on the massive Gigantes.

“The first-years are incredible! Even if it isn’t a fully grown one, to be able to fight against a Gigantes like that!”

Lyl exclaimed in astonishment, while Elena smiled brightly.

“Isn’t that right, sunbae?”

“……”

“Elena-sunbae?”

Lyl tilted her head, puzzled, and looked at Elena. Then her eyes widened.

Elena, with her lips slightly parted, was staring intently at the screen showing Leo.

‘What did they call that again?’

Just a moment ago, the first-years were drenched in despair.

It was inevitable.

A Gigantes?

Even if it wasn’t fully matured, wasn’t it far too colossal an ordeal for first-years to overcome?

It was no surprise they felt crushed by overwhelming despair.

‘But the moment that boy appeared, the atmosphere changed.’

It wasn’t simply because their fighting power increased.

Everything changed with Leo’s arrival.

‘There are many strong heroes in this world.’

And among the current first-years, there were plenty with a clear glimmer of hero’s potential.

But…

‘That boy is on a different level entirely.’

The one who turns despair into hope.

A being who shines a path in the darkness.

There was a special word used to call someone like that.

‘Yes.’

Elena felt a shiver run down her back.

As the successor of a family that had long safeguarded the Hero Records, what she saw in Leo resembled certain figures.

‘A Great Hero.’

bl

Fwoooosh-!

Riding atop a Wind Wyvern, Abad began chanting.

ROOOOAR-!

The Gigantes bellowed, swinging its arm.

Whooosh-!

Its massive forearm narrowly grazed the Wind Wyvern.

A mere graze would mean instant death.

But Eliza, holding the reins, did not waver.

As successor of the Hergin family, Eliza Hergin had shown exceptional talent in handling phantom beasts from an early age.

By rousing her spiritual power, she pushed the Wind Wyvern’s abilities to their maximum. She was, quite literally, like the wind itself.

Abad, instinctively recognizing it as a wind mage, smiled softly.

“How impressive.”

“If you’re going to praise, how about landing a big hit on that damned monster instead.”

“Alright. But could you bring us closer to its mouth?”

“Are you insane, trying to get killed?”

“Didn’t Celia just blow its head off a moment ago?”

Eliza frowned, glancing back at Abad.

He wore that smile that made first-year girls swoon.

Naturally, Eliza didn’t so much as blink.

“And what of it?”

“Because Lewellin’s wind can’t lose to Zerdinger’s flames.”

“Hmph!”

Eliza scoffed, curling her lip.

“You do know it’s a disgrace for a mage’s power to lag behind a knight’s, don’t you?”

With that, she yanked hard on the reins.

The Wind Wyvern spread its wings wide and soared skyward.

Then it dove, plummeting at terrifying speed.

Sensing the immense magic building in the air, the Gigantes opened its jaws wide.

Flash!

A violet breath beam streaked across the sky.

With movements bordering on acrobatics, Eliza evaded the attack and closed in rapidly.

ROOOAR-!

The Gigantes swung a massive fist toward her flank.

‘Tch! I can’t get any closer…’

Just as Eliza tried to find an opening—

Whoosh-!

Chen Xia leapt into the air.

Drawing her right hand back, she gathered a colossal water aura in midair.

BOOM-!

With a palm strike, she unleashed it, the giant watery hand smacking away the Gigantes’s arm.

“Excellent! Xia!”

“Leo-doryeon gave me the order!”

Falling back down, Chen Xia shouted, and Eliza’s eyes widened.

‘He predicted my movement and commanded Chen Xia accordingly…?!’

Reaching the Gigantes’s face, Eliza smirked.

“His command ability can’t be denied.”

WHOOOOOM-!

Around Abad, a violent gale howled.

His body shone with a visible shroud of mana as he unleashed his spell.

“Tempest.”

Fwoooosh-!

The storm subsided, silence fell for an instant.

The Gigantes’s face was gone, utterly erased.

“With this…!”

Abad clenched his fist tightly.

Crack—squelch.

But from the Gigantes’s head, new flesh began sprouting.

Eliza hastily pulled back.

“No way! How in the world do you kill this monster?!”

Even with its head blown off, it was useless.

Even grievous wounds regenerated in moments.

How could such a thing ever be defeated?

“Out of the way!”

Celia’s voice rang out from the air.

Abad opened his arms to catch her.

But she grimaced and twisted her body midair.

Instead, she landed right atop Eliza.

“Kyaaah!”

“Sorry!”

“If you could have landed on Abad, why on earth fall on me?!”

“As if I’d let myself be caught by some Lewellin brat!”

“This is hardly the time for that!”

“Celia, what are you doing here anyway? Even with a Wind Wyvern, three riders will slow it down.”

“She’s right! Get off!”

“Leo told me to come here!”

Celia tightened her grip on her sword.

“Abad, get ready. Chloe says she’s finished preparing.”

Abad chuckled.

“I see.”

“We’ll need to land a big one to buy time until Chloe’s spell is complete.”

Abad raised his staff, magic gathering as runes glowed and the sound of chanting filled the air.

It wasn’t because he raised his voice.

It was a natural resonance, as the surrounding mana attuned itself to a single mage.

KRRAASH-!

Slashing flames at the Gigantes, Leo glanced toward the fortress.

“It’s begun.”

“Wow! Wow! Just hearing it makes me feel braver!”

Chelsea shouted in excitement, her spirit swelling from Chloe’s incantation.

Shhhhhh! Crackle!

Duran and Chen Xia combined their powers.

Water and lightning had strong synergy—working together, their efficiency multiplied.

Lightning, normally hard to concentrate into one point, was guided along Chen Xia’s water paths and converged.

ROOOOAR!

Sensing Chloe’s ominous power, the Gigantes roared and charged toward the inner wall.

Duran and Chen Xia’s attack struck its back.

Crack! Zzzzap!

UGHHHHHH!

Even as its body sizzled and convulsed, the Gigantes didn’t halt its charge.

Clank! Boom! Crash!

At that moment, massive earthen chains coiled around its neck.

Walden, clad in Elemental Armor earth, had manifested chains to bind the beast.

RUMBLEEEE!

Boosted by his contract with the earth elemental, Walden’s strength surged as he strained to hold it back.

But snap—snap—!

The earthen chains began to break.

CRASH! Shatter!

Tearing free, the Gigantes charged the fortress.

At that instant, Chelsea’s spell fired.

“Gale Harpoon!”

A spear of wind impaled its left eye.

Thunk—!

ROAAARRR!

Its eye burst, blood gushed.

Clutching its face, the Gigantes staggered, yet even bleeding profusely, it refused to stop.

The apex predator of magical beasts sensed instinctively—

If it didn’t stop this, it would die!

Ignoring the relentless barrage, it charged straight toward the fortress.

Then—Fwoooosh-!

A storm of flames erupted.

Blocking its path, Celia raised a sword wreathed in fiery tempest.

“Just die already, monster!”

The towering inferno fell upon the Gigantes like a death sentence.

KRRAAASH!

Starting at its left shoulder, the flames tore through.

ROOOOAR-!

It howled in agony.

“Haaahhhhhhh!”

With eyes blazing, Celia roared, putting strength into her hands.

WHOOOSH!

From left shoulder to right flank—

The monster’s upper body was severed, hurled into the air.

At that lethal wound, everyone thought it was over.

BOOM—! BOOM—! BOOM—!

“N-no way!”

Its terrifying vitality still remained, even with nearly half its torso gone.

Lurching on its single arm, it charged.

Straight toward Chloe, standing on the wall with her staff.

And in its way stood Leo.

Clink—

He gripped his sword.

Magical runes glowed along its surface.

‘Magic Sword.’

A Magic Knight's technique, infusing mana into the blade.

Fwoooosh-!

Flames engulfed the sword’s surface, fusing with his aura.

Hummmm—!

“Inferno Blade.”

A towering blade of fire burst forth.

Leo drove it into the Gigantes’s chest.

Thud—!

The beast froze mid-charge.

‘It worked!’

Everyone clenched their fists in triumph—until Leo grimaced.

Boom—!

The Gigantes lurched forward again.

Leo pursued.

His mana was depleted, only aura remained.

Students on the walls shrieked as the beast barreled toward them.

“Uwaaah!”

“It’s coming!”

“Run!”

But Chloe did not stop chanting.

“Chloe! Move! You won’t finish in time!”

Carl shouted in panic, but Chloe, eyes shut, pressed on.

Gritting his teeth, Carl began casting to defend her.

“You cowards! Stop running and block that monster!”

Eliana snarled, chanting her own spell.

Haowl adjusted his spear and charged, yelling:

“It’s half-dead! If we can’t stop this, what kind of hero candidates are we?!”

Other students rallied, buying Chloe precious seconds.

Spells burst, aura slashed, elementals and familiars struck in unison.

Gradually—slightly—its charge slowed.

Finally—

Boom—!

The Gigantes collapsed to its knees before Chloe.

Twitch—twitch—

Its body quivered, wounds trying to mend.

Fwoosh-!

Raising its last arm to strike her spell—

“How unfortunate. You can’t lay a finger on our mage.”

Leo arrived in front of Chloe.

Flicker—!

His fiery aura flared.

To maximize its power, he needed Fiora—but he had no spiritual power left to summon her.

He had already spent most of it empowering Kiran to support the others.

‘Still, I can block one more attack from this half-dead thing.’

Leo’s crimson eyes gleamed.

Whooom—!

His flaming sword strike roared upward.

The recoil from Hero’s Breath consumed his left arm in fire.

As the Gigantes’s sole arm rose high—Chloe’s blue eyes snapped open.

“Ice World.”

CRRRRKKK!

From beneath her feet, ice spread outward.

Crack! Shatter! Splinter—!

An absolute frost consumed the Gigantes’s body.

Leo watched its frozen bulk, then lightly shoved.

Stagger—! Crash! Shatter—!

At his touch, the frozen colossus toppled and shattered into pieces.

The first-years held their breath.

And then—

“Uwaaaaaahhh!”

“We won!”

“We really brought down the Gigantes!”

A roar of triumph exploded.

Chloe collapsed in exhaustion.

“Hah… you guys… really… amazing.”

Carl stumbled forward on trembling legs, offering her a mana potion.

Then, glancing at Leo, he shouted:

“You looked like a hero straight out of the Hero Records, Leo! This is practically a legendary feat—!”

“……”

But atop the wall, Leo was gone.

“Leo?”

Chloe asked in shock. Carl shook his head.

“W-well, who knows.”