Editor : Amethyst00



“There are plenty of lively ones again this year.”

The beastman with cat ears and tail—Verga—murmured as he reviewed the papers in his hands.

Ordinarily, members of the feline race were known for their slender, elegant builds.

But Verga was different.

He stood nearly two meters tall, with a massive, rugged frame.

He looked more like a bear beastman than a cat.

His face was fierce, and the scar running across his left eye made his appearance even more intimidating.

“I—I’ll punish them immediately, Instructor Verga!”

The feline associate instructor, Alzea, who had come to report that there’d been a fight among the applicants, bristled with his ears and tail standing upright as he shouted.

Verga was a figure feared not only among students but among instructors as well.

“Why should they be punished?”

“Pardon?”

Verga Tune.

Three years ago, he had been invited by Azonia to serve as an instructor.

His name was recorded in the Hero Record—he was a hero himself.

There was only one principle he upheld in teaching: strength.

That was why countless Azonia students revered him.

Verga rose from his seat and strode toward the window.

Clack—!

“Waaaaaaaah—!!”

The moment he opened it, the deafening roar of the crowd, blocked until now by soundproofing magic, poured in.

Verga’s lips curved upward.

“Struggle is the path Azonia must pursue!”

At his booming voice, Alzea swallowed dryly.

‘As expected of Instructor Verga… the one who best embodies Azonia’s spirit!’

The colosseum below was packed with spectators.

And in the center, the entrance gates opened as the new applicant students began to file in.

A few moments later, iron bars groaned open again—

and from the darkness, a Tartaros beast, a Mammoth, emerged.

It was one that Azonia had captured alive.

The applicants scattered swiftly upon seeing it, drawing their weapons and beginning the hunt.

One after another, they unleashed their techniques, driving the beast back.

Every time a flash of power burst forth, the crowd roared with excitement.

Thud—!

When the mammoth finally collapsed, Verga asked without expression,

“How long did it take them?”

“Thirty-six minutes, sir!”

“And their free-lecture scores?”

“All mid-to-high ranking!”

“Unsatisfactory.”

“Eh? But thirty-six minutes is a solid result—”

“Hmph. That’s only by ordinary standards.

Alzea, haven’t you heard about this year’s Lumene first-years?”

Alzea shut his mouth at once.

The Lumene first-years’ successful Gigantes raid was already the talk of the continent.

Had it not been officially verified, no one would have believed such a feat.

“Not to mention Seiren—they’re not far behind.

Especially that brat, Lunia, Ellen’s daughter, wasn’t it? I hear she’s quite extraordinary.”

Verga snorted, recalling his rival of old, the elven hero Ellen.

“That’s why our own freshmen must be exceptional this year!”

The hero academies—each representing their race’s pride—inevitably competed fiercely with one another.

At Verga’s words, Alzea nodded eagerly.

“True! Lumene might have the spotlight right now, but our applicants aren’t lacking either! Especially this year—!”

Waaaaaah—!!

“After all, your own daughter is participating, Instructor Verga!”

Verga gave a snort of pride.

“Of course!”

Even to his own eyes, his daughter Aru possessed talent that could easily surpass his own.

‘That girl will surely become grade representative!’

As he gazed at his daughter with pride, his eyes caught sight of another figure entering last—a young beastman boy with black hair and rabbit ears.

The instant he saw him, Verga unconsciously drew in a sharp breath.

“Instructor?”

“Alzea. That half-blood boy at the end—do you know anything about him?”

“Huh? Umm… I don’t recall seeing him before.”

Alzea rifled through the applicant roster, looking perplexed.

He had already memorized the faces and names of every noteworthy candidate.

If he didn’t recognize this one, then the boy must have been unremarkable—either low-ranked or a mere recommendation case.

While Alzea frantically checked the list, Verga narrowed his eyes.

‘Those eyes… they look just like Reina’s!’

His mind flashed back to his student days— to Reina, Lumene’s grade representative back then, and the woman he had once admired.

‘Come to think of it… Reina once received an Azonia entrance recommendation, didn’t she?’

As he recalled that long-forgotten fact, Verga’s eyes widened.

‘Could he really be… Reina’s son?!’

bl

“Waaaaah!”

“We’ll be watching!”

“Show us what you’ve got!”

As Leo stepped into the arena, the beastmen’s cheers thundered around him.

Leaning against the wall, Leo tilted his head in confusion.

‘Is this part of the entrance ceremony too? Wasn’t the Azonia entrance test supposed to be a desert-crossing marathon?’

Looking around, he saw the other applicants showing off for the audience— brandishing weapons, flexing claws, and demonstrating strength.

Among them, familiar faces stood out.

‘Those punks who picked a fight earlier…’

The three wolf beastmen from before were putting on their little performance.

But there was another familiar face too.

It was the white cat-eared girl with agile movements, drawing cheers from the crowd—Aru.

Spotting Leo, Aru’s face brightened.

“So we ended up in the same group!”

“This is part of the entrance ceremony?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Wasn’t it just the desert-crossing marathon?”

Aru gave him a baffled look.

“This isn’t the entrance ceremony! It’s the Beast Carnival!”

“Beast Carnival?”

“You don’t know that? Are you even a beastman?”

“I’m half-blood. I’ve lived mostly in human lands. I don’t really know beastman customs.”

“The Azonia entrance ceremony isn’t just some dull formality—it’s one of the grandest festivals of all!”

“Cat lady! We’re rooting for you!”

Hearing a young boy’s cheer, Aru smirked confidently and clenched her fist.

Boom—!

“Woooooah—!!”

“She’s amazing!”

“They say she’s from the Tune family!”

“Of course!”

The crowd roared as Aru shattered the wall with her bare fist.

“Every year, countless beastmen flock to Azrek to witness it! For them it’s a festival—but for us, it’s a rite of passage!”

“A rite?”

“Yes! The threat of Tartaros still looms! So during this ceremony, we declare to our kin—!”

She struck a proud pose, chest thrust out, and shouted,

“‘We are here!’”

“Heh.”

Leo let out a quiet laugh.

Then—THUD! THUD!—

The ground trembled.

The contestants, who’d been showing off moments ago, turned tense.

Aru, too, grinned sharply and readied her stance.

Rumble… Clang—!

ROOAAAR!

The iron gate burst open, and a three-meter-tall beast with orange skin stormed out.

“A Cyclops! Oh, this’ll be fun!”

With a battle-hungry grin, Aru flicked Leo’s nose.

“Boop! Don’t just stand there scared—show me how well you fight, black rabbit!”

She winked, then dashed toward the Cyclops.

“‘We are here,’ huh.”

Leo smiled faintly.

‘No need to stand out. I’ll just hang back and see what Azonia’s prospects are like.’

He wasn’t here to compete anyway—only to observe the beastkin’s hero candidates firsthand.

‘And maybe… find one who could inherit Aaron’s techniques.’

Leo’s true goal was the complete annihilation of Erebos.

To accomplish that, he needed companions.

Even Kyle—the last Great Hero—had succeeded in sealing Erebos only by inheriting the essence of his companions’ power.

Even if Leo regained all his former strength, destroying Erebos alone would be impossible.

‘I need new Great Heroes.’

For that, he needed successors worthy of inheriting his friends’ legacies.

In a sense, Leo himself was the embodiment of all the Great Heroes.

He silently watched as the nine Azonia candidates fought the Cyclops.

‘Their level’s about equal to Lumene’s students.’

These were the survivors of Azonia’s grueling half-year of “free lectures.”

Their training rivaled Lumene’s first-year curriculum.

‘And that one… she’s on another level.’

Leo’s eyes gleamed.

Aru’s claws gleamed with aura as she slashed across the Cyclops.

‘She’s still holding back.’

Even alone, Aru was capable of handling the monster.

With the others’ help, she was toying with it.

Each swing of her hand left deep gouges across the creature’s tough hide.

Were it not an upper-class beast with tremendous vitality, it would already be dead.

While Leo watched leisurely—

Whish—!

Something flew toward him.

Turning his head, he heard jeers erupt from the stands.

“What’s your problem!?”

“Everyone else is fighting their hearts out, and you’re just standing there!”

“Cowardly rabbit bastard!”

As the other nine fought desperately, Leo’s calm detachment enraged the beastmen audience.

To them—who worshiped strength and despised cowardice—his attitude was unbearable.

Leo scratched his head awkwardly.

Then—GUOOOHHH!—

The Cyclops suddenly turned toward him and charged.

It raised its thick arm high as it reached him.

Leo sighed lightly and stirred his aura.

bl

‘That damned rabbit!’

Twitch—!

At the frontlines, Aru’s feline eyes glared sharply toward the back.

The others, too, sneered in irritation.

To them, Leo looked utterly contemptible— standing there watching as though it had nothing to do with him.

‘What a disappointment!’

Aru, who had actually liked him a bit, drooped her ears.

“Damn coward. He’s asking for it.”

“Let’s teach him a lesson!”

A few of the beastmen sneered and deliberately drove the Cyclops toward Leo.

The Cyclops, already frustrated at being overwhelmed, saw him standing alone—

and charged without hesitation.

GUOOOOOHH!

Murderous intent flared in its single eye.

FWOOOSH—!

It swung its huge arm down—

and at that moment, Aru leapt toward them, thinking,

‘What are you doing?! Dodge or counter! Otherwise you’ll get—’

BOOM—!

The crowd—and the other candidates—froze in shock.

Leo’s fist had met the Cyclops’ arm.

In the next instant, the monster’s limb was crushed—then exploded.

With a single blow, the Cyclops was killed instantly.

The arena went silent for a heartbeat—then erupted.

“OOOOOOHH!!”

“UWAAAAAAAH!!!”

A thunderous cheer swept through the colosseum.

Aru’s eyes went wide.

It wasn’t the power of the strike that astonished her—

she herself could have done that much.

What stunned her was something only she, standing opposite Leo, had noticed.

‘Just now…!’

Her pupils trembled as she stared at Leo, who was now covering his right eye.

‘There’s no mistake… that guy just transformed into fire—!’