Editor : Amethyst00



The next morning.

In front of the Colosseum, the area was packed with people who had come to witness the Azonia entrance ceremony.

Under the guidance of the attendants, people were entering one after another.

At the center of the arena, the entrance candidates were loosening their bodies, faces filled with tension.

From here, the candidates would set off, follow the track within Azrek, and finally head toward the Great Desert.

The reason for parading through the city was to show the people the faces of the hero candidates.

The stands of the Colosseum were packed, and the spectators sent enthusiastic cheers toward the candidates.

Leo stood at the far edge among them.

He fiddled with the rabbit ears poking out from behind his beret, seemingly still not used to them, then pressed the beret down tightly.

Though his appearance had changed with polymorph magic and his hair color was different, anyone who knew him would still recognize him easily.

‘Besides, there’s nothing good about showing my face around here.’

“Hey, boy! Do your best!”

“Haha! You look relaxed! We’ll be cheering for you!”

Even the spectators sent encouragement to Leo, standing in the corner.

‘Hero candidates are welcomed wherever they go.’

The Age of Calamity had ended, and the world had entered an age of peace.

Yet still, people longed for heroes.

Was it because they were beings who had achieved great feats?

Or because they were the ones who could change the world?

‘No… people already know.’

Leo’s gaze dimmed slightly.

‘That the embers of calamity have yet to die out.’

Though Erebos had been shattered into fragments, he hadn’t truly disappeared.

His army, Tartaros, was still alive—scheming in the shadows, waiting for the return of The Calamity.

‘True peace will come only after the age of heroes ends.’

An age that no longer required heroes—

That was the peace the Great Heroes had sought.

He was lost in the memory of an ancient oath when—

“Black Rabbit!”

Aru strode over quickly.

“You didn’t forget yesterday’s promise, did you? I’ll definitely earn your acknowledgment today!”

“Yeah, yeah. But why do you have such dark circles under your eyes?”

Aru grinned meaningfully and widened her eyes.

“I was too excited to sleep a wink!”

Leo clicked his tongue at her proud declaration.

“You sure you’ll be alright?”

“Of course! So during today’s test, don’t go anywhere and just follow me! Got it?”

“It’s an exam, I can’t just follow you around.”

“Don’t miss even a bit of my brilliance! Look at me! Only me! I said, only me!”

Like a whining kitten, Aru chattered endlessly beside Leo.

Meanwhile, other entrance candidates spotted her and approached.

“You’re Aru Tune, right? Nice to meet you! I’m Rived—let’s do well on this exam.”

“If we get in, could you maybe recommend me to Instructor Verga?”

“Want to form a team for the entrance test?”

“Huh? Uh—”

Overwhelmed by the sudden crowd, Aru wore a flustered expression.

There were those who resented recommendation candidates, but there were just as many who admired them.

Moreover, Aru was the direct successor of the heroic Tune family—naturally, many students wanted to get on her good side before entering.

As the candidates gathered in one place, the spectators’ gazes naturally followed.

Sensing that, Leo quietly slipped away.

Surrounded by others, Aru noticed him leaving and widened her eyes.

“Where are you going, Black Rabbit! I told you to stay beside me!”

Apologizing hurriedly to the candidates around her, she dashed after him with a thud-thud-thud!

The other candidates’ faces twisted.

‘Who the hell is that rabbit guy?!’

‘Why is Aru Tune treating him like that?! Just because he’s a recommendation candidate?’

Unintentionally, Leo became the target of their jealousy.

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In the stands, Yura looked through the list of Azonia’s recommended candidates and said,

“Tunes, Dens, Ruals, even Vegas. Our kids are outstanding, but the Azonia recommendation lineup this year is no joke too, huh?”

“Indeed.”

“And this Kyle? It’s the first time I’ve seen someone using the name of the Hero of the Beginning. And he doesn’t even have a family name? What’s that kid’s deal?”

“We’ll find out soon enough.”

Every year at Azonia’s entrance ceremony, educators from various Hero Academies were invited to observe.

Each academy sent representatives to evaluate the students who would soon become rivals to their own first-years.

This year, Lumene had sent its first-year head professors.

Originally, even Len was supposed to attend—but he declined, saying he was preparing for the second semester.

“The nerve of that guy! All the senior professors are here, but he’s the only one who skips out!”

“There’s no need for all three of us to attend. And since he’s busy preparing lectures, we can’t exactly blame him.”

“Professor Ain, you’re too lenient about things like this! That’s why Ren keeps getting cheeky! You should assert your senior authority for once!”

“I’m not sure you’re the one to say that.”

“Why not?”

“Professor, if we’re being honest… you’re the one who argues with Professor Ain the most.”

Sitting beside Yura, Carlo spoke cautiously.

Yura glanced at her associate professor and chopped him right in the throat with the edge of her hand.

“Gah—! Cough! Cough!”

Ignoring his suffering, Yura continued,

“Anyway, Len’s really wasting his time. No matter what lectures he’s preparing, Leo will pick the Summoning Department anyway.”

“What do you mean? Leo Plov belongs to the Knight Department.”

Ain corrected her, but Yura paid no attention.

“By the way, sunbae—aren’t you acquainted with Azonia’s Instructor Verga? Aren’t you going to say hello?”

“I’d rather not run into him this time.”

“Why?”

“He’ll start comparing our first-years to his candidates one by one, being an annoying nuisance.”

“That… sounds plausible.”

Yura nodded, then frowned, looking up at the sky.

Even though there was shade in the stands, the heat was suffocating.

‘This is why I didn’t want to come.’

Hating the heat, Yura took a sip from her drink.

Then her eyes widened as she noticed something in the arena.

“Ghhk—?! Cough! Cough!”

“Choking again?” Ain looked at her with exasperation.

Still coughing madly, Yura suddenly grabbed Ain by the head.

“What are you—”

Crack!

She twisted his neck.

The ominous sound made Carlo’s face go pale.

“Seems you were right, Yura Marin. I am too lenient with my juniors.”

Crack crack crack!

Ain loosened his knuckles, preparing to retaliate.

Panicking, Yura shouted between coughs,

“W-wait! Sunbae! L-look! There—cough!—over there! That’s Leo!”

“Don’t be ridiculous—”

But as Ain scowled, releasing his killing intent, his gaze caught a rabbit beastman in the arena.

“…Let go.”

He brushed off Yura’s hand and rubbed his eyes, staring hard.

The beastman’s hair color and ears were different—but his face was unmistakably like Leo’s.

‘What the hell is he doing here?’

Frowning, Ain rose to his feet.

“I’ll be back. I need to speak with that Verga fellow.”

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“Everyone, line up!”

At the instructor’s shout from the platform, the candidates quickly stood in formation.

Once they were in order, the officiating instructor spoke.

“Recommended candidates, step forward.”

At that, five of the candidates stepped up.

“You will represent the others and recite the Declaration. Read it in the order written on the document.”

The instructor handed each of them a copy.

While the others read over it, Leo asked quietly,

“We just read it aloud, right?”

“Indeed. As descendants of Lord Aaron, we place our hands on his Hero Record with respect and recite the oath of a true hero.”

‘Aaron’s Hero Record? To think I’d see it like this…’

Leo’s eyes widened slightly as he read through the declaration.

Once the recommended candidates finished checking, the officiant looked at the time and spoke into a magically amplified microphone.

[Before we begin the ceremony, we will have the oath of the recommended candidates. Step forward.]

As the voice echoed, all eyes turned toward the five.

At a signal, an assistant brought forth a silk cushion carrying Aaron’s Page and placed it carefully upon the platform.

The crowd murmured in awe.

“That’s the Hero Record of Lord Aaron.”

“Ooh…!”

The audience, gazing at the ancient relic of the world’s first hero, looked deeply moved—some even clasped their hands in prayer.

That page was proof that a Great Hero had once saved the world.

[Begin the recitation.]

At the solemn cue, the candidate furthest left—Leo—stepped toward the Page.

Step—

He looked down at the Hero Record.

On the old parchment labeled , the letters were faded and barely visible— but the divine power within it could still be clearly felt.

‘So you’re still intact.’

Remembering Kyle’s shattered fragments of a Hero Page—barely worthy of the name—Leo let out a faint sigh of relief.

“What are you waiting for? Start reading.”

Prompted by the instructor, Leo placed his hand on the Page.

“One—before the name of the Great Hero, I shall not act in cowardice.”

Woom—

A pulse of light emanated from the Page, making Leo hesitate.

‘What…?’s

Woom—!

‘This reaction—!’

Sensing the change from the Hero Record, Leo turned quickly toward Aru, who was about to place her hand on it next.

“Two—before the name of the Great Hero, I shall not act in sha—”

“Stop! Take your hand off it!”

“Wha—what are you doing?!”

Leo tried to pull her away, but Aru instinctively dodged.

At that moment—

Woom—!

The Page of Aaron flared with blinding light.

“What’s happening?”

The officiating instructor froze in confusion.

[Hero Record—Open.]

“What?”

“W-wait!”

Aru’s eyes widened in disbelief as words appeared before them.

[The World of Aaron. Chapter: Prologue – The Beginning.]

Woom—Flash!

A burst of brilliant light swallowed their vision.

Leo and Aru squeezed their eyes shut—

and when they opened them again—

They were standing in the middle of a street.

“Th-that voice just now—it said Hero Record Open, didn’t it?”

While Aru stammered in confusion, Leo slowly lifted his head to the sky.

Following his gaze, Aru looked up too— and her expression hardened.

“Wh-what is that? What’s wrong with the sky?”

For Aru, who had only ever known an age of peace, it was a sky she could never have imagined.

But for Leo—

it was a sky he knew all too well.

A gloomy, colorless, ashen sky—without the faintest trace of blue.

A sky that signaled the world’s march toward ruin.

Leo’s expression darkened.

‘The Age of Calamity.’