Editor : Amethyst00



First-years headed toward the Academy, each by their own means.

Students from the Knight Department used Aura Step.

Those from the Magic Department flew with Fly or Wing magic.

Students of the Summoning Department rode flying beasts or elementals.

At the start of the semester, many would have struggled to cross the vast Lumeria Lake, but now, not a single first-year of Lumene failed to do so.

‘That must mean everyone’s grown that much.’

Leo thought as he flew through the sky using Fly magic.

He could see aquatic monsters of Lumeria Lake attacking the students, but everyone handled it with ease.

“At this rate, we could probably take on a Kraken, huh?”

“Don’t even joke about that.”

Hearing his classmates’ conversation, Leo let out a small laugh.

‘But why did they tell us to head to Lumene Academy, anyway?’

It was clear they were testing the students’ abilities.

But the difficulty was too low for that to be the only reason.

Knowing Rivein’s true identity as a dragon, Leo predicted a much tougher ordeal awaited them.

‘There’s no way it ends this easily.’

Just as he thought that—

A thick fog spread before his eyes.

Since fog often appeared over Lumeria Lake, the other students didn’t think much of it.

But the moment Leo entered the mist, his expression hardened.

‘This is…!’

His eyes widened.

‘Draconic magic?’

Whoosh—!

The instant he recognized the spell, Leo’s field of vision shifted.

‘This is a bit much.’

He knew this magic well.

It was a spell developed long ago by the Wise Queen, Lysinas.

‘Strictly speaking, it’s a curse.’

A dragon curse created by Lysinas to counter one of Tartaros’s most powerful forces—curses.

‘Nightmare.’

Flash—!

The scenery changed completely.

Leo took a deep breath.

He knew the nature of this curse well.

‘You’re forced to fight the one person you least want to fight.’

Thinking that, Leo turned his head—

And seeing the woman before him, he murmured, “I knew it.”

Before him stood a beautiful woman.

None other than Lysinas.

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Inside Lumene Academy, the first-year professors watched the magical projection with grave faces.

On screen, students heading toward Lumene collapsed unconscious.

“Ah…”

“Oh dear…”

Sighs filled with pity spread among the professors.

Students who lost consciousness and fell into the water were swallowed by their own shadows and transferred straight to the infirmary.

Among the faculty, Vice Principal Rivein was known for his mastery of powerful illusion magic.

Knowing how dangerous his spells could be, the professors had strongly objected when he first proposed testing the first-years.

‘That’s absurd!’

‘Maybe upperclassmen could try it, but first-years? Impossible!’

That was how famous Rivein’s magic was.

No one among the professors wanted to break the first-years’ spirits with an unreasonable exam.

‘It’s not a graded test,’ Kalian had said. ‘Just a simple assessment so Vice Principal Rivein can gauge their abilities.’

Persuaded by Kalian, the first-year professors left the students in Rivein’s care on the first day of the term.

And this was the result.

Seeing the students faint one by one, the professors sighed deeply.

Even Sedgen, who normally cheered loudly for his students, stood with his arms crossed, watching expressionlessly.

Several Class 1 students appeared on screen.

“How inelegant,” Sedgen muttered, frowning, then turned to Harrid.

“What do you think?”

“The vice principal must have his reasons. He’s been teaching here longer than any of us.”

Both Harrid and Sedgen knew Rivein’s true identity— and the goal that kept him at Lumene.

“But I don’t like it,” Sedgen said.

If Rivein, a dragon, truly guided the first-years, it would be wonderful.

But he showed no desire to teach them at all.

Lumene’s mission was to train hero candidates capable of overcoming any trial.

But not to throw them into impossible ones.

This “test” was essentially Rivein’s way of refusing to teach the first-years.

Every professor at Lumene gave their all to their students— believing that these young people would one day reshape the world.

Sedgen firmly held that belief.

So Rivein’s indifference to the students’ potential displeased him.

Even the efficiency-minded Harrid felt the same.

“Maybe it’s just a difference in perspective,” Harrid said, watching the screen. “He’s looking further ahead than we are.”

Sedgen only sighed.

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“Kyle.”

Lysinas smiled and stepped aside from Leo’s path, gesturing for him to go ahead.

“Go on.”

“I figured you’d say that.”

Leo let out a small laugh.

If the opponent was Lysinas, there was no way she’d truly fight him.

Their meeting had been the very first step toward saving the world.

The two trusted each other more deeply than anyone else.

A comrade born of such unwavering trust would never attack him and Leo knew that better than anyone.

That was why this result had manifested.

And the same was true for his other comrades.

‘Well, I guess it’s fine if I fight anyway.’

Leo looked down at his hand.

No longer that of a boy, but the scarred hand of a man who had crossed countless battlefields.

His vision, too, was different.

Nightmare was a curse that showed illusions— ultimately, a fake world.

If Leo had perceived Lysinas as his least wanted opponent, then the illusion perceived Leo not as Leo, but as Kyle.

Scratching his gray hair, Leo walked past Lysinas.

She looked up at him and smiled softly.

“Good luck.”

With those words, Lysinas vanished.

The scenery changed again— leaving only darkness.

“Good luck… huh.”

Back in his true form, Leo gave a bitter smile and drew his sword.

“I’ll have to.”

Fwoosh—!

Flames burst like an explosion of Aura.

Leo’s eyes gleamed.

Unlike rune-based magic, Draconic magic was woven directly from the language of dragons.

No other race could even interpret it, much less use it.

But Leo, inheriting Lysinas’s legacy, understood the structure with ease.

‘I can’t use it in this body, though.’

Still, interpreting it wasn’t hard.

Especially since this Draconic spell was Lysinas’s creation.

Crack—!

Leo thrust his sword toward the core of the spell formula.

Crackle—!

Cracks spread through the entire space, and the darkness shattered.

Flash—!

Leo’s eyes snapped open as the Fly spell dissipated.

Splash—!

Using Aura Step, he avoided falling into the water and narrowed his eyes.

He saw other students being swallowed by shadows.

‘So it’s not meant to harm them.’

A curse created by a dragon was far beyond what first-years could possibly break.

Tightening his legs—

Boom—!

Aura burst beneath his feet, propelling him forward.

Leo sprinted across the lake toward Lumene at incredible speed.

At the dock where the first-years were meant to arrive, Rivein muttered,

“Perhaps Nightmare was too much after all.”

With an unmotivated face, he gazed over Lumeria Lake, then turned to leave.

Splash, splash, splash—!

The sound of someone running over water echoed.

Rivein turned his head— and someone landed right before him.

His eyes widened.

Leo looked up at him and said,

“I’ve arrived.”

Rivein stared in disbelief at Leo’s slightly cocky tone.

“How did you undo the spell?”

“I just did.”

“Heh.”

Rivein let out a dry laugh.

Then Leo asked,

“Normally, you wouldn’t assign something impossible as a test, would you?”

At those pointed words, Rivein sighed deeply and slumped onto a bench.

“I’ve served as Lumene’s vice principal for many years. I’ve watched countless students become heroes.”

He gave a bitter smile.

“But not one of them ever dreamed beyond heroism.”

The last to be chosen by a dragon was the Sword Saint, Kalian.

He was called the greatest hero of the age for that very reason.

“I’ve grown disheartened watching a world that’s stayed stagnant for too long. I didn’t even want to see your potential.”

Rivein bowed his head deeply.

“I apologize.”

Dragons—proud beings known as the mightiest race—rarely bowed to anyone.

Knowing that, Leo accepted his apology as sincere.

“So, what’s your dream?”

Rivein was curious.

What could this student, who’d accomplished the impossible, possibly aspire to?

Leo answered casually,

“The complete eradication of Erebos.”

Rivein’s eyes flew wide.

It was an unthinkable answer.

Just speaking the name Erebos was daunting— and yet this first-year declared he would erase it.

Anyone else would have laughed at such arrogance.

But Rivein didn’t.

Instead, his heart trembled.

“If you’ve been a teacher at Lumene for ages, it’s understandable to feel disappointed in your students,” Leo said, meeting Rivein’s eyes.

“But you know something?”

“What’s that?”

“The Wise Queen saved the world because she never gave up.”

Rivein’s eyes widened.

“Even after thousands of failures and disappointments—she said that was no reason to quit.”

Leo recalled the leader who had always stood at the front of the subjugation forces.

“If you’re the successor of the Wise Queen, then you shouldn’t give up either, no matter what.”

“You… know who I am…?”

Rivein realized Leo had seen through his identity.

“I look forward to learning from you, Vice Principal.”

With that, Leo left the dock and walked toward Lumene’s front gate.

Watching his back, Rivein lifted his gaze to the sky.

‘O great Wise Queen… who is this boy that reminds me so strongly of your will?’

Rivein, respected by all dragons, thought of Lysinas and pulled a student roster from subspace.

Flipping through it, he saw the photo on the first page.

‘So that boy was Leo Plov.’

He hadn’t even realized his identity was written right there.

Realizing his negligence, Rivein reproached himself.

‘To ignore another’s potential out of my own complacency… but this boy—what is he?’

Closing the roster, he looked up at the sky again.

This wasn’t just a “golden generation.”

‘Perhaps… the very balance of this world is about to change.’

Having watched countless heroes over the ages, Rivein could sense it—

Leo wasn’t merely a boy with the makings of a hero.

Nor even a stronger hero-to-be.

Only one phrase came to mind.

‘A Great Hero.’