Editor : Amethyst00



Albi watched Leo easily dispel the clone’s attacks and muttered inwardly.

‘What a monster.’

The three students who had defeated Mirror Force before Leo—Chelsea, Chloe, and Abad—had a simple reason for their victory.

‘Because they know themselves better than anyone.’

Their wins came from an absolute understanding of their own selves.

But Leo had gone beyond that.

‘It means the mastery of his own magic has reached its peak. And he’s only fifteen?’

This wasn’t just talent.

‘Len seems to think Leo Plov is merely an incredible genius… but I’m not so sure.’

Albi couldn’t find the right words to define the first-year student before him.

In the meantime, Leo began to cast magic.

Countless Fireballs appeared around him.

Albi instantly realized they weren’t ordinary Fireballs.

‘He’s covered them with power-enhancement formulas.’

They’d been modified to the point of being stronger than most high-tier flame spells. Albi frowned.

‘But even so, they’re still Fireballs. He should know better than anyone that such things won’t work.’

The clone created by Mirror Force possessed the same abilities as the real one.

Just as Albi expected, the cloned Leo instantly dispelled the Fireballs.

Whoosh—!

But the Fireballs weren’t aimed at the clone.

“Ah!”

Gasps broke out among the students.

Their target was none other than Albi.

“This isn’t a duel with a clone, Professor. It’s between you and me, right?”

And he was right.

The real opponent of the students was Albi himself.

Albi burst into laughter at Leo’s words.

Then, in a flash, he dispelled the incoming Fireballs.

They vanished in the blink of an eye.

But that brief moment was all Leo needed.

Leo instantly closed the distance between himself and the clone.

Whoosh—!

The clone erected a massive wall of fire.

Seeing that, Leo quickly cast another spell.

“Flame Explosion.”

Fwoosh—

A bomb of flame appeared in Leo’s left hand.

“Wind Storm.”

The flaming bomb was wrapped in a vortex of wind.

As Leo finished the spell, the clone’s wall of fire rushed toward him.

Leo unleashed his magic.

Boom—! Fwooooosh—!

The compressed flame bomb exploded with tremendous force, obliterating the wall of fire.

Gasps of awe erupted all around.

Combining magic wasn’t particularly difficult for Lumene students.

But controlling the amplified power from such combinations wasn’t easy.

Especially with power like that—it would normally take immense effort to control.

Yet Leo did it effortlessly.

Len watched with a puzzled look.

‘He dispelled much more complex magic without trouble. Then why bother countering a simpler Fire Wall with another spell instead of just dispelling it?’

That thought crossed his mind the moment Leo reached the clone and extended his hand.

Albi’s eyes twitched.

He had spotted the dispel spell imbued in Leo’s hand.

Albi tried to alter the formula structure to respond, but Leo’s hand reached Mirror Force first.

That instant he had created with the Fireballs—this was what it was for.

Len’s eyes widened, and Anna’s face froze in shock.

The moment Leo’s hand touched the clone, it vanished instantly.

“He… defeated the clone?”

“What kind of spell was that?”

The students murmured in confusion.

As Mirror Force dissolved, Albi withdrew his mana.

The duel ended the moment the clone was defeated.

“Are you familiar with fairy magic?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard countless times from Len about your extraordinary ability to interpret formulas.”

Albi glanced at Len, who was trembling with excitement.

‘If he knew fairy magic, dispelling the formula wouldn’t be too hard. But to set up and execute everything so perfectly just to dispel mine…’

“Other professors may think you’re simply a genius.”

Albi narrowed his eyes.

“Ever since the entrance exam, I’ve had doubts about you. Leo Plov—what exactly are you?”

No matter how gifted someone is, there are limits to what talent alone can do.

Leo’s ability was something that couldn’t be explained by talent alone.

“Well, who knows? What do you think I am?”

Leo replied playfully to the sharp question.

Albi stared at him for a moment, then shook his head.

“That was a slip of the tongue. Forget my question. My role in this class ends here. Go join Len’s lesson.”

“Yes, sir.”

At Albi’s words, Leo headed toward where Len was waiting.

Watching his back, Albi thought to himself,

‘I thought he had the makings of a hero… but I can’t even see where his limit lies.’

Even those who showed the potential of heroes didn’t always become one.

‘No matter how talented a student is, many never reach the seat of a hero.’

It was a place for only the chosen few.

But seeing Leo now…

‘He looks like someone born to become a hero.’

He carried the unique charisma that only heroes possessed.

‘Perhaps… he might surpass me before he even graduates.’

bl

“What are you looking at?”

At the top of Lumene’s Tower of Heroes, Principal Kalian asked his old friend.

Rivein replied without taking his eyes off the view.

“I’m watching the first-years.”

In Rivein’s vision, the young students walking across the courtyard below were clearly visible.

“So, what do you think of them?”

Kalian asked, and Rivein answered,

“They’re excellent. Among the generations I’ve seen at Lumene, they’re easily one of the best.”

“See? Didn’t I tell you they were exceptional?”

Rivein flicked a small note toward Kalian.

The enchanted paper fluttered through the air and landed before him.

“This is…?”

“These are clues I’ve gathered over the past four years while traveling the world—about Hero Dungeons.”

Kalian’s eyes widened in surprise.

The vice principal of Lumene had always been a dragon.

Not just Lumene—every hero academy of every race had a dragon as its vice principal.

Since the Age of Calamity, when the Wise Queen, Lysinas, united the Great Heroes to defeat Erebos, the dragons had taken on the duty of selecting new heroes.

From the founding of each academy, dragons were closely tied to their operations.

Dragons commanded by the Dragon Lord served as vice principals to guide the birth of heroes.

Rivein had once been passionate about this duty—but over time, he seemed to have stepped away from it.

And yet, for the past four years, he had quietly continued searching for Lumene’s sake.

“I can’t say for sure if a Hero Dungeon really exists, but sending the students might not be a bad idea.”

“I agree. Thank you, Rivein.”

Kalian smiled warmly at his old friend.

Rivein looked at him and said,

“Kalian.”

“Hmm?”

“I know you didn’t call me here just to talk about the first-years.”

“You’re right. Tartaros has started to move again.”

There was a traitor within Lumene.

No—within Seiren as well.

It was likely that Tartaros’s influence had spread into every hero academy.

‘Because for Tartaros, the greatest obstacle is the hero academies themselves.’

The peace that had lasted so long was beginning to waver.

The mere fact that Tartaros was now acting openly was proof of that.

“I guess I’ve grown old.”

The aging hero Kalian sighed deeply.

“So tell me, bearer of this era…”

Eighty years ago, the dragon who had chosen the young Sword Saint spoke solemnly.

“Are you ready to entrust the age to the next generation?”

There were many heroes in the world.

But none held the influence of Kalian.

He was called the greatest hero because his very existence alone had forced Tartaros into hiding for decades.

His presence was a deterrent stronger than any weapon.

But now, that deterrent was fading.

Tartaros knew it too—the era of the Sword Saint was coming to an end.

That was why the dragon who once chose him as a hero now asked this question.

Are you ready to end your era?

“I may not be as great as you, but I’ve long watched over Lumene’s students as their principal.”

Kalian smiled faintly.

“I’ve been ready for a long time.”

“Good. Then I’ll follow your will.”

The hero and the dragon who had once changed the world shared a knowing smile.

bl

A week after the start of the second semester, after school—

Harrid spoke.

“Starting today, you’ll begin mission field practice.”

The class stirred with excitement.

“Mission practice?”

“That’s right.”

Harrid continued with a bored expression.

“Mission notices will be posted on the first-floor board of the main building.”

Heroes were also problem-solvers for the world.

So people in need sent requests to Lumene Academy.

The academy’s upper council reviewed each request and dispatched students to places that truly required help.

In such cases, no commission fee was required, and the academy covered all mission expenses.

However, if someone wanted to hire students for personal reasons, they had to pay a fee.

It cost money—but Lumene students would arrive much faster.

For students, missions were a golden opportunity: experience, money, and even grades.

Even if one did poorly on exams, the kind of mission completed could still affect grades—making field practice as important as tests themselves.

Naturally, the first-years were fired up.

Seeing his eager students, Harrid spoke.

“There are different mission grades. Take ones suitable for your ability. I say this every year, but there are always students who overreach. Mission practice isn’t like other school activities—it’s real.”

His cold gaze swept across the room.

“You could lose your life.”

The students flinched.

The excited atmosphere turned still and tense.

After giving his warning, Harrid said,

“That’s all for today. Go check the mission board.”

The students of Class 5 left the room and headed to the first-floor central hallway.

Because Harrid often dismissed them early, they’d be the first to check the postings.

“Nice! That means we get first pick! Professor Harrid really knows how to look out for us!”

Carl grinned.

“Let’s see… Oh! There are even missions in Lumeria City!”

The moment he said that, someone snatched a notice.

“Hey! Eliana! I saw that one first!”

“Too slow. First come, first served.”

As Eliana and Carl bickered, Tade gave them a look of exasperation.

“The location isn’t what matters—the content is.”

While the class chattered over the postings, Leo reached for one mission nobody else had touched.

Chelsea tilted her head.

“Leo-oppa, that place is a total countryside village. You’re really picking that one? It’s just a bandit subjugation mission. Sounds like nothing but hard work.”

Bandit subjugation.

Far too trivial for someone like Leo, the honor student of the year.

No one else would ever pick such a mission.

Leo smiled at her question.

“I’ve wanted to visit that area for a while.”

“Huh? It’s just a neutral region in the southwest of the continent. What’s so special about it?”

Even as Eliana and Carl stared curiously, Leo just smiled faintly.

That place he wanted to visit—

It was where a legendary city once stood, though no record pinpointed its exact location.

A city from 5,000 years ago.

The land where it all began.

‘Godthrone.’

The land where Kyle and Lysinas first met.