Editor : Amethyst00



The entire first year gathered in the Great Auditorium.

The buzzing chatter of mid-teen students filled the whole place.

Meanwhile, Associate Professors and teaching assistants came out to prepare for class.

At last, when preparations were complete, one Associate Professor spoke.

“Everyone, please quiet down. Class will begin shortly!”

“Yes.”

The students responded to the assistants’ words.

The noise lessened somewhat, but it didn’t disappear completely.

Teenagers at the age where they loved playing with friends weren’t the kind to be silenced by just one adult speaking.

The Associate Professors knew that, but they didn’t press further.

Because today’s class would be conducted by none other than Professor Artienne Niere.

“Everyone! Sorry I’m late!”

Professor Artienne entered the auditorium, climbed the stage, and apologized.

Thud!

“Ow!”

Then she tripped on her foot and fell.

The students all immediately straightened their posture and went silent.

With an embarrassed expression, Artienne rubbed her knee and moved to the center of the stage.

Artienne Niere.

The professor most feared by the current first years.

The reason was simple.

If anyone made noise during her class, physical punishment would immediately follow.

Of course, it wasn’t by her own will but the doing of the hot-tempered spirit being bound by contract with her.

Because of that, students tensed up whenever she appeared.

Now, as Artienne clapped her hands and smiled brightly, the room was already under control.

“As expected, my students are so good! To become this quiet in front of your professor!”

The cheerful Artienne simply thought the students were well-behaved.

“In the last class, we talked about the Heroes of Great Families, didn’t we? Before we start today’s lesson, how about a quick review of what we learned?”

Artienne began her lecture.

“Who can tell me why Heroes of Great Families could come into being after the appearance of the Hero Record?”

Hands shot up across the room.

Despite being feared, she was a good professor.

Her lectures were easy to understand, and she was generous with grades.

Considering that some strict professors not only graded harshly but even docked points, there was no downside to participating in Artienne’s class.

Even Carl eagerly raised his hand.

“Carl from Class 5?”

“Yes!”

Carl, delighted, jumped up from his seat.

“In order to open a Hero's World from the Hero Record, you need an item deeply connected to that hero or with significant anecdotes about them. The descendants of heroes inherit their ancestors’ relics, so accessing the Hero's World is easier for them!”

“Correct. Five points to Carl.”

Carl grinned from ear to ear as he sat down.

“Though it’s political, this is also why Lumene Academy, which stores the Hero Record, and the Heroes of Great Families maintain such close connections.”

Even if one had the key to open a Hero's World, the record of the hero was stored within the Hero Record at Lumene.

“For heroes who left behind no relics before the appearance of their Hero's World, excavation and ruin investigations are how related artifacts are obtained.”

Since the Hero Record was an artifact that had existed since the Age of Calamity—long before the Hero's World were revealed—there were countless pages that existed but could not open a Hero's World.

“Even for the same hero, one relic cannot open all of their pages. That’s why excavation is the second most important activity of our time after clearing Hero Dungeons. Furthermore, Hero Dungeons born from Rampages often provide rewards but result in unstable inheritances of power. Now then, a question.”

Artienne looked back at the students.

“Can anyone tell me another reason why the Hero Studies is important?”

Again, hands shot up.

“Duran from Class 1.”

“Because it can provide clues for clearing the Hero's World.”

“Correct. Five points for Duran.”

Duran calmly sat down.

“The Hero's World are trials experienced by the past heroes. Even if you know their stories, the trials are so vast that clearing them is nearly impossible. Many lose their lives within. That’s why even the smallest anecdote or clue becomes a vital keyword for clearing them.”

That was why students devoted themselves to the study of Heroics.

“When you reach higher grades, you will choose a hero whose power you wish to inherit and attempt to clear their page. By then, you should already have an idea of which hero’s nature suits your own.”

Eliana clapped lightly.

“Now then, shall we move on to your homework presentations?”

Last week, Artienne had assigned all first-year students homework.

It wasn’t anything particularly difficult.

They had to think about what they wanted to achieve as heroes and present it in the next Hero Studies class.

Though simple, anyone aspiring to be a hero needed to define their image of one.

And since everyone had entered Lumene with a sincere heart, the first-years had given it serious thought over the weekend.

“Alright, let’s start with Class 1.”

The students of Class 1 hesitated and exchanged uneasy glances.

It was embarrassing to speak of their goals as heroes in front of hundreds of peers.

“Class 1! Don’t be shy! Your goals are your guiding lights! To speak them proudly before others is a thing to be honored—mmph!”

“This is Professor Artienne’s class. It’s not your place to step in.”

“Professor Sedgen! Please! Professor Artienne is already timid enough!”

Unable to bear Class 1’s hesitation, the overzealous Professor Sedgen had cheered them on—only to be restrained by the other homeroom professors.

At that moment, Celia rose from her seat.

Straightening her back, she swept her hair behind her and declared proudly:

“I want to become a knight who surpasses my ancestors.”

A knight greater than the predecessors of the Zerdinger House.

For someone from a Heroes of Great Families, no goal carried more weight.

“Wow! A truly splendid goal!”

Next, Chloe stood up.

“I want to write a grimoire filled only with my own original spells.”

“A magnificent ambition as a mage.”

Starting with Celia, the students began to present their goals one after another.

At first they hesitated, but once the first words were spoken, the floodgates opened.

The homeroom professors observing from the back listened carefully to their students’ declarations.

They knew well that these brief presentations showed the paths their students wished to walk.

At last, it was Class 5’s turn.

“I want to be someone who helps heroes.”

When Carl voiced his aspiration, Artienne looked surprised.

But soon she understood and smiled.

“So you wish to be the one supporting the backs of heroes, Carl?”

“Yes.”

Though most students couldn’t understand why Carl had chosen the path of a supporter so early, many professors evaluated his choice positively.

After Carl sat down, it was Leo’s turn.

Rising from his seat, Leo spoke flatly.

“My goal is the complete annihilation of Erebos.”

At that moment, silence fell over the auditorium.

Artienne was stunned, and the students all turned toward Leo with bewildered faces.

The complete annihilation of Erebos.

That was no mere personal wish.

It was the long-cherished desire the world had held since the Age of Calamity.

But even the Great Heroes had failed. To speak it aloud was to invite ridicule as a foolish dream.

Yet he had declared it without hesitation, leaving the others dumbfounded.

“Ah, um…! An incredible goal indeed!”

Artienne managed to compose herself and smile.

“Isn’t that too much of a pipe dream?”

“Long ago, there was a fool who said such pipe-dream words.”

Leo leaned on his hand and chuckled faintly.

“And at some point, I was moved by that foolish talk. So I’ve decided to carry on that dream in her place.”

Carl stared at Leo, baffled by his cryptic words.

Then he grinned.

“For someone with such a grand ambition, a fine supporter is necessary, right?”

“I’ll be counting on you, Carl.”

bl

“The grade representative surely has an ambition on another level.”

One homeroom professor murmured as they listened to the first-years’ presentations.

“Doesn’t it sound like he was joking?”

“But his homeroom professor is Harrid, right? Would he really joke in a place like this?”

“Still, isn’t that goal too unrealistic?”

The professors’ opinions split.

Then Sedgen turned to Harrid beside him.

“What do you think? Was it a joke?”

“No. He’s not the kind of student to spout nonsense.”

Harrid frowned.

“That’s why it’s a little frightening.”

Erebos had been subjugated by the Great Heroes and sealed away in many fragments thousands of years ago.

In the time since, there had been several resurrections.

And even the revival of a single fragment had brought catastrophe upon the world.

For a student to dream of Erebos’ complete annihilation.

‘Is he just a simple fool? Or is his potential that vast?’

A month had passed, yet even Harrid couldn’t fully grasp Leo.

As Harrid watched Leo intently, something else occurred.

“Professors.”

Erena, the principal’s secretary, approached with a box in her arms.

“This is the Hero Record page to be used as today’s teaching material.”

“Good work, Secretary Erena.”

Professor Sedgen received it and rose to his feet.

The other homeroom professors also stood.

This joint class involved the professors as well.

To be precise, it was a precaution.

In the past, Hero Record pages recovered from Hero Dungeons had sometimes gone berserk during class.

Not frequent, but not unheard of either. That was why, whenever the Hero Record was used as material, professors always supervised to protect the students.

By the time the professors reached the podium, the remaining classes had finished their presentations.

“Everyone, from here we’ll proceed with Hero Studies using the Hero Record page recovered by dungeon raiders.”

Artienne received the sealed box containing the Hero Record from Sedgen.

“Finally!”

“This is my first time touching a Hero Record!”

“I’m nervous!”

The students responded with excitement.

“Today’s class will involve reading a Hero Record page, having each class guess which hero it belongs to, and then devising strategies to clear that Hero's World.”

Strictly speaking, there was no need to use the actual Hero Record for this.

But since someday they would face it in the field, it was better to use the real thing to give the class more weight.

“All class presidents, please come forward.”

“Lucky you, Leo. You get to touch the Hero Record directly!”

At Eliana’s words, Nella laughed.

“You’ll all get to touch it after class anyway, so what’s the big deal?”

“Still, getting to touch it early is a privilege!”

Eliana envied Leo’s little privilege as class president.

Thus, the ten class presidents ascended the podium.

“Oh? So the president of Class 5 is Leo-nim?”

Chen Xia, president of Class 10, greeted him warmly.

“I was just chosen today in a rush.”

“In a rush?”

Chen Xia tilted her head curiously.

With the most outstanding students of the year gathered together, a peculiar tension filled the air.

Artienne opened the sealed box.

“This time, we recovered two Hero Record pieces. Only one will be used as class material. The other is just a fragment, but I brought it to show you such things exist.”

She lifted the fragment of a page.

And handed it to Leo, who was closest.

Leo reached out absentmindedly.

In that instant, the page fragment emitted a faint light.

And the moment it touched Leo’s hand—

[Hero Record Open. World of ■■. Chapter: ■■-■■■]

A message Leo had seen before appeared before his eyes.

Artienne, the other class presidents, and even the professors on guard for emergencies all wore looks of shock.

Wooong—!

Light surged from the floor of the podium.

The language of gods unknown to mortals.

“A Rampage?”

With Professor Sedgen’s alarmed voice, the brilliant light engulfed the podium.

And when it faded, Leo, the professors, and the class presidents were standing in another place.

It was the middle of a battlefield.

The corpses of grotesque monsters littered the ground.

“Everyone stay alert! It’s a Hero Dungeon!”

Harrid’s shout drained the color from the class presidents’ faces.

“Harrid! Look, a fortress wall!”

Sedgen pointed to the wall Leo was staring at.

Leo gazed blankly at the wall.

It was a wall he knew well.

A place that no longer existed in this age.

In the Age of Calamity, the final bastion and last city.

The walls of Godthrone.

The stench of burning corpses of monsters, beasts, and demons stung his nose.

Leo could never forget this sight.

If this was truly that time… if his memory wasn’t mistaken, then surely these words had been spoken:

‘Yes, Kyle. My wish is far too foolish for a wish.’

“Yes, ■■. My wish is far too foolish a wish.”

At the voice from behind, the professors and class presidents flinched and turned their heads.

And at once, they involuntarily drew sharp breaths.

For the figure there was all too famous.

Leo turned his head blankly toward the voice.

And with the same conviction as back then, the woman said:

“But ■■. We will save the world.”

She who was now called the Wise Queen, the Black Dragon.

The great and noble hero who had shone the light of hope in the era of despair as the world neared destruction.

At that time, his dearest friend, mocked as a fool.

Choking up, Leo called her name.

“Lysinas.”

At his call, Lysinas smiled gently.

Whoosh—!

At the same time, the world collapsed.

In the blink of an eye, they were back in the auditorium.

“What the…!”

“P-professors, what just happened?”

The students asked in trembling voices, panicked.

Harrid gave a calm judgment.

“For now, class is suspended. Everyone, calm down and exit the auditorium.”

With that, the Associate Professors began leading the students out.

Leo stood blankly, staring at the Hero Record page fragment in his hand.

He knew whose it was.

‘Kyle’s page. This is my record.’