Editor : Amethyst00



“……”

Chloe gripped the black grimoire tightly.

“I wanted to win, no matter what. But no matter how much I thought, I couldn’t figure out a way to beat him. So… so… I borrowed the power of another, not my own.”

The unique magic Chloe had originally been preparing was an ice-element field magic.

But she thought there was no way she could defeat Leo in the exam with that, so she prepared the Unquenchable Flame.

That spell wasn’t a magic formula she had created.

'I only implemented it based on the magic formulas written in this grimoire.'

Even Chloe herself didn’t know the true activation principle of the spell.

She had brushed it off by claiming it was her unique magic, something special to her.

That was also why she reacted so sharply whenever anyone asked her about it.

On exam day, she unleashed it, and the Unquenchable Flame defeated Leo just as she expected.

At that moment, she was overjoyed. She finally thought she had caught up. But…

'There’s no way this can count as catching up!'

Grinding her teeth, Chloe let out a bitter laugh.

'What’s the point of pouring my heart out to her?'

The genius girl still spoken of even thirty years later.

'She’s different from me. Someone special, like Leo.'

Even if Chloe told someone like that what was in her heart, there was no way she would understand.

At best, she wouldn’t laugh in her face.

As Chloe stared in silence, Aliah smiled.

“As I thought, Chloe, you’re a lot like me.”

“…What?”

“The truth is, I used to be incredibly jealous of my brother too.”

Aliah grinned faintly.

“I thought it was so unfair that someone who looks so dumb could do everything so effortlessly. This is a secret, but… the fundamental framework of my unique magic was actually created by my brother. I’m great at using existing magic, but I’m awful at creating new things. Honestly, I even failed the Lumene entrance exam twice.”

Aliah drew her knees up to her chest.

Chloe’s expression went blank.

It was hard to believe this was the same girl people still remembered as a tragic magic prodigy.

“There was a time when I really hated him. But then one day, I realized something… If someone makes you so jealous that you can’t help but hate them, doesn’t that mean they’re worth admiring?”

At those words, Chloe lowered her gaze to the black grimoire.

'…Someone worth admiring?'

bl

Leo, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open.

Then he shot to his feet.

“Leo, what is it?”

At Velrac’s question, Leo looked toward one side of the forest.

“Everyone, battle formation!”

Something had brushed against his extrasensory perception.

And in that same instant, the enemy sensed them in return.

“What’s wrong, Leo?”

“It’s him.”

Chloe sucked in a breath.

“No way…?”

“Yes.”

Leo drew his sword.

Boom—! Boom—!

The ground rumbled with heavy tremors.

Moments later, a massive, deformed giant emerged from the brush.

At least three meters tall.

Skin as black as pitch.

Just as he looked in the photographs.

“Chubarne…!”

Chloe grounded her teeth.

Chubarne rolled his blood-red eyes and fixed them on Leo.

His mouth split open.

“I’ve found you. The sprout of a hero, carrying the same qualities as that detestable Great Hero!”

At those words, Leo’s eyes twitched.

Demons were creatures that prioritized the orders of their higher ranks.

And the command Chubarne had received during the Chadmuthers Incident was to eliminate any seed of a hero.

That was why Chubarne had paid little attention to the rescuers.

'But right now, this bastard is showing obvious hostility toward me.'

Even with Aliah—the primary target—right before him, his reaction was strange.

'And just now, he clearly called me a seed of the Great Hero…'

“GRRRAAAAAHHHHH!”

With a deafening roar, Chubarne charged at Leo.

Flash—! BOOM—!

The monstrous axe in Chubarne’s hand smashed into the ground.

But Leo had already leapt clear of the attack zone.

Whoosh—!

Flames surged along the edge of Leo’s sword.

Clang—!

His blade slashed at Chubarne’s neck.

But it failed to cut deep enough to wound.

Leo’s eyes narrowed.

And when Chubarne saw his expression, he grinned wickedly.

“Foolish brat!”

He swung a massive hand to seize Leo.

But Leo just smirked.

“You’re mistaken, idiot.”

“What—”

Crash—!

A fierce frostwind, unleashed by Chloe, engulfed Chubarne.

The freezing gale slowed his movements.

Taking advantage of the opening, Leo twisted his body to avoid the giant’s grasp.

Whirl—! ROAAAR!

The flames on Leo’s sword blazed even more fiercely.

Slash—! Splatter—!

“I cut him!”

“Yes!”

The party cried out in triumph.

Using rotational force to add momentum, Leo’s sword had sliced across Chubarne’s neck.

But Leo’s face didn’t brighten.

I didn’t cut through the bone.

Demons were different from ordinary lifeforms—twisted beings crafted by Erebos.

This level of damage wouldn’t be fatal.

Leo immediately kicked Chubarne’s head to create distance.

At least the attacks land.

Catching his breath, Leo’s eyes widened.

The blood that had been spurting from Chubarne’s wound suddenly stopped.

Not only that—the spilled blood was being sucked back into the wound.

Crack—crack—

“Heh— quite the decent strike.”

Chubarne tilted his head side to side with a sick grin.

Seeing this, Teyad turned pale.

“No way! What kind of regeneration—?!”

“That’s not regeneration.”

“Huh? Then what—?”

“It’s a curse.”

Curses were among the special abilities demons possessed.

Lesser demons’ curses could weaken an opponent, but higher curses could even twist the laws of reality.

“[Nullification]. A nasty curse that erases attacks as though they never happened.”

Leo rested his sword on his shoulder.

“Oh? You know it well.”

“Isn’t that curse a bit much for a level 3 demon?”

“Heh… such arrogant words. But you’re right. This curse is a blessing from Lady Sillatna, the Queen of Monsters.”

At the mention of the Monsters Queen, the first-years shuddered.

Silatuna, the Monsters Queen.

A legion commander from the Age of Calamity, and one of Erebos’s closest vassals.

“Been a long time since I heard that unpleasant name,” Leo muttered in disgust.

“If our attacks are nullified… then how do we beat him?”

Aliah asked, trembling in fear.

“Nullification isn’t omnipotent. And besides, he’s not the true wielder of the curse. If he uses it enough times, it’ll disappear.”

“Heh—do you really think you’ll live long enough for that to happen?”

With those words, more demons pushed through the bushes and appeared.

“Forget about leaving here alive. You, the remnant of the Great Hero, will die in this place.”

“Remnant of the Great Hero?”

Leo gave a small laugh.

“Because I’m an All-Class like Kyle, that’s what you call me?”

“Silence! Don’t you dare utter that loathsome name!”

Watching Chubarne’s furious reaction, Leo realized how Aliah’s party had escaped him.

'There were surveillance wards scattered throughout the forest. Since Chloe and I weren’t his primary targets, we went unnoticed. But…'

Leo sighed.

'Through that network, he must’ve learned that I’m an All-Class. That’s why he’s been chasing me relentlessly.'

The great demons who survived from the Age of Calamity, like Silatuna, still existed.

And so the demons would remember Kyle.

After all, Kyle—the one who slew the Creator of Tartarus—was their greatest nemesis.

Humans may have forgotten me, but the demons still remember. How ironic.

Having grasped the situation, Leo tightened his grip on his sword.

“Get ready.”

“You think mere brats like you can defeat me?”

“Of course.”

“Heh… such confidence. But do your comrades feel the same?”

Chubarne pointed behind him.

When they turned, the party was trembling in terror.

“The only reckless one here is you. Your comrades are at their limits, both mentally and physically.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Everyone was exhausted from the constant battles.

“Heh.”

But Leo just laughed at his words.

“Why do you laugh? Have you lost your mind?”

“No. It’s just—you clearly don’t know the first thing about Lumene.”

“What?”

“Lumene is a school where those who dream of becoming heroes enroll.”

The eyes of the hero candidates fixed on Leo’s back.

Step… step…

Leo strode forward.

Their trembling eased.

Resolve returned to their eyes, and aura, mana, and spiritual power surged.

In real history, they had died.

But they had not gone down meekly under Chubarne’s slaughter.

There was no record of Chubarne using the [Nullification] curse in the first battle. Which means—he used it all up then.

Proof that even in death, not one of them gave up.

Just like the Great Heroes of long ago who had fallen to Erebos.

“And that’s why we all remember these words.”

The teaching engraved in the heart of every Lumene student.

The most fundamental condition to becoming a hero.

“To surpass your limits.”

Whoosh—!

Kicking off the ground, Leo charged. Teyad and Velrac raised their spear and sword, charging alongside him.

“Foolish worms! If it’s your wish, I’ll kill you first!”

Chubarne roared, swinging his axe.

“I’ll handle him. You lot take care of the underlings.”

“Can you do it?”

“I can. So don’t worry about me!”

Leo dashed at Chubarne.

BOOM—!

The axe smashed into the ground.

Fragments of earth turned into blackened spikes and rained toward Leo.

'If I could summon Fiora, this would be easier.'s

In an ordinary Hero’s World, maybe.

But in a berserk Hero Dungeon, cut off entirely from the outside, a summoner couldn’t call their familiar.

If elemental arts were like a treaty with all elementals, then summoning arts were a one-to-one contract between summoner and familiar.

That was why summoners had to summon their familiars before entering a Hero Dungeon.

Elemental arts won’t do much against Chubarne. In that case…

Whoosh—!

Leo’s figure split into multiple copies.

“No—!”

Chubarne gasped in shock.

Illusion magic—Mirage.

The black spikes pierced only phantoms.

And in that moment, Leo followed up with another attack.

Forming his right hand into the shape of a gun, light particles gathered at the tip.

Whiiir—!

“Arc Ray!”

Bzzzt! Flash—!

A tiny sphere of light shot forth as a bullet.

The most basic offensive spell among the magic of the stars.

When she saw it, Dina the swordmage cried out in shock.

“He’s a magic swordsman?! And that was Mirage and Arc Ray?! Both are star magic!”

Crack—!

“Guh?!”

Struck head-on by [Arc Ray], Chubarne’s eyes widened.

Star magic—created by Luna to subjugate demons.

It was, by nature, their nemesis.

“A human dares to wield this accursed magic?!”

“Sorry, but I’m not the only one.”

“Arc Ray!”

Aliah unleashed her spell too.

This time, not just one, but several light spheres rained down on Chubarne.

Brrratatatat!

“Damn wretch!”

As the spheres peppered his body, Chubarne howled.

Gwoooooo!

The [Nullification] curse activated, erasing every wound from his body.

“Click.”

Leo clicked his tongue.

And just then, Chloe shouted.

“Leo! Hold on a little longer!”

“Don’t worry. That’s my job.”

At his reply, Chloe closed her eyes and began chanting.

Modern mages were broadly divided into three types:

Battle-type mages who stood on the front line.

All-purpose mages who could stand anywhere.

And traditional-type mages who held the rear line.

Among them, the most glaring weaknesses belonged to traditional mages like Chloe.

They’re completely defenseless while chanting.

Because their incantations were long, they needed allies to protect them.

But their advantage was also absolute.

An overwhelming destructive power no other mage could compare to.

In this party, Aliah was an all-purpose mage.

She could fire off strong spells in succession, but lacked an absolute finishing strike.

'I’m the only one here who can deal a decisive blow to Chubarne. We can’t rely solely on Leo. I… I have to do something too.'

Chloe’s mind flashed back to Chubarne’s curse.

'With that magic…!'