Editor : Amethyst00



The movements of the freshmen chasing Carl were extremely reckless.

Everyone had tensed up after witnessing the magic Carl used to take down Veto at the beginning.

However, after realizing Carl hadn't used any magic since except for traps, the freshmen began charging at him with more confidence.

'He's still suffering from using that big spell!'

Carl was already a globally renowned figure.

A young man who had risen to the status of a hero at an young age.

And not just any hero but a new type of hero never existed before.

Throughout the entire winter break, Carl's name had been constantly appearing in newspapers across the world.

At the same time, details about Carl had become known.

Even things regarding his academic records and his magical abilities.

So, the first years knew quite a bit about Carl already.

When Carl used a big spell, they thought it didn't match the information they had.

But once they saw he was no longer using magic, they started actively pursuing him.

Now that they had enrolled at Lumene, all the first years were full of dreams.

Every one of them had been called a genius since childhood, and each believed they were the best.

'If I can steal the key from Carl-sunbae, my school life will be smooth sailing!'

Most of the first years saw this as a chance to earn the rookie title and monopolize the attention of professors and seniors.

And then—

BOOM—!

"Eeeek?!"

Explosions erupted from all directions. A girl from the summoning department screamed and crouched down, covering her head.

It only looked like a party on the surface.

In their eagerness to capture Carl, their coordination fell apart.

All the students who had spotted and chased after Carl were swept up in the explosions and declared unfit for battle.

The girl from the summoning department had tears welling in her large eyes as she clutched her summoned beast and tried to stand.

Carl appeared in front of her, aiming a crossbow.

"Whoa there, don't move."

"Hic!"

The girl hiccuped and started crying as Carl appeared.

The horned rabbit, Horn Rabbit, embraced in her arms also let out a “kyu~ kyu~” sound with a terrified expression.

"Waaaaah! I give up! Please don't shoot!"

The terrified summoning student cried and declared her surrender.

Small frame, big eyes and when the pretty, cute girl trembled and cried like that, it triggered Carl's protective instincts.

"Ah~ I'm weak to this kind of thing."

Carl smacked his lips and rested the crossbow on his shoulder.

"I won't disqualify you. Just go back."

"O-okay…"

Sniffling, the girl turned and walked the other way. Carl turned his body as well.

Heh—!

The girl, trudging along, suddenly changed her eyes.

'He fell for it!'

Her feminine-act strategy had worked perfectly.

Even the Horn Rabbit in her arms now wore a fierce expression.

'Stab him!'

You could call it underhanded, but who cares?

'If he got fooled, that's his own fault!'

She released the Horn Rabbit at the defenseless Carl.

And just as she turned with a sneer—

Her head snapped back.

"H-how…?"

Carl chuckled.

"You could block my crossbow arrow easily with Horn Rabbit. I was waiting for you to let your guard down so I could take care of this easily."

"B-but you said earlier that you were weak to this kind of thing…"

"Oh, that? Yeah, I lied."

Carl shrugged, and as the girl, Freyna was declared unfit for battle and disappeared, he wore a stern expression.

"In Lumene, where trickery and deceit are rampant, the naĂŻve don't survive."

"Just you wait!"

Freyna shouted as her eyes narrowed in frustration.

Carl smiled and waved. Inwardly, he muttered.

'Freyna Hergin. Unlike her sister Eliza, she's a venomous snake who uses any means necessary.'

Regardless of her personality, Eliza preferred to confront her opponents head-on.

Freyna, on the other hand, used whatever was available.

Carl already had the entire freshman class's info memorized.

Freyna's mistake was approaching him half-baked.

"Anyway…"

Having rendered nearly 200 freshmen unfit for battle, Carl stroked his chin.

"Keh~ Hard to believe the weakest third-year is dominating the first-years like this."

Carl smiled proudly and headed toward his base.

All the traps he'd set had been used up.

'First, time for resupply.'

Just as he thought that—

He sensed a murderous intent from afar and slid to the ground.

WHISH—! THWING—!

An aura-imbued arrow flew past his head, and Carl swallowed hard.

'Looks like she's finally moving.'

Mylia Rola.

The number one freshman Carl had designated as a threat.

He considered Mylia the most dangerous because of her weapon.

'A bow!'

With the bow as her main weapon, Mylia launched overwhelming long-range attacks.

'Her range exceeds even that of Juen!'

Of course, there was a difference in power and rate of fire.

The problem was, from Carl’s perspective, Mylia, who fired snipes from outside perception range, was a worse matchup than Juen, whose strength was in overwhelming power and rapid fire.

'And she's a strategist, too!'

Though she had plenty of opportunities to attack, Mylia had instead observed Carl all this time.

Then she attacked at the most troublesome moment.

According to Carl's intel, she was an extremely intelligent student.

'And—!'

Kicking off the ground, Carl darted into the forest at full speed through bushes.

WHISH! THUNK!

Arrows narrowly grazed Carl.

He quickly pulled a red cloak from his pouch and wrapped it around himself.

BOOM!

A massive explosion could be heard.

An arrow exploded violently.

This wasn't Mylia's unique ability. Mylia didn't possess that kind of power naturally.

'Well, it is her ability—in the sense that she *paid for it!'*

Mylia Rola.

She was the heir of the Rola Merchant Guild, which controlled the southern continent's markets.

'And she has no qualms about relying on expensive gear!'

Most Lumene students had strong pride.

Even in exams where tool use was allowed, most relied solely on their raw skills.

But not Mylia.

She pursued efficiency above all else.

In this situation, that meant using tools to the fullest.

She was a very troublesome opponent for Carl.

Carl narrowly avoided the explosion and moved swiftly under a transparent cloak.

bl

Hmph?

Mylia squinted as she watched Carl evade her attacks and disappear.

'I thought at least one arrow would hit.'

She had expected to at least cause minor damage, but Carl dodged every shot.

That surprised her.

What Mylia didn't know—

Carl had spent all winter running from Duran's blade, which was far more dangerous and faster than any arrow.

What Duran had told him during their training was:

'I don't expect to you counter, I expect even for you to block. Just dodge.'

Thanks to that harsh training, Carl had honed his senses to detect killing intent and move preemptively.

Suprised, Mylia licked her upper lip.

'Yes. This is what makes the hunt worthwhile.'

She quickly moved to where Carl had been.

Even with a transparent cloak, traces were left behind.

She focused aura into her eyes to enhance her vision and tracked Carl's trail.

As she confirmed the direction Carl had taken, a smile formed on her lips.

'Let's see how you like it, getting caught in your own trap, sunbae.'

BOOM!

An explosion.

BOOM! BOOM!

More explosions continue to erupt.

While Carl had been toying with the freshmen guerrilla-style…

Mylia had used magic mines, just like Carl, to set traps all around the area.

The reason was simple—

To cause Carl trouble.

Listening to the continuous explosions like music, Mylia climbed a tall tree with aura-enhanced footwork.

BOOM!

She used a telescope to watch the explosion site.

Carl was moving swiftly.

"To think he could make it through all those traps… As expected of you, Carl-sunbae."

Mylia murmured as she lowered the telescope.

"He so cool."

Mylia had admired Carl since before he became a hero.

Although she was born to great merchant group parents, she was still a commoner.

And as a fellow commoner, Carl had risen to vice-president of the student council. Naturally, she was drawn to him.

On top of that, he had survived countless trials despite barely avoiding expulsion multiple times.

Others dismissed his survival as luck, but Mylia didn't.

'If someone could survive here on luck alone, Lumene wouldn't be the best hero academy in the world.'

She understood that Carl had fought for everything.

That's what drew her in.

More than the dazzling Leo Plov.

Eventually, Carl had succeeded in becoming a hero.

In this era, everyone had someone they looked up to.

For Mylia, that someone was Carl.

She had become a full-fledged fan.

She wanted to see it up close—

Carl overcoming crises and trials.

Even the way he toyed with foolish classmates who underestimated him was cool.

'Still, what I really want to see is him overcoming adversity.'

Mylia's hobby had always been hunting.

Watching prey struggle was oddly satisfying.

'If this were a 1-on-1… I wouldn't stand a chance.'

Even if Carl wasn't known for brute strength, he was still a hero recognized by the gods.

And he had survived three years at Lumene.

There was no way a brand-new freshman like her could beat him.

'I'd be the one hunted, not the hunter.'

But now Carl had to face hundreds at once.

That's what allowed her to turn him into prey.

Watching Carl, Mylia smiled.

"So that's your base, sunbae."

She chuckled and headed toward Carl's location.

bl

"I thought I was gonna die!"

Carl shivered.

"If it weren't for Duran's training, I'd be toast."

He shook his head and turned around.

Click. Click.

A girl was approaching the cave.

"Mylia Rola."

"Oh my, you know my name. What an honour."

Mylia smiled brightly.

Carl scratched his head, watching her.

Just as he was about to move—

THUNK!

"Gah?!"

An arrow pierced Carl's thigh.

Mylia had silently drawn her bow and fired.

"Sorry, Carl-sunbae. I've wounded you. Wounding someone I admire so much…"

"…"

Carl gave a wry smile at her trembling shoulders and sincere expression.

"You look like you're enjoying this."

"…"

"Just admit it."

At Carl's words, Mylia's twisted lips turned into a smile.

Carl struggled to stand.

"You're a pervert, aren't you? You enjoy hurting people."

"Yes. I am. But not just anyone. I enjoy hurting things I like."

Her eyes sparkled.

"How was it? Falling into your own trap? Being hunted? Ah, don't misunderstand. I really do admire you. In a 1-on-1, I wouldn't have stood a chance. I'm not mocking you."

Mylia's cheeks blushed.

Carl mumbled internally.

'Wow, this girl's insane.'

He had seen all kinds of people at Lumene—

But none as crazy as Mylia.

Shaking his head, Carl reached into his pocket.

He took out the key and hurled it at her.

Mylia tilted her head and dodged it as it flew at her.

"I get to hunt Carl-sunbae? What an honor!"

Carl smirked.

"Sorry to disappoint, but."

"Huh?"

"I already won."

"As expected! You had a secret ace up your sleeve!"

Mylia beamed.

"But even if you did, you'll still lose to the rest of the first-years in your state."

"Oh, those guys? I already dealt with them."

"Huh?"

Carl smiled.

"What…?"

"Your traps. I put them to good use."

"…!"

'He planned this far ahead?!'

Just then—

THWACK!

Something smacked Mylia's head.

It was the key Carl had thrown.

TAP!

Carl caught the returning key and grinned before diving toward a corner of the cave.

He vanished into a hidden tunnel beneath a transparent cloak and winked.

"Not bad, junior."

The moment he entered the tunnel—

FLASH! BOOM! BOOM!

The explosive potions Carl had set around the cave all detonated.

Watching the explosion rush toward her, Mylia collapsed to her knees.

'I was the prey. I was dancing in the palm of his hand all along.'

BOOM!

Mylia covered her face with both hands.

'So cool!'

With Mylia's defeat, Carl had officially wiped out the entire freshman class.