Editor : Amethyst00



Woken by the commotion outside, Rune slowly opened her eyes.

'A raid?'

The thought briefly crossed her mind—but she shook her head almost immediately.

'I don't sense any demonic mana.'

Moreover, she couldn't feel the movements of any Lumene professors either.

'So it's some kind of training exercise?'

Rune walked over and sat by the window, gazing out at the blazing dormitory.

Then her brows furrowed slightly.

'Phoenix fire?'

The flames engulfing the dorm carried the unmistakable energy of a phoenix.

More than that—

'This feels just like Lunia's phoenix…'

"Fiora! Where are you?!"

"Lunia! She's not in the room!"

From outside the door came the panicked voices of Lunia and Eiran.

Rune opened the door and stepped out.

"What's going on?"

"Fiora's gone! She suddenly disappeared, Senior Rune!"

Lunia looked on the verge of tears.

"That fire at the dorm… it seems to be your phoenix's power, doesn't it?"

"Eh?"

Lunia rushed to the window, a look of disbelief overtaking her features.

"T-this is…"

Staring in shock at the flames, she turned to Rune and said, "I—I'm going outside for a moment!"

"Eiran, go with Lunia."

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

After sending off the juniors, Rune returned to her room.

She collapsed back onto the bed and muttered to herself.

'What is going on? A dual contract? But even if she's immature, a phoenix wouldn't form a second contract…'

After pondering briefly, Rune simply laid back and shut her eyes again.

'Too much trouble to think about.'

Something that should've been impossible had happened.

And yet, Rune felt no curiosity.

With an expression devoid of energy, she stared blankly at the ceiling—then closed her eyes again.

bl

"Bwahahaha!"

Carl held bottles in both hands, a wild grin on his face.

"This firepower's insane!"

"Urgh! Y-you villain…!"

The first-years stared at him in horror, clutching their extinguishers as they faced off against him.

Right now, Carl was stationed at the rear, blocking the first-years who were attempting to put out the flames.

He wielded potion bottles filled with a volatile oil, each stuffed with cloth and ignited using a torch—

—a torch lit with Fiora's flame.

The most powerful fire in the world, combined with highly flammable explosive potions, created an utterly destructive force.

Whenever the first-years left even the smallest opening, Carl would appear like a ghost, hurl a potion bottle, then vanish into the terrain—rinse and repeat.

All while laying traps everywhere.

He was, in every sense of the word, waging guerrilla warfare.

It was downright sneaky.

But the first-years had already been sucked into Carl's elaborate trickery and mind games.

Fwoooosh!

"Now then, where should I throw this one? Hup! Hup!"

Seeing the terrifying power of the potion flames, the first-years flinched as Carl playfully swung the bottles back and forth.

"Take this!"

"Kyaaaa!"

With that, Carl hurled a bottle toward a girl in the group.

BOOM! FWOOSH—!

The bottle shattered on the ground, erupting in a burst of flames.

But it was only momentary.

The fire quickly dispersed without causing any real harm.

"Just kiddin'! Bwahahaha!"

Cackling wildly, Carl disappeared once more into the shadows.

After all, even he didn't have a limitless supply of high-grade explosive potions.

He simply mixed in a few real ones among the fakes to keep the first-years on edge.

His goal wasn't to defeat them—just to delay them.

'All I have to do is buy time. Not knock anyone out.'

Carl was doing exactly what he was supposed to do—and it was more than enough.

"Damn it! What a sneaky—!"

"First time fighting someone who fights dirty?!"

Carl's gleeful, cackling laughter echoed all around them.

bl

Chen Xia trembled.

'What is this guy…?'

Then, as her eyes met the man who stood over her with his foot pressing into her stomach, she clenched her teeth and grabbed his ankle.

She tried to summon her Water Aura.

Grip—!

"Urgh?!"

But the moment he exerted a little force, her aura was completely scattered.

It wasn't just brute strength.

He had sent a flow of his own aura into her to disrupt hers entirely.

'That's… Shadow combat techniques?!'

Yet far more refined and masterful.

The man was fighting in the very style she had always considered ideal.

Chen Xia turned her head slightly to glance at Walden, who lay unconscious nearby.

'He took Walden down using only elemental arts…'

And the man's elemental art felt strangely similar to Walden's.

No—more accurately, it was a far more evolved version of it.

As if it were the very form Walden himself was striving to reach one day.

At that moment, a Wind Wyvern roared from above and charged toward Leo.

Fwoooosh—!

Fiora, perched on Leo's shoulder, suddenly swelled in size and began blasting out wind.

"A phoenix using wind!?"

Eliza, riding the Wind Wyvern, screamed in disbelief.

Fwoooosh—!

The wind Fiora released only fueled her flames further.

Boom!

"Kyahhhh!"

The Wind Wyvern, crashing head-on with Fiora, was blown away completely.

Eliza was also flung off by the sheer force.

As she plummeted toward Leo, he calmly extended a hand.

Snatch—!

He caught Eliza by the back of the neck. She hung limp, unconscious.

Then came Chloe's ice clones, surging toward Leo like a living wave of frozen death.

Leo watched silently until one got close—then stretched out his hand.

Crunch—!

"Ugh?!"

"Too shallow."

Leo's voice was calm, unmoved.

"You thought you could rescue your comrades by hiding among your ice clones, didn't you?"

He glanced at Chloe, now kneeling, her throat caught in his grip.

"But you're not suited for the front lines."

Chloe had fought like a battle magician—fluidly shifting between the front and rear lines, a versatile style.

Exactly like the one Leo himself used when casting magic.

But for Chloe, it didn't fit.

Lift—!

"Ghk?!"

Leo raised his arm, lifting Chloe effortlessly into the air.

She gasped, struggling as she grabbed at his wrist.

High above, Abad was casting a spell.

Leo's eyes flicked up—then he cast Dispel.

Abad's magic unraveled instantly, vanishing without resistance.

Gasps erupted from all around.

"M-Magic?!"

"He's a Summoner Knight… not a dual-class?!"

"He's All-Class?!"

"But that's only supposed to exist in legends!"

Shock rippled through the students as they watched.

Abad bit his lip.

"You're a… monster."

"Pressure through wind. It's an efficient method—I like it."

"You fight a lot like me."

"You think it's just you?"

Leo chuckled.

"Do you know why I was able to take all of you down so easily?"

The third-years fell silent.

Chen Xia bit her lip.

'He subdued every Lumene student outside the first-years… with overwhelming summoning alone.'

Leo had summoned dozens of phantom beasts and elementals to completely tie down the upperclassmen.

Even Elena, a fifth-year, was among those ensnared.

And yet, on top of that summoning prowess, Leo possessed swordsmanship and magic to rival it.

It was, in some ways, the ideal form every Lumene student dreamed of.

The moment she saw it—Chen Xia realized something.

'I… no, we… can never become like that.'

Even a lifetime of effort wouldn't be enough to reach that height.

As she bit her lip in frustration—

Step—

Leo finally lifted his foot from her stomach.

Drop, drop—

He also released his grip on Chloe and Eliza, letting them fall to the ground.

He knew—they no longer had the will to fight.

Just then, Chelsea and Eliana came running up.

"Leo-oppa! I won!"

"Leo! Leo! I beat Duran!"

They shouted excitedly, voices full of triumph.

Chen Xia's eyes widened.

"Chelsea? Eliana? Wait, what did you just say…?"

Staring at them in disbelief, she was met by Eliana puffing her chest with pride.

"I beat Duran! Xia! And it's all thanks to Leo! Leo is definitely a god!"

Excited, breathless, and overflowing with energy—her demeanor was familiar.

It was like watching the first-year version of her again.

Of course, if she'd beaten Duran… it also meant she was now on an entirely different level.

"Ah! My brother…!"

As Chen Xia panicked and tried to rush to Abad—

Snatch—!

"Huh?"

Leo caught Chelsea by the back of her collar.

"Let him be."

"Huh? Why?"

"You beat Celia. But Abad couldn't even lay a finger on me."

Leo's voice remained flat.

"No matter how kind he is, if you try to comfort him right now, it'll only crush his pride."

"Oh…"

Chelsea hunched her shoulders slightly.

Leo turned to look toward Celia and Duran, both of whom were barely standing, using their swords as support.

It hadn't been a close match.

It had been a complete and overwhelming victory.

In just one week—only seven days—Chelsea and Eliana had returned to their true selves.

Not the versions shaped by this world—but the ones from another.

They'd absorbed the battle styles they built on their own, through thought and trial.

And that made all the difference.

'It may not seem like much… but it's everything.'

The Lumene students of this world had unintentionally lost their true selves.

The exterior was the same—but there's a clear difference between the real and the imitation.

"Now make a choice," Leo said.

"Stay down…"

Everyone stared at him.

"…or get back up and move forward."

Leo smiled faintly.

"I recommend the latter option."

"Why?"

"Because if you pick the first one, I won't go easy on you."

Chen Xia let out a dry laugh.

Leaving her behind, Leo turned and began walking.

Chelsea and Eliana exchanged glances and quickly followed him.

Watching their backs, Chen Xia thought to herself—

'He's just like Leah-sunbae… or maybe it's the other way around. Maybe Leah-sunbae is the one who resembles him'.

bl

Whoooosh—!

Leo brushed away the flames as he arrived in front of the burning dormitory.

"Shouldn't we help Carl?" Chelsea asked.

Leo responded calmly, "Carl's stronger in real combat than you think. Don't worry."

With that, he came to a stop, eyes fixed ahead.

Standing there were familiar faces.

'Lunia, Eiran.'

As Leo spotted them, Lunia and Eiran noticed him as well.

And Lunia saw the plump phoenix perched on Leo's shoulder.

"Fiora!"

Lunia rushed forward, shouting, "You! You kidnapped Fiora, didn't you?! What's your scheme?!"

At her fierce voice, Leo tilted his head in confusion.

"Kidnapped?"

He grabbed Fiora by the head and held her up.

Piyak—! Piyak—!

Fiora flapped her wings in distress.

"I just summoned her."

"Don't be ridiculous! Fiora is under contract with me! There's no way she'd respond to your summons!"

As Lunia fumed, Leo casually shook Fiora side to side.

Ppyapapyapyapyapyapyak!

"Fiora!"

Lunia screamed in panic as Fiora squealed and jiggled with every shake.

Leo looked at her with a mildly disappointed expression.

"A summoner who can't even manage her own familiar? That's why she ditched you and answered my call."

"Stop joking! You kidnapped her! Give Fiora back right now!"

Leo, expression indifferent, casually tossed Fiora.

Thump!

Piyak!

She landed with a soft thud, squawking in pain.

"Fio…"

"Choose, Fiora," Leo said flatly. "Lunia or me."

At that, Fiora turned her head and began looking between the two of them.

"Come on, Fiora. Come here, sweetie," Lunia coaxed, crouching and holding out her hands.

Piyak!

Fiora began rolling—like a plump ball.

"…!"

Lunia looked stunned.

Because Fiora was rolling toward Leo.

"Think again," Leo said, giving Fiora a light nudge with his toe—rolling her back toward Lunia.

But Fiora twisted her body on her own and rolled right back to Leo's feet.

Grab—

Leo picked her up again.

"So, you chose me."

Plop.

"I… I can't believe this…"

Lunia collapsed onto her knees in shock—then quickly scowled.

"You bastard! What the hell did you do to Fiora?!"

Fwoooosh—!

"Eep?!"

"Wh-What the hell?!"

Startled by Lunia's sudden, violent outburst, Eliana quickly hid behind Leo, and Chelsea stumbled backward.

Leo clicked his tongue.

'So she was putting on a front after all.'

He'd always found it odd how Lunia was regarded as the perfect honors student. Now it made sense—she'd been thoroughly faking it.

"L-Lunia, please calm down—"

"Let go! I'm going to rip that thieving bastard to shreds for stealing my familiar!"

"P-Please calm down!"

Eiran rushed to restrain her, then turned to Leo.

"Wh-What exactly is your purpose here?"

Leo responded with a flat tone.

"I need to speak to the student council president of Seiren."

"You mean… Senior Rune?"

Eiran's expression shifted into confusion.

Leo raised his sword, pointing it directly toward the room where Rune was staying.

"Yeah."

"What business do you have with Senior Rune?" Eiran asked warily.

Leo replied without hesitation.

"I'm here to kick that rotten girl's ass."

Flash—! BOOOOM—!

The moment Leo released his mana, a powerful explosion went off in Rune's room.

Lunia and Eiran's eyes widened.

Chelsea and Eliana gaped in shock.

"Chelsea. Eliana."

"Huh?"

"Handle those two for me."

Vwoooom—!

Leo turned his head toward the intense mana now radiating from Rune's location.

"I think it's time she and I had a little physical conversation."

"W-Will you be okay?" Chelsea asked cautiously.

Leo shrugged with a smirk.

"It's gonna get a little rough, probably?"