CH 33

“Whaaat? You saw the King of Wisdom!”

"Wow! That's a big deal! So, is that Risinas's hero record?"

The entire first year was chaotic because of the Hero Studies class incident. All the professors of the academy were called in, and classes were replaced with self-study. That's how important the incident was.

There weren't many records left of the first heroes, the Legendary Heroes, that are recorded in the Hero Record. 

In such circumstances, a fragment of a new page of the Hero Record featuring Risinas was found. 

It was no wonder there was an uproar in Lumeln. While other students were making a commotion, Leo was in serious trouble.

'Why is my hero record the only one in such a mess?'

They entered the world of heroes because Leo, the owner of the world, touched the hero record. But it was clearly different from the entrance exam.

'When entering the world of heroes, a message appears to the conquerors about whose world it is. But in this case....'

[Hero Records open. The world of ■■. Chapter: ■■-■■■]

It was unclear whose world it was.

‘I couldn't even hear my name when Risinas called it.’

It was as if someone had intentionally erased Kyle's name.

‘There must be a definite reason why my Hero Record was not left behind.’

Leo narrowed his eyes.

‘The Hero Records were originally one, right?’

Hero Records, which were now divided into five, were originally one complete record. However, a long time ago, due to an incident, it was divided into five. In the process, several pages were lost and scattered all over the world.

'What if someone deliberately destroyed the Hero Record?’

The Hero Record was an item that inherited the power of heroes. It was the very source of power that sustains heroes.

'If someone doesn't want a new hero to emerge...,'

The thought sent a shiver down his spine as he considered the possibility of someone intentionally hindering the emergence of new heroes.

'Erebos.'

“Brother Leo, are you alright?" Chelsi's voice brought him back to reality.

Leo snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Chelsi. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, trying to shake off the unease he felt.

'I need to investigate the reason why Hero Record split.'

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ 

A month has passed since the incident at the Hero Academy. Firstly, the noisy atmosphere settled down. 

A hero record involving Risinas was definitely a big issue. However, there was nothing that the first-year students could do about it. 

Many students asked the professors questions about Risinas, but they did not answer them. In addition, as the midterm exam schedule overlapped, the incident at the Hero Academy naturally drifted away from the interests of the first-year students.

Professor Ren's magic theory class.

"As you all know, midterms are coming up soon," said Professor Ren.

The students' expressions tensed up as Professor Ren mentioned the midterm exam for the first time.

Leo could tell intuitively. 'He's talking about the practical exam.'

At Lumeln, exams consisted of a written and practical component, and the latter held a high weightage for major courses.

Naturally, the students were eagerly waiting for the practical exam to be mentioned.

Professor Ren stood in front of the blackboard, chalk in hand, and the sound of it echoed throughout the lecture hall, causing the students to buzz.

"For your midterm practical exam assignment, you will be working on Original Magic, also known as Unique Magic."

Throwing the chalk into the chalk box, Professor Ren walked to the middle of the podium.

"Original Magic is all about expressing your individuality as a wizard. In this day and age where activation spells are the norm, many wizards tend to neglect their own unique magic.”

Looking at the students, Professor Ren grinned.

“But I believe that Original Magic is crucial for a wizard. Your own spells, which deviate from standardized spells, can be hard to destroy and can serve as a trump card in emergencies.”

At those words, the student's eyes lit up.

A trump card. This one word was enough to stimulate the young wizards.

"Shall we discuss famous unique magic in history? Any student who knows unique magic can speak up."

The students raised their hands in response to the question.

“Student Chelsi.”

"The magic of Robert Llewellyn."

"Absolutely. The founder of the Llewellyn family was indeed a powerful and unique wizard."

Chelsi beamed with pride as the other students began to make their own presentations.

Usually, Professor Ren would have only received a few answers and finished it, but today he continued receiving answers.

It was as if Ren seemed to be waiting for something specific, prompting the students to answer more actively.

Then Leo raised his hand.

“Student Leo! Go ahead and answer!”

Ren's tone of voice rose slightly.

Ren showed a keen interest in Leo, but unlike Ren, Leo rarely answered the professor's questions.

Leo stood up and said. "Nebula magic."

The students looked puzzled at his words.

Nebula magic. It meant the elf's exclusive magic system.

Of course, it was powerful magic. However, all elves could use the Nebula magic. It was inappropriate to call such magic unique magic.

Ren breathed heavily through his nose.

“Exactly! That was the answer I was hoping for!”

He clapped enthusiastically and explained.

"The Nebula magic has become established as a magic system that all elves learn! But that's a magic that elf wizards have modified so that any one of them can learn it!"

Ren raised his voice.

“You all know the power of Nebula magic!”

Nebula magic. It was a magic unique to the elven race, as it was created to fit their mana nature.

It was also the reason why it was difficult for other races to use the Nebula magic.

It was literally the realm of sense and talent. That was why when Leo used elven magic, the entire magic department was turned upside down.

"But!"

Ren clenched his fists and said seriously.

"The Nebula magic used by elves today is just a minor copy of Hero Luna's original magic. Only one person in history has ever used real Nebula magic!"

'It's actually two people.'

Leo rubbed his chin and smiled.

"That would be Luna, the founder of Nebula magic."

The magic department students clenched their fists.

“Now, do you understand why you should pursue original magic?”

For wizards who dreamt of becoming heroes, Luna was an object of their respect.

The fact that Luna's magical foundation was original magic was enough to emphasize the need for original magic to the students.

Ding-dong-dang-dong-

The bell rang announcing the end of the class.

“Let's end the class here for today."

Students packed their bags and rose from their seats.

And they got busy discussing original magic with their friends.

"Original magic. It's such a pain, " Karl said, scratching his head.

Despite being a type of creation magic, original magic was often challenging, but not always.

"You've got three practical exams in all departments, Leo. You must be working hard to prepare," Karl said, looking concerned.

Leo laughed in response, "I'll do my best."

'Because I know a lot about unique magic.'

Leo had created numerous unique magics in his previous life, so he was excited about the practical test.

"Leo."

As Leo and Karl were leaving the classroom, Chloe called out to Leo, holding a magic book in her hand.

Chloe used to attend magic classes with Leo and Karl, but recently she had been sitting separately from them.

It wasn't because they fought or had a bad relationship. When the class was over, they often talked and hung out.

But they sat separately during class.

"Wanna grab lunch together?"

When Leo smiled and asked, Chloe took a deep breath and came closer to Leo.

At that moment, Leo's attention was drawn to the black magic book in Chloe's arms.

‘That's not a textbook. Did she personally read that magic book?’

"Leo, I'm gonna beat you in this practical exam."

Karl was taken aback and interjected, "Hey, what's winning or losing between friends? And you’re better than Leo as a wizard. You're the top student in terms of wizarding abilities, so..."

Chloe tightened her grip on the magic book and replied, "No. Leo is better than me in practical magic. That's an undeniable fact."

Chloe's eyes became cloudy as she continued, "I always have to be the best when it comes to magic. I can't afford to lose."

Grinning, Chloe looked directly at Leo and said, "So I will beat Leo in this test. Promise me. You, too, will do your best as a wizard. I can't tolerate you neglecting magic just because you care about other majors."

Leo agreed, "Okay, I will."

“Hey, Leo…” Karl tried to intervene, but Leo assured him.

“Don’t worry, Karl. It’s not like we’re fighting.”

Leo put on a serious expression and explained, "She said it like that, and if I avoid it, it'll be disrespectful to Chloe."

"Thanks, Leo. Then I'll go first."

Chloe smiled and left.

Seeing that, Karl smacked his lips and said, " Tsk tsk… That's youth, the power of youth."

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ 

As the midterm exams drew near, the practical exam contents for each department were gradually revealed.

For the Knight department, it was a duel.

During the midterm exam period, they held sparring sessions within the Knight department, and the rankings were based on the number of points earned. Consequently, it was the subject with the earliest practical exam. On the day of the midterm, it was announced that the top eight students would be selected to participate in a tournament duel.

For the summoning class, there were two practical exams: a race where they rode flying creatures, and a test on how well they could handle spirits.

For the magic department, they invited external judges from outside Lumeln to hold a presentation on original magic, which did not allow cramming. This exam evaluated the hard work of the students throughout.

Finally, for the long-awaited combat science and hero studies class exams, it was a joint exam.

"As expected," Karl said with a knowing expression. "The practical exam goals for hero studies and combat science class are to conquer the world of Heroes," he said, pointing to the bulletin board in front of the classroom.

"It seems that the test is to randomly form a team on the day of the test and conquer the world of heroes. It's very tough!"

Teamwork was crucial in conquering the world of heroes. If the team members were already decided and the attack strategy was planned, efficiency would inevitably increase. 

However, if one did not know who their teammates were, one would need to prepare a strategy for all kinds of situations. 

It was a test to evaluate the overall ability of a hero cadet.

"I won't let anyone copy my tactics," Karl said.

"Hey! Who said anything about copying tactics?" Illyana said with a laugh. 

"Yeah. Even copying wouldn't help Karl!" Chelsi added, giggling.

“Chelsi you!”

When Karl was trying to catch Illyana and Chelsi, who was running away while laughing.

"Karl, isn't this exam actually good for you?" Leo asked.

"What do you mean?" Karl asked, curious.

"You're aiming to be a supporter, right? No matter which team you're in, your role is clearly defined, right?"

Karl's eyes widened. "Right! I'll prepare myself thoroughly so that I can support any team!"

The difference between having a supporter in battle was significant. Rather than foolishly impersonating a wizard, thoroughly preparing oneself as a supporter could create greater synergy.

"Thanks, Leo! Because of you, I feel confident!" Karl said.

"I don't want to receive much support from Karl," Tade said. 

"I am a little worried too about receiving support from Karl," Nella added.

"YOU GUYS! I’ll show it. I'll make you regret that I wasn’t on your team!" Karl said, grabbing his head and screaming, much to the disbelief of his friends.