Gulliver felt confident that he would succeed in the test.
His confidence stemmed from the fact that he had managed to endure without being eliminated thus far.
Furthermore, he had a dependable group of companions by his side.
The reason for his continued success was straightforward.
The initial group of candidates he encountered had cooperated effectively in defeating monsters.
Since that moment, he had stuck with this party.
The skills of his companions were outstanding.
They even handled trolls with ease.
In a previous battle, Gulliver’s Fireball had claimed the life of a troll.
‘I truly have some skills,’ he thought, giving himself a well-deserved pat on the back.
But his good fortune came to an abrupt end.
“Aaaaaaaaah!”
Gulliver let out a blood-curdling scream.
The student who led their party, in a desperate attempt to escape, broke the bead and vanished from the world of heroes as his arm got bitten.
Keeeek!
A massive, spine-chilling monster emitted an ear-piercing shriek.
It was a creature Gulliver had never encountered before.
A monstrous spider, with ten legs, all but the front ones grotesquely contorted.
Its body, which spewed out silk, appeared grotesquely withered, and half of its head was torn away.
Despite looking half-dead, this horrifying creature was very much alive.
Keeek! Keeeek!
“Fi, Fireball!”
Gulliver quickly cast a spell.
Whoooosh! Bang!
The Fireball struck the spider’s face directly.
“Hahaha! How about that! How does my Fireball taste!”
Gulliver clenched his fist triumphantly.
However, as the smoke from the Fireball cleared,
Gulliver’s complexion turned ashen as the spider appeared completely unscathed.
Keeeeeeek!
“Ah, Aaaaaaah!”
As the enraged spider charged at him, Gulliver screamed and made a run for it.
The knight students brandished their weapons to fend off the spider.
Pew! Bang!
“Ugh!”
But they were tossed around by the spider’s formidable strength.
For them, the spider was a formidable adversary.
“How in the world are we supposed to defeat this thing!”
One student let out a scream that resembled a roar.
Nervously, Gulliver pulled a blue bead from his pocket.
‘I must escape! But if someone manages to take this thing down, maybe I can still pass the test!’
Gulliver was indecisive, not really intending to take on the spider himself but secretly hoping someone else would.
And then, it happened.
[Wind Fang.]
Pshhh!
Keeeaaak!
A fang made of wind descended from the sky, piercing the spider’s back, and dark purple blood splattered.
Chiiiik-!
The wound healed instantaneously.
“…It’s a monster.”
Abad, who hovered in the air using Fly magic, grimaced.
Whoooosh!
This time, flames descended from the sky.
The flames soon converged into a single point.
Selia, who had concentrated the fiery aura onto her rapier, narrowed her eyes and thrust it forward.
Crack!
Keeaaak!
The spider, its head pierced, let out a shriek and wildly swung its front legs.
Selia swiftly moved out of the attack range and landed on the ground.
“Damn! It healed again?”
Upon hearing the scream, Selia and Abad immediately launched another assault on the spider.
Yet, despite taking direct hits of magic and aura, the spider healed completely.
“It’s a new type of creature.”
“It could be a demon from Tartarus.”
Selia responded to Abad’s murmuring, holding Flame Storm.
“And it appears to be the task for this test.”
“Hm? Really. Was that the key to conquering this world?”
Abad’s mouth curled into a sly smile.
Holding his staff, he began to chant in the Rune language.
Wind magic swirled around him.
Seeing this, Selia, taken aback, heightened her aura.
‘I can’t let him get ahead.’
If defeating the giant spider was the task of the test, then to become the top student, she needed to vanquish it before Abad.
Up until now, it had been cooperation; now, it was a competition.
Whooosh!
Selia’s red eyes gleamed.
Simultaneously, the aura of Flame Storm gathered at the tip of her rapier.
With her left arm holding the sword pulled back, Selia assumed a thrusting stance.
Crack!
Both her feet dug into the ground.
[Prominence!]
Selia’s ultimate attack.
A thrust that concentrated the aura into a single point!
Psssh!
The blade of crimson flames shot forward.
Keeaaak?
The flames that pierced the spider’s half-torn head went straight through, puncturing its backside as well.
“Good! No matter how formidable its regenerative abilities, this should…”
Thump! Thump!
Keeeeeeeeek!
“Impossible!”
The giant spider, now upright, emitted a piercing scream.
“An impressive attack, but…”
Abad, floating in the air, wore a sly grin.
“The destructive power of a knight and a wizard is clearly distinct.”
Abad extended both arms to complete his spell.
“Lafal.”
A wind magic of the Lewalin family.
A vortex enveloped the spider.
“Aaaaaaaah?”
“Is this a spell from a wizard our age?”
The candidates within the whirlwind expressed astonishment.
‘Is it over?’
Abad bore a meaningful expression.
However,
“No?”
The spell dissipated, revealing the giant spider.
Its body had been torn to shreds by the whirlwind.
Yet the giant spider’s body rapidly regenerated.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Abad possessed the most potent offensive power among this year’s examinees, yet his attack had no effect.
A look of defeat crossed Selia’s face.
‘How in the world are we supposed to defeat this thing?’
***
“Truly impressive talents as Zerdingher and Lewalin have boasted! To possess such potent attacks at their age!”
The adjutant couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
They have chosen competition over collaboration.’
Albi, observing the two, curled the corners of his lips.
Aspiring to be the best was not a bad thing, and both Selia and Abad had the skills to back it up.
‘But can they really take down that monster on their own?’
A creature that kept regenerating couldn’t be defeated without a decisive blow.
Among the examinees, only Selia and Abad were capable of landing effective attacks on the monster.
Yet even their skills were currently insufficient.
‘If you truly possess the qualities of a hero, then overcome this trial.’
***
‘Just as I suspected.’
A spark of insight lit up Leo’s eyes as he followed Selia and Abad.
‘The Spider Princess, Talatunia.’
He had harbored suspicions upon seeing the troll corpses.
Their method of consumption was too similar.
Talatunia, a monster who ruled the cursed forest as the daughter of the demon queen Sylatuna. Originally, she alone could bring about a devastating catastrophe capable of toppling a kingdom.
But she was not in her original state at the moment.
Her body had weakened, barely holding onto its original form.
Her once-intimidating magical aura was now only half as powerful.
Compared to her prime, she had fallen to the status of a mere worthless monster.
‘So it was the magic of the Fairy King within Albi’s left eye.’
Fairies.
High-level spirits that had existed alongside elves since ancient times.
These fairies, palm-sized with transparent wings, were potent magical entities.
Fairies formed contracts exclusively with elves, making them exceedingly rare in the human world.
Talatunia had devoured the Fairy King’s right hand 5,000 years ago.
Luna had not forgiven Talatunia for devastating her homeland and devouring the Fairy King’s right hand.
The Spider Princess, who had once single-handedly razed kingdoms, had been slain by the [Celestial Ancestor].
But thousands of years have passed since then.
Talatunia was still alive.
The reason was straightforward.
‘It’s inside her stomach.’
The Ring of Life, a symbol of the Fairy King.
The ring that bestowed endless life force had been swallowed along with the Fairy King’s hand by Talatunia.
Leo gripped his sword firmly.
He took a throwing stance and flung it.
Screeeeeee!
Talatunia screeched as Leo’s sword pierced its head.
And Leo stood beside Selia, saying,
“You seem to be struggling.”
“Step back, Leo. This is beyond your capabilities since you can’t use aura.”
Blades of wind poured from the sky, enveloping Talatunia.
In agony, Talatunia leaped into the air with an astounding jump.
“Wind Break!”
Chelsea, who had hastily followed, activated her previously cast magic.
Swoosh!
The wind blades surrounded Talatunia.
Thwarted from attacking Abad by Chelsea’s intervention, Talatunia crashed to the ground.
Thud!
The earth trembled as Talatunia made impact.
“Are you okay, big brother?”
“Thanks, Chelsea.”
Abad landed on the ground, offering a smile to his sister.
He had deemed it risky to remain in the air.
The other examinees who followed gathered around Talatunia.
“How do we defeat that monster?”
As Abad spoke with a serious expression, Leo inquired,
“Is it continuously regenerating?”
“Yes. Even my most potent magic had no effect.”
“The same goes for my attack,” Selia sighed.
“Then it’s straightforward.”
“What?”
“If we can’t bring it down individually, we must unite our forces. It’s a simple concept.”
“Leo, butter boy and I are competitors.”
“Why is my big brother a butter!”
Chelsea flared up beside them.
“I agree with Selia this time. The one who manages to take down that monster first will likely become the top examinee, right?”
After hearing Selia and Abad’s statements, Leo wore a disdainful expression.
“What if we can’t defeat it?”
“What?”
“What if that monster keeps regenerating endlessly? What if your aura and mana run out before it does?”
Leo calmly spoke as he observed Talatunia beginning to reveal its power.
“If the task of the test is to conquer the world of heroes, then we’re all disqualified as soon as we can’t defeat it.”
“That’s absurd! If my big brother and Selia Zerdingher can’t take it down, then no one in our age group can defeat that monster. That means the test is flawed.”
Chelsea pursed her lips and countered.
However, Selia and Abad couldn’t dispute Leo’s words.
It was certainly unfair to be disqualified simply for failing to defeat that monster.
But the world was inherently unfair.
“Even if we join our forces, it will take time to muster an attack powerful enough to finish off that monster in one shot.”
Despite facing a concentrated assault from thirty candidates, Talatunia remained entirely unharmed.
In fact, the candidates were being pushed back.
It was evident that they would collapse before long.
Observing this, Selia spoke with a serious tone.
“Who will keep that monster at bay during that time?”
Abad cast a glance at his younger sister Chelsea.
‘Chelsea is also not fully prepared.’
One wrong move could lead to casualties.
The world of heroes was a virtual realm.
However, death here directly translated to real-life death.
Leo chuckled in response to the earnest expressions of the two.
“I’ll hold it off.”
“What did you say?”
“I can manage it for about 5 minutes.”
“That’s suicidal! You can’t even wield aura!”
“That’s precisely why 5 minutes is my limit.”
Leo turned his body.
“So, gather all your strength during those 5 minutes.”
“What if the attack we assemble in 5 minutes proves ineffective?”
Abad inquired coldly.
Upon hearing this, Leo let out a chuckle.
“Then we all fail together. But I don’t think we’ll fail.”
“Why’s that?”
“Fire and wind have been allies for a very long time. They’re compatible.”
Leo strolled leisurely toward Talatunia.
Witnessing this, Selia remarked, “Prepare yourself, Abad.”
“Phew – I never thought we’d collaborate like this.”
Abad smirked as he summoned his mana.
Thump-thump-
“Uuuuu.”
“Are you alright?”
“Just barely! But how are we going to deal with that monster…”
“I’m going to attempt to hold it off for around 5 minutes.”
“What?”
The fallen knight student gazed up at Leo with astonishment.
“I’m going to borrow this for a moment.”
Leo picked up the polearm the student had been using.
It felt substantially weightier than a sword.
***
Thump-thump!
Screeeech-!
Talatunia, now reduced to primal aggression, emitted a low shriek in Leo’s direction.
“Brings back old memories.”
Leo grinned icily.
“It’s been a while, let’s shatter that ugly twin hammer, you pest.”
Cliche Novel 