Leo extended his polearm and approached Talatunia.
“Can that guy handle such a weapon while fighting?” Chelsea, who was preparing to support Leo with magic from a distance, wore a worried expression.
Even in Chelsea’s view, Leo’s swordsmanship was exceptional. But if the weapon changed, it would be a different story.
“It would be better to borrow someone else’s sword…” While Chelsea was worried,
Whoosh- Whoosh- Whoosh-
As he approached Talatunia, Leo twirled his fingers to rotate the polearm. A significant weight was felt. A challenging object to handle at Leo’s age without the help of Aura. However, for Leo, who had been training beyond physical limitations since a young age, it was no hindrance. Rather, this weight became a weapon for him.
Whoosh-! Whoosh-! Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh-!
The polearm, which had been spinning lightly, began to spin at a terrifying speed. Talatunia lunged with its mouth wide open.
Thwack-!
Gathering centrifugal force, Leo slid the polearm down to the handle and gripped it. Then he swung it with one hand.
Whack-! Clang!
Screaaam!
The polearm, swung full force, embedded its ax into Talatunia’s head. The weight and rotational force of the polearm became a destructive physical force, obliterating Talatunia’s head in an instant. As everyone watched in horror,
Leo retrieved his polearm and leapt into the air. Then, he slammed the ax into its back with both hands.
Crack-!
Screeeee.
Talatunia jabbed its long front leg into its back.
Roar-!
Leo, who had leapt and dodged the attack, lightly touched down.
“I can’t use it for long.” He quickly checked the condition of his weapon. Though he had landed a successful blow, just one attack had damaged his weapon. Aura enhances the weapon’s attack power but also preserves its durability.
“Chelsea!”
“Uh, yes?”
“Use wind magic to send me weapons from the other examinees!” As he dodged Talatunia’s attacks, Leo shouted.
“It’s impossible to have precise control in such a fast-moving situation! You could get hurt!”
“I’ll catch it, so send it quickly!”
“Uh, which weapon?”
“Any! Just send it!”
Upon Leo’s urging, Chelsea collected weapons from the examinees using wind magic and sent them over.
Whistle-!
A sharp scimitar and a hefty bastard sword flew towards Leo.
“Use whichever you’re comfortable with!”
Crack-! Snap!
The ax blade of the polearm, which had struck Talatunia’s head, broke. Leo threw away the handle and reached out his hands as he stepped back.
‘Based on the sound, a scimitar and a bastard sword?’ He accurately determined the types of weapons coming his way just by their sounds.
Screaaaam!
Talatunia tried to stab Leo with its front legs.
Leo gracefully evaded the attack with a mid-air jump and a swift spin.
Thud! Thud!
With pinpoint accuracy, he snagged both weapons simultaneously: a scimitar in his left hand and a bastard sword in his right.
Using the flat of the bastard sword, Leo deftly blocked Talatunia’s front legs that were lunging at him.
Zing-!
A powerful shockwave rippled through his body.
“Ugh!”
Suppressing a groan, Leo swung his left hand as he was pushed back.
Slice-!
Screeeech!
In that brief moment, Leo managed to sever one of Talatunia’s front legs and swiftly regained his footing.
Without hesitation, he charged forward.
Talatunia’s defense wasn’t particularly strong; any sufficiently forceful weapon could cut through it, Aura or not.
Yet the attacks from other examinees proved ineffective for a simple reason: Talatunia healed faster than it could be wounded.
‘Is the Ring of Life really this troublesome?’ Leo chuckled as he pressed himself to his limits while charging.
Throughout his life, Leo had consistently pushed past his limits, and now his body responded effortlessly to his will.
Even without using Aura, his movements were nothing short of miraculous.
Witnessing this, the other examinees watched in awe, their mouths agape.
Polearm.
Scimitar and bastard sword.
Claymore.
Dagger.
Longsword.
Spear.
Battle ax.
With each weapon that broke, Leo seamlessly transitioned to another contestant’s weapon, displaying ghostly expertise regardless of the type.
The spectacle was electrifying.
He exhibited almost miraculous proficiency, adapting effortlessly to any weapon as if he could wield every one in the world.
Without hesitation, he confronted Talatunia.
His presence resembled that of a war god.
“Can someone our age really possess such a diverse array of weapons and engage in combat like this?”
“Who is this guy?”
The aspiring knight contestants couldn’t believe their eyes, their admiration growing.
Even Chelsea, initially poised to assist Leo with magic, found herself in awe.
Leo’s movements were so rapid that using magic recklessly in the melee chaos was impractical.
So, she watched with a mix of worry and wonder as Leo confronted the fearsome monster alone.
He was a true hero, a man whose past victories alongside [Hero] Arion in impossible battles had left an indelible mark.
Even in a life-or-death battle where one misstep could prove fatal, Leo remained unflinching.
His heart was at peace.
‘I was worried after 15 years, but this feeling hasn’t disappeared,’ he thought as he gasped for breath.
But he kept smiling.
He relentlessly pushed Talatunia back.
At one point, an attack grazed him, tearing his flesh.
But he didn’t falter.
‘Forward! Forward!’
Was this a trial? Nothing compared to the countless trials he’d faced in the past.
‘If I can’t handle a pest like this, those folks in the afterlife will have a good laugh!’
This wasn’t even worthy of being called a trial.
Snap-
“Damn!”
A cracking sound echoed from the longsword Leo clutched.
The weapon had reached its limit.
In just a short span of 5 minutes, dozens of weapons had already shattered.
Just as Leo was about to request the next weapon from Chelsea,
“Leo! I’m ready!”
Selia’s shout in his ear made Leo grin.
“Inhale!”
With that command, he vaulted as far away from Talatunia as he could.
Whoosh-! Roarrrrrrrrr-!
As if on cue,
Selia leaped into action, wielding the Flame Storm ablaze with frenzied heat.
A strong wind accompanied the searing heat, tempering its intensity.
“Enough! Die, you insect!”
Crrraaaaaaaaack!
With a mighty swing, she unleashed a scorching heat-infused storm.
The powerful tempest tore Talatunia to shreds.
The suffocating heat mercilessly consumed Talatunia.
Talatunia writhed in agony.
The Ring of Life had granted the spider infinite life, but the power of destruction soon overwhelmed its healing abilities.
Fizzle-!
The flames subsided, leaving nothing but ashes where Talatunia once stood.
Thud-!
A golden ring fell to the ground.
[Albi’s World: Chapter – The Forest of Monsters has been conquered.]
Text appeared before their eyes.
Selia collapsed to the ground.
“It’s… it’s over.”
With a nod and a deep sigh, Selia turned to Leo.
Leo, covered in wounds, stood there panting.
‘He held off that monster for 5 minutes,’ Selia marveled.
It was astonishing.
Despite being the most exhausted, he still stood tall.
Struggling to her feet, Selia approached Leo with a smile.
“Leo! Great jo—”
“Amazing! Truly amazing! You were like a hero out of epic tales!”
Chelsea exclaimed, jumping in front of Leo with her hands raised and bouncing up and down.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I’m aiming to be a battle mage, so I need to practice close combat as well. Will you teach me if you enroll in Lumeren?”
Chelsea’s previous reservations had disappeared after witnessing Leo’s combat skills, and she couldn’t contain her excitement.
Selia, who had approached, chimed in,
“He doesn’t have techniques to teach a Lewalin woman. Hoohee- Hoohee-“
“Why is Zerdingher butting in?”
Selia and Chelsea had a minor quarrel.
Ignoring that, Leo moved.
His entire body screamed in pain, but he ignored it and picked up the ring that Talatunia had dropped.
A small burst of golden light emanated from the ring, accompanied by the appearance of a fairy.
Leo’s eyes trembled.
A familiar fairy.
It was Silrod, the heir to the Fairy King.
He silently gazed up at Leo.
“Hey… Silrod. Do you remember me?”
With a slightly trembling voice, Leo asked.
It was their first encounter since Luna had passed away.
But Silrod simply smiled once, offering no verbal response, and then vanished.
“……”
Leo let out a bitter laugh.
This was the world of heroes.
The Silrod he had just encountered was an imitation.
‘It seems he safely became the Fairy King.’
Albi had acquired the devil’s eye from Silrod as a reward for defeating Talatunia and recovering the Fairy King’s treasure.
Leo glanced around.
Cracks had started to appear in the world.
The world they had conquered as heroes was fading away.
‘In any case, this is the end.’
Leo took a deep breath.
Then, with a brilliant burst of light, the world crumbled.
In that fleeting moment.
[Reward: The Fairy King’s Oath]
“What?”
A reward that should not have been bestowed was granted.
***
Central continent.
The central hub of the world, Lumeria City.
A historic city that had endured for 3000 years alongside Lumeren.
An elderly man stroked his beard atop the city.
“Hoho, it appears the western region assessment has concluded.”
“Is it truly finished already, Lord Albi?”
“That young lad certainly works with swiftness.”
The elderly man chuckled.
Despite being well over a century old, no one in this world could disregard him.
Sword Star Galian Beydan.
A hero among heroes who had reached the zenith of swordsmanship.
“Let’s see. Hoho? We’ve got quite a number!”
“Really? That’s so characteristic of Lord Albi! How many?”
“Forty.”
“……”
Galian stated calmly.
At his words, the woman’s eyes quivered.
“Is that… a lot?”
“Indeed, it is. I had anticipated around ten.”
Elena gripped her head.
Forty newcomers in the western region.
In other regions, a hundred students were admitted, but only forty in the western region.
It was glaringly obvious that numerous families in the western region would soon voice their grievances.
“Don’t be too disheartened. Isn’t it preferable to have forty rather than just ten?”
“True. It’s certainly better than ten. Hahaha.”
Elena, the secretary to the principal of Lumeren, clenched her teeth and chuckled.
“Who claimed the valedictorian spot, Selia or Abad?”
“It’s a valedictorian tie.”
“A tie?”
“Yes, a tie between Selia and Abad. They declared it impossible to determine superiority.”
“I see.”
Elena’s eyes gleamed.
“And there’s another matter.”
“Is there?”
“There’s a recommended representative among the new students.”
“Lord Albi?”
It was surprising to Elena that Albi, who was usually overlooked by others, would suggest a representative among the new students.
“Is it a choice between Selia Zerdingher and Abad Lewalin?”
Usually, the recommended new student representative came from the valedictorians.
In response to Elena’s intrigued expression, Galian replied,
“It’s someone named Leo Plov.”
“So, it’s neither Selia nor Abad but someone else?”
While observing Elena’s perplexed look, Galian grinned and glanced at the report.
<New Student Representative Recommendation>
Name: Leo Plov (15)
Subject: Knight Studies
Reason: Heroic Qualities
‘Ah, Albi specifically highlighted ‘Heroic Qualities.’ I wonder what sort of student he is.’
Galian stroked his beard and chuckled.
Cliche Novel 