“What do you believe yourselves to be?”
“Huh?”
“You are students of Lumeren, which means you have the potential to be heroes! Shouldn’t your priority be to face challenges independently when confronted with a crisis?”
Ain’s stern words left the students in shock.
At that moment, Ain noticed Leo’s swift and decisive action.
“At least there’s someone competent.”
The rising tentacle of the Kraken lunged forward with great speed.
Swish!
Leo unsheathed his sword and severed the tentacle.
Thud!
With a kick, he sent the wriggling tentacle that had fallen to the ground into the lake, shouting,
“Don’t be intimidated by its size! You are more than capable of handling it!”
Leo’s gaze was firmly fixed on Selia and Chloe.
“Hmph! Who claimed we were frightened?”
Annoyed, Chloe smirked, and Selia, determined not to be outdone, drew her sword.
“What do you take me for, Leo?”
Whoosh!
A fiery aura, the emblem of Zerdingher, erupted from her sword.
“As if I would be afraid of a squid like this…!”
Splash!
“Aaaaah!”
A water cannon shot from the tip of the Kraken’s tentacle, drenching Selia.
Although she used her aura armor to defend herself, Selia quickly became soaked.
“It’s the Kraken’s nature. It reacts to heat and shoots water cannons.”
Leo chuckled while lightly tapping Selia’s forehead.
“You appear to be lacking in experience, don’t you?”
“Ugh! We’re the same age, you know! Quit talking about experience!”
Rubbing her flushed face and forehead, Selia retorted sharply.
Meanwhile, the Kraken launched another attack.
Selia’s eyes narrowed menacingly.
“This cursed squid! I’ll turn you into calamari!”
Whoosh!
Selia’s sword traced a brilliant arc.
Slice-slice-slice!
The Kraken’s tentacles were finely chopped and scattered.
Leo smiled at Selia, who looked back with triumph, and swung his sword.
Whoosh!
With a tremendous swoosh, the Kraken’s tentacles were cut even finer than Selia had managed.
“Heh! It seems like you’re falling behind!”
Provoked by this, sparks flew from Selia’s eyes.
“Your swordsmanship is quite impressive.”
Meanwhile, Chloe raised her magic wand and began chanting a rune.
Jingle-jangle!
“Icicle.”
Ice particles gathered in midair, forming a large icicle.
Upon Chloe’s command, the icicle was launched.
Crack-crack-shatter!
Frozen by the magic, the Kraken’s tentacles shattered into pieces.
“Hehehe! Why break a sweat like knights when you can be clever from a distance… Ahhh??!”
Just as Chloe was getting overconfident, she became the target of the Kraken.
Caught off guard by the unexpectedly rapid attack of the Kraken, Leo grabbed Chloe by the scruff of her neck and pulled her back.
“Wizards shouldn’t be at the front.”
Swish!
Leo swung his sword, cutting off the Kraken’s tentacle.
“Krakens react to mana, so be cautious with your magic.”
“Ah, understood.”
The freshmen, who had initially been in a state of panic, regained their composure and launched a counterattack.
Although the Kraken was a high-level monster, the students of Lumeren were not easily overwhelmed.
Watching from the rear, Ain curled his lips into a grin.
“This year’s freshmen are quite exceptional,” he thought.
Ain, who had been reprimanding the freshmen earlier, now felt very satisfied.
This lake was renowned for being the habitat of various aquatic monsters, and as a result, attacks from these creatures had become almost an annual event.
All Lumeren freshmen were exceptionally talented, and by gaining admission to Lumeren, the most prestigious institution, they had already demonstrated their skills.
Skills, background, education—none of these were lacking in the freshmen. Naturally, they were filled with pride and confidence.
‘With such a mindset, they can’t fully grasp Lumeren’s teachings.’
The freshmen were unaware that they had merely met the minimum standards to study at Lumeren. This was precisely why a sense of vigilance needed to be instilled, and why Lumeren allowed attacks from aquatic monsters.
Of course, they were not left entirely defenseless against these creatures. As evidence, when attacked by the Kraken, the most significant concern—the destruction of the hull—did not occur.
However, the freshmen remained preoccupied with fending off the Kraken in front of them, unaware of this fact.
‘The top students’ performances are truly outstanding.’
While evaluating the freshmen’s abilities, Ain’s gaze settled on Leo.
“Impressive,” Ain thought, a glint appearing in his eyes.
Leo’s swordsmanship was sleek, devoid of unnecessary movements. Furthermore, he seemed to anticipate the Kraken’s movements, effortlessly dodging and severing its tentacles.
“I should remember this,” Ain concluded.
Judging from his sword skills, it was evident that Leo aspired to join the Knight Department. Believing he had discovered an exceptional student, Ain smiled with satisfaction.
***
Although the freshmen had barely repelled the Kraken, the onslaught of aquatic monsters did not relent.
The lively onboard party from earlier felt like a distant dream, replaced by a procession of monsters.
After approximately an hour, the freshmen were utterly drained. Their uniforms were soaked, their bodies covered in sweat, and their faces displayed clear signs of exhaustion.
They had been engaged in a relentless battle against the relentless monsters.
“I can’t fight any longer! I’ve run out of mana!” Chloe exclaimed, sprawled on the floor.
“Uh… Does anyone have any mana potions left?” Karl inquired, scanning the group, but no one responded.
Selia, panting heavily, stole a quick glance at Leo.
‘This stamina monster!’
Leo, seemingly impervious to fatigue, remained vigilant at the water’s edge. How could someone of the same age possess such inexhaustible stamina?
“Hoo!”
Gritting her teeth and taking deep breaths, Selia stood beside Leo.
Then, a cry rang out.
“I see the dock!”
“The end of this exhausting battle is in sight!”
“Waaaahhhhh!”
Cheers erupted from the deck. After the prolonged fight, this was the best news the weary students could hope for.
A short while later, they docked, and the students disembarked from the ship, looking thoroughly drained.
Awaiting them on the dock was a petite woman in a suit, wearing glasses.
“Thank goodness! It appears nothing major has occurred!” she exclaimed.
Hearing this, the students experienced a surge of emotion internally.
“Nothing major? We were attacked by monsters!” they thought, though none voiced their complaints openly.
If she had come to greet the freshmen, there was a high chance she was a professor at Lumeren.
“Professor Ain, thank you for guiding the freshmen. I’ll take it from here.”
“Understood.”
Nodding, Ain turned to the freshmen.
“I’ll be teaching the first-year Knight Department course this year.”
The Knight Department students looked somewhat surprised.
“Some of you in the Knight Department will be in my class.”
Including Leo, Ain smiled mischievously at several students.
“For those of you who aspire to reach greater heights, make sure to join my class!”
“Yes!”
“Understood, Professor Ain!”
The Knight Department students responded loudly.
Satisfied with their response, Professor Ain wore a meaningful expression.
“And be sure to pay close attention to your orientation teacher.”
With that, he left.
“My name is Artian Niere, and I’ll be in charge of the first-year Summoning Department course.”
The woman, adjusting her glasses, introduced herself with a friendly smile.
“Artian Niere? I’ve never heard that name before.”
Selia tilted her head in confusion.
Typically, if someone is a professor at Lumeren, they are quite renowned in their respective fields.
However, the name Artian Niere was unfamiliar.
“Artian Niere is pretty well-known in the central region,” Karl chimed in.
“Who is she?”
“She’s known as a Spirit Summoner.”
“Spirit Summoner?”
Selia looked surprised.
Summoning magic is broadly divided into three fields:
Contracting with elementals – Elemental Magic.
Summoning animals – Beast Summoning.
Calling upon spirits – Spirit Summoning.
Among these, Spirit Summoning, which invokes the aid of entities known as spirits, is a very rare ability.
‘It was one of Risinas’ specialties.’
Spirit summoning is a natural-born special ability, so even elite students couldn’t acquire it.
“Shall we head to the entrance ceremony then?”
Artian said with a gentle smile.
However, the students protested.
“Professor! Isn’t there a place where we can change our clothes?”
“Exactly! We can’t attend the entrance ceremony like this!”
The students, who had been respectful during Professor Ain’s time, now voiced their concerns loudly.
All of them hailed from noble backgrounds.
Under Professor Ain, they had been intimidated by the title ‘Ice Knight’.
However, in front of the seemingly delicate and lesser-known Artian, they immediately expressed their grievances.
“No, no! We need to adhere to the schedule…”
“We can’t possibly appear at such an important event in this condition! Our families would never allow it!”
“That’s right! We proudly entered Lumeren! This treatment is unacceptable!”
“Absolutely! We’ll lodge a formal complaint through our families!”
“Everyone, please?!”
Truly gentle in nature, Artian couldn’t handle the students’ complaints and appeared to shrink back.
The more confident students raised their voices even higher.
“We might need to step in.”
Selia furrowed her brow, while Leo softly chuckled.
“I think it’ll resolve itself.”
“What do you mean?”
Artian lowered her head in dismay.
And then…
“You darn kids! Despite all the care I’ve given you, do I look like a pushover to you?! How dare mere freshmen act so arrogantly towards a professor!”
Suddenly, Artian’s head shot up, and a barrage of curses spilled from her lips.
In stark contrast to her previous demeanor, her eyes now blazed with intense fury.
The rowdy students were taken aback.
One male student, still in shock, quickly protested.
“Even if you’re a professor, using such language is not acceptable…”
“Look at this guy. Still clueless?”
Smack!
“What… what?”
With a sinister grin, Artian grabbed the male student by the collar, and despite his larger size, there was no sign of resistance.
Instead, a golden aura radiated from her body.
“Gasp? An aura?”
“Dual class?”
The students were astonished.
The male student in Artian’s grip turned pale with fear.
Artian forcefully flung him toward the lakeshore.
“Aaah!”
Splash! Splash!
The student who landed in the lake spluttered and struggled.
Artian issued a stern warning.
“If anyone else dares to defy me like this, they won’t get off lightly…!”
Before Artian could finish her sentence, her demeanor shifted again.
“This is troublesome.”
Her aura changed to a colder one as she sighed and made a casual hand gesture.
This time, golden mana surged forth.
Artian used her magic to rescue the student from the water.
The students’ eyes widened in shock.
She was introduced as a professor of summoning, but she was using aura and magic!
“I suspected as much.”
“Do you know about her ability?”
A surprised Selia overheard Leo’s murmur and asked eagerly.
“She has bonded with spirits, and her change in demeanor is due to the spirits she has contracted with.”
“Necromancy? I’ve only heard of that ability!”
Selia expressed her admiration for such a rare ability among spirit summoners.
Indeed, Professor Ain’s advice to listen well had its reasons.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. The spirits I’ve bonded with can be a bit impulsive!”
Artian, back to her original self, apologized profusely. However, the students remained cautious.
They quickly realized that the professor in front of them might not be widely known but was undoubtedly a formidable figure.
In the midst of it all, Artian smiled broadly and said,
“Anyway, everyone! Let’s proceed to the entrance ceremony!”
“Yes…”
The students, treading carefully, responded meekly.
Cliche Novel 