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“It’s impossible! How are we supposed to beat the fifth-year seniors?”
“Professor Sedgen! Although ‘Transcend your limits!’ is our school motto, isn’t this going too far?”
The first-years clutched their heads and screamed in panic.
Most first-years couldn’t even make eye contact with second-years in reality.
And suddenly, they were supposed to take an exam against fifth-years who seemed like gods in the sky?
There was no way the first-years wouldn’t fall into a state of panic.
Even students like Celia, Duran, and Eliza, who were always brimming with confidence, wore expressions of great bewilderment.
Looking at the panicked first-years, Sedgen spoke.
“I never said you had to win.”
“Huh?”
“As I mentioned earlier, the midterm practical exam will be based on relative assessment.”
Sedgen smiled gently.
“Though it might be intimidating to face the fifth-years, showing your best effort will be enough to secure good scores on the exam.”
After hearing Sedgen’s words, the first-years regained their composure.
Though they had initially panicked at the thought of competing against fifth-years, it was indeed true, just as Sedgen said.
“That… that’s right. No reason to be scared.”
“All we need to do against the fifth-year seniors is to give it our all.”
“Hmm… Professor Sedgen really does care about his students, doesn’t he?”
“Agreed. I feel calmer already.”
As the atmosphere returned to one of calm amongst the first-years, Sedgen smiled softly before walking over to the fifth-years.
Addressing the 47 fifth-years without mercy, he said,
“Let’s make it an unforgettable exam for them.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let’s stretch our bodies a little after a long time, shall we?”
The fifth-years laughed and began loosening up their bodies.
Sedgen returned to the first-years and spoke.
“As I mentioned earlier, the second-semester midterm practical exam will involve relative assessment. Furthermore, I’ve decided to add a special condition.”
The first-years looked puzzled.
“The number of fifth-years allowed in each match will be limited to one.”
Bastera is fundamentally a sport played with eight players, making it an extremely physically demanding game.
But even with an 8:1 ratio, no first-year relaxed. Instead, they began to sweat cold perspiration.
‘So, they really mean to go all-out against us?’
‘Ugh! They’re fifth-years…’
There are 500 students admitted into Lumeran, and through five years of rigorous selection, only 47 students remained in the graduating class.
Over the span of five years, about 90% of the students had left the school.
These were the ones who truly deserved the title of “Hero Candidate.”
Any one of them could have easily become a hero.
From the fifth-year’s perspective, it was sure that facing eight first-years wouldn’t be much of a handicap.
“And if the results aren’t to your liking, you can re-form teams and retake the exam as many times as necessary until you’re satisfied with your performance.”
On hearing this, murmurs arose among the first-years.
At that moment, a student from the Department of Magic cautiously raised their hand.
“Um… Professor, won’t this waste too much of the fifth-year seniors’ time? They’re all so busy.”
While second, third, and fourth-years were frequently seen during the first semester, fifth-years were rarely seen.
This was because the fifth-years were always busy with school classes and external missions.
That the fifth-years would invest their time for them made some students unsure.
“I assure you, there’s no need to worry. The graduating class is actually free right now. Any further questions?”
No one had any more questions.
“Alright then, form your teams.”
With that, the first-years quickly started moving around to find their optimal teammates.
“The first-years really are fresh and fun to watch.”
Torua stretched up on their toes, palm on the brow, observing the first-years with a slight chuckle.
“That’s true. Now there’s a freshness you can’t find in older students.”
“Indeed. And surprisingly, the big muscleheads from the Department of Knights, who have grown so much they’re hardly distinguishable from uncles, seem to have a good grasp of the situation.”
“Don’t talk about me like that, you Auntie.”
Torua and Jamua looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Watching them, Ulta spoke.
“You two. With graduation just around the corner, you should stop bickering. Let’s cherish these precious last days of school.”
Ulta stretched his arms wide.
“Shouldn’t we affirm our love and cherish these important days together?”
“Urgh. Listening to you makes my stomach churn.”
“Agreed.”
Torua and Jamua wrinkled their noses in unison.
Meanwhile, Ris was deep in thought.
‘Is it really the right move to announce Leo as the Student Council President candidate?’
Ris was pondering how to handle the issue of recommending Leo as the Student Council president.
Personally, Ris was quite satisfied with the idea of Leo becoming the president.
“But can Leo bear the burden?”
Just being a first-year and a candidate for the student council presidency would already bring tremendous pressure.
“If by some chance he does become the president, it would be an immense burden, wouldn’t it? But even if he doesn’t, his school life could still get complicated.”
The life of a junior who falls out of favor with the seniors wouldn’t be smooth, even if Leo were related to the prestigious Zerdinger family.
Allowing personal issues to escalate into family matters also wouldn’t be wise.
‘If I were staying in school, I could perhaps mediate… but I’m graduating this year.’
For Ris, it was inevitable to worry about his cousin after leaving the school.
Approaching him, Ulta asked,
“Ris, what’s troubling you?”
“Ulta.”
Ris turned to Ulta with a faint smile.
“It’s nothing.”
At this, Ulta sighed.
“Ris, you haven’t changed at all since your first year.”
“Have I?”
“Yes. Especially this habit of keeping your worries inside.”
Ulta crossed his arms.
“Ris, I think of you more as a close friend I can open up to rather than just a rival I’ve competed with for five years.”
“A friend. Indeed.”
Ris nodded.
He then confided in Ulta about the current dilemma.
Listening to Ris, Ulta stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Hmm. Quite a complicated problem.”
“That’s true.”
“Then isn’t the conclusion quite clear?”
Ulta smiled faintly.
“All we need to do is prove that Leo is capable of becoming the Student Council President.”
“And that is…”
“He’s still a first-year, Ris.”
Ris sighed.
“It’s too soon for him to take on the role.”
“Who says so?”
“Wha…?”
Ulta watched the puzzled Ris and continued.
“Who decided a first-year isn’t fit to become the Student Council President, Ris?”
Ulta smiled again.
“Ris, you’ve forgotten the lesson we’ve heard ad nauseam for five years.”
Ulta spread his arms wide.
“Surpass your limits. We’ve transcended so many boundaries, turning the impossible into the possible.”
Though Ulta often seemed to spout strange romantic lines, his current tone was unusually serious.
“Ris, your cousin is already well-equipped to be the Student Council President.”
Ulta’s words surprised Ris.
‘Ulta had this high opinion of Leo?’
Ulta Legidition, undoubtedly one of the strongest summoners in Lumeran.
Despite being considered a bit peculiar, he was famous for never exaggerating or lying.
Ris knew his friend’s nature well.
“Moreover, the timing is good. Both internally and externally, Lumeran is being shaken little by little. The world peace is fracturing.”
Ulta glanced at Leo.
“I believe strong leadership is needed to guide the school through this phase.”
“So you mean Leo is that leader?”
“Yes.”
Ulta smirked.
“Therefore, Ris, I suggest you observe closely today.”
Ulta elegantly crossed his arms.
“Today, you’ll witness Leo’s true potential.”
The practical exams had begun.
With renewed courage, the first-years in teams charged bravely against the fifth-years.
“Hoy!”
Pow!
“Ugh!”
Kal, a first-year, was struck in the abdomen by a ball thrown by a fifth-year female student from the Department of Knights, and bounced away.
“Our score is still ahead! Hold on! What if we can hold them off?”
Iliana called out anxiously.
“Well, of course you’ll be ahead. I wasn’t really focused on attacking or defending anyway.”
She smiled kindly.
“But listen, first-years. Remember, in Bastera, you win by completely eliminating the other team. Your strategy of distracting me wasn’t bad, but you lack preparedness for more fundamental challenges.”
The best team composed of the top students from Class 5, excluding Leo and Chelsea, was defeated just three minutes into the game.
Other students watching were astonished.
The team led by Nella, Iliana, and Teid, who were strong supporters backed by Kal and their Class 5 combination, seemed balanced and virtually flawless.
But they were eliminated so easily.
The students watched in awe as cries echoed from various other matches.
Since there were numerous Bastera matches between the fifth-years and first-years, various games happened simultaneously in different locations.
Sedgen, floating in the air, was grading the first-years’ performances.
‘Their teamwork is commendable. But their attention to detail leaves something to be desired.’
Click.
With that, he quickly jotted down some evaluations on paper.
At a glance, it seemed Sedgen was making rough evaluations, but it wasn’t for nothing that he was known as the top professor of Lumeran.
He missed nothing as he assessed simultaneous games happening all over the training ground, checking what students did well and what they failed at, conducting perfect evaluations.
Encouraged by the rule that allowed multiple chances, some first-years initially had relaxed expectations, but after seeing the fifth-years’ overwhelming skills, they tightened up considerably.
‘Ris and Ulta still aren’t participating.’
Observing the two who were watching from the sidelines, Sedgen nodded.
The most noticeable of the fifth-years, excluding the two, were undoubtedly Torua and Jamua.
Torua, propping his chin up, waved his hand lightly.
Whoosh!
“Ugh?”
“Gravity magic?”
“Yes, but reacting too late leaves you vulnerable.”
Within five seconds of the start, Torua had incapacitated the entire opposing team, shaking his head.
“Hahaha. Let’s see how tough you really are.”
“What? Toughness? Keuh!”
A student was sent flying upon being hit by a ball thrown by Jamua.
“Tch. You weren’t training hard enough. Look at that—falling just from a ball without infused aura!”
“But I am a wizard, and I put up a shield!”
“Hmm. Sometimes brute physical force can overpower magic. Take note.”
“S-Seriously…”
Jamua eliminated her opponents purely with physical force, without any use of aura.
After sweeping away the first-years, Jamua smirked, taunting them.
“Tsk. You were supposed to be the best of your group, huh? That was disappointing.”
The first-years were speechless.
Rebutting someone who defeats you effortlessly without using aura was impossible.
‘d*mn. Did I crush their spirit too much?’
Just as Jamua scratched her cheek, a voice spoke up.
“Now you can start expecting big things.”
Snap!
Someone stood in front of Jamua.
Celia, gripping the ball under her arm, smirked confidently at Jamua.
“It will be a little different from now on.”
“Hm, Celia.”
Jamua glanced at the students beyond Celia with a raised brow.
‘Chen Sia, Duran, Howl.’
The juniors from the Department of Knights she had noticed were all present.
The only slightly disappointing thing was that Leo wasn’t among them.
‘Where is that guy?’
Just as she turned her head, she saw Leo standing in the adjacent court.
There stood Leo, flanked by Chloe, Chelsea, and Abad.
“Tsk. Leo Flove, sticking to the Department of Magic, huh.”
“Betrayal.”
Duran clicked his tongue, and Chen Sia pouted.
“Yeah. Betrayal.”
Jamua also clicked her tongue as Torua, on the other hand, looked at Leo and wore a satisfied grin.
“Hmm! Hmm! Leo-kun, you’ve finally found your path. That’s right. Magic really is the best.”
“…I’m still an all-rounder, though.”
“Ah, Leo. All your strategic thinking has been ruined by attending knight and summoner classes.”
Though Torua was the one making illogical statements, Leo was already well-versed in dealing with such quirks.
“Well, in any case, I’m here today to teach the first-years just how vast the world truly is.”
Slightly closing his eyes, Torua raised a finger.
Snap!
“Whoa!”
Simultaneously, the first-years standing before Torua staggered under the increased gravitational pull, falling to their knees.
“Surrender quietly.”
After casting the spell and reopening his eyes, Torua widened them dramatically.
Contrary to the other first-years who had fallen to their knees or were sprawled on the ground, Leo stood firm without so much as blinking.
‘A dispel? No, that’s not it. How is he standing?’
Torua’s eyes sparkled as she sensed her magic still at work.
“What magic are you using? Did you somehow dispel my magic array?”
“No.”
Leo shrugged.
“I’m simply resisting the gravity with my strength.”
“Strength?”
“Yes.”
Leo smiled faintly.
“Sometimes brute physical force can overcome magic, right?”
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
