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“What are you planning to do?”
Ain crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.
Aina and Beydna were rookies among this year’s incoming candidates who had garnered attention for their reputation and skills in every aspect.
It wasn’t due to her lineage as the great-granddaughter of the Sword Saint.
Her skills and talent had already been proven to be undoubtedly the best, a fact established long ago.
“But if Leo is the opponent…that’s far too reckless.”
Aina narrowed her eyes.
It couldn’t help but be reckless.
The opponent was none other than Leo Flove, a student celebrated as one of the rare prodigies in the history of Lumeran.
On the other hand, Aina was not yet a student of Lumeran.
Some would say it’s only the start of their first year, but the gap between those who have spent a year at Lumeran and those who haven’t is astonishing.
That’s why Lumeran is called the Hero Academy.
Halind was smirking as he watched the scene on the screen.
Seeing this, Aina asked, “Professor Halind, what do you plan to do if Aina and Beydna are defeated by Leo like this?”
“Why are you asking something so obvious? It’s an automatic disqualification.”
If the test supervisor had been Sedgen, there might have been a possibility that Aina and Beydna would pass, considering their potential and future prospects.
Sedgen was a professor who highly valued a spirit of challenge.
But that wasn’t Halind.
To begin with, the scenario assigned by Halind was an unreasonably difficult test.
Even someone like Kal, who was at the bottom tier of current examinees, had the prowess to “hunt” examinees.
No matter how skilled one might be among the applicants, taking on Leo, the strongest of the second-year students, was an act of recklessness.
Halind had designed this exam to see how the examinees would respond in the face of a situation they couldn’t handle.
Life at Lumeran’s departments was harsh.
Even students with remarkable talent who passed the entrance exam often receive withdrawal advice and leave school by the end of their first year, with more than half failing to continue.
Especially now, with an uncertain situation post the Demon Queen’s downfall and the provocative actions expected from Tartarus, the environment has become more severe.
Moreover, the current “golden generation” of first-years has been exposed to a particularly ruthless setting.
This year’s freshmen are not exceptions.
Thus, ‘survival’ has been given higher priority in the evaluation.
Without the ability to survive, Halind had no intention of accepting this year’s applicants from the start.
In this situation, challenging someone like Leo Flove wasn’t an act of courage or spirit; it was mere recklessness.
“Of course, unless Aina and Beydna have some means of escaping from Leo…”
In Aina’s opinion, one of Leo’s greatest strengths was his experience beyond his age.
Throughout the past year’s numerous mock battles in the Department of Knights, countless students tried to surprise Leo, but he never once showed signs of being startled.
Strangely enough, Leo’s experiences and level were far above those of his peers.
Aina crossed her arms.
“What will you do, Aina and Beydna?”
Leo looked down at the girl who was gazing up at him and spoke.
“Irresponsible actions won’t get good evaluations, you know?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s more important for me to gain your recognition.”
“Mine?”
Leo naturally felt perplexed at this unexpected statement from a girl he had never met before.
Swish!
Without answering his question, Aina drew her sword.
“Draw your sword, Leo Flove.”
‘Whatever her reasons might be, she seems to view this as some sort of trial or mission.’
Leo smirked and said,
“Shouldn’t you make me draw my sword?”
“That’s fair.”
Ordinarily, anyone confident in their skills would have felt provoked by Leo’s words.
However, Aina calmly agreed with Leo’s statement and lowered her stance.
Whistle!
In an instant, a flash-like thrust aimed at Leo’s forehead.
Leo leaned back to avoid the attack.
He then moved to counter by kicking her wrist with the heel of his foot.
But Aina was ready, retracting her sword while preparing for the next strike.
Hummm…
A golden aura erupted from Aina’s body.
Gooouuuuu! Banggggg!
Leo’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘At this level of output?’
The capacity and output of mana are different concepts.
To explain easily, if mana capacity is considered stamina, then mana output is considered power.
No matter the class, for stronger techniques, more potent magic, or even more powerful familiars to summon, the capacity and output of mana must increase.
Even to Leo, Aina’s mana output was astonishing.
Her power now rivalled that of Celia and Duran, second-year students considered equivalent to wizards purely in offensive might in the Department of Knights.
Certainly, higher output didn’t guarantee strength, but it was undoubtedly impressive.
An aggressive sword strike enveloped Leo.
Hwaack!
In an instant, the sword transformed.
It wasn’t just a powerful strike.
It had an unpredictable, blinding quality.
Swords surrounded Leo from all directions.
Leo looked at Aina’s face.
Despite being in a favorable position, her eyes remained ruthlessly calm.
‘I see. Her goal isn’t just to enroll.’
Woommm!
A gray aura formed in Leo’s hand.
‘The real goal is me.’
Without hesitation, Leo stepped into the vortex of sword strikes.
And extended his hand without hesitation.
Clang!
The sword, which had swirled around so disorientingly, was caught between Leo’s fingers.
Their eyes met in the space between them.
“Granddaughter of the principal?”
“Great-granddaughter, actually.”
The energy radiating from the aura reminded Leo of Kalyan.
Aina, answering Leo’s question calmly, unleashed a powerful aura from her entire body.
Amid the swirling aura storm, Leo lost his grip on the sword.
Then began a swift assault on Leo.
Whoosh! Slash! Slice! Whisp-s-s-s!
Numerous sword strikes tore through the air at rapid speed.
Leo evaded or blocked all of Aina’s successive attacks.
Gooouuuuu!
Suddenly, a colossal aura surged at the tip of the sword.
A sword strike on an entirely different level compared to before.
Banggggg!
Seeing the sharp golden sword energy, Leo lifted his foot.
Crashh! Bangggg!
“…”
Leo stepped on Aina’s sword.
Her sword was pinned to the ground.
She tried to push him off by applying force to her hands.
But the sword didn’t budge.
Smash!
In an instant, Leo exerted force in his foot.
Crackle! Crack!
Aina’s sword shattered.
Witnessing this, Aina’s face showed the first flicker of emotional disturbance.
“For reasons I don’t know.”
Leo, who was now bleeding from his mouth and around his eyes, spoke coldly to Aina who seemed uninterested in the entrance exam.
“This is Lumeran’s entrance exam. If you’re not interested in admission, I’d prefer you don’t take up more of my time.”
Piercing through the fact that Aina had no interest in the entrance exam, Leo spoke dispassionately.
At this, Aina gritted her teeth.
‘Is the skill gap supposed to be this large?’
No one knew better than Aina herself that defeating Leo was impossible.
She had believed that she could gain recognition through her skills.
But the man in front of her did not acknowledge her at all.
The gap between Leo and Aina was hopelessly large.
‘Grandfather…’
When Aina was around the age of reason, her grandparents and parents had already passed away.
They had lost their lives in a battle against the demons.
Hence, Kalyan, her great-grandfather, was her only flesh and bl**d.
Kalyan was both admiration and a goal for Aina.
However, just a few months before, Kalyan too had fallen in battle against the demons.
Though his d*ath was noble and honorable, it offered no solace to those left behind.
All that the Sword Saint had built was rightfully inherited by Aina, his rightful heir.
The assets left behind as a legendary hero were immense.
Huge wealth, and countless weapons.
As the descendant of the Sword Saint, Aina could have lived a life of comfort.
And no one would have criticized her for it.
But Aina chose to fight.
She vowed revenge against Tartarus, which had taken away the lives of all her loved ones.
But complications arose.
Kalyan’s will was discovered later.
The content was simple.
[All my assets are conditionally inherited by my great-granddaughter Aina Beydna.
I cannot permit the things I’ve left behind to be used in the fight against Tartarus.
If you wish to live a life of struggle, gain Leo Flove’s recognition and become the master of Cleasis.]
Just before departing for Seirun for the Ruse Tournament.
Kalyan’s will took effect.
The symbol of the Sword Saint.
Cleasis was now under a magical seal.
The powerful magical seal made Cleasis a sword that Aina Beydna could never hold.
The way to lift the seal was to gain recognition from Leo.
This was Kalyan’s measure, worried that his beloved great-granddaughter would lead a life consumed by vengeance.
Aina gritted her teeth.
Watching her, Leo raised his hand.
Whoosh!
A fiery aura erupted.
As soon as Aina closed her eyes upon seeing it,
Smashh!
Someone attacked from behind Leo at tremendous speed.
Leo, who had anticipated this, swung his arm backward.
Whooosh!
Splash-s-s-s!
The impact on Leo’s back caused his body to slide.
A glimmer of curiosity appeared in Leo’s eyes.
“Apologies! Apologies!”
The boy screamed in panic, grabbed Aina by the wrist, and fled.
“Hmm?”
Feeling the considerable impact in his arm, he wore an amused expression.
‘This is much stronger than expected. An affinity towards aura, perhaps?’
Playing with his fingers, Leo looked in the direction the two had fled.
After a smirk, Leo leaped into the air and began pursuing them.
“Who’s that kid?”
With a monotonous voice, Halind asked, and Yura quickly checked the list.
The situation just moments ago was clearly one that no one could have intervened in.
Yet the boy had not hesitated to jump into the middle of the battle and rescue Aina.
While it was an incredibly brave action, as an entrance exam candidate, it was a deduction point.
“Let me see, it’s Luke Eldar. Just an ordinary country bumpkin, from a commoner family.”
At Yura’s answer, Halind stroked his chin.
“Why the interest?”
Ran asked curiously.
Halind, who had been indifferent to the examinees until now, was showing interest for the first time because of this.
In the air, countless feeds of Hero’s World’s internal situation were being relayed.
Halind was checking everything.
That’s why he had repeatedly seen Luke Eldar on several screens.
“This boy has helped others several times during the test.”
“Ooh, a good kid, huh?”
Yura exclaimed in admiration.
“A fool, too.”
Halind shrugged indifferently.
“But if he gets stronger, he could be the most ideal image of a hero.”
One who can summon the courage to protect others.
It’s the very basic mindset and an extremely rare quality in a hero.
“Ooh, so he passes?”
Yura asked in amazement, knowing it was rare for Halind to rate a student so positively.
Halind looked at her as if she was asking something obvious.
“Not unless he survives, though.”
Yura shook her head as if she had expected that response.
“In order for conviction to have value, one must possess the strength to act on that conviction.”
Though harsh, an educator couldn’t allow students to pursue ideals alone.
“Let’s see if this boy has the strength to overcome his limits.”
![[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")
