411.
“This brat…!”
At Luke’s words, Lament’s eyes flared with anger.
“Is this the real deal now? Where do you get off spouting such arrogant nonsense?!”
His opponent was Luke, a first-year of Lumeran Academy who was on the verge of failing.
Ordinarily, someone as incompetent as him wouldn’t have lasted long at the academy and would’ve been kicked out.
The fact that Luke had landed an unexpected blow and sent him sprawling was already infuriating enough to make Lament’s bl**d boil.
Seeing Luke now as if prepared to counterattack made Lament feel like he was about to lose his mind.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gung!
As the ground began to shake, Luke gripped his sword tightly.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-jak!
A wave of earth surged like a massive tsunami, enveloping Luke.
This was different from the magic Lament had used before in both power and scale.
Luke lowered his stance and tightened his grip on his sword.
‘There’s no time to evade!’
This attack was clearly aimed to annihilate him.
Luke tightened his grip on the sword’s hilt.
‘If there’s no opening, I’ll have to create one!’
He focused his aura at the tip of his sword.
Flash!
Shu-gwa-ga-ga-jak!
When Luke swung his sword, a silvery flash of light burst forth.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-kang!
In the next moment, the earth’s wave engulfed Luke.
“Tch. Pathetic.”
Just as Lament sneered with satisfaction, there was a sudden gust of wind.
“Huh?!”
Piercing through the thick dust, Luke charged towards Lament.
Chhe-ung! Paj-ji-jik!
Luke’s attack, armed with a silvery aura, struck against Lament’s shield magic.
To-ung!
Luke was deflected.
“You son of a… What sorcery is this?!”
Enraged, Lament began unleashing magic at random.
Bang! Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-kang!
“It’s unbelievable.”
“Could that guy really wield such an aura?”
“What in the world is happening here?”
The unexpected movements of Luke, whom everyone had always looked down on, set the entire first year buzzing with murmurs.
“Wow, he’s been hiding something like this?”
“Hmm. Looks like he had a trump card after all.”
Juen’s eyes widened, and Shasha slightly narrowed hers while covering her mouth with a finger.
With his arms crossed, Habidden scoffed.
“That level of skill is only natural.”
Aina simply stared blankly at Luke.
“Wow, I didn’t think our Class Leader would pull this off so easily. I didn’t know he was hiding such a secret weapon.”
From the second-year spectators’ section, Iliana, munching on popcorn, exclaimed in admiration.
“But his execution seems a bit clumsy.”
“It’s to be expected. He’s still learning to control that much power since it’s his first time using it.”
“Wow! Class Leader!”
Iliana waved at the voice that responded from behind.
Leo reached for Iliana’s popcorn.
Caught off guard by the sudden thievery, Iliana frantically tried to defend her food, but ended up losing a handful to Leo, which caused her to sulk.
After Leo settled back into his seat, Chloe tilted her head.
“If he had that much power, why would he need to keep the failure label?”
“The particular training method required him to suppress his strength for a long time.”
Leo, munching on the snatched popcorn, explained.
“Luke’s background for growth is unusual compared to the other Hero Candidates as he learned everything through self-study.”
“In that aspect, Lord Leo, you and he are somewhat alike.”
‘I, however, am completely different.’
Leo was born with all but the vessel completed and ready from the start.
But Luke is different.
He was literally pristine—without even a proper grasp of handling his vessel.
It was only after arriving at Lumeran that he began learning the proper methods to cultivate his Ki.
No matter how exceptional Luke’s magical attributes or talents may have been, without a fully-fledged vessel, there was no way for him to compete with other Lumeran students right from the beginning.
‘If trained the normal way, perhaps he would’ve shown a remarkable growth, but achieving explosive growth like this would’ve been impossible.’
Thus, Leo focused on cultivating Luke’s vessel through extreme methods.
It was certainly difficult for Luke.
‘Already at a significant disadvantage from the start, watching other students race ahead while you make no progress—it’s enough to drive one into despair.’
Certainly, if Luke had wanted, he could’ve chosen a much easier path for quicker growth.
But sticking with a tough one was entirely Luke’s choice.
“Just having obtained a proper vessel is impressive.”
Leo smirked at Luke.
“Even some of the strongest first years might underestimate him.”
‘Even from the beginning, his eyesight has been excellent, along with good observation skills and an innate sense for combat.’
Leo merely provided him a clean, blank canvas.
It was up to Luke how he would fill it.
Bang! Bang! Kwa-ga-ga-ga-kang!
“It’s time to end this!”
Lament shouted, his eyes red with anger.
Partially losing his sanity, Lament unleashed a barrage of spells.
Despite the endless flow of magic, not a single one managed to hit Luke.
Luke’s eyes darted rapidly, tracking the trajectories of the magic.
‘I’m light on my feet. And I’m not tiring out.’
Not just magic, Leo had sealed Luke’s physical abilities as well.
In that situation, Luke had pushed himself to the limits every day.
Despite running and training like a madman every day, he felt as if he was stuck in place.
Days without any noticeable improvement stretched on.
But now, it felt as if all those days of stagnation were for this very moment.
Even as Luke moved, his body continued to improve.
As if all the hardships he’d endured led to this exact moment.
All the diligent training he’d done without pause was now giving him its rewards.
Dong!
Luke leapt off a massive rock spear flying towards him.
Ping-gul-gul!— He spun in the air and deflected another flying stone arrow.
Jajaejaejang!
Lament’s relentless attacks kept coming.
Every attack was dodged and blocked by Luke, causing Lament’s forehead veins to bulge in frustration.
“Hah! You think you can play a war of attrition with me?! You’ll either tire out or get hit by my magic first!”
True.
No matter how tireless Luke seemed or how well he could read magic trajectories.
Lament was no idle opponent.
For every movement Luke made to read and dodge Lament’s magic, Lament was busy analyzing Luke’s actions and movements, adding more complexity to his patterns of attack.
Unbeknownst to others, Lament ranked third in the first-year Department of Magic, hailing from a distinguished magic family.
Not only did he possess an overwhelming amount of magical power compared to other students, but he was also seasoned in battle.
‘Prolonging this fight will put me at a disadvantage.’
Though unlocking his seal gave Luke access to an unprecedented amount of mana, it wasn’t overwhelming enough to outlast Lament indefinitely.
For a Knight wielding Aura, mana acts as fuel.
The moment mana is depleted, physical abilities plummet.
‘And closing the distance to Lament is no easy task.’
Several attempts to do so ended in failure.
Lament had numerous protective spells set up to prevent any close-range approach.
That Lament held the third place in the First-Year Department of Magic wasn’t mere chance. His magical prowess was top-notch, with an abundance of combat experience.
Clashing with Knights who wield Aura was nothing new to him.
‘If I get grazed even slightly or tire out, it’s my loss.’
Luke’s silver eyes locked onto Lament.
Luke’s eyes shone with a silvery brilliance.
Hwa-ac!
Suddenly changing direction, Luke charged directly at Lament, causing Lament to smirk.
‘Foolish boy!’
For a brief moment, Lament was flustered seeing Luke’s abilities skyrocket beyond recognition.
His brief irritation at being struck earlier was quickly replaced by calm reasoning.
‘There’s no way I could lose to Luke Eldar!’
Lament’s attacks were overwhelming Luke.
‘So quick… But that’s all there is!’
Lament was gunning for the top spot of the year.
The most challenging opponents for this traditional-style wizard were Habidden and Aina from the Department of Knights.
Both moved with blinding speed, overwhelming their adversaries with sheer force.
Anticipating such battles, Lament relied heavily on earth-elemental magic.
And the specialty of an Earth Mage was defense.
‘The moment you step into my territory, you’re finished.’
Lament’s eyes gleamed menacingly.
Dong!
In that instant, Luke pierced through countless protective spells and entered Lament’s domain.
Kwa-ga-ga-kang!
The moment activated, Lament’s spell locked onto Luke.
Hwa-ac!
At that same moment, Luke quickly widened the distance between him and Lament.
Jajaejaejajang!
The earth-based spells rising from the ground targeted Luke, but he deflected them all with his sword.
Dong!
In a flash, Luke kicked off the ground and appeared behind Lament.
Hwa-ac!
From beyond Lament’s line of sight, Luke initiated an attack.
“Useless! There’s no blind spot in this magic of mine!”
Lament’s shout was followed by yet another spell targeting Luke.
Luke distanced himself again from Lament’s domain.
A situation where he could only evade and defend.
It was as though Luke had fallen into a swamp.
Just as Lament grinned confidently, something unexpected happened.
Tak!
Luke stopped moving.
Seeing Luke halt abruptly, Lament hesitated as he continued casting spells.
Then he smirked.
“Are you giving up? Sorry, but I don’t intend to mercy k*ll you—someone who disgraced me…”
“I’m going.”
Taking a deep breath, Luke re-gripped his sword and lowered his stance.
“Huh?”
In the instant Lament frowned.
Dong!
‘Somehow he disappeared?’
Lament’s surprise turned to shock.
‘No, he’s moving even faster!’
Lament concentrated more mana into his defensive spells, expanding his domain.
Zzing!
The moment Luke stepped into his domain, mana reacted.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gung!
All sorts of earth magic erupted from the ground, surrounding Luke.
Yet as he defended and evaded each one, Luke swiftly closed the distance with Lament.
“What? Do you think increasing speed slightly will let you reach me?!” Lament sneered.
In that same moment,
Hwa-ac!
Luke broke through Lament’s first line of defense.
Seeing this, Lament’s expression stiffened briefly.
‘No, he’ll never reach me.’
Lament channeled more mana.
Ku-gu-gu-gung!
The earth surged, attempting to bind Luke.
At that moment,
Flicker!
Luke’s silver eyes flashed, and silvery beams scattered everywhere.
Kwa-gaj!
The sharp sword qi pierced through the magic in two.
Lament’s face was filled with shock.
Over the first semester, Luke had used his extremely limited mana to its fullest, allowing him to master fine mana control, which in turn maximized mana efficiency.
He trained tirelessly on wielding the smallest amount for maximum effect.
Seeing Luke pierce through the second defense line, Lament summoned every ounce of his remaining mana.
“Not yet!”
Oooong!
A massive magical array formed around Lament, and every spell he could use manifested, targeting Luke.
In that same moment,
Hwa-ac!
‘Even faster…?!’
The silvery flash reached Lament’s very face.
Dong!
Luke stomped the ground with his left foot.
“Hold…”
Using his left foot as a pivot, Luke kicked Lament’s abdomen with his right foot.
“…my…”
Kwa-ac!
“Kheh?”
The Aura concentrated at the tip of Luke’s foot pierced through all of Lament’s shield magic in an instant.
Bang!
With a direct hit, Lament flew and crashed into a wall.
Hutu-dudududuk! Tusok!
With eyes rolled back, Lament collapsed, unconscious.
“Hn.”
Exhaling, Luke stood in place.
“Victory, Luke Eldar.”
Mel smiled and declared Luke’s victory.
“Ooooh!”
A roar of cheers erupted from the senior students.
“Reading and dodging attack patterns—almost artistic, isn’t it?”
“Remarkable eyesight. I’m impressed.”
An unexpected win.
Moreover, the process of how Luke overcame Lament was highly entertaining.
The upperclassmen applauded enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, most first-years could only stare disbelievingly at Luke.
“It’s… impossible.”
“That failing student…”
“Wait, if he took down Lament, that means he’s one of the top in the first year, right?”
“I’ve openly ridiculed and mocked him this whole time… How?!”
Some faces among the first-years grew white with dread.
“Wait, that’s not it.”
“That’s right. ‘Magic’ wasn’t even used.”
In response to Juen’s words, Shasha narrowed her eyes.
Thereupon, Juen stood up.
“Good luck, top of the Department of Magic.”
“I’ll win and be back.”
Juen smirked and headed to the waiting room.
Meanwhile, Aina also stood up.
Habidden, standing nearby, commented,
“Seems like Luke Eldar’s on your mind?”
Aina hadn’t taken her eyes off Luke the whole time.
“Not at all.”
With a brief reply, Aina walked towards the waiting room.
Watching her go, Habidden chuckled, muttering as he gazed at Luke,
“He’s worth taking down now.”
![[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")
