Chapter 634

634.

Ain crossed his arms and looked at the screen in front of him.

Beyond the screen were the five students who served as sentinels.

Yura, seeing Leo sitting there waiting for the 4th and 5th-year students, clicked her tongue.

“Seriously, sometimes I wonder if he’s lost his mind, going beyond just having a strong heart.”

Ain sighed at Yura’s mumbling.

“Well, it is indeed a necessary quality for a hero.”

When a great trial comes.

There are things that cannot be solved without a sane mind.

Jumping into situations where one could lose their life without hesitation, even if there’s a smile or a small mistake during a crisis.

‘Well. There are times when people are not in their right mind even in everyday life. Just looking at these two…’

Ain’s gaze shifted momentarily to his embarrassed juniors, Yura and Ren.

“That aspect is certainly needed.”

Yura nodded her head.

“But isn’t it true, Yura-senpai, that there are sometimes people who are out of their minds in everyday life as well?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Yura nodded at Ren’s words.

The two professors briefly glanced at Ain.

When Ain made eye contact with the professors, he seized their necks without hesitation.

“These guys to their senpai!”

“Why! Why! You’re the one who thought so first!”

“Ha- starting with violence. Typical of you, Ain-senpai, only muscles in your brain.”

Yura, who was resisting, and Ren, who shot him a cold glare.

Watching the three professors bickering today, Artian covered her mouth and smiled softly.

“It seems there were no quiet days during your school years, three professors. How was it? Professor Halind?”

“They were guys who were embarrassing anywhere you threw them.”

Halind stated without mercy.

“By the way, I wonder if Leo can manage without any preparations like that.”

Currently, Leo was waiting for the 4th and 5th-year students in a defenseless state.

Moreover, the 4th and 5th years were already scouting Leo with magic and summoning spells.

“Considering Leo, he should be able to prevent such scouting.”

“He probably thinks he can just crush them with brute force.”

“That’s not like Leo.”

It’s well-known that Leo’s strength surpasses even those who have already risen to the rank of heroes.

Just looking at the Hero Slayer incident that was a topic during this winter vacation proves that.

Ris, Ulta, and Jamua are already capable enough that it wouldn’t be strange if they rose to the rank of heroes.

‘It’s true that those who have achieved great feats and qualified as heroes are strong. But the qualification of being a hero is not a measure of strength.’

In reality, there are many who possess strength beyond that of heroes even if they haven’t ascended to that rank.

What such people lack compared to heroes is merely their feats.

‘Ris, Ulta, Jamua. Even if the three of them work together, they cannot take down the Hero Slayer.’

That’s literally a monster beyond the norm.

‘Selia, Abad, and Chelsea could join in, but even then, it wouldn’t work. Besides, the ones they encountered were not the Hero Slayer, but the Hero Hunters from the World of the Legion who gained power there.’

Recalling the report on the Hero Slayer, Halind looked at Leo.

‘Reina borrowed the power of the Purifying Spirit to confront him, but… it was undoubtedly still insufficient.’

From the circumstances, it is evident that Leo alone defeated the Hero Slayer.

‘If we measure Leo’s power now… it would be comparable to Kalyan in his prime.’

Halind assessed Leo’s pure strength.

Of course, it is only ‘strength.’

The raw capacity of pure mana.

Considering Leo’s experience and skills.

And his application of all classes as well, it’s impossible to tell how strong he truly is.

‘He might even possess a strength that could rival the Giant King or the Demon King.’

From the history of the Era of Heroes, only five individuals could stand alone against the Legion Commander, who has existed since the Era of Catastrophe.

The Heroes of the Cataclysm.

Of course, unofficially, there are also Berkiya and Bihar, but even Halind would find it unreasonable to know of those not recorded in history.

‘He was already mentally and technically completed from the start.’

Recalling his first year, Halind shook his head.

It’s the first time he’s encountered a student who has nothing left to teach.

Leo is that exceptional.

However, that doesn’t mean the 4th and 5th-year students will be swept away so easily.

No, if he exposes himself like this in a defenseless state, it could be dangerous, no matter how powerful he is.

A lone, defenseless individual versus a thoroughly prepared group.

No matter how overwhelming the strength, Leo’s actions are too reckless at this moment.

But Leo was waiting for the others to arrive thoroughly prepared.

Halind, who had been silently watching Leo, spoke.

“He’s trying to make it clear what the 4th and 5th years lack right now.”

*

Leo twirled the palm-sized key that had been in his possession since arriving on the deserted island and raised his finger to maintain balance while passing the time.

Yawning with a bored expression, Leo grabbed the key and muttered to himself.

“The weakness of the 4th and 5th years. It’s that they lack a central point.”

Leo did not think that the 4th and 5th-year students were lacking in skill.

They had all experienced life and d*ath in Rumeran and survived until now.

But compared to graduates, there was a 2% shortfall.

‘Their unity is like a sandcastle.’

Leo clicked his tongue.

Rumeran, fundamentally.

No, all hero academies fundamentally teach their students to perform “Giant Killing.”

They teach how to fight those who are overwhelmingly stronger than themselves.

Such training is, of course, essential.

A hero must overcome trials, and trials indicate things that are difficult to manage with one’s own strength.

The most basic way to fight someone stronger is to unite.

Thus, heroes inherently become stronger the more they combine their efforts.

Building bonds with those around them is also a trait of heroes.

However, the current 4th and 5th-year students had weak bonds.

‘Among the current 4th and 5th years, there are those who simply follow without complicated thoughts.’

For the 4th years, it was Lil, and for the 5th years, it was Elena.

Especially for the 5th years, Elena was an absolute charismatic figure.

Not only did she shake the entire year upon entering, but she also exhibited charisma that overwhelmed even the upper classes.

Lil, on the other hand, didn’t show overwhelming charisma like Elena.

However, among the current 4th-year students, they were evaluated as a class that was relatively lacking compared to others.

In fact, during the Ruse Tournament, Seirun noted that he did not feel any major threats from the current 4th years besides Lil.

Lil had helped to take care of those classmates as much as she could and had fought alongside them until the 4th year.

‘Sometimes it seems there’s an absolute loyalty to Lil. Is it because she’s from a military family?’

Not absolute obedience, but for the 4th years, Lil was an absolute leader to follow.

‘When Lil and Elena are leading, they show more unity than other classes. But without them, they operate separately.’

In terms of having an absolute leader, they were similar to Leo’s classmates, but there was a defining difference.

‘I had worried about them being able to walk on their own.’

Unlike the dictator style of Elena or the soft leadership that Lil provided, which helped support her classmates.

Of course, it’s not that either of them was at fault.

Leo is a legendary hero with vast experience, and the two of them, no matter how excellent, are still young.

‘In any case, the professors want the 4th and 5th years to realize their shortcomings. How much they have relied on Elena and Lil without even realizing it.’

That’s why they forced Leo to confront them.

‘When faced with an overwhelming power they must unite against, they will see how disunited they are without Elena and Lil.’

Understanding the professors’ intentions, Leo smirked.

‘If that’s what the professors think, then I’ll oblige.’

Leo extended his hand forward.

Boom—!

A massive fireball approached and exploded upon contact with Leo’s hand.

Flames danced and crackled, engulfing the surrounding area.

However, the spot where Leo sat remained untouched.

Leo smiled at the 5th-year female student from the Department of Magic who had cast the spell at him.

“Tch!”

The female student clicked her tongue and vanished.

“Warpra. You’ve come up with an interesting strategy.”

With a smirk, Leo drew his sword with the hand that did not hold the key, repelling the aura arrows that were flying toward him from behind.

Ting—! Piiibiiiing—!

The arrow of aura split into hundreds and shot up into the sky.

That was not all.

Various auras, magic, and summoning spells rained down on Leo from all directions.

“You came fully prepared without letting your guard down.”

Leo stood up from his seat.

His red eyes sparkled.

“Now, let’s see what the dear seniors are lacking… this junior will engrave it in their bones.”

If the professors were there, they would have just told the students, but unfortunately, there wasn’t a single professor to guide them here.

In reality, even the professors did not know.

That Leo was the one who could educate students more harshly than the professors at Rumeran.

‘Extrasensory perception.’

Leo’s senses sharpened.

As Leo prepared to move, those attacking from a distance began to warp out simultaneously.

‘A large-scale Warp Gate magic circle. They’re planning to hit and run, slowly wearing down my stamina, huh? They certainly know I’m weak in prolonged battles. That’s a well-thought-out plan.’

Leo lowered his stance.

‘Of course, that would only be the case if they had time to drag this out.’

Bam—! Pow—!

Stepping on the aura, he shot out like a b*llet.

He dashed straight toward the place where the Warp Gate magic circle had been deployed.

“They’ve found the gate location!”

“How? We had no signs of detection?!”

“Who knows!”

“Ugh! The vanguards, block Leo! The mages, prepare to move!”

The 4th and 5th year knights stood in Leo’s way.

Flames crackled—!

Crack-a-boom!

Leo’s swinging blade was barely halted by five swords.

The destructive power embedded in that blade drained the color from the faces of the knights.

In particular, the 5th-year male student in front of Leo locked eyes with him.

‘Huh? Wait a minute. Is he really going to k*ll me for real?’

Leo had never openly clashed with upperclassmen.

And even when he ascended to the ranks of heroes after becoming the Student Council President, he had never behaved arrogantly in front of his seniors.

While some upperclassmen might have found Leo irritating, most accepted him because Leo had consistently treated his seniors with respect.

Now, however, Leo was exuding a fierce killing intent that was uncharacteristic of him.

The president of the student council, who used to share light-hearted jokes with Leo in the student council room, was seeing a side of him that he no longer recognized.

An ferocious aura radiated from him.

“Hey, hey, hey! Leo! It’s me! Belgs! Your senior…!”

Bam—!

Leo’s hand gripped Belgs’ face and slammed him into the ground.

Boom—!

A massive explosion of flames erupted from Leo’s hand.

Belgs, who was trembling, was immediately declared dead and warped away.

“What about your seniors?”

With a chilling voice, Leo made the 4th and 5th years realize what nickname they had given him among the 2nd and 3rd years.

‘The Demon King.’

“Come at me ready to d*e.”

Leo said menacingly, still exuding a ferocious aura.

“I’m not going to spare you just because you’re seniors. I’ll tear you apart.”

“F-Fall back and regroup!”

“Why is his gaze so wild?”

“You, you all did something wrong to Leo, right? Come on! I’ve treated you really well since the 1st year!”

“Is now the time to be discussing that! Fall back! Fall back!”

The students from the Department of Knights assigned to stop Leo were completely overwhelmed by his unprecedented demeanor.

“Rraaaaarrrr!”

Leo roared like a beast.

The howl of the beastmen.

The howl brings courage to allies while instilling terror in enemies.

The knights, exposed to the howl unprepared, swayed.

Today, there was no strategy for Leo.

He was merely hunting seniors with overwhelming strength.

Red light poured from Leo’s eyes, and howls burst from his mouth.

Watching this, one female student muttered with a terrified face.

“This, this is not a Demon King but a boss monster…”