635.
[Gooooooaaaaaah!]
[Here it comes! Fall back! Fall back!]
[Waaaahhhhhh! Don’t come this way! Over there!]
[Hey! That’s cheating!]
[Aaaahhhhhhhh!]
The front-line vanguards who stepped forward to stop Leo were being brutally overwhelmed.
The professors, watching the horrifying scene of devastation spread before their eyes, instinctively clasped their faces in horror.
In particular, the faces of the professors of the Department of Knights, who handled the fourth and fifth-year students, were especially grim.
Without a moment’s rest, Leo unleashed howls that sapped the fighting spirit of the seniors before storming forward like a typhoon.
And the fourth and fifth-year students, overwhelmed by Leo’s terrifying form, were helplessly being pushed around.
Still, those who had advanced from Lumeran to the fourth and fifth years appropriately held their ground against Leo.
Moreover, the lack of teamwork that had often been pointed out as a flaw for the fourth and fifth-year students wasn’t causing a major issue as of yet.
‘At least not yet.’
Halind looked at Leo through the screen.
Leo’s fighting style now was markedly different from the one he previously used.
‘Always keeping a cool head and finding gaps in the opponent to exploit.’
That Leo was now pressuring his opponent so aggressively that it was almost barbaric.
‘He is blatantly exposing his own tactics.’
The way to deal with an enemy that seems to be crushing everything in sight is surprisingly straightforward.
If you can narrowly avoid the charging enemy, you can simply stab into the opening created on their side and that’s all it takes.
The fourth and fifth-year students will no doubt plan their strategy around this.
But what if that strategy fails?
‘Then it all comes down to how well they work together.’
When a strategy to counter an enemy with a clear weakness fails, one of two situations arises.
‘They either regroup with renewed determination or become unsettled.’
When a clear leader is present, they can devise a new strategy.
But what if there is no such leader?
‘The moment there’s a conflict of opinions, cracks will start to appear.’
That’s precisely what Leo is targeting.
‘All the fourth and fifth-year students still have some breathing room for now.’
Apart from the initial ambush, amidst being thoroughly trampled by Leo, not a single student had gone down in an absurd manner, failing to fight on and being declared dead.
The students may cry and clamor to stay out of his way, but if things got genuinely desperate, they wouldn’t be making such sounds.
‘It will probably happen soon. The real wall they’ll hit.’
Halind turned his head after considering these thoughts.
The screen now showed the freshmen trying to locate Kal.
“Wow~ I’ve really made it, haven’t I?”
Kal, standing in the middle of one of the countless uninhabited islands within Lumeria Lake, laughed while gazing up at the clear blue sky.
“Hundreds of Lumeran freshmen are mounting a large-scale raid to capture just me. Hmph. Naturally, it’s me. No wonder I’m called a hero.”
Rotating the key held in his hand like a pencil, Kal suddenly dropped to a knee, touching the ground.
“Being called a hero? What a joke! This is just getting mobbed!”
No matter how much he may be a freshman, everyone at Lumeran has a prodigious amount of talent.
Moreover, there are not just one or two but a full five hundred of them!
When the current second-year students, who could be considered Kal’s juniors in a direct sense, took the entrance exam, he fought against those aiming at him. However, this was nowhere near the magnitude of hundreds.
‘Moreover, strictly speaking, those people back then were test-takers, not admitted students!’
The difference between a student who passed the Lumeran entrance exam and one who didn’t is huge.
‘The professors said they wanted to help students realize their shortcomings, but frankly, the most obvious shortage in freshmen is quite clear.’
In despair, Kal sighed deeply.
‘Overconfidence in their abilities and blind faith in their records.’
No matter their flying talents, the freshmen were ultimately inexperienced children.
‘Which is why the first-years are all so narrow-minded.’
‘Leo was different, though. But that guy is an irregular and an absolute cheat, so we’ll exclude him.’
Kal sunk to the ground, cross-legged, propped his chin in thought, and began analyzing the current situation.
‘The reason Professor Halind chose me out of everyone is probably because I look easy to beat from the freshmen’s perspective.’
Even though he had the title of a hero, Kal’s actual power wasn’t particularly high.
No doubt, there were those among the first-year students who would feel confident taking him on.
Kal looked around his surroundings.
‘What’s in my favor? The terrain. Since it’s not an open plain, there are various things I can prepare. But still…’
Kal let out a hollow laugh.
‘Even if I can handle about a hundred or so, five hundred of them…isn’t that a bit too cruel?’
After muttering to himself for a while, Kal hurled the key he was holding with all his might far away.
The flying key suddenly sparkled and fell back into Kal’s palm.
“Hmm. Hiding or throwing the key somewhere won’t work, then.”
Nodding his head, Kal stood up with a snicker.
“Strictly speaking, my goal isn’t to knock out 500 people; it’s more like a game of tag. All I have to do is avoid getting caught. Besides, this is Island No. 1.”
The islands of Lumeria Lake, except for the Island of Beasts, are numbered by the students.
No. 1 island was the largest one.
“Which means I’ve got plenty of time to prepare.”
Kal spun the key on his finger with a smirk.
“Alright, let’s show the juniors what Lumeran is all about, shall we? Hahahaha!”
With an evil laugh, Kal disappeared into the forest.
“Let’s find Senior Sia first.”
On the beautiful sandy shore,
Luke, who had been enjoying the view of the Lumeria Lake, turned back to the second-years and spoke.
Aina, who had been staring into the dense forest, nodded upon hearing his words.
Currently, all the second-years were on the beach of the uninhabited island.
Surprisingly, this island had sandy beaches despite being a lake.
“Hmph— The seniors were right. No. 6 Island really is great for swimming.”
Juen looked around in amazement.
Upon seeing Juen’s reaction, Habidden narrowed his eyes.
“We’re getting a bit too comfortable here. Remember, we’re up against Senior Chen Sia.”
“I know! I get it! I was just saying.”
Juen opened her sleepy eyes.
Standing next to her, Shasha gazed deeply into the forest and remarked,
“Still… It’s completely like night in there.”
Even though the sun was high in the sky, the inside of the forest on the uninhabited island was as dark as night due to the densely clustered trees that blocked the light.
“This is bad.”
El Jane murmured seriously, causing Aina to look at her curiously.
“Anything wrong?”
There was an obvious issue, and it was a big one,” answered Fritz, who hailed from the shadows and was from the Department of Magic.
“Wait…what?”
“The problem is that we’re up against Senior Chen Sia.”
“Oh…”
Upon Fritz’s explanation, Aina’s eyes widened in understanding.
“Darkness is the arena of the shadows.”
“Ah…”
Aina’s reply made Luke’s face turn serious as well.
At their reaction, the other second-years looked at them curiously.
“Even though Senior Sia is the princess of Shan… is it really that serious?”
“I thought it’d be easier with Senior Sia than with Senior Celias and Duran.”
Despite being from the Department of Knights, Celia and Duran could unleash a broader area attack than many from the Department of Magic.
In contrast, Chen Sia was undeniably less intimidating when compared to them.
Not that Chen Sia was weaker than Celia and Duran—it was a matter of their aura inclinations.
After all, the water aura Chen Sia wielded had a primarily defensive nature.
El Jane snickered at the juniors’ comments.
“You don’t know how frightening a shadow can be in the dark, which is why you’re saying that.”
Having just made it to their second year, these students wouldn’t have experienced shadow combat firsthand.
“So this is why the professors are telling us about our points that need improvement.”
Habidden narrowed his eyes.
At that, Juen nodded.
“The Hero Hunter battle.”
Even under normal circumstances, second-year students from Lumeran rarely engage with Hero Hunters.
Yet here they were, at the start of the school year, gaining such an experience.
“Second-year life seems tough already.”
Snap! Shasha folded her staff and sighed softly.
At this, Aina spoke up.
“Just standing around won’t do us any good. Let’s go find Senior Sia.”
On hearing this, the second-years nodded.
“Form a defensive formation! Be ready to respond to ambushes from anywhere!”
“El! Fritz! You two, form the reconnaissance team!”
The second-years began preparations quickly.
In the midst of it all, Luke, gazing deep into the dark forest, shivered.
“For some reason, I’m feeling chills.”
*
“Indeed, our third-year classmates are exceptionally talented. To find us this quickly is impressive.”
Elena was smiling as she clapped her hands.
Seated with her legs crossed atop her staff, Elena looked on leisurely at the third-years who had surrounded them.
“Surprising.”
At that moment, Celia stepped forward and spoke.
“I didn’t expect you’d be standing so confidently. I figured you’d be waging guerrilla tactics… Could this be a trap?”
Celia, scanning the area cautiously with a suspicious gaze, prompted Elena to continue clapping her hands before she widened her eyes.
Then, leaning her elbows on her knees and propping her chin in thought, Elena wore an annoyed expression.
“As we pondered over the shortcomings of what we thought were perfectly competent third-year juniors… I see. So this kind of trait exists indeed. Hmph, too dazzling a target, I suppose.”
Sweeping her gaze over the third-years with distaste, Elena muttered.
“Dazzling enough to blind, it seems.”
The third-years looked at her puzzled at the cryptic words she had spoken.
“Here’s what our juniors are after.”
Elena pulled out the key from her bosom.
“Come on, try to take it.”
Flash!
“My goodness?”
An intense lightning bolt surged forward.
“Isn’t that too reckless?”
Before they knew it, Duran had reached right in front of Elena, reaching for the key.
Duran scoffed as he tried to snatch the key from Elena’s hand.
Crash!
‘Already!’
Duran’s face tensed as a massive piece of metal filled his vision.
BOOM! CRACK! CRASH! BANG!
The monstrous war hammer swung terrifyingly, striking Duran in the face.
Hurling back through the air, Duran only managed to stop upon smashing through a few trees.
Buzzzz… Crack…
Duran, who had protected himself using an Aura Armor, rose to his feet.
But only to wobble and lose his strength in his legs soon after.
Thud!
Everyone’s gaze turned to the person who slammed the war hammer down on the ground.
“I won’t let you touch Senior Elena or the key without my permission.”
The third-years involuntarily swallowed their dry throats at Lil’s usually kind, gentle voice, which was now completely void of emotion.
Her sheer presence was overwhelming.
Just as Lil was dominating the third-years by her imposing presence alone,
“Isn’t our Lil always so dependable?”
Thud!
“Hueeeehaaa?!?”
Lil, who had been hugged from behind by Elena, now found both of Elena’s hands resting on her chest.
“Ah… Senior Elena. This is a crucial moment where I finally get to display my seniority to the juniors… Hyiiiik?!?”
“Do I not prefer the flustered Lil over the intimidating version?”
Lil frowned in dismay at Elena’s touch.
The male third-years cleared their throats awkwardly and turned their gazes away in different directions.
Lil’s shoulder still cradled by Elena, who was giggling, Elena widened her eyes upon seeing their expressions, then muttered as she glanced downwards,
“Seems like I’ve found a secure place to safely store the key.”
“A secure place?”
As Lil tilted her head in confusion, Elena grinned wickedly at the third-years.
“You didn’t know? Isn’t Lil the type who looks slim in clothing, but is actually incredibly curvaceous underneath?”
With a witch-like smile, Elena suddenly slipped the key she was holding into Lil’s blouse.
“Yiik! Se-Senior!”
Lil panicked, clutching her chest as she stepped back.
Elena beamed upon seeing this.
“Thus, no boy will ever dare touch the key.”
“Huh? Will this trick really work?”
Lil tilted her head again.
The boys bit their lips, unsure of how to respond.
“It will.”
Elena chuckled and mounted her staff.
“Well then, Lil. Could you handle the frontlines for me?”
“Though I’m not confident, I’ll do my best.”
“Reliable as always.”
Elena flew up high into the sky with her staff.
Gooouuuu!
Lil’s Spirit Force began to surge out from her body.
“Attention, third-years.”
Thud!
Lil, gripping the battle hammer in both hands, addressed them with a low voice.
“I’ll show you the fear that comes from facing a senior.”
![[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")
