Chapter 9

【9】8

“It’s been a while, Vice Lord Giese.”

“Have you been well? Royal Wizard Rogez LeWalyn.”

Giese greeted Rogez LeWalyn.

Rogez LeWalyn.

He was related to the current head of the LeWalyn family as a cousin and had held the position of Imperial Royal Wizard.

“Abad, Chelsea, and Celia entering Lumeran in the same year, all being of the same grade. Hahaha! As fellow citizens of the Empire, how could this not be a cause for celebration!”

Abad, the son of the head of the family, is sixteen years old. Chelsea is fourteen.

From the perspective of the Empire, it was wonderful that three individuals who represent the nation would enter the same year.

But for the two families competing for the highest noble position in the Empire, this marked the beginning of a nerve-wracking rivalry.

“Abad will likely take the top spot at the Western Entrance Examination, though.”

“Do you have a reason for being so certain?”

“Clearly, both Abad and Celia are top-tier candidates for the top spot.”

Rogez glanced briefly at the examiner Alby standing on the podium.

“This test is highly unusual. There are many variables. Also, Abad has Chelsea.”

Meaning, the siblings will cooperate to knock Celia down.

Chelsea is among the top five in terms of skills among the examinees.

If she supports Abad, Celia won’t stand a chance.

‘In various ways, we’re at a disadvantage… but that doesn’t mean we should be pessimistic.’

They had their own trump card.

As Giese smiled meaningfully, thinking of Leo, a massive square magic mirror appeared in the air.

Oh- the spectators gasped.

This magic allowed one to see inside the Hero’s World.

Here, the test situation would be relayed.

As the magic mirror emitted light, the screen appeared.

And at the sight of it…

“Hah-!”

Giese burst out laughing without realizing it and Rogez’s eyes widened.

Though no sound could be heard, a girl with light blue hair was seen screaming while suspended in mid-air, with her hands and feet tied.

Beneath her, a bonfire was blazing.

A white-haired boy holding the vines was laughing wickedly as he manipulated the ropes.

‘Hmm…’

Alby sighed with an indifferent look.

The current Hero’s World was special to him.

It was the first page of his hero saga.

This was the reason he rose to a hero.

As he watched the candidates struggle in this world, Alby thought,

‘They’re all too weak.’

Alby clicked his tongue in exasperation.

A hero is one who has been recognized by the gods.

Thus, people think heroes are noble and valiant.

Of course, there are those who fulfill that stereotype.

But Alby wasn’t among them.

He was irritable and efficient.

He hated inefficiency.

And he hated being bored.

This test was his creation.

Survival in the Demon’s Forbidden Realm.

The survivors are the strong ones.

It’s an extremely simple but effective trial to distinguish between the strong and the weak.

And its effects were seen.

The task was to either eliminate competitors or fight monsters to survive.

The majority chose to eliminate their competition.

‘How foolish of them.’

They must have thought it was the fastest way to boost their ranking.

And the monsters in the Forest of Monsters.

Orcs, Nolls, Goblins – are not much of a threat at the level of the examinees.

Though Trolls can be dangerous, they are scarce.

The two mistakes the candidates made were as follows:

First, they didn’t fully understand the information.

While Alby explained the test contents, he never mentioned the passing criterion.

In other words, they should have realized that eliminating competition wasn’t necessarily the best strategy and proceeded with caution.

Second, they misjudged the Forest of Monsters.

Many powerful nations have failed to conquer this forest, even with large armies.

Even lower-level monsters would wear you down in endless battles.

In such a situation, it was foolish to fight rather than cooperate.

‘Of course, with overwhelming power, one could handle both monster extermination and eliminating competitors.’

Alby smiled slightly as he looked at the magic mirror.

A girl with black hair and red eyes, wielding an aura of fire around her sword, appeared in the mirror.

“Celia Zerdinger. Indeed, as rumored.”

Celia was battling against three Trolls.

Behind her, a boy with light blue hair prepared his holy scroll.

“Similarly, Abad LeWalyn.”

These rivals of bloodline families had accidentally entered the Hero’s World together when the exam began.

Both possessed overwhelming skill and chose cooperation rather than competition, having correctly understood the test.

‘These two will be fine. In fact, it’s hard to tell who’s superior.’

He wore a satisfied expression.

While thinking without a doubt that Celia and Abad would secure the first and second spots.

The screen changed once more.

The candidate reflected in the magic mirror was battling an Orc.

“Leo Flove, right?”

The first examinee caught on camera and the one conducting the most outrageous behavior in this exam.

Most people see the Leo who tied up a LeWalyn family daughter and tried to roast her over a fire and dismiss him as insane.

But Alby gave Leo high marks.

“Regardless of his methods, getting Chelsea LeWalyn’s cooperation is an impressive achievement.”

Therefore, he awaited what Leo would show in this exam.

And what he was showing now surpassed his expectations.

No, even Alby was astonished.

“Celia Zerdinger’s strength and finesse may surpass his, but…”

With minimal movement, Leo expertly sliced through the Orcs, showing a skill level that even seemed incomprehensible.

“An unexpected dark horse.”

*

Puff-!

“Kyaargh-!”

Leo spun around after an Orc was speared through the heart.

In the spin, the sword naturally pulled out, infused with centrifugal force, decapitating yet another Orc lurking behind him.

Upon encountering ten Orcs, Leo immediately charged in.

Orcs are intelligent monsters that will form strategies if given time.

He needed to strike before they could act.

While Leo was cutting through the Orcs before the rest, Chelsea began chanting a spell.

“Wind Arrow.”

The completed spell was released.

Puuburburbuub-!

“Kuaaaaaaa!”

“Chueeeek!”

The Orcs pierced by magic screamed.

Seven Orcs fell due to the magic.

Leo wiped his blade clean after neatly slicing the last Orc’s neck and walked away silently.

Chelsea followed while muttering to herself,

“The battle’s easier.”

Even aspiring to be a Battle Mage, a mage is still a mage.

The best strategy is to entrust the front lines to a skilled warrior while focusing on magical support from the rear.

Chelsea felt her cooperation with Leo went smoothly.

Although forced into a party with Leo against her will, after three battles, she believed it to have been the right decision.

It wasn’t just about handling monsters.

Leo ingeniously grouped the monsters together for maximum magical efficiency.

Magic is best used as an area attack. The more enemies are gathered, the more effective it is.

“Decent work, managing Orcs so efficiently without using any aura.”

“I don’t know how to use aura.”

“What?”

“Still haven’t learned.”

‘Is it possible to move like that without using aura?’

Chelsea also understood why she was caught earlier.

‘He wasn’t detected through mana because he wasn’t using aura.’

Chelsea placed her hand on her hip and grinned confidently.

“To reveal your secrets like that! Foolish!”

“No need to worry since you can’t defeat me with your current skills.”

“Hahaha! Just blowing hot air.”

“Simply telling the truth.”

Leo spoke indifferently.

“Honestly, you possess extraordinary skill.”

“Huh?”

“Strong magical power, and you know a variety of spells.”

“Honestly praising me won’t make you lose anything.”

Though she sounded casual, the unexpected compliment improved her mood.

“But that’s the problem.”

“Huh?”

“Your skills are so good that you aren’t fully utilizing wind magic’s potential.”

Chelsea fights using powerful spells to suppress the enemy.

That’s not the essence of wind magic.

“Our family’s pride lies in wind magic. Discussing wind magic in front of a LeWalyn is laughable.”

Chelsea mocked him.

Leo’s comments were unacceptable.

She stretched her staff while chanting in the Rune Language,

“Wind Break.”

“Keerrrkkk!”

A harsh wind blade cut through the bushes, tearing apart a Troller hiding in ambush.

The Troller fell to the ground and eventually collapsed.

Chelsea proudly displayed this upper-tier pre-cast spell to intimidate Leo.

‘Talking big about knowing something about magic! He must have been shocked when I showed him this!’

With a smug look, Chelsea turned to Leo, who was wearing an indifferently unimpressed expression.

“Wind magic shouldn’t be used that way.”

The biggest advantage of wind magic is its unpredictability.

Just overpowering enemies with brute force is the least effective way to use wind magic.

Chelsea looked shocked and turned her head sharply, clearly not wanting to hear it.

‘Well, right now, since I can’t even use magic, talking about this must seem pretentious.’

As for the previous life, although not yet revealed, she had yet mastered sufficient magic in this one.

Grinning slightly, Leo suddenly stopped walking.

Chelsea’s eyes widened in shock.

They saw the Troller carcasses dispersed around.

However, the state of the bodies was odd.

It appeared as if all vitality had been sucked out, leaving them emaciated and skeletal.

“What happened to them? There’s no monster in the Forest of Monsters that sucks life energy.”

Troubled, Chelsea looked closely at the corpses.

After touching it, Leo narrowed his eyes.

‘Could it be?’

“First priority should be to join Celia and your brother. I think we’ve understood the rough passing criteria for this exam.”

“Huh? What is it?”

Watching Chelsea’s shocked expression, Leo smiled meaningfully.

“Conquering this world.”