Chapter 97

【97】96.

Having effortlessly eliminated the group of students targeting him, Leo ascended to the rooftop of the tallest building in sight.

‘They probably don’t know. This is the place where I and Lissinas first defeated a Legion Commander.’

This city, which fell into ruin due to greed, was also the site where, in a distant past, Kyle and Lissinas exterminated Jormungand, the King of Gluttony and Legion Commander of Tartarus.

And it was a historic land where the races of the land, save Guardstron, achieved their first successful reclamation after losing nearly all their territories.

This was also the place where the legend of the Great Hero, now lost even in records, began.

“At that time, it was just me and Lissinas, so calling us the Great Hero does feel strange.”

Recalling past events, Leo let out a laugh.

“Let’s first find Erdiana Lake.”

From his coat, Leo unfurled the map of Negrang he had prepared beforehand.

Marked on the map were five locations.

And it was possible that one of these five lakes housed the Great Spirit Luminous, who lay dormant in its radiance.

Lissinas had made a promise to the Vow Keeper who had almost perished in the battle against Jormungand.

‘I promise, Luminous. When I awaken you again, this world will be filled with light.’

Back then, Luminous had sustained an injury that could not be avoided, leading to inevitable annihilation.

Thus, as much as Lissinas hated it, he had to seal Luminous in the earth.

‘Though the chances of Luminous still being asleep after so long are practically none.’

Leo looked away from the map.

‘But if by any chance you’re still sleeping, I’ll have to wake you up.’

*

The students quickly headed toward the center of Negrang.

“Let’s move fast! There’s no reason to fight here now!”

The balance of power in the battle royale changes depending on who reaches the Central Ruins, a safe zone, faster.

Even if they wanted to demonstrate strength, their initial priority had to be reaching the Central Ruins first.

“Fighting now will only bring unnecessary damage once the curse activates! Let’s head for the Central Ruins!”

While this battle royale was also a final practical exam, it still remained an Interdepartmental Competition.

Therefore, many students moved in organized party formations according to department.

This particular party was no different.

As they moved through this area, they encountered several parties from different departments, but no battles took place.

It was still the early stages after all, so everyone was acting subtly and carefully.

‘Fighting here would only bring harm to oneself!’

Jureden Rucen, ranked third in the Department of Summoning, was certain of this.

He led the Summoning Discipline Party, consisting of five members.

As the Summoning Party moved quickly toward the castle wall, they proceeded systematically with another set of preparations.

“There’s decent stuff to eat even here in this cursed land.”

This battle royale won’t end until the last person is decided. There was a possibility that it might turn into a long-term battle.

And the most crucial part of any long-term battle? Food.

The Jureden Party was prepared for this.

“Thankfully, that month in the Forest of Beasts wasn’t for nothing.”

A female student from the summoning department grumbled as she picked mushrooms and stored them in an alternate space.

“That’s right.”

In the Forest of Beasts, they interacted with wild familiars not bound by any contracts. Several students had managed to elevate their affinity to the point they could issue simple orders to lower-tier familiars and spirits without using spirit force.

But what would help them most now was the knowledge they gained on how to survive in the wild.

“Thanks to that, we won’t have to worry about food supply, no matter which secluded place we go to.”

“Ugh! Just thinking about it gives me the creeps!”

The students shuddered in disgust.

‘Now that we’ve arrived, all we need to do is prepare for the long haul…’

Suddenly, Jureden’s mood darkened.

One of the spirits he sent out for reconnaissance had been forcibly recalled.

“Looks like there are monsters ahead. Let’s get out of this place!”

“Got it!”

Jureden’s party began to move.

“Hmm?”

“Why is it, Jureden?”

However, seeing Jureden becoming increasingly troubled, the party members looked at him with puzzled expressions.

“We’ve been ambushed again.”

“What?”

“Me too!”

Another party member cried out in alarm.

“Something’s coming at us with incredible speed!”

Jureden cried out in urgency.

At the same time…

Zzzzap-!

A tremendous sound of sparks rang out in the ears of all party members.

Flash!

Before the Jureden party, an intense golden light exploded.

“Duran!”

“d*mn! Of all people, why did we run into the most annoying one?” Jureden grimaced while eyeing Duran warily.

“Why are you blocking our path?”

“Are you really asking?”

Duran pulled out his sword and replied.

“It’s during the Interdepartmental Competition now. When an enemy appears, it’s only natural to fight.”

At this, the female summoner gave a look of disbelief.

“What if the curse activates? Or if monsters appear while we’re fighting? Fighting here would be stupid!”

“Fools.”

Duran sneered.

“Do you think I’m at the same level as you? Regardless of monsters or curses, I’m unaffected. It’s more beneficial to eliminate as many competitors as possible before heading to the Central Ruins, rather than worrying about such things.”

“Figured you’d be someone I can’t reason with.”

Jureden scoffed, and a gust of wind swirled around him.

“Anyway, Duran. While I admit you’re strong, you’re being way too dismissive of me. Aren’t you underestimating me as the third-ranked student in the summoning department?”

“The third-ranked summoner isn’t Leo Flove? Guess I didn’t know because I wasn’t interested.”

“Son of a b*tch!”

Gwa-ga-ga-gak-!

Wind spirits launched a massive gale toward Duran.

Kwa-ji-ji-jik-!

Duran swung his sword, and a golden current surged in every direction, forcibly dismissing the spirits.

Upon seeing this, Duran’s eyes flickered slightly.

‘Just low-tier spirits?’

Although Duran was notorious for his haughty and arrogant demeanor, he did not underestimate others’ skills that easily.

Despite not having any particular interest in Jureden, he was aware that Jureden was a skilled spirit mage.

Wiiing-!

Jureden looked up to the sky.

A powerful summoning circle was generating there, radiating tremendous energy.

“There’s no point in prolonged fighting with you! I’ll settle this in one shot!”

Having summoned an upper-tier wind spirit, Jureden gave a confident smile.

The other party members prepared a defensive formation in anticipation of Jureden’s attack.

Hoo-wee-oo-oo-oo!

A violent gust lifted Duran momentarily into the air.

Kwa-kak-! Kwa-kak-!

Duran, his face hardened, slammed his feet into the ground. The force made deep indentations on the ground.

‘Even with just a summoning, he’s already this influential…’

“Interesting.”

Duran smiled, tightening his grip on his sword.

Zzzzap-!

Tight-!

His muscles visibly bulged, as if about to rip his uniform.

Jureden watched this and shouted,

“Take him down! Alkethias!”

Hoo-wee-oo-oo-oo!

The summoned upper-tier wind spirit dived down at Duran like a whirlwind.

Seeing the massive wind vortex descending down upon him, Duran’s eyes flashed.

Golden sparks shot out from his eyes as his sword’s power was maximized by the breath of the hero.

‘Lightning strike! Astrapae!’

The crescent-shaped lightning sword energy cut through the descending whirlwind, dividing it into two and soaring into the sky.

Jureden’s eyes widened upon witnessing this.

“Huh!”

Duran took a deep breath, removed his stuck foot from the ground, and said,

“Decent, but that’s where it ends.”

“d*mn it!”

Jureden’s face twisted. As Duran advanced with an aura, the Jureden party stepped back uneasily.

“That’s enough, Duran Moira.”

At the cheerful voice, the Jureden party looked up in surprise.

“E, Eliza!”

“Sister! You’ve come to save us!”

“Eliza! Eliza! Eliza!”

“Are you trying to interference, Eliza Hergin?”

As Duran asked somewhat impatiently, Eliza, riding on the uppermost-tier familiar – the Wind Wyvern, was fidgeting with her nails before saying,

“Isn’t it natural to aid a department student since it’s the Interdepartmental Competition?”

“H-H-Hey! Take me with you, sister!”

“Eliza! Eliza!”

The summoning department students continued to cry out and praise Eliza. Though usually aloof and superior, Eliza was also a student who had great pride in summoning. She was both cocky but active in department affairs, earning her considerable popularity within the summoning department students.

As Eliza took her eyes away from her nails and looked down with a smirk,

“Well, if you insist on fighting because you hate running with your tail lowered, I won’t stop you. Hehehehehe!”

“Hohoho. If you think you can get away with being cocky trusting those, you’ve made the wrong choice. Eliza Hergin.”

Duran chuckled.

Goooooo!

Amidst the tension between two first-year students infamous for their arrogance, the Jureden party began sneaking glances around.

“If, if we get involved in this… we might get bloodied!”

“E, Eliza needs our help, but… this might result in us being collateral damage in this whale fight…”

As summoning department students continued to step back nervously with cold sweats, Duran suddenly blinked and looked toward the opposite direction in the sky.

“Grh?”

“Why is it, Pipi? Is something coming?”

Feeling a strange movement of the wind, the Wind Wyvern turned and looked toward the direction which caused Eliza to raise her eyebrows curiously.

While her vigilance toward Duran did not drop,

Soon, something came hurtling through the air at an incredible speed.

At the very second it was perceived,

Whoosh!

“Aaaaahhhh!”

A student zipped across the sky in an instant.

And before they could prepare, Eliza was flung off her saddle by the aftermath, landing face-down on the back of the Wind Wyvern.

Eliza’s face darkened with rage, albeit not falling to the ground, but as a familiar summoner, falling off the saddle she rode was an immense humiliation.

“Hmph. I didn’t expect to meet you so soon! Let’s settle this here and now!”

The fastest of the Department of Knights pursued Leo, disappearing instantly.

On the other hand, Eliza, having clambered back onto the saddle, glared daggers at the direction Leo disappeared in.

“Again! Again! LEO FLOVE! Is that you?”

“Kyek! She’s furious! She’s really furious!”

“E, Eliza! Don’t worry about them now; let’s head to the Central Ruins…”.

“Unforgivable! This time, absolutely unforgivable! Pipi! Chase Leo Flove!”

“Ka-raek!”

Spreading its wings, the Wind Wyvern soared into the sky at an incredible speed, before diving down into the direction Leo had flown.

The three disappeared in an instant as the Summoning Department female student looked puzzled.

“That’s completely the opposite direction to the Central Ruins. What do they think they’re doing?”

At this, Jureden sighed,

“After all, she’s at the top of our school. She must have her thoughts.”

“Regardless of Leo, Eliza and Duran seem to have just followed him without any thought.”

“Let them be; they are just dunderheads.”

“Huh? Dunderheads? What does that mean?”

“Simpleton ignoramuses.”

“Ah! That’s perfect!”

Jureden’s party giggled,

“Don’t blame me if I said so.”

“Look at what you’re doing!”

“Let’s move on, quickly, before we get involved in unnecessary fights again.”