Chapter 574
Chapter Title: The Lava Golem
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574.
Leah clenched her fists as she looked at Aina, who was blocking her path.
‘Aina Veydean.’
It was a name she’d heard relentlessly since the moment she enrolled at Seirun.
‘The world buzzed about her being of the Sword Saint’s bloodline. Just like me.’
Just as Leah had carried the expectations of her entire race as the heir to the Tingel Family.
Aina must have been the same.
That was why she couldn’t help but be conscious of her.
It was the same even after she learned that Luke was Leo’s mentee.
An opponent she had to defeat.
From the moment she enrolled, countless people around her had hoped to see Leah take Aina down.
‘Looks like this one is no different. Coming to face me like this.’
Leah smirked.
“It must be a pain for both of us, having people who expect us to defeat a certain someone.”
“What is?”
At her words, Aina looked completely clueless.
“Aren’t you here to defeat me?”
“No.”
“……”
For a moment, Leah was dumbfounded.
“Didn’t you just say I was your opponent?”
“Yes.”
“Then you are here to defeat me.”
“No.”
Watching Aina shake her head, Leah was at a loss for words.
“I just want to protect Luke from you. You’ve been strangely obsessed with him for a while now.”
“Are you appointing yourself as Luke Elda’s bodyguard?”
“Yes.”
*Shing—!*
Aina swung her sword.
Sword energy scattered around Leah.
“Luke must not be defeated by anyone.”
Aina’s eyes glinted, sharp as a blade.
“Until he is defeated by me.”
Aina’s obsession with Luke was just as palpable as Leah’s.
‘Luke Elda is certainly worth defeating.’
When Leah first learned of Luke’s existence, she was interested because he was Leo’s mentee.
Her feelings for him were closer to jealousy than a simple desire for a good fight.
And then, at the end of the first semester.
The first time she saw Luke during the World Summit, he was astonishing.
‘He kept growing even while fighting Aina Veydean.’
The image of Luke endlessly challenging his own limits and surpassing them was vivid in her mind.
Only then did she realize why Leo had chosen him.
‘He was incredible during the training retreat, too.’
So it was understandable that Aina, as a rival from the same academy, would be so intensely aware of Luke.
‘But… but still…’
Leah’s shoulders trembled.
“There’s a limit to how much you can ignore someone! What’s with that attitude, acting as if I’m not even here!”
An unusual amount of magic erupted from the indignant Leah.
*Crack—!*
Numerous cracks spread across the ground where Leah stood.
“I’ll beat you so you’ll remember me for sure!”
Magic concentrated in both of Leah’s hands.
“If you want to defeat Luke Elda, you’ll have to defeat me first!”
“As long as I’m here, you won’t lay a single finger on Luke! Because I’m the one who will defeat him!”
*Kwagagagagang—!*
Explosive magic and sharp sword energy mixed and clashed violently.
***
Hearing the chilling sounds of the collision behind him, Luke broke out in a cold sweat.
“Why are those two fighting and saying my name?”
“Hmph. It seems they are fighting fiercely to win you over.”
“That’s one conquest I’d rather pass on.”
Luke’s face fell.
As a magic swordsman, Luke keenly understood just how terrifying Aina’s swordsmanship was and how destructive Leah’s magic could be.
The thought of that sword and magic being aimed at him was not at all welcome.
‘Lately, Juen, Sasha, and Habiden have been itching to get a piece of me, too.’
It wasn’t that they were on bad terms.
In fact, they got along great.
But the way his friends’ eyes gleamed as if they were stalking prey always put Luke on edge.
And now, with Aina and Leah, who had been hostile to him from the moment they met, joining the fray, it was hell for Luke.
‘And this guy, too.’
Luke swallowed dryly as he looked at Medvez, the first-year representative from Azonia.
An overwhelming build with bulging muscles.
Of course, a big frame didn’t automatically mean strength.
But Medvez wasn’t just big.
‘He’s strong.’
Every time his muscles twitched, Luke found himself tensing up involuntarily.
Watching Luke lower his stance, Medvez spoke.
“You’re like a herbivore.”
“Excuse me?”
“Does the battle between those two not faze you at all?”
“It does.”
Just thinking about those brutal attacks being directed at him made him tremble.
“That’s not what I mean.”
Medvez looked at Luke with displeasure.
“Those two powerhouses are giving their all to earn the right to defeat you. Yet you, man, you just stand there trembling. Pathetic, truly pathetic.”
At Medvez’s words, Luke took a deep breath.
‘Is he at least trying to lose interest in me?’
He had no intention of running from a fight that came his way.
But right now, what Luke needed to focus on wasn't defeating the strong.
‘Lumerne’s victory.’
It seemed Leah, Aina, and Medvez had all slightly forgotten that objective.
A team battle where 100 people joined forces.
Moreover, they were all selected from the first year.
‘It’s impossible for one person to turn the tide of battle.’
Thinking rationally, expending energy now was a waste.
If Medvez lost interest in him and left, it wouldn't be a bad thing for Luke.
‘It wouldn’t be bad, but…’
Luke glanced up at the sky.
Leo, who had announced the start of the opening match, was there.
‘Leo-sunbaenim shook the entire battlefield by himself.’
The image of Leo exuding overwhelming prowess during the second-year dormitory competition flashed through his mind.
‘It’s ridiculous to even compare someone like me to Leo-sunbaenim, but…’
That powerful image wouldn’t leave his mind.
It was then.
*Rumble—!*
The ground began to vibrate.
The small tremor soon grew violent, as if an earthquake had struck.
“Wh-what is it?”
The first-years, who had been forming ranks and attacking other academies, looked bewildered.
*Kwagagagagang—!*
Lava began to erupt from the ground.
Seeing this, the first-years’ faces filled with horror.
“The ground is shrinking because of the lava!”
“Anyone who can fight in the air, get up there quickly…”
*Bubble, bubble, bubble, kwagagagagang—!*
A massive monster rose from the lava.
“A Lava Golem?!”
Cries of shock erupted from among the first-years.
The giant Lava Golem began to swing its arms wildly at the students flying in the sky.
Simultaneously, lava broke off from its arms and rained down on the ground.
“It’s dangerous in the air!”
“Ugh! We have to deal with those guys and the Lava Golem at the same time?!”
“That’s not all! The space we have to fight in is getting smaller because of the lava!”
Panicked voices broke out from all over.
It became difficult to maintain defensive formations and hunt down enemies.
With the situation like this, a strategy of quickly starting a chaotic brawl to defeat enemies became the better option.
“Everyone, attack!”
“Ugh!”
“Try to avoid the Lava Golem! It’ll just drain our strength!”
“Hmm, if we stay here, we’ll get caught in the Lava Golem’s attacks.”
“Tch! This is troublesome.”
“Luke, let’s get out of here.”
Medvez, Leah, and Aina, who were near where the Lava Golem was summoned, quickly tried to leave the area.
Just then, Aina saw Luke’s face and her mouth fell slightly open.
‘Is he smiling?’
***
“Seirun’s first-year representative is a complete carbon copy of that thug elf.”
Ar muttered as he watched the match.
He then looked at his underclassmen.
“Their movements are good.”
In a chaotic battle like this, the Azonia students with their overwhelming physical abilities had a much greater advantage.
Such free-for-alls were common at Azonia, where fights broke out daily.
“The variable is, as expected, the Lava Golem.”
Ar crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.
It was rampaging indiscriminately, inflicting damage on all four academies.
‘It’s not like there’s any particular benefit to defeating it.’
On the contrary, it would surely just drain their strength.
‘What would I have done?’
Ar tilted his head, then quickly came to a simple conclusion.
‘I would have defeated the Lava Golem first.’
There was no other reason.
It was simply a threat to all four academies.
And if they were to win with it still around, the element of ‘luck’ would inevitably play a part.
‘An indiscriminately rampaging Lava Golem is literally an unpredictable variable.’
Even if he were to win, Ar would likely be unable to shake off a feeling of dissatisfaction.
Ar was confident he could defeat his enemies even after taking down the Lava Golem.
Even if he lost, it wouldn’t be any less gratifying than winning.
‘A victory won by luck is worthless. I’d rather lose.’
Ar looked around.
It seemed he wasn’t the only one thinking that way.
The students of Azonia felt the same.
And it wasn’t just the Azonia students.
The students from the other hero academies seemed to be of the same mind.
Everyone possessed the pride that ‘we’ are the best.
In the end, they had to overcome all adversities to prove they were the best.
The Lava Golem was threatening, but it wasn’t something a ‘top-tier student’ couldn’t defeat single-handedly.
They just weren’t engaging it because the risk was too high.
‘Vicious, that Black Rabbit.’
Having grasped Leo’s intention, Ar looked at Leo in the sky and pouted.
***
“Leo can be mercilessly harsh sometimes.”
Karl shook his head.
“Huh? What is?”
Chelsea looked puzzled.
“He’s cleverly set up the situation so the first-years can’t easily defeat the Lava Golem.”
“Yeah. Is there a problem with that?”
Karl let out a faint smile.
“Achieving victory without taking risks is the ideal scenario. But the Festival of Heroes, before being a competition between hero academies, is also a venue for celebration and unity.”
Karl looked at the first-years, who were busy trying to push the Lava Golem onto each other.
“The whole world is watching.”
“Yeah. So?”
“This is why heroes don’t get the hearts of ordinary people.”
Karl let out a hollow laugh and then spoke.
“People want a hero.”
Karl looked at Leo.
“They want a hero who believes in themselves, pursues their potential, pushes forward, and transcends their limits.”
Tearing his gaze from Leo, Karl looked at Chelsea.
“What would you have done in that situation?”
“I would have trusted myself and my comrades and defeated the Lava Golem.”
“Right. That’s the image people want to see. But the first-years are still inexperienced. So it’s hard for them to make such a move rashly.”
Karl narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Lava Golem.
“Leo is testing them. To see if there’s anyone of that caliber among the first-years. To see if there are any who are worthy of sharing the stage with you all.”
“Ah…”
Chelsea’s expression showed she understood.
“But why did you say ‘you all’ and not ‘us’?”
Chelsea tilted her head.
Looking at her, Karl shrugged.
“Could you not lump a commoner like me into the same category as you guys?”
“What category is that?”
“Monsters.”
Chelsea’s fist slammed into Karl’s side.
As Karl collapsed to the ground clutching his side, Chelsea stared down at him and said.
“…Have you given up on advancing to the third year?”
“Oof.”
At her question, Karl dusted himself off and stood up.
“Give up? Like hell. I’m going to struggle until the very end. But you know.”
Karl grinned.
“It’s not like you can achieve everything just by trying, right? No matter how much you overcome your limits, some things are just not meant to be. I know myself best.”
“……”
“This is as far as I go, Chelsea.”
“Karl…”
“Still, I’ll do my best as a supporting character. So keep using my products! You’ll definitely be a hero in the future. Having a hero as a regular customer will be amazing for publicity!”
“You damn bastard.”
Chelsea let out a small sigh as she looked at Karl, who was grinning and giving her a thumbs-up.
“Oh?”
Just then, Karl let out a sound of admiration.
“That kid Luke, he’s charging at the Lava Golem, isn’t he?”