Chapter 655
Chapter Title: Joint Combat Class
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655.
“It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Ain Elandu, and I'll be in charge of the joint combat class.”
At Ain's introduction, the first-year Knight Department students reacted with excitement.
Ain Elandu.
A knight known to be the closest to a hero among all the current professors at Lumerne.
He was only dedicating his efforts to teaching for the sake of nurturing the next generation.
In terms of skill, he was a true powerhouse, considered to surpass even some of the knight heroes.
“I heard you were in charge of the third-year seniors!”
“To think we get to take Professor Ain's class!”
The first-year Knight Department students were absolutely thrilled.
“This is great, but...”
“Isn't this only good for the Knight Department kids?”
In contrast, the first-year students from the Magic and Summoning Departments looked disappointed.
Seeing their reactions, Ain let out a soft chuckle.
“Don't worry. I'm not the only one in charge of the joint combat class.”
Just as the first-years' eyes widened at his words,
two figures walked in from the entrance of the training grounds.
The third-years who saw them wore looks of surprise.
“Professor Albi and Professor Artian?”
Albi Jer-on, the Mage of the Evil Eye.
Not only had he attained the rank of hero, but he was also regarded as the strongest among the Magic Department professors, having hunted countless demons.
“No way! I heard Professor Albi rarely teaches classes.”
“Is this a special class?!”
The motivation of the Magic Department students soared.
Meanwhile, the Summoning Department students looked puzzled.
“Does Professor Artian have expertise in combat?”
The first-years had already experienced Artian's fearsomeness firsthand during the entrance exam.
However, compared to Ain and Albi, it was true that her combat skills were questionable.
The second and third-years also felt the same doubt.
While the second and third-years knew of Artian's terrifying reputation better than anyone, she had no famous battles to her name.
Even a Magic Department professor who was known for being a shut-in researcher had famous exploits.
“Karl, do you know anything about Professor Artian?”
Eliza asked with a puzzled look, and Karl shook his head.
“No. Not as far as I know.”
“Hmm?”
Eliza narrowed her eyes.
If Karl, who was well-informed not only about events within Lumerne but also news from all over the world, didn't know, it was safe to say that Artian had no significant battles under her belt.
As a Lumerne professor, Artian was undoubtedly highly skilled, but just how proficient the Heroics-specializing professor was in combat remained a mystery.
With all the professors for the joint combat class now present, Celia raised her hand.
“What is it, Celia Jerdinger?”
“I'm curious about what we'll be doing in the first class.”
To that question, Ain replied.
“The first thing we'll do is form ‘parties.’”
At his words, the entire student body's eyes widened.
“Parties?”
“Yes. As you probably saw from this morning's announcements, the joint combat class is an official, regular class this semester.”
It was just as Ain said.
It was a newly established regular class that all first, second, and third-years would take together.
“To add to that, the parties decided today can be considered your new class sections.”
“Does that mean we'll be taking classes with our parties?”
“Yes. Of course, since you're in different years, you can't take required and elective courses together. But for classes taken by the same year, you'll be moving as a party.”
It literally meant they would be in large, joint class sections called parties.
Chloe raised her hand.
“How many parties will be formed?”
“Six.”
At Ain's answer, Chloe fell into thought.
‘There are 500 first-years, 224 second-years, and 163 third-years. That's a large-scale party of nearly 150 students each.’
“Furthermore, all mock battles in future joint combat classes will be conducted by party. Commission practice will also be done by party.”
“Will the first and second-years be accompanying the third-years on their commissions?”
At Duran's question, Ain shook his head.
“No. This only applies to commission practice.”
From the moment they become third-years, Lumerne students have an obligation to resolve the commissions that come to the academy.
And commission practice and actual commissions are two very different things.
In the case of commission practice, Lumerne selects and provides commissions that even first and second-years can handle.
On the other hand, the difficulty of actual commissions varies greatly.
There are commissions easier than the practice ones, but there are also those of immense difficulty.
The commission practice experienced in the first and second years was, quite literally, a form of training in preparation for becoming third-years.
After listening and pondering, Chelsea raised her hand.
“What is the reason for assuming large-scale battles that require this level of cooperation?”
“As for the reason, Leo Flove will explain. He's just arriving.”
Albi, who had been silently observing, spoke up at Chelsea's question.
All the students' gazes turned to Leo.
Chen Xia was walking beside him.
“Student Leo! Come over here!”
Artian greeted Leo with a bright smile.
In response, Chen Xia went and sat with the Knight Department students, while Leo stood next to the professors.
“Student Leo will now explain the reason we've decided to conduct this joint combat class.”
Seeing Artian's serious expression, the students looked at Leo with slightly nervous eyes.
“During winter break, I learned that a major anomaly occurred in the Hero Record.”
“A major anomaly? Chelsea, Abad. You were with Leo, weren't you? Do you know anything?”
Karl asked with a puzzled look. Chelsea and Abad shook their heads.
“Miss Celia, do you know anything?”
“This is the first I'm hearing of it too.”
Over in the Knight Department section, Chen Xia looked at Celia with confusion, and Celia shook her head, flustered.
“What is this anomaly?”
Luke raised his hand and asked cautiously. Leo answered.
“I discovered something called the World of the Legion.”
“The World of the Legion?”
“You don't mean the legion from Tartaros?!”
“What in the world is that? Don't tell me it's like a Tartaros version of the Hero Record or something?”
“How is that even possible?”
Voices filled with shock erupted from all around.
Just as a commotion broke out among the students,
“Shh.”
Someone's soft voice echoed quietly.
Everyone fell silent and looked toward the source of the voice.
There, Chen Xia had her right index finger to her lips. She winked and said with a smile,
“The Student Council President isn't finished speaking, is he? Everyone needs to focus, right?”
Startled by her words, the students focused on Leo.
They were reminded of their earlier spar with Leo.
Seeing the students focus on him again, Leo spoke.
“Just as you guessed from the name, the World of the Legion is Tartaros's version of the World of Heroes. Just as we inherit the powers of past heroes through the World of Heroes, it's been revealed that they inherit the powers of long-gone demons through the World of the Legion. Celia, Abad, Chelsea. You three saw it back then, didn't you?”
“Ah…!”
“The Hero Hunters who gained the power of monsters?”
“So that's what it was.”
Leo's words made them recall the Hero Hunters they fought during the Hero Slayer incident.
The Hero Hunters who had taken on the forms of monsters.
The three of them grimaced as they remembered that overwhelming power.
“Did you enter the World of the Legion back then, Leo?”
“Yes. The place I entered was the world of Silatuna.”
“The Monster Queen?”
“That's…!”
The winter before last.
The 5,000-year-old terror who was subjugated by the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle, and the Progenitor of the Nebula, Luna, who had miraculously appeared in Seirun.
At the mention of the Monster Queen Silatuna, groans erupted from all around.
In that situation, Woreden asked.
“What was the setting?”
“The Age of Calamity, the era when Luna lived.”
“What was your role in that world?”
“I was an intruder. I wasn't a permitted existence in that world.”
“Leo. Back in your first year, you fought demons who invaded Lady Luna's world in the World of Heroes, didn't you?”
During the mission practice of his first year's second semester.
Chloe asked with a serious expression, recalling the time Leo had entered Luna's world.
“Are you saying you were in the same situation as those demons?”
“That's right.”
Leo nodded and said with a solemn expression.
“The World of the Legion itself probably won't appear that often. If it were something they could create easily, the balance of power between our world and Tartaros would have already shattered. But that doesn't mean we can dismiss it as nothing.”
The World of Heroes saved the world.
Likewise, there's no guarantee the World of the Legion won't drive the world to ruin.
“The fight against Tartaros will grow even more intense, depending on whether we succeed in thwarting their conquest of the World of the Legion, or if they succeed. The difficulty will be on a completely different level from conquering the World of Heroes.”
There are no enemies in the conquest of the World of Heroes.
But the World of the Legion is different.
The World of the Legion itself becomes another battlefield.
At Leo's words, the students' expressions turned grim.
“And there's a high probability that every World of the Legion is related to a Great Hero.”
“Why?”
“It seems the Legion's Record is created based on the Hero Record. If so, they would naturally want to inherit the powers of the strongest demons possible.”
Leo closed his eyes slightly.
“Because the era when their forces were most powerful was, without a doubt, the Age of Calamity when the Great Heroes were active.”
Recalling the past, Leo opened his eyes.
“As you all know, the battles of that era were often large-scale. That's why this joint combat class was created. It's also why we're calling them ‘parties’ instead of just ‘classes.’”
Leo smiled faintly.
“Because a party that has to fight with their lives on the line is much better for building bonds than just being in the same class. That's all I have to say.”
After finishing his speech, Leo bowed to the professors and returned to the student crowd.
Watching him, the first-years' eyes sparkled.
‘If I get into the same party as Senior Leo…’
‘My school life will be set, right?’
‘Not just school life. Senior Leo is going to be the king of a country soon, right?’
The first-years thought to themselves.
‘If I can get on Senior Leo's good side, my future will be paved with gold!’
As the first-years spread their wings of hopeful imagination,
the second and third-years were also spreading their wings of imagination.
Of course, unlike the first-years, theirs was an imagination filled with despair.
‘If I get in the same party as Senior Leo, it'll be the start of a living hell, won't it?’
‘The moment that Leo guy notices me, a living hell will unfold, right?’
***
The first joint combat class was spent listening to the professors explain what they would learn in the course.
And before forming the parties right away, they were given time for the first, second, and third-years to get to know one another.
This was because they didn't know enough about each other to form parties immediately.
Especially the first-years.
The second and third-years had interacted deeply over the past year through the mentor-mentee relationship, but the first-years had not.
Since they would have to be in these parties for the entire year, their formation had to be done carefully.
And so, after the first class ended, during the break,
Chloe approached Leo.
“Leo, I have a question about what you said earlier.”
“What is it?”
Chloe sat beside Leo and asked with a serious expression.
“Can the World of the Legion go on a rampage like the World of Heroes?”
A World of Heroes created by an abnormal rampage is called a Hero Dungeon.
In that case, the World of Heroes encroaches upon the real world and affects it.
“Hmm… I'm not sure. For now, I'm thinking that the World of the Legion is itself a form of rampage. So I don't think a rampage like a Hero Dungeon will occur.”
“Is that so?”
“But it does make me wonder. If a situation like a Hero Dungeon were to happen, would it be advantageous for us, or for Tartaros?”