Chapter 007
Chapter Title: A Simple Persuasion
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They were sizing each other up, forging tentative alliances, and so on.
It was then, as a peculiar tension filled the air among the examinees.
[It seems everyone is here.]
A voice rang out.
Suddenly, a man stood on the platform.
Light blond hair and golden eyes.
He was a man dressed in a sloppily worn uniform.
[The name's Albi.]
The examinees drew a sharp breath.
“Don't tell me… Albi, the Sorcerer of the Evil Eye?”
Celia, too, wore a look of astonishment.
He was a sorcerer hero whose name was recorded in the Hero Record.
‘So this is what they call a hero in this day and age?’
Leo observed Albi carefully.
To be precise, he looked at his left eye.
The power dwelling in that left eye.
‘This mana?’
As Leo reeled in surprise,
Albi took a piece of paper from his coat.
[The total number of examinees participating in this year's western region entrance exam is 569.]
He adjusted his glasses and continued.
[There are two types of tests: interpersonal combat and monster subjugation. Normally, we'd test each of you one by one. But I'll be honest. This method is…]
Albi incinerated the paper with magic.
[Troublesome.]
*Murmur, murmur—*
The sudden declaration elicited surprised reactions from the crowd.
[It takes too much time and it's inefficient. So I thought, why not combine them all?]
“What?”
Celia was flustered.
The other examinees were the same.
[Seeing is believing. We'll start the exam right now.]
Albi pulled a worn book from his coat.
[Hero Record Open. Albi's World. Chapter: Prologue—The Forest of Demons.]
*Vwooom—!*
A massive insignia appeared on the floor.
It was the language of the gods, unreadable to the inhabitants of the lower world.
*Fwoosh—!*
A bright light enveloped the surroundings.
After the light faded, the scenery had changed.
A dense forest.
It was as if they had come to another world.
‘It really is another world.’
[This is the Forest of Demons. The test is to survive here. Other than that, you are free to do anything. You can cooperate to defeat monsters, or you can defeat your competitors. It doesn't matter. Those who wish to forfeit the exam should break the orb in their possession.]
The Forest of Demons.
A forest that actually exists in the southern part of the continent.
But Leo hadn't been transported there.
This place was a hero's memory.
To be precise, it was a world manifested from the memories of the examiner, Albi.
‘But it's not some mere illusion, either.’
Though it's a virtual world, everything that happens here is real.
A miracle gifted by the gods to the lower world.
The true value of the Hero Record.
The power to reenact the trials of heroes.
‘The World of Heroes.’
This power became known 3,000 years ago.
On the day known as the Resurrection of Calamity.
Before that, the Hero Record was nothing more than a simple record.
But when it was discovered that the ‘World of Heroes’ could be manifested through the Hero Record, the world underwent a revolution.
Some say that the true Age of Heroes began 3,000 years ago.
By conquering the trials faced by past heroes through the World of Heroes, one could receive a reward.
That reward was the succession of power.
Whether it was a weapon, a skill… or even a special ability unique to that hero.
Upon completing the trial, one could inherit the power of that world's protagonist.
‘An unbelievable ability.’
It was also the reason the gods gifted the Hero Record to the lower world.
‘A system that could literally cultivate heroes.’
It was a power meant to prevent a world-ending catastrophe like the one 5,000 years ago.
This was also why the four hero academies, including Lumerne, were so special.
Lumerne, the human hero academy.
Seirun, the elven hero academy.
Azonia, the beastkin hero academy.
Demian, the dwarven hero academy.
These academies all housed the Hero Records of their respective races.
And Leo's goal was to see the Hero Records of the four great hero academies.
A divine miracle that could perfectly reenact the past.
‘The Hero Record should be able to tell me exactly what happened to the sealed Erebos. And what became of Tartaros.’
Leo clenched and unclenched his fist.
‘For now, the exam comes first.’
He narrowed his eyes and scanned his surroundings.
Celia, who had been beside him, was nowhere to be seen.
It seemed they had been scattered upon entering the World of Heroes.
‘Anyway, the Forest of Demons.’
This was a real place, and a famous one at that.
The southern part of the continent was a vast desert.
The Forest of Demons was a massive forest located in the middle of that desert.
If there's a huge forest in a desert, surrounding nations are bound to covet it.
However, the Forest of Demons remained an uncharted territory.
The monsters inhabiting the forest were mostly low-level ones like gnolls, goblins, and orcs.
The strongest individual creature was, at best, a troll.
It was a level that could easily be conquered by dispatching an army.
But people had given up on conquering it because of the seemingly endless number of monsters that never decreased, no matter how many they killed.
‘So the curse on this forest still hasn't been broken.’
Leo had been to this forest in the past.
This was the home forest of Luna, one of Kyle's companions.
Until 5,000 years ago, this was a forest of the elves.
But it was corrupted by the curse of Silatuna, the demon Queen of Tartaros.
5,000 years ago.
The subjugation party defeated Silatuna but failed to kill her in the end.
The queen's curse persisted even now, thousands of years later.
Leo smiled bitterly, remembering Luna, who had believed that her descendants would one day kill Silatuna and save her homeland.
‘Though it seems that damn bitch's curse has weakened.’
5,000 years ago, this forest was one of the greatest threats on earth.
An endless parade of monsters from the abyss.
The monster armies that threatened all life were all formed in this forest.
Compared to back then, this place was a paradise.
‘Let's focus on the test for now. The examiner definitely said we were free to do as we please, right?’
Whether we take down competitors or monsters.
He left everything up to the examinees.
‘Anyone with a brain wouldn't try to fight each other in this forest.’
Even if they're low-level, you never know when or where a monster might appear.
Fighting under those conditions could be dangerous.
‘Well, I'm sure there are some who won't care about that.’
Celia is a prime example.
She possesses overwhelming skill that defies comparison with other examinees.
A week ago, Leo did knock her out in just two hits.
But that was only because she was caught off guard.
If she had fought with her full strength, she would be a difficult opponent even for the current Leo.
‘In a real fight, I'd have no chance of winning.’
Shrugging, Leo drew his sword.
‘Anyway, shall I look for Celia now?’
Cooperation is also allowed.
In that case, it's easier to move together for now.
With that decision, Leo leaped into action.
*Fwip-fwip-fwip—!*
Arrows of wind struck the spot where Leo had been standing.
Glancing back, he saw a familiar girl holding a staff.
The younger sister of Abad, who had been bickering with Celia earlier.
It was Chelsea Llewellyn.
“We've met before, haven't we?”
“We have. But why the sudden attack?”
“We're competitors, aren't we? Though I didn't expect you to dodge that attack.”
Chelsea shrugged.
“Showing yourself to a swordsman. Aren't you a little too relaxed?”
“It's fine. I'm well prepared.”
Chelsea wore a relaxed expression.
She was certainly prepared.
Scythes of wind were swirling around her.
Approaching recklessly would get him sliced.
‘A spell that didn't exist in the old days.’
Leo stroked his chin.
If he had to pick a field that had changed incomparably from the past, it would be magic.
The general frameworks of Aura and summoning hadn't changed much.
But magic was different.
Magic was a field of study before it was a domain of power.
All spells had been endlessly researched and improved.
As a result, the magical system of his time and the current one were completely different.
Most of the spells Leo knew were treated as ancient magic.
‘Well, the fundamentals don't seem to have changed.’
Chelsea narrowed her eyes at Leo, who exuded a relaxed air.
“So relaxed, even with me in front of you?”
Chelsea was skilled enough to be far beyond the average level of mages taking the Lumerne entrance exam.
She was exactly the type of examinee Leo had just thought of—one skilled enough to run wild without caring about the situation.
“I have a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“This test gives better scores to those who survive longer, right? So how about we cooperate? Since you're a mage, it'd be better to have someone in the vanguard, wouldn't it?”
At his words, Chelsea smiled faintly.
“Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine. I'm a ‘Battle Magician,’ you see. I don't need a vanguard.”
Battle Magician.
It refers to a magician who participates in combat rather than chanting spells from the rear.
“Wind Sickle.”
Chelsea's eyes curved as she activated the spell with a short incantation.
“Besides, I have no intention of cooperating with someone from the Jerdinger family.”
“I'm not exactly one of the Jerdingers.”
“Still, you were sticking close to Celia Jerdinger like you were friends, right? So there's no reason to cooperate. Bleh—!”
Chelsea stuck out her tongue.
As they were from rival families, she seemed to have no intention of cooperating.
“So you won't cooperate?”
“Of course not.”
Chelsea answered firmly and pointed her staff at Leo.
That was the signal, and the spell activated.
The scythes of wind flew at a tremendous speed.
Leo thrust his sword forward.
*Clang-clang-clang—! Sccrrreeech—!*
The sound of grinding metal and sparks flew.
‘He blocked it? But there was no sign of him using Aura?’
Chelsea became wary.
‘It must be an Aura that's hard to detect! I need to be careful.’
Chelsea mistakenly thought Leo was using Aura.
It was an understandable mistake, as it was impossible to block a 2nd-circle spell without using Aura.
But Leo hadn't blocked the Wind Sickle.
‘It's powerful and flashy, but monotonous.’
He had read the spell's trajectory and deflected its path with his sword.
As long as the power wasn't overwhelming, this kind of response was possible against spells with physical force.
Of course, it wasn't a simple technique.
One had to perfectly read the trajectory of the mana.
But for him, the Great Hero, it wasn't a particularly difficult skill.
“Wind Sickle! Wind Arrow!”
*Whoooosh—!*
A gale swirled around Chelsea.
Her hair whipping in the wind, Chelsea spoke.
“How about you surrender before you get hurt? It'll be tough to block this attack.”
“I'll acknowledge the power of your magic.”
Leo shrugged.
“But for wind magic, your attacks are too straightforward.”
Chelsea's expression turned indignant.
“Are you lecturing me, a direct descendant of the Llewellyn family, about magic?”
Annoyed, Chelsea scoffed.
“Hmph. I'm done holding back. I'll eliminate you with sheer force!”
She swung her staff, unleashing the waiting spells.
Scythes and arrows of wind rushed forward.
Wind magic is the most visually subtle type of magic.
To the point where it's invisible to the ordinary eye.
That's why, along with fire, it's considered a powerful offensive magic.
But to Leo's eyes, the winds of mana were crystal clear.
Leo curled his lips into a smile and tensed his legs.
“I told you it was simple.”
*Thump—!*
Leo's body vanished as if snuffed out.
Having lost their target, the spells faltered for a moment.
‘Fast! Where?’
Chelsea hurriedly used a mana detection spell.
As a mage who prided herself on being a Battle Magician, her response was quick.
However, there was something Chelsea hadn't anticipated.
The fact that Leo didn't use Aura.
Naturally, Leo had none of the mana residue that should have flowed from Aura.
Because of that, she momentarily allowed Leo into close range.
“Huh?”
Seeing Leo appear before her, Chelsea tried to react hastily.
*Thwack—!*
“Gah?”
But Leo's fist striking her abdomen was faster.
Watching Chelsea fall unconscious, Leo muttered.
“Now then, shall we try some persuasion?”
Monsters like orcs didn't matter.
But the current Leo lacked the firepower to deal with large monsters like trolls.
‘And just then, a mage with powerful offensive capabilities appeared. It would be good to cooperate, wouldn't it?’
Leo went and cut some nearby vines.
*Snap—!* He yanked on a vine.
“Hmm. Pretty sturdy.”
Satisfied with the vine's durability, Leo looked down at the unconscious Chelsea and smiled wickedly.