The entire first-year class gathered in the auditorium.
The noise of teenagers chatting and murmuring filled the auditorium completely.
Meanwhile, assistant professors and teaching assistants came out to prepare for class.
Once the preparations were finished, one of the assistant professors spoke.
“Everyone, please quiet down. Class is about to begin!”
“Yes.”
The students responded to the assistants.
The murmuring subsided slightly but didn’t disappear entirely.
Teenagers, who love to hang out with their friends, couldn’t be silenced by just one adult speaking.
The assistant professors knew this but didn’t say anything further.
It was because today’s class was being led by none other than Professor Artian Nier.
“Everyone! Sorry for being late!”
Professor Artian entered the auditorium and climbed onto the podium, apologizing.
Thud!
“Ack!”
Then she tripped and fell.
At that moment, the students quickly straightened their posture and fell silent.
With an embarrassed expression, Professor Artian rubbed her knee and headed to the center of the podium.
Artian Nier.
The professor most feared by the first-year students.
The reason was simple.
If anyone disrupted her class, they would immediately face physical punishment.
Of course, this wasn’t by her choice but because of the impulsive spirits contracted with her.
As a result, students tensed up the moment Professor Artian appeared.
Professor Artian, who controlled the students just by her presence, clapped her hands and smiled brightly.
“As expected, my students are so well-behaved! To become this quiet in front of the professor!”
Optimistic Artian merely thought her students were good kids.
“Last time, we talked about the families of heroes, right? Before we start today’s lesson, let’s review a bit of what we learned!”
Professor Artian began the class.
“Can anyone explain why the families of heroes could come into being after the Hero Record appeared?”
Hands shot up from various places.
Despite their fear, she was a good professor.
She taught her lessons in an easy-to-understand manner and graded generously.
Compared to strict professors who not only gave low scores but even deducted points, participating in Professor Artian’s class was definitely worth it.
Even Cal eagerly raised his hand.
“Student Cal from Class 5?”
“Yes!”
Cal, who had quietly cheered, stood up from his seat.
“To unlock the Hero’s World in the Hero Record, you need an item deeply related to the hero or a significant relic. The descendants of heroes inherit these relics, making it easier for them to access the Hero’s World!”
“That’s correct. Five points for Cal!”
Cal smiled brightly as he sat down.
“It’s a bit political, but this is also why the Lumerne Academy, which manages the Hero Record, has a deep connection with the families of heroes.”
Even if you have the key to unlock the Hero’s World, the recorded hero’s entries are stored in the Hero Record at Lumerne.
“For heroes without remaining relics, items related to them can be obtained through archaeological investigations and excavations.”
Since the Hero Record existed even during the Age of Calamity, before the Hero’s World was revealed, there are countless pages without a Hero’s World to unlock.
“Even for the same hero, one relic can’t unlock all pages. Excavation is the second most important activity after conquering hero dungeons in our era. Furthermore, hero dungeons created by runaway phenomena provide rewards but often lead to unstable inheritances of power. Now, let me ask a question.”
Professor Artian looked back at the students.
“Can anyone explain the importance of hero studies beyond what I’ve just mentioned?”
Once again, many hands went up enthusiastically.
“Student Duran from Class 1.”
“Because it can provide clues to conquering the Hero’s World.”
“That’s correct. Five points for Duran.”
Duran calmly sat down.
“The Hero’s World contains the trials experienced by past heroes. Even if you know their tales, the trials are often insurmountably challenging. Many lose their lives there. That’s why even the smallest clue or anecdote becomes a key to conquering it.”
This is why students are devoted to hero studies.
“As upperclassmen, you’ll choose a hero to inherit power from and conquer that hero’s pages. Until then, you should determine which hero aligns with your personality.”
Iliana clapped lightly.
“Now, shall we start the homework presentations?”
Last week, Professor Artian had assigned all first-year students homework.
It wasn’t a particularly difficult assignment.
They were to think about what they wanted to do as a hero and present it in the next hero studies class.
It might not seem like much, but for those aspiring to become heroes, establishing their heroic image was important.
Since everyone had seriously entered Lumerne, the first-years spent the weekend earnestly pondering this assignment.
“Let’s start with Class 1.”
Students in Class 1 hesitated and glanced at each other nervously.
It was embarrassing to share their heroic goals in front of hundreds of people.
“Class 1! Don’t be shy! Your goals are your guides! Boldly sharing them with others is truly pride—mmph!”
“This is Professor Artian’s class. It’s not your turn to speak.”
“Professor Sedgen! Please! Professor Artian is already shy enough!”
Professor Sedgen, who was enthusiastically cheering on Class 1, was stopped by other homeroom professors.
That’s when Celia stood up.
She straightened her back, swept her hair behind her, and confidently spoke.
“I want to become a knight who surpasses the predecessors of my family.”
A knight surpassing the Zerdinger predecessors.
For someone from a family of heroes, that was a weighty goal.
“Wow! What an admirable goal!”
Next, Chloe stood up.
“I want to establish my own original magic spellbook.”
“What a grand goal for a mage!”
Starting with Celia, the students took turns sharing their goals.
At first, they hesitated, but once the first one spoke, the rest followed easily.
Homeroom professors observing from behind paid close attention to their students’ presentations.
They knew this short presentation reflected the students’ aspirations.
Soon, it was Class 5’s turn.
“I want to support the heroes.”
When Cal revealed his ambition, Professor Artian looked surprised.
But she soon understood Cal’s intent and smiled.
“Cal wants to be someone who supports the heroes from behind.”
“Yes.”
While most students didn’t understand Cal’s early choice to walk the path of a supporter, many professors evaluated his path positively.
After Cal sat down, it was Leo’s turn.
Leo stood up and spoke calmly.
“My goal is the complete eradication of Erebus.”
Silence fell over the auditorium.
Professor Artian was surprised, and the students looked at Leo with stunned expressions.
The complete eradication of Erebus.
It wasn’t just a personal wish.
It was the unfulfilled desire of the world since the Age of Calamity.
But even the greatest heroes failed to achieve it. A foolish dream that would be laughed at if spoken aloud.
Yet Leo uttered it without hesitation, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
“Ah, um…! That’s an incredible goal!”
Professor Artian barely regained her composure and smiled.
“Isn’t that a bit of a dream?”
“There was a foolish person who once spoke of such a dream.”
Leo rested his chin on his hand and smiled faintly.
“At some point, I was inspired by those foolish words. So I decided to carry on that dream.”
Cal, looking at Leo’s incomprehensible words, made an incredulous expression.
Then he grinned.
“For someone aiming for such a grand feat, you’ll need an excellent supporter, right?”
“I’m counting on you, Cal.”
***
“The class representative’s ambition is truly extraordinary.”
One of the homeroom professors watching the first-year students’ presentations muttered.
“Aren’t some of these answers too unserious?”
“The homeroom professor is Professor Halind, right? Would they really joke around in a setting like this?”
“Still, isn’t it an overly far-fetched ambition?”
The professors had differing opinions.
Then Sedgen asked Halind, who was next to him.
“Do you think it’s a joke?”
“No. That student wouldn’t say something so frivolous.”
Halind frowned.
“That’s why it’s a bit scary.”
It had been thousands of years since Erebus was defeated by the great heroes, broken into fragments, and sealed away.
Over the years, there had been a few revivals.
But even a single fragment’s revival swept the world into a massive catastrophe.
A student dreaming of Erebus’s complete eradication?
‘Is he just a fool? Or is his potential that great?’
It had been a month, but even Halind couldn’t fully gauge Leo yet.
While Halind was closely observing where Leo was sitting, something happened.
“Professors.”
The principal’s secretary, Elena, approached the professors, holding a box.
“Here are the Hero Record pages to be used for today’s class.”
“Thank you, Secretary Elena.”
Professor Sedgen received the box and stood up.
The other homeroom professors also stood.
Today’s joint class required the participation of the professors.
More specifically, it was to prepare for any unexpected situations.
In the past, Hero Record pages recovered from hero dungeons had occasionally run wild during class.
It didn’t happen often, but it wasn’t unheard of either. To protect the students, professors always supervised when Hero Record pages were used in class.
By the time the professors headed to the podium, the presentations from the other classes had also concluded.
“Everyone, we’ll now proceed with today’s hero studies class using Hero Records recovered by dungeon raiders.”
Professor Artian accepted the sealed box containing the Hero Records from Sedgen.
“Finally!”
“This is my first time touching a Hero Record!”
“I’m nervous!”
The students reacted with excitement.
“In today’s class, each group will read a page from the Hero Record, deduce which hero it belongs to, and devise a strategy for conquering the Hero’s World.”
Strictly speaking, using Hero Records wasn’t necessary for this class.
But students would encounter them in the field one day.
To add weight to the lesson, they used Hero Records whose contents were unknown to the students.
“Class representatives, please come forward.”
“Lucky you, Leo. You get to touch the Hero Record directly!”
At Iliana’s comment, Nella laughed.
“You’ll get to touch it after class anyway, so why fuss about it?”
“Still, getting to touch it first is a privilege!”
Iliana envied the privilege of being a class representative.
Ten class representatives stepped onto the podium.
“Oh my, the Class 5 representative is young Leo?”
Chen Xia, the Class 10 representative, greeted him warmly.
“I was chosen hastily today.”
“Hastily?”
Chen Xia tilted her head curiously.
As the top students of the first year gathered in one place, a unique atmosphere formed.
Artian opened the sealed box.
“This time, we have two recovered Hero Records. Of course, only one page will be used as teaching material. The other is just a fragment, but I brought it to show you that such things exist.”
Artian held up the page fragment.
She handed it to Leo, who was standing closest to her.
Leo reached out absentmindedly.
The moment his hand touched the fragment, it emitted a faint light.
And as soon as it touched Leo’s hand...
[Hero Record Open. World of ■■. Chapter: ■■-■■■]
A familiar message appeared in front of Leo.
Artian, the representatives, and even the professors who were prepared for emergencies were shocked.
Buzz—!
Light rose from the floor of the podium.
It was the divine language incomprehensible to the mortals of the lower realms.
“Is it running wild?”
Sedgen’s startled voice was followed by a bright light enveloping the podium.
When the light faded, Leo, along with the class representatives and professors, found themselves standing in a completely different space.
It was the middle of a battlefield.
The ground was littered with the corpses of monstrous beasts and demons.
“Everyone, stay alert! This is a hero dungeon!”
Halind’s shout made the representatives go pale.
“Halind! Look over there, a fortress wall!”
Sedgen pointed to a fortress wall that Leo was staring at.
Leo gazed at the wall with a dazed expression.
It was a familiar wall to him.
A place that no longer existed in the present day.
The last line of defense and the final city during the Age of Calamity.
The wall of Gardesron.
The stench of burning corpses—monsters, beasts, and demons—filled the air.
Leo could never forget this sight.
If his memory served him correctly...
If his memory wasn’t wrong, someone had once said this.
‘Yes, Kyle. My desire is such a foolish wish.’
“Yes, ■■. My desire is such a foolish wish.”
The voice from behind made the professors and representatives turn their heads in shock.
And they instinctively held their breath.
The person standing there was someone incredibly famous.
Leo turned his head toward the voice, stunned.
The woman spoke in the same confident tone as back then.
“But ■■, we will save the world.”
In this era, she was known as the King of Wisdom, the Black Dragon.
In the age of despair, when the world teetered on the brink of destruction, she was the great and noble hero who brought light to the world.
Back then, she had been mocked as a fool. She had been his closest friend.
Leo felt his throat tighten as he called out her name.
“Risinas.”
At his call, Risinas smiled faintly.
Whoosh—!
At that moment, the world collapsed.
In the blink of an eye, they were back in the auditorium.
“What…!”
“P-Professors, what just happened?”
The students asked in trembling voices, clearly shaken.
Halind calmly made a decision.
“Class is dismissed for now. Everyone, stay calm and leave the auditorium.”
The assistant professors began guiding the students out.
Leo stood blankly, staring at the Hero Record page fragment in his hand.
He knew exactly whose page this fragment belonged to.
‘Kyle’s page. This is my record.’
End Of Chapter
