“Whaaaat? You saw the King of Wisdom?”
“Amazing! A huge event! So, was that Hero Record piece from Risinas?”
The entire grade was in an uproar due to the hero studies incident.
All the academy professors were summoned, and classes were replaced with self-study.
The incident was that significant.
There aren’t many records left of the first great heroes recorded in the Hero Record.
In such a situation, a new fragment of a Hero Record featuring Risinas was discovered.
It wasn’t surprising that Lumerne was in chaos.
While other students were making a commotion...
Leo was deep in thought.
‘Why is my Hero Record in such a mess?’
The Hero’s World likely emerged because Leo, the rightful owner of the world, touched the Hero Record.
But it was clearly different from what happened during the entrance exam.
‘When entering a Hero’s World, a message always appears to the conqueror, stating whose world it is. But this time….’
[Hero Record Open. World of ■■. Chapter: ■■-■■■]
He couldn’t tell whose world it was.
‘Even when Risinas called my name, I couldn’t hear it.’
It was as if someone had deliberately erased Kyle’s name.
‘There must be a definite reason why my Hero Record hasn’t survived.’
Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘The Hero Record was originally a single piece, wasn’t it?’
The Hero Record, now divided into five parts, was once a complete record.
But long ago, due to some incident, it was split into five.
In the process, many pages were lost and scattered across the world.
‘What if someone deliberately destroyed the Hero Record?’
The Hero Record is an artifact that inherits the power of heroes.
It literally nurtures new heroes.
‘If someone didn’t want new heroes to be born….’
Thinking this far, Leo felt a chill run down his spine.
‘Erebus.’
“Leo?”
Chelsea’s voice snapped Leo out of his thoughts.
“Why do you look so scared?”
“It’s nothing.”
‘I need to investigate why the Hero Record was divided in the first place.’
***
A month passed after the hero studies incident.
The initial uproar had subsided.
The Hero Record related to Risinas was undoubtedly a significant discovery.
However, there wasn’t much the first-years could do about it.
Many students asked the professors about Risinas, but they didn’t provide any answers.
Moreover, with midterm exams approaching, the hero studies incident naturally faded from the first-years’ attention.
Professor Ren’s magic theory class.
“As you all know, midterm exams are just around the corner.”
The students looked tense.
It was the first time Professor Ren had mentioned the midterm exams.
They instinctively realized.
‘He’s going to talk about the practical exam.’
At Lumerne, exams consist of written and practical tests.
Particularly for major subjects, the practical component carries more weight.
Naturally, the students had been waiting to hear about the practical exam.
Professor Ren picked up a piece of chalk and stood in front of the blackboard.
The sound of chalk filled the classroom.
The students began to murmur.
“Original. Also known as unique magic. This will be your midterm practical exam task.”
Ren tossed the chalk back into the tray and walked to the center of the podium.
“Original magic is magic that clearly expresses the individuality of a mage. In this era, where casting formulas dominate, mages tend to avoid pursuing originals. It’s inefficient.”
Looking at the students, Ren grinned.
“But I think original magic is essential for a mage. A unique spell, free from standardized formulas, can be difficult to counter. It could become a trump card to protect yourself in emergencies.”
At this, the students’ eyes sparkled.
“A trump card.”
That one phrase was enough to ignite the imaginations of young mages.
“Now, let’s talk about historically famous original magic. Does anyone know an example of unique magic?”
Students raised their hands.
“Chelsea.”
“The magic of Rubert Lewallin.”
“Correct. Indeed, the founder of the Lewallin family possessed powerful unique magic.”
Chelsea smiled proudly as she sat down.
Her response prompted other students to start giving their answers.
Typically, Professor Ren would only take a few answers before moving on, but today he listened to more than usual.
It was as if he was waiting for a specific response.
Noticing this, the students became more active in their responses.
Then Leo raised his hand.
“Leo! Please answer!”
Ren’s tone rose slightly.
Though Ren showed great interest in Leo, Leo rarely answered questions in class.
Leo stood up and said, “Star Magic.”
The students looked puzzled.
Star Magic.
It referred to the unique magic system of the elves.
Of course, it was powerful magic.
But every elf could use Star Magic.
Such magic couldn’t really be called unique.
However, Chloe, Avad, and Chelsea froze at Leo’s words.
Ren took a sharp breath.
“Correct! That’s the answer I was looking for!”
He clapped enthusiastically as he explained.
“Star Magic, which became the standard system for all elves! But that’s actually a modified version of the original magic so that every elf mage could learn it!”
Ren raised his voice.
“You all know how powerful Star Magic is!”
Star Magic.
It was magic tailored to the mana traits of elves, making it unique to their race.
This was why other races struggled to use Star Magic.
It was purely a matter of talent and intuition.
When Leo used elven magic, the entire magic department was turned upside down.
“However!”
Ren clenched his fist and spoke seriously.
“The Star Magic used by elves today is merely a minor copy of the original magic created by Luna, the Founder of the Constellations. Only one person in history has ever used the true Star Magic!”
‘Actually, it was two,’ Leo thought with a faint smile, resting his chin on his hand.
“The Founder of the Constellations, Luna, is the creator of Star Magic.”
The magic students clenched their fists tightly.
“Now, do you understand why you should pursue original magic?”
For mages aspiring to become heroes, Luna was a figure of admiration.
The fact that Luna’s foundational magic was original was enough to emphasize the necessity of original magic to the students.
Ding-dong-dang-dong—
The bell signaling the end of class rang.
“That’s it for today’s class.”
The students packed up their belongings and stood from their seats.
Soon, they were busy discussing original magic with their friends.
“Original magic, huh. That’s really tough.”
Cal scratched his head roughly.
Original magic was akin to the realm of creation.
Since it involved creating new magic, it wasn’t just hard—it was incredibly challenging.
“Leo, don’t you have three practical exams for your major? You must be working hard to prepare for them.”
Cal looked at Leo sympathetically as he spoke.
Leo smiled in response.
“I’ll do my best.”
‘I already have plenty of unique magic.’
Leo possessed numerous unique magic spells he had created in his previous life.
This exam was practically a blessing for him.
As Cal and Leo left the lecture hall together...
“Leo.”
Hearing a voice from behind, Leo turned around.
Chloe was standing there with a magic book in her arms.
Normally, Leo, Cal, and Chloe attended magic classes together.
However, starting a month ago, Chloe had begun sitting apart from them.
It wasn’t because they fought or had a bad relationship.
After class, they often chatted and spent time together.
But during class, they sat separately.
‘She said she felt a strong sense of competition toward me.’
“Do you want to eat lunch together?”
Leo asked with a smile, and Chloe approached him after taking a deep breath.
For a moment, the black magic book in Chloe’s arms caught Leo’s attention.
‘That’s not a textbook. Is it a personal magic book?’
“Leo, I’m going to beat you in this practical exam.”
Chloe spoke firmly, and Cal looked startled.
“Hey, hey! What’s with the rivalry between friends? And isn’t Leo better anyway? As a mage, you’re the top of the class—”
“No.”
Chloe clutched her magic book tightly.
“When it comes to magic formulas, Leo surpasses me. That’s an undeniable fact.”
Her eyes wavered slightly as she spoke.
“When it comes to magic formulas, I must always be the best. I can’t lose.”
Gritting her teeth, Chloe stared straight at Leo.
“That’s why I’m going to beat you in this exam. Promise me. You’ll give it your all as a mage. Don’t neglect magic because of your other major subjects.”
“Alright. I promise.”
“Hey, Leo!”
“Don’t worry, Cal. This isn’t a fight.”
Leo’s expression turned serious.
“Avoiding her challenge would be disrespectful to Chloe after what she said.”
“Thank you, Leo. See you later.”
Chloe smiled and walked away.
Watching her leave, Cal clicked his tongue.
“Ah, youth. It’s all about youth.”
***
As midterms approached, the details of the first-year practical exams were gradually revealed.
For the Knight Department, the exam was a sparring test.
During the midterm period, sparring would be held within the Knight Department.
Naturally, rankings would be determined based on the number of victories.
As a result, it was the subject with the earliest practical exam.
On the day of the midterms, the top eight students would participate in a tournament-style sparring competition.
For Summoning, there were two practical exams.
One was a race riding summoned beasts, and the other was a test on how freely one could control spirits.
For Magic, the practical exam involved developing an original magic spell, with an external panel of judges invited to a presentation event.
Cramming wasn’t an option.
It was an exam that evaluated how diligently students had worked beforehand.
And as for Combat Studies and Hero Studies, their practical exams were combined.
“Of course.”
Cal looked as if he had expected this.
“The goal of the practical exams for Hero Studies and Combat Studies is conquering the Hero’s World.”
Cal pointed to the bulletin board at the front of the classroom.
“It looks like teams will be randomly assigned on the exam day, and the goal will be to conquer the Hero’s World. What a headache!”
Conquering the Hero’s World required excellent teamwork.
Preparing a strategy with preassigned team members significantly improved efficiency.
But not knowing the team members in advance meant preparing for all possible scenarios.
It was an exam that evaluated the cadets’ overall abilities as prospective heroes.
“No freeloading, huh?”
“Hey! Who’s freeloading?”
“Yeah, Cal, you’re too much of a burden to even freeload!”
“Chelsea, you!”
Oh-ho-ho-ho! The sound of laughter echoed as Iliana and Chelsea ran away, laughing, while Cal clutched his head.
“Cal, isn’t this exam actually good for you?”
“What?”
“You’re aiming to be a supporter, right?”
Cal’s eyes widened.
“Whichever team you join, your role is already clear.”
“Yeah, I just need to prepare thoroughly to support any team!”
The presence of a supporter made a significant difference in battles.
Instead of trying to imitate a mage poorly, Cal could create more synergy by fully committing to his role as a supporter.
“Thanks, Leo! Because of you, I see the way forward!”
“I don’t really want Cal’s support, though.”
“I’m a little worried too.”
“Tade! Nella! You too?”
Amid his friends’ lack of faith, Cal clutched his head and let out a wail.
End Of Chapter
