The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student-Chapter 37: Victory and Ambition

KakaoPage Originals

The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student

[Original — Yerona]

[TL — MiT7]

[PR — Spades]

[QC — Lumi]

Chapter 37 — Victory and Ambition

——————

Roar!

Flames gathered at Leo's sword tip.

His fire blazed fiercer.

Engulfed in flames, Leo charged.

'Now!' Howl thought, thrusting his spear before Leo closed the distance.

Swish!

A massive green aura beam shot from the spear, stretching like a living anaconda toward Leo's neck.

Leo swung his Flame Aura to deflect it.

Whoosh!

Howl's aura shifted trajectory like a living snake.

'As expected,' Leo thought, unfazed, charging at the defenseless Howl.

Howl's technique was tricky at a distance but left him vulnerable up close.

"Got you!" Howl shouted gleefully.

Stretch!

"...!" Leo paused.

Howl's aura extended further.

"Snake Prison!"

Clamp!

The aura coiled around Leo like a snake trapping prey, tightening instantly.

Gasps erupted at the precise aura control.

Professor Ain, watching, curled his lips. 'Flame Aura excels in attack but is weak in defense—a double-edged sword.'

Poison Aura shared that trait, making it vulnerable to flames.

'He focused on aura control to cover that weakness and mastered this technique,' Ain thought, glancing at the silent Leo. 'But Leo Flove wouldn't charge without a plan.'

'How's that, Leo? This'll take you down! And...' Howl thought, turning to Celia, stunned, and clenching his fist. 'Celia! I'll prove I'm your equal—'

"Impressive technique. But your finish is sloppy," Leo said.

Fwoosh! Boom!

Howl's aura around Leo swelled and exploded, scattering.

Roar! Blaze!

Leo's flames roared fiercely.

Sword raised, Leo locked eyes with the frozen Howl. "Never let your guard down until the flames die."

"Ugh!" Howl gripped his spear.

Press! Pop!

Flames burst at Leo's feet.

Aura Step.

Whoosh! Blaze!

Leo shot forward like a fiery bullet, his sword tip at Howl's throat.

"Winner, Leo Flove," Ain declared calmly.

Cheers erupted.

"Wow! Leo oppa won!" Chelsea bounced excitedly.

"He's that strong in practicals too?" Tade muttered, stunned.

Handing popcorn to a customer, Carl whistled loudly.

"Who said that first-year's weak in combat?" an upperclassman asked.

"Howl was great, but the matchup was brutal," another said.

"No wonder this year's freshmen are hyped," a third added, impressed.

As Leo sheathed his sword, Howl dropped his head and knelt. "Total defeat. Overwhelming skill gap. To let my guard down against someone like you... embarrassing."

"Honestly, I didn't expect that level of technique either," Leo said.

Such aura control required immense effort, surprising even Leo. "If your aura was a bit stronger, I might've passed out from suffocation. I underestimated you too, so we're even."

Smiling, Leo offered his hand. "Great technique."

Howl stared blankly, then took it and stood.

Leo patted his shoulder and left the arena.

'Leo Flove... no wonder he stands by Celia,' Howl thought, trudging off.

Class 1 Knight Studies students greeted him.

"Howl! So close!"

"Ugh! Perfect chance to avenge the bathroom cleaning!"

"What's that monster? No weaknesses in combat!" they said, consoling him.

"Elegance! Howl, splendid match! Without the matchup, you'd have crushed Leo Flove! Don't lose heart!" Sedjen bellowed.

"Professor Sedjen, refrain from biased remarks, even for your student," Ain said, rubbing his temples.

Howl scratched his head, sheepish at the warm reception.

Spotting Celia approaching, he tensed.

She smiled brightly. "Not bad. Pretty cool."

"What? Uh! Yeah! Thanks!" Howl stammered, blushing.

'Howl's purer than he looks,' a Class 1 student thought.

'Celia's oblivious to that stuff,' another mused.

'Shouldn't she notice by now?' a third wondered, smirking.

"Leo, great job. When did you train your aura like that?" Celia asked, approaching him.

Howl clenched his fist. 'Leo Flove! You're my new goal!'

The tenacious boy vowed to surpass Leo.

Class 1 students clicked their tongues, munching popcorn, watching Howl's resolve.

Having won his first duel flawlessly, Leo sat to observe the rest.

"Class 5, Iliana Laden, forward," Ain called.

"Here I come! Who's my opponent?" Iliana shouted.

"Class 10, Chen Xia, forward," Ain said.

"What!" Iliana gasped, startled to face Chen Xia.

"Please, let's do well," Chen Xia said.

"You too," Iliana replied.

They exchanged greetings.

'I've grown a lot! Even the top ranker's beatable!' Iliana thought, gripping her rapier as aura flickered.

Swirl!

Chen Xia, a martial artist, had no weapon.

Blue aura shimmered at her fingertips, forming water droplets.

Her aura trait: water.

The droplets wove like threads, creating a silken wave.

Chen Xia's hands danced, guiding the wave gracefully.

"Hup!" Iliana inhaled deeply, aiming her rapier.

"Hah!"

Aura exploded, propelling her forward.

Leo sighed. "That idiot."

Boom!

"Gah!"

Crash! Roll!

Iliana's fierce charge was effortlessly blocked, her attack reflected.

She tumbled across the ground, eyes spinning.

"Chen Xia, winner," Ain declared.

Her overwhelming power stood out.

As a sword mage, Iliana was at a disadvantage in this exam, so few expected much.

Chen Xia bowed politely and left.

Iliana, struggling, raised a fist skyward. "Still, I held my own against Chen Xia! No shame!"

"Shut up, you're embarrassing us," a Class 5 knight student snapped.

"Just pretend you're knocked out. Please," another begged.

Iliana pouted.

"Class prez! They're calling me embarrassing!" she whined to Leo.

"Your impulsiveness is the problem. You know Chen Xia's strength," Leo said.

"I do! That's why I charged hard! I can't beat her swordplay, so I had to show spirit!" Iliana said.

"That's your pride talking," Leo said, clicking his tongue.

Iliana was among the year's top tier.

'Bad matchup. If she could use magic, maybe, but this is Knight Studies. If she'd been cautious, she wouldn't have lost so pathetically,' Leo thought, shaking his head.

He caught Chen Xia's eye from Class 10's seats.

She waved, smiling; Leo waved back.

'As I thought before, Chen Xia's the most balanced first-year knight,' Leo mused.

Celia and Duran's auras were attack-focused.

Chen Xia's water aura balanced offense and defense.

Observing others' duels, Leo noted the lower-ranked students' growth.

Some even defeated previously superior peers.

Amid mixed outcomes, entrance exam top-rankers proved their class.

Celia, swiftly subduing her opponent, flipped her hair elegantly and approached Leo. "What'd you think?"

"You've grown," Leo said.

"Obviously," Celia said, narrowing her eyes. "Leo, I'm taking the year rep spot this exam."

"Go for it. If you can," Leo said, smiling.

Celia grinned and returned to Class 1.

Iliana, watching, said, "Mr. Popular."

"Jealous?" Leo asked.

"Nope. Like I told Nella, I'll pass on that popularity," Iliana said.

***

Midterm exam period.

After the final written exam, Linguistics, Class 5 students swarmed Chelsea.

"Hey! Chelsea! Show us your answers!" one shouted.

"I'm first!" another demanded.

"Carl, your grades are trash anyway. Look later!" a third said.

"No way!" Carl protested.

Competition to see Chelsea's answers—top in written exams—was fierce.

Chelsea waved her test paper, grinning at the crowd. "Who gets first peek?"

"Chelsea noona! Me first!" one pleaded.

"Sis! Me!" another begged.

"You're extra stunning today, noona!" a third flattered.

Class 5 clung to Chelsea, the youngest.

"Hohoho," she laughed, covering her mouth, basking in the attention.

"Exams are over. Checking answers now won't change scores," Leo said, propping his chin by the window.

Nella smiled lazily. "Still, people want to know their scores sooner."

Leo shook his head, packing his pens.

"I've only got the joint Hero and Combat Studies practical left, but you've got Magic and Summoning too?" Nella asked.

Leo passed Knight Studies with five straight wins.

Howl, his first opponent, was the toughest.

Celia, Chen Xia, and Duran also went undefeated.

Nella had one loss.

"If I hadn't faced that jerk Duran, I could've gone undefeated too!" Chelsea said, snuggling into Nella after sharing her answers.

Nella, a strong contender, lost to Duran in her third duel.

"You held your own against him. I'm satisfied," Nella said, patting Chelsea's head.

"By the way, Leo oppa, how's Summoning practice?" Chelsea asked.

"Going well," Leo said.

"You barely show up to practice," Tade said, puzzled.

Summoning's practical was a major first-semester event.

Leo smiled at Tade's question. "I'm training hard out of sight."

"Classic Leo oppa. Overflowing confidence. What's your goal?" Chelsea asked, eyes gleaming.

"First place, obviously," Leo said.