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Chapter 15




【15】14
“What do you think you are?”
“Huh?”
“You are students of Lumeren. That means you are hero candidates! Don’t you think that when faced with a crisis, you should first think about overcoming it on your own?”
Ain’s reprimand made the students shudder.
At that moment, Ain noticed Leo moving without hesitation.
“There’s at least one who’s up to the task.”
The tentacle of the kraken, which had risen up, was approaching at a rapid speed.
Swish-!
Leo drew his sword and cut the tentacle.
Thud-!
Leo kicked the writhing tentacle on the ground and pushed it back into the lake.
“Don’t be scared by its size! With your abilities, you can handle it!”
Leo’s gaze was directed precisely at Celia and Chloe.
“Hmph! Who said I was scared?”
Chloe snorted indignantly, and Celia, not to be outdone, drew her sword.
“What do you take me for, Leo?”
Whoosh-!
Flames, the symbol of Zerding, burst from her sword.
“I’m not going to be scared of some squid...!”
Swoosh!
“Screeech!”
A water jet shot out from the tip of the kraken’s tentacle, enveloping Celia.
Though she defended herself using her Aura Armor, Celia was instantly drenched like a wet rat.
“The kraken reacts to heat and shoots water jets.”
Leo chuckled and tapped Celia’s forehead.
“You still lack experience, don’t you?”
“Ugh! I’m the same age as you! Don’t talk about experience!”
Celia, her face red, rubbed her forehead and shouted.
Meanwhile, the kraken attacked again.
Celia’s eyes narrowed fiercely.
“You damn squid! I’ll turn you into calamari!”
Whoosh-!
Celia’s sword traced a brilliant arc.
Splat!
The kraken’s tentacle, cut into pieces, scattered.
Leo, who had a smile on his face as he turned to look at Celia, swung his sword.
Whoosh-!
With a tremendous sound, the kraken’s tentacle was cut into even smaller pieces.
“Grr! Trying to show off!”
Celia’s eyes, now stimulated, sparked with anger.
“You’re pretty good with a sword, huh?”
Meanwhile, Chloe raised her magic wand and chanted in Runes.
Zing-!
“Icicle.”
Ice particles in the air gathered and formed a massive icicle.
When Chloe released the spell, the icicle flew.
Crash-! Zing-! Clang!
The frozen tentacle of the kraken shattered into pieces.
“Hahaha! Why should we sweat like knights? We can handle things smartly from the back... Eek?!”
Chloe, who had been smirking, became the target of the kraken.
Caught off guard by the kraken’s unexpectedly fast attack, Leo grabbed Chloe by the back of her neck and pulled her away.
“A mage shouldn’t be at the front.”
Swish-!
Leo swung his sword and cut off the kraken’s tentacle.
“The kraken reacts to mana, so use magic carefully.”
“Ah, got it.”
The freshmen, who had been panicked by the attack, regained their composure and counterattacked.
Though the kraken was an upper-level monster, the students of Lumeren were not so easily defeated.
Ain, watching from behind, smiled.
‘This year’s freshmen are very promising.’
Professor Ain, who had been scolding the freshmen, was now very satisfied.
This lake is famous for being home to all kinds of aquatic monsters.
Thus, attacks by aquatic monsters were almost an annual event.
All students admitted to Lumeren are exceptionally talented.
And by being admitted to the prestigious Lumeren, they had already proven their abilities.
Skills, background, and academic credentials.
The freshmen, who had nothing to be inferior about, were naturally full of themselves.
‘They can’t properly follow Lumeren’s classes in such a state of mind.’
The freshmen don’t know.
That they merely met the minimum standards required to learn at Lumeren.
Therefore, it was necessary to instill a sense of caution, which is why Lumeren allowed the attacks by aquatic monsters.
Of course, they weren’t left completely defenseless.
For example, when attacked by the kraken, the destruction of the ship’s hull, which would have been the biggest problem, did not occur.
Of course, the freshmen didn’t notice this and were busy fending off the kraken in front of them.
‘As expected, the top students are standing out.’
Ain’s gaze, which had been assessing the freshmen’s abilities, fell on Leo.
‘Impressive.’
Ain’s eyes sparkled.
His sword skills were clean and efficient.
Moreover, he seemed to predict the kraken’s movements, moving lightly to cut its tentacles.
‘I should remember him.’
Judging by his sword skills, he was clearly aiming for the Knight’s Department.
Ain smiled, satisfied to have found an outstanding student.
***
The freshmen barely managed to fend off the kraken, but the attacks by aquatic monsters continued.
What had been a party on the ship turned into a parade of monsters.
After about an hour, the freshmen were all in a mess.
Their uniforms were drenched, their bodies covered in sweat, and their faces were exhausted.
They were fighting the relentless attacks of the monsters without a break.
“I can’t fight anymore! My mana is depleted!”
Chloe, lying on the deck, shouted.
“Ugh... Anyone have a mana potion left?”
Kai looked around, but no one responded.
“Huff- Huff-”
Celia, breathing heavily, glanced at Leo.
‘This monster of stamina!’
Leo was still on guard by the shore, showing no signs of fatigue.
How could he have such inexhaustible stamina at the same age?
“Huff-!”
Celia, gritting her teeth and taking a deep breath, stood next to Leo.
At that moment,
“I can see the dock!”
“This endless fight is over!”
“Woo-hoo!”
Cheers erupted on the deck.
For the students, exhausted by the long battle, there was no better news.
Shortly after, the ship docked, and the students got off the ship, looking relieved.
At the dock, a small-framed woman in a suit and glasses was waiting for the freshmen.
“Thank goodness! It seems nothing serious happened!”
The students felt a lump in their throats at her words.
‘Nothing serious? We were attacked by monsters!’
Of course, no one dared to protest, as she was likely a professor from Lumeren.
“Professor Ain. Thank you for leading the freshmen! From now on, I’ll take over.”
“Understood.”
Ain, nodding, turned to the freshmen.
“I will be teaching the first-year Knight’s Department this year.”
The Knight’s Department students looked startled.
“Some of the Knight’s Department students will attend my class.”
Ain smiled at Leo and a few other students.
“Those who want to reach a higher level should come to my class!”
“Yes!”
“Understood! Professor Ain!”
The Knight’s Department students responded loudly.
Ain, satisfied with their response, took on a meaningful expression.
“And listen to your instructor.”
With that, he left.
“My name is Artian Nier. I will be teaching the first-year Summoning Department.”
She adjusted her glasses and introduced herself with a friendly smile.
“Artian Nier? I’ve never heard of that name.”
Celia tilted her head.
To be a professor at Lumeren, one must be a very famous figure in their field.
However, she had never heard of Artian Nier.
“Artian Nier is quite famous in the central region.”
Kai spoke up.
“What kind of person is she?”
“A necromancer, they say.”
“A necromancer?”
Celia looked surprised.
Summoning magic is divided into three major categories.
Elemental magic, which makes contracts with elementals.
Beast summoning, which summons beasts.
And necromancy, which summons spirits.
Among these, necromancy, which summons the fragments of spirits, is a very rare ability.
‘One of Rysinas’ specialties.’
Necromancy is a special innate ability, so even Kail, who was an all-class, couldn’t learn it.
“Shall we head to the opening ceremony?”
Artian asked with a gentle smile.
The students protested.
“Professor! Is there a place to change clothes?”
“Right! We can’t attend the opening ceremony looking like this!”
The students, who had been obedient during Professor Ain’s time, now spoke up one after another.
They were all noble students.
During Professor Ian’s time, they had been intimidated by the name “Knight of the Ice Sea.”
But they immediately voiced their complaints to Artian, who was unknown and had a gentle appearance.
“No, no! We need to follow the schedule...”
“We can’t appear at an important event looking like this! Our families would never allow it!”
“Right! We proudly enrolled in Lumeren! This treatment is unacceptable!”
“Right! Right! We’ll file a formal complaint through our families!”
“Y-You guys?!”
Artian, who was actually gentle, could only shrink back at the students’ protests.
Encouraged by her reaction, the students raised their voices even more.
“We should intervene.”
Celia frowned, and Leo chuckled.
“Maybe not?”
“What?”
Artian bowed her head deeply.
And then...
“You damn brats! Do I look like a pushover just because I let you talk? What are you, freshmen, doing, crawling to a professor like this?!”
Artian, who had been calm a moment ago, now had a fierce look in her eyes.
The students, who had been raising their voices, were taken aback.
A male student, still dazed, shouted desperately.
“No matter how much you are a professor, we won’t tolerate such insults...”
“Look at this brat? He still doesn’t get it?”
Crack!
“Huh? Wh-what?”
Artian, with a fierce smile, grabbed the male student by the collar.
He was much taller than the other freshmen, but Artian showed no signs of struggle.
Instead, a golden aura flowed from her body.
“Huh? A-Aura?”
“Dual class?”
The students were shocked.
The male student, whose collar was grabbed, also turned pale.
Artian threw the male student into the lake.
“Aaaaah!”
Splash-! Thud! Thud!
The male student flailed in the water.
Artian warned fiercely.
“If any of you brats dare to rebel, I won’t let it slide...!”
Before she could finish, her expression changed.
“This is troublesome.”
This time, she took on a cold demeanor, sighed, and waved her hand lightly.
Golden mana burst from her.
Artian used magic to rescue the student who had fallen into the water.
The students’ eyes widened.
She was clearly a professor of the Summoning Department, yet she could use both Aura and magic!
“Of course.”
“Do you know about her abilities?”
Celia, who was surprised, asked Leo, who was muttering.
“She has spirits’ souls residing in her body. Her personality changes due to the spirits she has contracted.”
“Necromancy? That’s a legendary ability!”
Celia exclaimed, amazed by the rare ability among necromancers.
Indeed, Professor Ain’s advice to listen well was not for nothing.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. The spirits I’ve contracted have a quick temper!”
Artian, back to her original personality, apologized, but the students were only watching.
They had instantly realized that their professor, though unknown, was a formidable figure they couldn’t match.
Amidst this, Artian smiled brightly.
“Anyway, everyone! Let’s go to the opening ceremony!”
“Yes...”
The students, still cautious, responded weakly.
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