All the first-year students gathered in the lecture hall.
The murmurs of the teenage students, in their mid-teens, filled the entire lecture hall.
Amidst this, the associate professors and teaching assistants came out to prepare for the class.
After a while, when the preparations were complete, one of the associate professors said,
"Everyone, please quiet down. Class is about to start!"
"Yes."
The students responded to the teaching assistants.
The murmurs decreased a bit but didn't completely disappear.
Teenagers in their mid-teens, who loved playing with friends, weren't the type that could be silenced by just one adult's words.
The associate professors knew this but didn't point it out further.
This was because the person in charge of today's class was none other than Professor Artian Nier.
"Everyone! I'm sorry for being late!"
As Professor Artian entered the lecture hall and ascended the podium, she apologized.
Thud!
"Ako!"
Then, she tripped and fell.
The entire class of students straightened up and fell silent.
Embarrassed, Professor Artian rubbed her knee and headed to the center of the podium.
Artian Nier.
Currently, the most feared professor by the first-year students.
The reason was simple.
If you talked during her class, physical punishment would immediately follow.
Of course, it wasn't by her will, but by the impulsive spirits contracted to Professor Artian.
Thanks to this, students would tense up as soon as Professor Artian appeared.
Artian, who had controlled the students just by her appearance, clapped her hands and smiled brightly.
"Sure enough, our students are so well-behaved! To become so quiet in front of a professor!"
The optimistic Artian simply thought the students were well-behaved.
"Last class, we talked about the stories of the hero lineages. Before we start today's class, let's review a bit of what we learned."
Artian began the class.
"Who can explain why hero lineages could be created after the appearance of the Hero Record?"
Hands went up here and there in response to the question.
Despite her fearsomeness, she was a good professor.
She made the class easy to understand and was also generous with grades.
Considering that some strict professors would even deduct points, there was no downside to actively participating in Artian's class.
Even Karl raised his hand enthusiastically.
"Karl from Class 5?"
"Yay!"
Karl, who quietly cheered, stood up.
"To open the world of a hero in the Hero Record, an item closely related to or with a deep anecdote about that hero is needed. The descendants of heroes have easy access to the world of heroes because they inherit their ancestors' relics!"
"Correct. I'll give Karl 5 points."
Karl sat down with a smile.
"Although it's a political matter, the deep connections between the Lumern Academy, which stores the Hero Record, and the hero lineages are also due to this reason."
Even if you have the key to open the world of a hero, the records of the heroes are stored in the Hero Record at Lumern.
"For heroes whose relics did not survive before the appearance of the world of heroes, items related to the heroes can be obtained through archaeological surveys and excavations."
The Hero Record has existed since the Age of Catastrophe, so there are countless pages that exist but cannot open the world of heroes.
"Even for the same hero, not all pages can be opened with a single relic, making excavation one of the most important activities in the modern era, second only to hero dungeon raids. Moreover, while hero dungeons created by rampages offer rewards, they often result in unstable inheritance of power. So, let's have one more question."
Artian looked back at the students.
"Who can talk about the importance of hero studies beyond what I've explained?"
Once again, students raised their hands enthusiastically.
"Durand from Class 1."
"Because it can provide clues for raiding the world of heroes."
"Right. 5 points for Durand."
Durand sat down calmly.
"The world of heroes is a great trial that the previous heroes faced. Even knowing the anecdotes of a hero, raiding their world is an enormous challenge. Many lose their lives there. That's why even a small clue or anecdote can be a key keyword for raiding."
This is why students delve deeply into hero studies.
"When you become upperclassmen, you will choose a hero to inherit their power and raid their page. You should also figure out which hero suits your personality by then."
Iliana clapped lightly.
"Alright, let's start with the homework presentations now."
Last week, Artian had given all the first-year students homework.
Of course, it wasn't particularly difficult.
To think about what they wanted to do as heroes and present it in the next hero studies class.
It might seem trivial, but for those who dreamed of becoming heroes, it was necessary to establish their own hero image.
Since everyone had entered Lumern with serious intentions, the first-year students had seriously pondered this homework over the weekend.
"Alright, let's start with Class 1."
The students of Class 1 hesitated, looking at each other.
They were embarrassed to share their goals as heroes in front of hundreds of people.
"Class 1! Don't be embarrassed! Your goals are your guides! It's honorable to speak them proudly... Gulp!"
"Now it's Artian's class. It's not your time to step in."
"Professor Sedgen! Please! Professor Artian is already so timid!"
Sedgen, who couldn't bear to see the hesitant Class 1, was held back by the other class professors.
At that moment, Celia stood up.
She straightened her back, swept her hair back, and spoke confidently.
"I want to become a knight that surpasses the ancestors of my family."
A knight surpassing the ancestors of Jarding.
For someone from a hero lineage, there was no more weighty goal.
"Wow! What a great goal!"
Next, Chloe stood up.
"I want to create a grimoire that establishes my original spells."
"What an ambitious goal for a mage."
Starting with Celia, the students began to share their goals one by one.
At first, they hesitated, but once they started, they spoke without restraint.
The class professors, who were observing from the back, listened carefully to their students' presentations.
They knew this short presentation revealed the path each student wanted to take.
Eventually, it was Class 5's turn.
"I want to be of help to heroes."
As Karl shared his aspiration, Artian looked surprised but soon smiled, understanding his intention.
"Karl seems to want to be someone who supports heroes."
"Yes."
While most students didn't understand Karl's choice to be a supporter, the professors often positively evaluated the path he wanted to take.
As Karl sat down, it was Leo's turn.
Leo stood up calmly and said,
"My goal is the complete annihilation of Erebus."
Instantly, the lecture hall fell silent.
Artian was surprised, and the students looked at Leo with bewildered faces.
The complete annihilation of Erebus.
It wasn't just a personal wish.
It was a long-standing grudge since the Age of Catastrophe.
But it was a foolish wish that even the great heroes had failed to achieve, one that would invite ridicule if spoken aloud.
It was absurd that he had spoken it without hesitation.
"Ah, um...! What a grand goal!"
Artian managed to pull herself together and smiled.
"Isn't that too much like a dream?"
"There was a foolish kid who used to say such dreamy things."
Leo rested his chin and chuckled.
"At some point, I was moved by those foolish words. So, I decided to take on that dream."
Karl looked at Leo with a bewildered expression.
Then he smiled.
"Someone with such a great goal needs an excellent supporter, right?"
"I'll be counting on you, Karl."
***
"The aspirations of the class representatives are truly remarkable."
One of the class professors muttered as they watched the first-year students' presentations.
"Isn't it a bit too playful?"
"His professor is Professor Halind. Do you think he would joke around in such a situation?"
"Still, isn't it an absurd aspiration?"
Opinions were divided among the professors.
Sedgen then asked Halind, who was standing next to him,
"Do you think it's a joke?"
"No. He's not the type to speak nonsense."
Halind frowned.
"That's why I find it a bit scary."
It had been thousands of years since Erebus was defeated by the great heroes and split into pieces and sealed.
There had been a few resurrections over the years.
But even the resurrection of a single piece had caused a massive catastrophe.
As the ten class representatives ascended the podium,
"Oh. The representative of Class 5 is Young Master Leo?"
Chen Xia, the representative of Class 10, greeted him warmly.
"It was decided on the fly today."
"On the fly?"
Chen Xia tilted her head in confusion.
As the top students of the first year gathered, a peculiar atmosphere formed.
Artian opened the sealed box.
"The Hero Record pages recovered this time are two. Of course, only one page will be used as teaching material. The other is a page fragment... I brought it to show that such things exist."
Artian held up the page fragment.
And she handed it to Leo, who was closest.
Leo reached out without thinking.
Instantly, the page fragment emitted a faint light.
And the moment it touched Leo's hand,
[Hero Record Open. The World of ■■. Chapter: ■■-■■■]
A message he had seen before appeared before Leo's eyes.
Artian, of course, the class representatives, and the professors who were prepared for any situation, all looked shocked.
Rumble!
A light appeared on the podium floor.
An unknown divine language to the lower realm inhabitants.
"Rampage?"
Professor Sedgen's bewildered voice echoed as a bright light enveloped the podium.
When the light faded, Leo and the other class representatives and their professors found themselves in a space.
It was the middle of a battlefield.
All kinds of bizarre monsters' corpses littered the ground.
"Everyone, stay alert! It's a hero dungeon!"
Halind's shout made the class representatives' faces pale.
"Professor Sedgen! Look, there's a city wall!"
Sedgen pointed to the city wall Leo was looking at.
Leo stared at the wall, dazed.
It was a familiar wall to him.
A place that no longer existed in the current era.
The Age of Catastrophe, the final defense line and the last city.
The wall of Guardstone.
The smell of burning monsters, beasts, and demons filled his nostrils.
Leo could never forget this scene.
If it was that time... if his memory was correct, he would definitely say,
'Right, Kyle. My grudge is a foolish one.'
"Right, ■■. My grudge is a foolish one."
The voice from behind made the professors and class representatives jump and turn their heads.
They involuntarily drew in their breath.
The person there was a very famous figure.
Leo turned his head blankly toward the voice.
The woman spoke with the same confident tone as before.
"But, ■■. We will save the world."
The black dragon, known as the King of Wisdom in the current era.
The great and noble hero who had brought a ray of hope during the Age of Catastrophe, when the world was on the brink of destruction.
At that time, a close friend who was ridiculed as a fool.
Feeling a lump in his throat, Leo called out the name.
"Risinas."
At the call, Risinas smiled.
Whoosh!
At the same time, the world crumbled.
They were back in the lecture hall in the blink of an eye.
"What...!"
"Professors, what just happened?"
The students asked in trembling voices, confused.
Halind made a calm judgment.
"Class is suspended. Everyone, calm down and leave the lecture hall."
The associate professors led the students out.
Leo stood there blankly, looking down at the Hero Record page fragment in his hand.