Nine first-year students quickly gathered around Leo.
'Three from the Knighthood Department, two from the Summoning Department, and four from the Magic Department... Quite a few.'
"Jebin!"
"Nivea! Great to see you! What luck to join up so early!"
Jebin smiled brightly upon spotting Nivea, a female student from the Magic Department who was part of his clique.
"I don't think I've done anything to deserve this."
Nivea snorted at Leo's words.
"Tch! Don't be ridiculous! Do you know how long students have been suffering because of you?"
"What kind of suffering have I caused?"
"Receiving favoritism from professors for being an all-class student! Thanks to your unnecessary showing off, the magic lessons have become increasingly difficult! Do you even consider the other students?"
"Right! In the summoning class, we always get tough assignments because you act so superior!"
"Even in the knighthood class, we have to do grueling training every day!"
Leo, who had been listening to the complaints, burst into a hollow laugh.
"If you have complaints, you should protest to the professors."
The students flinched at his words.
"And do you really think the class progress would change just because of one person? Don't you think it's simply because you can't keep up with the pace?"
"What?"
Leo's words made Nivea flare up.
"I was always the top student at the academy I attended before coming to Lumern! It's absurd to think I can't keep up with the class!"
"You can't keep up because you're not good enough. Shouldn't you feel ashamed for blaming others for your shortcomings?"
"Ugh! Shut up! Chain Lightning!"
Zzzz-!
A chain of electric currents shot out from the tip of her staff, heading straight for Leo.
As the electric chain approached, Leo waved his hand and dispelled the magic.
Whoosh! Crack! Boom!
The dispelled magic exploded, sending sparks flying in all directions.
"How, how did you...?"
"The spell is powerful, but its structure is simple. That's why it's easily dispelled. Didn't we learn that in the first class?"
Leo curled his lips into a smirk.
"Don't rely too much on the activation formula."
"Ugh! Don't act so superior, you backwater kingdom bumpkin!"
Nivea, enraged, began casting spells wildly.
"Everyone, attack! He's just a first-year like us! If we all attack him, he won't stand a chance!"
"First-year like us?"
Jebin's exclamation made Leo burst into laughter.
"Sure, if you were proper first-year students, I might have had a tough time, but I don't think I'll lose to someone who blames others for their own shortcomings."
"What did you say!"
"You bastard!"
The Magic Department students cast spells at Leo in unison, while the Knighthood Department students brandished their weapons and circled around him, applying pressure.
The Summoning Department students summoned spirits.
Whoosh-!
Leo created a flame in his hand.
"Fire Wall."
Boom-!
A wall of flames shot up, neutralizing the incoming spells.
The Magic Department students who had been pressuring Leo retreated in shock.
"No, no way! Our spells were so easily...!"
"Don't panic! Such a powerful spell must consume a lot of mana! He's just lashing out!"
A Knighthood Department student, trying to calm the others, quickly stepped forward, adjusted his grip on his spear, and charged at Leo.
Whoosh-!
A swift thrust.
Despite the lightning-fast attack, Leo easily caught the spear shaft.
Thud-!
"Ugh!"
Desperately trying to retrieve his spear, the student was taken aback.
But the spear didn't budge.
Instead, as Leo applied more force, the blade began to crack.
Crack-!
"No way! It's a mana-infused blade!"
"Mana isn't invincible."
Crack-! Snap!
"!"
The two-handed sword shattered into pieces, scattering in all directions.
"You should have prepared a backup plan in case your attack was blocked."
Kick-!
"Ugh!"
Leo kicked the student in the side.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
The student flew and crashed into a tree, then fell to the ground in a heap.
A bright light emitted from the two Knighthood Department students, and they disappeared.
Teleportation magic.
It indicated their disqualification from the departmental competition.
Rumble-!
Suddenly, the ground moved like a living thing, wrapping around Leo like a snake.
At the same time, water droplets formed around his face and coalesced into a sphere the size of his head, covering his face.
Bubbles- Bubbles-
"Great!"
"Let's suffocate him and disqualify him!"
The two Summoning Department students who had summoned the spirits cheered.
Crack! Boom-!
But the ground that had trapped Leo crumbled into clumps of dirt, and the water sphere burst into nothingness.
"How could this happen! Our spirit magic...!"
Seeing the spirit mages' stunned faces, Leo shook the water off his head and said,
"If you had formed a temporary contract with the spirits in this area, you should have anticipated that a more skilled spirit mage could take control."
Leo brushed the dirt off his body and asked,
"So, what's next?"
They involuntarily took a step back.
'Is the difference really this big?'
"Nothing?"
Roar-!
Leo summoned his aura.
"Then you're prepared?"
"Wait! Leo! Just wait a moment!"
Jebin, his face pale with fear, desperately called out.
"We were wrong! If we're disqualified, we'll be expelled! Please, just one more chance!"
"Y-Yeah! Forgive us!"
"I-I didn't want to fight you! Leo! It was because of these guys!"
"Don't be ridiculous! You were the most enthusiastic participant!"
Their fighting spirit shattered, they quickly collapsed.
"Leo! You don't really need to disqualify us, right? So...?"
Nivea spoke in a trembling voice.
Leo looked at her and said,
"True, you're not much of a threat, and disqualifying you won't benefit me."
The students' faces brightened at his words.
"Then!"
"But..."
Leo's expression turned cold.
"Would you have shown mercy if you were in my position?"
The students' faces darkened with despair.
Swish-!
"As Lumern students, this could be your last battle. So, face it like true Lumern students."
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm staying at Lumern!"
Jebin, spitting out curses, used a Wing spell to quickly leave the battlefield.
"Cheater!"
"Damn! Run!"
Seeing his classmates scatter in all directions, Leo sighed.
The final practical exam doesn't guarantee a higher score just because you survive.
"Even heroes must fight when they know they will lose."
These students had essentially squandered their last chance.
"It's better to abandon the illusion that you can run away."
Leo smiled coldly.
***
Most of the Lumern students dropped into Negrang panicked when the departmental competition began.
"Monsters? Hey! Don't drive them this way!"
"Dear classmates! Let's deal with the monsters together! We agreed to combine our strengths!"
"Hey! That was for a normal departmental competition! Now, it's a test... Ah! Just get out of here!"
A student, while being chased by monsters, charged at a fellow student from the same department.
"Wait! The curse is activating... Ugh!"
"Confusion curse... Ugh! Nausea!"
A student fell victim to the curses spread throughout Negrang.
"Attack!"
"Finally! Let's fight!"
Students fiercely battling each other.
"Please! We're in the same class! Please, let's form a party together!"
"Ah! No, you and I are from different departments... Let go of me!"
Students clinging to their classmates, and so on.
The sudden addition of the final practical exam element turned the departmental competition into utter chaos.
The pressure of the final exam was so intense that it could have overturned any pre-planned strategies.
Arthian, the new professor from outside Lumern, watched the students through the projection magic with a serious expression.
"I'm not sure if this is too harsh on the students."
"This is a complacent way of thinking, Professor Arthian."
Haldin's words made Arthian flinch and shrink back.
"This departmental competition may seem like a personal battle at first glance, but in reality, the students had ample opportunity to form teams and cooperate."
"Political and diplomatic skills are also important for heroes. Preparing for cooperation is part of being prepared."
Professor Sedjen, picking up on Haldin's words, looked at the students in the projection and said,
"But the world doesn't always go according to plan. The principal must have anticipated this. This departmental competition is also a test of their ability to handle unexpected situations."
"Still, it's too harsh. Shouldn't we guide the students in a more stable way?"
Arthian, who was not from Lumern, found it difficult to adapt to the school's policy of constantly challenging the students.
"Perhaps in a regular school, but remember, Professor Arthian, this is Lumern."
"Huh?"
"The students we train are candidates for heroes. If they can't overcome such trials, they won't become heroes, and they might even lose their lives during their studies here."
Sedjen's serious expression deepened.
"To prevent that, we must continuously test the students' potential."
All the teachers fell silent at Sedjen's words, who had seen more student deaths than anyone else.
"Professors."
"Secretary Erena, what is it?"
Erena, the principal's secretary, approached the gathering of first-year professors.
"There's an urgent task for the assistant professors. Can I take them away?"
"What urgent task for the assistant professors?"
Erena smiled at Haldin's question.
"Due to the current lockdown, we need to mobilize more people."
"Understood. Assistant professors, please do your best for the school."
With Sedjen's permission, the assistant professors followed Erena out of the training ground.
"Is something wrong, Haldin?"
Sedjen asked, noticing Haldin staring intently at Erena.