KakaoPage Originals
The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student
[Original — Yerona]
[TL — MiT7]
[PR — Spades]
[QC — Lumi]
Chapter 20 — The Flame of Fate
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"A practical exam on the first day?"
"Other classes are trial sessions! Why us?"
Yura addressed the flustered students with a serious tone.
"I told you—half-hearted students should leave. You think we're the same as the other two majors?"
The students fell silent.
"You summoning students should know this. Summoning isn't just about mana sensitivity. Contracting spirits requires spirit affinity, and controlling magical beasts demands taming skills."
Yura spread her arms wide.
"That's why summoners are vastly outnumbered by knights and mages. And why so few summoners become heroes."
The undeniable truth made the students clench their jaws.
"But! The summoners who do become heroes achieve feats far grander than others!"
She shouted with pride.
"You think you're on the same level as other departments?"
"No, ma'am!"
"You're chosen ones, aren't you?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Then let's kick things off with a bang!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Alright! Let's go!"
"Go!"
Yura raised her fist, and the first-years mirrored her, roaring.
The atmosphere ignited instantly.
Satisfied with their fervor, Yura smiled as a silver-haired female student raised her hand.
"So, what's this first-day practical exam?"
"Good question, Eliza Hergin."
Her name sparked murmurs.
The Hergin family.
A renowned summoner hero lineage from the northern continent.
"This island houses magical beasts managed by Lumern."
To summoners, magical beasts were weapons.
"I'm testing your taming skills."
Yura pointed to the forest.
"Tame a magical beast from this forest and bring it back. Your score depends on the beast you tame."
Eliza, after hearing the explanation, asked, "What if we tame *and* contract it?"
Students swallowed hard.
Taming and contracting were distinct.
Taming built rapport, the first step toward a contract.
Only those with sufficient skill could seal a contract after taming.
Yura grinned at Eliza's question.
"Succeed, and that beast is yours."
"Whoa!"
"That's Lumern for you! Recognizing a contract made during class!"
There were two ways to contract a magical beast.
First, using a summoning catalyst.
Second, meeting and bonding with a beast directly.
The latter allowed "selling" uncontracted beasts, often at exorbitant prices.
Permission to freely contract such valuable beasts fueled their motivation.
"Professor, what about spirit summoning students?" Chen Xia asked.
"Summoners can handle both spirits and beasts. You may specialize, but Lumern's summoning classes train both skills to their fullest. Work hard."
Xia nodded.
*Magical beasts, huh.*
In his past life, Leo had contracted powerful beasts.
*All lost in battle.*
Recalling old allies, Leo snapped back as Yura shouted, "Three hours! Begin!"
"Whoa!"
The first-years charged into the forest, brimming with enthusiasm.
"Hm? Not going?" Yura tilted her head at Leo, Xia, Warrenden, and Eliza, who lingered at the starting line.
The top prospects she'd eyed stayed put.
Eliza, filing her nails, said, "I'm not interested in lesser beasts."
She blew on her fingers, smiling faintly.
Warrenden, stoic, said nothing.
"Uh… I only know taming in theory, so I'm hesitating," Xia said with an awkward smile.
Leo, staring into the forest, finally moved.
"Oh, the freshman representative?" Eliza called.
Leo glanced back.
"I heard about your Knight Studies performance. Should I expect something from Summoning Studies too?"
She smiled slyly. Leo shrugged.
"I just do my best."
Brushing off her provocation, Leo entered the forest.
Eliza's expression turned bored.
Yura laughed. "Youth, huh?"
"Well, you're getting up there in age—"
Thwack!
"Guh?!"
Yura's fist met Carlo's ribs. She grinned, watching Leo's back.
"I've got high hopes for him."
Her instincts told her so.
---
*I didn't know a magical beast ecosystem like this was possible.*
Leo walked through the forest, marveling inwardly.
He'd never seen such diverse beasts gathered in one place, even in his past life.
To summoners, this forest was a treasure trove.
Students scoured the woods, frantically searching for beasts.
Some fought over beasts, only to lose them.
Skilled summoners would've moved cautiously.
Powerful beasts avoided human presence.
That's why Warrenden and Eliza stayed back.
Eliza's skill rivaled Warrenden's.
"He's going too deep, isn't he?" a student muttered, watching Leo venture further.
Despite their noisy searching, others avoided the forest's depths.
Higher-tier beasts often harbored hostility toward humans.
Plus, this was a graded practical exam.
Recklessly pursuing a high-tier beast and failing meant zero points.
Lumern was a crucible of relentless competition.
Excuses like bad luck or good effort didn't cut it.
"Let him be. He probably thinks he can fall back on Knight Studies."
"Yeah, that's his mindset."
Some students scoffed, losing interest.
Deep in the forest, Leo checked his surroundings.
Confirming he was alone, he pulled out the gray feather he'd found upon arriving.
*As I thought…*
His eyes gleamed as he summoned aura.
A gray flame flickered to life.
The power of Phoenix Breath.
The flame spread to the feather, burning fiercely before crumbling to ash.
Whoosh—!
*It really was a Phoenix feather. Is there a Phoenix in this forest?*
The Phoenix, among the mightiest magical beasts, was notoriously hard to contract.
Its burning feather, a summoning catalyst, turned to ash upon reacting to mana, rendering it useless.
The only way to contract a Phoenix was to find one directly.
But their pride made bonding difficult.
To summoners, they were the dream beast.
"Lumern's something else," Leo said, eyes shining.
Whoosh—!
A crimson flame flickered above his head.
Blinding light and intense heat surged, forcing Leo to crouch defensively.
Fwoooosh!
Knowing what this was, Leo's face showed disbelief.
The flames coalesced into a massive bird.
Waves of fire rippled with each wingbeat.
Leo summoned his aura flames to shield himself.
The beast, a Phoenix, spoke.
"Zerdinger's flame? I thought it was Reina's… The familiar scent drew me, but I was mistaken."
Stunned, Leo asked, "You know my mother?"
"Mother?"
The Phoenix's eyes widened, then it laughed heartily.
"Of course! I wasn't entirely wrong! Yes, if she had a child, they'd be your age!"
The intense flames subsided.
"You asked if I know your mother? Absolutely! I owe Reina a great debt."
The Phoenix, flapping its radiant wings, settled before Leo.
Its gentle demeanor belied the Phoenix's famed arrogance.
Leo could only stare, dumbfounded.
*Nothing like Lisinas's Phoenix. That bird was a jerk.*
Luna had once suggested boiling it.
"Reina's son, what's your name?"
"Leo Flove."
"Well, Leo, I'm Firina."
"What's your connection to my mother? You mentioned a debt."
Firina smiled softly.
"Reina saved the life of my pact-bearer, Elrun Runda."
"Elrun Runda?"
Leo's eyes widened.
The Runda family was a prestigious elven hero lineage.
Elrun, its head, was a hero etched in the Hero Record.
"Back then, Elrun was a dungeon raider tasked with a mission in Seirun," Firina explained.
"Dungeon? You mean a Hero Dungeon, formed when a Hero Record's lost page goes berserk?"
"Exactly."
Five places held Hero Records.
But lost pages existed elsewhere.
Scattered across the world, these pages occasionally went haywire, creating hero worlds.
These were Hero Dungeons.
"Hero Dungeons invade reality. Over time, monsters from the dungeon's world cross into ours. Finding and conquering them is a core mission of hero academies."
Many nations hid Hero Dungeons, hoping to inherit their power.
Countless countries perished this way.
Hero Dungeons were so dangerous only the elite could tackle them.
"One day, Elrun was sent to raid a Hero Dungeon. The mission failed, and all his comrades died. Elrun was on the brink of death when Reina saved him."
Firina's tone turned bitter, lost in memory.
"In the process, Reina lost her flame. Without that, she could've become a hero…"
"My mother doesn't regret the past. She says the present matters most."
"Heh, that's Reina alright."
Firina smiled warmly. Leo asked, "Why are you at Lumern, Firina?"
"At the request of Lumern's headmaster, Kalian."
"The headmaster?"
"Yes, but I can't share the details."
Leo frowned at the secrecy.
"And you? Why are you on this island? A Knight Studies first-year shouldn't be here."
Firina assumed Leo, Reina's son, was a Knight Studies student.
"I'm taking Summoning Studies too."
"What?"
Startled, Firina sensed faint spiritual power in Leo and marveled.
"His spiritual power is weak, but his potential is extraordinary."
Assessing Leo, Firina laughed.
"This must be fate."
"Huh?"
"Leo, would you like to contract with me?"