Chapter 216

The Zerdinger trainees begin their day at dawn.

Being chosen as a Zerdinger trainee alone is proof of exceptional talent and potential as a knight.

However, no matter how talented one is, it’s easy to fall behind in a place filled with peers of similar skill unless constant effort is made.

That’s why Martina started her day earlier than the other trainees.

With a drowsy face, Martina yawned widely and climbed out of bed.

Then, she shook her sleeping roommate, Carin, awake.

“Hey, Carin. Get up.”

“Mm?”

Carin, who had burrowed under the blankets, poked her head out and stretched like a cat.

Then she shot up—! out of bed, washed her face, and got ready to leave.

Outside, Austin, Julian, and Valerie were already waiting.

They were all part of Leo’s knight order.

Since joining Leo’s knight order, the five of them had started waking up earlier than the rest to begin training.

It was a natural decision for them, who had all realized they weren’t yet worthy of being in Leo’s knight order.

Especially from yesterday, they were burning with even more determination.

‘Young Master Leo accepted us.’

There were plenty of trainees more skilled than the five of them.

They were ready to leave the order out of fear of tarnishing Leo’s reputation, but he had said he would take them with him.

Martina clenched her fist.

‘I’ll work even harder to become a knight worthy of Young Master Leo.’

It was at that moment that Martina steeled her resolve.

“Oh, looks like they’re heading to train?”

“Guess hero candidates really are different?”

“Pfft. They must be pretty desperate. Considering what they said to Young Master Leo.”

Other trainees, who normally wouldn’t be awake, giggled when they saw Martina and the others.

“What’s their deal this early in the morning?”

Carin grumbled.

“Just ignore them.”

Austin replied calmly.

“He’s right. Those are the top-ranking trainees. The fact that they’re awake at this ungodly hour when they usually sleep in means they’re trying to get in Young Master Leo’s good graces.”

Julian smiled as he agreed with Austin.

And so, Leo’s knight order headed toward their designated training spot.

When they arrived and saw Leo already waiting, the five of them looked extremely flustered.

“Young Master Leo?”

“Ah, it’s earlier than our scheduled training time…”

Austin and Carin looked panicked.

“You’re here?”

Their breaths fogged in the cold air of the early winter morning.

The five trainees quickly lined up before Leo.

Leo looked at them and spoke.

“Starting today, I’m going to awaken your abilities.”

At Leo’s words, the trainees snapped to attention.

“Yes, sir!”

“You said you wanted to be skilled enough to match my knights, right? Then just follow my training.”

“Yes, sir!”

Leo’s knights answered firmly.

“The goal is to pass the Lumene entrance exam this year.”

“Yes! We’ll do our be—!”

Their enthusiastic shouts halted mid-sentence.

They turned to Leo with startled expressions.

“Lu-Lumene entrance exam?”

“How are we supposed to get into Lumene?”

It was an impossible idea.

Only a select few are admitted into Lumene.

Even among Lumene’s trainees, only a small number of top students can pass.

And yet, he was talking about getting into Lumene!

As they stood there flustered, Leo spoke again.

“You all can use [Aura], right?”

“Yes.”

“I couldn’t even use [Aura] and still passed.”

‘That’s only because Young Master Leo is special!’

The entire knight order instinctively protested against their admiration for Leo.

But it wasn’t wrong.

Leo knew better than anyone how absurd his statement sounded.

Even so, he shamelessly used himself as an example.

“Have you heard this phrase?”

“What phrase?”

‘Make the impossible possible.’

‘That sounds terrifying.’

The five knights, including Martina, shivered.

Leo’s eyes truly looked like they could make the impossible possible.

Of course, they all instinctively realized they were the ones who’d suffer during the process.

As everyone swallowed dryly, Leo crossed his arms.

“If you’re not confident, you can quit. Even so, I won’t abandon those who chose me.”

Leo continued nonchalantly.

“I’ll help you become strong. But if you get into Lumene, you can go even higher.”

At Leo’s words, the trainees flinched.

“I made the offer because I believe you have potential.”

Hearing Leo speak so casually stirred something in the knight order’s hearts.

Just becoming Leo’s knight had been enough to make them ecstatic.

But Lumene?

This was the age of heroes.

Everyone dreamed of becoming a hero at least once.

These five were no different.

But training at Zerdinger naturally made one realize—

They could never be heroes.

And yet, Leo’s words made them dream again—of the dream they had long given up.

“I’ll do it.”

Martina said resolutely.

“I’ll follow you, Young Master Leo.”

Her determination lit a fire in the others.

“I’ll do it too!”

“Me too!”

“Please train us!”

“We’re begging you!”

Leo smiled at the sight.

“Good. That’s the spirit.”

He nodded and said,

“Then let’s start with [physical modification].”

“?”

At the term “physical modification,” the five of them exchanged confused glances.

They should’ve realized it back then.

They should’ve run away while they had the chance.

—

Two weeks had passed since Leo’s training began.

Celia was now climbing a mountain on the Zerdinger estate.

“How badly is he tormenting his knights that he’s training all the way out here?”

Celia clicked her tongue.

On the day the five pledged themselves to Lumene’s entrance exam, Leo had packed up and left the Zerdinger estate.

The reason was simple—training.

With permission from Gis, the head of the trainees, he had taken the five on a training journey.

Following Celia was none other than Niel, a fourth-year student in Lumene’s Knights Department.

As Celia’s knight, she had followed her lord out of duty—and out of curiosity after hearing Leo intended to turn all five of his knights into Lumene students.

“But even for Young Master Leo, can he really get five mid-tier trainees into Lumene?”

Niel tilted her head.

Honestly, Leo’s feats were like legend even among upperclassmen.

All-Class, a feat never seen before.

His performance during the Gigantes subjugation in the first semester.

And then rising to Student Council President in the second.

Still, this claim was outrageous.

As someone who had trained at Zerdinger, Niel knew well how vast the gap was between mid-tier trainees and Lumene applicants.

Leo might be one thing.

But training others to that level in just a few months?

That was impossible.

“Also, I doubt training in the mountains is more effective than at the Zerdinger training hall.”

Celia replied to Niel’s comment.

“You still don’t know him, do you?”

“Huh?”

“When he says he’ll do something, he does it.”

Celia shivered.

She knew firsthand how brutal Leo’s training could be.

For a whole year, she and Chelsea had borne the brunt of it.

They’d gotten used to the intensity recently.

But back then, they suffered from muscle pain every weekend.

Thanks to that, Celia managed to hold onto the top spot in the Knights Department despite powerful rivals like Chen Xia and Duran.

As they combed through the mountain, a scream rang out—“Gyaaaaah!”

Startled, the two rushed toward the sound.

When they arrived, they were speechless at the sight before them.

“Swing it. If you can’t swing it, you’ll die.”

Leo, emotionless, said something terrifying.

Austin shouted “Uoooooh!” as he swung his bastard sword.

A massive boulder falling toward him was cleanly sliced in two.

Julian was choking and spluttering inside a massive water bubble.

Carin, trapped in darkness, was screaming like mad, while Valerie, bound in chains, was being pummeled by a golem created by Leo.

Lastly, Martina was crawling across the ground, crushed by immense gravity.

“……What is this hell?”

Niel muttered in disbelief. Celia shook her head and covered her face.

“I knew it.”

To Niel, it was an unimaginable sight.

To Celia, it was entirely expected.

And she hated that she could imagine it—because she had endured the same.

As Celia chuckled bitterly, Leo noticed them and approached.

Even then, the trainees’ training didn’t stop.

“I don’t want to ask, but I have to. What is this?”

Celia asked, and Leo replied.

“[Physical modification].”

Celia narrowed her eyes at the bizarre phrase.

“Why are you modifying their bodies?”

“To awaken their individual talents.”

“Talents?”

“Yeah.”

Leo knew better than anyone that effort alone wouldn’t be enough to pass Lumene’s exam.

From his own judgment, the five simply didn’t have what it took as knights to pass.

But Leo was still confident they could do it.

Why?

Because he had the eyes of a great hero and an All-Class.

And with those eyes, he saw potential beyond knighthood in his squad.

“Austin has talent as a mage.”

Leo pointed at Austin, who was swinging his sword on the verge of collapse.

That sword was designed to suppress [Aura].

“It’s inscribed with a cutting spell formation Austin created himself.”

Which meant Austin spent ten days out of the last two weeks doing nothing but memorizing magic formulas until his head felt like exploding.

He was now forcefully awakening his [Magic Power] through near-death experiences.

“Julian and Carin have talent as spirit users. So they’re trapped in water and darkness to awaken their affinity.”

Of course, they weren’t just tossed into ordinary water or darkness.

Those were spirit-saturated zones created by the power of spirits—ideal for awakening dormant [Spirit Power].

“What about Martina and Valerie?”

Niel asked with a grimace. Leo shrugged.

“They don’t have talent for magic or summoning. So they’re awakening their [Aura traits].”

“Aura traits?”

“Yeah. Valerie’s trait is really rare—[Accumulation], same as Hark.”

Leo grinned.

Niel’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

“Yes. The difference is, while Hark accumulates power through ‘sleep,’ Valerie does it through ‘impact.’ That’s why we’re toughening her up by tying her down and beating her.”

“That’s… really dumb.”

“Training is always dumb and brutal. You know that, right?”

Seeing Leo’s smile, Celia hugged herself and shivered.

“What about Martina?”

“She’s just building raw physical strength.”

She had no talent for magic like Austin, no affinity for spirits like Julian and Carin, and no special [Aura trait] like Valerie.

Just a pure knight. That was her only talent.

“……That must feel terrible.”

Niel looked genuinely sympathetic.

Everyone else had some hidden talent. She didn’t.

As someone who had trained at Zerdinger and studied at Lumene, Niel knew how crushing that realization could be.

She was the only one not special.

Leo smirked.

“Yes. But she’ll be fine.”

“What makes you so sure?”

Celia asked. Leo smiled.

“She knows how to break past her limits.”

To surpass one’s limits—

It was also Lumene’s motto.

The others were different.

Austin, Carin, Julian, and Valerie had unlocked new abilities and were growing rapidly under Leo’s guidance.

But Martina was different.

She had no new ability—only the strength she could build.

And yet, she kept up with Leo’s hellish training.

Grinding her teeth, she never hesitated to crash into the walls ahead.

“That’s the greatest virtue to becoming strong.”

Leo looked at Martina, who, despite his gravity magic, was shakily pushing herself back up.

“She’ll become strong.”

At his words, Celia looked at Martina.

They were the same age.

They had trained together.

‘She really is a hard worker.’

And perhaps, meeting Leo would let that trait finally blossom.

“But if you’re focusing on these other skills, aren’t they neglecting their knightly abilities? They are still Zerdinger trainees, after all.”

Niel looked concerned. Leo picked up a rock.

“That’s nothing to worry about.”

Then he dispelled the magic and spirit bindings restraining the trainees.

The moment they regained their freedom, they all flinched.

Leo then hurled the rock at them without hesitation.

Swooosh—!

Thud—!

“Gaaah!”

The rock slammed into Carin’s shoulder, sending her rolling across the ground.

She had instinctively used [Aura] to block it, but it still hurt like hell.

“I throw sneak attacks like this to train their [Aura control]. Carin! You okay?”

“I’ll kill you someday!”

Despite Carin’s furious scream, Leo laughed and threw another rock.

“Aaaargh!”

‘He’s a demon. This man is a demon.’

Niel was now certain.

“So, what did you come all the way here for? I said don’t contact me for a month.”

Leo asked as he pelted his knights with rocks.

As the trainees’ screams echoed around them, Celia spoke.

“There’s a notice from Lumene.”

“From Lumene?”

“Yeah. Some second-year candidates have been summoned to the Lordren Empire.”

“I’m on the list, right? You too?”

“That’s not all.”

Celia handed him the list.

Leo scratched his cheek.

“An integrated exam, huh… But with this group?”

He read the name of the professor in charge of the exam and muttered.

“Looks like we’re the test subject.”

“Huh?”

“They probably want us to hunt down the applicants.”

“No way. Even if it’s Lumene’s entrance exam, would they go that far?”

“Yeah, right.”

Niel laughed.

Celia nodded along.

The skill gap between second-years and exam applicants was like heaven and earth.

Especially the current second-years—one of the strongest generations in Lumene history.

Even without Leo.

The top second-years, including Leo and Celia, were far beyond what entrance applicants could handle.

“Professor Harrid is in charge, right?”

Leo said with a flat expression.

“If I were Professor Harrid, that’s what I’d do.”

Lumene’s Wailing Wall.

The students’ absolute terror.

Having endured Professor Harrid for a year, Leo was confident.

Hearing Leo’s reasoning, Celia and Niel looked at each other.

“Then what will you do if your knight order shows up during the exam?”

Celia asked.

Leo answered without hesitation.

“I’ll crush them with everything I’ve got.”

In Leo’s dictionary, there was no such thing as holding back.