Chapter 349
Anri and Eclere flinched as the monsters’ corpses began to rise.
The dead moving again—they had studied that phenomenon countless times in class.
It was the dark magic of the necromancers under the Legion Commander of Tartarus, the Death King.
Among Tartarus’s vile spells, necromancy was known as one of the most wicked forms of black magic.
‘Undead…!’
The first-year students gasped as the undead appeared.
In a test meant to face monsters, the sudden emergence of undead creatures could only bring confusion.
While they had some combat experience against monsters, none had ever fought undead before.
But as hero candidates, they quickly adapted.
“Hmph, low-grade undead.”
A girl from the advanced class stepped forward with a scornful smirk.
She glanced at the lower-class students and clenched her teeth.
‘As if I’d lose to those lower-class nobodies!’
The pride of being in the advanced class—especially Class 1—was immense.
But that pride had just been crushed.
Their impressive score in the test so far had been entirely thanks to Lea.
No one else had shown anything noteworthy compared to the lower class.
The others gritted their teeth.
The pressure was heavy—they could feel the cold, doubtful stares of the upperclassmen they idolized.
‘I’ll prove it… why I belong in Advanced Class 1!’
Wuuung—!
Magic flared.
Boom—!
An intense explosion rocked the area, scattering chunks of undead flesh in every direction.
“See? Trash like that isn’t even worth worrying about!”
“Yeah!”
The advanced students cheered triumphantly.
But Lea narrowed her eyes.
“Save your mana. You have to be ready for a long fight when facing undead.”
“Lea, it’s just a test. Besides, this is right in the middle of Seiren,” a male student said with a smug grin.
“There’s no source of dark mana here. There’s no way they’ll keep reviving—”
Twitch—twitch—
The scattered flesh began writhing and pulling itself together.
The students froze as the monsters reformed before their eyes.
“Persistent things, aren’t they?”
Still, they scoffed and resumed casting spells.
But as the cycle of destruction and resurrection repeated again and again, exhaustion began to set in.
“Why won’t they stop coming?!”
“We—we’ll be overwhelmed at this rate!”
Panic crept across their faces.
“We have to call for help! This is an unexpected situation!”
One boy shouted desperately.
He wasn’t wrong—this wasn’t part of the test plan.
Still, none of them truly feared for their lives.
They were inside Seiren itself. Surely the teachers wouldn’t let real danger happen.
“Kikikikik!”
The undead shrieked, charging at them.
Even monsters feared death—but the dead did not.
That was the most terrifying thing about them.
Slash—!
“Argh?!”
A crude goblin blade pierced an advanced student’s shoulder.
He fell, clutching the wound, writhing on the ground.
“M-My arm!”
His scream echoed.
The necrotic poison made the pain unbearable.
“Wh-What the—?!”
“Professor! There’s a wounded student!”
They cried for help.
But the teachers did not move.
Neither did the upperclassmen.
They simply watched—cold and silent—as the endless legion of undead surged forward.
“S-somebody help!”
“Get us out of here!”
Panic and screams filled the air.
—
“W-We have to help them!”
“Professors! Seniors! They’re in danger!”
The first-years outside the arena shouted in alarm,
but no one moved.
“How disgraceful! If they can’t even handle a few undead, do they deserve to call themselves Seiren students?!”
Professor Geras yelled, veins bulging in his neck.
“Do not tarnish the pride of Seiren!”
His roar made several students grimace.
The lower-class students turned toward Laura, bewildered.
“Professor Laura! We have to save them—”
“Everyone,” Laura’s stern voice cut through the panic,
“This is your trial as Seiren students.”
The lower-class students froze.
“You’re still inexperienced first-years, yes. But before that—you are hero candidates.”
Her voice rang firm and resolute.
“You must face hardship and earn your right to be heroes.”
At her unwavering words, the lower-class students clenched their fists.
“Don’t worry too much,” Leo said, watching the battlefield.
“If things truly get out of hand, the professors or seniors will step in.”
He turned his eyes to the fighting students.
‘I can feel the Death King’s mana—but it’s not his doing.’
His gaze sharpened.
‘This magic is crude.’
No one knew the Death King’s spells better than Leo.
He had faced them too many times to count.
‘It’s just borrowed power—someone’s using his mana, not him.’
His expression hardened.
‘Then why did it suddenly activate?’
The monsters Seiren had prepared for the test were normal creatures from the elven domains.
If they had been tampered with beforehand, Seiren would’ve noticed.
And there was no way a demon could have infiltrated.
The academy’s barrier was powerful—especially since the incident with the Monster Queen last year,
Seiren had reinforced its defenses to perfection.
Even the strongest demons couldn’t get in easily.
Yet black magic infused with the Death King’s power had manifested here.
‘That means someone inside Seiren has been dealing with the Death King.’
A cold gleam flickered in Leo’s eyes.
Murderous intent radiated from him.
During the Era of Calamity, he had buried countless traitors in the dark.
And now, rage even greater than back then burned inside him.
Back then, the world was collapsing—betrayal was a matter of survival.
But now?
This was an age of peace.
There was no reason for betrayal.
‘And they dare call themselves Luna’s followers!’
He wanted to rip the traitor apart then and there.
But he forced himself to think rationally.
‘Whoever it is, they won’t have left any trace.’
He quickly composed himself.
‘The real question is—why now? Why cause this during the exam?’
The undead legion wasn’t impossible for the first-years to handle, but they were far from easy opponents.
Leo could end it instantly if he intervened.
But he didn’t.
‘If you truly wish to follow Luna… if you claim to carry on Seiren’s will—’
His eyes turned cold.
‘Then prove it. Prove that you’re not greenhouse flowers, but seeds of real heroes.’
—
The undead horde pressed forward like a tidal wave.
Even the lower-class students began to falter.
“I can’t hold out much longer!”
A boy from Anri’s team shouted.
Anri took a deep breath.
“Use it.”
“What?”
“Aura.”
The boy’s eyes went wide.
“Are you crazy? Using anything besides magic during the exam is grounds for failure!”
Anri answered calmly.
“So we just keep casting spells until we drop? That’s not who we really are.”
She reached out—and a silver spear appeared from her subspace.
“My family has always been spearmen. And I’ve always been proud of that.”
Anri smiled.
“I came to Seiren to become a hero, not a mage.”
“Anri…”
“This is who I am—as a hero candidate.”
Whoooosh—!
Aura flared from her body.
“If I can’t be acknowledged for the path I’ve chosen—”
She shifted her stance, lowering her body.
“—then I have no reason to stay in Seiren.”
Her determination burned bright.
The front-line lower-class students looked at each other, then grinned and drew their weapons.
Their blades glowed with aura.
“You’re right!”
“Magic alone is suffocating—I’m a knight!”
Their eyes blazed with newfound confidence.
The timid, hesitant students were gone.
KRAAASH—!
Anri swung her spear, and cold wind surged around her.
Wrapped in frost, she charged straight into the undead horde.
BOOOOM—!
Her unleashed aura scattered the undead.
“Did she just use aura?!”
“That’s a violation! Instant failure!”
The advanced-class students cried out—but Lea’s icy voice silenced them.
“You can still say that now?”
They froze.
Lea gave them a look of pure contempt before turning toward the undead swarm.
Crack—crack—crunch!
The corpses began to fuse together,
forming a massive, grotesque lump of flesh reeking of rot and corruption.
“A corpse golem?”
The upper-level undead made the students go pale.
“H-help!”
“There’s no way we can beat that!”
The advanced-class students screamed.
‘I can’t rely on them for the front line.’
Lea sighed softly and stepped forward.
In their panic, the others didn’t even notice her move.
“Stella Via.”
A radiant path of starlight appeared before her.
Every undead it touched dissolved into dust.
It was the same spell the Comet Mage Seiren herself had once used to break through tens of thousands of undead.
All eyes widened.
With graceful steps, Lea reached Anri’s side.
“I need a reliable front line. Will you help me?”
She smiled gently and extended her hand.
Anri blinked in surprise—standing before her was none other than Lea Tingel, the pinnacle of the advanced class.
But then, she smiled and clasped Lea’s hand firmly.
“Of course.”
“Eclere, support Anri.”
“Uh, okay!”
Lea closed her eyes and began chanting.
“She’s preparing a large-scale spell! Protect Lea Tingel!”
Anri shouted.
The lower-class students formed a tight perimeter around her.
Eclere watched in awe—even without proper training, their coordination was flawless.
It was the result of countless days of shared effort and perseverance.
Their bond, forged through hardship, now shone brighter than any spell.
With only their eyes, they coordinated their defenses,
holding off the undead assault.
Anri met the corpse golem head-on, her aura clashing against its corrupted blade.
CLAAANG—!
“Ghh—!”
Grinding her teeth, she held firm.
“You think… I’ll lose?! Haaah!”
With a fierce roar, she unleashed her aura.
The icy wind blasted the golem’s sword away.
At that moment, Lea opened her eyes.
“Lux Strike.”
The instant the spell was released, a blinding beam of light erupted from her staff.
KAAA-BOOOM!
The corpse golem was obliterated without a trace.
Lea exhaled softly.
Anri collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
The undead no longer stirred.
Relief spread among the students—until—
BOOOOM—!
GROOOAAARRR!
The summoning circle cracked open, and a colossal skeleton emerged.
Far larger than the corpse golem, its presence radiated crushing pressure and suffocating malice.
Its very existence seemed to drain the life around it.
“A Skeleton… King?!”
Anri screamed in disbelief.
GROOOAAARRR! BOOOM!
The Skeleton King’s massive sword came crashing down toward her.
Anri squeezed her eyes shut.
CLAAAANG—!
Metal scraped against metal.
She cautiously opened her eyes—
and saw a boy wreathed in crimson flame.
“L-Lyle…?”
Leo smiled faintly.
“Well done.”
FWOOOSH—!
Crimson fire burst from his body.
Holding off the Skeleton King’s blade with one hand, he glanced toward the stunned crowd in the stands and touched his throat.
“Well, I guess everyone who needed to know has figured it out. No point pretending to be a Seiren student anymore.”
Thunk—!
FWOOOSH—!
His pointed ears softened, turning human.
Anri gawked.
“A h-human?”
Leo smiled once.
Then he tightened his grip.
BOOOM—!
The Skeleton King’s arm blasted upward.
“I meant to let you handle it yourselves… but this one’s too strong for now. I’ll take care of it.”
He swung his sword toward the undead king, whose crimson eyes blazed with wrath.
KAAA-BOOOOOOM!
The searing flames of the Zerdinger style erupted skyward.
SLASH—!
Leo’s blade cleaved the Skeleton King in half.
CRACK—!
But its body quickly reformed, standing tall once more.
Leo narrowed his eyes and leapt high into the air.
“Enough watching.”
He landed right before the Skeleton King.
[Oh?]
From beyond its crimson eyes, the Death King himself let out a low, amused chuckle.
“Radius.”
Radiant light burst from Leo’s hand.
FLASH—!
Starlight pierced through the Skeleton King’s chest.
RUMBLE! BOOOOOOM!
The giant undead collapsed.
Tap—!
Leo landed softly and walked toward the fallen skull.
[Leo Plov… what are you?]
The Death King’s voice echoed curiously from within.
“Me?”
Leo raised his leg, smirking coldly.
CRUNCH—!
He crushed the Skeleton King’s eye socket beneath his boot.
“The one who will annihilate you.”