Chapter 382
Ar covered her face at Leo’s words, and the four Beastmen’s expressions changed drastically.
“Are you… calling us… Arron-nim cowards?”
Dion’s voice was low.
The Beastmen were a race with a firm belief that Arron’s courage had changed the fate of the world. For five thousand years, they had respected Arron and taken pride in striving to be like him. They had spent millennia trying to inherit his courage.
For the Beastmen, courage was a true source of pride and the highest virtue.
To such a race, the word “coward” was the greatest insult in the world.
“…I don’t disagree with the statement that we look like cowards.”
Dion growled fiercely.
“Because we’re desperately trying to hide our flaws right now. It’s also true that we’ve submitted to Ar. You’d be right to think we look like cowards.”
A murderous aura erupted from Dion’s body.
“But take back what you said about Arron-nim being a coward, Leo Plov.”
“Sorry, but Arron was a coward.”
Whoosh—!
Dion’s fist flew at Leo. It was a punch thrown with full sincerity.
But Ar moved faster than that fist.
Dion’s face twisted in rage as he saw his childhood friend standing in front of Leo, protecting him.
“What are you doing, Ar!”
“Calm down, Dion.”
“How can I calm down! He insulted Arron-nim!”
At those words, Ar let out a sigh.
“The Black Rabbit isn’t wrong.”
“What?”
“Arron-nim, whom I saw in the Hero Record, was very… timid.”
At those shocking words, the four Beastmen froze.
“I can’t accept it! Arron-nim was timid?”
Borman shouted urgently.
Looking at him, Leo spoke.
“Have you ever seen the Hero in person?”
“……”
At Leo’s words, Borman unconsciously closed his mouth.
Since the Indomitable One, Azonia, one of the Genesis Heroes three thousand years ago, no one had cleared Arron’s complete Hero Record. Most people who cleared his Hero World had only cleared a damaged Hero Record.
All that remained of Arron’s record were the parts where he led battles to victory with overwhelming power. Only that image had been passed down and remembered.
Because of that, almost nothing was known about what Arron had been like in his daily life.
“That can’t be.”
“The Hero… was a coward?”
“How could that be…”
“This is a dream… it’s a dream.”
As his companions fell into shock and started denying reality, Ar looked at Leo with reproachful eyes.
“Why did you have to tell them that?”
“It’s the same with the kids at our school and the kids at other schools. You guys tend to worship the Great Heroes too much.”
Leo spoke calmly.
“You’ve seen it too. The Great Heroes are cowards, perverts, and tomboys.”
“…I know who the cowards and perverts are, but who’s the tomboy?”
“Founder of the Nebula.”
At those words, Ar remembered that Leo was the conqueror of Luna’s Hero World and muttered,
“That’s a shocking truth.”
“That’s how reality is. Hurry up and realize the world isn’t beautiful and grow up.”
“No! There’s still the Hero of Beginnings and the King of Wisdom!”
Ar pressed her hands over her head, covered her ears, and shook her head. It looked like she didn’t want any more of her illusions about the Great Heroes shattered.
‘If I had cleared Lysinas’ Hero World, I would have told them she was a corrupt swindler.’
Leo clicked his tongue.
Lysinas was a master at deceiving people with words and stabbing them in the back.
‘Looking at it this way, am I the only normal one?’
Of course, if his friends had seen him, they would have cursed that Kyle was just as problematic.
Looking at the Azonia students, who were in shock, Leo said,
“How long are you going to stay like that? Is it that much of a problem that Arron was a coward?”
“What?”
“Arron was definitely a coward. But that fact doesn’t negate that Arron was a Hero.”
The four Azonia students turned their eyes to Leo.
“He was always terrified and intimidated, but when a battle broke out, he overcame all of that and charged out first.”
“That’s right! That’s why Arron-nim is the true Hero!”
At Leo’s words, Ar puffed out her chest and agreed.
At that, Dion gave a bitter smile.
“Arron-nim is special, after all.”
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“That Arron-nim said the same thing to me. That he wasn’t special.”
“What? Arron-nim said that? When?”
“When you weren’t around.”
“Ugh! To have such a heartfelt conversation with Arron-nim! Black Rabbit! You lucky bastard!”
Ar shook Leo wildly, her expression filled with pure envy.
At that, Leo recalled the past.
‘I’m not special. I can’t give people hope like Lysinas… and I’m not a shining existence like Luna. I can’t create Artifacts like Dweno, and I’m not Erebos’ natural enemy like you, Kyle. I feel like I’m just a burden to you guys.’
‘What nonsense is this again.’
Hearing those words, Kyle kicked Arron.
‘We don’t give up because you’re fighting on the front lines!’
“The courage of the Hero, who said he wasn’t special, saved the world.”
Leo looked at the Azonia representatives.
“The reason Azonia students struggle is to let anxious people know.”
Azonia was a struggle from the entrance ceremony onward.
They showed that struggle to countless people. The ritual of that entrance ceremony conveyed one thing.
“We have arrived.”
Beings who give courage.
Beings who overcome fear.
A symbol of courage.
“Maybe that’s what the Hero wanted to be the most.”
Just thinking of Arron gave many people the courage to face their fears.
The coward who said he wasn’t special had become courage itself.
“Who cares if you’re special or not. It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to be intimidated, and it’s okay to be pessimistic. But if you really want to follow in the Hero’s footsteps…”
Leo smiled as he thought of his friend.
“Don’t give up. I think being able to move forward when it’s the hardest is what’s really special.”
He recalled the back of his friend, who had resolutely rushed forward in the moment everyone despaired.
Hearing Leo’s words, Dion looked up at the night sky.
“I never thought I’d receive a lesson about Heroes and courage from a Lumene student.”
“You weren’t acting like Azonia students at all.”
“Yeah! You were too foolish! You were intimidated for no reason!”
“You are a fool, though. Foolish Tiger.”
Watching Dion, Tabon, and Borman, who had regained their energy, Lewen let out a sigh. Then she glanced at Leo.
“You have excellent speaking skills. You’re worthy of being the Student Council President of Lumene.”
“I learned from a corrupt swindler.”
As Leo chuckled, Ar raised her hand.
“Yeah! What’s important now is to catch those damn beasts who are tarnishing Arron-nim’s name and tear them to pieces! Leaving them alone because we’re worried about our flaws being exposed is an insult to Arron-nim!”
“Yeah! Ar is right!”
Borman agreed immediately.
Seeing that, Dion nodded.
“It seems right to cooperate with Lumene.”
Watching them, Leo rested his chin on his hand.
‘I want to catch those bastards and tear them to pieces too.’
Hero Hunters.
The fact that traitors who had turned their backs on the world were using Arron’s power made Leo’s blood boil just as much as the Beastmen’s. No, even more.
But he wanted to leave it, as much as possible, to the Azonia students who claimed to be Arron’s descendants.
‘Arron would have been happier that way.’
Leo smiled as he looked at the Azonia students, now burning with fighting spirit.
‘The back you showed is still giving people courage even after five thousand years.’
He thought of his friend, who had said such nonsense to him.
‘What do you mean you’re not special? You’re more special than anyone. Arron.’
—
Leo arrived at the Lord’s Castle with the Azonia students.
There, he found the first-year students standing in front of the conference room with gloomy faces.
“What are you doing out here?”
At Leo’s question, Sasha answered,
“We wanted to attend the meeting, but Duran sunbae kicked us out.”
– ‘Do you think you’re qualified to speak at this meeting? How presumptuous.’
– ‘Hey, the first-year students are great too. I’m attending the meeting, so the kids should come as well…’
– ‘Know your place, Carr Thomas. Do you think you and those first-year brats are on the same level?’
“That’s Duran for you.”
“Do you think so too, Leo sunbae?”
Sasha pouted.
In one sense, it was just a one-year difference, but at a Hero Academy, a single year in the lower grades was an insurmountable wall. Especially for first-years in their first semester, from a second-year’s perspective, they were barely at the stage of taking their first steps.
“Duran’s thoughts would have been different if this were the second semester of your first year.”
At Leo’s words, Sasha sighed.
“Lumene first-year students?”
“They’re cute. We want to get hubae soon too.”
The Azonia students who had followed Leo looked at the Lumene first-years with interest.
“Where’s Luke?”
“Luke is training in the training hall, Young Master.”
Martina answered politely.
“He’s working hard.”
Leo chuckled and entered the conference room.
Watching him go, Juen said,
“Ugh! Seriously! I’m going to show my skills for sure in this mission practicum!”
At Juen’s words, Sasha nodded, her expression equally resentful.
Step—step—
“Where are you going, Aina?”
Haviden asked as Aina, who had been standing still, suddenly started walking.
“To train.”
Leaving only that short reply, Aina walked off.
At those words, the first-years looked at each other, then headed to their respective training spots.
Duran’s words had hurt them, but they couldn’t deny he wasn’t wrong.
That fact stung even more.
‘We’ll definitely show our skills to our mentors.’
—
The next morning.
Leo headed to the Forest of Monsters.
Luke followed behind him.
“So, you’re going to deal with the Hero Dungeon presumed to be in the Forest of Monsters together with Azonia, and then chase the Hero Hunters in this country afterward?”
“Yeah.”
“But Leo sunbae is going deep inside alone.”
“That’s right.”
At yesterday’s meeting, Lumene and Azonia had agreed to cooperate.
In the middle of that, Leo had said he would explore the very center of the Forest of Monsters alone.
Some students had suggested moving together at first, but Leo had said,
‘I’m good enough on my own.’
It might have sounded reckless, but no one had strongly objected.
No matter what anyone said, Leo’s strength was overwhelming even among the second-years.
They had no choice but to accept his plan to explore alone, just for one day, for reconnaissance.
“Are you the Black Rabbit’s mentee?”
Leo joined Ar, who was waiting at the entrance to the forest.
“Hello, my name is Luke Elda.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Ar Tune.”
Ar smiled brightly and waved.
“Please take care of him for just one day.”
“Leave it to me!”
Ar thumped her chest.
Leaving Luke in her care, Leo immediately entered the forest.
After walking for a while, Leo looked around at the dense trees.
This was the place that had been used as the stage for the entrance exam.
But coming here in person felt completely different.
‘The place where I first met Luna.’
This was Luna’s homeland.
When he had come with Lysinas to recruit Luna into the subjugation party, Luna had been fighting alongside the elves to reclaim her forest homeland from the Monster Queen.
This forest held memories beyond the entrance exam.
After gazing at the forest for a moment, Leo drew his sword and started moving.
The deeper he went, the more monsters blocked his path.
But they weren’t the monsters that belonged to the Forest of Monsters.
‘The curse of this land should have disappeared when the Monster Queen was subjugated, right?’
Yet new monsters kept appearing.
That meant there was something else creating monsters.
‘There’s a high probability it’s a Hero Dungeon that’s begun to encroach on reality.’
That was the conclusion his classmates, who had come to the Forest of Monsters ahead of him, had quickly reached.
But there was another possibility—that the curse had exploded in this forest because of the Monster Queen’s death.
As Leo cut down monsters and pushed forward, he suddenly stopped.
He had reached the very center of the forest.
Narrowing his eyes, Leo stretched out his hand.
Whoosh—!
He felt a powerful dark magic.
It was the residual magic left behind by the Monster Queen, secretly maintaining its presence even though its owner had vanished.
Whoosh—!
Leo dispelled the magic in an instant.
When the magic unraveled, a hideous tower appeared.
He could still feel traces of dark magic, but the power that had once been housed in the tower was gone.
‘As I thought, the curse is gone.’
He checked for a lingering curse, just in case—but there was none.
Convinced now of the existence of a Hero Dungeon somewhere in the Forest of Monsters, Leo turned to leave—and then paused.
In the middle of the grotesque tower, he saw a single piece of paper.
The faint power coming from it was something he recognized.
‘Divine power?’
Leo floated up with magic, surprised.
‘A piece of the Hero Record.’
Looking at the torn piece of the Hero Record, Leo reached out with a startled expression.
[Would you like to open the world of the Dragon of Genesis, Rodia?]
Leo’s eyes widened at the message that appeared before him.
‘The world of Rodia?’
He was momentarily taken aback.
He had thought this torn piece was the cause of the Hero Dungeon—but it wasn’t.
‘It hasn’t gone berserk.’
It was a stabilized fragment of the Hero Record, not a Hero Dungeon.
And that message had appeared precisely because it was Leo.
Leo, the owner of the Hero Record, could open and close the Hero Record freely without any key.
After staring at the message for a moment, Leo said,
“Open it.”
[Hero Record Open. The World of Rodia. Chapter: Prologue – Genesis.]
Whoosh—!
A familiar sensation wrapped around Leo.
When the bright light disappeared from his vision—
“…Who?”
A bewildered voice reached his ears.
Leo looked at the Dragon race girl standing in front of him.
He immediately knew who she was.
“…Dragon of Genesis, Rodia?”