Chapter 98
Leo clicked his tongue as he arrived at the lake in the south of Neigrang.
“Not here. That’s the second time I’ve struck out.”
Leo pulled out his map and marked an X on the lake.
‘There’s one left in the east, one in the north. The last one…’
Leo turned his gaze to the ruined castle.
‘One at the stronghold.’
Since the lake at the stronghold overlapped with his final destination anyway, he decided to check it last.
‘Still…’
Putting the map away, Leo looked back over his shoulder.
“So, why have you been following me?”
At that, the person who had been hiding between the buildings stepped out in front of Leo.
“You knew I was following, Leo?”
“Yeah.”
“As expected, you’re impressive.”
“So? The stronghold is in the opposite direction. Why’d you come all the way out here after me?”
“Why did you come here, Leo?”
“I have some personal business.”
“I have personal business, too.”
“What kind?”
Shwaa—!
“Duel.”
As Chen Xia roused her [Aura], silk-like ripples formed around her.
Wrapping herself in them like a cloak, Chen Xia lowered her stance, right hand extended toward Leo, left hand at her back.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“I want to know. The difference between us, Leo. And…”
Chen Xia’s face grew serious.
“To see what kind of person you really are.”
Leo drew his sword.
“That’s all?”
“I want the class representative seat, too.”
Leo burst out laughing at that.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s just, I think this is the first time you’ve openly shown your ambition.”
Chen Xia was one of the top first-year students.
And all the top students, no matter who they were, aimed for Leo’s class representative position.
Having always lived at the top, it was in their nature not to be satisfied with anything less.
But among them, there was one student who always kept a step back.
That was Chen Xia.
‘She’s always had ambition, though.’
“Why the sudden change?”
“It’s a battle royale. The perfect stage to show our true strength. And…”
Her eyes darkened.
“I came to see.”
“What?”
Fwoosh—!
Kicking off the ground, Chen Xia charged at Leo.
‘She’s attacking first?’
Normally, Chen Xia had a defensive fighting style.
Because the water element favored defense and evasion over offense.
Among the Knights Department students, there were long debates over who, if anyone, could break through her soft defense.
‘Celia and Duran were thought to have a chance.’
But that was only a possibility.
Even those two, considered the strongest attackers among their peers, weren’t confident they could break Chen Xia’s defense.
That’s how overwhelming her defense was.
Yet she abandoned that advantage to go on the offensive.
‘Well, not that her attack is weak, either.’
Whoosh—!
Leo roused his [Aura of Flame].
Chen Xia’s small hand moved smoothly.
But beneath that smoothness, her attack was savage.
Chen Xia’s water [Aura] split into tiny droplets and scattered everywhere.
Each droplet turned into a sharp needle.
“……!”
Leo quickly wrapped himself in [Aura of Flame].
Crackle—!
Hundreds of needles flew at him from all sides.
Sizzle!
The water needles clashed against the wall of flame, creating clouds of steam.
There were a staggering number of needles, but they couldn’t pierce the wall of flame.
“You’ll need a spike, not needles.”
A water droplet, the size of a palm, formed in Chen Xia’s hand and sharpened into a spike.
Fwoosh—!
The spike-shaped water [Aura] pierced through the [Aura of Flame], aiming for Leo.
Whoosh!
Leo bent back, dodging the attack.
As he straightened, Chen Xia’s instep came into view.
Chen Xia’s specialty was martial arts.
The greatest weakness of martial arts was closing the distance against an armed opponent.
But on the flip side, once she closed the gap, her opponent became helpless.
Leo raised his free hand to block Chen Xia’s attack.
Crash! Thud—!
A bone-crushing shock hit his right forearm, and his foot sank deep into the dirt.
But he had no time to worry about that.
Chen Xia quickly pulled back her leg and aimed a punch at his right side.
As her [Aura]-infused strike came in, Leo dropped his sword and blocked with his left hand.
Thud—!
It was like being hit by a giant club, and Leo’s body bounced away on the spot.
Splash—!
He crashed into the lakeshore, sending water spraying high.
“As expected of Leo… Even counterattacking as you’re thrown like that.”
Chen Xia tore off the burnt, tattered sleeve of her blouse and frowned.
Even as he was sent flying, Leo’s [Aura of Flame] managed to break through Chen Xia’s defense.
Splash.
Leo, emerging from the water, shook his tingling right hand and glared at Chen Xia.
Seeing this, Chen Xia smiled.
“You really are amazing, Leo. I attacked with everything I had, and you’re still fine.”
“Fine? Does this look fine to you? It hurts like hell, you know.”
Chen Xia gave a bitter smile as Leo grumbled.
‘The fact he’s still joking proves he’s fine, doesn’t it?’
Even so, Chen Xia stayed alert for Leo’s next move.
‘I tried a surprise attack once. Leo won’t fall for the same trick twice.’
She had other tactics, but now wasn’t the time to attack carelessly.
‘That attack from Leo earlier…’
Chen Xia remembered the first day she learned [The Hero’s Breath].
‘That’s definitely Leo’s maximum firepower.’
Whoosh—!
Chen Xia released her [Aura].
Her jet-black hair fluttered.
Her obsidian eyes glimmered sapphire-blue.
‘If I can just parry that sword strike!’
“That’s not like you, Chen Xia.”
“Huh?”
“Water always changes with the flow, right?”
Leo cocked his head.
“But you’re too rigid right now.”
“……!”
“Is something wrong?”
Chen Xia, staring hard at Leo, broke into a smile.
“No, nothing’s wrong.”
Leo reached out his hand.
Buzz—!
His sword, reacting to [Aura], flew into his grip.
Whoosh—!
‘If I just block that sword attack!’
Chen Xia focused intently as Leo raised his sword.
Whoosh—!
A wave of heat swept over Chen Xia’s skin.
She tensed up.
‘Here it comes!’
Rumble—!
As Leo’s [Aura of Flame] closed in, Chen Xia inhaled sharply.
[The Hero’s Breath] activated, sending a surge of water around her.
The water [Aura] swallowed Leo’s sword strike, diverting its path.
At that moment, Chen Xia realized something was wrong.
‘There’s no way that’s all…’
“I told you.”
A voice came from behind, making Chen Xia flinch.
“You’re too rigid.”
Grab—!
She felt Leo’s palm on her back.
Channeling [Aura] into his palm, Leo drove it into Chen Xia’s back.
Boom—!
“Gah?!”
The compressed [Aura] exploded, sending Chen Xia sprawling.
Rolling helplessly across the ground, she gasped as Leo’s sword touched her neck.
“You lost.”
Chen Xia let out a helpless smile.
“Leo… Are you really fifteen?”
“Of course. How old do I look?”
“You seem like a grizzled old soldier.”
Leo playfully rapped her on the head and stepped back.
“What, you’re not eliminating me?”
Suddenly, Chen Xia’s face went cold.
Her voice was so icy, it didn’t sound like her at all.
“No matter who you are, Leo, I can’t accept this. I don’t need this kind of mercy—”
“You’ve got it wrong.”
Leo chuckled.
“This is a battle royale. It’s up to me how I use the losers.”
“What?”
“If you’ve lost, you follow the winner’s orders, right? Some annoying people are chasing me. Deal with them for me.”
Leaving those words behind, Leo took off.
“What the…”
Still dumbfounded, Chen Xia suddenly saw a flash on the other side of the building.
“He’s my target. Stay out of my way, Eliza Hergin.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Leo Plov is my prey!”
A familiar voice rang out.
Moments later, Duran and Eliza arrived at the lakeshore and froze when they saw Chen Xia.
“Duran, Eliza. Why are you here? The stronghold is that way.”
“And why are you here? Were you after Leo too?”
Seeing Duran approach with a scowl, Chen Xia gave a bitter smile.
“If you’re asking me that, then you must be after Leo as well, Duran.”
‘So that’s what he meant.’
Chen Xia, now understanding what Leo meant by having her deal with the others, let out a helpless laugh.
“So you lost?”
“Yes.”
“Where did he go?”
At that, Chen Xia replied,
“He went that way.”
As Duran tried to chase after Leo, Chen Xia spoke.
“Duran, I’m injured. Could you go with Nella for me?”
“Why should I?”
“It’s the Department Competition, and we’re in the same department, aren’t we? Or are you planning to abandon a fellow knight for a personal grudge?”
Smiling sweetly, Chen Xia watched as Duran grimaced.
“Cunning fox!”
Now that she’d invoked the Knights Department, Duran couldn’t ignore her.
“Good luck. I’m going after Leo Plov.”
As Eliza taunted, Duran’s face twisted.
“Eliza, I can’t walk well. Can you give me a ride?”
“Xia, if you were in the Summoning Department, I’d help, but we’re enemies now, you know?”
“Oh, really! After all the times I helped you study! Now that I’m no use to you, you’re just throwing me away?”
“W-What?”
“You always said you’d repay me when you borrowed my notes!”
“I-I will! Just not now…”
Eliza grimaced.
Eliza wasn’t the type to pay much attention outside her own classes.
Chen Xia had always been the kind classmate who helped her during midterms.
That was what she was bringing up now.
“So much for acting all high and mighty—you’re no different from the rest.”
Duran smirked, and Eliza glared.
There was a smile on Duran’s lips.
‘If I can’t fight Leo Plov, neither can you.’
As if to say “let’s go together,” Duran’s grin made Eliza shout,
“Fine! We’ll go together! Xia! Let’s just go to the stronghold together—after that, we’re enemies!”
“Thank you, Eliza.”
Having manipulated both students, Chen Xia sighed, watching the direction Leo disappeared.
‘I don’t know why you aren’t going to the stronghold, but… just hurry back, Leo.’
* * *
Central stronghold.
“Don’t you dare!”
Fwoosh! Boom!
“Gah! That’s Celia Zerdinger!”
“Damn! We were so close!”
As expected, the central stronghold—the only safe zone in the city—was packed with students.
To enter, you had to pass through one of the gates on the east, west, south, or north.
You could try to climb the walls, but then you’d be an easy target for everyone outside, so no one dared try it.
But getting through the gates wasn’t easy either.
Because students from other departments were guarding each one.
“Damn! Forget it, let’s go somewhere else!”
Juredin’s party left the wall guarded by Celia and arrived at the west gate.
Seeing the student stationed there, they groaned.
“Chloe Mueller!”
Chloe stood at the west gate, gripping a staff as tall as herself.
‘Only the south and east gates are left. If another top student is guarding those, we’re in trouble!’
Eliza, ranked second in the Summoning Department, had gone after Leo.
‘Please, Walden! Just hold one gate for us!’
If a curse activated while you were outside the stronghold, you’d become an easy target for those inside.
Depending on the curse, you could be wiped out before you even had a chance to resist.
Just as Juredin started heading for the south gate, parched with anxiety—
Screech!
“Huh?”
Startled by the shriek from above, Juredin looked up.
Chloe glanced upward, equally puzzled.
A vicious-looking black wyvern was flying overhead.
“Black wyvern?”
“No way! There’s no way a top-tier familiar would show up!”
Juredin’s party stared in shock.
Snap—!
The black wyvern opened its jaws and unleashed a breath attack at Juredin’s party.
“Uwaaah! What is this?!”
A corrosive breath melted the ground.
Juredin stared at the sky, his face grim.
‘That’s not a familiar! Is it a monster? Are there really monsters like that?’
He tried to recall any information about such a beast.
But there was no way he’d know the truth: this was Fafnir, a demonic beast wiped out by the great heroes during the age of calamities.
Fafnir opened its jaws wide, aiming another breath attack at Juredin’s party.
Screech!
“Damn! Just run!”