Chapter 175
[ The 7th Rank Erosion Species Lavados has been defeated. ]
After Lavados met its death.
In the sky above, the notification of Lavados's defeat appeared.
Kraush, who was looking up at the sky, let out a dry laugh.
It was because he vaguely understood what that message meant.
'It means to defeat the higher-ranked opponents before they recover their stamina after taking down Lavados.'
Truly vicious.
But that's how World Erosion works.
Just because one is defeated doesn't mean the danger disappears in an instant.
It must mean not to let your guard down.
Kraush briefly checked his score.
As expected, the score was evenly distributed, just as Kraush had predicted.
This was because all five had made it to the top ranks.
And among them, of course, Kraush was number one.
This was due to the Erosion Species he hunted on his way here, and the points he gained for defeating Mary along with the 6th Class Erosion Species she had blocked.
"Kraush!"
At that moment, Haring ran urgently toward Kraush.
When Kraush blinked at seeing her, she hurriedly examined various parts of Kraush's body.
Then, she quickly looked up at Kraush with concern.
"Are you okay today?"
Was she asking if he would collapse?
Kraush, though his body was slightly aching, waved his hand dismissively to assure her not to worry.
"I don't always think about collapsing, you know."
As proof, Kraush's body was stabilizing faster than expected.
This was because Ignis was burning within him, adjusting the temperature of his body that had rapidly cooled.
In fact, the reason Kraush learned the Annihilation Snow Erosion was for this very purpose.
To suppress the excessive heat caused by Annihilation Erosion before his body collapsed from being unable to endure it.
Annihilation Snow Erosion was a coincidental product obtained during this process.
'Using this, I can operate Annihilation Erosion much longer than before.'
And being able to operate it longer meant his limits were further elevated.
[ Judging by your face, it seems you're thinking of nonsense again. ]
Somehow, Crimson Garden's awareness seemed to be getting sharper.
"Kraush nim."
"Haha, that was fun!"
"The spear is a mess now, though."
Meanwhile, the other three approached.
Karandis, with bruises on her arms, looked as if she was dying.
Balak, as usual, swung his two swords energetically with a bright smile.
On the other hand, Glen looked at the spear and Lavados with regret.
Although he had fought admirably against a 7th Rank Erosion Species, he realized the limitation of his own power.
"What are you going to do now?"
Meanwhile, Haring, sticking close to Kraush's side, asked.
The distance between them seemed to have grown much closer than before.
"I'm just going to wait here until the exam ends."
"But other students might try to come here."
Haring worriedly looked at the forest beyond the frozen lava.
Certainly, as Haring said, students would likely try to flock here.
After all, defeating Kraush would be the biggest opportunity to earn points.
But Kraush shook his head.
"They can't come."
This place is the Red Line.
To reach here, one must break through countless lines.
Among them, the Orange Line even had several 6th Class Erosion Species.
While breaking through the 6th Class Erosion Species, they'd be in shambles.
There's no way they'd enter the Red Line in perfect condition.
Kraush only got here smoothly because Mary cleared the 6th Class Erosion Species blocking the way.
"And do you think those who used up all their stamina breaking through would be able to deal with us?"
Rather, Kraush hoped they'd surrender their points.
There's nothing they can do against Kraush's group.
Haring nodded as if agreeing with his words.
"Of course, it'd be different if someone aimed for first place."
Kraush looked at the three who had come to this spot.
Then, looking at the trio who met his gaze, Kraush smiled slyly.
"Well then, if anyone here wants first place, they can try facing me. You may be exhausted, but this is your chance."
When Kraush said that, the three exchanged glances with each other.
Then, Balak was the first to clasp his hands behind his head and said.
"I do want to try, but nah! I don't need to be first place."
Following Balak's innocent laughter, Karandis also chimed in.
"Why bother with that? For me, it only matters if Kraush nim, my future husband, is in first place!"
That wasn't worth listening to at all.
"Everyone has their proper place."
Then, Glen tightly gripped his battered spear and stared at Kraush.
"Your proper place is at the forefront."
Glen's eyes were filled with acknowledgment.
Seeing those eyes, for some reason, Kraush felt a not-so-bad feeling.
It conveyed the meaning that even if Kraush stood at the forefront, he'd support him.
"Me too."
Then, Haring raised her hand enthusiastically as if to say she agreed.
From the beginning, Kraush never thought Haring would try to harm him.
'This is.'
Looking at the four people who supported him, Kraush felt a peculiar emotion.
If all four of them grew as they were now, they would surely become the Skyborne Generation.
This meant all four of them acknowledged Kraush.
And this would undoubtedly become a great stepping stone for Kraush to stand at the forefront of the Skyborne Generation in the future.
Somehow, a laugh escaped him.
"Are you fools?"
Maybe because of his innate personality, kind words didn't come out.
But at least the four knew well enough that there was no malice in his sarcasm.
Kraush's gaze turned to the sky.
Due to the lava, some scattered ash darkened the sky, but it couldn't block the sunlight streaming through.
For some reason, it felt as if it reflected Kraush's feelings.
'Coming to Rahelrn Academy.'
It was indeed the right choice.
He realized it again today.
[ Made it on time. ]
At that moment, Crimson Garden's voice rang out.
"Sigrid is."
[ A step too late. ]
Kraush, who whispered quietly, chuckled briefly.
It was because a prearranged ally had already moved ahead.
The chain of murders that occurred during the midterm evaluation at Rahelrn Academy.
The individual requested to stop the culprit, Associate Professor Jenicalen of Magic Studies, moved into action.
'Felray.'
Kraush exhaled briefly while gazing at the sky.
Originally, Sigrid would have stepped forward, but her intervention usually began only after a murder occurred.
However, that was not the case with Felray.
More than anyone, he would not want Associate Professor Jenicalen to harm any students.
'So I will leave it to you.'
Show what it means to be the Commoner's Hero.
* * *
At the same time.
Somewhere in Rahelrn Academy.
A boy opened his eyes.
This 17-year-old first-year student of the Magic Studies Department frowned as soon as he woke up, feeling a headache.
"Ugh, what is happening?"
As a noble family's offspring, he realized after the mild headache passed that he couldn't move his body.
Soon, he noticed he was tied up, and his eyes slowly widened in shock.
"What, what is this? Why am I tied up?!"
He screamed as he struggled, his body unable to move, even though there was nothing physically restricting him.
He quickly noticed how dark the place he was in was.
Turning his head hastily, he saw an atmosphere resembling an abandoned building.
For some reason, the sky outside the window appeared overwhelmingly dark.
In a space where not even the slightest light entered.
A look of confusion spread across his face.
And not long after, he realized that he wasn't alone.
There were noble family friends he often associated with.
The other students of the Magic Studies Department appeared to still be unconscious.
A bad premonition began to settle.
He hurriedly tried to use magic, drawing forth mana.
However, the empty mana refused to move.
"Why can't I use magic?"
"As–Associate Professor Jenicalen?"
At that moment, he jerked and raised his head at the sound of a voice.
There, he saw a man with a familiar silhouette.
A hunched back, a staff in his hand.
Even at a glance, his shabby appearance identified him as none other than Associate Professor Jenicalen of the Magic Studies Department.
His talent for magic was weak.
However, his knowledge was profound enough to earn him the position of Associate Professor in the Magic Studies Department.
Yet, his lack of magical talent made him a target, especially for the proud and noble-conscious students of the Magic Studies Academy.
The students of the Magic Studies Department, who had lived only on smooth roads, invariably belittled and ignored him.
No matter how exceptional his knowledge of magic was, the students didn't care.
They simply ridiculed him and tore him down with contempt.
Jenicalen was particularly vulnerable to mockery.
Born with a poor appearance and frequently dismissed, he crumbled under the derision of younger students.
And the result of all that—
He ultimately reached out for something that should never have been touched.
He made a pact with Madosung, the World Erosion Beings.
As a servant of Madosung, he felt an unprecedented overflow of mana.
What he paid in return for becoming a servant was the loss of his two eyes, but it didn't matter.
The world was already full of horrifying things.
For that reason, he wanted to burn them all away.
Unless these terrifying things were erased from the world forever, he couldn't endure the itching within himself.
And so, he came here to carry out his cause.
The cause of creating a clean world.
[Associate Professor Jenicalen, while I dare not easily speak of what you've achieved, I hope you can recognize your own effort and worth.]
During the process of making his pact with Madosung, the words of a boy came to mind.
A much younger and innocent boy, who was called the Commoner's Hero.
Although not glamorous in appearance, the dignified look in his eyes made it clear why commoners adored him.
One day, this boy had saved him from being bullied by other students.
When he was enduring something heinous through magic, the boy stood up for him without hesitation, even against noble family students of the Magic Studies Department.
Watching him stand firm brought many thoughts to his mind.
If someone like that had been by his side during his childhood, perhaps he wouldn't have fallen apart like this.
Unfortunately, by the time he had delved into the study of magic, it was already too late.
"What the hell are you doing?! Do you think you'll get away with this?! I'm the eldest son of the Bios Family!"
At that moment, one of the students shouted at Jenicalen.
Hearing the outburst, Jenicalen let out a slow laugh.
"What does that have to do with anything? Do you think the power of a family scares someone who has become a servant of the World Erosion Beings?"
"A–A servant of the World Erosion Beings?!"
The noble family student screamed in terror.
Being a student of Rahelrn Academy, he understood exactly what a servant of the World Erosion Beings was.
Those who crossed the point of no return.
Such beings were referred to as servants of the World Erosion Beings.
In other words, Jenicalen before his eyes had already crossed that irreversible line.
And he would have no hesitation about harming them.
Those who had nothing to lose were not afraid of repercussions.
"I–I'm sorry! I was foolish! Associate Professor Jenicalen, this is my fault, so please, just this once!"
Realizing the situation had spiraled into the worst-case scenario, the student repeatedly pleaded for mercy.
Yet, even as he watched the student beg, Jenicalen felt no emotion.
Instead, he laughed slowly, as if he had reached enlightenment.
"You should have just insulted me as you always did."
With those words, he approached the student.
The student screamed and thrashed wildly.
However, the magic binding his body showed no signs of loosening.
This was because his innate knowledge of magic, combined with the vast mana gained as a servant of the World Erosion Beings, revealed its true worth.
Now, his magic was something no ordinary student at Rahelrn Academy could ever escape from.
For this reason, no matter how much the student struggled, it was futile.
Before he knew it, Jenicalen's hand was right in front of him.
"This will hurt quite a bit. It's a unique magic that breaks each nerve one by one, from the tips of your toes to the top of your head."
The student's face turned pale.
The magic enveloping Jenicalen's hand was filled with malice, visible to anyone.
He's going to die.
He was going to die here.
The realization struck him, and tears streamed down his face as he stared blankly.
Slash!
Along with the sound of a blade cutting through something,—
Clang!
—came the sound of something shattering from the window side.
The light that seeped in instantly illuminated the room, brightening it.
Jenicalen's brows furrowed.
And soon, he met eyes with a boy standing there.
The one called the Commoner's Hero.
Felray.
He stood there, breathing heavily.
"Associate Professor Jenicalen."
Following Felray's call, Jenicalen slowly straightened his hunched back.
"Felray, student."
Jenicalen immediately understood the reason for his presence here.
That's why, after a brief moment of silence, he asked expressionlessly.
"I hope you will not stop me."
Hearing those words, filled with the intention of not wanting to collide, Felray swallowed hard.
In that moment, Felray's front foot was suddenly extended.
Thousand Miles Ten Steps that narrowed the distance in an instant.
Along with such Thousand Miles Ten Steps, Felray now stood before the noble family's student.
Jenicalen's brows furrowed slightly.
"Fe-Felray!"
On the other hand, the noble family's student exclaimed as if he had met a savior.
However, Felray's actions were unexpected.
Because his swinging leg had already struck the noble family's student on the head.
"Gaaah!"
Struck by the leg, the student screamed, rolled on the floor, and lost consciousness.
Seeing that, Jenicalen opened his empty eyes wide as if he had seen something completely unexpected.
"......."
"There's no need for your hands to be unnecessarily sullied, Associate Professor."
Slowly lowering the leg he had swung, Felray looked at Jenicalen.
"For things like this, I can handle it as much as you need."
Felray's eyes, filled with sincerity, turned to Jenicalen.
"I will change the perception of commoners and nobles."
At this moment, Felray's eyes shone brighter than ever before.
He straightened his back as if vowing to someone.
"So, Associate Professor Jenicalen, please. Don't let people like this ruin your life."
A hero should act heroically.
Though still a young hero, the boy said so.