Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 279

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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279

The next morning.

Leo opened his eyes to the rising morning sunlight.

Whoosh-!

Cal also bolted upright from his bed, scratching his stomach while yawning.

“When did you come in?”

“2 hours ago.”

“Wow, so you only slept for about 2 hours? Aren’t you sleepy?”

“Not particularly. I can endure without sleep for several days.”

“I’m realizing this anew, but you’re really a stamina monster.”

Cal clicked his tongue.

Until the beginning of his first-year semester, Leo was evaluated as being inferior in strength compared to other department tops.

But even during that time, there was one thing he was the best at – his inexhaustible stamina.

In actual Knight Academy class stamina evaluations, Leo had never given up first place even once.

And second place was Chen Xia.

‘Even though Selia and Duran are gritting their teeth and training their stamina, Leo and Chen Xia are still in 1st and 2nd place, right?’

As Cal, who knew how much effort Duran put into training morning and evening since they started sharing the same dormitory, could only click his tongue.

‘How much of a fuss he made to build the training room first when the dormitory was being constructed.’

Cal shook his head back and forth while thinking of the training room located in one corner of the Noble Dormitory.

Since Knight Academy students from the same dormitory also used it frequently, he concluded it was well-made after all.

‘Female students from other departments also use it occasionally.’

Of course, the reason female students from the Department of Magic or Summoning Department went to the training room to lift dumbbells that weren’t in their nature was largely to see Duran.

Having thought that far, Cal poked Leo’s side, who had finished preparing to go out, with a mischievous smile.

“By the way, Leo. Going out at night to meet a woman two days in a row. Nothing happened?”

“We just studied magic, so what could have happened?”

“These honor students really! You don’t understand a student’s romance! A student’s romance!”

Cal grumbled while eating breakfast.

Today, following yesterday, was also about finding a smith that suited him in the main auditorium.

After eating breakfast.

The dwarf students were already waiting for other Hero Academy students in the main auditorium.

Meanwhile.

“Huh? Isn’t that the dwarf from yesterday who only makes replicas?”

“She can’t enter the main auditorium and is doing that over there.”

“That’s a bit pitiful.”

Driana was displaying weapons at an entrance away from the main auditorium.

However, not a single Hero Academy student approached Driana.

Rumors about Driana had already spread among other Hero Academy students.

A blacksmith who only copied weapons made by Dweno.

Regardless of skill, no student wanted to commission weapons from such a student.

Every hero candidate wanted weapons made just for them.

Of course, if they could receive Hero Weapons or authentic items as conquest rewards through conquering the Heroes’ World, anyone would covet items made by Dweno.

But what Driana made were ultimately fakes made by later generations.

Even the weapons currently displayed on the display stand were those recorded in Dweno’s weapon encyclopedia.

As hero candidates from Lumern, Seirun, and Ajonia all entered the main auditorium while glancing at Driana.

It was when Driana was staring blankly at that scene.

“Why do you only copy Dweno’s weapons?”

“Eek?!”

At the voice heard from behind, Driana jumped in shock.

“You, you startled me!”

Driana looked up at Leo standing behind her and said.

Looking at such Driana, Leo reached for one of the spears displayed on the stand.

Looking at what was displayed here, it would be a weapon made by Dweno, but it was a weapon not in Leo’s memory.

‘It must be a weapon made for one of Gardstron’s heroes.’

Leo lightly spun the spear with a whirl- in his hand.

It was a heavy iron spear, but Leo handled it easily.

Watching such Leo, Driana said.

“Indeed, it’s skill worthy of boasting that you can handle all weapons.”

Driana crossed her arms and said.

“The reason I only make Dweno’s weapons? Simple. Because Dweno’s weapons are perfect.”

Driana picked up a sword placed on the display stand with ecstatic eyes and rubbed it against her face.

“Look! This beautiful form close to a work of art!”

“I understand even less. Aren’t you saying you respect Dweno as a blacksmith? You’re even copying Dweno’s way of speaking right now.”

At those words, Driana’s eyes widened.

“How did you know I was copying Dweno’s way of speaking?”

“Because you’re copying Dweno’s speech patterns and intonation from books exactly. And when there was a commotion yesterday, your way of speaking was different from now.”

“Hmm hmm! You have quite keen observation?”

Driana, whose way of speaking had changed, smiled somewhat awkwardly.

She seemed embarrassed.

“Why did you give up being a craftsman while copying weapons Dweno made and even imitating his way of speaking?”

In Leo’s view, Driana had given up being a craftsman herself.

And that thought wasn’t wrong.

“That’s because I can never become like Dweno.”

Driana chuckled.

“The level at which Dweno makes weapons has reached the supreme level, it’s no exaggeration to say.”

Respect appeared on Driana’s face.

“Most of the authentic weapons Dweno left behind are now worn out. Some of them are almost broken and can’t function as weapons. But…”

“But?”

“The moment they’re held in a user’s hands, they become more powerful weapons than any other weapon. In any condition. You probably don’t know how amazing that is!”

With an excited face, Driana bounced up and down in place.

‘Just a moment ago she was imitating a serious old man, now she’s like kids her age.’

“Literally, he has reached the realm of gods!”

From Leo’s standpoint, having handled Dweno’s weapons countless times, he could understand how amazing Dweno’s weapons were.

‘Both Arron and I broke Dweno’s weapons many times.’

But that was only after battles ended.

Until battles ended, they absolutely demonstrated their performance.

They never broke or anything.

The weapons currently stored in Demian’s armory were the same.

They had been neglected and displayed for at least hundreds, at most thousands of years without proper maintenance.

But the moment they were held by someone with proper qualifications, they fulfilled their role.

It was literally divine craftsmanship.

“When I was young, I wanted to become like such Dweno. Other Demian students are the same. They want to become like Dweno.”

Driana smiled brightly.

“So I gave up making weapons.”

“Why?”

“Because I can never become like Dweno.”

Though she copied his speech and actions as described in literature, Driana thought.

That she could never reach the same level as Dweno.

“Demian is different from other Hero Academies.”

Driana looked at the display stand.

It was full of replicas she had made.

“Students from Seirun and Ajonia don’t have to be directly compared to Luna, the Progenitor of the Starry Skies, and the hero Arron.”

Driana looked at Leo.

“Your Lumern isn’t compared to Kail, the Hero of the Beginning, either, right?”

“Even if we wanted to be compared, Kail is a hero who was recently revealed to be a real person.”

“That’s true. Anyway! Dragons don’t have to be directly compared to the King of Wisdom either, but our Demian students are different.”

Driana gripped one of the weapons.

“We’re directly compared between the weapons made by Master Dweno and our weapons. So we always realize. That it’s something we can never reach.”

“So you gave up?”

“In my immature days, I used to say I wanted to become like Master Dweno. But now, the more I grow as a blacksmith, the more I realize. My capabilities as a smith.”

Driana shrugged her shoulders.

“I want to become the best! That’s why I gave up the path of a smith early on.”

“Even though you might get expelled from Demian?”

“It can’t be helped. I gave up the path of a smith, didn’t I?”

‘This is the first time I’ve seen this type.’

Everyone in the world aims for the great heroes.

But no one truly thinks they can surpass the great heroes.

They just leave them as objects of admiration and longing.

But Driana seemed to be a little different.

It seemed that after admiration and longing, she wanted to become a smith who surpassed Dweno.

‘And she gave up, thinking she couldn’t reach the same level as Dweno.’

Leo looked at the spear in his hand.

He could tell just by swinging the spear once.

Compared to Dweno, it was clumsy workmanship.

But that was only when the comparison was with Dweno.

Driana was an amazing smith.

‘If it were Dweno, he might have passed on his blacksmithing techniques.’

But unfortunately, Leo wasn’t a blacksmith.

So he had no techniques to pass on.

‘Even so, making weapons by copying Dweno’s like this means she still hasn’t given up her lingering attachment.’

Leo wanted to make Driana pick up the hammer and anvil again.

He wanted the girl who resembled Dweno to aim for Dweno once more.

‘Because if Dweno knew there was a kid like this, he’d be truly delighted.’

Although he wanted to be remembered as an artist rather than a smith, he still had pride as a smith too.

‘Most importantly… now that Dweno is gone, we desperately need a blacksmith who can make powerful weapons.’

Leo narrowed his eyes.

‘Because the Giant King Gias is still alive and well.’

A monster with an unimaginably massive body.

That alone was a terrifying ‘calamity.’

During the Age of Calamity, he was a monster with such overwhelming physical power that a single gesture from him could make an entire city disappear.

But unlike that thrilling power, the Giant King was also a very cautious legion commander.

The fact that he had never been active externally for the past 5000 years showed a glimpse of that monster’s caution.

He was different from the Monster Queen who scattered calamities freely and the Overlord King who devised vicious schemes.

He simply remained silent.

‘Most importantly, he’s Tartaros’s armory.’

During the Age of Calamity.

If the expedition force had Dweno, then Tartaros had the Giant King Gias.

He who created all sorts of calamitous weapons was also an existence that stood at the opposite end from Dweno.

‘Well, as a smith, Dweno was overwhelmingly superior in capability.’

But now that Dweno was gone, he couldn’t guarantee that there was a blacksmith among the dwarves who could make weapons to counter Gias’s weapons.

‘How can I change this kid’s mind?’

It was when Leo was pondering.

“So I thought. If I can’t surpass Master Dweno as a smith, then I’ll surpass Master Dweno as an artist!”

At Driana’s confident declaration, Leo looked at her with surprised eyes.

Among the current literature related to Dweno, there was no record anywhere that Dweno was an artist who praised beauty.

Yet Driana had declared she would become an artist who surpassed Dweno.

“Why an artist all of a sudden?”

“You can tell just by looking at the weapons Master Dweno left behind. Master Dweno must have been an artist who praised beauty! Otherwise, he couldn’t have made such beautiful things!”

It seemed that calling herself an artist was also influenced by Dweno.

‘Amazing. To grasp Dweno’s nature just by looking at his weapons.’

Leo was impressed.

Looking at such Leo, Driana said.

“I got inspiration from looking at you. Actually, I could have gotten more inspiration if you had become a nude model, but… I settled for sculpting you.”

Driana wore a confident expression.

“If you see this, you’ll probably want to become my model too?”

“That won’t happen, but I am curious.”

When Dweno sculpted Risinass and Luna, he would make sculptures that seemed like they could come alive and move.

Leo always said that when Dweno made sculptures, Dweno’s sculptures were more beautiful than the originals.

Of course, whenever that happened, kicks and punches would fly from Risinass and Luna.

Driana took out a clay sculpture of Leo from behind the display case.

“Look! See! My artwork!”

“…”

Leo looked at the deformed sculpture in Driana’s hands.

“It’s a type of monster I’ve never seen before?”

“A monster! This is a sculpture of you! I did reinterpret it with my artistic sensibility though! How is it? Cool, right?”

Driana wore a proud expression as she thrust the self-proclaimed Leo sculpture toward Leo.

Taking it, Leo felt an indescribable unpleasantness and fell into contemplation.

‘How is this supposed to be me? I think I could make something better than this even with my feet.’

Dweno used to look at Kail with pitying eyes, saying he was cursed when it came to art.

What would Dweno have done if he had seen the weapons Driana made?

‘He would have smiled kindly, encouraged her, and directly taught her blacksmithing techniques.’

That’s how outstanding Driana’s talent was.

But what if he had seen this instead?

After pondering, Leo reenacted exactly what Dweno would have done.

Whoosh-! Splat!

The clay sculpture that Driana claimed was Leo was miserably crushed.

“I’m being serious. I think you shouldn’t become an artist. So quit it and pick up a hammer.”

‘Don’t desecrate art! If you’re going to call this kind of thing art, then quit!’

If it were Dweno, he might have been furious and shouted like this while hurling all sorts of curses.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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