Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 38

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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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38

“Haha! Serves them right!”

“What grade representative, what southern top student! They can’t even start and they’re guaranteed last place!”

The Summoning Department students who had carried out the group assault giggled with laughter.

“Hey! How about it, Eliza? Doesn’t it feel refreshing?”

The male student who led this incident, Riu from Class 3, giggled as he called out to Eliza who was ahead of them.

Currently, these were among the higher-achieving first-year Summoning Department students and were in the leading group of the race.

At Riu’s words, Eliza, who was at the very front, spoke.

“I don’t like it.”

“What?”

“I can beat Leo Flobe easily anytime. Same goes for Woreden Taiden.”

Eliza looked at the students with reproachful eyes.

“If you interfere as a group like this, it’ll only make Leo Flobe and Woreden Taiden stand out more. And what do you think people will think of the Summoning Department?”

“Haha. B-but those guys will be properly humiliated…”

“Think before you do anything from now on. And we’re in the middle of an exam right now. Focus.”

Eliza spoke coldly, then sharply turned her head and soared high into the air.

Watching her retreating figure, Riu frowned.

‘Damn bitch! Acting all high and mighty just because she was born into a good family!’

Riu, who cursed Eliza inwardly, snorted.

‘Anyway, with this much of a gap, even that Woreden guy won’t be able to catch up. Except for Eliza, I handle flying beasts the best! Now I can easily take second place. And I made a contract with a new beast this time!’

Riu exhaled forcefully through his nose.

Right before the exam.

A summoning catalyst he was lucky enough to buy in Lumeria City!

‘I was able to buy it because of that stupid merchant who didn’t know its value! I can’t control it yet, but…! If I summon that thing at the end and take down even Eliza… First place is mine! Let’s see if you can still act high and mighty then, Eliza!’

“Huh? Riu. Someone’s coming from behind.”

One of the Summoning Department female students made a puzzled expression.

They thought they had an overwhelming lead, but someone was catching up.

“What? Who… Huh? Chen Xia?”

Chen Xia was flying toward them at tremendous speed.

But her posture on the griffin was a bit strange.

Chen Xia was crouched down, standing on the saddle with both feet.

“What? What’s with that posture?”

“She caught up with that posture? She did well to catch up.”

“Anyway, she only caught up because we slowed down. If we pick up speed, she won’t be able to follow, right?”

For summoners, spiritual power wasn’t just the force to command summoned beasts, but also the power to strengthen them.

Since they had enhanced their griffins’ abilities with spiritual power, it was difficult for Chen Xia to match the Summoning Department students in speed.

“No, we don’t know what kind of variables that girl might create either.”

Riu grinned wickedly.

“Let’s just eliminate her completely while we’re at it.”

Cooperation was free in beast races.

As such, it was possible to join forces against powerful competitors.

Eliza, who glanced back from the lead, narrowed her eyes.

“Hmm. It would be better to just run away quickly, but she’s choosing the hard path.”

Eliza curled up the corners of her mouth and watched as if enjoying a show.

“What eastern top student? How annoying.”

One of the Summoning Department female students smiled viciously and summoned a spirit.

“I’ll make sure she can’t even finish and humiliate her! Go!”

The wind spirit became a projectile and flew toward Chen Xia, who was standing on the saddle in an unstable posture.

Sensing this, Chen Xia lowered her posture even more.

Whoosh-!

Chen Xia’s griffin suddenly shot upward.

While the Summoning Department students were confused, Chen Xia’s griffin turned around so the saddle faced downward.

Chen Xia, now hanging upside down from the griffin, kicked off the saddle and let go of the reins.

“Wh-what what what what?”

The female student who had attacked Chen Xia was horrified.

She never expected the rider to come attack directly.

Chen Xia, who corrected her trajectory in mid-air by summoning a wind spirit, smiled brightly and launched a kick.

Before she could react properly, the female student kicked by Chen Xia fell to the ground screaming.

“Kyaaaaaaah! Th-this is cheating!”

“I didn’t use aura or anything, so what.”

Chen Xia showed her characteristic good-natured smile and grabbed the reins of the confused griffin that had lost its rider to calm it down.

“Tsk! Chen Xia! You!”

“Hello, Riu.”

“Not bad, huh? But look at your situation now! You’ve made the wrong choice!”

They might have been caught off guard the first time, but now that they knew the attack method, there were plenty of ways to respond.

“Mm. Aerial combat is certainly disadvantageous for me. But I’m not your only enemy, you know?”

“What?”

“There’s one more person who’s upset about your little pranks.”

Chen Xia smiled and pointed behind them with her finger.

BOOM!

A massive explosion occurred at the rear.

“Wh-what?”

BOOM! BOOOM!

The explosions occurred in a chain reaction.

They could see dropouts falling from a distance.

“It seems like Woreden has the kind of personality that pays back what he receives.”

Saying that, Chen Xia waved her hand and jumped off the griffin without hesitation.

Chen Xia’s griffin, which had been waiting, caught her as she fell and carried her on its back as it soared high.

“Tsk! Catch her and drop…”

Screeeeech!

As Riu urgently shouted, a griffin’s cry was heard from afar.

Startled, he turned his head to see Woreden’s griffin flying toward them at tremendous speed.

Woreden, who caught up to the leading group in an instant, smiled.

“I received your gift well, trash.”

Whoooooosh!

Massive flames gathered around him.

“This is my repayment for that.”

“Scatter!”

BOOOOOOM-!

With Riu’s desperate cry, a huge explosion engulfed the surroundings.

***

Leo, who was overwhelmingly in last place, climbed over the fence and approached the last remaining griffin.

Grrrrr-!

Looking at the griffin that was highly wary, Leo made a puzzled expression.

‘All the griffins given for this competition should be ones managed by Lumern, right?’

Beasts tamed by humans don’t show hostility when they see people.

As Leo wondered about this, he soon realized that the griffin was injured in its wing.

‘Is it hurt?’

Leo, who was carefully observing the wing, frowned.

‘This isn’t a wound from griffins fighting each other. Someone deliberately injured it.’

Leo clicked his tongue, recalling the group interference that had occurred just before departure.

“Looks like there’s someone playing dirty.”

Leo chuckled and approached.

Kyaaak!

The griffin showed a fierce reaction, but Leo didn’t back down.

Kyaaaak!

-Ah! Player Leo! You’re approaching too recklessly! Even though griffins are low-grade magical beasts, if you carelessly approach while it’s so wary, you could struggle with taming! He’s making mistakes due to impatience!

Selia, who was watching from the spectator seats, also stomped her feet.

“Oh my! Why is that guy being so reckless?”

Watching Selia make a frustrated expression, Ris stroked his chin.

“He must have a plan.”

Kyaaak! Kyaaaak!

Leo grabbed the reins of the griffin that was rampaging in excitement.

Kyaaaaak!

Finally, the griffin that had lost its reason swung its claws toward Leo.

It was when everyone was flustered by the sudden situation.

Grip-!

Leo strongly pulled the griffin’s reins and put force into his eyes.

“Kneel.”

When Leo spoke with force in his voice, the griffin flinched.

Then it lowered its raised claws and glanced around nervously before lowering its posture.

Watching the griffin submit as if in obedience, offering its back, Leo smiled satisfactorily and mounted the saddle.

“Good boy.”

He stroked its neck, but the griffin trembled.

-Hmm. What kind of situation is this? The griffin is submitting on its own! Player Leo’s taming time is the shortest record.

Commentator Runba spoke in a flustered voice.

As he said, the time it took to tame and mount the griffin was fastest for Leo.

Yura, who was watching this scene, stuck out her tongue.

‘He subdued it with presence? What can’t this guy do?’

The thought that he would be weak in actual combat was a complete misjudgment.

‘If Woreden has overwhelming power, then Leo has overwhelming skill.’

Yura’s eyes gleamed.

‘This match. It might become interesting after all?’

Kiyaaaaak!

When Leo pulled the reins, the griffin roared and soared into the sky.

However, it awkwardly flapped one injured wing, so it couldn’t gain much speed.

-Ah! Player Leo’s griffin! Its wing is injured! He barely managed to take off but misfortune is piling up! No matter how you look at it, last place seems confirmed!

Runba cried out as if feeling sorry.

Leo stroked the neck of the griffin that was struggling to flap its wings and concentrated his spiritual power.

“I command in the name of the Pact Maker. Reveal yourself before me.”

Whoooosh-!

Flames flickered around Leo, and a giant sphere of fire concealed Leo’s figure.

“What is that?”

“It looks like he summoned a fire-type magical beast?”

“Didn’t they say he hasn’t contracted with magical beasts or spirits yet?”

The spectators murmured at the sudden magical beast summoning.

“What? Those flames?”

Selia also widened her eyes.

Ris’s eyes twitched.

‘Jerdinger’s flames? No. It’s not aura flames. Then what is that?’

Within the flames, a summoning circle was drawn on Leo’s palm.

The summoning circle that had been spewing flames soon spat out a small bird.

Peep- Peep-

“…Looks like a chick no matter when I see it.”

At Leo’s words, the baby phoenix Fiora pecked Leo’s thumb.

“Oh? Do you understand what I’m saying now?”

On Leo’s palm, Fiora gracefully flapped her wings and lifted her chin.

It was as if she was trying to show the dignity of a phoenix.

Of course, in Leo’s eyes…

‘Definitely a chick.’

“If we can communicate, this will be easy. Fiora, will you bestow your blessing on this griffin?”

Blessing.

One of the unique abilities that phoenixes possess, the ability to manifest part of a phoenix’s power in a certain target.

This blessing ability was one of the reasons why phoenix summoners were called the strongest summoners.

Fiora nodded and jumped down from Leo’s palm, landing on the griffin’s head.

Then the griffin, which was already frightened of Leo, trembled even more.

It was instinctively afraid of the phoenix, a highest-grade magical beast.

Fiora gracefully stretched her neck and lightly pecked the griffin’s head with her beak.

Gooooo-!

Then the griffin’s fur began to stand on end.

Its labored wing beats began to gain strength.

Its white fur began to take on a reddish tint, and its yellow eyes also changed to orange.

Leo grinned and placed Fiora on his shoulder.

Whoosh-!

The flames that had been surrounding them scattered around.

Kiyaaaaak-!

Along with that, the griffin let out a powerful roar.

“Let’s go!”

When he pulled the reins, the griffin soared high into the sky at tremendous speed.

“What? It’s incredibly fast!”

“A first-year can use that level of magical beast enhancement?”

Exclamations of shock flowed from the spectator seats.

Leo, who had climbed high into the sky, spotted the rear group visible in the distance and narrowed his eyes before descending.

Then screams burst out from the spectator seats.

“Wait! Even so, isn’t that too fast?”

“Flying at that speed, how will he avoid obstacles?”

A pillar of light appeared in front of descending Leo.

The pillar of light created by magic continuously shot red mana bullets in all directions without rest.

The most basic trap of magical beast races!

The moment you’re hit by the orbs, tremendous damage is dealt, and if you’re unlucky, you could be eliminated in one hit.

Naturally, the faster you fly, the harder it is to dodge.

But there was a pattern, not randomness.

‘Up-down-down-left-left-right-up-left.’

Leo’s eyes instantly grasped the pattern of the mana bullets being fired.

Swoosh! Swish-! Swish!

And without reducing his speed at all, he flew at tremendous speed while dodging the mana bullets.

Watching Leo show incredible control as if he and the griffin were one body, gasps poured out from among the spectators.

-Ooh! Player Leo! Incredible magical beast control ability!

The commentator also shouted in excitement.

Leo, who had passed through one obstacle in an instant, pulled the reins.

Having held back his speed while thinking about evasion, Leo had left himself room to accelerate even more.

Breaking away from the starting area, Leo swiftly cut across the sky.

In the process, he spotted other students flying around unsteadily.

‘That Woreden bastard. Looks like he smashed everything in sight on his way through.’

Of course, it wasn’t a complete massacre.

But they all seemed to have taken considerable damage and couldn’t maintain proper speed.

Thanks to this, Leo was able to quickly catch up with the rear group.

“Huh? L-Leo Flobe?”

“You escaped that spirit magic? No, more than that, how did you catch up so quickly?”

The Summoning Department students were shocked to see Leo flying in from behind.

“Leo!”

Lora, a Class 5 Summoning Department student, brightened up.

Leo looked at Lora being harassed by other students and pulled on Griffin’s reins.

“Looks like Weleden already got to you…”

The front claws of Leo’s griffin grabbed the neck of the male student who was harassing Lora.

“Y-you bastard!”

“I’m the type who has to pay back what I’ve received, you see.”

Leo gave the male student a cold smile.

The male student frantically tried to break free from Leo, but before he could do anything, Leo’s griffin shot up into the sky.

The male student flailed helplessly while being held by the neck.

Leo controlled his griffin and threw the captured student at another student.

“Aaaahhh!”

“W-what do we do if he’s flying this way…!”

Thwack-!

They collided directly and both students plummeted to the ground.

The students in the rear group panicked at the sight.

Flap-! Flap-!

Leo looked down at them from the sky and smiled coldly.

“Well then, I hope you’re all prepared?”

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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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