Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 586
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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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586.
Cal, who had been telling Rian about Leo for quite some time, cautiously opened his mouth.
“Um… Lord Rian.”
“Yes, Lord Cal. Please command me.”
Looking at the god before him whose manner of address had changed at some point, Cal didn’t know what reaction he should show.
‘His eyes aren’t sane.’
Though he hadn’t lived a long life, Cal had experienced many things since enrolling at Lumern.
In that process, he had seen many people who weren’t in their right minds.
And Rian possessed a madness incomparable to any of them.
When Cal had told him Leo’s name and shown him a photo they took together earlier, he had cried out ‘To tell me the new name and visage of the Hero of the Beginning! Ah! What can I do for you? This worthless body! Please use me even as a footrest for Lord Cal!’ and even crouched down in front of Cal.
The god who had treated Cal as less than a roadside pebble just moments before was nowhere to be found.
Now he looked more like a fanatic worshipping a deity.
And he regarded Cal as that deity’s representative.
‘This isn’t the level of acting or making a fuss because he’s in a good mood.’
Cold sweat ran down Cal’s back.
To be honest, Cal was afraid of Rian’s attitude.
Not because he would harm him.
He had been overwhelmed by the madness of a transcendent being he could never understand.
Cal swallowed dry saliva and said.
“My friends are fighting the Flame of Calamity outside, so I’m not sure if we should stay here long.”
Rian knew how to defeat Erebos right now.
But that didn’t mean he could tell all of Leo’s stories here.
If he did that, the situation would already be over.
At Cal’s words, Rian spoke as if telling him not to worry.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Rian spread both arms.
“This place is another world cut off from the outside. You can think of it as similar to the Heroes’ World. If I put my mind to it, time here flows slower than time outside.”
Rian smiled brightly.
“Lumern also held off Erebos for a whole year from this place.”
“A year? By himself?!”
“As expected of Lumern.”
Cal showed a shocked expression and Rodia was impressed.
“So Lord Cal can rest assured and tell me the story of the Hero of the Beginning!”
At Rian’s words, Cal scratched his head and began his story again.
Beside him, Rodia also focused on Cal’s story.
Eventually Cal’s story ended.
Rian closed his eyes and savored the afterglow.
Cal urgently said to such a Rian.
“Lord Rian. Then please tell us how to defeat the Flame of Calamity now.”
At those words, Rian opened his eyes.
“Yes. First, from what I heard from Lord Cal, you have one card that can stand against that monstrosity.”
Rian began carving a statue with a carving knife and gem that appeared from nowhere.
“First. Runia El Runda, who is the successor of the Progenitor of the Starry Skies.”
“Runia?”
“Yes. The one who chases the starry skies, was it?”
Rian skillfully carved Leo’s statue.
“The magic that the Progenitor of the Starry Skies left to future generations, [Flame Emperor]. That magic is the only power among those existing in the present world that can counter the unextinguishable Flame of Calamity.”
“Is it such an amazing magic?”
“Yes. It’s magic created by someone who could be called the greatest magical genius since magic came to exist.”
Rian, who completed Leo’s statue, examined it from various angles and continued speaking.
“Of course, completely eliminating Erebos like the pure mana attribute is impossible. At most it would end with ‘sealing’.”
Rian, who was examining the statue, showed a slightly dissatisfied expression.
Normally he would have made the statue with great care.
But now, making it quickly, it wasn’t at a satisfactory level of completion.
Rian, who put down one statue, took out another gem and carved it.
Gem powder flowed down to the floor.
“But with that child Runia’s current skill level, it would be impossible. She’s still inexperienced.”
At those words, Cal nodded.
“The second method is to drive it back to its original place. That is, to the World of Cataclysm. In the current situation, that’s the only way.”
“What’s the method to drive it out?”
“From what I can see, that monstrosity seems to have invaded this place through a connected world. Then we find and destroy the hole through which it came to this world… that is, its core. Right now that thing isn’t the main body. It’s just a mass of power. If we destroy the core, it will disappear.”
“If it was such a simple method, you could have told Lord Lumern!”
“It’s absolutely not simple. To prevent that, divine power is needed. I would have to sacrifice myself. If there had been a chance of victory, I would have sacrificed myself without hesitation. But there seemed to be no chance of victory.”
“What?”
“That’s Lumern’s limit.”
Hearing those words, Rodia bit her lips tightly.
Cal showed a dazed expression.
“Lord Cal. Do you know why Lumern told you all to ‘overcome your limits’? It’s precisely because he himself couldn’t overcome his limits.”
“…”
“Reaching for what he couldn’t obtain. In the end, he was frustrated by not being able to get it.”
Rian rested his chin on his hand.
“Birds can fly in the sky but cannot reach the end of the sky. If they struggle to reach it, only a fall awaits in the end. That’s how Lumern closed off his own possibilities.”
“…I heard that the gods like Lord Lumern.”
“Yes, they like him. The gods like heroic tales, but they also like seeing heroes fall just as much.”
Rian smiled brightly.
“The Heroes of the Cataclysm certainly changed the world. But they couldn’t achieve more than that. In the end, they couldn’t become like the great heroes. The gods like such tragedies.”
Rodia bit her lips tightly and clenched her fists.
It was a truth that twisted her insides.
That’s why she couldn’t make any rebuttal.
‘When we defeated Erebos’s fragments and ended the return of calamity, it seemed like everything would be fine.’
But afterwards, the fragments they had defeated began burning again.
Seeing Erebos’s fragments continuously burning, the Heroes of the Cataclysm couldn’t help but think.
That they had failed.
That they couldn’t become like the great heroes.
According to Cal, their future selves would find a method before long.
But that wasn’t a solution.
Just a desperate measure to buy time.
‘In the end… we couldn’t accomplish anything with our own hands.’
Lumern couldn’t overcome his limits and Seirun couldn’t believe in himself.
Ajonia couldn’t move forward and Demian ultimately couldn’t pursue possibilities.
‘I’m the same.’
If what the King of Wisdom passed down to future generations was the seed of hope.
What Rodia left behind was enormous despair.
She had simply left it to future generations.
“A hero is someone who accomplishes what cannot be accomplished. While it’s true that I like Lumern, I’m not sure if it’s worth sacrificing myself for Lumern who ran away from his limits…”
“Lord Lumern will.”
Cal interrupted Rian’s words and said.
“Overcome his limits and drive Erebos out of this world.”
Rian tilted his head.
“Did you not understand what I said?”
“Well done.”
Cal smiled.
“I know. That you were frustrated for not being able to become like Leo. That Lumern ultimately couldn’t surpass his limits. And that he ran away from his limits by trapping Erebos in the World of Cataclysm.”
“And yet you say he’ll surpass his limits?”
“Yes.”
Cal answered without a hint of doubt.
“Why?”
“Because he didn’t give up.”
Rian showed a momentarily stunned expression at the unexpected answer.
“If he had given up… he wouldn’t have thought to endlessly fight Erebos within the Heroes’ World.”
Cal said while looking at the statue of Leo that Rian had made.
“He might be frustrated for not finding a way. He might sit down defeated after hitting a wall. He might despair at the trials before him and run away by leaving it to future generations.”
Cal said with a smile.
“But if he had truly given up, he wouldn’t have done anything. If he hasn’t given up, he can start over again.”
As long as one doesn’t give up, they can challenge their limits once more.
They can believe in themselves again and stand up to move forward.
Finding lost possibilities as well.
As long as one doesn’t give up, they can start over anytime.
“The Heroes of the Cataclysm didn’t fail.”
“…”
“The sacrifice of those who believed in future possibilities… will ultimately save the world.”
Rodia showed a dazed expression.
“So Lumern will surpass his limits. For the future.”
This was Cal’s conclusion, having inherited Lumern’s educational philosophy at Lumern Academy and persevering without giving up until now.
“How disgustingly foolish.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Yes, it is a compliment.”
Rian took out a jewel from his bosom.
And brought the jewel close to his eyes.
Cal’s image was reflected in the jewel.
“Cal Thomas. You won’t be able to become a hero in this era.”
“I know that better than anyone.”
Rian, who had been looking at Cal’s image reflected in the jewel, smiled with satisfaction.
And said.
“The core of the Calamity Flame is a hole torn in this world. The very fact that it came to this world means a rift has formed in the world, so if we eliminate the rift, the abomination can no longer exist in this world.”
Rian smiled benevolently.
“Just thrust me into the core.”
“What?”
Rian approached Cal and took his hand.
Then Rian’s body emitted a bright light.
“Cal, no. Cal Thomas.”
“…?”
“Meeting you might have been great fortune. Please continue to seek new beginnings just as you do now.”
“Rian?”
Cal called out to Rian in confusion.
After the light disappeared, Cal was holding a staff in his hand.
Looking at the staff that emanated divine power like the Hero Record, Rodia said.
“I suppose I’ve reached my limit too.”
“Rodia?”
Rodia smiled broadly.
Before they knew it, the library had disappeared.
The place where Cal and Rodia stood was the subterranean temple ruins.
Whoooosh-!
“The Calamity Flame?!”
It was when Cal let out a cry of shock.
Roooooooar-!
Brilliant light flowed from Rodia’s body.
Soon Rodia’s body transformed into the form of a dragon.
Rodia, having returned to her true form, reached out and grabbed Cal.
Then she opened her mouth toward the ceiling.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble! Flash-! Crash crash crash crash crash!
The pure white breath that burst from Rodia’s mouth created a massive hole that reached all the way to the surface.
“A-Amazing…!”
It was when Cal’s jaw dropped.
Flap-!
Rodia spread her wings and began flying toward the surface at tremendous speed.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh?!”
[Cal Thomas.]
“Yeeeeees?!”
[You know that dragons choose heroes, right?]
“But whyyyy?!”
Cal answered with difficulty while feeling the tremendous pressure of the wind.
[You’re going to become a hero.]
“What?”
Cal, who met eyes with Rodia, showed a shocked expression.
Whoosh-!
Having arrived high in the sky, Cal saw the world beginning to burn before his eyes.
“But Rian said I couldn’t become a hero?”
[Not in this era.]
Rodia said in a delighted voice.
Cal showed a dazed expression.
Rodia spoke to such a Cal.
[The me you’ll meet again won’t remember you.]
Whoooosh-!
Rodia’s body turned to ash and began to disappear.
[But I’ll be looking forward to it. To you having become a hero.]
Surely her future self would be delighted to see Cal.
Calling him a hero of a new era born thanks to finding the Heroes’ World.
Those who possess possibilities that must be left behind in the present.
In the future, they would bloom those possibilities and become heroes.
[Help Lumern, Cal Thomas.]
Whoosh-!
Rodia’s body completely disappeared.
Swoosh-!
The moment Cal’s body began falling toward the ground.
Whoosh-!
“Cal!”
Eliza, flying on a wyvern, caught Cal.
“Where on earth have you been all this time? And what was that dragon just now?!”
“Didn’t you decide to drop the formal speech with me?”
“Is that what’s important right now?!”
At Eliza’s words, Cal looked at the staff gripped in his hand.
“It was Lady Rodia.”
Cal answered as he gazed at the Calamity Flame burning on the Earthly Realm below.
“How’s the current battle situation?”
“Thanks to Lord Lumern’s sudden appearance, we’re holding our ground, but… it’s not looking good!”
“I see.”
Cal took a deep breath.
“Then, let’s begin our counterattack from now on.”
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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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