Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 679

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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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679.

“Haat!”

Swoosh-!

Kinea’s kick aimed for Cal.

“Hup!”

Cal smashed a potion bottle from his chest onto the ground.

Crash.

Whoosh-!

Purple smoke spread thickly.

Seeing this, Kinea quickly retreated.

Cal pulled out a small doll from his chest, cut his fingertip, and dripped blood onto the doll.

Puff-!

The doll swelled up and took on Cal’s appearance.

‘Substitute, deploy!’

It was an alchemical doll that looked like himself.

Though meant for deception and distraction, it was quite elaborate.

‘Well, it won’t work on our honor students.’

The top-ranking students all possessed sharp and keen senses.

The moment he tried such tricks on them, they would immediately see through the fake.

‘But you’re different.’

Strong.

But her mana detection ability wasn’t particularly sharp.

Cal had figured this out during their brief exchange.

‘I can definitely use this as a decoy!’

Before the purple smoke cleared, he placed his hand on his palm.

‘Earth digging magic!’

Cal, who had dug into the ground, put on his magic goggles, bit down on a straw, and went underground.

Then he smashed a potion bottle.

The hole Cal had entered was covered with dirt, returning to its appearance before the digging.

‘She’s strong.’

Cal narrowed his eyes as he checked outside through his goggles.

He had used poison, but it wasn’t working.

‘Well, I expected as much.’

Kinea was definitely weaker than the party members she belonged to.

‘Except for me, of course.’

No matter what anyone said, he was the weakest third-year.

But that didn’t mean Kinea was weak by any means.

‘Considering this era doesn’t have things like Hero Academies or Hero Record… she’s definitely a monster.’

She had become this strong at her age without the help of hero training educational institutions.

It was remarkable.

‘Thorough combat-focused growth.’

Her battle experience was overwhelmingly superior.

‘She’s more accustomed to combat than anyone in our group.’

Except for Leo, of course.

He was in a league of his own anyway.

Puff-!

As the purple smoke cleared, Kinea’s claws aimed for the magic doll’s neck.

Cal barely managed to lean back and avoid the attack, swallowing nervously.

‘Whew! Thank you! Your Highness!’

If it hadn’t been for the training with Duran during winter break, the magic doll would have been hit.

He had gauged the attack’s trajectory and barely managed to manipulate the magic doll to dodge.

‘Now then.’

Cal gripped the trigger of the hand crossbow in his grasp.

‘Full of openings, right?’

Since the duel began, Cal had only been pushed around by Kinea.

As a result, the magic doll was now full of openings.

Cal had fought while giving up the initiative since the duel started.

‘Well, it would be hard to seize the initiative with my magic skills anyway.’

Cal’s thorough defensive play was an improvised strategy for this one moment.

The moment Cal was about to aim at Kinea.

Swish-!

‘Huh?’

Kinea suddenly retreated.

Then, looking at the substitute doll suspiciously, she rolled and swung her foot toward where Cal was buried.

“There you are!”

“Uwah!”

Cal frantically burst through the ground and threw his body.

Thud-!

“You’re serious, but you’re still like a rat!”

Kinea sneered.

“When exactly did you dig into the ground?”

“Really like a mole.”

Driana and Arga expressed their admiration.

“Cal really knows how to catch people off guard and set traps.”

“He’s specialized in that direction.”

“Hmph. That’s his fighting style.”

At Iliana’s words, Chelsea smiled slightly and Duran snorted.

Looking at Eliza, who was trimming her nails with a bored expression, Leo said.

“What do you think?”

“Hmph. He does a lot of cute tricks.”

“Ooh! Eliza thinks Cal is cute!”

When Iliana teased, Eliza swung her whip.

‘Wow. She saw through that?’

Cal clicked his tongue.

‘Did she read my moves?’

Thinking this, Cal shook his head.

‘No, she figured this out by instinct.’

A sense created by overwhelming experience.

‘She’s strangely similar to Leo.’

These little tricks don’t work on Lumern’s top students.

But Leo was fundamentally different from other students.

While other students saw through Cal’s traps using their innate abilities.

Leo detected danger purely through experience.

‘The kids of this era definitely have overwhelming experience compared to us. I need to set traps more carefully.’

While Cal narrowed his eyes.

Kinea was also clicking her tongue.

‘This is getting scary at this point.’

Though she had teased him about being like a rat, Cal kept catching her off guard.

‘I need to corner him slowly.’

Just as Kinea was about to step back, thinking that rushing in recklessly would lead to falling into a trap.

“Huh?”

He felt a heavy sensation at his feet.

Looking down, he saw that the dirt on the ground was holding onto Kinea’s feet.

‘This was a trap too?’

Kinea was flustered by the chain trap.

“Check mate!”

Cal grinned and aimed his crossbow at Kinea.

Crack-!

“Huh?”

At that moment, Kinea lifted her foot.

The ground cracked and the floor lifted up as it was.

“What the… If you use aura, it should become even heavier?”

Of course, if it were someone like Duran, he would maximize his aura output to destroy the alchemy magic itself, but Kinea didn’t have that level of aura output.

“With pure physical strength?”

While Suin were strong, they felt more balanced overall rather than being this physically powerful.

“I’m a mixed blood of Suin and Dwarf!”

“No wonder! You’re a bit short!”

“What do you mean what and how!”

The irritated Kinea swung her foot at Cal.

“Whoa!”

Cal was terrified by the tremendous mass attack and retreated.

Crack-!

As if the alchemy’s effect had worn off, the dirt clump that had been restraining Kinea’s foot crumbled and scattered.

Freed, Kinea extended her claws.

“Interesting prey.”

Kinea licked her upper lip with her tongue and narrowed her eyes.

She looked like a wild animal.

‘She seems rough but is also cautious. Troublesome.’

Cal clicked his tongue.

He was setting traps, but she wasn’t falling for them easily.

Even when she did get caught, she would destroy them with her abilities.

Cal pulled out a potion bottle from his pocket.

“You think you’ll get hit by something like that?”

Kinea grinned and closed the distance with Cal.

Like a cat cornering a mouse.

She blocked Cal’s escape routes and drove him into a corner.

The aura emanating from Kinea’s claws inflicted wounds all over Cal’s body.

“Ugh!”

Spitting blood, Cal fell to his knees.

Having lost a lot of blood, his vision became dizzy.

Seeing this, Kinea closed the distance with Cal.

“It’s over.”

Cal tried to throw the potion bottle he had been holding onto until the end at Kinea, who muttered quietly.

“Hmph! You can’t throw it.”

Grab-!

Kinea grabbed Cal’s wrist.

‘It’s over.’

She had closed in to close range.

Now one strike would end it.

Having thought that far, Kinea momentarily saw Cal’s expression.

‘What?’

Cal smiled and gripped the potion bottle in his hand.

Flash-!

“Gasp!”

An tremendous flash covered her vision.

She hastily closed her eyes, but the bright light instantly robbed her of her sight.

With her eyes closed, she instinctively tried to grab and pull Cal’s wrist.

But Cal was faster in sweeping Kinea’s feet to steal her balance.

Cal pushed Kinea, who had lost her balance.

Kinea fell backward.

“Eek!”

Kinea hastily swung her remaining hand.

But Cal seemed to see it and dodged that hand.

‘This guy can see? How?’

If Cal had closed his eyes, Kinea would have closed her eyes too.

Click-

“Phew, got you.”

Cal mounted Kinea’s stomach and aimed his crossbow at her chest.

“If I shot, it would be over. Do you acknowledge it?”

***

“She’s definitely different from us.”

Arga muttered while looking at Kinea.

Duran agreed with those words as well.

Each of Kinea’s movements as she pressured Cal gave those watching a chilling feeling.

‘It’s not that feeling of being full of killing intent.’

The movements of one who had lived facing death.

“She resembles Chen Xia.”

Leo nodded at Duran’s muttering.

“She does resemble her.”

‘Until now, I thought Chen Xia’s movements were a characteristic she possessed.’

But that wasn’t it.

It was a trait possessed by those who had fought in despair.

He realized this while watching this battle.

‘Right, the sense to detect danger.’

Duran narrowed his eyes.

If he had fought, he wouldn’t have been able to see that sense Kinea possessed.

It wasn’t an ability that shined with an overwhelming difference in skill.

Because Cal was evenly matched, they as third parties could see it.

‘If I had the same skill level as that woman. Could I beat Cal Thomas?’

Having thought that far, Duran clenched and unclenched his hands.

“Black Rabbit.”

“What?”

“If I fought that girl called Kinea under the assumption that we have equal skills, who would win?”

“You know the answer, don’t you?”

Arga made a frustrated expression at Leo’s answer.

And that answer was also the answer to Duran’s question.

“You can’t become like that just by having a lot of combat experience. It’s a sense that only those who have fought battles close to death can possess.”

Would someone who experienced the crisis of death become accustomed to death?

No.

Rather, they would fear death even more.

Yet they’re still prepared to enter battle with the resolve to die.

Their experience is different.

So the weight of their resolve had to be different as well.

I can truly feel what it means to be born in a different era.

As the Hero Candidates were each lost in their own thoughts.

Kinea asked Cal in a daze.

“How were you able to see ahead?”

“Thanks to my glasses. These glasses also have a flash-blocking function.”

“…Don’t tell me you planned this strategy reading even this far ahead?”

“That’s right.”

Cal shrugged his shoulders.

“To catch a ferocious beast, you have to think many moves ahead, don’t you?”

Vision returned.

Cal’s face, grinning broadly, came into view.

“…I lost.”

“Get up. Sorry for pinning you down. You weren’t too heavy, were you?”

Cal moved aside from on top of Kinea.

Then he grabbed Kinea’s hand that was still holding his wrist and pulled her up.

“You… you’re an incredible hunter. A complete defeat.”

“Thanks for the compliment. But could you let go of this now?”

Cal shook his wrist that was caught in Kinea’s hand.

But Kinea didn’t let go of his hand.

‘Is she upset?’

Cal scratched his cheek and turned toward Leo, subtly pulling his arm.

Kinea followed along while still gripping Cal’s wrist.

“Good work.”

When Leo said with a smile, Cal grinned.

“How was it?”

“You should at least do that much.”

“Wow. I worked this hard and that’s all you have to say?”

“You’re not a Hero Candidate anymore. I have to judge you strictly.”

Leo said with a smile.

“That was impressive.”

Dweno chuckled heartily.

“Your ability to read the flow of battle and devise strategy is exceptional.”

“Thank you.”

Cal made a proud expression.

“By the way, how long are you going to stay like that?”

Then Eliza pointed at Kinea who was holding Cal’s wrist and spoke.

Cal scratched his head and said to Kinea.

“Could you let go now?”

At those words, Kinea tightened her grip on Cal even more.

“Hey. I think I’ve fallen for you.”

“Huh?”

Cal made a dumbfounded sound for a moment.

“Marry me.”

Thud-!

The moment she heard those words, Eliza lost her balance on her summon and tumbled down.

“What the!”

Seeing Eliza get up with a bright red face, Iliana covered her mouth and laughed.

“Our Lady Eliza has a rival…”

“Bippi.”

Whoosh-!

At Eliza’s call, a Wind Wyvern was summoned.

With her reddened face, Eliza grabbed Iliana by the collar and said.

“Eat her!”

Chomp-!

The Wind Wyvern opened its mouth wide and swallowed Iliana’s head.

“Aaaaah!”

As Iliana’s screams echoed around them, Leo muttered.

“This has become troublesome.”

“Why?”

When Chelsea, who had been wearing an expression of great interest, asked with a puzzled face, Leo clicked his tongue.

“Suin of this era don’t let go once they bite.”

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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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