The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 100. The Ryu Family’s Scoundrel (1)
The 4th Year Candidate Lecture Hall, situated in a remote corner of the Academy.
Upon encountering an unexpected face there, I couldn’t help but wear a bewildered expression.
“Huh? Dale?”
Berald spotted me as well, his eyes widening as he trudged toward me with heavy steps.
“What are you doing here, hyung?”
“That’s what I’d like to ask you.”
What possible reason could a second-year like Berald have for being in a building reserved exclusively for fourth-year Candidates?
“Well… you see…”
Berald trailed off, his expression growing awkward.
Then.
“Sigh. What? So you actually came looking for me, you scoundrel.”
An irritated voice.
Eyes sharp as a honed blade fixed themselves upon Berald.
‘That voice…’
I turned my head toward the source and beheld a man with hair that blended black and blue—an uncommon and distinctive hue.
Such a rare hair color was nothing short of a symbol of the Ryu Family itself.
And among the fourth-year Candidates, there was only one member of the Ryu Family.
‘Laios Ryu.’
A hero who would later be called the Thunder Emperor, and grandson of Raonel Ryu, the Thunder God.
Like Berald, he was not a branch family member, but rather a direct descendant of the main line with legitimate claim.
“Haha. Didn’t Grandfather tell you to deepen your bonds with me for the sake of family harmony?”
“Family? Don’t make me laugh. You’re just a branch family member.”
Tsk.
Laios clicked his tongue, his expression dripping with contempt.
“And didn’t I tell you before not to call me ‘hyung’ but ‘senior’? Did your thick skull forget already?”
“Haha. My apologies, senior.”
Berald laughed good-naturedly, scratching his head.
“Sigh. Honestly… how did such an incompetent fool end up being born into our family…”
Laios exhaled deeply, his gaze boring into Berald with disdain.
“So you want me to take a photo of us eating together and send it to Grandfather?”
“Precisely.”
“Tsk. Grandfather really does assign the most tedious tasks.”
Laios clicked his tongue, his arms crossed.
“By the way…”
Laios’s gaze shifted toward me.
“Who’s this? A third-year?”
Laios squinted as he examined my necktie color and asked.
“Oh, this is Dale, hyung. He’s a close senior of mine.”
“Hmm. Dale… Dale? Where have I heard that name before?”
Laios Ryu tilted his head, then snapped his fingers with a sharp click.
“Ah, right. That lunatic. The third-year candidate who hides his true strength and deliberately keeps his comprehensive evaluation scores low.”
“….”
So that’s how rumors spread among the fourth-year students.
In truth, from the perspective of a fourth-year candidate who had every reason to obsess over comprehensive evaluation scores, I must have seemed utterly insane for maintaining last place despite possessing exceptional ability.
‘This is rather unfair.’
But what could I do about it?
In the end, I’d even scored zero on this midterm evaluation.
Regardless of the circumstances, to everyone else I could only appear as a deranged individual with peculiar scoring preferences—someone with more than enough ability to earn high marks yet deliberately maintaining low grades.
“You two are close, right? That guy’s a perfect match for you, Berald.”
Laios Ryu glanced at Berald and me, a sneer playing at the corners of his mouth.
I exhaled quietly at Laios’s attitude—one would need to wash their eyes thoroughly to find even a shred of courtesy in it.
‘Now that I think about it, there were rumors that the Brain Emperor had a terrible personality.’
I’d heard the rumors in my past life, but experiencing it firsthand, this was essentially a male version of Rosanna.
‘Perhaps I should teach him some manners.’
I clenched my fist lightly, lost in thought, but decided to hold back for now.
Even if I were to teach him manners, I couldn’t beat him senseless in the middle of the fourth-year building corridor.
“Hahahaha! So you think so too, senior? Dale hyung and I really do make a good pair!”
Berald burst into hearty laughter and draped his arm across my shoulder.
Laios Ryu, who had been sneering at us both, made a sour face and clicked his tongue.
“…Insults don’t work on an idiot like you.”
He was speaking about Berald, who was laughing as though he’d just received a compliment.
‘The idiot here is you, you bastard.’
I felt Berald’s grip on my shoulder tighten and clicked my tongue inwardly.
Berald might be foolish, but he wasn’t lacking in perception.
The moment he heard the mockery, he placed his hand on my shoulder and pressed down firmly—a silent message saying ‘please hold back.’
“Hm? What are you doing here, Laios?”
“Oh my~ juniors? What’s going on here?”
Two figures walked down the corridor at that moment.
One was a handsome man with silver hair and refined features, while the other was a beautiful woman with bright brown hair that fell to her waist.
Both of them.
Were faces I recognized from my past life.
‘Aaron Baek and Bella Leonhardt.’
The two who would later be called the “Meteor Spear” and “Noble Sword” were geniuses competing for the top position even among this legendary fourth-year class.
Beyond their exceptional abilities, there was one reason that drew the attention of people across the entire Continent to them.
‘A love triangle, if I recall correctly.’
The rumor that the Brain Emperor had harbored feelings for the Noble Sword since his candidate days became the talk of the entire Continent through gossip-loving nobles.
“B-Bella? Why are you here…?”
“Why? I was just getting ready to head out for dinner. Want to come with us, Laios?”
“Right now….”
Before Laios Ryu could respond to Bella Leonhardt’s suggestion.
Aaron Baek turned to Berald Ryu with a faint smile.
“Bella. Berald’s younger cousin went all the way to the 4th Year Classroom to see his older brother—let’s give them some family time.”
“Ah, that’s right. Now that you mention it, there’s someone from the Ryu Family in the second year too, isn’t there?”
“This bastard isn’t like my younger brother or anything…!”
“Berald Ryu, was it? Even though Laios looks like this, he worries a lot about his younger brother. With the Hero Training taking up so much time, he probably hasn’t seen his brother’s face in ages. Spend some good time together as a family.”
Aaron Baek patted Berald Ryu on the shoulder with a bright smile.
“Well then, shall we head out?”
“Sure! What do you want for dinner, Aaron?”
After exchanging casual farewells, Aaron Baek and Bella Leonhardt walked away.
“Damn it…!”
Watching the two figures recede, Laios Ryu’s expression twisted savagely.
His clenched fists trembled visibly.
‘Huh, this is actually entertaining up close.’
I could finally understand why gossips wouldn’t stop chattering about the Brain Emperor’s unrequited love.
‘Speaking of which, Aaron Baek.’
The Meteor Spear, Aaron Baek.
As a descendant of Baek Seung-hyuk, the Divine Spear among the Five Great Heroes, he was a powerful hero—so much so that in my previous life, I’d heard he was even Yuren’s rival.
‘Though he does die fighting the Witch of Night.’
Still, if he becomes a powerhouse comparable to Yuren in the future, it would be worthwhile to cultivate a relationship with him beforehand.
‘More hands are always better.’
Unless I was going to single-handedly defeat the Demon God’s armies, building up allies to prepare for the coming calamity was essential.
Especially if the talent in question would rank within the top five heroes in the future.
‘Well, I’ll think about that later.’
For now, Berald’s situation took priority over Aaron Baek.
“Sigh.”
Laios Ryu, who had been standing quietly and suppressing his irritation, glared fiercely at Berald Ryu.
He turned his body and began walking briskly toward somewhere.
“…Follow me.”
“Hm? Where are we going?”
“I don’t want to be seen standing around with a fool like you, so just follow.”
With that, Laios Ryu headed behind the building.
It was certainly a place with almost no foot traffic compared to the crowded corridor.
“I’ll wait here, so go buy some bread from the Convenience Store.”
Laios Ryu, sitting on a flowerbed that reached to his waist, gestured with his chin, commanding Berald Ryu.
Berald Ryu tilted his head and asked.
“Why do you suddenly want me to buy bread?”
“Grandfather asked us to send him a photo of the two of us eating together.”
“Well, that may be true, but….”
“I can’t be bothered to go to the Cafeteria with you, so just buy some bread from the nearby Convenience Store.”
At Laios Ryu’s words, Berald’s expression grew troubled.
“Hmm. Still, it’s a photo we’re sending to Grandfather… eating convenience store bread doesn’t look quite right, does it?”
“Are you seriously talking back to me right now?”
“It’s not talking back, it’s just…”
“You’re just like your damn father, it’s infuriating.”
“…”
Berald’s expression, which had maintained an easy-going smile throughout, hardened like stone.
“What? Does it bother you when I mention that bastard who can’t even remember his own son’s name?”
“…Brother.”
“I told you not to call me that, you idiot.”
Laios Ryu seized Berald by the collar and glared at him fiercely.
Berald lowered his head, his voice dropping to a subdued murmur.
“Please… stop.”
“Stop what? Did I say something wrong? Wasn’t your father’s hair turning gray just a few years ago?”
Laios Ryu circled his fingers around his temples, cackling with laughter.
“Tsk, tsk. I bet having a useless son like you drove him so mad his hair went white.”
“…”
“What are you doing? Not going to buy bread? Oh, my bad. I didn’t give you money.”
Laios Ryu pulled out his wallet and hurled gold coins onto the floor.
“Come to think of it, your whole family survives on the allowance sent from our main branch, don’t you? Hahaha! Living off someone else’s money while bearing the Ryu name… it’s pathetic.”
“Sigh.”
Standing slightly apart, eavesdropping on their exchange, I took a step toward Laios Ryu and exhaled deeply.
“Huh? You? You’ve been here the whole time?”
I moved slowly toward Laios Ryu, who turned to face me with narrowed eyes.
‘I’m sorry, Berald.’
I really was trying to hold back.
‘But I just can’t anymore.’
I clenched my fist and slowly kindled the ‘Ember’.
Just as I was about to deliver a clean uppercut to Laios Ryu’s jaw—
BOOM!!!
A dull, thunderous sound.
“Ugh!”
Laios Ryu’s body, struck by a fist as massive as a cauldron lid, flew through the air before crashing hard onto the ground.
“What?”
I turned to Berald in shock.
Berald, clutching his cheek, rushed toward Laios Ryu crawling on the ground and cried out urgently.
“Oh my! Are you alright, Senior?”
“You, you bastard, what are you—!”
“There was a flying insect on your cheek, Senior, and I was trying to brush it off, but I accidentally ended up punching your jaw instead!”
“What, what?”
Laios Ryu stared at Berald with an expression of utter disbelief.
As Berald charged toward him, his body suddenly lurched forward.
“Oops, these blasted feet!”
“Kughhhhhh!”
Tumbling forward, Berald drove his knee directly into Laios Ryu’s abdomen.
The full weight of Berald’s two-meter frame crashed down in a single devastating blow, and Laios Ryu let out a strangled cry, foam spilling from his lips.
I rushed toward Berald, shouting urgently.
“Berald, you bastard! What the hell are you doing to a senior?!”
“Gack! I’m sorry! I tripped and fell by accident!”
“Look at Senior Laios Ryu’s face! He’s spitting foam from his mouth!”
“W-what should I do, Dale hyung?!”
At Berald’s question, I quickly scanned the surroundings to confirm no one was watching, then grinned wickedly.
“I think casting an ‘Awaken’ spell should bring the senior back to consciousness, don’t you?”
“Understood!”
Berald nodded and raised his arm high.
“Awakeeeeeeeen!!!”
Crack! Snap! Crackle!
As Berald chanted the incantation, the magical energy jolted the unconscious Laios Ryu awake.
“Ahhhhh! Argh! Damn it! Stop!!! Ahhhhh!”
The spell’s effectiveness was remarkable.

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