KakaoPage Originals
The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student
[Original — Yerona]
[TL — MiT7]
[PR — Spades]
[QC — Lumi]
Chapter 14 — The Kraken's Welcome
——————
Two days later, morning.
Leo and Celia headed to the Lumeria Lake dock.
Dressed in Lumern uniforms, they drew eyes.
"Look! Lumern freshmen."
"Aw, so fresh and young."
Street vendors smiled, cheering them on.
A fruit stall owner tossed two apples their way.
Catching them, Leo grinned and bowed.
"Thanks!"
"Study hard and do well!"
Crunch—! Biting into an apple, Leo offered the other to Celia, who shook her head.
"No thanks."
"Lumern's something else. People really love it."
"We're the future."
Heroes enjoyed immense popularity.
Lumern students were hero candidates.
They followed the footsteps of past heroes, preparing for threats to the world.
People rallied behind them.
"Tartaros has been quiet lately, but who knows when it'll stir again. And…"
Celia stopped, chin raised.
"We can't keep losing to Seirun forever!"
Humans and elves weren't on good terms.
Thus, Seirun, the elven hero academy, and Lumern held frequent friendly competitions to foster harmony.
From quizzes to sports to mock battles testing martial prowess, these contests, dubbed the Luse Matches, spanned centuries.
The Luse Matches eased tensions between races to some extent.
But with racial pride at stake, students threw themselves into the contests with fierce determination.
Lumern had been losing to Seirun for years.
"Just watch. I'll crush Seirun's nose flat!"
"Good luck with that."
Leo, munching his apple, gave a half-hearted cheer as Celia clenched her fist, eyes blazing.
As they neared the dock, other freshmen appeared.
Some flew with staves, others rode summoned creatures—standard flair.
One student was decked out in a dazzling array of weapons.
"Desperate to stand out."
Celia shook her head.
A boy with light orange hair blocked their path.
"Hey! Stylish guy and girl! Got a sec to chat?"
"Who're you?"
"Name's Carl Thomas, from Moira Kingdom!"
"And?"
"No big deal."
Grinning, Carl pulled out business cards and handed them to Leo and Celia with practiced ease.
"Weapons to potions! Carl's Shop! Need anything for school life? Come by anytime!"
Winking, he let out a hearty laugh and dashed toward another student.
"Talk about variety."
Celia, dumbfounded, tucked the card away.
"I'm gonna meet some empire freshmen."
The Rodren Empire was a western powerhouse.
Many western exam passers hailed from it.
"Go ahead. I'll look around."
"Meet me at the dock later."
As Celia left, Leo strolled, observing the crowd.
The dock buzzed with freshmen and families celebrating.
The diverse cultures mingling reminded Leo of something.
'Like Gardsthron.'
The city called the final bastion in the Age of Calamity.
Where Lisinas, led by Kyle, launched the counterattack against Erebos.
Lost in memories, Leo stood still.
Thud—!
"Oof?"
A blonde girl, reading while walking, bumped into his back.
"Oh, sorry. Wasn't looking."
"No worries."
Apologizing, she refocused on her book and walked off.
'She'll bump into someone else like that… Huh?'
A card lay on the ground.
It was a student ID with the girl's photo, labeled Chloe Muller.
Scanning the crowd, Chloe was already gone.
'I'll return it when I see her.'
They'd meet eventually as freshmen.
"Carl's Shop! Take a card!"
Carl was handing out cards to other freshmen.
Catching Leo's eye, he grinned and approached.
"Yo, again?"
"Business going well?"
"So-so. Snooty noble kids don't even glance my way."
"Lumern's mostly nobles. Most won't."
"True. Heh."
Shrugging, Carl laughed cheerfully.
"Let's reintroduce. Carl Thomas, fifteen!"
"Leo Flove, from Dellard Kingdom. Same age."
"Noble, right?"
"Yup."
"Wow, you don't care I'm a commoner?"
Leo smiled at Carl's surprise.
"By the way, Dellard means the western exam, right? Heard it was brutal. Passing that's wild!"
"Wasn't easy."
They chatted, Carl's friendliness making them fast friends.
"What's your major? My family's been alchemists for generations, so I'm going for Magic Studies."
"I'm taking Magic Studies too."
"Really? Let's be buddies, Leo!"
Carl beamed.
Leo planned to study Knight Studies and Summoning Studies too, but didn't mention it.
As they talked, a massive ship cut through Lumeria Lake's mist.
It ferried students between Lumeria and Lumern.
"Whoa! Huge!"
Carl gasped.
Soon, a silver-haired man in a uniform disembarked.
"All freshmen, assemble!"
Freshmen bid farewell to families and gathered.
"Check headcount."
Assistants used magical devices to scan student IDs.
As Leo pulled out his, he noticed a girl frantically searching her pockets.
"Hold on."
"Where you going?"
Carl followed.
Chloe, looking distressed, eyed Leo curiously as he approached.
"Here."
"Huh?"
"You dropped this."
"Thanks!"
Chloe smiled brightly, taking her ID.
"I owe you! I'm Chloe Muller!"
"Chloe Muller?"
Carl's eyes widened.
"North exam top rank, Chloe Muller?"
"Yup. You guys?"
"I'm Leo Flove, and this is…"
"Carl Thomas! Weapons to potions! Carl's Shop for all your school needs! Here's a card!"
Carl swiftly handed Chloe a card, pitching his shop.
Chloe, intrigued, said, "A shop? Planning to focus as a supporter?"
"Haha, top rank gets it in one!"
"Learned a bit from Magic Tower seniors."
All Lumern students were hero candidates with exceptional talent.
But disparities existed.
Some, feeling their talent lacking, pivoted to supporter roles.
From combat aid to logistics, they were vital to heroes.
Most students, however, aimed solely for hero status.
Carl seemed set on the supporter path.
"I barely passed the exam anyway."
"If your stuff's good, I'll be a regular."
"Whoa! Already connected with a top rank? Lucky day!"
Carl laughed heartily.
"Let's be friends! We're all Magic Studies!"
"Magic Studies?"
Chloe tilted her head.
"You, sure, but you too?"
"Yup."
"Not Knight Studies?"
As a top ranker, Chloe instantly sensed Leo's aura.
"I'm aiming for dual majors."
"What! A magic swordsman? That's awesome!"
Carl freaked out.
Rare, but some had talent in two abilities, called Dual Class.
Lumern had several Dual Class students.
Chloe nodded at Leo's words, unfazed.
A staff member approached, checking their IDs.
After the headcount, the silver-haired man stepped forward.
"I'm Professor Ain Ellandu, Lumern faculty."
"Ain Ellandu? The Knight of the Frozen Sea?"
"The Ain Ellandu?"
"I want his autograph!"
"Silence!"
Ain hushed the excited students.
"We're heading to Lumern. Board the ship."
"Yes, sir!"
***
Before the entrance ceremony, freshmen crowded the deck, sightseeing.
Run by Lumern Academy, the ship's deck was pure luxury.
It felt like a high-society party.
Top chefs served global cuisines, delighting students' senses.
Even Professor Ain lounged, sipping wine.
Polished waiters bustled, serving students.
Noble freshmen, pleased, laughed and bonded.
"Lumern Academy's on another level."
"I'm pumped for school life!"
Freshmen dreamed of their upcoming academy days.
Leo frowned.
"Something's off."
"What?"
Carl, plate piled with food, looked puzzled.
"A hero academy with a party vibe?"
"It's before the ceremony. Chill. Oh, I got some intel!"
"Intel?"
"Yup! Check it out!"
Grinning, Carl pointed to a burly, light-brown-skinned boy eating quietly.
"Warrenden Tyden! South exam top rank, Summoning Studies major!"
"A spirit summoner."
"Exactly. Did some homework, huh?"
More like Leo saw it instantly, but he didn't correct him.
"And over there's east exam top rank, Chen Xia!"
A petite girl with black hair and eyes, exotic in appearance, sampled foreign dishes curiously.
"She's Knight Studies. Heard she punched out her exam rivals?"
Carl, shaking his head, pointed the other way.
"And that's central exam top rank, Duran Moira, Moira Kingdom's third prince. Knight Studies."
A light-blond boy swirled a wine glass, surrounded by his clique.
Carl grimaced, then gestured beside Leo.
"And north top rank."
Chloe munched cake, reading.
"West had two top ranks, the famous Celia Zerdinger and Abad Lewallin."
"Leo, there you are!"
Celia approached.
"Hey, Celia."
"Celia? No way—Celia Zerdinger?"
"Yup."
"Your friend's *Celia Zerdinger*? Huge!"
Carl grinned, offering his hand.
"Introduced earlier, but Carl Thomas!"
"Seem cozy already? Celia Zerdinger."
Shaking his hand, Celia glanced at Chloe.
"And you?"
"Chloe Muller."
"North top rank?"
"Yep."
Chloe grinned confidently.
Celia, intrigued, asked Leo, "What's with the deep thought?"
"Just… The academy's vibe isn't what I expected."
Lumern selected elite talents to forge heroes.
Its grueling school life and high dropout rates were infamous.
Yet here they were, on a lavish cruise.
"Even Lumern wouldn't grind students before the ceremony," Celia said.
"You're overthinking," Carl added.
Then—
Boom—!
The ship lurched violently.
"Guess not."
"What's that?!"
As Leo muttered, something surged from the lake.
Splash—!
"Aaaah! What is that?!"
"A kraken?!"
"A kraken out of nowhere? What's going on?!"
A massive squid arm swept the deck, turning the party into chaos as students panicked.
"Professor Ain! Help!"
A girl rushed to Ain, pleading.
Ain frowned.
"Help? Why should I?"