The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 115: Final Evaluation (5)

A thick plume of smoke rose faintly.

Inside the dim space, the glow of a cigarette flickered like a firefly.

“Phew.”

Professor Elisha slowly stood up, putting out the cigarette.

“I wondered who could destroy a golem so easily... Turns out it’s Cadet Dale's party.”

Professor Elisha gave me a faint smile as she glanced in my direction.

I squinted my eyes as I looked at the diamond badge pinned on Professor Elisha's left chest like a name tag.

'In my past life, I heard that Professor Lucas was in the secret room with the diamond badge.'

It seems the future changed when Professor Elisha came to the academy due to the 'Sealing Incident.'

“I didn’t expect to see Professor Elisha here.”

“Lucas was originally supposed to come, but since I had free time, I asked to switch.”

“...You, Professor Elisha?”

“Yes.”

Elisha smiled faintly and looked at me.

“I thought I might run into Cadet Dale if I was here.”

"......"

Did she really switch for that reason?

As I looked at Professor Elisha in disbelief, she shrugged casually.

“Well then... time to announce the test.”

Elisha spread her five fingers as she continued to speak.

“Five minutes.”

Her ominously glowing violet eyes twinkled.

“If you can last five minutes in a fight with me, I'll give you this badge.”

“...Five minutes.”

It was a simple rule even a five-year-old could understand.

However, just because the rule was simple didn’t mean the test would be easy.

“W-What?! Fight Professor Elisha?! That’s insane!”

Once again giving a reaction worthy of a variety show audience, Albert backed away in shock.

“Calm down, Albert.”

“C-Calm down? Dale, you know who Professor Elisha is!”

Albert’s face went pale as he continued.

“She’s ranked ninth among the three nations’ heroes! Elisha Baldwin, the Spider with the Cursed Eye! No one in our academy can match her except the headmaster!”

“Wow.”

His reaction was spot-on this time.

Now I get why Professor Lucas always picks Albert.

"This is getting a bit embarrassing."

Elisha’s expression remained cold and indifferent, despite the heat of the situation, as she took another drag from her cigarette.

Click.

She lit the end of the cigarette and looked at me.

“So, will you take the test?”

“I will.”

“Good answer.”

Elisha smirked as she took a deep drag from her cigarette.

“Well then.”

Tap.

The spark from the end of her cigarette was the signal.

“Let’s begin.”

Shhh!

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Dozens of silver threads spread around us.

“I’ll cast a blessing on you!”

A white light flowed from Iris and seeped into my body.

Feeling as light as a feather, I slowly scanned my surroundings.

The interior was filled with rocks.

Silver threads stretched between the rocks like a spider’s web.

‘It feels like I’ve entered a spider’s lair.’

I frowned and stepped back to create some distance.

‘I’ll start with a probing attack.’

“Yuren, Camilla. Distract the professor for me.”

“Got it! Leave it to me!”

“Understood.”

Yuren and Camilla dashed forward.

Yuren was the first to reach Professor Elisha.

“Haaah!”

A dazzling golden aura flowed along his sword.

The dim interior lit up as if the sun had risen.

“The Sun of House Helios...”

Elisha smiled faintly as she looked at the radiant golden aura.

“As expected, impressive for a cadet.”

Snap.

With a flick of her finger, Elisha sent a silver thread to wrap around Yuren’s sword instantly.

“Ugh...?!”

“But—”

She yanked the sword, landing a swift spinning kick.

“You’re still rough around the edges.”

“Ugh!”

Thud!

Yuren was sent flying backward, clutching his abdomen where she had struck him.

“Haaaaah!”

Camilla seized the moment, raising her sword high.

Brimming with destructive power, her claymore aimed for Professor Elisha’s crown.

“Strong.”

Elisha smoothly dodged the falling claymore, twisting her body with ease.

“But far too straightforward.”

In a flash, Elisha slipped into Camilla’s guard and struck her square in the chest with her elbow.

“Guh!”

Camilla coughed up her breath, stumbling backward.

“Now... is it my turn?”

Elisha snapped her fingers lightly.

Boom! Crack!

The silver threads strung between the rocks contracted rapidly, shattering the surrounding rocks.

Jagged stone fragments rained down like arrows from all directions.

Their target was Iris.

“Damn it! Lady Saint!”

Camilla, still clutching her chest, kicked off the ground toward Iris in a panic, but there was no way she could match the speed of the falling stone shards.

“Ugh...!”

As Iris squeezed her eyes shut against the torrent of sharp stones—

Whoosh!

Ashen flames flared up and knocked the stones away.

“Oh?”

Elisha’s gaze shifted toward me.

She smiled as she watched the stone fragments crumble into dust and fall to the ground.

“How did you know I was going to target Iris?”

“When facing a party, neutralizing the support is basic strategy.”

“Impressive.”

Elisha nodded in satisfaction.

“Well then...”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Swish!

Dozens of silver threads stretched out, aiming for me.

“You know that after neutralizing the support, the leader comes next, right?”

The silver threads rushed toward me, tangled like a web, ready to swallow me whole.

‘First form of the Ashen Blade.’

Ashen Severance.

I didn’t dodge.

I cut through the approaching threads head-on.

Slashing through the silver threads, I lunged toward Professor Elisha.

Boom!

The distance between us closed in an instant.

I unleashed a fierce strike with my sword aimed directly at her.

“Good.”

Clang!

A newly appeared thread of silver wrapped around my sword.

Like a fly caught in a spider’s web, my fierce blow stopped abruptly.

I let go of the sword in my hand without hesitation.

“…!”

Professor Elisha’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting me to simply release my grip.

Lowering my body, I propelled myself toward her and launched a punch.

"Berald’s Martial Arts: Mountain Crushing."

Boom!

My ember-fueled fist struck her.

Or rather, it struck...

“…Impressive.”

Before I could react, a web had formed in front of her and absorbed the blow.

I clicked my tongue, staring at my fist blocked by the web.

‘So, a half-hearted feint won’t work on her, after all.’

But it didn’t matter.

I wasn’t fighting Professor Elisha one-on-one.

“Well done, Dale!”

The small opening created when she blocked my attack was all Yuren needed.

“Haaa!”

His stigma blazed brightly, and the golden aura that enveloped him shifted to a brilliant silver.

The Blessing of Moonlight.

The more Yuren thought of those precious to him, the greater his mana grew, and it now surged beyond its usual limits.

“White Light—Wave!”

Boom!

The entire interior of the ruins shook violently as if an earthquake had struck.

A tidal wave of silver aura crashed toward Professor Elisha.

“Tch!”

She quickly spread her arms.

Dozens of silver threads wrapped around her body and pulled her away just in time to avoid the oncoming wave of aura.

“This…”

She glanced at her suit, torn by the silver aura, her expression hardening.

The sheer power of the attack sent a shiver down her spine.

‘I can't believe he's just a trainee.’

The force Yuren wielded was enough to shock even someone like her.

‘If he’s this strong now, then in the future…’

A new hero was clearly on the path to making a significant mark in the long history of heroes.

“I look forward to seeing what he can do in ten years.”

Professor Elisha’s eyes gleamed as she looked at Yuren.

I clicked my tongue lightly at the sight.

“You’ve got your eyes on Yuren now, too?”

“What? Are you jealous?”

“Jealous…?”

“If that’s the case, don’t worry, Cadet Dale.”

Professor Elisha turned and gave me a sly smile.

“From now on, only you catch my eye.”

“…”

“Well, enough chit-chat.”

She raised her wrist, revealing the Hero Watch she wore.

“There’s about three minutes left… we’re not done yet, are we?”

“Of course not.”

I grinned and raised my sword again.

Sending a signal to Yuren and Camilla, I charged toward Professor Elisha once more.

Clang! Swish! Thud! Crack!

Our swords and threads clashed, dirt scattering as we engaged in a fierce battle.

“Urgh!”

In the ensuing exchange, it was Professor Elisha who was forced back.

She grimaced, biting back a groan of pain as she retreated.

“That’s it!”

Yuren shouted in triumph, seeing her falter.

“Dale, how much longer?”

“One minute, and this will be over.”

“Really?”

Yuren, either excited from overwhelming such a powerful opponent or thrilled to be fighting alongside me, spoke with more enthusiasm than usual.

“So, we just need to push her for one more minute, and it’s over?”

“…Wait.”

I grabbed Yuren’s shoulder before he could rush forward.

A sense of foreboding spread through my body.

“As expected, Cadet Dale, you’re quite perceptive.”

Professor Elisha, who had been driven back, gave a small, knowing smile.

“Bind them.”

Swish!

With a light snap of her fingers, hundreds of silver threads scattered across the floor tightened.

Before we realized it, the nearly invisible strands had wrapped around me, Yuren, Camilla, and Iris, binding us tightly.

It felt like we were flies caught in a spider’s web.

‘She set a trap during that intense exchange?’

“Urgh…! When did she do this?!”

“I-I can’t move!”

“Dale!”

I could hear Yuren, Camilla, and Iris’s panicked voices.

Professor Elisha’s violet eyes glinted dangerously as a wicked smile spread across her face.

“One minute left.”

Swish!

“Now, let’s see how much you can struggle, little rookies.”

The 9th-ranked hero.

The Spider of the Violet Eyes had bared her venomous fangs.

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