Chapter 578

Chapter 578

When Kal’s eyelids fluttered open, he was met with nothing but absolute, pitch-black dark.

‘What’s going on here?’

Holding his breath, Kal immediately tensed every muscle in his body.

Even though he wasn’t exactly an ace student, Kal had managed to scrape by and absorb Lumerne’s curriculum. Because of that, the intricacies of the world of heroes were incredibly familiar to him. It took him only a heartbeat to realize that his current predicament was entirely off-script.

‘Could this be Lord Lumerne’s own domain?’

Kal rapidly evaluated his surroundings, keeping his guard up.

‘Didn’t they say the Heroes of Creation locked Erebus away inside their world? And during that ordeal, they wiped out every single Hero Record belonging to the Heroes of Creation that Erebus might use as an escape route.’

Only one complete Hero Record of Creation remained. The very one holding Erebus prisoner.

‘If I’ve wound up inside Lord Lumerne’s world, that means I must have slipped through a fragment of one of those destroyed pages.’

Cold sweat began to bead on Kal’s forehead.

‘Leo definitely mentioned that he was the one who manifested in the waking world as Lord Seirun before, right?’

Furthermore, the sliver of Erebus that broke through back then was supposedly a remnant trying to flee the world of heroes.

‘Which means this place could serve as a gateway too, couldn’t it?’

Just recalling his encounter with Erebus at the summer training camp made a shiver run straight down his spine.

‘First things first, I have to figure out my coordinates and the timeline.’

Location and time. Those were the crucial puzzle pieces needed to beat any world of heroes.

‘But seriously, why is it so pitch-black that I can’t even see my own hand? It feels like I’m resting on a bed, though.’

‘Am I in a dungeon cell? No, the mattress feels way too high-end for that.’

Besides, the space lacked the characteristic damp chill and foul odor of a prison.

‘Actually, there’s a pretty nice scent drifting around.’

He was undeniably in some unfamiliar bedroom.

‘Is it the dead of night? Even if it is, this complete absence of light is bizarre…’

Kal carefully pushed himself up. Right then, he detected a faint presence right beside him. He froze solid.

‘A person? An enemy?’

With no data to go on, Kal’s instincts sharpened to a razor edge. Deciding the figure wasn’t moving to attack, he softly breathed out an incantation.

“Light.”

A sharp flash erupted, piercing through the heavy gloom. In that sudden illumination, Kal’s gaze collided directly with a woman he had never laid eyes on before.

“……”

“……”

Staring at her, Kal became totally paralyzed. The stranger was equally stunned. Kal’s jaw dropped. Meanwhile, the expression of the entirely naked woman sharing Kal’s bed froze into icy hostility.

Whoosh!

Swathed in the bedsheets, she retreated away from Kal with blinding speed. Her hand shot out, grabbing a length of rope that had been discarded on the floor. She snapped it through the air like a lethal whip.

Swish-swish-swish! Snap!

“Ack!”

With the rope clamping tightly around his throat, Kal stumbled blindly. The woman pulled hard, dragging him violently off the mattress.

Thud! Thump!

As Kal crashed face-down onto the floor, she placed a soft foot firmly onto the back of his head, pinning him down as she prepared to speak.

“Gah! Hey! Y-You’re Eliza, right? It’s me! Me! Kal Thomas! Lower your weapon!”

Hearing his shout, the woman, Eliza, hesitated.

“Kal Thomas?”

She slowly lifted her sole off the back of his skull.

“Blonde hair…? Ah, I get it. We’ve landed in a possession-type scenario. But how on earth did you spot me?”

“Your gaze and that terrifying whip technique—it couldn’t be anyone else.”

When Kal offered a cheeky grin and tried to push himself up, Eliza promptly slammed her foot right back onto his head.

“Keep your face on the floor!”

“What for?”

“Are you completely dense right now?!”

Eliza’s face flushed crimson as she shook slightly, letting out a sharp hiss.

Knock-knock.

“Clery! What in the world is all this racket in the middle of the night?”

The stern voice of a middle-aged woman echoing from the hallway caused both Kal and Eliza to instantly go rigid. Eliza pulled her foot back. Kal raised his chin, making direct eye contact with her.

‘Clery? That could be a guy’s name, or a girl’s.’

‘She used the singular, so this dorm room belongs to just one occupant.’

Judging by the dimensions of the space and the layout, it was definitely a single-occupancy room.

“Don’t tell me you’ve snuck another female student into your quarters! I have warned you repeatedly that one more infraction means an automatic disciplinary hearing, haven’t I?”

Before the voice could finish, Eliza bolted straight toward the wardrobe. Kal scrambled wildly, kicking the discarded garments scattered across the floor beneath the frame of the bed before frantically pulling on his own clothes.

Bang!

“What’s with all the shouting while I’m trying to rest?” Kal grumbled, forcing a heavy, sleepy drawl into his voice.

‘Wow, she is the textbook definition of a dorm matron.’

The specs-wearing, middle-aged woman standing in the doorway practically radiated the classic, severe energy of a strict housing warden. Right behind her, a male supervisor stood guard with an equally grim scowl.

Step-step.

The warden marched directly into the living space.

“You were asleep?”

“What else would I be doing at an hour like this?”

The male guard maintained a highly skeptical look.

‘Just leave already. A massive scene right now is the last thing I need!’

At the moment, Kal possessed zero background data on the individual whose body he had hijacked. Navigating an uproar in this state was a recipe for disaster. If the locals began suspecting his erratic behavior, surviving this simulation would become ten times harder.

The warden eyed Kal with deep suspicion, scanned the pristine state of the room, and let out a sharp scoff.

“Hmph, true enough. Knowing your reputation for flouting every academy regulation, you wouldn’t bother hiding a girl. You’d probably just stand there boldly demanding to know what the issue was. Didn’t you brag that the disciplinary committee didn’t frighten you in the slightest?”

‘Just how much of a degenerate was the guy I possessed?’

Realizing he had taken over the shell of an absolute menace, Kal could only manage a silent, bewildered chuckle.

“Just keep this in mind, Clery Jessian! Right now, we have visitors from rival hero institutions, and even the Dragon of Creation, Lord Rodia, is currently staying at Lumerne! As the student council president, if you possess even a shred of decency, stop bringing female students back to your room during their visit!”

“Right, got it.”

“Look at you being compliant. Have you finally developed some pride as president? Or are you plotting something else?”

“Plotting? Me?” Kal offered a dismissive wave, leaning into his natural, carefree charisma.

The warden gave a final snort before pulling the door shut. The moment the latch clicked, Kal sank backward against the wood, sliding down until he hit the floor.

“I really thought I was a goner there.”

As he let out a massive sigh of relief, the wardrobe door creaked open, and Eliza peeked out from the darkness inside.

“Hurry up and hand over this girl’s clothes.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Kal reached under the bed frame and dragged out the garments he had hidden.

‘This is an incredibly awkward situation, yet she hasn’t lost her cool for a second.’

Reflecting on the chaos, Kal clicked his tongue in amazement. Finding herself totally uncovered in bed next to a strange guy would make most people spiral, but she had prioritized neutralizing him first.

‘Then again, basically every girl back at our academy is absolutely terrifying.’

You’d be hard-pressed to find a female student at Lumerne who would just sit there weeping helplessly.

‘Their first instinct is always to completely demolish the threat. Our classmates are brutal.’

Kal let out a soft, amused chuckle.

“A school uniform? This has to be Lumerne Academy.”

Recognizing the design of the female outfit, which perfectly matched the style of his own time period, Kal passed the bundle over to Eliza while firmly averting his gaze.

“Hey, there’s something useful in here.”

From behind the wooden paneling of the wardrobe, Eliza tossed an object toward him. Catching it cleanly, Kal let out another dry laugh.

“An eye patch?”

“Put it on. If you peek, you’re dead.”

“Understood, boss.”

Kal secured the fabric over his eyes.

Rustle-thud-rustle-rustle.

The distinct sounds of fabric sliding over skin filled the quiet room. Feeling a wave of self-conscious awkwardness wash over him, Kal tried to shatter the tension with a bit of banter.

“A length of rope and a blindfold. This is starting to feel a bit suggestive, don’t you think?”

“What is?”

“Just the vibe. By the way, Eliza, do you happen to have rope indentations on your skin right now?”

“How could you possibly know that?”

“……”

Kal immediately went dead silent at her entirely unbothered admission.

“Hmph! Did you manage to scan me head to toe in those few seconds?”

“No way! I turned around the exact moment the light came on!”

“Then how did you guess there were marks?”

“……”

“How utterly shameless.”

Kal felt entirely falsely accused, but with no logical defense to offer, he chose to bite his tongue.

“Regardless, I’m fully covered now.”

Hearing that, Kal yanked the eye patch free.

“The girl whose body I’m in is named Megin Shell. She’s a fifth-year specializing in Summoning magic.” Eliza checked over the embroidered nameplate and the department insignia, clicking her tongue thoughtfully. “And it appears she’s the romantic partner of this Clery Jessian character you’ve taken over.”

“Figures.” Kal rubbed the back of his neck. “So who exactly is this ‘Clery’ guy? Aside from being a notorious troublemaker, what’s his deal?”

“Clery Jessian. A Magic specialist and the very first student council president in Lumerne’s history. Surely you didn’t sleep through your entire freshman history lectures?”

“You ditch half your classes, yet you’re surprisingly well-read, aren’t you?”

“Hmph. That’s basic curriculum knowledge. Though I have to say, you’ve managed to possess a legendary star student, which doesn’t fit your personality at all.”

“Well, his behavioral track record makes him sound a lot like me, actually.” Kal scratched his cheek playfully. “Anyway, let’s piece this puzzle together. But before we do…”

Eliza crossed her arms tightly, tilting her chin up aggressively. Noticing her defiant posture, Kal blinked in confusion.

“Regarding what just occurred.”

“Yeah?”

“If even a whisper of this gets out to anyone else, I will track you down to the deepest pits of the underworld.” Eliza threatened sharply, a faint rose tint coloring her cheeks.

Even if these weren’t their actual physical forms, the circumstances were profoundly uncomfortable for both parties.

“I might talk a lot of game, but I’m not the type of guy to gossip about stuff like this.” Kal shrugged casually, silently telling her to relax.

Eliza gave a stiff nod of approval. Then, wincing slightly, she began massaging her wrist.

“Still, I can’t shake the feeling that it aches. What exactly did you do with that rope?”

Amused by her oblivious confusion, Kal let out a knowing grin.

“You usually carry yourself like a ruthless mercenary, but deep down, you really are just a sheltered noble daughter.”

“Are you actively begging for a beating?”

“I’m calling you innocent! Incredibly innocent!” Kal yelped in genuine panic as Eliza began twirling the rope, threatening to wrap it around his throat once more.

“What in heaven’s name is happening?”

“Why did the world of heroes trigger out of nowhere?!”

“This wasn’t on the schedule! It’s a rogue hero dungeon!”

Pure chaos erupted across the expanse of the Erek training ground.

Faculty members who had been setting up the upcoming tournament scrambled frantically to get a handle on the sudden anomaly.

Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa!

The crowds in the stands, completely oblivious to the danger, roared with excitement, operating under the assumption that the opening ceremony had simply commenced early.

Watching the spectacle unfold, Leo narrowed his eyes, pressing his index and middle fingers firmly against the side of his head.

-Melina.

-I am here, Lord Leo.

-Shut down the external broadcasting feeds immediately.

-Understood.

Having sent his orders to Melina across the distance, Leo directed his focus back toward the epicenter of the Erek training ground. Tuning into his heightened perceptions, a sudden, deadly chill washed over the back of his neck. It felt exactly like the edge of a blade resting against his bare throat.

It was a sensation he had survived far too many times to mistake.

‘A hero dungeon manifesting right in the heart of Lumerne.’

The notion was entirely preposterous. Lumerne’s primary mandate was the subjugation of hero dungeons and the recovery of lost Hero Records. If a Hero Record had been buried underneath the Erek training ground this entire time, it would have been uncovered generations ago.

Drawing upon a lifetime of surviving impossible odds, Leo quickly calculated the variables.

‘Could this be Tartarus’s doing? What is their end game here?’

Even if a rogue hero dungeon was unleashed, it couldn’t truly jeopardize Lumerne. The academy forces could dismantle it whenever they chose. Under normal circumstances, outside entry into an active world of heroes was restricted.

However, through past trial and error, Leo had confirmed that it was entirely possible to breach a hero dungeon that was already undergoing an infiltration. It was a unique prerogative granted solely to the keeper of a Hero Record.

‘Whose Record does this belong to? What are they trying to achieve?’

Just as Leo’s brow furrowed in deep thought—

Whoosh!

A violent explosion of fire tore through the center of the Erek training ground.

Leo’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of the dark embers.

‘The flames of ruin?’

CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!

A massive, corrupted column of pitch-black fire erupted toward the sky.