“Alright, then, let’s give a round of applause to Mr. Telos for today’s special lecture!”
Waaaaah!
As Ms. Eve introduced him and a man walked up, the children erupted into applause and cheers.
Telos Dolos, known for spending an exceptionally long time on the frontlines even among the legendary heroes, slightly nodded in response to the enthusiastic crowd.
At first glance, it might seem like a lackluster gesture, but it didn’t come off that way at all.
His white hair was a testament to the years, yet there was no trace of frailty in his muscular physique and the glint in his eyes.
Seeing him, it was hard to believe that the phrase “battle-hardened veteran” fit him so perfectly; even the smallest of his actions seemed to carry great significance. Unlike when I looked at other captains like Martina or Leon, there was just this feeling of unwavering reliability with him. It felt like there was no way this guy could lose, even seeing him die at the hands of a demonic beast in the original story; I bet the other kids felt it even more.
That must be the trust that comes with experience.
I had heard various stories till now, but seeing it with my own eyes left me in awe.
As I stood there admiring the living legend of the hero community, Telos opened his mouth.
“Nice to meet you. Most of you probably know me without an introduction; I’m Telos Dolos, the former captain of the 2nd Squad at Astrape. I heard the new captain, Yoon Si-woo, is around your age? It seems like there are many excellent students here, so I’m happy—no need to worry about the future.”
He scanned the faces of the kids and smiled as if he were pleased, causing them to tremble with excitement.
Watching the children beam with joy from being acknowledged by someone they idolized, Telos continued after they calmed down a little.
“I’ve heard from other captains that you’ve learned how to get stronger. I initially got that request too, but considering how I’ve just clobbered things in my time, I’m not suited for teaching. So instead, I want to share a bit about my experiences up until now.”
The kids looked relieved at the mention of just stories, though some wore expressions of mild disappointment.
The previous lessons from the other captains, though tough, had been incredibly enriching.
How often do you get the chance to learn from those who have reached the peak?
With Ms. Eve grinding us all into the ground lately, they felt relieved about the absence of harsh training, yet there was an undeniable tinge of sadness not to receive teachings from such a legendary figure.
Noticing the atmosphere, Telos chuckled at us.
“It seems like you wanted to receive some training from me. But first, could you listen to my stories? They might be pretty interesting for you, too.”
And just like that, he began to unravel his tale.
“Do you know that the gluttonous demonic beasts have a weakness? While it might seem like these regenerating creatures have no specific vulnerabilities, they actually have a little core inside them that they call a ‘nucleus.’ The problem is, it’s so small compared to their body size that looking for it to smash it takes longer than just crushing the whole beast instead. But after hunting them down fiercely, I figured out roughly where that core is. If you observe demonic beasts closely, you might notice that each individual has subtly developed areas, and most of the time, it’s in those spots…”
Telos shared with us the weaknesses of demonic beasts and how to face them easily.
“Thinking back to a past incident—the day a horde of demonic beasts appeared at the forefront of the western front where the 2nd Squad was stationed, none of the other squads could come to help. We had to fend for ourselves, so everyone fought desperately. Many lost their lives, and some comrades were badly injured, losing most of their limbs except for one leg. Watching them…”
And he recounted his experiences on the battlefield, along with the lessons he had learned there.
We simply couldn’t pull ourselves away from his stories.
His tales from over 50 years living on the frontlines were intense, fascinating, and incredibly beneficial.
With tales you couldn’t buy anywhere, some kids took out their notebooks to jot down notes, not wanting to miss even a single word.
The only downside was that Telos’ demeanor had completely changed.
He seemed to have shifted from the stoic, serious veteran to someone with the vibe of a talkative baseball player from LA.
Thank goodness he was good at chatting; otherwise, I might have found this time a bit hard to endure. Just as I was thinking that, someone’s voice interrupted Telos.
“…Captain, you’re still quite the chatterbox. Isn’t it about time to wrap things up?”
It was the History Teacher, complete with a prosthetic arm and leg.
It seemed there was some history between the two; upon seeing the History Teacher enter, Telos warmly greeted her.
“Oh, you… it’s been a long time! Are you working here now? Looking good?”
“It’s been 25 years. I’m teaching here now. As you can see, I’m doing well.”
“Ah, wow. Seeing you aged like this makes me realize it’s time for me to retire as well. Anyway, good to see you. Let’s have a chat later—”
“I’m really happy to see you, but let’s save the reminiscing for later and finish the story first. The other students need to hear it, too.”
“Alright, I’ll say just one more thing before I finish up.”
Faced with the History Teacher’s firm expression, Telos laughed and looked us squarely in the eyes.
“What let me keep fighting this long without rest is the firm belief that it’s for the happiness of humanity. Everyone has the right to be happy. I simply did what needed to be done so that people could enjoy that happiness. I hope you all can become people who can do what you need to do. And lastly, just one more thing…”
Didn’t he just say he’d say one thing?
It seemed like everyone shared a similar thought as they chuckled while watching him speak, and Telos looked at us with warm eyes.
“You all have the right to be happy as well, so don’t die. That’s the end of what I wanted to say.”
His words, filled with sincerity, made everyone nod and smile in agreement.
Just as we were about to bid him farewell after that warm conclusion,
Weeeeeee— a long siren wailed.
A sound signaling that something unsettling was afoot.
In the classroom, now growing chaotic from that ominous sound, one student suddenly looked out the window.
“…Huh?”
He made a dazed sound.
Naturally, we all turned to look where he was staring, and there it was.
A beast stood outside.
It looked like either a wolf or some canine creature on four legs.
It was clear it was not just any ordinary beast; the place where its eyes should have been was covered in scars, and something that wriggled like tentacles sprouted all over its body.
With that bizarre appearance, everyone recognized it as a demonic beast.
If that were all, we wouldn’t have been so startled.
We had seen plenty of strange-looking demonic beasts until now.
However, what left everyone paralyzed in shock was that we could clearly identify the details of its appearance.
That was supposed to be impossible.
Because that beast was standing outside the barrier.
No matter how close the academy was to the barrier, it was still far from where that beast stood.
Yet, we could see the beast.
It was slightly smaller than it could have been, but clear enough for us to identify its features.
So, just how big would it have to be for us to see it this clearly from that position?
I once heard about the differences between intermediate and high-tier demonic beasts.
Unlike intermediate ones, with high-tier beasts, you just know—they have that unmistakable high-tier vibe.
And based on my feelings, that thing was at least high-tier.
That meant it was a beast that could only be dealt with by a captain-level hero or someone similar.
But if it was just that one beast…
Wouldn’t Si-woo and the other captains be able to take it down if they worked together?
As I pondered over that, suddenly the beast lifted its head and opened its mouth.
[■■■■■■■■■■!!!]
A long, thunderous howl reverberated clearly through this place.
Several students, hearing that sound, wobbled dangerously before falling and hitting their backsides.
While most students managed to hold on until that point, the next sound that came through was enough to instill a sense of despair in most of our hearts.
It came through.
[■■■■■■■■■■!!!]
A sound similar to the previous one.
[■■■■■■■■■■!!!]
Faintly.
[■■■■■■■■■■!!!]
One after the other, one after another.
That sound made us realize, without a doubt.
It wasn’t just a beast.
It was a pack of beasts.
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