Chapter 24

<Chapter 25> Ah, this is what they call a casual fight. Not something that happens to me though.

Lately, Yu-jin had been in a good mood.

And for good reason—Chul-soo seemed to be calming down!

After all, hadn’t he accepted his request for a sparring match?

From the experience of the first day, sparring in this other world was basically a sport.

This meant Chul-soo’s anger must have subsided.

“Hell no, what the actual fuck is this nonsense?”

The slime dwelling inside his soul muttered under its breath.

It couldn’t figure out what this idiot had been thinking about since earlier.

What? Calmed down? Sport?

Are you seriously so deluded your conscience turned into a happiness circuit?

Man, it’s like your brain’s turning into perpetual motion or something.

“Tch, who said anything about not being a monster and doesn’t know jack.”

That dumbass shook his head side to side.

“What? What did you say, asshole?”

“Think about it. Would you play with someone you’re not close to?”

“Nope.”

“But Chul-soo decided to play with me.”

“So what?”

“Therefore, Chul-soo and I are close friends! Proof complete!”

Should I bother telling this moron that sparring isn’t just some kind of playtime?

The slime thought about it for a moment before deciding against it.

Talking to Yu-jin only made him more exhausted.

You can’t reason with an imbecile like that.

I’ve got enough problems taking care of myself.

“Hey, idiot.”

“I’m not an idiot.”

“Whatever. So how’s that whole ‘leveling up magic power’ thing going?”

“Oh, that? Lately, I haven’t been running into any monsters. Heh heh heh.”

Since the Ogre incident, the Academy banned all field exercises.

Because there was always the risk of another accident happening.

Moreover, Yu-jin’s routine was strictly school or home.

Even then, Park Bi-seo drove him everywhere in her car.

Naturally, there was no chance of encountering monsters.

“Yo, asshole! What am I supposed to do then?!”

“Hmm… How about you just live inside my soul?”

“Don’t give me that crap, you lunatic! Watching you makes me feel like I’m gonna die from hypertension!”

“Even though I don’t even have blood vessels…”

“That’s how frustrating it is, dummy! Haven’t you heard of metaphors? Metaphors!”

Yu-jin casually ignored the yelling slime as usual.

Seriously, I let you live here for free and you still complain so much?

These days, if someone says there’s no deposit or rent, you gotta suspect fraud first!

The kindness I extended has been completely disregarded—it’s so sad.

While Yu-jin was packing his bag, his homeroom teacher suddenly approached.

“Hmm! Hmm! Yu-jin, do you mind if I talk to you for a second… Or rather, is now a good time?”

It was their short-statured homeroom teacher.

Her petite frame was so adorable it made you want to hug her without thinking.

She looked small enough to pass for an elementary school student.

But dressed in adult-sized suits, she had an oddly mismatched appearance.

Standing next to her, even Yu-jin seemed towering by comparison.

“…Me?”

Yu-jin widened his eyes in surprise.

Teachers rarely ever talked to him directly.

Whenever they asked questions, they’d nervously avoid him and back away shaking.

He felt quite wronged despite trying hard in class.

‘So this is what it feels like when the teacher approaches someone like me!’

Indeed, the homeroom teacher was different.

“A-ah, well, if you’re busy, it’s fine. It’s not that important anyway…”

Though her voice trembled like a scared little squirrel.

Still, it was rare for a teacher to approach him like this.

Regardless of others’ gazes, Yu-jin, the model student at heart, nodded.

“It’s fine.”

“O-oh, great? Then um… This place isn’t ideal…”

The homeroom teacher glanced around.

It was after school, but a few students were still hanging around.

Discussing things here would be difficult.

“Do you want to come with me to the faculty office? Um, would you help me out with that?”

Why does asking for such a simple favor have to be so hard?

Teachers at the Academy really overcomplicate things when dealing with students.

“Alright.”

“Phew, yes! Let’s go then!”

The homeroom teacher looked like she’d conquered Mount Everest.

Yu-jin followed her into the faculty office.

As soon as they entered, all the teachers’ eyes turned toward them.

‘Ugh! My stomach hurts.’

Come to think of it, this was his first time visiting the faculty office.

Even if they were teachers, the piercing stares were fatal for someone as socially awkward as him.

Yu-jin took 10,000 damage.

“Let’s sit here first.”

The homeroom teacher sat down first and offered Yu-jin a chair.

Without a word, Yu-jin took his seat.

So, why exactly did she call him here?

It couldn’t be about career planning—he was too young for that.

There hadn’t been any exams, so it wasn’t about grades either.

Then, was it a consultation regarding peer relationships?

‘In that case, I can stand tall!’

Gone was the Yu-jin who once cried filling out the “best friend” section on tests.

There was Chul-soo, Young-hee, and Soo-hyun!

He already knew three names.

Just because he’s a loner doesn’t mean he has no friends!

“Actually, the reason I called you today is because I wanted to recommend you as a disciple to a hero.”

The words that came out of the homeroom teacher’s mouth were completely unexpected.

Huh? A disciple to a hero?

What’s that? Is it something you eat?

“A hero… Of course, not just any hero! You know Strong Hero Tae-jin Kim, right? I specially requested this favor from him.”

I don’t know him.

Of course, I understand that being a Strong-Rank Hero is impressive.

Like there are fewer than ten in the entire country,

And their power could demolish buildings or cause tidal waves.

So you’re saying you’re sending me to someone like that?

Did I do something wrong?

Is this some way of saying they don’t want to see my face around school anymore?

If that’s true, it would be pretty sad.

“Well… The reason is, I thought it might be a good stimulus for you! He’s one of the top heroes in Korea. His teachings could greatly benefit your life.”

“Hmm! Hmm! And you know, he doesn’t take on disciples easily! This is a huge opportunity. So could you trust me just this once and meet him?”

The homeroom teacher was desperate.

She was the only teacher who truly believed Yu-jin could become a hero.

‘Lately, Yu-jin has been paying attention in class and studying diligently. Even though he’s part of Hwagcheon, if he receives proper training from a top-tier hero, he might change.’

She believed it was her duty as a teacher to cultivate promising students into excellent heroes.

And that included Yu-jin.

Yu-jin, the successor of Hwagcheon, possessed immense power.

If he chose the path of justice, he could be a powerful asset.

‘Maybe Korea will welcome a new Strong-Rank Hero.’

With only that possibility in mind,

The homeroom teacher arranged this meeting with the Strong-Rank Hero despite knowing the odds were slim.

She understood how unlikely it was for the successor of Hwagcheon to become a disciple of another hero.

Still, she clung onto that faint hope.

Now, what was Yu-jin thinking upon hearing this suggestion?

‘Scared and don’t want to.’

To be honest, he didn’t want to.

Learning from some kind of monster was absolutely not appealing.

Yu-jin was aware of the extent of his own powers.

But that didn’t mean he enjoyed fighting.

He had no intention of becoming a hero.

No matter how strong he became, monsters were still terrifying!

‘Besides, learning alone from someone I don’t know sounds awful… Just thinking about it gives me a headache…’

Socially awkward people expend all their energy just being alone with someone else, leaving them utterly drained.

In such a state, learning anything would be impossible.

And judging by what he’d heard, this hero didn’t have any other disciples.

Clearly, there was something off about his personality!

Definitely the type who gaslights people, thinking “This disciple doesn’t suit my tastes!”

‘At the same time, I can’t outright reject an offer the teacher went through so much trouble to arrange…’

The teacher had gone to great lengths for him.

Could he really turn it down after all her effort?

“Oh, it won’t take long! Just a week! A mere week of training!”

While Yu-jin was unusually deep in thought,

“Goodness gracious! After such a long absence, you two are already talking nonsense?”

A third person inserted herself into their conversation.

It was the nurse teacher, whose ample bosom peeked through her white coat and whose legs were encased in black pantyhose.

Though her lips curved into a smile, her eyes were icy cold.

She clearly disapproved of the situation.

Indeed, anyone in the Academy knew she was affiliated with Hwagcheon.

Would she approve of someone trying to indoctrinate the organization’s heir?

“Teaching Lord our ways? Sounds like you’ve mistaken who you’re dealing with!”

“That, that’s not true! Hero Tae-jin Kim is respected by everyone as the strongest hero!”

“How grand their power may be, it’s insignificant compared to the name of Hwagcheon. Rest assured, Lord will receive proper training from us.”

“Hmph! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten how embarrassingly defeated your precious Strong-Rank Hero of Hwagcheon was last time?”

“Wha—what?”

The homeroom teacher and the nurse never got along.

One celebrated the Academy and heroes, while the other belonged to the shadowy organization of Hwagcheon.

Their values were too different to bridge.

They rarely passed each other without arguing.

‘…What is this situation?’

Yu-jin, caught in the middle, found himself stuck trying to read the room.

Ha ha, please stop fighting.

Yu-jin belongs to everyone!

The nurse gave the homeroom teacher a cold once-over before smirking.

“Honestly, expecting such a brat-like body to make proper decisions is ridiculous. Do you even think men looking at that body would see him as a woman?”

The homeroom teacher wasn’t one to back down.

“Pfft! Better than covering up sagging wrinkles with makeup. How much foundation do you cake on that face? Ever heard of silicone implants?”

“What, what?! Did you just say that?!”

“Yes, I did. Problem?”

Their sharp gazes clashed.

Almost simultaneously, both turned their heads toward Yu-jin.

“Yu-jin will attend Hero Tae-jin’s lessons, right?”

“Such human nonsense isn’t worth listening to, my Lord! You have excellent mentors within Hwagcheon!”

……Wait, why are you targeting me?

Suddenly becoming the focal point of both female teachers, Yu-jin broke out in a cold sweat.

I have no intention of getting stronger…

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