Chapter 44

“Are you really… out of your mind…?”

The department head professor trembled as he opened his mouth.

There had been no separate report or warning about the weekend supplementary lectures.

The Level 1 supernatural creatures owned by the academy had been completely wiped out.

The process had been reckless, even endangering the students’ lives.

Of course, the creatures I summoned were the weakest, so such an outcome was unlikely, but still…

Anyway, it was undeniably strange that the department head professor wasn’t more irate about these matters.

“Explain yourself… Why on earth did you pull such a reckless stunt?”

“I wanted to provide Han Min-ha with the opportunity to awaken his aura. And it was a success.”

“Who’s Han?”

“One of my guidance students, a hero’s offspring with a bonus point advantage who possesses a strong aura but, for some reason, cannot use it at all…”

“The problem isn’t Han but the fact that you dragged Yu Hye-won into this!”

In the end, the department head professor threw the pen he was holding.

I subtly erected a shallow defensive barrier that the professor didn’t notice, deflecting the pen harmlessly to the side.

“If Yu Hye-won had been injured, who would have taken responsibility for that?! You’re just a regular professor, and not only would your neck be on the line, but mine would’ve been too! You’ve always been like this…!”

Somehow, blabbering and cursing…

I paid little attention to the professor’s tirade, instead focusing on other thoughts.

A primitive, obvious, and utterly outdated method.

It was a relic of old-school shonen manga, yet it succeeded nonetheless.

Just as Alexander the Great cut the Gordian knot with a sword, sometimes the simplest and most direct method solves problems that seem too complex to untangle.

The Han Min-ha who faced the unconscious villain and came to terms with the death of his parents was different from before, just as I had predicted.

Han Min-ha didn’t just neutralize the Death Hunger; he shattered it into pieces.

Yet, instead of feeling any pride, I now wondered how to dramatically improve Han Min-ha’s grades moving forward.

I would likely need Yu Hye-won’s help again.

Though I initially misunderstood her due to various reasons, I trusted that Yu Hye-won would assist Han Min-ha based on the events so far.

What a complex child—difficult to define outright.

At that moment, the department head professor’s desk phone rang.

The professor, who had been yelling aggressively, immediately calmed down after seeing the caller ID and picked up the receiver.

“Ah, yes. Dean. Yes, yes.”

The department head professor, now standing stiffly, glanced at me.

“Professor Hyun… Yes. He’s here right now, but…

The professor’s face twisted strangely as he glanced at me.

“Yu Hye-won herself… in the Dean’s office? Yes…? Ah, no, it’s not that. Yes, yes… Yes, understood.”

The department head professor slowly placed the receiver down and slumped into his chair.

“Go ahead.”

The professor waved me away with a dismissive hand gesture.

“Thank you. I will be more careful moving forward.”

Without further ado, I bowed and left the room.

As I walked out, I took out my cell phone and entered the chat room ‘GoldenViper and GrayFungus,’ tapping in a message.

[Thank you, Student Yu Hye-won.]

Yu Hye-won’s reply came promptly.

[ㅡㅡ]

I smiled faintly, pocketed my phone, and left the research building.

As I headed to the lecture hall, a loud booming sound echoed from somewhere.

Looking around, I saw thick clouds of dust rising from the flight training ground nearby.

It was about that time…

Until now, it had been a combination of theoretical education and a taste of aura usage. But starting next semester, it will be different.

Since we have only three years to produce heroes ready for real combat, the latter half of the first year focuses on “real” aura usage.

After summer vacation, explosions will rock the campus, and the infirmary will be filled with injured students.

That’s why I pushed Han Min-ha into the Death Hunger’s path, ready to bear the brunt of the criticism..

If Han Min-ha hadn’t awakened his aura by this point, he would have been eliminated permanently.

He would likely have been transferred to a different division within the academy.

To a combat support section or something similar—behind-the-scenes work for heroes.

While he might still have earned a living, there’s a world of difference between being a hero and being an office clerk for a hero or a minor employee in the management organization.

And, out of respect for the promise I made to Han Min-ha’s parents, I had to take this step.

Ultimately, Han Min-ha awakened his aura. Though I might have faced disciplinary action, Yu Hye-won stepped in to help.

Everything has now fallen into place, so all that’s left is to guide Han Min-ha forward smoothly.

With a lighter heart, I walked toward the lecture hall.

* * * * *

Hana Min-ha, sprawled on the ground, groaned while slowly getting up.

This was the flight prac-practice ground.

Min-ha had just successfully suspended himself above the baseline altitude under Professor Jin’s guidance when he started attempting to move forward slowly.

Overexcited by achieving altitude for the first time since enrolling, Min-ha lost control of his aura and was abruptly thrown back down to the ground at high speed.

“Ow…ow…ow…”

“Are you okay, Min-ha?”

Professor Jin quickly flew to Min-ha and checked on him.

“Thankfully, nothing seems to be broken. Can you breathe okay?”

“Pro… Professor… I… I can’t see! I think I’ve gone blind!”

Terrified, Min-ha flailed his arms around frantically.

“It’s because your glasses are broken.”

“Ahh…?”

Professor Jin picked up Min-ha’s broken glasses from the ground.

“Fortunately, they don’t seem completely shattered. You were wearing an aura, so you didn’t get seriously hurt. Do you think you can stand?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Just a little sore, that’s all.”

With Professor Jin’s support, Min-ha stood up, looking disoriented as he touched his now useless, shattered lenses.

“But… what happened? Why did my aura…”

Professor Jin tilted his head, eyeing the purple aura still emanating from Min-ha’s body.

As Professor Jin hadn’t received any specific instructions from Professor Hyun, it was hard to understand why Min-ha, who only a week ago could barely lift his feet off the ground, was now flying.

“Alright… since you don’t have your glasses, we’ll take a break for now, Min-ha. After class, we’ll go to the infirmary to get you new ones. It’s free for academy students, though the design options may not be to your liking.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Min-ha bowed deeply and started feeling his way forward cautiously with his arms extended.

One of the teaching assistants came to assist him after landing, as ordered by Professor Jin.

Even though it was good news that Min-ha could now use his aura…

The issue was that Min-ha had only just learned to control the aura and wouldn’t be able to modulate its intensity properly.

Min-ha’s aura was quite powerful, making it difficult to manage.

To use an analogy: it was like the difference between driving a small car and a giant dump truck. Not only was it hard to drive, but any accident could lead to serious consequences.

This time, Min-ha just got lucky. His broken glasses were the only damage, but next time, things might not go as smoothly.

I’d need to discuss this with Professor Jin today.

And it was a good opportunity anyway since I owe him for the egg bread he gave me on Friday. Hehe…

* * * * *

“Huh? What’s going on over there?”

Yu Hye-won, walking with her entourage, noticed Han Min-ha shuffling along, guided by a junior classmate, his hands stretched out like a blind person.

“Hey, what’re you doing?”

“Uh… Hye-won?”

Han Min-ha turned his head toward Hye-won, smiling faintly.

“What’s wrong? Are you blind?”

“I crashed during a flight lecture, and my glasses broke.”

Hye-won clicked her tongue upon seeing the damaged glasses in Han Min-ha’s hand.

“You aren’t being careful enough?”

“I still can’t control it properly.”

Han Min-ha chuckled sheepishly as Hye-won rolled her eyes.

“Where are you going?”

“To the infirmary. They said I could get new glasses there.”

“Hmm…”

After a brief moment of thought, Hye-won turned to the junior assisting Min-ha.

“You can go. I’ll take him.”

“Er… but… our next lecture…”

“I know your schedule too.”

The junior wondered why someone as renowned as Hye-won would know the schedule of underclassmen, unaware that Hye-won had obtained copies of their schedules to torment them during her free periods.

“Anyway, go ahead.”

“Er… Alright, Min-ha, I’m off then.”

“See you later. Thanks.”

Han Min-ha waved him off.

“You guys go ahead too.”

When Hye-won addressed her entourage, Song Do-yoon stepped forward and chimed in.

“We’ll come too.”

“Why? What for? What business do you have at the infirmary?”

“Since we’ll be frequenting the infirmary starting next semester, it’s not bad to check it out ahead of time, right?”

Do-yoon’s answer made Hye-won smirk knowingly.

Hye-won understood perfectly why Do-yoon had concocted such a ridiculous excuse to follow her around.

It was jealousy.

Clearly, he saw her as more than just a friend.

“Fine. Come along.”

But Hye-won chose to ignore Do-yoon’s intentions, finding it easier to bring him along while subtly training him in her own way.

She extended her arm toward Min-ha.

“Hey, squirt. Hold on to me.”

“I’ll do it!”

Song Do-yoon interjected, linking arms with Han Min-ha before Hye-won could.

“We’re ‘friends,’ after all.”

“Suit yourself.”

Hye-won turned around and walked away, with her entourage in tow.

“Come on, Min-ha.”

Song Do-yoon pulled Han Min-ha along with an expression devoid of any warmth, completely unnoticed by the latter due to his impaired vision.

“Thanks, Do-yoon.”