Chapter 80

Struggling within the barrage of thorny spikes, Student Song Do-yoon began to feel their strength gradually leaving them.

This was due to the first sudden activation of their aura at such intensity.

Song Do-yoon regretted not listening to Professor’s earlier warnings from the very start.

Why had they acted with such arrogance when it was clear those warnings were given for good reason?

Even if they were from the upper class, they were still an academy student, and this was the field of active heroes and villains.

There was no role for them on this savage stage.

Ah, they should have escaped and gone back now…

But it was already too late. As their strength waned and their speed slowed, the small, sharp thorny spikes began embedding into various parts of their body.

With Song Do-yoon’s limbs now immobilized, the villain grinned in satisfaction and formed a massive thorny spike to launch toward them.

A direct hit here would be fatal…!

And they hadn’t even properly confessed their feelings to Professor Han yet…

They should have followed Professor’s instructions. They should’ve called immediately when Professor Gos Hawk said something strange…

As the colossal thorn spike was about to pierce their abdomen, Song Do-yoon tightly shut their eyes.

But the searing pain or the excruciating sensation of shattered bones and organs never came.

Curiously opening their eyes, Song Do-yoon realized someone was holding them.

“Student Song Do-yoon. Didn’t I make myself clear?”

“P-P-Professor?!?!”

The professor, encased in an intense gray aura, was looking down at Song Do-yoon.

“We’ll calmly revisit this incident later.”

“Sorry… Sorry! Professor! The villain!”

Suddenly regaining awareness, Song Do-yoon turned their head to find the villain who had mercilessly attacked them.

“Huh…?!”

The villain, who just moments earlier had been wildly firing thorny spikes, now lay dead on the ground with a severed neck.

On the ground where the head had fallen, a circular defensive barrier laced with fresh blood was slanted and reflecting sunlight.

*

*

Up in the high sky, Gos Hawk had observed everything that had unfolded in the blink of an eye.

A mysterious hero with an unknown identity had suddenly emerged and performed a vertical drop akin to a hawk.

Considering the wave from the aura, it was nearly equivalent to instantaneous teleportation.

Conventional wisdom dictates that the heavier and more solid an aura, the slower its movement, but that didn’t apply to that hero for some reason.

Unless…

Gos Hawk glanced up at the noonday sun.

Could they have used the weight of their aura to accelerate, high up there?

That hero was insane. One mistake, and they’d be buried in the ground.

But this hero had not only caught Song Do-yoon and deployed a defensive barrier to block the thorny spikes but also decapitated the villain in quick succession.

The manner in which the villain was beheaded was unique.

That unmistakably had to be a Basic Physical Barrier.

There was really no other explanation for it.

A simple, basic physical barrier, meant only to block bullets and the like, was wielded by the gray hero as if it were a circular saw blade, slicing off the villain’s head as easily as cutting through a melon.

He had never heard of such an attack method.

And worse, this hero had intruded on someone else’s request, stealing the merit.

This was beyond insanity.

Who on earth was this crazy person?

Then Gos Hawk came up with a plausible theory.

Ah, this person is the professor overseeing the interns, isn’t he?

Reflecting on it, he recalled that professors were supposed to accompany students during their field training, and this seemed to be the day.

“Shall we play a little?” Gos Hawk thought.

Having hijacked his request so arrogantly, he figured he deserved some fun in return.

Gos Hawk planned to subtly provoke the gray, mold-like professor and watch him squirm.

Approaching the professor who stood by the fallen villain, Gos Hawk mocked him.

“Hey, is it right to hijack someone else’s villain?”

But the situation didn’t unfold as Gos Hawk had expected.

“Shut up. Is that what you’re saying in this situation?”

Professor Hyun stared coldly at Gos Hawk with piercing eyes.

Gos Hawk tried to smile but found it difficult.

Though Gos Hawk had committed numerous murders and survived countless dangers, this was the first time he’d encountered such a penetrating gaze.

What kind of person was this…?!

“Why did you let an intern face the villain alone? I’ll report you to the organization if there’s no valid reason.”

“Huh? Valid reason? Report?”

Taken aback by the statement, Gos Hawk twisted the corner of his mouth, reverting to his usual rough demeanor.

“Whatever this crap is, Professor, this is the field, not the cozy research room of an academy. And how dare you butt in and tell me to shut up? You clearly have no idea how this line of work functions. Back then maybe, but these days…?”

“I’ll say it again clearly. Shut up. I don’t think I’m in a position to take advice from someone of your caliber.”

“Huh? Caliber? Isn’t that pushing it a bit from the first meeting? Look, Professor, I seem like you’re not grasping the current situation properly. I’m the one supervising your student’s field training…”

“Field training is hereby suspended.”

“Eh?”

At Professor Hyun’s declaration, Song Do-yoon, surprised, looked up at Professor Hyun.

It was astonishing that Professor Hyun could hold their own so confidently against an A-Ranked Hero like Gos Hawk, but to suddenly call off the training…?

Gos Hawk, momentarily stunned, asked with a smile.

“Training suspended? Haha. That’s funny.”

“I’m taking Song Do-yoon. And you’ll be reported for violating field training regulations to the organization. I’ve heard how you treat sidekicks as expendable, but Sidekicks and Academy students are entirely different. The organization won’t let this slide as usual. Do you know the National Talent Management Act well? I assume you do, considering you’re an A-Ranked Hero.”

Professor Hyun was correct.

Students at the academy are registered as national talents since they are the future heroes, so what Gos Hawk had done could have serious legal consequences.

But Gos Hawk, unaware of all that, thought Professor Hyun was making baseless threats.

“Thought about sharing a cup of tea and talking, but looks like that’s out of the question. I must report you too. Ever been sued for stealing a request?”

“Request-stealing, per the Request Dispute Law 27, applies solely between privately-operating hero offices. As I’m an academy professor, there’s no profit motive in stepping in, so no basis for legal action against me. Additionally, under Article 12 of the same law, intervention in emergencies by nearby heroes is exempt from such accusations.”

The sudden onslaught of legal terminology left Gos Hawk somewhat startled.

To the Third Training Center graduate, the professor’s words sounded like unintelligible foreign language.

“And you think I’d flinch because of these tricky words?”

“Not at all. It’s not difficult terminology. Any person who’s graduated the academy normally would know this fundamental information. Last time we spoke, you mentioned you were from Graford, didn’t you? Did I hear that incorrectly?”

The professor was fully aware Gos Hawk was from the Third Training Center.

At that, Gos Hawk’s facial muscles twitched. Gos Hawk, who had an inferiority complex about his background, reacted.

“By the faculty’s authority, the internship here is suspended. And we’ll bill your office for all of Song Do-yoon’s medical expenses.”

“Huh? Asking the office to cover injuries during training? This goes way beyond acceptable.”

“That’s a very standard measure. Though, considering how your office operates, I’m unsure if you even understand the concept of standard.”

With Professor Hyun’s continued barrage of aggressive statements, Gos Hawk began to falter.

As his body emitted a dark black aura, Song Do-yoon, sensing the tension, grabbed onto Professor Hyun’s collar.

“Professor. Let’s… just leave.”

“No. Let’s see how far this goes. To prevent such cases from happening again, we need to properly address this now.”

Song Do-yoon was thrown into confusion.

What the professor was saying essentially amounted to giving Gos Hawk a disciplinary lecture, something unimaginable from the professor Song Do-yoon knew.

“Student Song Do-yoon. Please head down to the ground. Can you manage that?”

“Professor. Surely you’re not suggesting—”

“Go down. There’s a chance you might get hurt.”

Song Do-yoon had no choice but to unsteadily leave the rooftop and descend to the ground.

Seeing this, Gos Hawk smirked sarcastically.

“Professor. Surely you’re not suggesting a duel with me?”

“Actually, I’d like to ask the same of you.”

The increasingly menacing black aura convinced Professor Hyun.

“Let me clarify this beforehand, Gos Hawk. Though this seems like a duel, by custom, neither party can hold the other accountable for outcomes. Let’s settle this properly.”

“Ho, that would be a disadvantage for you, Professor. Without any suit, in such attire, do you really think you’ll come out unscathed? And don’t come crying later about medical bills.”

“I already explained. Mutual accountability is not the custom. Don’t tell me you’re unfamiliar with customs?”

Gos Hawk was a black hero who was notoriously difficult for the Management Bureau to control.

He disregarded common ethics and didn’t care about civilian damage during combat.

In addition, he had a strange sexual preference, often incapacitating female villains only to sexually assault them. He would also kidnap those he fancied, making them drug addicts and turning them into sexual playthings.

Because of this, Gos Hawk didn’t think twice about challenging an academy professor.

Moreover, Gos Hawk was an A-Ranked active hero.

Given that the face of the professor dressed in a coat standing before him was unfamiliar, he must have been at best a C-Rank or lower during his active days.

This person thinks they can go against me?!

With a smirk, Gos Hawk started to spin his aura slowly and menacingly.

All the while, Professor Hyun merely stood still, staring at Gos Hawk.

*

*

Standing on the ground, Song Do-yoon couldn’t contain their restlessness and kept looking upward.

They’d forgotten the pain from the small thorny spikes embedded in their body.

Even if Song Do-yoon were an academy professor, it was unthinkable that they could face off against an A-Ranked Hero without wearing a suit.

It seemed necessary to report this to the management organization…

Just as Song Do-yoon pulled out their phone, a loud thud came from a parked car nearby.

Turning in alarm, Song Do-yoon saw Gos Hawk sprawled unconscious on the crushed roof of the car.

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