episode_0005

006.

“Have you all taken your seats?”

The homeroom teacher with navy blue hair stood at the podium, casually dressed.

She appeared to be in her late twenties.

With a nonchalant expression, she scanned the faces of the students.

“Alright… well, since today is the first day, let’s just have a quick orientation.”

The homeroom teacher yawned as if she was bored.

It was evident that she lacked enthusiasm.

“Hey, is that person really a Union instructor?”

“I heard the teacher who assigned us to this class during the entrance ceremony is our homeroom teacher.”

Some of the trainees whispered among themselves.

It seemed like they didn’t like the idea of having such an unenthusiastic person as their homeroom teacher.

Having barely made it into the world-renowned Hero Development Academy, it would be disappointing if the assigned instructor was in such a state.

However, some trainees looked at the homeroom teacher with a mix of interest and curiosity.

Although she had changed a lot from her active days, some trainees could tell who she was.

She used to be a prominent figure frequently mentioned in the internet, television, and newspapers.

“Let me introduce myself first. My name is Hong Da-ye.”

She quickly wrote her name on the board.

“I am ranked 93rd among domestic heroes and will be your homeroom teacher from now on.”

Murmurs spread among the trainees.

A skilled individual ranked 93rd domestically. In other words, a high-ranker.

Korean heroes are recognized worldwide.

Especially someone like Hong Da-ye, who boasted incredible skills in her prime. Although her ranking has dropped due to her inactivity, she was once at the top.

“What? Hong Da-ye was a hero?”

“If it’s Hong Da-ye… the one who resolved the Busan outbreak incident?”

“She was once considered a candidate for the Top 10.”

A young blood who had made a splash in the hero industry, being mentioned as one of the Top 10 candidates and receiving attention as a representative hero of the next generation. However, she retired from active duty a few years ago due to a large-scale infection incident.

“Alright… enough of this mundane introduction.”

She suddenly turned her gaze towards the trainees.

An unknown force seemed to emanate from her cloudy eyes.

As their eyes met hers, the trainees involuntarily flinched.

“As you all know, the Union is the top hero training institution in Korea.”

Hong Da-ye’s voice resonated in the ears of the trainees.

“With numerous promising talents from around the world gathered here, the competition is fierce. The freshness of newcomers? Romance with new acquaintances? It’s better to wake up from those dreams.”

This is turning into a romance novel for women.

But she’s saying not to even dream about romance.

“You may have been considered a genius so far, but at the Union, you are likely to become mediocre. If you don’t want to be left behind, you’ll have to work harder than anyone else.”

The trainees listened quietly to her words.

“The Union will evaluate you every moment. They will record and grade all your actions. You will have to constantly compete with other trainees to prove your worth. If you want to join a good clan, that is.”

The trainees glanced at each other discreetly.

“In other words, just because you have some talent, don’t be complacent, or you might end up failing. And the Union is not lenient. In fact, every year, quite a few trainees are expelled or forced to drop out.”

“Ah.”

“Well, it seems like there are quite a few promising talents this year.”

Hong Da-ye quietly glanced at a few students.

It seemed like she had noticed Lee Si-woon, Kang Dae-han, and Yoo Seol-hyun.

Those three individuals were well-known geniuses.

“And.”

After clearing her throat for a moment, she slowly continued.

“Upon entering Union, you will be issued temporary hero licenses. With these licenses, you will be able to explore dungeons, qualify to subdue monsters, and receive the right to reduce incidental damages related to the arrest of villains under the law.”

This setting was essential for Jin Soyeon, who was just an academy trainee.

Without such a setting, it would be impossible to naturally intertwine with monsters, villains, dungeons, and so on.

“In addition, you will receive various benefits. Of course, you can’t just receive benefits. With great authority comes great responsibility.”

Hong Daye let out a sigh and continued speaking.

“You will have various responsibilities as hero apprentices. If an emergency power mobilization is declared, you will be mobilized without being treated as trainees, and you will have the obligation to protect citizens from villains and monsters.”

“……”

“You will be treated as adults in the eyes of the law. Until now, you may have been students receiving help, but now it’s different. You are no longer in a role to receive help. You are in a role to give help.”

“……”

Suddenly, there was a childlike glint in Hong Daye’s eyes.

“The burden on your shoulders will be incomparable to what you have experienced so far. And Union will thoroughly train you to be useful. It will be completely different from your middle school days. There will be many who want to give up along the way.”

I listened to Hong Daye’s familiar story and prepared myself mentally.

By now, Hong Daye would probably do ‘that’ as some sort of initiation ceremony.

Thinking about seeing something I had only seen in games in person made me feel strangely nostalgic.

“In middle school, you will also have many practical exercises that are not done well because they are dangerous. Then you will gain experiences that can only be obtained in real combat situations.”

Drawing out his words slowly, Hong Daye continued.

“For example….”

Hong Daye suddenly flashed a sinister smile.

“….like this.”

Chilling.

“….!”

“….Uh, what, what is it.”

“Uh, uh, uh.”

In an instant.

The trainees trembled like aspen leaves.

They looked like frogs in front of a snake, terrified.

Some students broke out in a cold sweat and shifted their positions uneasily.

One male student stared at the homeroom teacher with difficulty, breathing heavily.

That seemed to be the best he could do right now. Enduring like that seemed like torture.

At least Lee Siwoon, Kang Daehan, and Yoo Seolhyun seemed fine.

While furrowing their brows and breathing slowly, they seemed to be in much better condition than the other trainees.

Of course, everyone was struggling.

…Except me.

I was just a bit startled.

‘The descriptions are quite similar to what I saw in the game. Is this what they call “killing intent” in action?’

Killing intent.

In a dictionary definition, it could be described as ‘an aura that seems like it could kill or harm others.’

In reality, there is no such thing as killing intent.

It only exists in fiction.

However, in the Romance Hero Academy, it exists as a setting.

As a form of intangible power emitted by those above a certain level of strength.

Those who can feel killing intent can gauge the level of their opponents just by that.

But killing intent doesn’t affect me.

Why? Because I am strong enough to overcome killing intent?

No, no. That can’t be true.

As mentioned earlier, to feel killing intent, you need to be at a certain level of strength.

In other words.

‘I must be so weak that I can’t even feel killing intent.’

Damn it. I let out a sigh.

Is this really a valid setting or just nonsense?

Until I recalled my memories from my past life, I trained diligently. But Hong Daye’s aura was so overwhelming that I couldn’t even feel it properly.

“I knew about it because it was mentioned several times in the game, but experiencing it in person feels a bit strange.”

Look at those kids over there.

They’re all trembling in fear of the intense aura.

We’re all Union rookies, just like me. But what am I? It feels like all the efforts I made for ten years to become a hero are now meaningless.

“…How did I even pass the Union exam? Was it really just because of my connections, or did I pass the written test on my own?”

Thinking like that made me feel a bit depressed.

“……”

“Hmm?”

I felt a subtle gaze for a moment.

Was it just my imagination?

Anyway, I pushed aside those useless thoughts.

Since I realized that my aura didn’t match up, it was fine.

I’ve given up on my dream of becoming the greatest hero anyway.

I should focus on supporting Soyeon in practical situations rather than acting recklessly. I realized how weak I had become today.

“Shall we stop here?”

I felt a sense of intangible power dissipating.

Ah, it’s just a feeling.

I can’t even feel the aura.

No wonder I feel like I’ve become an ordinary passerby.

“Haah, haah, haah.”

“Ugh, my stomach doesn’t feel good.”

“Uh, uh… This level of aura is new to me. Is this the aura of a high ranker?”

“Ugh, ugh….”

The trainees wiped their sweat, panting heavily.

Some seemed to have experienced the aura before, while others seemed to be struggling as if they had never experienced a proper aura.

“If you’re going to collapse like this, don’t even think about becoming a hero. The aura of real monsters and villains is beyond imagination.”

“……”

“Well, it seems like some people aren’t collapsing.”

“……”

Hong Daye slowly turned his gaze.

“Oh, is it already this late? Let’s finish the orientation. I’ll be off then. Prepare for the next class, everyone.”

Glancing at his watch, Hong Daye, who had just exuded a fierce aura, walked away with a carefree expression that made it hard to imagine he had just dispersed such a powerful aura.

His enthusiasm had disappeared once again.

“Haah….”

I heard a loud exhale from beside me.

Jin Soyeon was panting slightly.

“It’s more tiring than I thought. It’s completely different from the aura I felt in the past.”

“Are you okay?”

“Well, it was an interesting experience. There wasn’t this kind of stimulating taste in middle school.”

“Is that so.”

If this had happened in middle school, the parents would have come looking for us, wondering what we had done to our kids.

“Is this some kind of initiation ceremony? Huh.”

Jin Soyeon smiled mischievously, her eyes twinkling with interest.

Although she seemed to be struggling to endure even this level of aura due to not fully blooming her talents yet, she would surely become stronger than Hong Daye in the future.

“What about you? Jinhak, you’re on the weaker side, right?”

“Oh, well. I’m okay, I guess.”

Jin Soyeon didn’t seem to think of me as a weakling who couldn’t even feel Hong Daye’s aura.

I decided to keep my mouth shut, as there was nothing good to say anyway.

Well, honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing, isn’t it?