Ch.17Episode 5. Special Class Image (1)

“Hwaaaaahm.”

I shift my steps toward the special class while yawning.

The information I got from Kim Do-woo last night wasn’t much.

It seems they really did cause that incident downtown for recruitment purposes.

He said they had no intention of fighting and planned to persuade them and bring them to Wolgwang.

After that, I asked various minor questions to verify the truth, then asked what Akcheon’s objective was.

In the original story, Yujin’s goal was to rule South Korea. I needed to know if the current executives shared the same objective.

But he shook his head and refused to answer.

I mercilessly broke his fingers one by one while interrogating him as he kept his mouth shut.

Still, he didn’t reveal anything about Akcheon’s objectives or information about the executives. When all ten fingers were broken, I had no choice but to give up.

For a villain, his loyalty was impressive.

I wanted to test if the others were as loyal, but due to my carelessness in leaving the scene thinking he had passed out, I missed the opportunity to interrogate them.

After that, the incident concluded with me helping the heroes in combat and thoroughly beating up the villains.

By the time I returned to the dormitory, it was past midnight.

I immediately showered and went to bed, but because of the morning attendance and assembly with the teachers and instructors, I only got six hours of sleep.

I need at least eight hours of sleep…!

It felt unfair.

After one final big yawn right before entering the classroom, I opened the door.

Today again, five people were seated in the classroom.

The only difference was that today everyone except Bin Yoon-i was awake.

Savoring the gazes following me, I placed the attendance book on the podium.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning!!”

Jeong I-yeon responds with high energy from the morning.

“Ugh… this is the worst. The feel of this creepy material seems designed to suppress my powers.”

As usual, I ignored Gu Yeon-hwa’s unnecessary comments and called each name to check attendance.

“Instructor~”

“What?”

Bin Yoon-i awkwardly raised her body from where she had been slumped.

“The desk is too hard.”

“…Then don’t sleep here.”

“Ah! Can I go to the research lab right now?”

“Don’t ask when you know the answer is no.”

“Tch~!”

I watched her yawn carelessly without covering her mouth, then scanned the entire classroom.

“I have one announcement this morning.”

I distributed handouts I had brought with the attendance book. Their expressions darkened as they received them.

“Clubs…?”

“That’s right.”

Clubs.

A part of Academy culture where people with similar interests gather to engage in activities while receiving financial and material support from the Academy.

The Academy adopts a high school system, but it’s technically a “university” after all.

“Remember club activities from high school? It’s like that, but with students gathering together. It’s much more flexible though. If any of you have hobbies, I think it might be good to join one of these.”

“Hmm…”

“Gu Yeon-hwa, there might even be a chuunibyou club. Fighting.”

“I’m not a chuunibyou!!”

Bang!

Gu Yeon-hwa stood up, slamming her desk, and pointed at me while raising her voice.

They say people get defensive when something hits close to home.

“Really?”

“Yes!”

She proudly placed her hand on her chest and exclaimed.

“Do you like anime?”

“I do!”

“How about novels or comics?”

“I like them!”

“Have you ever wanted to imitate what you see?”

“I have!”

“Have you ever tried to imitate them thinking you actually had powers?”

“I have!”

“When was the most recent time?”

“Yesterday!”

I found her honest answers cute, but imagining her doing chuunibyou acts alone in the dormitory made me laugh.

“See?”

“Eeeek!! I’m not! Besides, isn’t it weird for someone NOT to imitate such cool things? Those are pathetic humans who are completely missing out on life!”

Don’t you think they might find you more pathetic?

“Plus, I can do the same things in reality, not just in delusions! Don’t compare me to those contemptible humans wallowing in fantasies! Although I’m wearing this wretched restraint suit now, once I break free, I’ll show you my powerful finishing move!”

“So you’re saying you want to fight me with all your might until death?”

“No… not until death… Argh! Instructor, sometimes I think you’re like a villain!”

I actually was a villain originally.

If I hadn’t changed my mind for the better, South Korea might have become an anarchist state.

I ended the conversation with a smirk at her protests.

“Is there a drug research club?”

Bin Yoon-i, who had been carefully reading the handout, asked.

“I believe there’s a potion research club.”

“Ooh. That interests me.”

Even if it was a research club, considering Bin Yoon-i’s level, they would be far below her.

Despite always making strange things, Bin Yoon-i had the skill to create potions of higher quality than those sold commercially.

Bin Yoon-i was a genius in alchemy who put in an insane amount of effort, so perhaps it was only natural.

Still, club activities might help her gain insights in areas she wasn’t aware of, so it could potentially benefit her.

“Instructor.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t want to join.”

Yeon Mu-hui said leisurely while polishing her sword.

“There’s nothing to learn from people weaker than me.”

Though somewhat arrogant, considering Yeon Mu-hui’s current skill level, she probably wouldn’t be impressed by the other students.

Even among aspiring heroes, they wouldn’t work as hard as she did, nor would they have her exceptional potential.

Besides, she’s not very talkative to begin with, and she probably doesn’t want to waste emotions on thoughtless people who are just trying to get close to her because she’s in the special class.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s not mandatory.”

“Okay.”

“But if you’re interested, give it a try. Club experiences can be quite valuable. It’s a shame to spend all your time at the Academy just training, right? Plus, it’s an opportunity to interact with students from other classes.”

I’m certain these kids won’t participate in club activities even after saying this.

“Unnecessary! Interaction with such insignificant humans is of no help to the world!”

Bin Yoon-i crossed her arms and began to boast.

“Compared to your skills, they might be inferior, but couldn’t they still be helpful?”

“Honestly, such humans are helpful in a way.”

Oh, really?

“Such insignificant humans make me shine brighter by comparison! Hahah!”

“Wow… that’s garbage.”

Bin Yoon-i, wearing glasses that appeared from nowhere, grinned. Seeing her face with both mockery and pride made me want to flick her forehead.

“But other students probably think we’re insignificant too.”

These kids might not care much, but as someone who frequently moves between the main building and the annex, I hear quite a lot.

Considering that every morning when I arrive at work, I hear “Are you submitting your resignation today?”, it’s clear that the image of the special class within the Academy is the worst of the worst.

“Garbage doesn’t recognize itself as garbage. Who’s calling who insignificant? Really!”

“Bin Yoon-i.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have friends, do you?”

Her white pupils convulsed as she looked at me.

Silence flowed through the classroom.

Her Adam’s apple moved, and slowly her mouth opened.

“…Instructor. I chose not to make friends. It’s not that I couldn’t. You understand? The difference between ‘chose not to’ and ‘couldn’t’ is enormous.”

“Okay, enough with the pathetic self-introduction. Let’s stop before we all get depressed.”

While it’s good that she recognizes her abilities and tries to contribute to society, her attitude of looking down on others needed correction.

Of course, I knew this was her “defense mechanism,” so I could laugh it off.

But others wouldn’t. If she spoke like this to other people, she could be instantly cut off and socially ostracized.

“It’s your fault, Instructor!”

“‘It’s your fault’ is informal speech.”

“…yo! Yo-yo!”

“Shut up!”

“Eep!”

She flinches in surprise at my shout.

After looking at the grumbling Bin Yoon-i with disdain, I opened my mouth to conclude the morning assembly.

“Anyway, think about club activities. That’s all for today’s morning assembly.”

* * *

Click, click.

I was checking the news online while scrolling with my mouse.

Since I don’t remember 100% of the novel’s content, I regularly check papers and news to understand the world from within.

Based on what I know, carefully analyzing incidents and accidents often helps me recall forgotten information.

“Instructor Yujin.”

A female teacher approached and spoke to me while I was reading the news.

“Yes.”

“You must be having a hard time with the special class. It’s been almost a month already, right?”

To be precise, it was the 21st day since the semester began.

“It’s nothing. The kids are nice, so it’s fine.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you really think they’re nice?”

The female teacher’s voice lowered slightly. Wrinkles appeared on her face. Her discomfort was clearly visible.

“…Yes. Really.”

“Then why don’t they attend classes?”

She casually pulled out the chair next to me and took a seat.

“Do they think they don’t need to study because they’re talented?”

“That’s part of it, but… they all have clear goals. Even if they fall behind in general education, they want to focus on developing their powers.”

They were kids who knew how to increase their value without being told.

“But to become a hero, one needs good character, right? Looking at how the special class treats teachers and instructors, their character seems very problematic. They have no manners… I mean, no respect.”

“They all have their circumstances, so please try to understand.”

“Circumstances aside, wrong is wrong, Instructor Yujin.”

She was absolutely right.

Having circumstances that require understanding is completely different from causing harm to others.

“They’re changing little by little, so please be patient and watch.”

“I see. I just hope they don’t cause trouble for other students.”

“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Official duels would be one thing.

I couldn’t stand by and watch one-sided violence.

While I could handle issues like skipping classes or dress code violations myself, I couldn’t cover for them if they hurt someone.

Still, the fact that she’s giving such warnings suggests there are quite a few people holding grudges against the special class…

It seems Akcheon isn’t the only target that needs to be addressed.