Chapter 72

Chapter 72

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 72: Intern (2)

Monday morning.

It was the busiest time of the commute.

The roads were jam-packed with cars, and the subways and buses filled with people.

I commuted to work in a taxi, staring blankly out the window.

At the Korea Hero School, there was a unique system that allowed students to work at associations or guilds during vacation periods.

‘After school ends, I have to go to work.’

What a truly dreadful school.

As I passed through the heavily congested roads, I saw the building where I was starting work today.

The building had a unique design.

It consisted of two circular structures intertwined like a vortex. Although it was only five stories high, the interior was much larger than it appeared due to a space-expanding magic spell.

“We have arrived.”

“Thank you.”

As soon as I stepped out of the taxi, gazes from all around fixed on me. Not just because I was an exceptionally handsome man…

“Is that him? The rookie we have to catch at all costs this time?”

“I heard the masters of the Sun and Meteor Guilds fought over getting him.”

Eyes fixated on me from everywhere.

As the school events continued, I had become a topic of discussion among the hero community.

I had to buy a separate phone just to handle the numerous messages coming to my old one.

“Look at his stride. His balance is extraordinary, isn’t it?”

“More than that, look at his physique through his clothes. It’s incredibly well-built. Any physical fighter would pale in comparison.”

I quickly went inside. Inside were Kim Seo-hyun, Park Woon-hyuk, and a receptionist.

“Lee Seo-ha…!”

“Seo-ha, you’ve arrived right on time.”

Park Woon-hyuk wore a guarded expression, while Kim Seo-hyun approached me with a broad smile.

“Ho-ho, so you’ve come here too.”

“Well, yes. But you guys are early, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. I was the first one here.”

I looked at Park Woon-hyuk and Kim Seo-hyun.

Park Woon-hyuk was dressed in black slacks and a white short-sleeved shirt, while Kim Seo-hyun was in black jeans and a blue shirt.

Suddenly, I sensed someone approaching. Turning my head, I noticed a man in a black suit with a pleasant demeanor making his way toward us.

“Hello. I am Lee Seong-chan, and I will be guiding you from today. Please take care of me.”

After introducing himself, Lee Seong-chan turned his attention to me. I felt the weight of his gaze.

His expression then subtly shifted.

“…Indeed, the top students from Korea Hero School are different.”

Lee Seong-chan had eyes that placed him in an extremely exceptional category. Even Celestial had expressed a desire to take him as a disciple.

“Shall we begin with a tour, then? The first floor is for external guests. Here, we display exhibits of by-products from dungeons conquered by our Cheonryu Guild, as well as our guild’s achievements.”

Lee Seong-chan proceeded to give us a brief overview of the guild building.

The second basement level was a training area, imbued with various magics, so that even if high-level fighters sparred, only minor damage would occur.

The first basement level served as a warehouse for storing by-products obtained from hunting monsters.

The second floor was dedicated to relaxation and training for guild members.

The third floor functioned as an office, the fourth floor housed meeting and reception rooms, and the fifth floor was reserved exclusively for the guild master and deputy master.

“This is, in essence, the layout of the Cheonryu Guild building. Any questions?”

I surveyed the surroundings.

Kim Seo-hyun, who was studying magic under the Thousand Sorcerer at the Cheonryu Guild, obviously had no questions, and neither did Park Woon-hyuk, who came from a distinguished family.

As the son of a rival guild, the Sun Guild, Park Woon-hyuk had been familiar with guild operations since he regularly visited the guild during vacations before attending Korea Hero School.

‘I don’t have any particular questions either.’

I may not have known the specific details that weren’t in the game, but I thought I knew all the basics.

“Originally, I should have been meeting the hero to form a team, but they had an urgent matter and are currently away. How about we go for an early lunch?”

“Yes.”

“Sounds good.”

We headed out for lunch.

“Seo-ha, is there anything you want to eat?”

“Not really.”

I put my hand in my pocket and thought. I wasn’t very hungry, so I figured I’d just eat enough to fill my stomach.

“They say you should look at welfare when evaluating a guild. Since it’s our first day, it might be good to use the company cafeteria.”

I nodded in agreement to Park Woon-hyuk’s suggestion, finding it too bothersome to venture outside.

“Shall we go to the company cafeteria then?”

The cafeteria was quiet.

It was still a bit early for lunch.

I casually filled my plate with spicy pork and sat down.

“Why did you come here, Park Woon-hyuk?”

“Because my father is the master of the Sun Guild.”

Park Woon-hyuk elegantly sliced a piece of steak and spoke after putting it in his mouth.

“I could have had an easy life at the Sun Guild. Even if I didn’t try hard, I would have scored well, but I came here because I didn’t want to stop growing. I thought I would learn more at the Cheonryu Guild than at the Meteor Guild.”

“Wow, that’s cool.”

“It’s obvious that I’m cool.”

Kim Seo-hyun’s compliment was met with a chuckle from Park Woon-hyuk.

Although it was annoying, it was a genuinely cool thought, so I quietly ate my spicy pork.

“But can we know who the hero we will be teaming up with is?”

“Dalin, Tak Yoon-il will come.”

“Really? Tak Yoon-il?!”

Park Woon-hyuk was surprised.

And rightly so. Dalin, Tak Yoon-il, was known as a master in martial arts, proficient with all sorts of weapons.

In a way, he could be the best person to teach Black God Martial Arts.

“Oh, I wanted to surprise you, but you already knew?”

A man with a brash voice and a delinquent-like appearance appeared.

He wore a colorful aloha shirt, blue shorts, and casually worn sneakers.

He appeared to be a blonde, tanned punk, but those who underestimated him soon regretted it.

“Ah, you’ve arrived.”

“Yeah. Sorry I’m late, right? I got a sudden call on the way. Caught up with a villain and got delayed.”

“That’s okay.”

“Oh, are you the famous top student? Wow, I assumed our young master would hold that title.”

“Seo-ha is incredible. I’ve never beaten him.”

“Really? No wonder. I couldn’t sleep last night, just thinking about Lee Seo-ha coming here.”

While speaking, Tak Yoon-il slightly lowered his sunglasses to look at me.

“I’ve seen you from afar, but your physique is impressive. What technique is that? It looks more advanced than the muscle-enhancing technique our young master learned.”

“Right? I’m not sure what technique he uses, but his muscles are densely packed. Maybe compressed muscles? If Seo-ha hadn’t used magic and had solely focused on external martial arts, he’d probably be similar to me.”

“Sorry, our young master gets overexcited about martial arts. Have you all finished eating? If so, how about a light exercise with a walk?”

“Going on patrol?”

“Yeah. Normally we wouldn’t need to, but there’s been unusual activity from the Mines and villains lately.”

Tak Yoon-il said this and led us outside.

I felt a twinge of sadness.

I had hoped for downtime like in the game, but it was nonexistent.

It felt like joining a company with very little break time.

The patrol passed without incident.

The only minor event was Kim Seo-hyun being recognized and his fans requesting autographs.

“Shall we have a brief meeting then?”

“A meeting?”

“Yes, a meeting for dungeon exploration.”

“…But aren’t we just interns?”

Park Woon-hyuk asked, looking puzzled.

Even as interns, we weren’t typically involved in serious dungeon raids or monster hunts.

The internship’s purpose was to acquaint themselves with the heroes, learn their secrets, and discover how to handle villains and Mines.

“Well, I understand. If something goes wrong during dungeon exploration, it could be dangerous for the students who came as interns. But you don’t have to worry. The elites of the Cheonryu Guild will protect your safety.”

“…So we are really doing this.”

Park Woon-hyuk’s expression was grave.

“Yes. In fact, we don’t need to do this. Because we can also cultivate those who are not our people.”

Tak Yoon-il was looking at Park Woon-hyuk as he spoke.

“Moreover, dungeon exploration is very dangerous. You never know when a trap might spring, and the threat of monsters is constant. I don’t deny that the students of the Korea Hero School are excellent, but exploring dungeons is a separate matter.”

Tak Yoon-il added.

“But we do this because it is the will of the greatest hero.”

“…”

“When the boundaries between dimensions collapsed and beings tainted with ‘evil’ invaded Earth. When empowered villains wreaked havoc and Mines disrupted the order, the one who alone restored order in a world reduced to ashes, the one who created the beings called ‘heroes’ and led them, we do this because of the words left by that being.”

The greatest hero in human history.

A hero of great stature, revered by all heroes.

“It was a time when the value of humans was less than that of food. The one who was called the hope of humanity ended it all and brought about peace. He wanted to give equal opportunities to all heroes.”

That led to the establishment of the Korea Hero School.

“Even after that, he worked for peace. He took many disciples and founded a guild. To prevent the guild’s excesses and government intervention, he also established an association. Well, now only Cheonryu follows his will.”

The ideal was noble.

But reality was harsh.

“The reason other guilds don’t do this isn’t only because it’s comfortable, but also because if students die, it would be a huge problem.”

The students coming as interns are the future heroes. In an era of peace, not many are foolish enough to risk the resources of the future.

Of course, this was only a very short period.

Once it transitioned into the middle phase of the story and the Seven Evils directly intervened, the students would be literally ‘torn apart.’

“So, the day after tomorrow, we will have a meeting for dungeon exploration.”

Tak Yoon-il gazed at us with a sly smile.

I stared back at Tak Yoon-il with hollow eyes.

Tak Yoon-il, who I will henceforth refer to as a Mine, was one would be the first to literally ground up the students.