episode_0006

“Alright, then let’s slowly move into practical combat training.”

The homeroom teacher spoke towards the gathered students.

All Hero Academy students aim to become heroes.

More precisely, upon graduation, they receive a hero license.

With just that, they obtain permission to hunt monsters.

Their future paths are entirely up to the students.

They could enter large corporations afterward.

Or they could even become national-level heroes.

Of course, this was irrelevant to Eugene, who came from a wealthy background.

No, even before his wealth, the current situation was utterly incomprehensible.

“Wait, we’re supposed to catch those? Seriously?”

On the screen, goblins and orcs were running around.

If that was all, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

But what they were holding wasn’t just clubs; they had swords and spears.

They were even covered in rust, a mere graze causing tetanus.

“Don’t children have rights or labor laws in this world?”

Is it okay to push kids into such danger?

Oh, it is? Damn, why?

“Haha, finally getting to fight real monsters.”

“I’m so glad I came to this school. If it were somewhere else, we’d still be stuck learning theory.”

“Hey, want to bet on who can kill more goblins?”

It seems like the only one with such doubts was alone in their thoughts.

Instead, the students were all fired up.

It feels like we’ve stepped into a Goblin Slayer world to get our heads straight.

“Oh, damn. Am I crazy, or is this world insane?”

“Hmm! Be careful not to underestimate supposedly weak goblins. They are intelligent monsters with lethal capabilities. There are statistics showing that goblins are the monsters beginners die most frequently to.”

The homeroom teacher earnestly talked about the terror of goblins.

Perhaps to convey the danger, the details were quite elaborate.

Stories of four novices going and all perishing.

Even a female adventurer being a prey for over a month.

No student took these seriously.

Except Eugene, of course.

“No… I want to go home now. I miss the scary guys at home. No… maybe not really.”

It was a reaction stemming from not knowing he was the strongest here.

And such an attitude was received quite differently.

“Well, goblins must seem trivial to him.”

“Maybe he’ll tear goblins apart left and right?”

“Ah, poor Chulsoo and Yeonghee, what will happen to them?”

To other students, even that sight seemed relaxed.

For that Eugene, this class was merely entertainment.

More precisely, it was an opportunity to torment Chulsoo.

“Alright, now you all get to choose the weapons you’ll use.”

“What’s this all about now?”

Weapons began to be neatly laid out on the tables.

Swords, spears, bows, even staffs that didn’t look like weapons at all.

There were hammers and whips weighing tens of kilograms.

Is it alright to hand such weapons to teenagers?

Such thoughts were quickly overshadowed as everyone picked their weapons without hesitation.

“These are training weapons for now, but outside, each one costs tens of thousands of won. Choose carefully and make sure not to lose them.”

They say even a single sword costs tens of thousands.

It’s a mess when it comes to prices in this world.

Food prices seemed ordinary, though.

Top-tier heroes earn billions in a month.

Does that mean there’s no inflation happening?

Are they some resource-rich oil country or something?

“Is this the average for these kids here?”

The chosen weapons were quite diverse.

The most popular choices were swords and spears.

There were a few who chose staffs rarely.

They must be wizards, probably?

By the way, Chulsoo picked a sword, and Yeonghee chose a whip.

“Uh, Kim Yujin… I mean, Yujin. You need to choose a weapon.”

The homeroom teacher cautiously called out to him.

Yujin, suddenly alert, looked ahead.

All students were already armed.

Fortunately, there were still quite a few weapons left.

“I don’t really want to choose. No, I didn’t want to fight in the first place…”

To be blunt, monsters were just too terrifying.

Asking a typical student from the 21st century to fight monsters?

Before debating possibility or impossibility, it was simply unreasonable.

“If this world starves to death without hunting goblins, who knows.”

Looking at the cafeteria and dining hall, it seemed like they even made ammonia here.

Why bother when there was plenty to eat in the first place?

But if they just ran away, they wouldn’t even graduate.

Here, they had to at least pretend for now.

“So, what weapon should I choose…”

Would an inconspicuous sword be good after all?

But weapons with blades were equally frightening.

Just then, one weapon caught their eye.

“Oh!”

Probably the most lethal weapon here.

Simple to use, yet powerful enough for anyone.

Without hesitation, Yujin picked it up.

“I’ll go with this.”

A sense of silence spread with that choice.

Even the homeroom teacher seemed slightly taken aback.

“Uh, Yu-Yujin. Once you choose a weapon, you can only change it a month later.”

“I’m fine with this.”

The weapon Yujin chose was a handgun.

Of course, in reality, Yujin had never fired a gun.

But it would likely be much easier to handle than other weapons.

“At least I won’t have to get close to the monsters.”

However, the atmosphere felt uneasy.

Something seemed off.

Yujin asked hesitantly, slightly intimidated.

Though their low voice may have sounded imposing to others.

“Is there a problem by any chance?”

“No, no! Of course not! You’re free to choose any weapon! Haha.”

The homeroom teacher forced a smile, beads of sweat forming, completely different from what they said inside.

“Why on earth?!”

In this world too, guns were good weapons.

For ordinary people or mercenaries without magic.

But for heroes with magic, it was different.

They infused their weapons with magic to unleash great power.

Given sufficient skill, they could pierce through even metal plates effortlessly.

However, guns were not easy to infuse with magic.

Naturally, they were avoided by heroes.

“It’s common sense that even intermediate monsters can’t break through shields with regular bullets.”

Surely Yujin knew this fact.

Moreover, their magical prowess was top-notch even in school.

There was no reason for Yujin to choose a gun.

Of course, Yujin truly didn’t know this fact.

“Hehe, nice! I can pretend to fight from afar with this.”

They just considered themselves lucky and returned to their spot.

The homeroom teacher, unaware of their thoughts, heaved a deep sigh.

From asking them to speak up to suddenly paying attention in class recently.

It was impossible to understand what was going on inside their head.

“Perhaps they’re trying to do well in school now?”

The homeroom teacher shook their head at the sudden thought.

Their opponent was the Black Heaven.

One shouldn’t think it would change easily.

“Well, then, once everyone has chosen their weapons, let’s proceed. Please stand with your teammates.”

Yujin confidently turned back.

Normally, they would be standing alone awkwardly.

Or wandering around alone feeling out of place.

But not anymore!

Both teammates were their friends.

Yujin smiled and looked back at Cheolsu.

“Tsk.”

Cheolsu openly displayed a displeased expression.

Yeonghee seemed slightly withdrawn.

“Oh, seems like they’re still quite upset.”

Sighing, they had thought of living the life of an insider.

But nothing seemed to work out in this world.

****

Yujin, Cheolsu, Yeonghee.

The three walked side by side.

But none of them spoke a word.

Yeonghee was observing the two.

Cheolsu took the lead silently.

Approaching Yujin, they thought,

“Wow, are monsters going to appear here? It’s so scary.”

They were trembling at the thought of when the monsters would show up.

That’s the way it is; here, the only person to fight was oneself.

Yeonghee is a girl, and Cheolsu is a patient.

He had to protect them both.

Well, in that case, shouldn’t he stand in front rather than at the back?

At this moment, his mind didn’t even turn that far.

“Sending kids alone to a place like this, isn’t this school insane?”

If you die, you’ll become a ghost and curse the school!

I’ll possess a human model or the piano in the music room!

“…At this point, I probably wouldn’t even notice if someone died.”

It was said out of genuine concern.

Upon hearing this, Yeonghee shuddered slightly.

Cheolsu also tightened his grip on the sword without saying a word.

“Well, yeah, that’s true. But since the teachers are watching, they’ll come right away if something big happens.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Yeonghee’s words greatly relieved Eugene.

Yes, educators wouldn’t do such a thing!

The teachers must have had their reasons.

With that, the worry of dying disappeared.

“Still, coming into a forest like this does feel unsettling.”

The place they went for practice was a dense forest.

It’s curious how such a place exists within a school.

Money must be flowing freely here.

One can’t help but wonder about government budgets and inflation.

However, based on past experiences, common sense doesn’t apply here.

They decided to just go with the flow.

“Why are you disappointed?”

“Ch-Chulsu!”

Eugene looked at Chulsu as if to ask, “Disappointed about what?”

What’s there to be disappointed about?

Chulsu clicked his tongue briefly.

“While you may not know, this assignment is important to us. We don’t expect you to do it perfectly, but don’t engage in unnecessary activities.”

“I will do it properly.”

As if to prove this, Eugene raised the gun.

Bang! Bang! Would monsters die if shot?

Chulsu stared at Eugene like that and then sighed, lowering his head.

“Ah, first, we’re going to the goblin nest for the assignment. It’s an open area, not a cave, so it should be fine.”

“It’s unusual for a goblin nest to be open, isn’t it?”

“Perhaps it’s for the students’ convenience. They might be ones who have already lost their nests.”

Chulsu and Yeonghee devised various strategies.

Meanwhile, Eugene had been sitting still all along.

Honestly, I don’t understand what they’re talking about.

“Oh, should we catch them? Do we have to catch them? If my grades are at stake and they run away, they’re really screwed, right? Then we’ll really break up, won’t we?”

Still, I really don’t want to fight.

These thoughts crossed his mind as he idly peeled the dry bark off a tree.

Suddenly, a white object floating in the air caught his eye.

“What’s this?”

At first glance, it seemed like a firefly.

A fist-sized white object was floating around.

It seems to be some kind of insect in the forest.

“This world even has peculiar insects like goblins.”

In a world where green monsters like goblins exist, peculiar insects aren’t surprising.

But it’s a bug that glows during the day.

How did it evolve in such a way?

“Come to think of it, did I get a malaria shot? No, there might be other viruses or toxins.”

If that’s the case, isn’t Yeonghee’s outfit also risky?

She was currently wearing a school uniform.

The problem is that the skirt is so short that it barely covers her thighs.

Even so, this is a forest.

Exposing your thighs so vulnerably.

Wouldn’t it be strange if she became a target for bugs?

“…Then maybe this one too?”

I’ve heard that mosquitoes are attracted to female hormones.

It would be trouble if they bit her for no reason.

Eugene slapped his palm towards the bug.

-Smack!

The bug hit the air and fell straight down.

To an observer, it would seem as though he had swung an electric fly swatter.

Anyway, the bug fell and didn’t move.

“Well, I’ve protected my friend’s thighs and calves.”

That’s when it happened.

【You have defeated an intermediate monster fairy.】

【Monster extermination records will be recorded on your student ID.】

Hmm?

Suddenly, my points went up.

Come to think of it, I remember hearing that points accumulate when you defeat monsters.

“Was that thing a monster?”

Can’t believe a monster would die with just one slap on the palm.

Huhu. If goblins are this easy, how great would that be.

Of course, that’s unlikely.

“Hey, let’s get going.”

“Oh, sure.”

At Cheolsu’s words, Yujin shifted her feet.

At the same time,

Yujin had no idea that the school nurse who had been eyeing Cheolsu was in shock, exclaiming, “How did my fairy end up there?!”