Chapter 19: What happened in his first year? (6)

The disciplinary action for Class C was announced to the academy.

The result of a 60-day suspension, surprisingly, was met with many reactions considering it a heavy punishment.

This, considering how few academies exist worldwide, including Cheongwol.

Is because they genuinely rarely impose disciplinary actions like expulsion or forced transfer.

The absolute number of awakeners is quite small when compared proportionally to the population.

Therefore, the number of academies that train heroes, due to the small number of awakeners or the lack of technology and maintenance costs, could be counted on one hand.

In other words, it was effectively like 5 academies fighting over their share of the pie.

Naturally, each academy employed all sorts of tricks to poach awakeners.

Expulsion or forced transfer was tantamount to gifting them prey.

One might then ask why they don’t just go to another academy instead of Cheongwol.
Indeed, it’s true that students can actually choose other academies.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason why Cheongwol could act so recklessly.

Because Cheongwol was the pinnacle of the world.

Overwhelming achievements, abundant resources, and on top of that, overflowing talent and know-how.

It was actually Ban Se-rin, the current principal of Cheongwol, who first established the academy system.
And she used the system to train countless heroes.

This could practically be seen as the first systematically built system.

Although some talent-rich nations hastily established academies, they still couldn’t even come close to matching Cheongwol, the first academy.

Furthermore, since Ban Se-rin herself was a foundational hero who ended the Great War.

Naturally, most awakeners couldn’t help but be interested in the academy she founded.

Some for wealth and honor, others simply to become stronger.

Yu-shin, having heard all that lengthy explanation from Yu-ri, frowned.

So, in a dark fantasy world, she’s in a position similar to a former hero, then?

‘Usually, in such cases, they are the worst of the worst corrupt elements.’

I don’t like it.

The reason Yu-shin held back was partly because he was fed up with the dark fantasy world where brutal murders happened routinely for trivial reasons.

But most importantly, he had committed such an act, so he expected a suitable punishment from the academy.

However, the result was a lenient punishment.

This cannot just be overlooked.
I’ll have to negotiate directly with that principal.

Once he made up his mind, he immediately acted upon it.

That’s not a bad thing, but if it’s too much, it can ironically become poison.

At least, one might say that kicking open the principal’s office door the very next day was excessive, wouldn’t they?
However, Yu-shin already didn’t care about the consequences.

“This is surprising.
I was planning to summon you soon.
To think you’d come directly like this.”

The principal’s office was stiffer than expected.

It was filled with bookshelves crammed with countless books, and in the center was a desk already laden with many books.

Ban Se-rin, who had been leisurely reading, looked at Yu-shin with surprise.

It wasn’t the feeling that a mere student dared to invade the principal’s office.

In the first place, it was Ban Se-rin herself who publicly announced that anyone could visit the principal’s office.

However, there were surprisingly few people with the guts to directly visit the principal.

Perhaps it was because they were overwhelmed by her immense fame and gravitas.
Therefore, Principal Ban Se-rin greatly favored courageous students like Yu-shin.

Amidst hair mixed with blue and gold like a galaxy, her purple eyes sparkled like jewels.
She smiled and asked Yu-shin a question.

“What brings you to me?”

“Because I don’t like the disciplinary action.”

“So you’re talking about that incident.”

Ban Se-rin easily understood what Yu-shin meant.
He doesn’t like the disciplinary action, so he came to protest.
It was a natural course of action.

“Yes, they committed such an act.
And you’re ending it with just a suspension?”

“In practice, it’s no different from being held back a grade.
The instructor in charge has also finished their reprimand, and from now on, only the two of you will be attending Class C.
Isn’t that enough?”

“No, I intend to see it through to the end.”

Yu-shin’s thought was that at the very least, they should be forced to transfer.

At Yu-shin’s bulldozer-like forward momentum, Ban Se-rin quickly understood.

Persuasion won’t work on this child.
Eyes full of confidence, and even his gestures.

It’s the appearance of one confident in their own strength.

That kind of confidence isn’t disliked, but it’s also a duty as an educator to show a frog in a well the world.

“Child, I fully understand your anger.
However, they too are material for awakeners.
If they graduate from the academy and become heroes, they can save at least dozens of people.”

“So, you’re just going to overlook this wrongdoing now?”

“It means looking to the future.
Of course, I also intend to provide you with sufficient compensation.
If treatment is needed, I will support it, and I can gladly pay compensation.”

Ban Se-rin’s eyes, as she spoke, were sunken deep like an abyss.
Yu-shin clicked his tongue at the chilling and unsettling sensation of facing a deep abyss.

I thought it felt familiar somehow.

This principal, she resembled a certain king he knew.

He was a king who spoke of the duty of a monarch to protect his people.

Yet, he treated his people as mere numbers.

To him, the people were ultimately just numbers.
And he stopped at nothing to maintain those numbers, a truly cold-blooded king.

Can this truly be called a common ‘hero’?

Nevertheless, as someone who was once a hero, called a hero.

Yu-shin, who had the experience of saving countless people, couldn’t help but ask the principal this question.

“Are you, truly a hero?”

“Not once have I ever wished to be called a hero.”

And a surprisingly meaningful answer came back.
To that, Yu-shin nodded and said.

“Well, I roughly understand what you mean.”

So, the point is this.

The students of Class C who caused trouble now, if they grow up and graduate from the academy.
They will become heroes who save people.
So, let’s just move past it at this level.

In other words, it means to just let it go nicely.

But what should I do about that?

I don’t like it.

If others tell him not to do something, he does it; if they tell him to do something, he only then stops.
That is the instinct of a provocateur.
And now, the dormant instinct of a provocateur has awakened.

However, it was clear that if things continued like this, their opinions would run parallel.

Therefore, Yu-shin proposed a very clean and simple solution.

“This academy is about survival of the fittest, isn’t it?”

“So?”

“Then what the f*ck.”

“Let’s have a match.”

She had no particular sense of mission.

When she opened her eyes in this world for the first time in her life, she understood her plight.

Being abandoned from the start for being weak.
She couldn’t tolerate that being her beginning.

However, a weak person gaining anger changes nothing.
There’s no way they would have the power to change the world.
Therefore, she chose to bow her head.

I will definitely become strong.
I will become strong, and I will definitely get revenge on those who abandoned me.

Hatred gave birth to madness, and madness made the impossible possible.

What was merely one of the impurities discarded by the world had somehow become a strong entity.

However, even she had limitations alone.
A method was needed.
To lead those who abandoned her to ruin, more power was required.

Fortunately, there were quite a few individuals whose interests aligned with hers.

She easily established an academy that could fulfill her will and bore the names of humans.

Of course, in return, she had to save humans.

It didn’t matter.

Just as I use them.

They can also use me.

On the contrary, it’s a relationship where both benefit each other.

She thought it wasn’t a bad relationship.

However, an unexpected person appeared before her.
A peculiar individual who thought of others more than himself.
He quite aroused her interest.

[What is wrong is wrong.]

[Are you saying such things in front of me?]

[If you bow your head because someone is strong, you’ll be bowing it forever.]

[Interesting.
It’s a way of speaking that reminds me of that person.]

Perhaps it was because of someone who said similar things during the Great War in the past.

Or perhaps it was because he chose a different method than her past self.

For the first time, she felt interest in another human.

Just how far can this guy grow?

If I am truly wrong, then try to disprove me with your methods.

However, that interest didn’t last long and faded.

This was because she heard that that guy, ultimately exhausted by reality, made an extreme choice himself.

Was he just a noisy empty cart after all?

Was that all he amounted to?

Disappointing.

Perhaps she would never expect anything from humans again.

That’s what she had thought.
Until she saw that guy, whom she thought was just a noisy empty cart, burning with fighting spirit right before her eyes.

Yes, this is it.

“Let’s have a match.”

Even she, who was called a foundational hero, felt a dense fighting aura that made cold sweat trickle slightly.
Now, having clearly felt that fighting aura on her skin, she rather smiled.

What method you used.

What your intentions were, I don’t know.

But.

You truly returned stronger.

Her cooling emotions began to burn brightly once more.