Starting from Expulsion: A Buffer's Initiation - Chapter 1

The contents of the single sheet of paper, densely packed with text, could be summed up in three simple words: 'You're out.'

The message itself was straightforward, but to me, it was no different from a death sentence. Even so, I didn't have the luxury to dwell on it.

"Kim Yohan!"

As I fiddled with the paper, lost in thought, a sharp voice cut through the air. I looked up to see a woman with long red hair and slightly upturned, piercing eyes glaring daggers at me.

"It had to end like this. But what can we do? It's because you're lacking. Your heal amount just won't go up."

She shook her head slowly, staring at me in silence.

"......"

"You know it too. Sehui unnie and I both want to climb higher. No matter how much we've been through together at the orphanage or how long we've known each other, we can't keep protecting you anymore."

"Mm..."

"People are different, after all. No matter how much you train, some things just don't improve, right? The gap in skill is inevitable. Even with all the privileges given to Student Council candidates, your heal amount hasn't budged?"

She let out a small sigh, fixing me with a steady gaze. It wasn't warm, of course.

"Better not to stick around and watch the ugly fallout... Let me say it one more time—for old times' sake. Don't try to cling to me or Sehui unnie ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by pretending we're still friends. We're not kids anymore?"

"That..."

She paused for a breath, then looked me straight in the eye and delivered her cold verdict.

"So. Get out of the Academy. It'll be better for you too."

I looked up at her. She'd been my orphanage buddy since childhood, someone I'd shared my days with like a friend, like family. Her gaze was utterly cold, fierce, and sharp.

But right now, even that didn't faze me. I had no room to care.

There was a game called 'Hero Academia.' A classic academy story set in the modern world, where you raise your chosen protagonist, team up with companions, and save the world from crisis. A typical plot, through and through.

It caught some flak early on for balance issues, but patches and free DLCs quickly smoothed things over. The story was solid, the combat thrilling, and the characters charming—it even gained a solid following.

And apparently, in my past life, I'd sunk thousands of hours into it. Not just the free stuff, but every paid DLC too. A top-tier black cow of a fan, through and through.

In that game, I—Kim Yohan—wasn't the protagonist, not a key player, not even a side character or villain. I was just Cadet A, a nameless extra who didn't even get a mention. Far from the center of the world, barely a background figure.

And the girl in front of me? Seong Haryin, from the same Hansae Orphanage, the one who'd pushed me toward becoming a hero when my healer aptitude showed up—practically forcing me into the Academy entrance exam—was another unmentioned extra.

...Or at least, that's what hit me when I got this notice. So no, I couldn't afford to sweat the small stuff right now.

With memories from my past life flooding back—more tangled than my messed-up hair—I felt no real sting from the cold reality of expulsion or her sharp glare.

"...What's with that look? Oh. Should we just pretend we don't know each other now?"

She bristled at my mere glance, clenching her fists and shooting me a terrifying stare before scoffing.

"Fine. Good riddance. Once you're out of the Academy, we won't have to cross paths anyway. Better to cut ties clean here. Goodbye, Kim Yohan. Hope we never meet again."

She spat the words coldly and walked off, but I had no time to care. My gaze lingered on her retreating figure only briefly.

The moment my past life's memories resurfaced, I'd instinctively muttered a word from the game.

I wondered if I'd lost my mind from the sudden recall, but...

...Nope, that didn't seem to be the case. No cadets sneaking glances or passing by had noticed; otherwise, they'd have rushed over demanding answers.

Hmm... Guess there's no rule saying I have to die.

I couldn't check it now, but it looked like a status window existed, just like in the game.

"That's him, right?"

"Kicked out of the Student Council after all."

"He's still a healer, though?"

"Healers vary. How's he supposed to fight with that heal amount? Even if he's a noble healer, no one would trust that heal in battle."

Infuriating, but spot on. Still, infuriating.

If you're gonna gossip, at least whisper. Broadcasting it like this?

"Hey, over there..."

"Sniff sniff! Lunch was delicious today!"

"Wanna grab some coffee? New menu at the shop—supposed to have stamina recovery effects."

Utterly ignored. Fine, whatever.

In Hero Academia, like most academy tales, the Student Council held massive sway. My memories confirmed it. Getting booted from executive candidacy, wasting their special training voucher—I'd caused them a loss. No one wanted to associate and risk their ire.

Academy cadets aiming for hero status were all equal, but Student Council cadets were more equal. Their reaction made sense... but still, these were supposed to be future ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heroes? The world's future looked bright.

If only I'd run into a main or side character who defied power or clashed with the Council but had a good heart. But why wait around for them?

"Haa..."

A sigh escaped me. I stood, heading to the vending machine for a drink to clear my head, and checked my wallet.

33,000 won. My entire fortune.

As I pulled out a 1,000-won bill, a photo tucked carefully inside caught my eye. Me in uniform, Seong Haryin, and a blunt-faced woman with black short hair.

I stared at it for a moment, then shoved it back in. Bought my drink and plopped on a nearby bench, sipping slowly.

Now, what to do next...

Checking my wallet again, I spotted the dorm ID and gave a wry smile.

Seong Dormitory ID for Hero Academy's luxury dorms, and the Student Council expulsion notice. Staring at them alternately, I shook my head.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I might get kicked out of here too. Bad premonitions always come true, huh?

A paper plastered boldly on my dorm room door proved my hunch right.

If my Seong Dorm spot came from Student Council candidacy, then getting bumped to the standard free Ho Dorm for regular cadets after expulsion wasn't weird... Not weird, but...

Today was a real rollercoaster. At least they put me somewhere.

-Creak...

I entered what was still my room for now and sat on the bed. The 1.5-room dorm—about 15 pyeong—had a desk with a notepad on top and a few books on the shelf.

The books were autobiographies or technique guides from famous healers I recognized. The notepad was my diary from yesterday, labeled 'Hansae Orphanage.'

My hand naturally reached for it. Just looking at it had been painful until yesterday, but maybe the past-life memories dulled the ache? Or maybe more urgent matters overshadowed it. Either way, I flipped it open without hesitation.

The other entries were similar. Picked on here, ragged there. Looking back, it'd been trial after tribulation since arriving.

I closed the despair-filled diary, and a translucent window popped up before my eyes.

Despairing when I wrote those entries, but past-life memories kept bad feelings at bay. They booted an unqualified guy—what could I say? Just accept it.

Seeing this non-existent, quantified status explained the expulsion. In Hero Academia, heals scale with holy power. Starting below 1? Pathetically weak, naturally.

And with mental power abnormally high compared to other stats, growth bonuses went there. Healing aptitude but mental bonuses? A trash character rare even to find.

And that trash character was me! Haha. Life's fucked...

But not hopeless. Good.

-Knock knock.

A knock interrupted my thoughts. Opening the door revealed Kwon Heryu, the former A-rank hero from the game.

"You... saw the notice, right? Sorry. I can't do much... Wait, expelled after just one day? Ugh, I really can't stand the Student Council. Anyway... what now?"

Her eyes brimmed with worry—probably not her first rodeo as dorm supervisor.

"Clashing with the Student Council makes Academy life tough. If you wanna drop out... I could look into aid? Personal reasons get severance and support funds, though it's hard to qualify..."

"Not dropping out."

"Huh? But..."

No rule says die. Low heals and high irrelevant mental power don't mean no path.

This shithole reality had plenty of ways for non-healers to grow. Most buffs in Hero Academia ran on mental power. With freakishly high mental (and likely growth there), I could be a stellar buffer.

Tough, but aptitude changes weren't impossible. No sweat. In parties, a real healer was noble blood; a real buffer was breathing room incarnate. Staple like kimbap, high survival and contribution from the backline. Essential for DPS, academic gospel.

That's the play now. Just one tiny issue.

"Just checking, but... no Sanctuary of Souls at the Academy, right?"

"Huh? What's that?"

First free DLC, 'Path to Heaven.' Buffer hub where quests taught buffs and Azazel—permanent resident supporter—switched aptitude to 'Enhancement.'

It didn't exist.

"Place that teaches buffs."

"Buffs? Why learn those? Weak healers toss 'em sometimes—better than nothing, but..."

No Sanctuary. No pro buffers. Buffs undervalued.

Yeah. No Sanctuary, no buffer culture, no mental-specialized chars. DLC-free 'original' world.

Of course a buffer build gets trashed and expelled here.

I'm a legit 'trash char' in this world.

Fun. Things were getting interesting.

But that changed little. No Sanctuary or Azazel, but buffs existed from original game. Ways to meet Azazel too.

"Sigh... Anyway. No dropout?"

"Yes."

Kwon Heryu still looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worried. Rumors everywhere, Council grudge—normal folks would bail.

But my situation wasn't normal, nor was I. Quitting without trying? Nah.

No Sanctuary, sure, but no biggie. Buffs existed; original had myriad ways to snag key ones, just DLC-shifted to Sanctuary.

Just a bit more hassle. That's all.