Chapter 59
Chapter 59
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Everything Has a Reason!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hero Academy in Korea has one peculiar tradition.
All first-year cadets must go on a field trip before the end of the first semester.
The location is one of the sites where past hero predecessors achieved many great victories.
Until now, they had visited the large-scale monster extermination zone around Suwon.
There are plenty of other places, but they stubbornly stick to Suwon for a simple reason.
It's just close by. They choose it because it costs the least in taxes.
It's a schedule meant to instill a sense of heroism in the freshmen.
The higher-ups decided there's no need to spend a fortune on it.
There's a saying that they don't skimp on budgets for heroes.
But that's not always true. If they can cut costs, they definitely do.
Of course, they never cut our salaries. That was the politicians' decision.
This is why the freshmen field trip destination has been Suwon every year.
But this year's freshmen field trip destination was an utterly unexpected place.
"What? Are you looking at me right now?"
"No way? We're going there?"
There are several fierce battles fought by past hero predecessors.
The large-scale monster extermination around Suwon that freshmen had always visited.
The massive clash with the villain forces that had taken over Incheon.
The major operation to prevent the fall of Busan, which had been considered safe.
Among them, there was one place with an especially dramatic victory.
Thirty years ago, three Apocalypse-Class monsters appeared, paralyzing the entire East Sea.
S-Rank heroes were deployed, and even the navy was mobilized for a fierce battle.
They finally succeeded in taking down the monsters near Ulleungdo and Dokdo.
Cases of taking down Apocalypse-Class monsters existed in other countries too.
But Korea was the only one to eliminate multiple Apocalypse-Class monsters at once back then.
Afterward, the Republic of Korea stood tall at the center of the world as a hero superpower.
Someone hearing this story might laugh and say, "Sounds like a novel loaded with national pride! Haha!"
Anyway. This year's first-year field trip location was set to Ulleungdo and Dokdo.
And the next line written there shocked the first-year cadets even more.
"We're not taking a boat, but boarding the maritime train?"
"Really? I heard the usage fee is insanely expensive."
After that great victory, Ulleungdo and Dokdo became a kind of holy site.
Not just domestically, but people from around the world visited to commemorate the win.
In this situation, to elevate the nation's prestige further, Korea made a bold move.
They decided to run a maritime train slicing through the ocean.
"I heard a ton of heroes got chewed out over building this thing."
"There was a huge social backlash too. People said heroes should be fighting monsters and villains, not doing this."
There was a lot of discontent, but the reason of "for the nation's dignity" swallowed it all.
The heroes eventually threw themselves into it wholeheartedly, and the maritime train was finally completed.
After that, Ulleungdo and Dokdo became world-famous tourist spots and holy sites.
"But... is this for real? I heard even B-Rank hero seniors are intimidated by the maritime train fares."
"Hey. Hey. Look at the bottom, the bottom."
The bottom? The first-year cadets looked at the bottom of the bulletin board notice.
And they soon figured out why their destination was Ulleungdo and Dokdo.
Korea's leading conglomerate. World's top 10 corporation. Hwiun.
And the owner family leading Hwiun had enrolled in the Academy.
The youngest granddaughter of the founder, Chairman Jeong Man-chun. First-year cadet, Jeong Ye-bin.
It was only natural that Hwiun showed "some" interest because of her.
The maritime train that even most heroes hesitated to use due to the cost burden.
A super luxury express transport made solely for the wealthy.
They sponsored it as casually as renting a bus.
"Heard the news? Seniors are already jealous of us first-years."
"They get not going to Suwon, but riding the maritime train is too much, they say."
"Having the Hwiun chairman's granddaughter really is something... I heard when she first enrolled, Hwiun said they wouldn't pay any attention here."
"You think that was real? It's just talk; they quietly support and keep an eye on things like this."
Around the time when discontent started bubbling up among students except the first-years.
Hwiun announced another piece of news an hour later, as if they had anticipated it.
The overwhelming difference between the government's so-called "generous" support and a corporation's "generous" support.
Upon hearing of the mega-corp's true spending spree, the students quietly dropped their complaints.
Instead, they greeted the first-years with, "Juniors! Thank you! Have a great trip!"
"Cadet Kang Yuna?"
Kang Yuna, who had been reviewing the morning's lessons, turned her head at the familiar voice.
It was Jeong Ye-bin. She seemed to glow with Hwiun's halo around her.
"Heard the news? This field trip will be to Ulleungdo and Dokdo."
"Ah, yes. I heard."
She had also heard that Hwiun was covering all the costs for the trip.
And that wasn't all. Recently, she had learned one more enormous and burdensome fact.
"Um, I heard the story. So..."
"Oh. Don't misunderstand. It wasn't for any impure motives. The government said it was right to give meaningful rewards to the sidekick who rescued a hero, so Hwiun stepped up."
Not long after Kang Yuna's help for B-Rank hero Shieldman became known.
Her parents had moved into a super-luxury apartment in Gangnam.
She heard Hwiun had covered all the costs.
It was like being hit with a nuclear bomb made of money.
"No need to feel burdened. This is only natural."
How could it not be burdensome! Kang Yuna screamed internally.
But Jeong Ye-bin continued calmly, as if it were nothing.
"When people do good and righteous deeds, they must receive rewards. Only then will others pursue good and justice for any reason. My grandfather always said that."
"Grandfather... you mean?"
"The founder of Hwiun Group."
If eyes spinning like crazy described a certain feeling, this was it.
Kang Yuna felt dizzy from the parade of overwhelming big shots she couldn't handle.
The Sword Saint's granddaughter. The lady from a prominent British family. Now the owner family of a mega-corp.
It was burdensome to the point where it felt unrealistic.
'Honestly, this is weird! How are all these people clustered in the first year!?'
Anyone else would have been intimidated by this lineup.
Or they might have tried to leech off them for personal gain.
But Kang Yuna only thought she needed to work even harder.
So she wouldn't feel ashamed to be in the same class as them!
"By the way, Cadet Kang Yuna. I have a question. You've already run into the Smiling Man twice, right?"
"Eh? Ah, yes. Now that I think about it... yeah, it's already that many times."
Unlike other villains desperate to hide their viciousness.
He rarely appeared before the public. A villain who only targeted heroes.
Yet suddenly, the Smiling Man exposed himself across multiple media outlets.
Surprisingly, the timing matched when Kang Yuna had encountered him.
Some people suspected something but soon shook their heads.
A hero cadet and a Catastrophe-Class villain. No connection whatsoever.
It was just coincidence. Pure luck that they crossed paths by chance.
'...But still. Even if it's coincidence twice, it could happen a third time, right?'
Opportunities don't come at set times, as you all say.
They come anytime, any number of times. You have to seize them to make them opportunities.
Recalling Chairman Jeong's words, Jeong Ye-bin made a request to Kang Yuna.
"Just in case. If you run into the Smiling Man again later... Could you ask him to try using a device made by Hwiun Electronics, Cadet Kang Yuna?"
"...Pardon?"
"I'm kidding."
Jeong Ye-bin waved it off, saying it couldn't be serious.
"But really. Just in case. If the Smiling Man shows no hostility... Could you at least give us a heads-up? I'd make sure to reward you."
"Ah, sure..."
Come to think of it, she heard the Smiling Man had boosted Hwiun's stock prices too.
He hadn't even mentioned Hwiun; he just showed a coffee logo once.
Omega Coffee. A company Hwiun had recently acquired but was continuously losing ground.
But now, it had rebounded to claim the top spot.
And if it turned out the Smiling Man was using Hwiun Electronics products?
If they could advertise it as the ultimate device even vile villains couldn't resist?
'A-as expected, corporations aren't for just anyone...'
While others worried about image damage from a villain using it.
They saw it as a niche marketing opportunity!
As Kang Yuna was admiring this, she spotted a familiar face in the distance and called out.
"Over there!"
It was the Records Office staffer she had met on the highway recently.
He had helped her when she was dealing with some annoying customer.
"Ah, Cadet Kang Yuna. Don't you come to the office anymore these days? You still need to study more about monsters."
"Well... It's awkward for me to say this myself, but after 'that incident,' I've been getting a lot of attention..."
"Ahh, I understand. You're being considerate so the office doesn't get noisy!"
As the staffer and Kang Yuna talked, Jeong Ye-bin approached.
Kang Yuna was currently a promising hero under Hwiun's watch and reports.
It was best to take care of her acquaintances too.
"Cadet Kang Yuna? And that person is?"
"Ah, he's from the Records Office. I owe him one from last time."
"I see. Nice to meet you. I'm Jeong Ye-bin."
"Oh! Aren't you the granddaughter of Hwiun's chairman? It's an honor."
"Not at all."
Jeong Ye-bin glanced at Kang Yuna before continuing.
"If it's not too rude... Are you busy with office work?"
"It's busy, but starting next week, I'm on vacation!"
"Perfect timing, then. Any interest in touring Ulleungdo and Dokdo?"
Since they were spending money anyway, Hwiun decided to go big.
They would provide maritime train trip vouchers to selected Hero Academy staff via lottery.
And Jeong Ye-bin had the pull to slot in one staffer right there.
"If you're Academy staff—and someone who helped Cadet Kang Yuna—I can arrange a spot for you. And as a welfare perk, you can bring one family member on the trip."