Chapter 16: The Kind of Person Every Academy Has (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16: The Kind of Person Every Academy Has (5)
Now, it goes without saying, but an Academy is a gathering place for prospective superhumans and a training ground for immature heroes.
However, no matter how much of a superhuman they are, kids are still kids, and even among prospective heroes, there are bound to be those with more hot blood than brains.
Above all, since most of them gathered here out of admiration for heroes, there weren’t any truly irreredeemable thugs among the first-years yet.
What could the “bullying” from such kids even amount to?
Exactly. It wasn’t much different from what ordinary people do.
Throwing bits of erasers or crumpled tissues during lectures.
Coming over to talk trash while you’re exercising.
Or, at most, laughing at you amongst themselves from a distance.
It’s somewhat annoying, but it’s not the kind of thing that makes me contemplate whether I should lose my mind and commit a total slaughter right then and there.
Not that I could even if I wanted to.
Anyway, as the one with a higher mental age, it’s only right that I be the bigger person and let it slide.
In the first place, I wasn’t a total outcast. Aside from those who called themselves Cheon Yu-hak’s lackeys, everyone else was staying neutral regarding the rumors thanks to Lilac and Kang Ha-ni. My life wasn’t particularly difficult.
Snap!
That’s right.
I had momentarily forgotten.
Students at this age are the type of punks who, if you act submissively, think they’re hot shit and start acting all high and mighty.
Thanks to getting hit in the back of the head while enjoying my lunch, the last of my patience finally evaporated.
“Hey, sorry. Thought you were my friend! It was just a joke, you’re not mad, right?”
“Hey…!”
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
Lilac and Kang Ha-ni stepped forward before I could, but the punks just repeated like parrots that they thought I was their friend.
“Whoa, why are you getting so mad? Even he’s staying quiet. I said I thought he was a friend, didn’t I? Or hey, why don’t you be friends with us starting today?”
“Maybe you can peel off some of that money you bribe the Academy with and buy us something to eat?”
“True. How much did you guys get paid in friendship fees by this loser?”
Irritation flickered in Lilac’s eyes.
He was kind to a fault, but in situations like this where the opponent was an overt villain, he was the type to step up even more.
Well, as long as he doesn’t kill them, it counts as non-lethal, I guess.
Setting Kang Ha-ni aside, our Pink Chihuahua also looked annoyed, likely thinking Lilac had been insulted. But I had no intention of stepping aside for you guys.
To begin with, trying to solve everything with violence just because you’re angry isn’t exactly a healthy mindset.
At least, not until the first punch is thrown!
“Sure, anyone can make a mistake.”
“See? Even this guy says so. Our little loner actually understands—”
“Lilac, you shouldn’t get so angry at a blind bastard who can’t even see what’s in front of him. They’re just unfortunate souls.”
“…What?”
“The other one too. He’s just a beggar who can’t afford a meal ticket, so he’s begging for money instead of eating. If you glare at him like that, do you think the poor guy will be too scared to make a living off of scraps from now on?”
Perhaps because I usually kept my responses short and concise, not only Lilac but also the Pink Chihuahua and the girl in disguise were left speechless.
Well, they might dislike me for having a foul mouth, but messing with someone while they’re eating is crossing a major line, isn’t it?
Listen here, boys.
I’ve spent over five years longer than you lot engaging in keyboard battles while reading web novels.
Considering you’re still minors, I’ll refrain from insulting your parents, but prepare to have your mental state absolutely shredded.
Finally realizing they had been insulted, the boys approached with furious expressions.
“See, Lilac? Because you gave them a hard time, their faces are all red. Come on, let’s apologize to our unfortunate friends!”
“Huh? Me? Are they mad because of me?”
You innocent fool, of course not.
“You little shit. Who do you think you’re messing with? A total nobody gets a little attention and now what?”
Who do I think I’m messing with? You tell me, dumbass.
I’m counting on Lilac, who would never stand by and watch me get beaten up.
“Aha, so that was ‘playing’ at your level? It was so childish that I thought you’d quit the Academy to pursue a career in comedy. Just so you know, your gags are boring as hell and won’t work on the public, so just stay in school and graduate quietly.”
“You son of a bitch…!”
Haha, look at these assholes. Why are they so pissed when they’re the ones who started it?
“Oh my, picking a fight first! Getting red in the face first! Swearing first! You’re good at so many things!”
Normally, the finishing blow would be: ‘Your parents must be so proud they spent all that money to send you to the Academy just for you to be the first in so many categories. You pathetic retard.’ But since they’re minors, I’ll let it go.
However, it seemed our brilliant blind bastard and the beggar managed to read the hidden words in my gaze, as they raised their fists.
My, how talented!
When I let out a sneer, the blind one tried to swing his fist first.
Since he couldn’t use Mana reinforcement, his posture was full of openings.
If I used my own reinforcement, I felt like I could land a solid punch on his jaw.
Just as I thought that, someone else stepped in.
“Seeing such trash ruins my appetite.”
It was Cheon Yu-hak, who had been sitting nearby.
“Oh, Yu-hak. It’s not like that.”
“Yu-hak?”
“Huh?”
“Are you my friend? I don’t recall having a friend like you, let alone an acquaintance.”
“What are you talking about? We’re in the same class…”
“You really don’t get it, do you? Do I have to remember the name of everyone just because they’re in the same class?”
Oh, our blind bastard’s face turned incredibly red.
You idiot. Cheon Yu-hak hates delinquents. How could a self-proclaimed lackey not even know that?
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“I said you’re ruining my appetite. Get lost.”
Damn.
Holy shit. Right, I almost forgot because I’d only seen his decent side lately. This is Cheon Yu-hak.
The man who doesn’t leave when his appetite is ruined, but removes the cause instead.
The world-revolving egoist, Cheon Yu-hak!
In the original work, every time he acted like this, Lilac would intervene, causing the readers to go ballistic. But this time, perhaps because the opponents were clearly the bad guys, Lilac was smiling warmly.
“He’s got a bit of a foul mouth, but his heart is in the right place, don’t you think?”
“…No?”
“He’s doing that to help you.”
Is he? I suppose you could see it that way, but isn’t that a bit too optimistic? He just really hates thugs.
In the end, our two morons left the cafeteria with beet-red faces, unable to finish their meal.
Why do they even bother when they can’t even break even?
Of course, I wasn’t the one who drove them off, but as long as the result is good, that’s all that matters.
* * *
The first class after lunch today was Basic Mana Manipulation.
The cute traitor-to-be, whom I was meeting for the second time, was giving an enthusiastic explanation.
“Even though we just call it ‘Mana’ for short, I mentioned that the methods for increasing its total capacity and the ways to use it differ slightly depending on your innate Talent, right~?”
After writing ‘You can do it! You too can achieve Mana Sensitivity!’ on the chalkboard, she looked at us.
“Still, there are ways to categorize it all. Basic Mana Studies is essentially the compilation of which Talents behave in what way across different fields~”
Personally, I was interested in whether I, a transmigrator, could handle the mysterious power known as Mana. As if she had read my mind, she suddenly glanced toward me.
“Then, our honor students Kang So-hyun and Lilac, please come to the front!”
Or maybe not. Honestly, I think she just has it out for me.
“Haha, can our two Mana Studies honor students use Mana already?”
“I can use a little bit.”
“I can’t.”
“Oh? That’s unexpected. I thought you’d answer the other way around. Then again, Lilac did take down those terrorists, didn’t he?”
She closed her eyes for a moment, deep in thought, then asked Lilac.
“Lilac, what kind of image do you visualize when you use Mana?”
“I use the image of it starting from my heart and spreading throughout my entire body.”
“Hmm, the heart. That’s common. Some claim that creating circuits along the blood vessels is an outdated, old-fashioned method, but there’s a reason why long-lasting methods are considered the best! Lilac’s method is a very orthodox and safe way of operating, so you can be proud of it.”
After praising Lilac, she spun her head around to look at me.
“Now, what about Kang So-hyun?”
“Pardon? I told you, I can’t use Mana.”
“I know. But for things like this, instinctive imagery is also important. Close your eyes and try to imagine it. I feel like Kang So-hyun would enjoy that kind of thing—playing around by himself saying, ‘Heh… the source of my power is…’”
“Can I sue you for defamation?”
“Haha, don’t underestimate a current hero. I’m confident I can get away with it even if it’s defamation by telling the truth!”
Damn it. What do you mean ‘telling the truth’?
I haven’t done that since middle school!
“I’ll help you, so just try closing your eyes.”
It was suspicious, but I had no choice but to close my eyes.
“Visualize it. The thing at your very core. Imagine the entity that will lend you its strength.”
Hmm, should I just recall a sensation similar to when I use my Talent?
When I closed my eyes, what appeared was a red lake—no, a sea.
It was too clear to be called blood, but it was a deep pool of water so red and bottomless that the end was nowhere in sight.
When I scooped up a handful of water with my hands, the red substance, resembling blood, began to circulate through my body.
“Stop.”
At the sudden, sharp tone, I opened my eyes to find her looking at me with a serious face, her playful attitude gone.
A strange energy was swirling around my hands.
It seemed Mana, like Talent, was a power that resided in the physical body.
But could it really be this easy…?
That’s right. Aside from the shitty penalty, Kang So-hyun was a genius with an A-rank Talent, just like the protagonists.
“Sigh, Kang So-hyun is the exact opposite of Lilac. You’re handling Mana in a damn dangerous way. You succeeded on your first try, so you’re a genius if I ever saw one, but you’d better not use Mana for the time being.”
“What?”
“Just what on earth did you visualize?”
“It was an image of scooping up water from a massive red sea.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely dangerous. If I hadn’t stopped you just now, you would have kept converting your Innate True Qi into Mana.”
…Excuse me?
I don’t even have enough to use for my Talent, so I had to get a Trait for it, and you’re saying what?
While I had some breathing room with the amount of Innate True Qi thanks to obtaining Resurrection, I wasn’t at the level where I could afford to consume it just to throw out basic attacks.
And for a hero, reinforcing the body with Mana was essentially a basic attack.
“Well, don’t worry, it’s not like you can only handle Mana in a natural way. I’ll have to give you some special attention.”
She cackled as if she had found something interesting, but I didn’t find it funny at all.
Laughing when someone else is scared to death of dying… as expected of someone whose emotional sensitivity might lead them to betray everyone and become a villain.
You’re a bad person. You’re making a mockery of my misfortune and turning me into a laughingstock.
But then, our Little Professor floated up using Mana and gently stroked my head.
“Don’t worry. Unfortunately, I have a similar constitution to yours. It can be fixed with effort. I’ll make sure to help you.”
I take it back.
Damn it, fine.
Even though she betrays everyone in the original work, she couldn’t be called a truly evil person.
That’s probably why Lilac hesitated to kill her until the very end.
“Hehe, if this goes well, I might just pick up a teaching assistant.”
“I refuse.”
No, she was definitely a terrifying psychopath.
Trying to send someone to grad school… that’s a thought so cruel I can’t believe it came from a human.
“Anyway, everyone, let’s give a round of applause to these two cadets who showed us the two extremes of the orthodox and the unorthodox, even if it was by chance~”
Ah, right. We were in the middle of a lecture.
Thinking about how the others saw the little girl stroking my head made me feel a bit embarrassed.
These guys.
Judging by how many of them were glaring at me fiercely, while only Lilac had a worried expression, it seemed there were a lot of lolicons in this class.
* * *
It’s a sudden thought, but everything in this world has a cause and effect—what we call a reason.
For example, if you get into a spat in the cafeteria, you might have to endure the retaliation of someone who couldn’t accept the outcome of that spat.
Lilac had another class, and Kang Ha-ni’s class wasn’t over yet, so I was thinking of waiting for a bit when that crazy blind bastard came to pick a fight again, seemingly never learning his lesson.
“You, you little shit. Because of you… Yu-hak… what are you going to do about this, you bastard?”
But what exactly am I supposed to do?
“Hey, let’s get our facts straight, okay? Did I snitch to Cheon Yu-hak? Did I put on a show specifically for him to see? He caught you guys acting like assholes, so why are you taking it out on me? Cheon Yu-hak just really hates thugs~”
“Don’t give me that shit! How am I a thug! You could have just taken it as a joke and let it go!”
Is this guy insane?
He hits someone in the back of the head while they’re eating and says what?
“What’s this? So you’re not just a blind bastard, you’re actually a retard?”
“You little shit, who do you think you’re acting tough for? Ga-eul already told everyone you’re a weakling. Lilac isn’t here and Yu-hak isn’t here, so stop bluffing, you fucker.”
Ah, for the record, Ga-eul is the real name of the girl I call Butt.
“You go tell Yu-hak it was just a joke and that we’re close.”
“…And if I don’t want to?”
“Then I’ll have to make you.”
The guy cracked his knuckles as he warmed up.
This guy is hopeless. A cadet engaging in threats and violence.
I guess I’ll have to teach him the beauty of conversation.
“To begin with, I’m not even that close to him, you idiot. It’s because you’re a thug, not because we’re friends, okay?”
“I don’t care, just do something!”
Ah, this is bad.
Conversation is something shared between humans; it’s not an effective strategy against a beast that resembles a wild boar.
No, more importantly, this piece of shit is a guy, so why does he like Cheon Yu-hak so much?
Suddenly, as the guy’s shouting got annoying, I turned my head and saw the Pink Chihuahua watching from a distance.
Rather than watching on purpose, it seemed she had just happened to pass by. After about three seconds of very deep deliberation, she started walking away.
Right, there’s no way you’d help anyone if it doesn’t involve Lilac.
I steeled my resolve and turned around.
“What are you doing?”
And then I ran like hell.
“Huh?”
“Why would I fight you, you moron!”
That’s right.
A wise man stays away from danger.