Simulated Battle and Se-na
At my call, Lee Se-na reacted with clear surprise and began studying my expression carefully. She dislikes Hyun quite a bit… and she seems close to Min-hye… Does she really have no ill feelings toward me, even though I’m Hyun’s childhood friend? From Se-na’s perspective, she assumed I would naturally view her unfavorably as well. After all, I had deliberately given off an unfriendly atmosphere toward Seo Moon-hyun, so she figured his closest childhood friend would receive the same treatment.
Still, I made a point of not bringing up Seo Moon-hyun first.
“Healing is your specialty, right?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Since I hadn’t mentioned Seo Moon-hyun, Lee Se-na chose not to bring him up either. Even if she had asked about him, I had no intention of answering here and now. That would only complicate things. If I revealed my true feelings before she developed a more favorable impression of me, she might feel disappointed in Seo Moon-hyun, yet she would ultimately choose to stay by his side.
“Stay ready. Even though this is only a simulated battle inside virtual reality, treat it like the real thing.”
“Pardon?”
Lee Se-na instinctively echoed my words before realizing what I meant. Embarrassed by her own reflexive response, she quickly composed herself.
“Understood. If anyone gets injured, I’ll heal them right away.”
As a healer, her abilities were exceptional—worthy of a heroine in the original story. Later on, she would be able to heal people simply by designating targets within her sight, even reaching individuals over a hundred kilometers away. She could remain on Hero Island and treat the wounded in the middle of Seoul if she knew who needed help. Beyond that wide range, the potency of her healing far surpassed ordinary healers.
On top of that, she could also protect herself to some degree on the battlefield. Though her overwhelming recovery skills tended to overshadow everything else, Lee Se-na was also highly capable as both a defender and supporter—essentially a superior version of Osada Saya.
“That’s not all. Among the survivors we rescue, there will likely be injured people. Don’t forget to treat them as well.”
Since this was virtual reality, the survivors were technically NPCs. However, for the purposes of this class, we had to move as though everything was real.
“Yes, I understand.”
Lee Se-na nodded with a determined expression. Treating people was a healer’s duty, and she felt a deep sense of responsibility. Even if this moment existed only inside virtual reality, the experience of rescuing and healing others here would prove valuable in the future.
“Good. By the way, I’m curious—do you also speak formally like Arian does?”
“Pardon? Ah… Well, you’re one year older than me, so…”
“Just speak comfortably. I don’t mind at all.”
Lee Se-na’s use of formal speech toward me was a sign of distance. Arian naturally spoke in that gentle, polite manner, but Lee Se-na wasn’t the type to default to honorifics. She had kept her distance because of my status as the heir to the Yucheon Group, the one-year age gap, and the fact that I seemed to dislike Seo Moon-hyun for some reason.
She doesn’t seem to hold any bad feelings toward me… Her thoughts were easy to read—she found my reaction unexpected.
“I’m not asking for selfless justice. But we attend the National Hero Academy, and since we came here to become heroes, I at least want everyone to uphold this one principle.”
“What is it?”
Osada Saya asked, her reddish-brown hair fluttering in the wind that had just blown through.
“As long as you have the capacity, help those in need.”
No matter how much someone wanted to become a hero, expecting everyone to adopt the mindset of sacrificing their own life for others was unrealistic. What I considered reasonable was that those with power should help others whenever they had the leeway to do so. If the strong lent a hand without overextending themselves, the world would already be a better place.
“As long as you have the capacity, help those in need…”
“Mm, something like that.”
If I had told them to become heroes who sacrifice themselves, some would have felt repulsed. This level, however, was something everyone could accept without resistance.
“Brother, those are fine words. If you ever need my bombs, just say the word! I’ll help as much as I can!”
“I’ll do my best to help as well!”
Not to be outdone by Abdul Hassan and Osada Saya’s enthusiastic declarations, the Korean students also voiced their determination.
“Alright! Let’s do this!”
“Since the freshman representative is with us, maybe our team will actually take first place?”
As they spoke, their true thoughts were clear.
Getting close to the heir of the Yucheon Group can’t hurt.
Better to stay on his good side instead of picking a fight like those idiots.
He’s ranked first in skill and comes from that kind of background… What’s the point of making an enemy out of him?
While it might seem calculating, unlike Kim Byeong-seop and Park Byeong-gyu—who were still stuck in their late middle-school syndrome—these students held a far more pragmatic outlook. This approach would make everything much smoother in the long run.
“Then let’s head toward the nearest group of people first. Hwang Dong-hyun, Gye Jun-yeong—you two specialize in close combat, so take the front.”
“Got it.”
“Leave it to us.”
The two Korean students I had designated moved into position at the front. I took the rearmost spot myself while placing Lee Se-na and Osada Saya—both focused on rear support—right in front of me. This formation is the best. If I solved everything with my overwhelming power alone, I would only come across as skilled but arrogant. By demonstrating that I valued teamwork despite my strength, I could improve both the academy’s evaluation of me and Lee Se-na’s opinion.
“Our destination is Sunwi Apartment Building 13. I can sense survivors around the fifth floor.”
“The fifth floor, huh.”
“Alright, let’s go rescue them quickly!”
Because these students lacked experience and knew this was virtual reality, they seemed to think we could simply bring everyone along. But rescuing a large number of people and then protecting them while moving is its own problem. I didn’t keep that concern to myself.
“Even if we rescue people, taking them all with us is dangerous. Civilians won’t be able to keep up with our speed, and more importantly, they might panic and do something reckless.”
For example, if a massive monster suddenly appeared, mana awakeners would stand their ground and fight without hesitation. But ordinary people, even if the awakeners were confident, would lose their minds in terror and try to flee as far as possible at the slightest touch. In most cases, rescued civilians ignored the awakeners’ instructions, acted on their own, and ended up dead. There were even plenty who got themselves killed while complaining after being saved. That was the exhausting part of being a hero—having to deal with people like that while still rescuing them.
“Then what should we do?”
“We need to secure a safe zone first. Rescuing people is important, but we have to shelter them inside sturdy buildings like this one. We’ll also need to split off some of our fighting strength to protect them.”
Dividing our forces carried risks, but it was far safer than dragging dozens or hundreds of civilians around. If we tried to protect them while moving, the awakeners would be too distracted to fight properly.
“Our fighting strength…”
“Which building would be best?”
“It needs to be sturdy enough not to collapse, easy to defend, and have an escape route in case things go wrong.”
Of course, if it came to that, the civilians would likely cause more chaos and casualties among themselves before the monsters even attacked, all while trying to flee first. We had to prepare for that possibility as well.
“This is getting complicated.”
“No wonder so many active heroes complain about rescue work being tough.”
“Actually experiencing it makes me realize how grueling it really is.”
The aspiring heroes’ voices, now beginning to understand the hardships of active heroes, would be transmitted directly to the academy. Thanks to me, the instructors would give high marks for the students realizing these truths through firsthand experience. Because it’s hardship they’ve tasted themselves. People naturally felt goodwill toward those who understood their struggles.
“In that sense, I think that building over there would work well.”
The building I pointed to would normally be just an ordinary nine-story structure. However, it had wide roads around it, making it easy for large numbers of civilians to evacuate in an emergency.
“That one?”
“Yeah. We’ll gather everyone inside—whether it’s offices or hallways. Let’s start collecting people first.”
“Got it!”
The students, excited as though they were already active heroes, were clearly immersing themselves in the task. Lee Se-na, too, remained resolute about treating any injured she found. He doesn’t seem like a bad person… Just what exactly happened between him and Hyun? As she looked at me, that thought began to take root in her mind.