I Am Justice!!

Yujin stared blankly at the ogre sailing through the air. Cheolsu and Younghee wore shocked expressions too. But surely not as dumbfounded as he was.

When did I get this strong? He'd simply thrown his fist with everything he had. No special techniques, no martial arts. And yet, this result. It was absolutely not ordinary power.

D-Did I really kill it? What if it was just playing dead to lower his guard? Shivering, Yujin approached the ogre. Honestly, it took tremendous courage. His earlier attack made it seem like he wasn't a coward, but he was.

"Hmmm." Just to be safe, he fired a few shots into its head. Shockingly, the bullets ricocheted. Not even gunfire could pierce its hide.

Wait, does that even make sense? How crappy was that gun that it couldn't kill a beast? Did that mean his fist was way stronger than a gun? That felt weirdly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off-putting too.

W-Well, anyway, it looks dead for real. He crept closer and nudged the ogre's head with his foot. It didn't budge. Just lay there with its tongue lolling out.

Looking at it like this, I kinda feel bad. Monsters were part of nature too. Killing one with his own hands felt strange. But hey, it attacked first. This was clear self-defense. Hell, at this point, you could call it natural causes. If he hadn't fought back, he'd have bolted in terror.

Ugh, thinking about it still gives me chills. When Cheolsu went down, he'd really thought he was done for. His legs were still shaking. Damn it, he just wanted to go home. Why did he have to fight these ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠freakish monsters? All he wanted was to make friends at school and enjoy his student life.

Hmm, but I still haven't done my homework. If I skip it, will I get in trouble? But I took down this massive monster—can't that count? Honestly, this thing looked way scarier than a goblin horde. They had to give him credit for this. The question was whether that logic would fly with his homeroom teacher.

As he pondered, a notification window popped up before him.

Stats! He suddenly remembered dumping all his points into strength.

Aha! So it one-shot because I went all-in on strength. He'd done it without much thought back then. Now it felt like a smart move.

Heh, knew I was on the right track. Yujin opened his status window for a check.

Oh, something new popped up? 'Merciless Hunter' had been added to acquired traits. He felt a bit wronged, even if he didn't know what it meant.

I'm not some brute who throws violence around willy-nilly. Was it because he took down one ogre? That seemed overly harsh. Like he'd said, it attacked first. Whoever made this system was clearly a monster lover.

Still, better than nothing. Watching new stuff appear was oddly fun. Like raising an avatar. Way better than having 'Communication Disorder.' Speaking of, shouldn't that be gone now?

I have friends now! Anyway, he dumped the bonus stats into strength too. With this power, monsters weren't scary! School life would be a breeze too.

Sorry for ditching you on the bus, Cheolsu. But now I can fight too. Hehe. Of course, fighting monsters still terrified him. But with this strength, he could escape easily. Goblins wouldn't even be a warm-up.

His shoulders relaxed. One win in the bag. Yujin turned to Cheolsu.

"You okay?"

Cheolsu, healed by Younghee, leaned against a tree and scowled.

"Why'd you do it?"

"Huh?"

"Chances like this don't come often. Group training, then a superior monster shows up outta nowhere. Perfect setup to off the leader as an 'accident.' You blew it."

The Yujin Cheolsu knew wouldn't pass that up. But this was the infamous hothead Yujin.

...What the hell is he talking about? Yujin narrowed his eyes, not getting it.

W-Was I not supposed to kill that monster? School rules say no and deduct points? Super expensive? Natural monument? But people almost died! Rules be damned—survive first! The world isn't all about grades, damn it.

"Some things ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you can't learn from schoolbooks."

"What're you..."

"Couldn't let a punk like you die to some monster."

Cheolsu's lips twitched in a smirk. Not letting him flunk over something like this? Planning to crush him with raw power?

No need for that anyway.

Cheolsu glanced at the fallen ogre. Even at full strength, could he beat it?

...No way. One-shotting it? Few active heroes could pull that off.

I have to surpass a guy like this? Far off. Impossibly distant. But he couldn't quit. He had something to protect.

"......"

He reached out and patted Younghee's head. Tears still welled in her eyes. When the ogre appeared and death loomed, they'd staked their lives on each other without hesitation. Yujin had pried them apart by force. But their bond had only deepened.

I have to protect her. But the path was treacherous. Unknowingly, Cheolsu gripped his sword tighter.

Ehehe, strength shot up again. Can I lift 55 beds now? Meanwhile, the man in question was lost in such thoughts.

…

"I-I can't believe it."

In Class 1-A—the homeroom teacher's jaw dropped as she watched the footage. Hero Academy didn't skimp on safety. Even for practical training, pro heroes stood by, and teachers monitored 24/7. Any incident meant instant rescue. All kept secret, of course, to build real combat sense.

Point was, safety first. Injuries were rare. But this time, the unthinkable happened.

The group with Cheolsu, Yujin, and Younghee. She'd been uneasy. Teachers knew their messy dynamic. But Yujin insisted, and the others agreed. No grounds to stop them. Still, she'd watched extra closely.

Thought it was weird when they got lost midway. Cheolsu, leading, veered wrong—a mistake he'd never make. Forgivable, though; other teams lost too.

Problem was the monster they faced: an ogre. Superhuman strength, endless stamina, thick hide shrugging off most weapons. Fitting level: B-rank party with a B-rank hero.

Sure enough, Cheolsu went down in one hit. She hit the emergency signal. Ogres threatened pros too, but student safety first.

Then the twist.

A student one-shot it? Yujin stepped up. His punch sent the massive body flying.

Never seen pros with that power. She knew Yujin wasn't ordinary. Heir to Korea's top mafia, Heukcheon. He never showed full strength—didn't need to. Most foes weren't worthy.

But this much? Insane talent. S-rank hero material at least. And of all people, Heukcheon's heir! Like Captain America starring in Heil Hydra.

But... Yujin still has potential for change. Recently, he'd used formal speech with her—unthinkable before. He'd even gotten uncomfortable with her formality, begging her to drop it.

Most crucially, that last move.

He was clearly protecting Cheolsu. One person saving another. Seemed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠obvious. But not for Yujin. Heukcheon was ruthless, brutal. Raised as heir his whole life. Yet he saved someone.

Whatever the reason, couldn't you call it 'justice'?

With the right guidance, he could really become a hero... Truth be told, Yujin scared her. She'd rather keep distance. But more than that, she couldn't let such talent slip.

That immense power! If she could guide it toward justice!

The homeroom teacher's eyes slowly burned with resolve. She was determined to make Yujin a hero, come hell or high water.