008. Wow, the Real Deal is Insane.
Wow, the real deal was insane. Seoul Superhuman Ability Academy. The route to the special autonomous district where the academy sat was incredibly clear and convenient for any affiliated cadet. Shuttle buses looping through all of Seoul, plus a subway line built exclusively for the academy. No worries about outsiders either, since you needed a student ID and transit pass just to board—only academy staff and students could ride.
My apartment was near a shuttle stop, so I grabbed a sandwich from the convenience store, munched on it while waiting, and hopped on without issue. Well, aside from one tiny problem.
“Isn't that him...?”
“Holy crap, how did word not spread sooner?”
“Everyone's eyes must've gone blind from how dazzling he is.”
“Haha, that's got some logic to it.”
Everything was fine up until I scanned my ID and sat down. But for some reason, everyone on the bus kept sneaking glances my way. We were total strangers, yet their eyes brimmed with what felt like fondness... What the hell? Was I cursed with an axe disease? Or some new brand of bullying unique to this reversed world?
Goddess, what's going on here?
[......]
It had been a while since I'd asked for her sage advice, but she'd gone silent after that last message about blowing a fuse when I left the convenience store. Well, even back there, she'd occasionally step away. Probably in the bathroom or something.
Anyway, shoving the absent goddess aside, I scanned the bus first.
Okay, they're definitely all staring at me. Not my imagination.
As a hero who'd reached the pinnacle, distinguishing glances was child's play. They were peeking for sure! No doubt about it!
Eh, her vanishing then popping back to curse me out happened often enough there too. No biggie. What bugged me more was the nature of these stares everyone was throwing my way.
I'd been worshipped as a hero early on, then a destruction god later, so public gazes weren't awkward. They always looked at me like I was something grand and exalted.
Going from human to half-deity? Far from unpleasant—it pumped dopamine through this mere mortal's veins.
But building equal relationships had been tough, which was why I'd returned to the modern world... These stares differed in flavor from those back home. Hero days brought awe, reverence, admiration, respect—sometimes fear or resentment. Here? Curiosity, fondness, even sticky desire in the finer details.
They were intrigued by me. In all sorts of ways.
From months of consuming media, my Shin Yuseong big data analysis showed they harbored rational curiosity and affection toward me.
[...?!!]
[Asks if you knew about that.]
Of course I did?
Back in middle or high school, you'd sneak peeks at cute part-timers in cafes or PC bangs—it was just human nature. After that school commute sparked questions, I'd checked the bathroom mirror every morning: my face wasn't half bad, no matter the angle. Demand existed.
Assuming romance desires flipped genders like combat power and mana, I was decent on looks alone. Especially in a superhuman academy short on male students—I could almost feel like the harem protag riding a high.
[Stares in shocked horror.]
[Asks if you've known all this and acted like a total scrub until now.]
Nah, "scrub"? I'd lived blamelessly as an ex-hero. No time holed up in my room to screw up anyway.
[Says that part bugs her.]
[(-_-)]
What a goddess who nitpicked everything.
"Nah, market research is key. Plus, my target route... or whatever. The spot's locked in as the academy."
Parading downtown yelling Look at me! to draw eyes? Not my vibe. I'd soaked up too much attention there already to enjoy mere popularity. Sure, being well-liked was nice, but what I craved was romance.
Pure love's great, harems too.
Classic mutt mentality—I just wanted everyone I liked to like me back. Honest wish.
So, academy life it was. Full commitment.
Top student? Model one? That image works.
Delinquent or golden boy? Not my personality. No plans for that roleplay.
Straight-laced school life with dating on the side. Average college kid dream. That was my mindset, modest goal in this world.
[Sighs, mutters she must've raised her hero wrong.]
"Why me?"
[Just says the convenience store clerk's pitiful.]
"Dude, why?"
Always thought it, but damn, our tastes just didn't align.
A train chugged along the tracks over the blue river, an island emerging in the distance. Seoul Superhuman Ability Academy. A special autonomous district prepared solely for it—an academy city of islands. As a cradle drawing global talent, governments, corporations, even villain groups watched closely. But no need to fret over spying or terrorism from outsiders.
Click. The train just passed the trigger.
A wave of mana scanned the train and passengers in an instant. She gazed out the window. Bright, dark, vibrant. Day and night, dawn and dusk crossed in a flash over the river—a landscape where space and time intertwined in complex, multidimensional layers.
Always a stunning sight.
Combat Studies and Magic Professor Aris Severus compared it impassively to her magical knowledge, freshly awed. Even if grand mages pooled their power, a barrier this potent over the whole island?
Some might scoff Tch, just a barrier. But to her, a mage versed in principles, it was wondrous. So subtle most cadets wouldn't even notice passing through. Perfect for an educational institution, not a military base—no fanfare meant they could enjoy freedoms and rights naturally.
The campus matched that philosophy: diverse and beautiful. Modern buildings and streets. Yet zones mimicking medieval villages—cozy markets, plazas, fountains. Close-combat Asian students got Eastern-style training halls. Dorms built in four seasonal themes too.
Wasteful splurge for minorities? Critics griped. But with massive expectations poured in, it worked. Grads became A-rank hunters donating big, or returned as educators—costs recovered easy. Tuition was steep anyway.
With all that talent converging, Combat Studies Professor Aris Severus always eyed new cadets expectantly this season. Despite hating hassle, she volunteered for the promising department's placement exam—level test illusion magic formation.
She held high hopes for freshmen yearly. Not just A-rank hunters, but grad student material or prime experiment subjects.
Don't let them down.
This year felt off-kilter. Prestigious heirs shone as usual, but dark horses emerged too. Strictly unrelated to her field, yet one drew her eye naturally.
The village square's bulletin board sold food, desserts, magic items.
[Combat Studies Class 1 Placement Exam]
Aris Severus halted at the board, staring at the posted scores.
"Ho ho."
This year was especially intriguing.
[Eyes bulge wide.]
[Panics hard, looks around the hero.]
First commute post-entrance ceremony. A prime big event day, yet I'd joked with the goddess en route because I figured it'd be fine. Sure, I looked good enough, but just one academy student among many. No standout skills yet—my unseen college entrance scores barely scraped the line, and the ceremony's level test? I half-assed it against goblins.
Full throttle on trash mobs to show off? Way past that point...
So, casual campus stroll for reconnaissance. But...
"Wow, the real deal is insane."
"Seriously tempted to smash my phone. What a shitty camera lens."
"Looks like that and busted skills?"
The vibe felt off. I clocked the reason after spotting level test score sheets plastered everywhere.
"...Huh?"
[Combat Studies Class 1 Placement Exam]
[1. Shin Yuseong]
Wait. Me?