Hero's Qualifications (1)

"…Yeah, you're right about that."

I mumbled awkwardly. For some reason, I felt a pang of regret. That pinned post had always been there every time I visited the gallery, so maybe I'd grown attached to it without realizing.

Come to think of it, I didn't remember seeing it before my regression. I'd probably discovered the Hero Minor Gallery much later back then—after the Yoram field training raid incident, no doubt. It made sense that I wouldn't have seen it. By then, the person who wrote it was already dead.

"You kids can't go fighting like that at school."

A unfamiliar presence approached, accompanied by a now-familiar notification chime.

She had a friendly face at first glance, with a balanced, toned figure visible beneath her sky-blue suit. Ice crystal earrings dangled from her ears, shaped like manifestations of her Authority. Even without the alert, I could've guessed she was a Hero Department professor.

The woman who approached smiled at Han Sua and me in turn.

"Especially when heroes deal with civilians, you have to be extra careful—twice as careful. We covered this yesterday, right? The mindset of a hero. After all…"

"It's not like that, so don't worry about it."

Han Sua cut her off curtly. That attitude of hers… Even if it was a villain, talking to a professor like that?

"It's fine. We weren't really fighting."

I stepped in front of Han Sua to smooth things over.

"Sua and I are friends. We were just talking, and our voices got a bit loud. I think you misunderstood."

"Oh my… Sua and…?"

The female professor's eyes widened in surprise as she looked back and forth between us. When Han Sua grudgingly nodded, her shock deepened.

"…I had no idea."

She smiled softly, as if relieved.

"Goodness, I totally misunderstood."

"It's okay. That kind of thing happens. Sorry for making you worry."

"Hehe, what a polite student. Sorry for interrupting your good time."

"…Pardon?"

"No need to hide it. Yoram doesn't have a strict no-dating policy, you know. Have fun~?"

The professor waved cheerily as she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠walked away, having spun some lengthy explanation. A strange bitterness lingered on my tongue.

…Did she really buy it? At least Han Sua wouldn't end up in front of the disciplinary committee.

"Why?"

"…Nothing."

Under the silent pressure, I averted my gaze. Han Sua was glaring at me with exasperation.

"Be honest."

"Ugh… I was just impressed by your acting skills again. You pull ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off that sweet face for professors while plotting all those vicious schemes behind their backs…"

"What nonsense? You have to be polite to adults. You should try it sometime—instead of snapping at professors…"

Han Sua gaped at me in disbelief. Our conversation was running parallel, so I changed the subject.

"That professor—popular, right? She seems like the type."

"…Yeah. She's nice, and her classes are easy to follow."

Han Sua nodded.

"She'd probably take first place in a popularity poll, no sweat."

"Anything else?"

"Else? What do you mean?"

Han Sua looked genuinely puzzled. I stared at her for a moment, then shook my head casually.

"…Nothing."

"…Whoa, how many zeros is that?"

After school, I gawked at my bank account. The absurd amount staring back at me was beyond belief. Including my past life, I'd never seen this much money in my hands. Knowing the future was truly terrifying power. Just riding a few market swings had yielded this.

The money I'd borrowed from Yuha was now as gone as a drop in a pond. Better pay it back soon—don't want her worrying.

Or maybe return it tenfold…

I shook my head at the thought. Too ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠much. She'd just worry about where it came from. If worst came to worst, I could buy her a gift or something. I wasn't greedy for money, but I'd save steadily anyway. Launder it through a few turns. This gig cost a pretty penny—suit repairs, safehouses, that sort of thing. Survival aside.

"That's enough for today."

My mind drifted elsewhere. The professor I'd run into with Han Sua kept nagging at me, disrupting my focus. Icy, B-rank 98th. Decent fame and skill for a hero, but no memory of her in my past life.

"…Why did the character alert pop up for her?"

I pieced together my experiences and guesses. Not everyone I met triggered one. The small-time villains at the bank had gotten alerts, so strength wasn't the criterion.

Key alerts had appeared for the Doctor, Yuha, and Han Sua—future archvillain, my inner circle, worst year of my life.

Regular alerts showed up for people tied to unfolding events, even if less central.

"…Her affiliation was question marks, right?"

Why? She was already a Yoram full professor. Another affiliation? A spy somewhere?

Not Hwaryeon— Icy was a ranked hero, and Han Sua clearly knew her as faculty. She'd recognize a Hwaryeon plant.

"…Aha."

The answer hit me. Someone Han Sua—the Hwaryeon spy—didn't know about, yet a ranked hero and Yoram professor with a separate affiliation. Only one possibility.

Hero Management Bureau plant. Or rather, someone from the Bureau had placed her there.

"Put that on hold for now."

I'd gut that corrupt mess eventually, but priorities mattered. No immediate Bureau incidents anyway. Just identifying her was a solid win.

I wrapped up my thoughts and checked my memo schedule. The highlighted text flashed urgently.

Less than ten days left. Han Sua's face resurfaced. She wasn't just a bratty girl—up close, she had a solid side. Knowing she was in my pocket, yet she'd snapped at me over the bank raid news.

Diligent, brave enough. Yet in my past life, she'd tried stabbing heroes in the back, gotten exposed, and died.

Something felt off…

"Whatever."

I shook it off. No need to pry into her sob story. I'd told her to do as she pleased—the events would play out. As long as she didn't die. She was essential for toppling Hwaryeon anyway.

Body was holding up for now. Felt like after the field training raid, heading straight to the saintess would time perfectly. Blocking her death meant moving immediately after anyway.

But where was she hiding? Nowhere on campus, not active publicly like Psyche or Flame Mist, no info on Hero Minor Gallery.

…Somewhere in Yoram, though. Famous enough; finding her wouldn't be hard.

Decision made, I called Han Sua.

Ring, ring… click.

"Quick pickup."

Her voice trembled anxiously. Calling out of the blue at night would do that.

"Han Sua. Field training team sign-ups start tomorrow, right?"

Her voice shook more. I chuckled.

"Let's team up."

"Alright, everyone knows today starts field training team assignments, right?"

Professor Icy's cheerful voice echoed from the podium. Always popular, but today's cheers felt extra loud. "Field training" carried that much weight.

Hero Department field training was no ordinary internship. A chance to head to a Hero Management Bureau ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠branch and shadow active heroes up close. Turning it down was like admitting you lacked hero potential.

Teams were two-person: one Hero Department, one General Department. General students were Yoramites too, providing logistical support so heroes could focus on missions. They'd train together, sync up, and deepen job understanding—that was the point.

"If you have someone you want to team with, submit the form early. Miss the deadline, and Yoram assigns randomly."

Baek Yuha listened with sparkling eyes, heart pounding at the thought of what lay ahead. Her dream moment was finally here—thrilling.

"I… want to see Woojin."

Baek Yuha murmured dreamily.