Chapter 20
The Shield. That's not its official name, but both students and teachers call this annex building that anyway. Apparently, it was originally built to serve as a shelter. Not that it'd ever happen, but in the worst-case scenario of the academy coming under attack, this was meant to prepare for it. In short, it's ridiculously sturdy both inside and out, and spacious to boot.
But it was only natural that the annex saw little use on a normal day. There were already plenty of other buildings for classes. So the Shield was left mostly abandoned. And the odds of some ballsy villain charging into an academy swarming with heroes were practically nil anyway.
Then, a few years back, one teacher had an idea. Class S, full of "special management cases," was constantly breaking things and punching holes in walls. Why not turn the Shield into their classroom? It would put the neglected annex to good use and solve S Class's destructive tendencies in one fell swoop. The decision was unanimous, of course.
The Shield was designed to withstand attacks from even the strongest foes. And yet, looking at the state of the interior now...
'How the hell did they manage S Class without the Shield?'
The inside was a total wreck. Walls I couldn't even scratch were covered in countless gouges. There were scorch marks everywhere, and shattered desks littered the floor.
Epelsar and Iren were already perched on desks that were falling apart.
The female teacher headed to the podium up front, while Dina and I moved to the back, behind the students, just as instructed in the documents we'd received, and stood side by side.
The teacher tapped the podium sharply and spoke.
"I'm Cha Nari, and starting today, I'll be your homeroom teacher for S Class."
She seemed pretty nervous, taking a deep breath before continuing.
"As you know, the two friends at the back are from A Class, here as assistant supervisors, so get along with them well..."
Teacher Cha Nari went on about this and that afterward, but the only one listening seemed to be Dina. Epelsar was perched on the edge of her chair, fidgeting like she was about to bolt any second. Iren sat primly, chattering away with the spirit perched on her hand. And Kania, who'd been sitting expressionless the whole time, just kept fondling the hilt of her sword, eyes fixed on it.
Of course, I was just pretending to listen out of boredom too.
"...And that's the end of homeroom. We'll be doing ability assessments later, so everyone stay inside the Shield and wait!"
Whether she knew we'd all been slacking off or not, she bolted out the door the second she finished.
'I think she was a fresh-out-of-college newbie on her first assignment... Poor thing, stuck with S Class homeroom right from the start.'
*
With A Class students acting as supervisors for S Class, it was inevitable that the two classes would interact a lot or have joint lessons.
As we spaced out waiting for A Class to arrive, Dina spoke up.
"Hey."
"...Yes?"
I hadn't expected her to talk to me first, so I accidentally replied politely.
She seemed tense about something, fidgeting with her reddened fingertips.
"Sorry about earlier... for hitting you."
I couldn't believe my ears for a second.
'Dina apologizing?'
No way that could happen! In the entire first part of Hero Become, you could count on one hand the times Dina ever apologized. And every single one was just a ploy to seduce someone.
'It's already starting?!'
She was going for the shy, fragile high school girl vibe, blushing as she apologized!
'You think I'll fall for it when I know what you really are?!'
No way in hell. It was all an act, pure pretense! I smiled and accepted it graciously.
"No worries, it's fine."
She glanced at my face, her ear tips flushing red as she stepped back a little.
Of course, that was fake too! Probably some advanced mana control to rush blood to her ears and make them pink.
'It looks pretty damn real, but it's not fooling my eyes yet!'
If she'd pulled that in front of others, tons of people would've swooned. Proof? My heart was pounding like crazy.
'Goddamn, she's annoyingly gorgeous. My heart won't calm down.'
Deep breaths. Think cooling thoughts. Mint chocolate, pineapple on pizza, canned sardines... Damn it! Still not calming!
Then it hit me—there's a guy possessing her body.
Maybe that's why. For a split second, it felt like my pre-possession friend was the one blushing shyly at my smile.
My heart went ice-cold, colder than ever.
I silently thanked my old friend inside.
'Thanks, buddy... but that was gross as hell.'
If he ever gets back to his original body, I'll apologize properly.
Soon the door to the Shield opened, and A Class homeroom teacher Yi Yura walked in. A Class students followed in a line. Last came Scarlett, who spotted me and waved brightly.
I waved back lightly, and she grinned in satisfaction before lowering her hand.
I felt a weird gaze from the side and turned to see Dina glaring at me like she disapproved, then huffing and turning away.
'What the hell?'
I had no clue what her problem was. Surely greeting someone wasn't rude in this world or anything.
'She just hates my guts, huh?'
She was stuck with me anyway—maybe she'd try seducing me—but clearly, she didn't like me one bit.
'What does Dina even like?'
Maybe butter her up with gifts until she cools off. Even before possession, Hero Become described her as straightforward and carefree. Buy her something tasty and approach gently; she'd probably thaw a bit.
'Maybe grab a cake from that dessert shop she'll end up loving later. Hope that's enough to forgive me just for finding a good cafe.'
Cha Nari and Yi Yura chatted by the door, while A Class students headed our way.
A Class had around five students each year. This year, including me, exactly ten. True to academy tradition, the protagonist's generation was a golden one—way more than usual. Excluding a few who hadn't appeared yet, pretty much all the main cast was here.
Lost in nostalgia staring at them, Scarlett popped up out of nowhere.
"Siwoo! How was supervising?"
"Terrifying..."
I swore I still felt a murderous glare from Dina's direction, but I ignored it.
"Why? Who bullied you? Just say the word—I'll beat 'em up!"
"Well..."
I wanted to say the psycho girl next to me debating whether to kill or seduce me was scary as hell, but with Dina perking up her ears right there, I rubbed my forehead and said,
"I was scared I'd get lost on the unfamiliar route."
"What? You got spooked over that?"
Scarlett laughed brightly beside me—"Siwoo's such a scaredy-cat!"—and I gave an awkward smile, desperately hoping this moment would pass.
Because that gaze next to me was heating up...
"Haha..."
As if reading my mind, the teachers wrapping up their talk approached and announced the start of the ability assessment.
*
Physical assessment, in simple terms, was a comprehensive test of individual combat power, ability application, and crisis response. It had two stages. First up: crisis response, which we were about to do. Like the entrance ceremony test, it used an artifact to generate illusions of attacks and enemies—you had to block or dodge using everything at your disposal.
Second was straightforward sparring. Fight an opponent assigned by the teachers.
They wore defensive artifacts, so no worries about dying, which was nice. But...
'Wearing one doesn't mean it doesn't hurt at all...'
In Hero Become, Epelsar sparred with Dina and kept charging till the end. The shock transmitted through the barrier fractured her arm.
Sparring was joint between A and S Class. Ten from A, three from S...
'One person's sitting it out?'
With uneven numbers, someone might skip for lack of a partner. Opponents were decided based on first-stage performance, from what I recalled...
'Problem is, I don't know the exact criteria.'
Not sparring per se, but combat power seemed the likely divider. Still uncertain, so best to give it my all. Plenty of kids bonded through sparring in Hero Become, and I half-hoped it'd play out the same...
'But with Scarlett—who wasn't originally A Class—and me butting in, it'll all go to hell anyway.'
Eh, part of meddling with the plot. Gotta deal.
Bwooo—!
"I'm first!"
The buzzer signaling the test's start blared, and Scarlett slapped my back before jumping up from her seat. Tying up her loose red hair, she strode forward, her beauty striking me anew. She just got overshadowed by overwhelming stunners like Dina and Stia...
Standing in the center of the Shield, Scarlett summoned her zweihänder, hefted it, and nodded. Yi Yura activated the hallucination artifact at the signal, and a countdown floated in the air.
Scarlett reset her stance. The number started at 10, dropping to 3 amid flashing effects, signaling imminent start.
When it hit 1, her previously bright eyes turned deadly serious. Illusory weapons materialized in the air, hurtling toward her. Her red hair whipped wildly.