Golden Viper and the Gray Molds (1)
I lay sprawled on the sofa for a moment, resting before heading back to the faculty dorm after the day's work ended. Even though the coughing had stopped, my frail body remained unchanged. As the sun began to set, my energy would drain and my limbs grew heavy. That's why I usually rested for ten minutes, sometimes as long as thirty, before leaving. After all, no one waited for me at the dorm, and I had no real hobbies. Whether I went early or late made little difference to me.
Lately, however, one minor annoyance had begun to plague me. Nightmares. Or rather, strange dreams. Still, waking up from them left me in such an odd mood that they might as well have been nightmares. The dream went like this: I floated high in the sky, drifting into clouds of bizarre colors. Then the scene would suddenly shift, and I'd be looking up from the ground as a glowing meteor streaked down from the heavens. A few other flashes would pass by quickly, but like most dreams, I'd forget them the moment I opened my eyes in the morning. The only fragments that lingered were the clouds and the meteor. I couldn't make any sense of it.
There was no one I could ask about it, so I could only guess that some complication had occurred during the possession process. But if these nightmares kept up, it would become a real problem. On the worst nights, I'd toss and turn until dawn, and the next day I'd feel like I was dying. On those days, I'd chug nutritional supplements and energy tonics just to survive, then stagger back to the dorm like a zombie, barely making it through what I jokingly called my "miraculous return."
I was breathing slowly while lying down when my phone suddenly chimed with an alarm.
Han Min-ha was texting me? She shouldn't have had my number. Bae Ye-bin must have given it to her after I was assigned as her advisor.
Just as I thought. Assistant Bae had made sure her students wouldn't start off on the wrong foot. Their grades were poor and the academy barely paid them any attention, so the only ones they could rely on were their advisors. That meant getting on their advisor's good side early with polite greetings and a strong first impression.
Even Han Min-ha was paying attention to Yoo Hee-won. For completely different reasons than Yoo Hee-won herself, of course. Yoo Hee-won was probably wounded in her pride at being grouped with the dead-last student, while Han Min-ha was likely thinking something like how dare someone like me. But what could she do? If I wanted to drag Han Min-ha into proper training by the collar, I had no choice but to take Yoo Hee-won as well.
After the brief exchange with Han Min-ha, I saved her number. The messenger automatically added her as a friend and pulled up her profile. There was nothing written on it. Her display name was simply “Han Min-ha,” and her profile picture was the default image. Most girls her age would at least upload a selfie. Well, given her personality, I suppose it couldn’t be helped.
I set the phone down, lay there a few more minutes, then stood up from the sofa to head home.
After returning to the dorm, I showered and sat on the sofa. I needed to eat dinner, but that meant walking all the way to the campus cafeteria. It wasn’t far, yet after showering and sinking into the sofa, the thought of going out again felt impossible. They say kindness and diligence come from stamina. With no energy, I didn’t want to do anything. Maybe I should have stopped by on my way back earlier. No. At that moment, I definitely would have thought it better to come straight here, shower quickly, and lie down. Either way, I’d just throw something together for dinner tonight.
I took a half-prepared frozen meal kit from the freezer, popped it in the microwave, and paced by the window while it heated. I lived in the male faculty dormitory. Across a small central garden stood the female faculty dormitory at a slight angle. As I looked down, I saw Professor Jin Se-yeong walking over. She had tied her training jacket around her waist and was reaching behind her neck with one hand. Soon she found the zipper at the back of her neck and peeled off the top half of her full-body suit in one smooth motion.
Her toned upper body, clad only in a sports bra, was revealed. Under the red glow of the setting sun, her sweat-glistened muscles stood out beautifully. She fanned herself with her hand a few times before disappearing into her building.
…She really looked healthy. A complete contrast to a gray mold like me.
Leaning against the window, I ate the frozen meal kit while watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon. Nothing much had happened since the quest to turn Han Min-ha into an S-class hero. They hadn’t even told me what the reward was, and there was no status window I could check when needed. Would I really be sent back to my original world once I completed the quest? With Han Min-ha’s appearance completely derailing the original story, I couldn’t be sure of anything anymore.
Just where and how had Han Min-ha popped up? I had definitely read that trashy, ruined academy novel all the way to its ending, and Han Min-ha had never once appeared in it. Maybe… this was an absurd guess, but… perhaps the world I’d possessed was a remake of the original work. If that were the case, it was ridiculous enough that they’d possessed a loyal reader who’d followed the terrible novel to the end, but if it was a remake on top of that, there was a serious problem. All my knowledge of the original story would be completely useless.
“Fuck.”
A curse I hadn’t uttered even once since possessing this body slipped out unconsciously. I checked whether my Mental Barrier was still firmly in place and calmed my mind. No matter the situation, I was already here. I just had to focus on that quest. Whether it was the first and last quest, or a trigger that would cause more, I had no way of knowing. But it was the path I’d barely managed to find in a forest where I couldn’t see even an inch ahead. All I could do was keep walking.
The next day, Han Min-ha arrived at the lab earlier than the appointed time.
“You’re early. Yoo Hee-won hasn’t arrived yet. Come in.”
“Ah, y-yes…!”
Han Min-ha’s expression as she sat down looked extremely nervous. Even while I was brewing coffee, she kept glancing toward the door, fidgeting restlessly. Just as I finished preparing three cups, there was a knock on the lab door.
“It’s Yoo Hee-won.”
“Huk…?!”
Han Min-ha gasped and shot up from her chair.
“Come in. It’s open.”
Yoo Hee-won opened the door and strode confidently into the lab, only to make eye contact with Han Min-ha.
“You were here first?”
“Ah… hello…?”
Han Min-ha seemed incredibly tense at Yoo Hee-won’s appearance. That was only natural. It would have been strange if she’d acted relaxed. Yoo Hee-won and Han Min-ha were two people who could never mix. It was my job to balance the two of them properly.
“Have a seat. I just finished brewing coffee.”
Yoo Hee-won sat down, looked around the lab, and gave a short assessment.
“It’s modest.”
“There’s no need for an ordinary professor’s office to be extravagant.”
“What’s that? A palm tree?”
Yoo Hee-won pointed at the areca palm pot by the window.
“That’s right. It’s an areca palm. It purifies the air.”
“There’s an air purifier too. Now that I think about it, your health isn’t great, is it, Professor? You couldn’t even finish your introduction speech at the entrance ceremony because you were coughing so much.”
“Correct. My lungs are weak. But don’t worry. I’m fine now. Please, drink your coffee.”
Han Min-ha bowed her head politely, then slurped her coffee.
“Ah, it’s hot…”
Watching her, Yoo Hee-won gave a snake-like smile, inhaled the aroma, and asked,
“Colombian Santa Maria?”
“Yes.”
We sipped our coffee in silence for a moment. Han Min-ha had completely shrunk into herself, and Yoo Hee-won’s confidence grew in direct proportion. From appearance alone, the gloomy black-haired, bespectacled Han Min-ha and the radiant blonde with piercing blue eyes were polar opposites. Yoo Hee-won was glamorous enough to pass for an active hero, but Han Min-ha… well. That was something we could fix from now on. Starting with those glasses. There wasn’t a single hero who wore glasses. Even if their eyesight was poor, they wore powered goggles instead. External image was extremely important for heroes. Heroes weren’t guardians of justice and common sense. They were stars who lived off public popularity and the Management Bureau’s attention. Naturally, the pretty and handsome heroes rose faster. If they also used flashy instant-kill techniques to finish off villains, it was the perfect combination.
A drab, gray mop like me could use the ultimate defensive techniques and still struggle to succeed because I lacked star quality. There was no way that path would ever lead to S-class.
“Thank you both for choosing me as your advisor.”
When I spoke, Han Min-ha and Yoo Hee-won looked at me with their respective gazes.
“To be honest, I’ve never taken on advisory students before, so it’s a bit burdensome. Still, I’ll do my best. I look forward to working with you.”
“Please take care of us.”
“Me too.”
“By the way, you two already know each other, right? Even though you’re in different classes.”
Han Min-ha nodded repeatedly while Yoo Hee-won opened her mouth with that trademark smile of hers.
“How could I not know Min-ha?”
There was a lot packed into those words. Han Min-ha’s face flushed red and she lowered her head. I smiled and asked,
“For example, something trivial like fainting during the basic evaluation?”
“Well, something like that?”
“Good. But you mustn’t treat her like a noble lady ordering around her maid because of that. Understood?”
“When did I ever do that?”
“I’m not saying you did. I’m telling you not to do it in the future. Don’t be so sensitive.”
I gave a faint smile. Just like most women who saw my smile, Yoo Hee-won couldn’t argue further and closed her mouth.
“From now on, you are fellow students receiving guidance under me. It will benefit all three of us if you get along. I don’t want pointless conflict to ruin everything.”
Han Min-ha kept nodding while Yoo Hee-won frowned slightly and turned her gaze elsewhere. I smiled, took a sip of coffee, and continued.
“Normally, an advisor gives advice and assistance regarding academy life and studies in general. In addition, they also teach their major subject in depth. My major subject is Basic Defense. It may say ‘basic,’ but it essentially covers almost all defensive techniques.”
“So we’ll be learning defensive techniques?”
Yoo Hee-won cut in.
“That’s right. Of course, assuming you both want to. I wouldn’t force it on you if you don’t. But one thing is certain. If you study defensive science, your survival rate will increase dramatically. It’s also very useful in real life.”
The moment I finished speaking, I picked up my coffee cup and splashed its contents toward Yoo Hee-won and Han Min-ha.