The Power-Hiding Fatty (1)
The department head trembled as he spoke, his voice shaking with barely contained fury.
"Are you... really out of your mind...?"
A supplementary weekend lecture that hadn't even been reported in advance. The complete destruction of the academy's first batch of training monsters. A reckless operation that had put the students' lives at risk. Of course, the monster I had chosen was the weakest one, so there was never any real danger, but still. In any case, these were clearly matters that would make it strange if the department head didn't lose his temper.
"Explain yourself... Just what the hell were you thinking when you pulled that insane stunt...?"
"I wanted to create an opportunity for Han Min-ha to awaken her aura. And I succeeded."
"Han who?"
"One of my assigned students. She's a hero descendant who received extra admission points. She possesses an incredibly pure aura, but for some reason she couldn't use it at all..."
"I don't care about that Han-whatever! The problem is that you dragged Yoo Hee-won into it!"
Finally, the department head hurled the pen he had been clutching. I created a thin, slanted defensive barrier that he wouldn't notice and gently deflected it to the side.
"If Yoo Hee-won had gotten hurt, who the hell would take responsibility!? Not only would a lowly professor like you be finished, but my own head would fly off too! You bastard, you've done this before..."
Blah blah blah... I let the department head's torrent of curses and insults go in one ear and out the other while my mind wandered elsewhere.
It had been a childish, obvious, and downright crude method. The kind of outdated approach you'd only see in old shonen manga. But in the end, it had worked.
Just as Alexander the Great had sliced through the Gordian Knot with his sword, sometimes the most complicated, difficult problems could only be solved by the simplest and most direct method.
The Han Min-ha who faced the Unconscious Villain and the Han Min-ha who had accepted her parents' deaths were completely different people. My prediction had been exactly right.
Han Min-ha hadn't merely neutralized the Death Hunger—she had completely shattered it into pieces.
But rather than feeling any petty pride about that, I was already thinking about how to dramatically raise Han Min-ha's grades going forward.
I would probably need Yoo Hee-won's help again this time. At first I had misunderstood her for various complicated reasons, but... from what I'd seen of her so far, Yoo Hee-won would help Han Min-ha.
She really was... a complicated girl. It was hard to pin her down with any single label.
Just then, the phone on the department head's desk rang. The man who had been foaming at the mouth with rage glanced at the caller ID and hurriedly picked up the receiver.
"Ah, yes. Dean. Yes, yes."
The department head stood at attention as he answered the call, then shot me a quick glance.
"Professor Kyo Suhyeon... Yes. He's right here in front of me..."
The department head's face twisted strangely as he looked at me.
"Yoo Hee-won herself... came to the dean's office...? Yes...? Ah, no, it's nothing. Yes, yes... Yes... Understood..."
He slowly placed the receiver down and collapsed back into his chair with a heavy thud.
"Get out."
He waved his hand as if he couldn't even bear to speak to me anymore. I bowed my head without hesitation.
"Thank you. I'll be more careful in the future."
After leaving the department head's office, I took out my phone. I entered the group chat named Golden Viper and the Grey Mold Gang and typed a message.
A reply from Yoo Hee-won came back almost immediately.
I let out a small chuckle, slipped my phone back into my pocket, and left the research building.
As I walked toward the lecture hall, a strange rumbling sound that shook the ground echoed from somewhere. I looked around to see what was happening and noticed thick clouds of dust rising from the flight training field in the distance.
It's about time for that to start happening.
Up until now, the curriculum had only involved getting a small taste of aura while focusing on theory. But starting next semester, things would be different. Since they had to produce heroes who would be deployed in real combat within three years, the second half of the freshman year would involve using 'real' aura.
After summer break, all sorts of explosions would echo across campus, and the academy clinic would be packed with injured students lined up in rows.
That was why I had pushed Han Min-ha in front of the Death Hunger even though I knew I'd get cursed out for it. If she didn't awaken her aura at this point, she would be left behind forever.
She would be weeded out and transferred to another department. Something like combat support, where they'd handle the behind-the-scenes work for heroes. She might be able to make a living that way, but the difference between becoming a hero and becoming a mere employee at a hero's private office or the Management Bureau was like heaven and earth.
And to keep the oath I had made to Han Tae-woo and his wife, Han Min-ha had to stand before the Death Hunger.
In the end, she had awakened her aura. I could have been disciplined, but Yoo Hee-won had stepped in to stop it. Since everything had worked out well, all that remained was to steadily mentor Han Min-ha.
With a much lighter heart, I walked toward the lecture building.
* * * * *
Han Min-ha groaned as she slowly pushed herself up from the ground where she had been slammed face-first. This was the flight training field. She had just succeeded in maintaining flight above the minimum altitude for the first time and had been slowly moving forward under Professor Jin's guidance.
Having risen above the minimum altitude for the first time since entering the academy, the excited Han Min-ha had failed to control her aura properly and had shot toward the ground at tremendous speed.
"Ouch..."
"Are you okay, Min-ha?!"
Professor Jin flew over urgently and checked on her condition.
"Thankfully, nothing seems broken. How's your breathing?"
"P-Professor... I can't... I can't see anything...! I think I've gone blind!"
Han Min-ha flailed her arms around in a terrified voice.
"It's because your glasses broke."
"Ah..."
Professor Jin picked up Han Min-ha's glasses from the ground and handed them to her.
"They don't seem to be completely shattered. Since you had aura wrapped around you, you didn't get badly hurt. Can you stand?"
"Yes. I'm fine. It just hurts a little."
With Professor Jin's help, Han Min-ha stood up and fiddled with her now-shattered glasses, a look of utter despair on her face.
"But what on earth happened to you? How did your aura suddenly..."
Professor Jin tilted her head in confusion as she looked at the purple aura still swirling around Han Min-ha's body. Since she hadn't received any separate notice from Professor Kyo Suhyeon, she couldn't understand how the girl—who had only barely managed to lift off the ground last week—had suddenly achieved such rapid flight.
"For now... you can't fly without your glasses, so take a break, Min-ha. After class, go to the academy clinic and get a new pair. It's free for academy students. Though the design might not be to your taste."
"Yes, thank you."
Han Min-ha bowed her head politely, then stretched her arms forward and began groping her way along.
At Professor Jin's instruction, one of the teaching assistants landed and helped support her.
Anyway, it was good that she could use aura now... The problem was that she had only just learned how to use it and couldn't properly control its intensity yet. Han Min-ha's aura was exceptionally strong, which made it that much harder to regulate.
If one had to make an analogy, it was like the difference between driving a compact car and driving a massive dump truck. It was difficult to handle, and if an accident happened, it would be a catastrophic one.
This time, various strokes of luck had kept it to just her glasses breaking, but there was no guarantee that similar situations in the future would end with such minor injuries.
I should talk to Professor Kyo about this today. I was already planning to repay him for buying me that egg bread on Friday, so this works out perfectly. Hehe...
* * * * *
"Huh? What's that?"
Yoo Hee-won, who had been leading her group of followers, spotted Han Min-ha walking toward them from the other direction. Han Min-ha was being supported by a lower-class classmate and had both hands stretched straight out in front of her like a blind person.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Eh...? Hee-won?"
Han Min-ha turned her head toward Yoo Hee-won's voice and smiled.
"What happened? Did you go blind?"
"I crashed into the ground during flight class and my glasses got destroyed."
Yoo Hee-won clicked her tongue at the sight of the broken glasses in Han Min-ha's hand.
"Still can't get your act together, huh?"
"I still can't control it properly yet."
Yoo Hee-won looked at the giggling Han Min-ha with a pitying expression and asked,
"So where are you headed?"
"The clinic. They said I can get new glasses there."
"Really? Hmm..."
After thinking for a moment, Yoo Hee-won spoke to the lower-class student supporting Han Min-ha.
"You can go. I'll take her from here."
"Eh...? But we have the next class..."
"I know your class schedule too, you know?"
She had made a copy of the lower-class schedule specifically to call Han Min-ha out during her free periods and bully her—or rather, to help her. The classmate, completely unaware of this, wondered why someone as important as Yoo Hee-won would even know the lower-class schedule.
"Anyway, you can go now."
"Uh... okay. See you later, Min-ha."
"See you. Thanks."
Han Min-ha waved her hand.
"You guys go on ahead too."
When Yoo Hee-won spoke to her followers, Song Do-yun stepped forward and interjected.
"We'll come with you."
"Why? What for? What business do you have at the clinic?"
"We'll be visiting the clinic a lot starting next semester anyway, so isn't it good to check it out in advance?"
At Song Do-yun's answer, Yoo Hee-won gave a sly smile. She knew exactly why Song Do-yun was making up such a ridiculous excuse to follow her. She was jealous. Because she saw Yoo Hee-won as more than just a friend.
"Fine. Do as you like."
But Yoo Hee-won pretended not to notice Song Do-yun's intentions. Having her around was convenient in many ways, so it was better to keep her close while training her appropriately.
Yoo Hee-won turned to Han Min-ha and held out her arm.
"Hey, you big-titted cow. Grab my arm."
"No. I'll help her."
Song Do-yun moved to Han Min-ha's side before Yoo Hee-won could and linked arms with her.
"We're 'friends,' after all."
"Really? Suit yourself."
Yoo Hee-won turned and started walking, with the rest of her followers trailing behind her.
"Let's go, Min-ha."
Song Do-yun pulled Han Min-ha along with a cold expression completely devoid of any trace of a smile.
"Thanks, Do-yun."
Since she couldn't see properly, Han Min-ha had no idea what kind of expression Song Do-yun was making.