Hidden Power (4)
Han Min-ha blinked her large eyes, clearly not understanding what I meant. "Crush her... what do you mean...?"
"I mean we should crush her. That Song Do-yun student."
"Uh... but we don't even have proof she did it yet..."
"Of course, there's no evidence that Song Do-yun did it. But there's also no evidence that she didn't."
I smiled and spoke gently. "Min-ha, the fact that a bird broke through the window exactly twice—once in your room and once in the empty room you moved into—seems a little too coincidental, don't you think?"
"That may be true, but how could Do-yun possibly throw a bird through the window without getting caught on CCTV?"
"She might not have thrown it."
At my words, Han Min-ha tilted her head slightly, genuinely confused. Wrapped in her blanket with those big, dark eyes, she looked just like a cowed kitten.
"Heroes possess countless abilities and traits. Some include telekinesis to move objects or the power to control animals. While we haven't reached the stage of developing personal traits yet, if Song Do-yun possesses such an ability, it's entirely possible."
"Is that so...?"
"As an upper-class student, Song Do-yun would have more than enough capability to orchestrate something like this overnight, even without that specific trait. Well, if she didn't, then there's nothing we can do, but right now it seems like the only explanation that fits."
"Hmm... but still, without solid proof..."
Han Min-ha gave a rather frustrated response, but instead of pressing her, I chuckled softly.
"Does there really need to be solid proof?"
"Otherwise, aren't we just pinning the blame on her?"
"No. It's not about pinning blame. Regardless of whether this incident was her doing, you already have a score to settle with Song Do-yun, don't you, Min-ha?"
I was referring to the vulgar insults she had hurled at Han Min-ha. Anyone with a proper sense of decency wouldn't casually call someone a "whore."
"You can't just let something like that slide, Min-ha. Even if it doesn't bother you emotionally, you should deliberately get angry. If you don't clearly show where the line is, people will keep crossing it. And right now, you're in a state where the shock has made normal studying impossible, aren't you? In times like this, revenge is necessary."
"Revenge..."
"Whether Song Do-yun actually sent the bird or not doesn't matter. The justification for revenge was already established before this incident. Of course, it would be even better if she really was the one who sent it. If it turns out to be someone else, we'll think about it then. But the probability that it's Song Do-yun—or someone acting on her orders—is the highest."
Perhaps because my words sounded somewhat extreme and radical, Han Min-ha didn't respond immediately.
"You don't have to answer right away. But think carefully about what I've said. There's no guarantee these kinds of incidents won't continue."
"I understand..."
I stood up from the chair and looked down at Han Min-ha, who had her head lowered.
"Later, when time has passed, you'll definitely regret it. You'll feel ashamed of your past self for staying silent after being humiliated like that."
"Yes..."
"Then I'll see you later."
As I left the duty room, Assistant Bae approached me.
"Professor! Did you talk to Min-ha?"
"I did. She seemed quite shocked."
"I suppose she would be... something like that happened twice... But what could it be?"
"Who knows. I really don't know. Min-ha isn't the type to hold grudges against anyone. As hard as it is to believe, we might have to chalk it up to coincidence."
For now, I decided to keep the conflict with Song Do-yun between just the two of us. Spreading rumors wouldn't do any good, and when dealing with an enemy, it's best to share information with as few people as possible. Just Han Min-ha and me.
Yoo Hee-won... I wasn't sure. From what I'd observed so far, Song Do-yun was one of Yoo Hee-won's followers and acted as her right-hand woman. Even though Yoo Hee-won outwardly grumbled while looking after Han Min-ha, I still didn't know whose side she would ultimately take between Song Do-yun and Han Min-ha. If I carelessly brought Yoo Hee-won into this, unexpected side effects could occur.
Well, this might actually be for the best. The current Han Min-ha isn't a match for Song Do-yun, who is in the upper class. Han Min-ha needs to learn how to properly control her aura, and she could use her desire for revenge against Song Do-yun as motivation.
The revenge I spoke of was physical revenge. Mind games, behind-the-scenes maneuvering, or political scheming—someone like Han Min-ha could never pull those off. This is a hero academy. Every curriculum is designed to push students' combat abilities to their limits so they can graduate with the highest possible rank. For heroes who risk their lives fighting villains, other trivial matters aren't considerations. A hero whose combat power doesn't measure up will eventually die, no matter how flashy their performance is. The same applies to the academy that produces such heroes.
If Han Min-ha had excellent grades—in other words, strong combat ability—Song Do-yun wouldn't have dared to say such things. Though I'm completely against that line of thinking.
How many heroes have we trained and sent out, only for them to turn into villains...?
Anyway... separate from that, Han Min-ha's revenge must be physical—crushing her opponent with combat power. That's only natural. I'll use this incident as an opportunity to completely remake Han Min-ha before summer break. That's why I encouraged her to seek revenge.
And... to become a hero, one must also know how to trample others. Without that kind of resolve, one can never reach S-class.
By the way... a romantic rivalry between girls... and not even mutual, but one person misunderstanding two others... this is quite a rare case...
Just as I left the dormitory and was heading toward the research building, I heard someone calling me from behind.
"Professor!"
When I turned around, Han Min-ha was running toward me.
"Min-ha."
"Professor...! I'm sorry, but about what you said earlier..."
Standing in front of me, Han Min-ha spoke in a somewhat agitated voice.
"I've been thinking about it... do you really think I can do it...?"
"Of course. If I thought you couldn't, I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place."
"Then..."
When Han Min-ha hesitated without finishing her sentence, I completed it for her.
"I'll help you. So you can repay the humiliation you suffered. And along with that, I'll teach you how to properly control your aura."
"Thank you..."
Smiling at Han Min-ha as she bowed her head, I said,
"Let's see who ends up having a harder time at the academy."
From that day on, I immediately began Han Min-ha's special training.
There were two reasons why I was training her so quickly. First, the end-of-semester evaluation was approaching. She needed to get good grades to move up to the upper class next semester. Unlike regular high schools, the academy re-ranks students every semester and moves them between classes. There were only two opportunities a year. If she missed this bus, Han Min-ha would have to spend another semester in the lower class, and the gap with the upper class would only widen further. She absolutely had to achieve excellent results in this semester's evaluation, and for that, she needed to be able to finely control her aura.
The second reason was the one-week summer break that followed the end-of-semester evaluation. They say a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years, but Han Min-ha isn't a gentleman. Revenge has its timing, and if you miss that timing, its meaning fades. Especially given Han Min-ha and Song Do-yun's current relationship, seeking revenge after summer break wouldn't be appropriate. The justification would weaken, and even her emotions might dull. So right now, when the wound is still fresh—when they've just brushed shoulders—we need to turn around and strike the back of the head.
For those reasons, I immediately took Han Min-ha and Yoo Hee-won to the Long-range Combat and Shooting Range.
This was literally a place for training to kill distant enemies using aura. For example, techniques like the "Murderous Light Beam" that was Seo Ji-ah's specialty—Han Min-ha's mother.
True to its name as a long-range combat and interception training ground, the shooting range was enormous in scale. It was incomparable in size to the Great Monster training ground we'd visited last time. Various types of targets were installed at different distances and heights, and it was a fully automated shooting range where targets could be moved in arbitrary directions.
Long-range shooting requires a high degree of concentration. Therefore, for Han Min-ha, who needed to learn how to control her aura, there was no better training than shooting practice.
"P-Professor. It feels like this study group is revolving too much around her."
Yoo Hee-won grumbled with her arms crossed, looking displeased.
"Min-ha needs a lot of help, so it's only natural to assist her. Honestly, even if Hee-won doesn't do separate practice, weren't you already guaranteed to take first place in the end-of-semester evaluation?"
"Hah."
Though she snorted, Yoo Hee-won didn't say anything more, apparently agreeing with that assessment.
"Alright, Min-ha. Today, you'll practice shooting aura at distant targets. Shooting requires a high degree of concentration. Along with that, delicate aura manipulation is essential. You need to use just enough aura to neutralize a target at the desired distance. Otherwise, not only will you fail to hit the target at the intended distance, but even if you do hit it, excessive aura use could cause civilian casualties."
"Understood."
"Then first, Hee-won, show us a demonstration."
Caught off guard by the sudden nomination, Yoo Hee-won looked at me.
"Me?"
"Not 'me,' but 'I.' You can handle shooting, can't you? Show us once."
"Hmph. Fine."
Yoo Hee-won walked out to the firing line. Then, standing at an angle, she extended her arm forward with her thumb and index finger shaped like a gun.
"Bang, bang."
As if there was recoil, Yoo Hee-won flicked her wrist, and golden aura shot out from her fingertips like bullets, multiple rounds at once.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
The alarm sounds indicating hits burst out from the speakers in rapid succession.
An incredible talent that wouldn't be out of place even if she debuted as an active hero right now... Even I, as her professor, was amazed by Yoo Hee-won's ability.
"You saw that, Min-ha? Now step up to the firing line. Let's try it together."
I positioned Han Min-ha at the firing line and stood behind her, pointing at one of the targets.
"Let's try that target. It's nothing special. Just gather aura at your fingertips and shoot it out. The form doesn't matter. It could be bullets or beams."
Han Min-ha carefully assumed the same posture Yoo Hee-won had used. Hmm... her stance was a bit funny, but... well, whatever.
"While feeling your aura... imagine gathering the aura around your hand toward your fingertips. Not the aura from your entire body, just the aura around your hand. Can you feel it?"
"Ah... yes."
"Good. That's already half the battle. Now that you've gathered the aura like a small bean, try shooting it. It's okay if you don't hit. The method of manipulating part of your aura... ack!"
The wave of aura that exploded from Han Min-ha's body sent me flying backward with considerable force. If Yoo Hee-won hadn't caught me in time, I probably would have made a disgraceful fall in front of the students.
"Hey, you stupid breast-obsessed idiot! What are you doing?!"
"Oh my god! Professor! I'm so sorry!!"
Han Min-ha stomped her feet in panic.
"It's fine... we can practice..."
Would we even make any progress today...?
That said, the power of her aura was truly tremendous. It felt like I'd been hit head-on by a dump truck. The impact was enough that if I'd been an ordinary person, I probably would have broken a bone or two somewhere.
Just like the daughter of Han Tae-woo and Seo Ji-ah.
I dusted off my clothes and stood up, approaching Han Min-ha again.
"Let's try again. This time, really be careful... That's right... kuh!"
"Hey!! Han Min-ha!!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!"
"Haha... it's fine... really..."
Beep!
Finally, a welcome sound came from the speakers in the shooting range. The irregularly shaped aura Han Min-ha had shot flew a long distance, grazed the designated target, and hit the one behind it.
"Professor...! I did it! I did it...!"
"What do you mean you did it?! It went off course and hit the wrong place. Geez... seriously..."
Han Min-ha was jumping up and down with joy while Yoo Hee-won looked on with contempt.
"Excellent. Even though you didn't hit the target properly, you've grasped the basics, so now let's move on to a slightly more advanced stage."
I opened the box I'd brought and took out the items I'd prepared inside. This was training given to new recruits when they first joined Secreto—extremely crude and barbaric, but the effect was certain.
When I took out the items from the box one by one, Yoo Hee-won snorted.
"Professor. Are you planning to do some street performance?"
"These are all items necessary for training."