Basic Evaluation (5)
Yoo Hee-won glared with her piercing blue eyes that perfectly complemented her golden hair, looking for all the world like she was appraising a pedigreed purebred cat. The kind born with a bloodline certificate, raised on expensive kibble, and growing up into an arrogant, self-important feline. In contrast, Han Min-ha seemed more like a stray dog wandering beneath some rain-soaked wall... Wait, where did she go?
When I looked around, I found her collapsed on the floor nearby, barely managing to push herself up. Academy students basically all possessed the talent of heroes from birth. One shouldn't judge their physical capabilities by the standards of ordinary high schoolers. Even among them, Yoo Hee-won stood out as exceptional. So it was no surprise that someone like Han Min-ha couldn't withstand the full-force impact and had fallen over.
Students who had been leaving the lecture hall all turned to look at the sudden commotion. Han Min-ha, completely unaware of the gathering attention, groped around the floor with both hands in search of her fallen glasses.
"Miss Yoo Hee-won."
At my call, Yoo Hee-won shot me a prim look.
"Yes, Professor?"
"In situations like this, the normal behavior of someone with a sound mind is to pick up the glasses and return them to their owner."
Yoo Hee-won bent down and picked up the glasses.
"Here. Your glasses."
Han Min-ha, who had received them from her, bowed her head timidly.
"Th-thank you..."
"And likewise, one should apologize for causing someone to fall over."
At my words, Yoo Hee-won looked down at Han Min-ha without changing her expression in the slightest.
"Sorry. I didn't do it on purpose."
"I-it's okay... I'm fine..."
"Professor. Are we done now? Then let's go."
"I'm sorry, Miss Yoo Hee-won, but I was planning to have a counseling session with Miss Han Min-ha first. It seems today won't work."
"No, Professor. I'll do it later."
When Han Min-ha clutched her bag and stepped back, Yoo Hee-won turned to me with a victorious smile. Her expression seemed to say, See?
I met that gaze with a faint smile and said,
"Miss Han Min-ha. I was the one who suggested we talk first. I'll be waiting in my lab, so please come there. It's on the second floor of the research building."
"Ah, yes... I understand."
Han Min-ha answered in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
"Oh, and just so you know, the reason for this meeting is related to the incident during the last basic evaluation."
Since there were many eyes watching, I needed to lay this groundwork in advance. The fact that Han Min-ha had fainted during the basic evaluation was already known to everyone. There would be nothing strange about the professor in charge of the subject calling a student in for counseling about it.
"Let's set another time later, Miss Yoo Hee-won. We'll have that meeting if possible."
After saying that to her, I turned and left the lecture hall.
Back in my lab, I brewed coffee while waiting for Han Min-ha. Listening to the humming of the coffee machine, I reflected on what had just happened.
So I have to turn a girl like that into an S-class hero...
There aren't many S-class heroes. The Management Bureau operates a quota system for rank allocation. Every rank has a limited number of slots. No matter how outstanding one's abilities are, if there are no openings in the next rank, promotion is impossible. It's meant to prevent rank inflation, but it's a policy that's still highly controversial.
Separate from that policy, truly reaching S-class is extremely rare. Simply surviving countless brushes with death isn't enough to become S-class. One must become a star hero who captures the attention of both the Management Bureau and the public. There are countless heroes who died pushing themselves too hard in pursuit of S-class. And just as many who gave up on ever reaching it.
That's why S-class heroes are so few in number. Either they die, or they give up.
And yet I have to turn that Han Min-ha into one of those S-class heroes.
Just then, I heard a knock at the door.
"Come in."
The door creaked open slightly, and Han Min-ha cautiously peeked her face through the gap.
"Professor. May I come in?"
"I just told you to come in."
I smiled, walked over, and opened the door wider.
"Have a seat. Would you like some coffee?"
I gestured for her to sit at the round table and headed to the coffee machine. Han Min-ha sat perched on the very edge of the chair, clutching her bag tightly, and looked around my lab with timid eyes.
My lab was a rather plain space with nothing particularly noteworthy. A desk and computer, the round table for meetings, a long sofa where I could lie down for a quick nap, a bookshelf covering one entire wall, and an air purifier that ran twenty-four hours a day. My personal cabinet and a large potted plant in the corner were all there was.
The pot was a square gray container densely packed with areca palms. Their fresh green color went well with the white walls. According to NASA, they ranked first among plants for purifying the air inside sealed spaceships. Since my lungs weren't in great condition, I had brought them in to keep the lab's air clean at all times.
There really wasn't anything worth looking at. It would probably be far more interesting to open my desk drawer and show her the colorful collection of lung medication bottles crammed inside.
I handed her the coffee and sat down. Han Min-ha bowed her head.
"Thank you for the coffee."
I waited until she had taken a few sips before speaking.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, Professor. Last time it was just... the shock was too much, that's all."
"That can happen. The video you saw during the evaluation is the uncensored version that the media would never broadcast. It must have been incredibly brutal and disgusting. So please don't feel too much self-loathing for not being able to finish the evaluation."
"Yes... But..."
Han Min-ha hesitated before asking.
"Was I the only one who fainted?"
"You were."
"Ah..."
Looking utterly dejected, Han Min-ha hung her head.
"Miss Han Min-ha. I told you, didn't I? That it can happen. The basic evaluation isn't the end. You'll have evaluations until you graduate from the academy, and there will be plenty of chances to get good results. Of course, you'll have to endure and stay until then."
"You're right. But... I don't know if I can endure it."
"Aren't you already enduring it?"
"Huh...?"
"I looked at your basic evaluation scores. They were quite poor."
"It's because I'm lacking compared to the others..."
"Let's stop with the unconditional self-deprecation. Anyway, among students with similar rankings to yours, quite a few have already submitted withdrawal forms and left the academy. But you're still here."
"That's only because I don't have anywhere else to go even if I leave."
"Do you think the others who left had clear alternatives? Probably not."
"Maybe..."
"Miss Han Min-ha. Do you know how S-class heroes managed to reach that level?"
"Um... because they're strong?"
I smiled and shook my head.
"It's because they survived until they became S-class."
"Ah..."
It didn't seem like she'd gained some profound realization. It was more like a polite exclamation.
"You said you don't have any other plans outside the academy, right? Then endure. Endure, graduate, and become a hero. I'll help you."
"You don't need to go through unnecessary trouble for someone like me, Professor."
"Unnecessary trouble? Why would a professor properly guiding a student be unnecessary trouble? If anything, I'd like to ask you that question."
Of course, my real goal was that quest. I had to keep this girl here somehow and make sure she graduated so she could become S-class or whatever.
"One of the main reasons your basic evaluation ranking ended up like this was because you received an F in my class. And if you graduate with those kinds of grades in Basic Defense, the moment you encounter a villain, you'll become one of the protagonists from that evaluation video."
The video of senior heroes who had died trying to stop a villain's horrific atrocities. Han Min-ha's face turned deathly pale.
"Now do you understand why I want to help you?"
"I understand..."
"Good."
Feeling satisfied, I took a sip of coffee. This much should have been enough for her to understand. Then I might as well ask what I'd been wanting to ask since last time.
"When I checked... *cough*! Excuse me. When I checked, it said you entered through the hero descendant bonus points. Is that correct?"
"Ah, yes. Both of my parents were heroes."
"Were heroes? So that means they're not anymore? Did they retire?"
"Well..."
Han Min-ha's expression darkened and she fell silent for a moment.
"Both of them went missing. A few years ago."
"Missing?"
"Yes. Suddenly one day."
"What did the Management Bureau say?"
"They didn't say anything. They just gave us a family pension every month and helped me get into the academy, but they never told us what happened to my parents."
That was strange.
"What were your parents' names? I might know something."
"My father was Han Tae-woo, and my mother was Seo Ji-ah..."
Suddenly, Han Min-ha's voice became completely inaudible. The Mental Barrier that was always active began to shake violently. But the disturbance lasted only a fleeting instant, and soon my mind became as calm as ever. It had been such a brief moment that Han Min-ha didn't seem to notice anything.
I took another sip of coffee and spoke as if nothing had happened.
"I see. Just in case, I'll look into your parents' whereabouts."
"Thank you, Professor."
"So you've been living alone all this time? Without any other family?"
"Yes."
A timid black-haired girl with glasses who had lost her parents and failed her exams. A textbook character archetype.
"Anyway, don't be discouraged. I'll help you, so you just endure and graduate. There are plenty of opportunities to climb up. Let's do that together."
"Thank you, Professor."
That was all I had to say for now. We could move on to casual chatter, but since I wasn't even her advisor, it might feel burdensome to do so during our first meeting.
"That's all. Do you have anything else to say to me?"
"No, I don't. Ah—it's hot...!"
Han Min-ha hurriedly finished the remaining half of her coffee, clutched her bag, and stood up.
"Goodbye, Professor. Thank you so much for today."
"Hang in there. Fighting."
After bowing once more, Han Min-ha grabbed the doorknob, then suddenly turned back as if something had occurred to her.
"Um... Professor?"
"Yes?"
"That thing you mentioned in class... the Mental Barrier. Is it difficult to use?"
"The Mental Barrier. Yes, it's difficult. You have to maintain extreme composure even in situations like the video from the basic evaluation."
"Ah, I see..."
"But it's not impossible. I can use it, so why wouldn't a promising new student be able to learn it?"
Han Min-ha was silent for a moment before speaking again.
"What is it like... when you use it?"
"Are you asking what the benefits are? You can stay calm in all situations. It can protect your mind from external shocks. It also helps with getting a good night's sleep."
The last part was half a joke. However, Han Min-ha didn't laugh. It wasn't a particularly funny joke, so I suppose she couldn't.
"By external shocks... does that include things like memories from the past?"
At her question, I closed my mouth for a moment and fell into thought. Memories from the past... In other words, she was asking if it could block the pain those memories brought.
"It can. To some extent."
"Ah, I see. Thank you."
After Han Min-ha left the lab, I finished the rest of my coffee. As I did, I began roughly outlining a plan for how to help her moving forward.
Oh, right. The handkerchief. I completely forgot about that.