The Second Step: Public Opinion Survey
The second reason for coming back to the Academy early was the public opinion survey. It wasn't about polling the students. After all, I'd already cost them serious money multiple times thanks to regression, so my reputation wasn't exactly stellar. That was why the place I visited was none other than the office of the surveillance ability users. Together with the access control department, they were responsible for monitoring the entire Academy. Since it was such a rare ability, I'd assumed they received excellent treatment. That's what I'd been taught, and that's what I'd believed.
[What the hell is this?]
Crazy. At least until I actually met them.
They were drenched in sweat, half-naked, eyes bulging as they held perfect plank positions. It was definitely the surveillance ability user I'd come to find. The only problem was the location. An open-air lot where anyone outside could see everything. The ventilation should have been more than adequate, yet the sour stench of sweat still assaulted my nose. The floor was nothing but unfinished concrete. Iron bars surrounded the whole area. If it weren't for the people inside, I would have mistaken it for a cage meant for dangerous beasts or monsters.
I'd known the general location, but seeing the reality still caught me off guard. Right then, one of the women taking a short break noticed my stare and approached. Her eyes, of course, were filled with wariness rather than welcome.
"What do you want?"
"Hello. I'm Kim Shinu, a second-year Silver-rank student."
"I see. Nice to meet you."
Her suspicion had eased considerably. The mood wasn't bad enough to kill the conversation.
"Are all these people surveillance ability users?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Working hard even during break. Must be exhausting."
"It's genuinely comforting that someone actually acknowledges how hard we work."
Still, her expression remained somehow displeased. I decided to test the waters.
"What's it like working at the Academy?"
"Um... well."
She clearly didn't want to voice her real thoughts. Time to drop some bait.
"I heard surveillance ability users receive the best treatment the Academy can offer."
"What? What fucking bastard spouted that bullshit!"
The woman clapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were trembling—she was clearly panicking. She probably worried I might be connected to the Academy administration. I put on my friendliest smile and spoke softly enough that only she could hear.
"The professor assholes said that, but I don't trust professors. And I sure as hell don't trust this pathetic Academy either."
"Ah! You're that Kim Shinu! I remember now! I've been dying to meet you!"
Her wariness vanished completely. Her face brightened and she reached out to shake my hand, only to realize the dense iron bars made it impossible. She settled for a nod instead. Sensing the shift in atmosphere, several more surveillance ability users crowded closer.
"So how exactly does the Academy treat you to get a reaction like that?"
The surveillance users exchanged quick glances. But once the woman stressed who I was, they immediately turned friendly. Expectation flickered in their eyes.
Then the complaints started pouring out.
"We're on two shifts with zero vacation days!"
"I want to quit this goddamn place immediately!"
"They took my elbow pads because they said it wasn't a 'true plank'!"
"They force us to plank even during internal meetings! If this isn't a human rights violation, what is?!"
"No heating in winter! Not even one fan in summer!"
"When I said I needed the bathroom, they told me it was too far and to just dig a hole!"
Their treatment was far worse than I'd imagined. So I asked with genuine curiosity.
"Then why not just quit the Academy?"
"......It's impossible."
"Why?"
Resignation and despair settled over them like a fog. The woman answered me with dead eyes.
"We've been forced into slave contracts that last nearly a lifetime."
The explanation that followed was straightforward. In the beginning, the Academy had grossly exaggerated the danger level of the surveillance ability. They'd used it as an excuse to launch a concentrated witch hunt. Finally, by manipulating public opinion and claiming these people needed strict control, they'd forced them to sign the slave contracts.
[This really is the Korean Academy!]
Spicy as hell, huh.
"Labeled as dangerous elements, we had no other options."
"But the surveillance ability isn't actually that dangerous anymore, is it?"
It was a trickier ability than I'd realized. I'd only learned the specifics relatively recently. The user had to maintain a plank position the entire time the ability was active. It only worked in open spaces. Monitoring building interiors was impossible. While it had plenty of uses, calling it truly dangerous was a stretch.
However.
"The media never issues corrections, so a lot of people have developed preconceived notions."
"Sounds about right for Korean journalism."
"Of course, regardless of public perception, there are plenty of places that value our ability highly."
The woman sighed and muttered, 'But the contract keeps us trapped here.'
Before getting to the main point, I asked one final question.
"So if the Academy disappears, the contracts disappear too?"
"They should. The contract specifically states it lasts only as long as the Academy exists."
"I see."
"Well, that's never going to happen anyway."
Everyone wore the same resigned expression and began returning to their positions. I flashed them a wicked grin and delivered the main topic.
"What if it disappears because of one insane dog?"
The surveillance users froze. Then they swarmed me again, eyes burning with desperate hope.
"......What kind of help do you need?"
They'd seen me liberate the researchers before, so their expectations were sky-high. Their passion was nice and all, but...
[You look like you're in pain.]
Fuck, did it kill them to put on some deodorant? The smell was killing my nose. I somehow endured the olfactory torture and gave them the simple instructions.
After hearing the details, the surveillance users wore complicated expressions. Half hopeful, half dubious.
"That's really all you need?"
"Yes. I'll need your strength later on."
"Understood! General! We'll assist you with anything!"
With that, I left the surveillance ability users. They'd return to their duties. I still had other places to visit, so I moved quickly.
The places I visited weren't numerous. The cafeteria that managed meals for both students and professors. The access control department that handled security and CCTV inside the Academy. There used to be a separate security department, but the Academy disliked splitting the budget between two offices. As a result, the security department had been merged into access control. Naturally, without any corresponding budget increase.
There wasn't much direct connection between the cafeteria and access control. Yet they shared two major similarities.
The first was the unfair treatment they received from the Academy. Outside, in normal society, they would have received far better compensation. Here, they were constantly screwed over. The staff devoured their budgets at every opportunity. They even made absurd or outright personal demands as if it were completely natural. All of it for free, of course.
The second was their deep-seated hatred for the Academy. They desperately wanted to escape, but like the surveillance users, they were bound by garbage contracts. Everyone longed for freedom from this place.
Consequently, their hatred for the Academy pierced the heavens. Recruiting them to my side was almost too easy.
[Is that everything?]
One more left.
After delivering all my requests, the last person I met was the Academy President's secretary—the lizard beastman. I stated my demand immediately, and for the first time, her face showed clear disturbance.
"...The location of the family held hostage?"
"Yes. I need to remove every weakness."
"Understood."
As if she'd prepared it in advance, the lizard beastman sent a file to my phone. It contained detailed information: the house layout, its structure, and the precise locations of every person inside.
"The family is being held in the president's residence under the guise of protection."
"Got it."
"However, multiple skilled individuals are monitoring them. Even for you, Student Shinu, facing all of them at once would be difficult."
"Don't worry. I've already planned for that."
At that moment, hope flashed in the lizard beastman's eyes.
"Then... could you rescue them immediately?"
"That's not possible right now. But I promise. I will definitely save them."
"...Understood."
With that, I parted ways with the lizard beastman. Multiple emotions flickered across her face—disappointment, impatience, anxiety. Unfortunately, it wasn't something I could fix at this moment.
Anyway, I'd finished all the immediate preparations I could make.
[You've finally taken one step closer to the goal.]
Everything's fucked, damn it.
Destroying the Academy. Six months from now. It was coming soon.
The lizard beastman was anxious. When Kim Shinu had said he would rescue her family, hope had swelled inside her. But learning he couldn't do it right away had brought immediate disappointment. The regression ability that couldn't show her the distant future felt especially useless today.
Things were clearly progressing smoothly. She understood that such a difficult task wouldn't be resolved overnight. Still, understanding didn't erase her impatience.
The president would discard her the moment her usefulness ran out. At that point, she couldn't guarantee her family's safety.
Watching Kim Shinu walk away, the lizard beastman let out a slightly wistful murmur.
"—You're late, Shinu."
All she could do now was believe. Shifting her thoughts slightly brought a small sense of relief. She formed a smile that was partly regretful and partly hopeful. It helped soothe the impatience rising within her, if only a little.
"At this rate, I'll turn into a grandmother."