The Henhouse Faculty Meeting
The elderly female professor's sharp command of "Quiet down!" instantly seized control of the entire conference room's atmosphere. Yet even that wasn't enough to quell Yoon Hwaran's fury.
From across the table, Yoon Hwaran glared at me, practically snorting with rage. Sure enough, the number floating above her head ticked up by one. At least this time, no mirror shards materialized.
"Die!!!!!"
I'd been keeping a wary eye on Yoon Hwaran because the vibe felt off, which was why I managed to snatch the scalpel hurtling straight at my face. Obviously it had come from her.
"Tch!"
Yoon Hwaran clicked her tongue in frustration at her failed attack. At the same time, the red number above her head climbed again.
"You're slow. Even when throwing."
"What the hell are you doing!!!!!"
The elderly female professor raised her voice after witnessing the sudden chaos. Seeing my chance, I quickly spoke up.
"Professor, isn't throwing a deadly weapon at a student a violation?"
"That bastard called me a Gold Miss!"
"In that case, I'll classify it as self-defense."
'Wait, what the fuck? This bitch too?'
Looks like that professor is sensitive to the word too.
The moment those words left her mouth, a wave of pure resentment crashed over me. The source? Every female professor and staff member around the same age as Yoon Hwaran.
"Kill him!! Don't let him live!!"
"We're not old maids. Time just flows a little faster for us!!"
"I'm a proud non-marrier!!! But that word is blasphemy!!!"
"Death penalty! Straight-up death penalty!"
The mood in the room had turned downright vicious. As if to drive the final nail in, Yoon Hwaran opened her big mouth again.
"And starting today, our junior Ye-lim who took vacation is getting married thanks to this bastard!!"
"Don't you dare shake our sacred vow of singlehood!!"
"""""Kill him!!!!!!!!!"""""
These women are actually insane.
'These fucking hens have all lost their goddamn minds.'
It wasn't even Toto season, yet here they were throwing a complete shitfit. In the middle of it all, I couldn't help but be impressed by how fast Ye-lim noona had moved to request leave. But right now, the immediate crisis in front of me took priority.
If I said the wrong thing, it wouldn't be one scalpel flying at me — it'd be dozens. I needed to swing public opinion back in my favor.
"Just a moment. I have something to say."
"Go ahead."
The elderly professor granted me permission to speak. She stared at me with a look that said what nonsense are you about to spout now, so I calmly told the truth.
"Everyone here except Yoon Hwaran will be married before Christmas within the next three years. It's certain."
"Why the hell are you singling me out!!!!"
In that instant, the razor-sharp tension that had filled the conference room began to melt away.
"Oh my, students can be like that sometimes."
"Of course I'm a non-marrier, but if someone decides to get married, I wouldn't necessarily oppose it."
"We got a little too worked up. Sorry about that, student."
"Well, marriage isn't a bad thing. It'll happen someday."
"If you know any good men, could you introduce me?"
"Why is everyone falling for this so easily!!! I'm telling you we need to kill that son of a bitch!!!!"
Truly foolish. As if something as trivial as marriage matters.
'Says the grandma who's never been married herself.'
Fucking bitch.
Everyone else began offering me friendly remarks. Only Yoon Hwaran was having an even worse meltdown than before. In the relatively peaceful atmosphere, the faculty meeting resumed.
"This level of disturbance is acceptable. Moving on. Since you're here, please introduce yourself."
Didn't that person just say it was self-defense?
'Henhouse bastards.'
"Hello. I'm Kim Shinu, a first-year Iron Rank student who just enrolled."
The situation was still manageable. After my introduction, the elderly professor addressed me again.
"There is a suspicion that Kim Shinu concealed his true abilities when enrolling in the Academy."
"I will explain that matter myself."
At that moment, Professor Pilyong sitting next to me raised his hand and spoke. I quietly voiced my admiration for Pilyong defending me.
"Professor, I'm truly touched."
"I'm the only one you can trust, right?"
"Thank you. It's always been you, Professor."
"Actually, if you get expelled, all our research papers go down the drain."
Who exactly are you trusting?
'Of course a professor would say that, fuck.'
My moment of emotion vanished in an instant. Regardless, Professor Pilyong turned to everyone and continued.
"Please take a look at this."
With those words, Pilyong plugged a USB into the beam projector. A video began playing.
"As you can see, not long ago Kim Shinu's scanner results were as follows."
"This status was maintained until recently."
Professor Pilyong began playing the rest of the videos in sequence to demonstrate. While there were slight variations, every single one showed the scan result as incompetent.
"However, after the recent spar with Lucianer, the result changed slightly."
"Today as well, before the faculty meeting, we tested fifty-three different models of the same previous type, but the results were identical."
Then he began playing the videos we'd filmed for two hours earlier. With each video that played, a wave of relief washed over me. Thank goodness.
But.
"Objection. I would like to refute this matter."
"What is it?"
That relief was short-lived. Someone suddenly raised their hand to object. None other than Professor Park Miran.
"Are you doubting the performance of our lab's scanners?"
"Not at all. The scanner's performance was sufficiently verified when checking my own abilities."
"Then what is the problem!"
At the sudden counterargument, Professor Pilyong began to growl. Of course.
"Have you collected any samples regarding cases where a disguise ability user conceals another person's abilities?"
"That is..."
Professor Park Miran's statement made him trail off immediately. The atmosphere in the room turned strange in an instant.
A disguise ability user. Literally, an ability user capable of hiding something. What they hide and how varies from person to person. Some change their face in different ways. Others make their entire body invisible. Some conceal other people's abilities. That doesn't mean they prevent the ability from activating. They distort it so that other people's outwardly visible abilities appear slightly different. Or, like now, they twist the scanner's results.
Of course, that alone was still evaluated as quite dangerous. Which was why Pilyong was so obsessed with scanner research.
"Hold on. How on earth would I have made friends with a disguise ability user?"
"We must not overlook even a single possibility among many."
The number of registered disguise ability users in the country could be counted on one hand. Naturally, there were none at all inside the Academy.
"You should stop spouting such ridiculous nonsense. How the hell would I even meet one?"
"Is that so?"
Disguise ability users were, after all, secretly operated under national affiliation. They weren't beings one could easily contact. Making friends with one was even more impossible.
However, Professor Park Miran's filthy smile somehow bothered me.
"Are you confident? I've never met one."
"There is a record of you making contact with a certain person on the day of enrollment."
......It's that human, Ryu Kanghyuk.
'Ah, fuck.'
"Ah."
"Speak. If you're innocent, you should be able to reveal who it was."
Of course, I could just drop Kanghyuk uncle's name here. But considering Ye-lim noona's reaction last time, it didn't seem like a good option. It might create even more problems.
My tongue was momentarily tied and I couldn't say anything. Then Park Miran spoke first again.
"Moreover, there is evidence that the person is a disguise ability user."
"What evidence?"
"The Defensive Coat that Shinu student wore last time."
It was true that I had received it. But it was something every hunter owned at least one of. This was a stretch.
"Hunters all wear them, yet you're making a big deal out of a student wearing one?"
"That coat. It's the first edition of the imitation Defensive Coat. In other words, the original version, correct?"
It wasn't a stretch.
You didn't go around bragging about it, though.
'How the fuck did this bastard find out?'
The conference room suddenly buzzed with murmurs. Apparently students couldn't easily get their hands on the original version of the Defensive Coat. Professor Miran pressed the attack without pause, like a predator that had sunk its teeth into prey.
"I can't be fooled even if others can. My research is in the field of defensive particles, after all."
"It is indeed the original version. However, I obtained it through personal connections. It has nothing to do with a disguise ability user."
As if she'd been waiting for my statement, Professor Miran gave a slight smile. Her next words followed.
"Shinu student. As you know, there are truly very few original version coats in the country."
She adjusted her glasses once and glared at me fiercely. The look one gave a criminal.
"The original version coats are selectively issued by the nation to only a handful of special personnel."
"No, what does that have to do with disguise ability users?"
"The nation records serial numbers for every disguise ability user and issues them original coats."
"Every single one?"
"Yes. Since they are extremely valuable human resources to the nation, they provide the maximum possible support."
This was news to me. That they gave originals to every disguise ability user. Certainly, that lent credibility to Professor Miran's claims. Receiving an original coat because you introduced a woman to a retired hunter? It would be far more believable to think you got it from a disguise ability user.
"Since Shinu student's interpersonal combat ability is top-tier, there are two possibilities here."
With those words, Professor Miran raised her index and middle fingers. She looked at me through the V formed by her two fingers.
"The first is that Shinu student subdued a disguise ability user and seized the coat. Of course, in that case the disguise ability wouldn't conceal Shinu student's own power, so the probability is low."
As soon as she finished speaking, Professor Miran quickly folded her middle finger. The remaining index finger was now pointing directly at me.
"The second is that he has a close relationship with a disguise ability user who cast the disguise ability on him. In that case, the hypothesis that the disguise ability user handed over the coat out of goodwill also fits."
My lord, this seems rather twisted. Wouldn't it be better to just reveal it?
'It would be easier, but dragging a retired uncle into the mud like this feels wrong.'
By now the conference room was filled with silence. Everyone held their breath, watching to see what would come next.
Professor Miran slammed her hand hard on the table as if to drive in the final nail and spoke.
"Therefore, I propose two options."
"What are they?"
"First. Admit to all these charges and leave the Academy of your own accord. In this case, we won't impose any penalties beyond expulsion."
"And the other one?"
In short, it was the option to just bury everything as my fault. I didn't like it, but.
"Second. Bring the coat you possess. Since it has a serial number, we'll be able to tell who gave it to you."
"What if it's not from a disguise ability user?"
"Then there will be no problem. However, we will arrange a separate session to explain why this coat was handed over."
The next option was even worse. Just in case, I asked about the disguise ability user scenario even though it was unlikely.
"......What if it is from a disguise ability user?"
"In the case of a disguise ability user, Shinu student must prepare for the maximum possible punishment. This is not something that will end with simple expulsion."
Checkmate. The word fit the current situation perfectly. I glanced sideways and saw that even Professor Pilyong wore an extremely troubled expression and offered no further comment.
If I sold out uncle here, my Academy life would be guaranteed. But uncle would be forcibly dragged onto this stage. Conversely, if I didn't reveal it and admitted to the charges, I'd have to go work loading and unloading cargo.
In that moment, memories with uncle flashed through my mind. Getting beaten like a dog every single day during summer. Recommending life-changing (not really) works. Suddenly I felt like shit.
At this point, I believe selling him out wouldn't be a problem.
'Should I really sell out this fucking bastard?'
I let out a deep sigh. I didn't know what his intentions were, but he had still given me something quite valuable. Thanks to it, I'd even beaten that deaf bastard. Honestly, I thought I'd done more than enough.
At least it's spring so the weather is warm. Loading and unloading cargo won't be too difficult.
'Fucking retarded uncle. You better be grateful to me for real.'
"Shinu student! Make your choice!"
"Yes, I'll speak. I—"