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All the sleeping students fell off their desks.

I don’t think this is normal.

A monster? Or a villain?

Whatever it is, it’s caused by something.

Since there are no clear clues yet and no significant damage, let’s just ignore it for now.

If it really is a phenomenon caused by a monster or villain, the Academy will step in.

After a fun lunch with Chae Song-i, Chae Rin, and Hayan, I moved on to the next class.

Unlike the morning classes, the afternoon classes have assigned groups.

Jeong Gyeoul and Lee Ha-yoon are in Class 12D.

There are up to Class J, and the class assignments are random, not based on grades or skills.

Unfortunately, Chae Song-i and Chae Rin were in different classes.

Today’s class for 12D is [Introduction to Monster Studies] – Instructor Kim Gae-soo.

…

Is that really his real name?

“Nice to meet you, I am Instructor Kim Gae-soo, former team leader of the Monster Management Department at the Hero Association.”

“Pfft…”

“…His name is… Gae-soo? Like, ‘Introduction to Gae-soo Studies’?”

“Students who laughed just now, all of you lose points.”

“Huh? No way, that’s not fair!”

“I do things my way. If you don’t like it, go to another class.”

“…”

Instructor Kim Gae-soo was as tough as his name.

He instantly silenced the complaints in the classroom.

Of course, the students were probably cursing him in their hearts, but on the surface, all complaints disappeared.

It’s wise to keep your mouth shut, or you might lose more points.

The Hero Academy requires points to advance to the next grade or to graduate.

And those points are at the mercy of the instructors.

“Any students who want to leave? If not, let’s start the class.”

Instructor Kim Gae-soo, walking his own path, dropped a point deduction bomb right from the start without even changing his expression.

“According to the monster classification chart released by the American Hero Association, monsters are divided into five types. Red-haired girl in the front, do you know?”

“Yes, monsters are divided into Common, Special, Disaster, Apocalypse, and Transcendent types.”

“Correct. Then, what are the differences between each grade? Black-haired boy in the back, tell me.”

“Uh… Common types are just common…”

Perhaps caught off guard by the sudden question, he stammered and couldn’t give a proper answer.

“Idiot… How did you even get in? Did you cheat on the entrance exam? Do you think I asked that question to hear such an answer? Point deduction.”

“Huh? No, teacher! You can’t deduct points just because you didn’t like my answer!”

Calling someone an idiot? Is that how an instructor talks?

And he even deducted points again.

That student already lost 2 points in this class alone.

If he keeps listening to Gae-soo Studies, or rather, Introduction to Monster Studies, he might not make it to the next grade with us.

“If you don’t like it, go to another class.”

“…”

How has Instructor Kim Gae-soo not been fired yet?

Within 5 minutes of starting the class, 4 students lost points.

Excluding the students who lost points for laughing at his name, that’s 4 students.

He insults students he doesn’t like, calling them idiots.

He only respects students he likes.

This is beyond walking his own path; it’s more like walking his own damn path.

By the end of the semester, there will be course evaluations, and it’s clear that more than half will give him the lowest score.

Yet, he survives… Is he incredibly skilled, or does he have connections?

Somehow, my intuition tells me Instructor Kim Gae-soo is incredibly skilled.

I thought about subtly using magic to investigate, but it’s obvious I’d get caught.

And if I get caught, it would mean more point deductions.

Suddenly, the class became more interesting.

What is Mr. Kim Gae-soo’s secret?

How is he still here?

Is he really… that strong?

“Brown-haired girl in the back, answer. What are the characteristics of Common types?”

“Common types have no abilities and fight only with their bodies.”

“Correct. Then, what about Special types?”

“As the name suggests, they possess special abilities.”

“Good. Common types can be subdued with military weapons. It’s more efficient to have an Awakened One handle them, though. However, Special types, depending on their abilities, can annihilate entire divisions.”

Annihilate entire divisions…

Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?

“Some of you might think I’m exaggerating…”

…How did he know?

Is he a telepath or something?

“After the Great Cataclysm of 2000, 14 divisions were destroyed by monsters. Before the Disaster types appeared in 2010, Special types alone destroyed 14 divisions in 10 years. Those who forget history have no future. Study.”

“…”

He’s right… but it’s still annoying.

“Then, what about Disaster types? Jeong Gyeoul, answer.”

“Me?”

Why skip ahead when he was going in order?

My seat was at the far right, next to the window.

Isn’t there an unwritten rule not to call on students sitting here?

But I, Jeong Gyeoul.

Am an elite who already finished pre-studying at the Clock Tower.

“Disaster types are, as the name suggests, disasters. They are national-level threats. The black-horned polar bear that appeared in Siberia in 2010, the twin-headed Cyclops in Nigeria in 2012, the armored sturgeon in the Pacific in 2013, and the one near Hokkaido at the end of 2013…”

“Stop, that’s enough. Very good. I’ll give you an extra point.”

“Thank you.”

So that’s how it is.

The reason Instructor Kim Gae-soo survives the continuous course evaluations.

He’s generous with both deductions and additions.

For capable students, it’s the best class to earn points.

For incapable students, it’s the best class to lose points.

Top students will always praise Instructor Kim Gae-soo.

Only the bottom students will curse him.

The Hero Academy is extremely meritocratic.

Jeong Ha-yul even earned points by going one-on-one with an instructor.

Park Seol-hwa earned points by logically defeating an instructor in a debate.

Come to think of it… If I defeat Instructor Kim Gae-soo, can I earn points too?

I should look for an opportunity soon.

“Any students who can present like Jeong Gyeoul? About Apocalypse types.”

“Me!”

While everyone was quietly slacking off.

Hayan, sitting next to me, raised her hand.

“Good. Lee Ha-yoon, the ‘White Winter Duo,’ huh? Seems like you two have synergy in studies too.”

The ‘White Winter Duo,’ a name jokingly given by Jeong Ha-yul.

Now even the Academy instructors know the team name.

So embarrassing… Why did you have to say it out loud…

One thing I’ve been wondering since coming to this world.

How do people with such embarrassing titles even function?

Demon King, Alchemist, Hwarang, Susanoo, Immortal, Captain, Joan of Arc, etc…

Even titles that would make you cringe if someone else called you by them, they use them themselves.

Honestly, I considered not becoming a hero because of this.

But I already have many titles attached to me.

Unmeasurable, Youngest Awakened One, Demon King’s Sibling, Little Demon King, Witch, Alchemist’s Beloved Doll, Clock Tower’s Mascot.

I don’t know which of these will become my hero name…

Whatever it is, I don’t like it.

Can’t I just be called ‘Hero Jeong Gyeoul’?

Anyway, that’s how it is.

Being a hero means enduring the same level of embarrassment as a middle schooler with ‘Black Flame Dragon’ syndrome.

…Wait.

Is this intentional? To build strong mental resilience by giving such titles?

“Apocalypse types are world-level threats! Of course, this is assuming no Awakened Ones are present. A representative Apocalypse type is the Behemoth that appeared in the waters of England. It was Ha-yul’s spectacular debut.”

It was also the stage where Heinz’s head started shining.

“Correct. If you hadn’t explained the military aspect, I would have deducted points, but you did very well. I have high expectations for you two. Lee Ha-yoon, I’ll give you points too.”

“Hehe, thank you!”

Hayan’s sharp explanation impressed Kim Gae-soo, and he gave out points.

My prediction seems to have been correct.

If I do well, I might even skip a grade.

If you reach 100 points, you can advance to the next grade regardless of the timing.

A system created to allow Jeong Ha-yul and Park Seol-hwa to graduate early.

It could be very useful for me too.

“Transcendent types are something beyond monsters. They are ambiguous, neither fully monsters nor not. Transcendent types can communicate fully. They appeared only once during the Great Cataclysm of 2000, and some even call them gods. There are religious groups that worship Transcendent types. However, we Awakened Ones must always remember. That Transcendent type could become our enemy at any time.”

Introduction to Monster Studies was interesting enough that I didn’t fall asleep.

But I could see some students dozing off.

Instructor Kim Gae-soo was surprisingly lenient with sleeping students.

Is he planning to drop a point deduction bomb later, or does he accept sleeping?

Anyway… What do you plan to become, sleeping in class?

Back in my day, I stayed awake by stabbing my thigh with a pencil!

Kids these days.

“Now that we’ve covered the five grades of monsters, next, we’ll look at representative monsters of each grade…”

“Aaaah!”

Thud—

The black-haired boy who was sleeping fell noisily.

“…What’s going on?”

“S-sorry!”

“Idiot… I don’t stop you from sleeping. It’s your choice to fill your head with crap. But I won’t tolerate disrupting the class. 1 point deduction.”

“…”

The black-haired boy already lost 3 points.

But more importantly…

Seeing him fall while sleeping, it seems like the same phenomenon as before.

When that student fell, I felt a faint flow of magic.

Instructor Kim Gae-soo and Hayan didn’t seem to notice.

The magic was very sinister and unpleasant.

At the same time, I felt a bit of the boy’s magic being drained.

If I follow where that magic is flowing, I might find the culprit.

 

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