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My first auditing class was a Physical Category basics course.

Understanding the Physical Category and its principles, as well as roughly gauging each student’s abilities, was already covered in the first semester.

Now, in the second semester, we’re focusing on how to utilize and train according to each ability.

Honestly, how much can you really understand your ability in just one semester? If we’re being technical, how much do we really understand math, physics, or science before moving on to the next chapter?

If you can kinda use it and kinda do it, you just breeze through it. The real learning happens in college.

“But isn’t college just for learning how to drink?”

I had that thought but decided to ignore it.

The Physical Category is definitely more detailed and nuanced compared to the Super Ability or Magic Categories.

The Super Ability class I took felt like, “Hey, just use your ability and train on your own.”

They’d give some advice here and there, but it was basically self-study.

From what Hayan told me, the Magic Category was like, “Hey, this is how you do magic. Got it? Now train.”

I’m sure the Academy doesn’t want to teach so casually.

The students here are the future heroes who will revive Korea’s hero scene.

If they were just going to teach half-heartedly, they wouldn’t have created the Hero Academy in the first place.

But even if they wanted to teach more thoroughly, they can’t force active heroes to become instructors.

Being an instructor doesn’t pay well, so there aren’t many volunteers.

Either they’ve been pushed out of the field or retired.

One of the two.

The bottom line is, there are way too few instructors.

So, Magic Category students often go study at the Clock Tower.

For the Super Ability Category, they usually go to Langley, but that’s the CIA.

What the hell are they even learning from those crazy guys?

Anyway, this starts a vicious cycle.

Students go abroad, get scouted while studying, and rarely come back.

Once they taste the sweet life of capitalism, why would they return?

Foreign countries definitely treat heroes better.

So, the number of Magic and Super Ability heroes dwindles.

Then there are fewer instructors.

Then fewer students.

“…Even if I had gone back to the Clock Tower to train in magic, they probably wouldn’t have let me in.”

At the time, I believed in the dream of becoming a cushy instructor, so I didn’t even think about going. But even if I had tried, they’d have made up excuses to keep me out.

Maybe I got caught up in some scheme between the President and the Association Chairman.

A rising star like Jeong Gyeoul, who could revive the dying Super Ability and Magic Categories, becoming an instructor at the Academy?

Squee! This is a must-go! That’s the vibe.

Then students who were planning to go abroad would have a reason to stay in Korea.

Instead, students from abroad might come to the Academy to take my classes.

Then the Association would scout those students.

Then those students would become instructors.

With more instructors, naturally, more students would join.

It could create a virtuous cycle.

“Looking back, they made something that was possible from the start unnecessarily difficult. It all comes down to money, doesn’t it?”

In the end, becoming an instructor at this Academy might have been an unavoidable fate, an inescapable burden.

“Today, we have an auditing instructor and teaching assistant, so let’s proceed with sparring.”

While I was lost in thought, the class began.

Instructor Kim Ho-il seemed overly confident about the students he had taught so far.

His shoulders were practically up to his ears, he was so smug.

He kept glancing at me, sneering.

A 14-year-old middle school girl—no, now an instructor. But still, is that the attitude to have in front of a kid over a decade younger than you?

I’m starting to doubt Kim Ho-il’s mental state.

Looking around, I’m the only sane one here.

Anyway, I’d rather watch a practical session than listen to boring theory.

“Hwang A-young, Kim Ji-soo, step forward.”

“Yes!”

The students called by Instructor Kim Ho-il stiffened and stepped forward.

“…Isn’t this just sparring? Why do they look so serious?”

I soon found out why.

Their sparring was as brutal as a real fight.

Did something happen between them? They didn’t seem like this when I was taking classes.

I thought Instructor Yoo Soo-gap’s classes were intense, and I even enjoyed jumping into them, but this is beyond imagination.

If one of them landed a solid hit, the other would be sent straight to the infirmary.

I wondered if this was okay, but Instructor Kim Ho-il didn’t even try to stop them.

*Thud—*

Then, Kim Ji-soo punched Hwang A-young in the jaw.

She staggered, lost her balance, and fell on her butt.

A panicked Kim Ji-soo rushed forward to check on her.

Instructor Kim Ho-il didn’t look pleased.

“A-young! Are you okay?!”

“Ugh, yeah…”

“Do you need to go to the infirmary?”

“No, I think it’s just a graze.”

Her brain must’ve rattled from the hit, making her legs give out for a moment.

Luckily, she didn’t seem seriously hurt.

When Instructor Kim Ho-il approached, I thought he’d stop the sparring, but the students’ expressions didn’t look good.

It felt like they were thinking, “We’re screwed.”

“What are you two doing?”

“Sorry…”

“You stopped the sparring just because of that? I’ve warned you multiple times…”

Apparently, getting punched in the jaw and knocked out was just “that” to Kim Ho-il.

In MMA or boxing, you stop when the opponent is down.

Is there no rule like that here?

Sure, these kids will be fighting monsters and monster-like humans, not sportsmanlike opponents, but they’re only first-years.

Do they really need to be pushed into such brutal combat this early?

Naturally, my expression soured.

If I were still a student beating up opponents, maybe I’d feel differently.

But as an instructor watching students in such dangerous fights, it wasn’t pleasant.

“There’s no stopping. Keep going until one of you is down.”

“…Yes.”

Without a word, they went back to their positions and resumed their fighting stances.

Seeing that, it was clear this wasn’t the first time.

My expression grew even more twisted.

“…Do you have a problem? You don’t look happy.”

“I think you’re pushing them too hard.”

Instructor Kim Ho-il clicked his tongue and continued.

“This is why parachute hires don’t work… Let me explain simply. Out in the field, things are far more brutal. There’s no instructor to stop the fight just because someone’s down.”

Who doesn’t know that? And… for what it’s worth, I’ve been through battles in the mountains, on the seas, and in the Demon Realm.

I don’t think I have less experience than you.

My plan was to create a situation where I wouldn’t have to audit classes, but I didn’t want to cause trouble on the first day. I’ll try to endure a bit longer…

“You think life’s a walk in the park? If you train them softly, when will they ever catch villains or monsters? This is what builds their bones and flesh. Back in my day, we didn’t stop sparring even if a rib cracked.”

Oh, this punk.

He’s bragging about a cracked rib like it’s some grand tale?

I haven’t had a single intact rib since I was seven!

My gaze sharpened.

“Did this guy not see me slaughter all those Satan Church followers in the auditorium?”

It’s a memory I’d rather forget, but when an Academy instructor acts like this, it’s hard not to recall.

There’s no way it didn’t leave an impression…

“Just because you’re the Demon King’s sister, how far do you think you can rise? The Demon King herself is a relic, just catching small-time villains. How long will she keep being called the Demon King?”

I don’t care about what he says about me.

I am a parachute hire, and I did come here to live an easy life.

But… why drag my sister into this?

Looks like he’s destined to get expelled from the Association and cause trouble someday.

Let’s just say I’m removing a potential villain from the hero scene.

“Hey.”

“…What? What did you just—”

“Shut up and come out. Let’s spar.”

“You insolent brat!”

He was trembling but didn’t step forward.

Maybe he thought fighting a kid was beneath him.

There’s a magical word for times like this.

“Scared? Scared of a 14-year-old parachute hire?”

“…Fine, as your senior, I’ll teach you a lesson.”

I don’t know what he’s so confident about.

If I were really a weak parachute hire, and if I told the President, my sister, the Association Chairman, the Daehyun Guild, the Taebaek Guild, the Clock Tower Queen, and others, what would he do?

I thought about using my connections, but if I took even one hit from this loser, they’d just laugh at me.

They might even try to scout Kim Ho-il, thinking he’s some great Awakened One.

Thinking about it, my connections… aren’t that useful.

If I went out there and got hit, I’d just be surrounded by people mocking me.

Anyway, I apologized to the students in the sparring ring and stepped up.

Instructor Kim Ho-il followed immediately.

“…Who do you think will win?”

At a student’s question, I noticed Kim Ho-il’s ear twitch.

He’s really focused on that comment.

“Of course, Gyeoul will win.”

“But he’s the instructor?”

“Didn’t you hear Kim Ho-il earlier? Gyeoul’s an instructor too.”

“But he’s also a teaching assistant…”

“Are your eyes just for decoration? Did you not see Jeong Gyeoul in the auditorium that time?”

“…Thinking about it still makes me want to pee my pants.”

“This guy’s disgusting.”

Listening to the students’ conversation, Instructor Kim Ho-il seemed a bit annoyed.

The auditorium incident came up, and he still hasn’t realized anything?

“Then you’re asking for it.”

I thought about not causing trouble on the first day, but after he insulted my sister, and whether I cause trouble on the first day or later, it’s all the same.

It’s all the same.

I used informal speech, but he started the fight.

And since it’s a legitimate sparring match, there shouldn’t be any issues.

If something does go wrong…

“I’ll take it out on Jeong Ho-min.”

Hiring someone like that as a hero is the Association’s fault.

The puzzling thing is…

What is he so confident about?

If I’m really a parachute hire riding on connections, shouldn’t he at least fear my connections?

Well, I’ll find out once I start beating him up.

 

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