Deep within Seoul’s slum district.
A dilapidated house made of rusting metal sheets.
A man in a white doctor’s coat was concocting strange chemicals.
“It’s time.”
He looked at the map of Seoul with an evil grin. The map was covered in red arrows.
“I’ll make you all suffer the same fate as me. You’ll all pay.”
His face was grotesquely melted and disfigured, a scar inflicted six months ago by an Awakened One from K Group, South Korea’s biggest conglomerate.
His name was Mabo Sung. An erratic genius chemist known for his occasional flashes of brilliance.
Mabo Sung had accidentally discovered a revolutionary method to drastically increase potion production efficiency. Seeing this as an opportunity to change his life, he started a business using bank loans and private loans. Initially, it grew smoothly.
This breakthrough potion was 50% cheaper than existing ones and generated massive profits with each sale.
Until one day, K Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of K Group, released an identical product. With their larger production scale, his profits plummeted, and soon his supply contract was terminated, leaving him unable to pay the loan interests.
He sued K Pharmaceutical and, as expected, lost the case. He hadn’t filed a patent, thinking naively that not patenting would prevent others from copying his formula.
His company went bankrupt, and Mabo Sung filed for personal bankruptcy. Debt collectors drove away his family.
Mabo Sung blamed everything on K Pharmaceutical. He began a one-man protest in front of their headquarters the next day.
Fortunately, his story gained media attention soon, and K Pharmaceutical arranged a meeting with him.
K Pharmaceutical headquarters conference room. The CEO personally met with Mabo Sung.
“Mabo Sung. This is problematic. What did our company do to you?”
“You stole our technology and sold it!”
“We were developing that medicine too. It’s problematic to make unfounded accusations. Also, you should have filed a patent if you were worried about such things.”
Mabo Sung slammed the table with his fist.
“Lies! Nonsense! That potion is something people like you couldn’t create! You stole it! You blocked the loan extension, you hired loan sharks to pressure me! You ruined my life!”
The CEO felt a chill run down his spine. There was madness in Mabo Sung’s eyes. He was clearly not normal.
“Hmm… Anyway, we do regret that our product caused a small business to fail. As a gesture of goodwill, we’ll give you 2 billion won. This should cover your debts and let you resume normal life. In return, we ask you not to bring up this issue again.”
2 billion won would have settled most of his debts.
However, the CEO’s offer was perceived differently by Mabo Sung. It confirmed his suspicion.
“You bastards. So you’re finally confessing! If you didn’t steal my technology, why would you offer money!”
Losing his mind, Mabo Sung grabbed the CEO’s collar.
“Die, you son of a bitch!”
The CEO was a martial arts master and didn’t usually get into fights, but Mabo Sung’s strength was overwhelming. The CEO had sparred with Awakened Ones before and was certain:
“This man is an Awakened One!”
“Security! He’s an Awakened One! Hurry!”
The security guard, a former hunter, struck Mabo Sung’s back and pulled him off the CEO.
Mabo Sung was a combat-inefficient Awakened One and no match for an ex-hunter.
The physical fight quickly ended with Mabo Sung’s defeat.
Mabo Sung pulled out a glass bottle from his bag. The guards initially thought it was a potion until he made a throwing gesture.
Preparing for the worst, the security guard caught the bottle mid-air and threw it back at Mabo Sung. Mabo Sung had no chance to dodge or catch it.
The bottle shattered on Mabo Sung’s face, spilling its liquid.
Fizzing.
The acid ate away at his face. The smell of burning flesh made both the CEO and the guard instinctively cover their noses.
“Insane.”
The security guard severely beat Mabo Sung and handed him over to the police. Assaulting an Awakened One carried heavier punishment.
Mabo Sung was arrested for assaulting the K Pharmaceutical CEO.
K Pharmaceutical successfully portrayed him in the media as a foreign-backed terrorist, and the news reported him as a criminal who attempted an acid and bomb attack on their headquarters.
*
“Once again, welcome to all the new students.”
The principal’s speech concluded the entrance ceremony.
According to the orientation materials, I was assigned to Class 1-B. There appeared to be only two classes: A and B. Probably because of the limited number of Awakened instructors.
I looked at the assignment board posted on the first floor of the main building to find my classroom.
“Let’s see, Class 1-B…”
As I was walking down the hallway, someone grabbed my shoulder.
“Hey! How could you just walk away!”
It was Park Hayeon. The uniform suited her perfectly.
The academy uniform was basically a skirt and blouse set, with an overcoat for winter. She looked absolutely stunning in the full uniform.
“Hey, are you in B class too?”
“No, I’m in A.”
By the way, I got into serious trouble this morning. I ruined the dinner she prepared by coming home late, and I carelessly read all her messages…
Do I look like I have a girlfriend?
“Too bad. It would’ve been nice to be in the same class.”
From now on, Park Hayeon would be busy training non-stop. It would have been nice to be able to watch over her.
“Y-Yes…”
Suddenly bashful Park Hayeon then disappeared into Class A.
“Why is she like that?”
I entered Class 1-B. The other students were already seated. There was still an awkwardness among the new students, so no one was chatting.
I took a seat at the back and took out a painkiller. The aftereffects of using my skill yesterday were still ongoing.
Someone spoke to me.
“Good morning.”
Yang Min-seo. The granddaughter of the chairman of K Group, the top conglomerate in Korea. Her hair was styled in twin tails today, making her look even younger than her age.
“Hey, nice to see you again.”
She greeted me then went to sit at the front.
“Such a model student.”
Speaking of which, her death scene was coming up soon. She’s horrifically murdered by the “K Pharmaceutical Villain”.
The method was so brutal that I initially wondered why it wasn’t rated 19+. If she were a likable character, it would have certainly caused numerous 5700-character complaints from fans.
“Maybe I should save her…”
It wouldn’t be difficult for me now. Though her earlier attitude annoyed me, I don’t really feel anything anymore. Letting someone who could be saved die unnecessarily leaves a bitter aftertaste.
The homeroom teacher entered the classroom – a dark-circled fetish girl who seemed to find everything troublesome.
“My name is Song Si-yeol. I’ll be your homeroom teacher. I used to be a superhero called ‘Fire Punch’.”
“Fire Punch…?”
“You’re an A-rank hero! Our teacher is an A-rank!”
“Wow, this is an academy!”
The students were excited. The teacher had casually introduced himself, but he was actually a famous hero. A-rank heroes were rare to begin with.
Teacher Song continued.
“Since it’s the first day, we won’t have regular classes. We’ll form groups and do a brief field experience. Classes from now on will be conducted in these groups, which will change every semester. I’ll give you some time to form your groups.”
The students looked around awkwardly, unsure who to approach.
“This may seem sudden, but in real hero work, you often have to form teams on the spot. Consider this part of your training.”
The students started talking among themselves, approaching those they liked or those sitting nearby.
This first party formation wasn’t crucial since the early stages weren’t too difficult. In game terms, this was a tutorial on how to form parties.
Looking at Yang Min-seo from afar, I saw she was already being bombarded with requests.
“Miss Min-seo, please be in my group!”
“Miss Yang, please let me join too! I have C-rank telekinesis!”
“Telekinesis is trash! I have explosion abilities and am C-rank! Besides, unlike those commoners, my father runs a business. It’s better to group with people of the same level…”
The reason so many people were approaching her was due to an article K Group released earlier this year about establishing a hero management company within three years.
Hero management companies handle promotion and support for heroes’ activities, and currently 90% of active heroes have managers.
The smart students figured out that Yang Min-seo, as the chairman’s granddaughter attending the academy, would be key to K Group’s hero management plans.
“Excuse me.”
Yang Min-seo’s single word silenced the room.
“Impressive…”
I crossed my legs and thought about how to approach this group assignment. I didn’t really have any connections.
“The only skill I can publicly reveal is telekinesis. So am I heading towards the loner ending again…”
Looking around for any socially awkward types.
Then suddenly, Yang Min-seo approached me.
“Mr. Shinnoda, would you like to be in my group?”
“Uh?”
