Mr. Park Ho-yeol was an able scholar of supernaturals who had just completed his Ph.D. in the U.S.
A man so talented that he could have become a professor at an Ivy League university.
However, at the request of ‘Mask Rider,’ to whom he owed a life debt from the past, he took up a teaching position at the Academy.
Since teachers at the Academy were treated fairly close to the level of university professors in the public eye, it wasn’t a particularly damaging decision.
Yet, for all that, Mr. Park Ho-yeol had a substantial ego, and he often got into trouble with his students.
Mr. Park Ho-yeol had already heard about Shinnoda.
The freshman who had taken down ‘Luna Bear’ all by himself during the first practical exercise.
Usually, it took at least two Awakened Ones of the same rank to defeat a comparable monster.
But this boy had slain a higher-ranking monster all by himself, so it was quite justified to call him outstanding.
At first, Park Ho-yeol had expectations.
How industrious could this kid be?
Perhaps he had indeed found a worthy disciple to teach.
But when he saw Shinnoda in the classroom, it was the worst—there didn’t seem to be any trace of diligence or study in him.
Annoyed for no reason, Park took it out on Shinnoda.
He gave a problem that first-year students would have a hard time solving—something that had only been taught five minutes ago. The objective was merely to memorize the formula, not prove it.
Calculating the precise amount of mana needed for using a skill.
It wasn’t something that could be done unless you had manually proven the derivation, and even then, only an average college student specializing in supernaturals could manage it.
The other students had equally astonished expressions and shook their heads, even those who had listened carefully.
‘How is someone supposed to solve something like this? He’s bound to embarrass himself.’
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Shinnoda confidently began the proof.
Thwap. Da-da-da.
Shinnoda was furiously scribbling equations, causing Mr. Park’s mouth to progressively widen.
‘It’s certainly correct, but…’
The initial steps of the proof matched what Park knew, but strangely, they were slightly different. Yet upon further contemplation, they appeared accurate.
‘Is this even possible?’
Mr. Park Ho-yeol, caught off guard by this strange situation, unconsciously began stroking his chin—a habit of his.
Shinnoda’s solution was nearing its conclusion.
‘What’s that? Shouldn’t this spot have the mana constant?’
In the currently known mana equations, there existed a value that humanity had yet to measure. However, because the system automatically calculated these figures, it was represented simply as the constant ‘M’. Therefore, modern supernatural science was predicated on system-aided calculations.
Shinnoda, instead of writing ‘M’, filled in a specific value.
Having finished all the equations, Shinnoda silently placed the marker down.
Park Ho-yeol had a mountain of questions.
“What does this part mean?”
“That’s a method for using mana more efficiently.”
“What I mean is, this part is supposed to be the mana constant. How dare you arbitrarily insert a value for something that hasn’t been measured yet?”
Shinnoda thought for a moment before picking up the marker again.
Thwap. Ta-dak.
He jotted down a new equation.
“This proves the mana constant. There’s nothing particularly special about it.”
“Huh…”
Mr. Park Ho-yeol was astounded. A completely new approach. This was nothing short of Columbus’ egg.
“Um…how did you even think of this?”
He picked up the marker himself and checked the proof for any errors, but found none.
Staring at the blackboard, Park Ho-yeol lost track of time.
Before he knew it, the bell signaling the end of class rang.
Mr. Park Ho-yeol felt the presence of a massive wall. Not even his teacher, who had been called a ‘Wizard’ back in the U.S., had reached this level.
“To start with, it’s pretty clear that you’ve never attended my class.”
The puzzled look on Shinnoda’s face was unmistakable—almost like a silent challenge asking if there was anything wrong.
“You didn’t need to attend my classes from the start.”
“…”
“Where did you learn this kind of information?”
“Just…doing it, I guess?”
Feeling the barrier of talent, Mr. Park Ho-yeol was utterly deflated.
“I admit it. You don’t need to attend my classes.”
The students, who hadn’t fully grasped the situation until now, finally understood from their teacher’s reaction.
“Hey, does Shinnoda study well too?”
“What is he bad at…?”
“Having telekinesis as a skill might be the only thing proving that fate isn’t completely unfair.”
Mr. Park Ho-yeol politely asked Shinnoda.
“Are you planning to publish this finding as a paper?”
He thought that using this proof, it might be possible for humanity to use supernaturals without relying on the system. If this were truly possible, it could very well be the greatest discovery of the 21st century.
Shinnoda’s reaction was lackadaisical.
“Well, it’s kind of a hassle…”
“I’ll take care of all the writing for you. It’ll be published under your name, but please allow me to be a co-author.”
“If you insist so much, sure. Do as you like.”
“Thank you.”
The teacher was confident that this paper would overturn the academic world. He would become a giant in the supernatural field.
Declaring the end of the class, he left the classroom.
Yang Min-seo secretly took pride in having recognized Shinnoda’s worth early on and investing in him, which had even saved her life today.
‘I need to make him more firmly my ally.’
Judging from what she observed, Shinnoda seemed to have little interest in material things. Yang Min-seo thought about what she could offer him aside from money.
‘M…Mistress tactic?’
She suddenly felt a surge of embarrassment and covered her face with her hands.
But shaking her head, she realized how impractical it was. From what she saw earlier, it seemed like Shinnoda already had a woman in his life.
‘Her name…was Park Hayeon, wasn’t it?’
She already knew that they lived together.
‘A young man and woman living together at their prime. This is completely…’
Strange thoughts entered her mind.
At that moment, Shinnoda approached and spoke to her.
“Excuse me…”
“Eh, y-yes! What is it?”
Yang Min-seo, who had been imagining the relationship between Park Hayeon and Shinnoda, stuttered in surprise.
“It’s not that big of a deal. I need something.”
“What do you need?”
“The Philosopher’s Stone. I think you’d be able to get it.”
“Of course. But isn’t it a bit too much? Honestly, compared to the value of my life, it’s just a pittance.”
Shinnoda nodded. He needed to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone as soon as possible, due to someone incessantly crying in his head.
*
Late at night.
A villain’s hideout.
‘Darkness Jumper’ pulled out a black robe from her bag and checked the voice modulator around her mouth.
“Yep. Perfect!”
A rectangular device kept transmitting nonstop police communications.
Bibi-bibbik.
[Code 13. Euljiro 11th Street. Estimated C-rank villain. Requesting support.]
[Code 2. Nearby…heading over immediately.]
[Code 13. Weapons being used.]
This was police communication.
Yoon Mi-so purchased this expensive device to impersonate ‘Dark Knight.’
To be precise, she’d agreed to buy it, but the seller had taken bullets instead of money.
“Shall we make an appearance as Dark Knight, then?”
Villain name ‘Darkness Jumper.’
The name ‘Jumper’ came from her ability to teleport instantaneously.
Soon, the space surrounding Yoon Mi-so changed.
An alley packed with shops.
Yoon Mi-so appeared at the scene where a villain and armed police officers were facing off. They were all startled by the sudden appearance of ‘Dark Knight.’
The villain, in particular, trembled with fear.
“D-Dark Knight!”
The villain turned and fled immediately, and Yoon Mi-so pursued. The two police officers reported to their superiors that ‘Dark Knight’ had appeared.
“Aaaaaah.”
Soon, the villain’s scream was heard. Not long after, Yoon Mi-so, dressed as ‘Dark Knight,’ appeared in front of the police. She raised both hands to show she had no intention to fight and approached the officers.
The officers tensed up, aiming their guns.
With a smile, ‘Darkness Jumper’ walked past the two officers.
“Thank you for all your hard work.”
The mechanically altered voice. The officers inwardly felt relieved, believing that if it weren’t a villain, it must really be ‘Dark Knight.’
Yoon Mi-so’s hand slipped into the robe.
The cost of negligence was great.
“Ding-dong~”
The playful sound effect she made by mouth was followed by real gunshots—two of them. In each of her hands was a revolver, equipment raided from a holding cell.
“Ahaha. Didn’t that look a bit cowboy-like? Too bad there’s no one around to see it.”
At that moment, a massive man appeared, his body covered in muscles.
“I’ve been watching you. I’m arresting you.”
‘Iron Fist.’
Dressed in knuckle dusters and a trench coat, he was a hero with a body-enhancement skill who had recently been promoted to B-rank.
‘Iron Fist’ wasn’t planning to confront the A-rank suspected ‘Dark Knight,’ but had instead been observing secretly, waiting for the right moment to persuade. But when he witnessed ‘Dark Knight’ cold-bloodedly kill the police officers with guns, he realized this was the fake ‘Dark Knight’ he’d only heard rumors about and decided to step in.
“You’re clearly a fake, I assume.”
“What? I am Dark Knight! And what’s your nerve? You think heroes are invincible to bullets?”
‘Iron Fist’ had his trust. The commemorative supply from his B-rank promotion.
Mana Coat.
The Mana Coat was created using the technique upper-level monsters use to coat their bodies with mana, protecting the wearer from bullets. However, it was prohibitively expensive, and each charge cost several million won to recharge, so it wasn’t used lightly.
But this wasn’t a situation where a few million mattered. Without hesitation, he activated the coat.
A blue aura enveloped ‘Iron Fist’s’ body.
Bang. Bang.
The bullets fired by ‘Darkness Jumper’ couldn’t penetrate the blue barrier around his body.
‘Iron Fist’ closed the distance instantly.
The fist swinging towards her was so quick it made a ‘whoosh’ sound as if kicking a soccer ball.
Yoon Mi-so teleported to dodge the punch. Her new location was behind ‘Iron Fist,’ where she stabbed him with a dagger imbued with mana.
Mana Coat could easily be breached with enough mana.
“Khhhaa…”
He shouted, turning around quickly, but the spot was already empty.
“This works pretty well. But how many muscles do you have? Why won’t the knife go in?”
“…”
She twirled the dagger gracefully before letting it go.
“What’s your ability? Surely not something like physical enhancement, right? Ha ha. There’s no way someone with that garbage ability could become a hero.”
“I see you know about me.”
“What? Don’t puff yourself up! I’ve never heard of you. I just guessed because you’re too suspicious.”
‘Iron Fist’ silently charged at her. The distance between them quickly shortened. He lunged with all his might.
‘Darkness Jumper’ disappeared right before his eyes. He couldn’t touch her.
Their attributes were too mismatched.
At the same time, a mechanical voice rang in his ear.
“Kha-kha. You’ll never beat me.”
‘Darkness Jumper’ jumped onto ‘Iron Fist’ like a horse, repeatedly slashing his neck. A spray of blood burst out each time the knife entered and exited.
‘Iron Fist’ writhed trying to throw her off, but the relentless slashing eventually brought him down.
Falling to the ground, he asked in his last moment of life:
“Why… Why are you doing this…”
She whispered to him as he lay there.
“Your mom, dad, friends? How proud they must have been when you bragged about being a hero. That’s going to change now! Our son ‘Iron Fist’? Apparently, he got brutally killed in the alley! Haha.”
‘Darkness Jumper’s’ laughter tore at her mouth.
‘Iron Fist’s’ face contorted into an indescribably hideous expression, and that was his last moment.
Tink, roll-roll.
The sound of a can rolling on the floor.
‘Darkness Jumper’ turned her head toward the noise. Some young students were filming the scene on their smartphones.
“Ha, ha! Did you see that?!”
“Whoa! Run!”
Actually, she’d known from the start.
She let them run away.
