NOVEL WEB Chapter 89
After the internship ended, there wasn’t really anything notable happening for a whole month.
I had this strange expectation that something thrilling might happen, but nope, nothing at all.
Not that absolutely nothing occurred.
Like, that guy left Heros City for good and returned to his base, or visited the Hero Association and asked if they could change up his costume a bit.
Or maybe he was busy taking over some crime organization overseas and eliminating any resistance. It’s been a while since he last made drugs to fund his operations.
He was also quite busy hanging out with Minho and Yeonhwa, gathering useful info here and there.
“Alright, today’s exploration ends here. It’s nice to see you all visibly growing day by day.”
“Isn’t that all thanks to you, Senpai?”
When it came to the club, I didn’t think anyone would really gain anything big as I’d intended.
Actually, no. Meilin was the only one milking it for all it was worth.
In the original, things wrapped up a bit quicker, and Minho and Lucia got various tips, but this time it was just Jinhyeon and me present.
Far from giving advice, the analysis was still dragging on.
“…not all of us—I mean, we did put in some effort.”
But really, they weren’t totally stagnant either.
Lucia, while still looking cynical like at the start of the semester, had learned to say some warm things, and Jinhyeon had, at least, started to look a bit more human.
Minho… well, who knows? He got an artifact, didn’t he? Being the protagonist, while everyone else was growing mentally, he managed to notch up some physical growth by himself.
Although that mental growth was the exact kind I didn’t want to see, still, if this growth trend continues, his abilities probably won’t fully blossom until the time of the attack.
…Changwon, I’m not so sure about. Just let Justitia handle it.
“You guys put in effort, but don’t you think my brilliant advice contributed as well?”
“Not like you’ve really given any advice, right?”
“That’s just cruel!”
Jinhyeon didn’t seem to have grown at all from this.
Meilin, feigning hurt from my casual remark, seemed to have lost the will to chat and sat down at the computer, telling us to study hard for the finals.
“Oh, right, Senpai. About the finals, do you have anything helpful to share? You’ve been pretty much silent on advice so far.”
“Blanca, you too!”
Meilin flopped back as if in shock, and then ominously smiled while staying in that position.
“…Hehe, but that’s a sharp observation. As a senpai who’s given no real advice until now, I should offer something at least.”
Prepare to die.
Meilin gave ‘advice’ with a mockingly indifferent attitude.
“This doesn’t sound like advice at all.”
Jinhyeon, appearing puzzled, asked her if she knew what subjects would come up. But Meilin dismissed it, saying that was irrelevant.
“I saw you guys fighting in the Sports Festival—so flashy! In our time, we didn’t fight like that. So, you might face something difficult even the veterans struggle with?”
One thing’s for sure, finals are going to be a real ‘challenge’.
Meilin wrapped up with a sort of pseudo-advice to cling on and not drop down a grade.
“That was totally unhelpful.”
“…It actually feels, uh, more depressing…”
Minho, looking confused about what to make of it all, received a notification at almost the same moment as me.
Curious if it was the same channel we both subscribed to, I checked the message—it was from the Hero Association. They wanted to chat about the suit.
“…Why did the Hero Association call me?”
Not only was I surprised they’d called him, but I was also skeptical about why.
“Aren’t you just supposed to visit the Hero Association separately?”
“Nope, not at all. I haven’t even been near there since my visit to the Academy…”
That’s weird. There wasn’t any event like this in the original. I was completely stumped. But whatever, going home with Jinhyeon seemed unlikely.
“Jinhyeon, I’m gonna head out first.”
“Aren’t you walking home with me?”
“Nah. I need to swing by the Association too.”
“Wait, you’re going to the Association too?”
“Yeah, I asked them to fix my suit design a few weeks back.”
Explaining the situation, Minho understood immediately and suggested we go together.
With no reason to decline, I headed off with him, while Jinhyeon awkwardly wished us a good trip from a distance.
Ignoring him, I set off toward the Association with Minho.
Out of nowhere, we encountered some folks I didn’t expect.
“Seolhwa? Were you heading the other way?”
“Yeah. But I got called by the Association, so I’m heading this way. Did you guys get called too?”
Seolhwa was shocked to hear all three of us got called at the same time. Same here. I found it pretty strange.
Don’t they usually handle these things separately? Did they bunch up the scheduling? Or was there something else going on?
It’s probably some inconsequential reason; still, imagining the possibilities is usually the fun part.
After a debate about why we might’ve all been summoned at the same time, we finally arrived at the Hero Association.
Unlike the awkward kids, I had been here a few times and smoothly greeted the staff at the desk, mentioning we had been called.
“Just a moment… Ah. Found you. You all should head to the atelier. The doctor will explain what’s up.”
As we walked through the glass partition that the staff opened, we could hear raised voices from inside.
“My invention! This isn’t what I intended to create!!”
“Well, the Gatling gun had a good intention. VX and Zyklon B were originally developed as insecticides. If you didn’t want your technology to be misused, you shouldn’t have gone public with it. And who was it that relentlessly supported your research despite no results?”
“This day will be remembered as a day of disgrace!”
“Yes, yes. You should go now. The kids have already arrived.”
The kids were all gathered with their ears pressed against the door, and when the heavy footsteps approached, they scrambled back.
The door swung open, revealing the head of the research institute, someone I’d met before.
“Oh? It’s you, Director? Who were you arguing with…?”
“You’ll find out, kids. Off you go.”
The director managed a strained smile and told us we’d understand once we entered, before striding away.
“Come in, Academy students. You’re welcome to stand if you prefer that.”
As I pondered what was happening, a woman’s voice I hadn’t heard before resonated from within.
Entering, she introduced herself with a business card.
“Heros Company… Department of Supernatural Research… Head…? Why…?”
“Well, it’s actually because you all achieved remarkable results previously. We’re here to express our gratitude or more specifically to Seolhwa and Minho for their outstanding contributions.”
“Gratitude?”
Seolhwa tilted her head in confusion. The head was like, “You’ll know once you see this,” as she picked up a case that was sitting on the floor and placed it on the table.
“Open it. It’s a token of gratitude from Heros Company.”
“This is…”
As Seolhwa opened the case carefully, she gazed at a glowing blue necklace.
“This is an artifact. It actually contains abilities that would synergize well with Seolhwa’s powers. It allows you to manipulate ice.”
The director suggested she try it out firsthand. Seolhwa hesitated, but eventually donned the eerie blue necklace and conjured a small icicle.
Then she channeled magical energy into the artifact.
To everyone’s surprise, the icicle began to float in mid-air.
Seolhwa and Minho were equally astonished by the sight.
“You should be able to make even larger ones without trouble. And Minho? There’s an item for you too, let’s have a look.”
Seolhwa handed Minho a chain that was inside the case. Minho inspected it, wondering if this was an artifact too, when he sensed something odd about it.
“You just attach it to your shoes. I’ve designed it as a form of crampons. And as you suspected, it’s an artifact that creates vibrations.”
“Vibrations… huh?”
Minho examined it with a somewhat cryptic expression, put it on his shoes, and moved a bit.
“It’s a device that continuously vibrates to create synergy with your shoes. The vibrations increase relative to the amount of magical energy and impact.”
So, when combined with the ‘release’ from your shoes, you should also be able to attain an ultrasonic crushing effect along with the impact.
The director casually wrapped up the explanation and stood up to collect the case.
“And that’s all we had for you. Thank you for coming such a long way. If you experience any unexpected side effects from the artifacts or any other anomalies, please contact the number on the business card.”
With that, the director left abruptly.
Minho asked him to wait a moment, wanting to ask something, but the director dodged, saying all other details were confidential.
“…Wait, then why was Blanca called?”
“Well, because we have business with her. Seriously, how can people from the company be so shameless?”
The researchers sadly informed me that there was no way to modify the function while altering its form but at least created a material that could be layered on the suit, handing me something like a coat.
It felt pretty heavy. When I asked what it was made of, they explained it was made from carbon fiber.
“You’ll want to take this off while fighting, but at least it should block some line of sight.”
So, no real solutions then. I left with a hint of disappointment, asking to be sent back to the Academy.
…But more importantly, vibrations and ice manipulation?
Hmm, feels a bit familiar.