Villain Professor of Heroes

“Waaaaaah!!”

A thunderous cheer erupted from the audience, shaking the ground.

The other professors and headhunters were all worked up, loudly talking and pointing at Han Min-ha.

“Professor, how exactly did you guide that kid to change so much?”

Professor Hyun Ju casually asked, but I only smiled in response.

Han Min-ha’s strategy was excellent.

Using aerodynamics, they never allowed the enemy to get close.

Turning the enemy’s own abilities against them, they used it as propulsion and attacked in a creative way.

I thought it would end with just deflecting the air currents by adjusting the angle of the defensive barrier.

But who would have thought they’d connect it into a semi-circle and use it as a runway?

Han Min-ha trusted the intensity of their own aura, so they must have faced that devastating final windstorm head-on.

Circling with a purple tail at incredible speed before charging straight at Song Do-yoon was quite the performance in itself.

In the media, it’s common to see scenes of heroes overwhelming villains with superior techniques and strength.

But objectively turning the tables with an ingenious method when all the stats are against you is quite rare.

Moreover, Han Min-ha is from the very bottom-ranked lower class, while Song Do-yoon is an ace of the upperclassmen.

It was an amazing comeback that you’d expect to see only in movies, and Han Min-ha will probably receive a good score.

Furthermore, the Human Combat Ability Evaluation carries significant weight.

Well done, Han Min-ha.

It wasn’t the Sikrito way, but it was truly impressive.

***

The Human Combat Ability Evaluation had concluded.

Even after the audience had all cleared out, the faculty finished up the evaluations.

We reviewed each student’s evaluation checklist to ensure none were missing, and checked for any errors or typos before sealing them in envelopes with stamps.

Combined with the written evaluation scores, overall rankings will be determined, and based on that, next semester’s class assignments will be reorganized.

When I turned on my phone, most of the news feeds were filled with articles about Han Min-ha’s stunning comeback.

Although there were occasional mentions of Yu Hye-won, they weren’t as provocative as Han Min-ha’s story, so they seemed to be slightly less prominent.

Yu Hye-won’s sparring was impressive, but the gap with her opponent was too large, so it ended rather anticlimactically.

Still… what kind of article is this?

“Academy’s Last Place Student’s Joyful Rebellion”

“Longtime Bottom Ranker Turns Academy Upside Down With ‘This'”

“‘Graford’s’ Freshman Wears Revealing Suit in Front of Audience”

Revealing suit? It was just slightly torn during combat.

Clicking in, the article featured a large photo zoomed in on Han Min-ha’s chest.

This is unpleasant.

As I continued scrolling, an article caught my eye.

“The Real Mastermind Behind This Great Comeback Isn’t Who You Think”

“This Year’s Top and Bottom Students Trained By Same Advisor”

What is this? Mastermind? What…

I’ve been mentioned briefly during the advisor selection season.

After all, Yu Hye-won is currently the most famous student at the Academy and a promising hero candidate.

Coincidentally, Han Min-ha, who caught attention this time, is also my guidance student.

So naturally, I, the common denominator between them, ended up getting media attention too.

But it’s not particularly welcome.

Having my name so publicly mentioned and receiving attention like this is unpleasant.

Ah, but as always, it’ll fade away soon enough.

I quietly memorized the names of a few reporters who wrote the most sensational and exaggerated articles.

“Wasn’t Min-ha truly amazing, Professor?”

Professor Jin leaned closely to me and said.

“Until a while ago, they couldn’t even clear the basic height, and yet…”

“It’s because Min-ha is a student with potential.”

“I heard you specially trained Min-ha, Professor. How exactly did you do it?”

“I just taught as I normally do. There’s not much to it.”

“Wow… still impressive… Teach me too!”

Professor Jin looked up at me with shining eyes, like a puppy.

“Yes, I’ll teach you later.”

I calmly smiled and stepped back a bit from Professor Jin.

Talking with Professor Jin is enjoyable, but first, I need to visit Han Min-ha at the infirmary.

“Professor Hyun.”

Then someone called me from behind.

Turning around, it was the hero who had waved at me from the audience earlier, smiling.

“An Jun-hyuk?”

The tall, well-built man revealed his white teeth and extended his hand.

“It’s been a while.”

“Indeed.”

I could feel tremendous strength from An Jun-hyuk’s handshake.

Still as brute-strong as ever.

“Um… Is Legalmight acquainted with you, Professor?”

When Professor Jin whispered quietly behind me, I nodded.

“We worked together in the past.”

“Really…? That’s amazing…”

An Jun-hyuk, codename Legalmight.

With unimaginable strength and an upright, just character rarely seen in today’s heroes, he enjoys immense popularity as an A-class hero.

Considered one of the leading candidates for the prestigious S-class, he’s a promising hero.

We briefly crossed paths during my time at Sikrito.

“What’re you doing here? Did you become a professor?”

“Isn’t it obvious I was evaluating students?”

An Jun-hyuk laughed heartily in his characteristic deep voice.

“That’s quite unexpected. To think Professor Hyun became a teacher.”

“Rather than that, could you let go of my hand? It’s starting to hurt.”

“Oh, sorry.”

I massaged my hand after he released it.

“Still, why did you come here?”

“There’s only one reason a frontline hero comes here.”

“To recruit sidekicks?”

After graduation, heroes’ career paths branch off into several directions.

Some work as civil servants at the Organization, others enter ‘corporations’ to accumulate experience before going independent and opening their own offices.

If not that, some freelance as free agents, taking jobs as they come.

An Jun-hyuk, like me, entered Sikrito but left midway and opened his own office.

As a renowned A-class hero, he must receive numerous requests and have many opportunities to launch, so he probably has quite a few sidekicks under his office umbrella.

For minor tasks, sidekicks sometimes handle cases independently, so hero offices are desperate for capable sidekicks.

That’s why active-duty heroes split their busy schedules to attend the Human Combat Ability Evaluation.

“Yeah, some of my sidekicks will be going independent soon. I’m here to scout for promising candidates beforehand.”

“What do you think so far?”

“There’s a student called Yu Hye-won who’s incredibly impressive. I heard they’re the Chairman of the Advisory Board’s only daughter.”

“That’s right. They’ll graduate at least B-class, most likely higher.”

“They do seem that promising.”

I inwardly hoped he’d mention Han Min-ha.

But it seems An Jun-hyuk didn’t notice anyone else besides Yu Hye-won, as he didn’t continue.

Disguising my disappointment, I spoke.

“The student Hyun would surely be pleased to hear about the chance to join Legalmight’s office.”

“I never said I’m planning to hire them as a prospective sidekick, Su-hyun.”

An Jun-hyuk chuckled while denying my statement.

“Of course, I admit the student’s excellent skills, but I do have concerns about them being the Chairman of the Advisory Board’s daughter.”

An Jun-hyuk dislikes the Chairman of the Advisory Board.

More than dislike, he outright loathes them.

All due to his upright and righteous nature.

Sikrito is an organization created to handle the dirtier jobs that the Organization can’t publicly undertake.

There are often cases where tasks require going beyond moral and common-sense bounds.

So An Jun-hyuk frequently clashed with the Chairman of the Advisory Board and eventually couldn’t endure it, leaving Sikrito.

True to his codename, Legal Might.

“I’d like to talk more since it’s been a while, but I need to head back to the office now.”

An Jun-hyuk extended his business card.

“If you have time, come visit my office soon. We can catch up then.”

“Alright. I’ll try to visit as soon as possible.”

I put the received business card into my pocket and shook hands with An Jun-hyuk.

“Then, goodbye.”

An Jun-hyuk placed his index and middle fingers at the edge of his eyebrows and said.

“Justice and common-sense are always…”

Ah. Really? Here in front of everyone?

It’s embarrassing.

But… there’s no reason to not oblige an old colleague we seldom see now.

I too placed my index and middle fingers to my eyebrows and responded.

“Always here.”

Legalmight grinned broadly, showing his white teeth, and forcefully removed his fingers from his eyebrows.

“See you again, Professor Hyun.”

An Jun-hyuk departed from the arena with a few other sidekicks and employees.

“Hey? Isn’t that Legalmight?”

Professor Hyun Ju, who came late, asked while looking at An Jun-hyuk’s retreating back.

“Yup, it seems he’s leaving. Glad about that.”

“Why?”

“That’s because Goshawk’s here.”

Looking where Professor Hyun Ju pointed, I saw a short female hero talking with other professors.

Goshawk, a hero who stands at the complete opposite end from the guardian of justice and common-sense, Legalmight.

Had those two met, it probably wouldn’t have ended well with a mutual understanding.

Seeing her so confidently come to observe like this, it doesn’t seem like she’s been dismissed by the Organization yet.

It wouldn’t be easy to dismiss her.

After all, if dismissed, Goshawk might immediately join the villain side without any issue.

It’s better to keep her bound and apply at least minimal control.

Heroes like her are often called ‘black heroes.’

Anyway,

The affairs of active heroes aren’t something I need to get deeply involved in.

I need to go see Han Min-ha now.

The most important entities to me as an Academy professor are my guidance students.

I said goodbye to the professors and headed to the infirmary where Han Min-ha was taken.

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