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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“Okay, that’s enough.”
A deep voice. And the sound of a door opening.
Two figures slowly walked through the doorway.
One was a young woman who looked far too young to be wearing a suit.
She couldn’t have been older than 22.
The other was an elderly man.
He seemed quite old, but he emanated a subtle aura of authority.
They were likely a high-ranking official and his assistant.
“Please, have a seat.”
“Yes, we’ll sit.”
The assistant offered them seats, and the elderly man replied casually.
They then walked towards me.
“Move.”
The old man suddenly told me to move.
I glared at him, confused.
‘Who the hell is this guy? Should I speed up his departure?’
[Hold back. If you actually hit him, you’ll be getting a one-way ticket out of here.]
Professor Pil-yong, who was next to me, whispered urgently,
“Shinwoo, move out of the way!”
“Ah.”
I finally understood. I was sitting in the old man’s seat.
No wonder the cushion was so comfortable.
I quickly got up, and the old man sat down. I stood awkwardly next to him.
But…
”…Would you mind moving to the other side?”
“Ah, yes.”
I was forced to move again, this time by the assistant.
I ended up standing on the opposite side of the table, with the assistant next to the old man.
He glanced at me, then turned his attention back to the meeting room.
“Good to see you all. I’m sure you all know who I am, but for those who don’t, let me introduce myself.”
He pulled his chair back and crossed his legs on the table.
He was acting casually in a formal setting.
[Isn’t Korea the land of courtesy?]
‘Maybe he’s suffering from dementia.’
But no one in the room dared to speak up.
They just tried to avoid his gaze.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room.
“I am the chairman of this academy, Jang In-hyuk.”
He finally spoke.
So he was the chairman.
‘No wonder that cushion was so damn comfy.’
[Look at the professor next to you. He looks like he wants to die.]
‘Bastard. Enjoy the taste of authority, while you still can!’
Professor Pil-yong, standing next to the chairman, looked absolutely miserable.
The chairman continued,
“Judging by the situation, it seems you were about to decide on Student Kim Shinwoo’s punishment.”
“Yes, Chairman. I am Professor Park Mi-ran. Student Kim Shinwoo is suspected of concealing his ability using a Camouflage Ability User.”
Professor Mi-ran spoke confidently, undeterred by the chairman’s presence.
He looked at her with amusement.
“Do you truly believe he concealed his ability with the help of a Camouflage Ability User?”
“Yes, and I am certain that the original Defensive Coat he possesses is proof that he has been in contact with a Camouflage Ability User!”
“Hmm…”
The chairman pondered for a moment, then sat up straight.
He steepled his fingers and rested his chin on them.
“Let me get straight to the point. That student has absolutely no connection to a Camouflage Ability User.”
“B-but… the coat!”
“Ah, I can vouch for that. I know the person who gave it to him. That bastard… I mean, that person is not a Camouflage Ability User.”
He chuckled and muttered, “He’d be better off being a Camouflage Ability User,” under his breath.
Of course, only I could hear him.
“Th-that’s impossible…”
“What I’m trying to say is that you’re all being too narrow-minded.”
He unclasped his fingers and pointed at me.
“Has it not occurred to any of you that he might have awakened his ability here?”
“That’s absurd!!! A dog turning into a human is more believable!!!”
The elderly professor who had been leading the meeting vehemently opposed the idea.
That pissed me off.
[That was a bit harsh, don’t you think?]
‘That bitch is getting on my nerves. Should I rip her mouth apart?’
[…You’re being harsher.]
The chairman sighed, expressing his disappointment.
“Dear me. I had hoped that the professors in this academy would at least possess flexible minds.”
“But everyone knows that abilities only manifest before the age of 20!”
“Who decided that?”
The chairman’s demeanor shifted.
From amusement to annoyance.
That alone was enough to silence the professor.
“Th-that’s a well-established fact, proven by countless statistics and experiments.”
“Who, and when, was it decided that the age of awakening is fixed at 20?”
“But…”
“The early Hunters didn’t necessarily awaken their abilities before 20, did they? Be a little more open-minded.”
He yawned, as if he was bored.
Of course, no one dared to challenge him.
“You’re all so rigid. You’re younger than me, yet your minds are more inflexible.”
“Then, Chairman, what do you propose we do about Student Kim Shinwoo?”
“Let’s observe him. Let’s see how far this child, who just awakened his ability, can go.”
“…Understood.”
Professor Mi-ran seemed to accept the chairman’s decision, despite her dissatisfaction.
She couldn’t do anything about it anyway.
[The power of authority is truly remarkable.]
‘Bow before me, you bastards.’
The chairman suddenly turned to me.
“And you, you said your name was Kim Shinwoo, right?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Come closer.”
I stepped closer to him.
When I was close enough…
“Ryu Kang-hyuk, that bastard, is he still doing well?”
He whispered into my ear.
Words I had never expected to hear.
[He knew about that guy.]
‘Who is this guy?’
I was shocked, but I didn’t want to show my fear.
So I whispered back,
“He’s probably having some hot, steamy, pregnancy-inducing sex right now.”
“Hahahahahahaha!”
[Be careful what you say.]
‘Baby room boom boom?’
[……]
The chairman burst out laughing.
And since I was right next to him…
‘My ear hurts, you old fart.’
It was painfully loud.
He leaned back and addressed the room,
“Anyway, I’ll vouch for this student, so don’t worry too much about him.”
“Th-then, what ability should we register him as?”
“Let’s see. Just register him as having the ability to enhance his body.”
“Will the government accept that?”
“That’s your job, isn’t it? You’re not paid for nothing, are you?”
Professor Mi-ran couldn’t refute his words.
It was refreshing to see her speechless.
The chairman abruptly stood up, signaling the end of his involvement.
“Anyway, good luck with the rest of the meeting. Let’s conclude this matter here.”
“Please, go ahead, Chairman.”
With that, the chairman and his assistant left the room.
Silence descended once again.
The elderly professor broke the silence.
“Alright, let’s consider the matter of Student Kim Shinwoo’s punishment closed. Any objections?”
“…”
“Then, we will register Student Shinwoo’s ability with the government. Meeting adjourned.”
My fate was decided by a single, powerful figure, like a natural disaster.
But I didn’t care.
Because right now, I was only interested in…
The chairman’s empty seat.
That cushion was incredibly comfortable.
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“Did you really have to go that far?”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“…”
Their conversation ended abruptly.
Chairman Jang and his assistant walked back to his office in silence.
The silence was finally broken once they reached the office.
“Are you curious why I intervened?”
“To be honest, yes.”
“Then, look at this.”
He suddenly handed her a piece of paper.
“Is this…?”
“Yes, it’s from Ryu Kang-hyuk, that bastard. Would you like to read it?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
She carefully unfolded the paper.
It was crumpled, as if someone had been holding back their anger. But she didn’t comment on it.
The content was slightly longer than before.
[It’s me, you bastard.]
[Let him in.]
Relatively longer, that is.
“…”
“What do you think would have happened if I hadn’t intervened, and he was expelled?”
“Wouldn’t it have been fine?”
“That’s because you don’t know Ryu Kang-hyuk, that crazy bastard.”
Chairman Jang looked a bit disgusted.
His assistant noticed his subtle expression.
“He probably wouldn’t have told Ryu Kang-hyuk if he was expelled.”
“Then wouldn’t it be fine?”
“But what if Ryu Kang-hyuk found out?”
“I don’t know.”
The chairman’s expression said “I don’t want to even think about it.”
But he answered her question anyway.
“The academy would have ceased to be an academy.”
“…Because of that one student?”
She looked incredulous.
“That bastard is still unpredictable.”
“Judging by his letter, I can understand.”
“And when that lunatic gets angry, no one can stop him.”
“But can he really destroy the academy alone? Our professors are quite powerful, you know?”
She had a point.
The professors, employed by the government, might be insane, but they were all skilled.
She didn’t think anyone could easily take them on.
However…
“That’s the problem. He can.”
“What?…”
Chairman Jang’s opinion was different.
And it was understandable.
“I tried to test him once. I gathered all sorts of strong people to provoke him.”
”…Judging by your tone, it didn’t go well?”
“We suffered heavy casualties. Everyone except Ryu Kang-hyuk was barely alive.”
“…”
He had experienced it firsthand.
“He wouldn’t normally pick a fight, but that day, things escalated because of one of the guys I brought.”
“Why did they fight?”
Chairman Jang chuckled.
He still couldn’t believe it.
“One of them knocked over his sandwich. That’s all it took.”
“That’s insane.”
“So, yeah, I didn’t think he’d go berserk just because of a goddamn sandwich.”
The chairman’s face was etched with disgust, as if he didn’t want to recall the memory.
He stood up and grabbed the doorknob.
“Anyway, it’s best to avoid anything related to that mad dog.”
“So that student is like a precious sandwich to Ryu Kang-hyuk.”
“Yes. He might have retired, but he still has teeth.”
As soon as the chairman opened the door, his assistant followed him.
“Let’s go.”
“…Where are we going, sir?”
“You don’t want to go home?”
“Thank you, sir!”
Her last words were the fastest she had spoken all day.
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I had nothing to do with this anymore.
The only thing left was to sit back and enjoy the show.
However, the professors’ meeting was…
“So, how about adding stir-fried sausage and vegetables to the professors’ cafeteria menu?”
“I agree.”
“I object. I’d like to add oxtail soup to the menu as well.”
“I agree.”
“Alright, the motion passes unanimously. I’ll forward this to the cafeteria.”
It was more childish and petty than I had imagined.
[Are these truly the professors this one remembers?]
‘Did you think it couldn’t get worse?’
The agenda item was the treatment of research students.
Specifically, their access to showers.
“This is about the shower schedule for research students. To maintain hygiene standards, we’re proposing they shower at the dorms at least once every two days.”
“I object! That’s too frequent. Can’t we make it once every three days?”
“I object! Since labor laws don’t apply to research students, once a week should be sufficient.”
Most of the professors seemed satisfied with the last suggestion.
Then, someone cautiously proposed,
“How about once every two weeks?”
The professors’ eyes lit up with anticipation.
But someone objected fiercely.
“Remember what happened last time? We lost a valuable research student because he was mistaken for a homeless person and kicked out of the academy.”
“That’s unacceptable! We can’t afford to lose our precious workforce, even temporarily!”
The professors cried out in protest.
Some even shed tears, as if they were traumatized by the memory.
“Then are we all in agreement about once a week?”
“Aye.”
“Aye.”
“Any objections?”
“…”
“Alright, then it’s decided. Research students will be allowed to go to their dorms once a week to shower.”
The professors burst into applause and cheers.
They hugged each other, sharing their joy, as if they had just won a great victory.
Even Professor Pil-yong and Professor Mi-ran, who were at each other’s throats earlier, were hugging each other tightly.
[Are they even human?]
‘They’re just bastards.’
Heartless bastards.
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Ok someone please make a novel about a graduate school uprising.