Villain Professor of Heroes – Chapter 16

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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An advisor guided their students to achieve good grades and graduate successfully.

So, rather than the relationship between a professor and a graduate student in the real world, the term “mentor” was more appropriate.

Unlike graduate students who were often treated like slaves, advisees actively utilized their professors for support.

If the mentored student becomes a successful hero in the future, it will be beneficial to the professor’s career as well.

In that sense, Yoo Hee-won might be the ideal student, while Han Min-ha…

Han Min-ha’s grades, which I accessed using my advisor privileges, were truly dismal.

Honestly, I wondered if a regular high school student in decent physical condition would have performed better.

However… this probably wasn’t Han Min-ha’s limit.

People with low self-esteem often failed to recognize their own potential and couldn’t perform to their full abilities.

If I wasn’t mistaken, Han Min-ha’s Aura was incredibly powerful.

If I could just help her use it properly, she could definitely improve.

“Professor Kyo!”

Professor Jin Se-young caught up to me as I left the research building to head to class.

“Are you going to teach a class?”

“Yes. What about you, Professor Jin?”

“Me too. Let’s go together.”

Professor Jin was dressed like a swimmer before a competition.

A tight-fitting, full-body practice suit designed to minimize friction and prevent injuries during flight.

Wearing a loose training jacket over it, Professor Jin exuded a healthy charm.

She was a completely different type of person from me, a gray mold wasting away with lung disease.

By the way, it felt amazing not to be coughing these days.

Was it really because of Han Min-ha?

“Professor Jin, about Han Min-ha.”

“Min-ha? Why?”

“How is she doing?”

“Min-ha… she just barely managed to lift off the ground. Other students are already capable of low-altitude flight, so she’s a bit behind.”

“I see. Have you checked her Aura?”

“Her Aura? Right.”

Professor Jin nodded, as if understanding my intention.

“I guess you sensed it too, Professor. Her Aura is incredibly pure.”

“Pure” in this context meant high density.

Let’s see.

At this point in the semester, there were only a few subjects that required direct Aura manipulation.

Basic Defense, which I taught, Flight and Guidance under Professor Jin Se-young, and Comprehensive Offense under Professor Yoo Hyun-joo.

That was it for now.

In Comprehensive Offense, the focus would be on physical combat, similar to regular martial arts.

Essentially, Professor Jin and I were the only ones who had paid close attention to Han Min-ha’s Aura.

“Han Min-ha is a hero family bonus points recipient. Maybe that’s why her aura….”

“I know. But it’s strange, isn’t it? Hero family bonus points recipients usually handle Aura much more easily than other students, but she’s a bit… how should I put it…”

“Like an idiot.”

“Ahaha…”

Professor Jin couldn’t agree or disagree with my blunt assessment and just laughed.

It was true, but she probably felt uncomfortable calling her own student an idiot.

She had such a kind and innocent personality.

“Anyway, it’s good that it worked out well. With someone like Professor Kyo guiding her, she’ll probably move up to the higher-level class quickly.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“But Professor Kyo, why did you suddenly decide to take on students? And Min-ha, of all people?”

“Well, I suppose it’s a bit of misplaced concern. I just thought that if I could guide a low-performing student whom everyone else had given up on and see them graduate successfully, it would be rewarding in itself.”

Professor Jin Se-young clasped her hands together, her eyes shining at my lie.

“As expected… of Professor Kyo…”

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The faculty had now matched all the students and professors appropriately, and if the students had no major objections to the results, the selection process would be concluded.

Since it was the result of a lengthy coordination process, there usually weren’t any significant changes at this point.

My biggest concern when accepting Han Min-ha as my student was Yoo Hee-won’s reaction.

Something like, “How dare you put me with the likes of Han Min-ha?” or “Professor Hyun Kyo’s student is only me.”

But I hadn’t gone into that situation without a plan.

“Hello, Professor.”

The students entered the classroom and naturally sat on their individual mats.

The first ten minutes of class were always spent in meditation like this to calm their minds.

The higher-level class had already reached the level of creating basic barriers, so the teaching assistants no longer needed to bring in iron pipes.

As I stood at the podium, receiving the students’ greetings, Yoo Hee-won entered the classroom, leading a group.

I thought there were about three of them last time, but now Yoo Hee-won’s followers numbered close to ten.

Roughly half the class was already loyal to Yoo Hee-won.

There were a few other higher-level classes, but Yoo Hee-won’s class was the top-ranking among them.

Half of that class was following her around like hunting dogs.

If these students graduated without any problems, they might form a new hero faction centered around Yoo Hee-won.

Heroes usually didn’t cooperate with each other, but who knew.

Wait a minute…

Did this also happen in the original story?

Did Yoo Hee-won lead these students as her subordinates, or did she act alone…?

I tried to recall, but I couldn’t remember clearly.

Perhaps I had forgotten over time since my possession.

It wasn’t like I had only read that one novel, and it wasn’t a masterpiece that would be etched in my memory.

I knew the general outline, so it shouldn’t matter if I didn’t remember every detail.

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Immediately after the class ended, Yoo Hee-won came to see me.

“The advisor assignment results are a bit strange.”

“I’d like to know in what way they are strange.”

“Han Min-ha. What’s the deal with her?”

“The other professors didn’t want Han Min-ha as their student because her grades are so poor. So, I, as a professor of an unpopular subject, ended up taking her. Every student needs an advisor. I don’t see any major problems.”

No one could see through my lies while I had the Mental Barrier up.

As expected, Yoo Hee-won, unaware of my lie, continued to protest.

“I’m not talking about procedural issues, Professor. The problem is how I, the top student in the basic evaluation, ended up being grouped with someone who not only failed but also fainted.”

“Are you saying your grades will drop if you’re with Han Min-ha? I didn’t realize you were so petty.”

“What?”

“Someone of your caliber, Yoo Hee-won, should be able to influence Han Min-ha positively and help her improve her grades. Unless you’re saying you don’t even want to speak to a lowly, lower-class student?”

When I directly pointed out her character flaw, Yoo Hee-won avoided answering and looked at me with a slightly frustrated expression before changing the subject.

“Weren’t you going to reject me as your student, Professor?”

“I changed my mind. People’s hearts are always changing.”

“Is that so? I hope there weren’t any external factors that influenced your change of heart.”

I smiled and met Yoo Hee-won’s gaze.

“I can’t deny that. There were some external factors, as well as internal ones. Of course, I don’t think I need to emphasize that the internal factors had a greater influence.”

“What are these internal factors, Professor Hyun Kyo?”

Reinforcing my Mental Barrier, I delivered the lines I had prepared.

“It’s like this. You, Yoo Hee-won, chose me despite other professors lining up to be your advisor. It would be inhumane of me to reject you, both towards you and the other professors.”

“I never knew you were such a warm-hearted person.”

Despite Yoo Hee-won’s sarcasm, I maintained my smile and continued,

“And you, student Yoo Hee-won, had me in mind as your advisor even before entering the academy, and you even spoke to me first at the entrance ceremony.”

“Hmm.”

Yoo Hee-won crossed her arms and waited for my next words.

“I’m very grateful for that. Of course, I won’t deny that your first impression wasn’t very good. Your attitude towards others is somewhat inappropriate.”

“That’s…”

Yoo Hee-won tried to retort, but I ignored her and continued,

“But I thought that perhaps it was a clumsy expression of your pride in your talent and abilities.”

“What…?”

I smiled at Yoo Hee-won and continued,

“So… I thought that if I mentored an excellent student like you, I could feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in choosing this profession.”

Taken aback by my sudden change in attitude, Yoo Hee-won stared at me, at a loss for words.

Since things had turned out this way, I was setting the stage for Yoo Hee-won to tacitly accept Han Min-ha.

To make her think that I had chosen her of my own volition and that choosing Han Min-ha was simply a procedural necessity.

To make her believe that having a low-performing student by her side would make her stand out even more.

And for that, there was nothing better than flattery.

“That’s why I chose you as my student, Yoo Hee-won. Do you understand now?”

“Ah, yes… if that’s the case, I can understand…”

It didn’t matter whether she truly understood or not.

The important thing was to prevent her from causing trouble over having Han Min-ha as a fellow student.

“Thank you for choosing me as your advisor, Hee-won.”

When I smiled brightly, Yoo Hee-won quickly averted her gaze.

“Let’s work well together.”

She must be feeling like a door-to-door missionary who, expecting to be rejected, rings the doorbell only to have the door flung open with an invitation for tea and a chat.

That must be how Yoo Hee-won felt right now.

For a while, Yoo Hee-won just stared at me blankly, looking slightly bewildered.

Then, she put on her usual sly smile and spoke.

“Professor, aren’t you underestimating me?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Well, think carefully about what I mean. Anyway…”

Yoo Hee-won’s gaze softened slightly.

“Thank you for choosing me as your student, Professor. I’ll trust what you said about that Han Min-ha girl.”

I didn’t think Yoo Hee-won would take my words at face value.

But my goal was to make her consider my words, even if only partially, and I had succeeded.

For now, or at least for a while, Yoo Hee-won wouldn’t cause any more trouble with Han Min-ha.

It might seem like I was walking on eggshells around Yoo Hee-won.

But I didn’t care what anyone thought.

As long as I could mentor Han Min-ha without any problems and see her graduate.

“Alright. I’ll inform you of the advisor orientation schedule soon, and we can talk more then.”

The orientation wasn’t anything special.

It was just a meeting for introductions, discussing how I would help them, and what they needed.

For popular subjects like Comprehensive Offense with Professor Yoo Hyun-joo or Flight and Guidance with Professor Jin Se-young, who had multiple students, the term “orientation” was appropriate.

But since I only had Yoo Hee-won and Han Min-ha, it would be more accurate to call it a tea party.

I would just call them to my lab and make them some coffee. Simple enough.

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