Villain Professor of Heroes – Chapter 33

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“Yes, this is the lobby. We have a visitor. A professor from Graford who wants to see his past activity records. But no matter how much I search, his name isn’t on the list. Yes, yes.”

The security guard spoke to someone on the other end of the line.

Meanwhile, I looked around the lobby.

The lobby, paved with spotless, polished tiles, was enormous.

The incredibly high ceiling, almost five stories high, the glass walls, and the deliberately exposed steel beams looked very modern.

Security guards with sharp eyes watched the people passing through the security checkpoint, and patrol units with detection dogs and rifles periodically passed through the lobby.

And there, I saw a hero.

A young man sitting in the cafe on the first floor, playing a game on his phone.

And the pretty female employee sitting next to the security guard on the phone was also a hero.

They were undercover, prepared in case a situation arose that the security guards’ ordinary firearms couldn’t handle.

Of course, no villain had ever been crazy enough to directly attack the Administration.

Not only were there many heroes working at the Administration, but current and former heroes constantly came and went on business every day.

If a villain suddenly lost their mind and charged in, they would most likely be vaporized without a trace within seconds.

And no villain would fight so openly anyway.

“Yes, I understand. Let him through.”

The security guard hung up the phone and looked at me.

“Please go ahead and check. The records room is on the fourth floor.”

“Thank you.”

I bowed slightly and headed towards the security checkpoint.

The checkpoint was similar to those at airports, so I placed all my belongings on the conveyor belt and walked through the metal detector.

-Beep, beep, beep!!

Suddenly, a red siren went off, accompanied by an ominous buzzer.

That was strange. I didn’t have anything that should have triggered the alarm.

“Sir, I’m sorry, but this way.”

The security guard behind me called me over and started scanning my body with a handheld metal detector.

The detector reacted to my left shoulder…?

The security guard looked at me with a slightly tense expression.

The surrounding guards also subtly placed their fingers on the triggers of their rifles and turned towards me.

“Excuse me.”

The security guard put down the metal detector and patted my left shoulder.

“Is there something there?”

Another guard approached, and he shook his head.

“There’s nothing…? I’ll check again.”

He scanned my left shoulder again, and the metal detector went off again.

“Sir, can you explain this?”

“Well, I’m not sure why this is happening either.”

I didn’t know why my shoulder was setting off the metal detector.

It wasn’t like I had metal instead of bone.

“We’ll need to take an X-ray… Sir, please come this way.”

The security guard led me to an X-ray scanner against one wall.

“Take an X-ray of this man’s shoulder. The metal detector is going off, but there’s nothing there.”

“Do you have any metal implants or anything like that?”

The scanner operator asked, and I shook my head.

“No, I don’t.”

“Please stand here.”

I stood in the X-ray scanner, and the operator looked at the screen with an indifferent expression, then narrowed his eyes and leaned closer.

“What’s this…?”

“Why? What is it?”

“This area, from here to here, is all metal. Hmm… this looks like an artificial joint.”

“Oh, is that all? Then it’s fine, right? Let him through.”

The security guard, visibly relieved that it was nothing serious, removed his finger from the trigger of his rifle.

“Sir, you should have told us about that earlier. Please come this way.”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

As I passed through the security checkpoint, guided by the guard, I quickly reviewed the original story.

Did I have a metal artificial joint in my shoulder?

I didn’t think so…

I subtly touched my left shoulder, but I didn’t feel anything unusual.

What was this?

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I passed through security and stood in front of the elevators.

The Administration building was so large that there were four central elevators.

I stood at the one that seemed likely to arrive at the first floor fastest and waited.

Soon, the elevator arrived, and the doors opened, revealing the people inside.

They were Administration employees in suits with ID cards hanging around their necks.

As I stepped aside, one of them looked at me intently.

When our eyes met, he looked away as if it was nothing and walked towards the security checkpoint.

Did he know me?

The records room was on the fourth floor.

I would verify my identity there and then go to a designated reading room to search for my information on the computer.

They said I didn’t exist at the entrance, but there might be records once I got there.

If there weren’t any records there either, I would have to formally file a request for information disclosure.

As a former hero, not an academy professor, I would request to see my past activity records.

They might refuse, but I intended to try everything I could.

Several people were waiting at the reception desk in front of the records room, verifying their identities.

Most were elderly, and some were dressed in neat suits.

They seemed to be retired heroes wanting to reminisce about their glory days, or HR managers verifying information for recruitment of former heroes.

When my turn came, I handed over my ID and stated my name.

“Hyun Kyo, Gray Steel.”

The staff member typed on the keyboard, then tilted their head and examined my ID, just like the security guard on the first floor.

“Um… your callsign is Gray Steel, correct?”

“Yes. Just in case, try typing it in English as well.”

“Yes… Uh… It’s not here. Hmm…”

“Then, are there any records for Han Tae-woo or Seo Ji-ah? They’re my former colleagues.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t access other people’s records without an official request.”

“Ah… I see.”

Then… I had no choice but to file a request.

If that didn’t work, I would have to contact Yoo Hee-won’s father, like I had considered before.

He was also a former Secreto member, so he would definitely know about me.

Anyway… should I just go home for today?

Just then, the staff member suddenly stood up and bowed to me.

“Hello, sir.”

I stood there, unsure of what was happening, when I heard a low, deep voice from behind.

“Professor Hyun Kyo.”

I turned around and was surprised to see the chairman of the Administration’s advisory committee, Yoo Hee-won’s father.

“Hello, Chairman.”

“Do you remember me?”

“Of course. I saw you from afar at the entrance ceremony, and you’re also the parent of my student.”

The Chairman seemed slightly disappointed by my answer.

I wasn’t sure what was wrong with it.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to see my past activity records from when I was active as a hero. But my name isn’t listed, so I’m about to file a request.”

“Then let’s talk for a moment. Regarding my daughter.”

I considered it briefly and replied,

“Alright.”

Although I was on vacation, the Chairman was Yoo Hee-won’s father, and I figured there was no harm in having tea with someone so influential within the Administration.

And who knew?

I might learn something about my past.

“Then let’s go up to my office.”

We got on the elevator together, and the Chairman pressed the button for the 40th floor.

Usually, the floor number of an office was proportional to the person’s power, so the Chairman’s position must be just below the director and deputy director.

There might be department heads in between, but the Chairman was a special position.

Strictly speaking, he wasn’t part of the Administration, but he wasn’t entirely an outsider either.

The Chairman didn’t say anything during the elevator ride.

He seemed to be a taciturn person by nature.

“This way.”

Getting off on the 40th floor, the Chairman strode down the hallway and entered his office.

As befitting someone of his stature, the office was spacious and clean, and a large window offered a panoramic view of the city skyline.

“Please have a seat.”

I sat on the sofa, and the Chairman pressed the intercom on his desk to order tea, then sat across from me.

“How is Hee-won doing?”

“Academically, she’s flawless. She consistently achieves excellent grades in all subjects. Honestly, I feel burdened that I, and not another more qualified professor, am her advisor.”

“There’s no need to feel burdened. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“Thank you.”

The Chairman, who had been looking at me for a moment, asked,

“But why are you suddenly trying to look into your past activity records?”

He had called me in to talk about Yoo Hee-won’s studies, but he had dismissed the topic with a single “How is Hee-won doing?” and brought up a different subject.

So, this was his real reason for calling me in.

“There are a few things I need to confirm.”

“Things to confirm.”

The Chairman repeated my words and slowly nodded.

The tea arrived, and we sipped it in silence.

Why was the Chairman curious about why I was looking into my past records?

More precisely,

Why was a former Secreto member curious about another former Secreto member looking into their past records?

And what was his intention?

Was he trying to warn me not to do anything foolish?

Or did he simply want to reminisce about the past?

Of course, the latter was definitely not the case.

Then, a warning?

That Secreto’s work was confidential, so I shouldn’t pry?

But if that were the case, there was no need for the Chairman himself to get involved.

He could simply block me from accessing the information, or, like in the movies, send agents to my house to threaten me secretly.

Or did he have a completely different intention that I couldn’t even imagine?

I had no idea.

But I couldn’t just back down.

There was Han Min-ha, and I was also curious about my past, or rather, the backstory of the character Hyun Kyo.

And since I was planning to ask the Chairman directly if there was no other way, I decided not to miss this opportunity.

“In the past…”

Just as I was about to speak, the Chairman spoke first.

“How much do you remember?”

How much do I remember?

That was a strange question.

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