Villain Professor of Heroes – Chapter 9

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Yoo Hee-won, with her bright blue eyes that matched her blonde hair, looked like a pedigreed cat.

A pampered, high-class feline, born with a certificate of pedigree, raised on expensive food since kittenhood.

Han Min-ha, on the other hand, resembled a stray dog huddled under a wall on a rainy day… Where did she go?

I couldn’t see Han Min-ha, and when I looked around, I found her on the floor nearby, struggling to get up.

Academy students inherently possessed heroic talent.

So, one shouldn’t judge their physical abilities based on ordinary high school students.

Even among them, Yoo Hee-won was exceptional.

Han Min-ha had been knocked down because she couldn’t withstand the full force of Yoo Hee-won’s push.

The sudden commotion had drawn the attention of all the students leaving the lecture hall.

Oblivious to the stares, Han Min-ha groped the floor with both hands, searching for her fallen glasses.

“Student Yoo Hee-won.”

At my call, Yoo Hee-won looked at me haughtily.

“Yes, Professor?”

“Picking up the glasses and returning them to their owner is what a person with normal thinking would do.”

Yoo Hee-won bent down and picked up the glasses.

“Here. Your glasses.”

Han Min-ha, receiving the glasses from Yoo Hee-won, bowed her head timidly.

“Thank you…”

“And apologizing for knocking someone down is also common courtesy.”

At my words, Yoo Hee-won, without changing her expression, looked down at Han Min-ha and said,

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine…”

“Professor, are we done now? Let’s go.”

“Student Yoo Hee-won, I’m afraid I’m planning to meet with student Han Min-ha first. I don’t think I can today.”

“No, Professor. I’ll do it later.”

As Han Min-ha clutched her bag and stepped back, Yoo Hee-won turned to me with a triumphant smile.

Her expression seemed to say, “See?”

I met her gaze with a faint smile and said,

“Student Han Min-ha, I asked to meet with you first. I’ll be waiting, so please come to my lab. It’s on the second floor of the research building.”

“Ah, yes… Understood.”

Han Min-ha replied in a barely audible voice.

“By the way, the reason for the meeting is the incident during the basic evaluation.”

Since there were many eyes watching, I needed to lay the groundwork.

Everyone knew that Han Min-ha had fainted during the basic evaluation.

It wouldn’t seem strange for me, the professor in charge of that subject, to meet with her about it.

“Let’s talk again later, student Yoo Hee-won. We’ll schedule a meeting if possible.”

I said this to Yoo Hee-won and turned to leave the lecture hall.

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Back in my lab, I made coffee and waited for Han Min-ha.

Listening to the hum of the coffee machine, I thought about what had just happened.

I had to make that girl an S-Rank…

S-Rank heroes were rare.

The Administration operated under a rank quota system.

A limit was placed on the number of heroes in each rank.

So, no matter how skilled a hero was, they couldn’t be promoted unless a spot opened up in the next rank.

The purpose was to prevent rank inflation, but it was a controversial policy.

And regardless of the policy, very few heroes actually reached S-Rank.

To become an S-Rank, simply surviving countless life-or-death situations wasn’t enough.

One had to become a star hero, capturing the attention of the Administration and the public.

Many heroes had died pushing themselves to reach S-Rank.

And just as many had given up on becoming S-Rank.

Therefore, S-Rank heroes were a select few.

They either died or gave up.

And I had to make Han Min-ha, that girl, an S-Rank.

Just then, I heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Han Min-ha peeked her head through the slightly opened door.

“Professor, may I come in?”

“I just told you to come in.”

I smiled and opened the door for her.

“Have a seat. Would you like some coffee?”

I offered Han Min-ha a seat at the round table and went to the coffee machine.

Clutching her bag, Han Min-ha sat on the edge of the chair and looked around the lab with timid eyes.

My lab was a simple place with nothing much to see.

A desk, a computer, and a round table for meetings.

A long sofa where I could lie down for a quick nap.

A bookshelf that filled one wall, a 24-hour air purifier.

My personal locker, and a large potted plant in the corner.

The pot was a gray square, filled with a dense areca palm.

The vibrant green of the areca palm complemented the white walls.

NASA had ranked it as the number one plant for purifying the air in a sealed spacecraft.

Since I had weak lungs, I needed to keep the air in my lab clean.

There was really nothing to see.

It would have been more interesting to open my desk drawer and show her the colorful assortment of lung medication inside.

I handed her a cup of coffee and sat down, and Han Min-ha bowed her head.

“Thank you.”

I waited for her to take a few sips before speaking.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, Professor. Back then, it was just… I was in shock.”

“That’s understandable. The video you saw during the evaluation is the uncensored version, the kind they never show in the media. It must have been very gruesome and disturbing. So don’t feel too bad about not finishing the evaluation.”

“Yes… but…”

Han Min-ha hesitated before asking,

“Did anyone else faint besides me?”

“No.”

“Ah…”

Disheartened, Han Min-ha lowered her head.

“Student Han Min-ha, I told you, it’s okay. The basic evaluation isn’t the end. You’ll be taking countless evaluations until you graduate from the academy, and there will be plenty of opportunities to get good grades. Of course, you have to stay until then.”

“That’s true. But I don’t know if I can hold on.”

“You’re already holding on, aren’t you?”

“Yes…?”

“I saw your basic evaluation scores. They were quite low.”

“It’s because I’m not as good as others…”

“Let’s stop putting yourself down. Anyway, many students with similar rankings have already submitted their withdrawal applications and left the academy. But you’re still here.”

“That’s because I don’t have anything else planned.”

“Do you think the other students had clear alternatives? Probably not.”

“I suppose so.”

“Student Han Min-ha, do you know how S-Rank heroes got to where they are?”

“I don’t know… Because they’re strong?”

I laughed and shook my head.

“Because they survived until they became S-Rank.”

“Ah…”

She didn’t seem to have gained any great insight; it sounded like a polite exclamation.

“You said you don’t have anything else planned besides the academy, right? Then hold on. Endure and graduate, and become a hero. I’ll help you.”

“You don’t have to go through unnecessary trouble for someone like me, Professor.”

“Trouble? Why is it unnecessary trouble for a professor to guide their student properly? In fact, I should be the one asking.”

Actually, my true motive was the quest.

I had to keep her in the academy and ensure she graduated, so she could become an S-Rank or whatever.

“One of the main reasons for your low ranking in the basic evaluation is the F you received in my subject. And if you graduate with that kind of grade in Basic Defense Studies, the moment you encounter a villain, you’ll become one of the protagonists in the videos you saw during the evaluation.”

The videos of senior heroes who died preventing the horrific atrocities of villains.

Han Min-ha’s face paled.

“Do you understand why I want to help you?”

“I understand…”

“Good.”

Feeling satisfied, I took a sip of coffee.

She must have understood what I meant.

Then, should I ask the question I had been wanting to ask?

“I checked, and… cough!… I apologize. I checked, and you entered the academy through the hero family bonus point system, correct?”

“Ah, yes. Both my parents were heroes.”

“Were heroes? You mean they aren’t anymore? Did they retire?”

“That’s…”

Han Min-ha’s expression darkened, and she paused for a moment.

“They both went missing. A few years ago.”

“Missing?”

“Yes. One day, they just disappeared.”

“What did the Administration say?”

“They didn’t say anything. They just provided a family pension every month and helped me enter the academy, but they didn’t tell me what happened to my parents.”

That was strange.

“What are your parents’ names? I might know something.”

“My father is Han Tae-woo, and my mother is Seo Ji-a…”

Suddenly, Han Min-ha’s voice became inaudible to me.

My Mental Barrier, usually always active, began to shake violently. But the disturbance was fleeting, and my mental state quickly returned to its usual calmness.

It happened so briefly that Han Min-ha didn’t seem to notice anything.

I took a sip of coffee and spoke casually.

“I see. I’ll look into your parents’ whereabouts, just in case.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

“So you’ve been living alone? Without any other family?”

“Yes.”

A timid girl with black hair and glasses, orphaned at a young age and failing exams at school.

A typical character.

“Anyway, don’t be discouraged. I’ll help you, so please endure and graduate. There are many opportunities to rise to the top. Let’s do this.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

I had said everything I needed to say.

It would be nice to engage in some casual conversation, but it seemed a bit much for a first meeting, especially since I wasn’t her advisor yet.

“That’s all. Do you have anything else to say?”

“No, I don’t. Ow, hot…!”

Han Min-ha quickly finished the rest of her coffee, then grabbed her bag and stood up.

“Goodbye, Professor. Thank you so much for talking to me today.”

“Good luck. Fighting.”

Han Min-ha bowed again and reached for the doorknob, then turned back to me as if she had suddenly remembered something.

“Um… Professor.”

“Yes?”

“Is that Mental Barrier you mentioned in class… is it difficult to use?”

“The Mental Barrier? Yes, it’s difficult. You have to maintain extreme composure even in situations like the video you saw during the basic evaluation.”

“Ah, I see…”

“But it’s not impossible. I can use it, so why wouldn’t a promising freshman be able to learn it?”

Han Min-ha was silent for a moment before speaking again.

“What’s it like… to use it?”

“You’re asking what the benefits are? You can stay calm in any situation. It can protect your mental state from external shocks. It also helps you sleep soundly.”

The last part was half a joke.

But Han Min-ha didn’t laugh.

It wasn’t a funny joke, so it was understandable that she didn’t laugh.

“By external shocks, do you mean things like past memories?”

At Han Min-ha’s question, I paused and fell into thought.

Past memories… She was asking if it could block the pain caused by past memories.

“It can block them. To some extent.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you.”

After Han Min-ha left the lab, I finished the rest of my coffee.

As I did, I began to formulate a rough plan for how to help her.

Oh, right. The handkerchief. I almost forgot.

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