A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 70

We entered the meeting room.

The seats were divided by country, and Edeline went to the American side.

I, along with Lee Ye-eun and Jo Seong-woong, headed toward the seats marked with the Taegukgi.

To the left was Japan, and to the right was China.

Lee Ye-eun spoke in a small voice.

“Ugh, I’m so nervous.”

“Why are you nervous? We probably won’t even have a chance to speak in the meeting anyway.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. We just have to do what we’re told.”

Though I wasn’t sure if there would be anything to do.

“Hehe, what a cute little fantasy you have, miss. Do you really think a hero from a small nation will have a chance to stand out in this meeting?”

The voice belonged to a man sitting next to me.

Wang Sheng.

An S-rank hero from China.

【What a feeble man. He looks boring.】

Jaybilt muttered.

I shared the same thought.

He was indeed an S-rank hero, but I didn’t feel much strength radiating from him.

Regardless, Wang Sheng continued to chatter away.

“Just because you’re an S-rank hero doesn’t mean we’re all on the same level. The heroes of great nations and those of small nations… Ah! Li Xiaow, you!”

A man sitting next to Wang Sheng, called Li Xiaow, suddenly slapped the back of Wang Sheng’s head hard.

He also seemed to be an S-rank hero from China.

“I’m sorry for his rudeness. He’s not a bad guy by nature, just a bit foolish.”

“Foolish? Are you serious?!”

—

【Oh, this older brother seems to know how to have fun.】

Lieshao.

There was a strong sense of rivalry that even Jaybult acknowledged.

He seemed stronger than Wang Sheng, and even more so than Jo Seong-woong.

In this place, where renowned heroes gathered, there didn’t seem to be many as strong as Lieshao.

An S-class hero, among the very top tier.

It was an impressive aura.

Jo Seong-woong seemed to recognize him and greeted him.

“To meet the Dragon of China here, what a feeling it is, like gaining an army of a thousand.”

“You flatter me. It is I who am honored to meet you, Jo Daehyeop.”

“Ah, how embarrassing.”

Lieshao seemed to know Jo Seong-woong as well.

But it appeared that Wang Sheng did not know him.

“Lieshao! If you’ve come as a representative of a great nation, act accordingly! Lowering yourself to that old man makes our nation look bad!”

“That guy has quite the sharp tongue.”

Jo Seong-woong chuckled.

Lieshao politely apologized.

“I apologize for disturbing your mood, Daehyeop. That child is someone I will address later…”

“Enough. It’s common for newly minted S-class heroes to be unaware of the world. Each little misstep becomes a part of their dark history, and eventually, it all comes back as karma.”

“By the way, I heard you’ve retired, but what brings you here?”

“I’m not here to fight directly; I’ve come as an escort for Professor Cha.”

Jo Seong-woong pointed at me.

The gazes of Lieshao and Wang Sheng turned toward me.

Wang Sheng, who didn’t recognize Jo Seong-woong, did recognize me.

“Professor Cha? Ah, the swindler from that small nation.”

Once again, Lieshao struck Wang Sheng’s head hard.

It was a satisfying blow.

Wang Sheng let out a whimper.

“Hey! Why!”

“Professor Cha, I apologize. He’s just such a foolish child that he couldn’t comprehend your profound research, so please forgive his rudeness.”

—

“Don’t keep it in your heart.”

“Thank you for your mercy.”

Wang Sheng’s arrogant demeanor was displeasing, but seeing Li Xiaos’ polite attitude softened my heart.

Imagining him constantly apologizing because of that rascal made him seem almost pitiable.

Wang Sheng continued to chatter without pause.

“Li Xiaos, you are the shame of the great nation, a disgrace.”

Li Xiaos sighed and spoke with a solemn expression.

“Wang Sheng, when you go back, it’s the third disciplinary action for you.”

“W-what?”

Wang Sheng’s eyes trembled greatly.

I didn’t know what it was, but judging by Wang Sheng’s reaction, it seemed it wasn’t something he found particularly pleasant.

Of course, I found it utterly delightful.

“Wait, hold on. I was wrong, I was wrong, so just that…!”

“Apologize not to me, but to the Koreans.”

“Ugh….”

Wang Sheng’s lips quivered.

I could feel his genuine reluctance to apologize.

“Mi(So)… Mi(so)…….”

Finally, Wang Sheng opened his mouth.

“You crazy SOB, you guys were the ones who messed up first! How dare a small nation act so arrogantly….”

Bang!

A sound erupted from the back of Wang Sheng’s head, the loudest I had heard so far.

Li Xiaos sighed.

“I’m sorry.”

In an instant, he looked as if he had aged several years.

He was pitiable in many ways.

But this was not the end.

“Fools, be quiet.”

A thin voice came from the Chinese side of the seating.

There sat a girl who looked to be around the same age as my students, or perhaps even younger.

She was a child wearing a cheongsam, with a bun adorned with a single dumpling at the back of her head.

“Who is this child?”

When I asked, Liexiao replied.

“This is our genius representing China, Zhuge Soyeon.”

“Excuse me?”

We were all taken aback.

This little one is the representative of China?

She was even younger than Lee Yaeun, who had come to assist me as a teaching assistant.

Liexiao spoke proudly.

“In our country, Soyeon is hailed as the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang, a genius among geniuses. A prodigy who has grasped the principles of warfare at such a young age—no, a god of strategy.”

“I see.”

I may not know much about China, but I know of Zhuge Liang.

The fact that her name is associated with his means that Zhuge Soyeon is indeed an extraordinary figure in China.

Zhuge Soyeon said,

“Are you that Cha Eunwoo?”

“You know me?”

“Of course. I read your paper.”

Hearing her mention strategy, it seemed our fields of study were the same.

Perhaps we could have a fruitful conversation.

There were moments I thought that way.

“I’ll teach you soon that you’re nothing, so just wait and see.”

“You little brat, Zhuge Soyeon! Mind your manners.”

“Shut up, you blockhead.”

Zhuge Soyeon raised her middle finger at Liexiao.

I could see Liexiao’s fist trembling with rage.

Lee Yaeun whispered to me,

“In China, Liexiao is known by the nickname ‘Director.’”

That seemed to carry a lot of meaning.

“Oh, here they come.”

As the murmurs quieted down, the heroes focused on the entrance.

Finally, it begins.

The top figure of the American Hero Association, Chairman Daniel, has entered.

* * *

Chairman Daniel.

He is always mentioned when people talk about the most disliked figures in America.

Typically, the key positions in the Hero Association are held by retired heroes. Just look at the chairman of the Korean association, who was an S-rank hero.

Considering that, Chairman Daniel’s career is quite unique.

He is a former congressman.

When Daniel first entered the hero community, he was met with hostility from everyone.

No hero would tolerate the dirty feet of a politician trampling on the sacred ground of heroes.

However, Daniel was incredibly shrewd.

He did not know heroes.

But when it came to politics, he was more knowledgeable than anyone in the hero community.

Daniel’s promises reflected this.

—I will dismantle the Unicorn Guild’s monopoly.

Though Daniel never directly mentioned the Unicorn, every policy he proposed was aimed squarely at them.

The Unicorn fiercely resisted Daniel, but other guilds welcomed such policies.

The public enemy.

That was the driving force behind Daniel’s rising approval ratings.

Under the banner of anti-Unicorn, guilds across America began to gather one by one.

As a result, Daniel was easily welcomed by most guilds in the U.S. and became the chairman of the Hero Association.

In short, Daniel was utterly incompetent as a hero.

But as a politician, he excelled.

And that is why Americans dislike Daniel.

“Heroes of the world gathered for humanity, you are the true heroes, saints, and messiahs.”

Daniel began his speech in a booming voice.

“There is a crisis looming over our world.”

“The only ones who can protect our homeland, our families, are you.”

“Fight for humanity. You are the only hope for this world.”

Daniel spoke as if his words were coated in honey.

Of course, there were hardly any heroes listening seriously.

The ones gathered here were all S-class heroes with some level of experience.

There was no naive fool who could be swayed by words that Daniel didn’t truly mean.

“Professor, we will definitely protect the world!”

…Damn it. There was one.

My student was that fool.

Still, Lee Ye-eun wasn’t even S-class and had little experience, so it was understandable.

The fortunate thing was that there was another fool beside her.

“Wow… impressive. That’s a true man who knows righteousness and cooperation.”

It was Wang Sheng, an S-class hero from China.

The future of China really looked bleak.

Liexiao beside me rubbed his forehead.

“Wang Sheng, you… no, never mind.”

“Liexiao, your heart is burning too, right? So Yeon, what about you?”

The genius girl from China, Jeonggak So-yeon, whipped her head around.

“Idiot, don’t talk to me.”

“You little brat, so rude.”

“Both of you, quiet down. This isn’t polite.”

As Liexiao mediated, the two fell silent.

In the meantime, Daniel’s speech came to an end.

There was a brief moment of formal applause.

Before Chairman Daniel moved on to the next agenda, someone asked.

“One question. Why did you bring us here secretly? If you wanted to do something good, you could have just sent official documents to each country to gather us.”

It was a timely question.

I was also curious why we had gathered here in this manner.

Murmurs—

The gazes of the S-class heroes turned momentarily fierce.

The heroes gathered here were not ordinary people.

They were human weapons capable of easily annihilating several cities on their own.

It would only take a finger to burst Chairman Daniel’s head.

—

When hundreds of such heroes exuded their life force, it wouldn’t have been strange for an ordinary human to lose consciousness immediately.

Yet, Chairman Daniel did not lose his composure.

It was a remarkable mental strength, befitting the president of an American association.

“Originally, this was classified information, but there’s no reason to hide it from you. SH! Those damned b*stards have issued a terror warning. At such a critical time!”

The conference room buzzed with unease.

Daniel’s statement was no trivial matter.

Super Human. SH.

The weak ones are SH.

The most notorious terrorist group in the world.

Their defining characteristic is that all of them are awakened beings.

Terrorists who refuse to become heroes protecting humanity and instead aim to bring about its destruction.

They called themselves ‘Super Humans.’

They claimed that all inferior old humans must be eradicated, and only the superior new humans should survive.

It was a laughable notion.

“If news spreads that numerous S-rank heroes have gathered in the Pacific, those b*stards will start poking around here and there, right? You wouldn’t want that either. That’s why it was kept secret.”

All the heroes nodded, seemingly in agreement.

The emergence of an SS-rank dungeon.

And the intervention of SH.

The pieces of the puzzle regarding what had happened in the game began to fit together.

“This has become complicated.”

A rough scenario of why America had ended up in such a state was forming.

Perhaps, with most American heroes concentrated here, they had been attacked by SH.

The Hero Association had sent only a portion of their forces back to the mainland to catch two rabbits at once, and ultimately, both sides had been annihilated.

Then everything fell into place.

For this reasoning to hold, there was a prerequisite.

Did SH randomly carry out a terror attack, fortuitously finding the American mainland unguarded?

That was unlikely.

If they were foolish enough to hope for luck and throw all their forces into the fray, they would have already been captured.

They were moving with full knowledge of everything.

—

It was clear that someone within the Hero Association had leaked information.

A traitor.

There was now a traitor within the American Hero Association.

“Yeo-eun, you said only the executives of the Hero Association knew about the existence of the gate, right?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

The suspects had been narrowed down to a certain extent.

All the executives of the American Hero Association.

One of them was the traitor.

I wanted to find the traitor, but there were still too few clues.

Moreover, the information about the troops already gathering in the Pacific had likely been passed on, so identifying the traitor held little immediate significance.

The failure of America in the game was due to the dispersion of its forces.

The Dungeon and SH.

One of them had to be resolved first.

Choosing to target SH was impossible.

If a monster from the SS-level gate emerged during that time, the world would be turned upside down.

Then, by the process of elimination, I had to finish the Dungeon first.

I would conquer the Dungeon in the shortest time possible and then return to America immediately.

This was the best course of action.

* * *

Inside the command room of the aircraft carrier.

Here was the strategic simulator of the American Hero Association.

Unlike the half-baked version at the academy, this was a real strategic simulator where the conditions of the opponent could be set freely.

The commanders who would lead this raid, along with tactical experts gathered from various countries, were all present.

“I am Edeline, the commander of this expedition.”

Edeline introduced herself.

No matter how hostile the American Hero Association was towards unicorns, they could not afford to neglect Edeline.

Considering her symbolic significance, it was clear that morale would shift dramatically depending on whether she was in command or not.

“Nice to meet you. Expedition Commander, I’m Christian.”

“John Dickel. Likewise.”

Instead, the American Hero Association chose a very petty method.

Three-Person Command Structure.

In name, it was to exercise caution ahead of a grand expedition, hence the appointment of three commanders.

Naturally, the underlying motive was to keep Ederlyn in check.

The other two commanders were heroes closely allied with the Hero Association.

Even if Ederlyn pushed her opinions strongly, if the two opposed her, she would be suppressed.

In essence, it was a scheme to borrow Ederlyn’s name while entrusting the actual command to those two.

“Such childish antics.”

In this situation, it was impossible for the meeting to proceed smoothly.

The first button had already come undone.

Christian spoke.

“First, this is the personnel allocation we have prepared.”

In the conquest of dungeons rated S-class and above, personnel distribution was crucial.

The insides of dungeons were vast, and the monsters were powerful, making it essential to enter in multiple waves, tackling them bit by bit, step by step.

All the heroes confirmed the personnel distribution set by Christian.

Ederlyn asked.

“What is this foolish personnel allocation?”