I Became the Only Buffer in the Academy

16 – What Happened on the Mission Lab – 3

“Did you finish your lunch?”

Some of them were filled with energy bars, but Yangjun didn’t seem to care about that.

Well, whatever you eat is not that important.

The important thing is that I ate two sandwiches. Absolutely delicious.

“Then shall we depart soon?”

Looking after the cadets, he smiled and entered the gate, and we followed suit.

“Wow…”

After passing through the gate, what I saw was a large laboratory site.

-Wheeying…!!

Dummyes are moving around the laboratory site. The combat dummies we saw during training were armed and checking our side.

“Whoa! Whoa! That’s the Halo series MK-3, right?”

“Do you know?”

“What? You don’t know the Halo series?”

I saw Cheonsu Lake. Even the awkward smile on his face makes it seem like he doesn’t know.

“Wow. You don’t know the Halo series. That’s scary. B. Strong dummy. Just looking at the performance and finances, it’s no joke. Astra’s magic cannon is basic, and the mobility is quite human-level. Also, the gloves…”

It started.

Yuchoa continued her unsolicited explanation with her eyes twinkling.

“Noisy. Yoo Choa.”

“Oh yes.”

As if he had found a plastic model, Yoo Choa, who tried to explain with his eyes shining, shut her mouth at Yang Jun’s point.

But I can’t take my eyes off the piles.

Deokhu’s mindset is great.

“He must like that.”

“…When I was testing my personal skills before, the one who caught the dummy the fastest was Yuchoa. She accurately grasped the dummy’s weakness.”

Cheon Soo-ho shook his head in disgust.

“Aside from that, things like dummy and golem. It gets worse when you go to other mechanical parts. Especially the explosion part.”

“Because explosions are art!”

“Ah. Yes.”

I never thought there would be a bomb horse next to me.

“From my point of view, if he hadn’t entered the academy, he would have become a villain right away.”

“Ah~. I’m going to keep my level too~.”

With a big smile, Choa Yoo slapped my arm. What you pointed out is Cheonsoohon, but why are you hitting me?

“Welcome. Welcome.”

At that time, a middle-aged man in a white coat walked out of the piles. A middle-aged man with an impressive thick beard looked around us and smiled.

“I am Kim Chul-jin, the deputy director of the Energy Research Institute under the Hero Association.”

“This is Hero Academy Instructor Yang Jun. And this side…”

“Yes. I heard the story. You came out for the mission practice? Now, let’s go inside.”

As she passed through the entrance of the research center with his guide, Yuchoa let out her admiration.

“Wow! Wow! Look at that! That!”

Stop hitting me.

As soon as I saw the giant golem at the main entrance of the research center, I was very excited. Slapping and pulling at my arm, she pointed at one of the golems.

“John, do you know what that is?”

“Golem.”

“It’s not just a golem. It contains the essence of energy core technology…”

“Ohhh. You know that.”

“hehehe. I’m interested in something like this.”

“That’s right. As this cadet said, that golem is a golem containing the essence of our energy core lab. It was named Galeiron. In the past monster wave, Galeiron was put in to protect many people.”

The number of heroes is limited and they cannot solve all monsters or dungeons.

After all, the world has developed weapons that can be used on the battlefield to ease their burden and keep people safe.

That was the golem and the dummy.

“Weapons and firearms that we have used in the past are lacking in dealing with monsters. This was especially the case with B-class or higher monsters.”

“Is it because of their outer skin?”

“Yes. B-class or higher monsters classified by the association have magical powers. That’s why the firearms and gunpowder we used in the past couldn’t cause much damage.”

That’s why things like dummy, golem, magic gun and magic cannon were developed.

“There are endless ways to use the energy that can be found in dungeons. Not just in life.”

Chuljin Kim looked around us.

“It can also be used for the safety of our heroes.”

That’s good.

Then, it would be nice if things like weapons and armor were a bit cheaper for active heroes.

“I’ll watch it later. First of all, I’d like to meet some of the heroes deployed in the laboratory.”

“Everyone is still waiting.”

Kim Cheol-jin’s guidance continued. Old equipment, piles, and golems you see as you move. Yuchoa was excited to see things like heavy tanks, but it wasn’t a big problem.

“Welcome. Juniors!”

As we entered the laboratory, people in combat uniforms greeted us.

“Let’s start with a brief introduction. I’m a B-class hero in the association. My name is Kang Jin-ho.”

“Quick…?”

“Oh. Do you know me?”

Responding to the words of one of his cadets, Jinho Kang grinned. I think it’s good.

“hahahaha. To be honest, I think the nickname speedy is a bit excessive. Then do you know why I am called speedy?”

“Because you can move so fast.”

“Yes.”

– Booung!!

In an instant, his new form disappeared, and when he reappeared, he had a sword in his hand. It must have been a decorative sword over there.

Surely great.

“Well. Compared to A class, I’m still not enough. Isn’t that right, senior?”

“That’s great. What. You said you’d be able to get A-class in the next screening?”

“hahahaha. The judging is so difficult. Anyway, it’s a great honor to meet the juniors like this. Now, shall we get right to the point? Let’s see… Let’s start with the staffing. Choa Yoo.”

“Yes!”

“Cheonsu Lake.”

“Yes.”

“Kim Yohan… Hmm. It’s amazing. It must be a bit difficult to come here with this level of performance.”

I will.

“Well. It must have been because the academy had an idea. You three should go to the 3rd lab. There will be a guy waiting for you there. You just have to get the assignment from him.”

“Lab 3 is…”

“Follow the pile over there. Alright. Next Sera. End. Vlad. You three are in the First Lab…”

-Weiyiing…!

Dummy came to meet us while the others were being called. It seems to be a helper dummy, not a combat dummy I saw earlier.

“Wow! Wow!”

“What is this again?”

“It’s the Langrit series MK-31. It’s a service dummy… Don’t you know?”

“I don’t know.”

There was nothing like this in the orphanage.

“Whew. Then I’ll have to explain.”

Yoo Choa talked confidently, and Cheon Suho and I couldn’t just listen, so we just agreed.

As Jinho Kang said, someone was waiting.

“Hey~! Juniors. Nice to meet you~! I’m Haerang Shin, the head of the 3rd lab.”

He was a man wearing a white coat and sipping coffee with dark circles in his eyes.

Looking very tired, he dragged his slippers and scratched his head as if he hadn’t worn them in days.

“My juniors came, but I couldn’t even shower. Please understand. Research is a bit like that. You guys, don’t do things like this…”

“Ahahahaha… Nice to meet you! We are first year cadets at Hero Academy! I’m Yuchoa… This is Kim Yohan. And this is Cheon Suho.”

“Yes. Now. Come in.”

When I went inside the lab, there was a small conference room inside. Inside the rather spacious laboratory, tired researchers were working on computers or equipment, and Shin Haerang glanced at them and covered our eyes with his body.

“Don’t look.”

“Yes? Uh. Confidential?”

“No. You guys should grow up watching only the good things. You’re a fresh freshman.”

Ah. That’s what it meant.

With a playful smirk, he pointed to a seat in the conference room and, as we sat down, fidgeted with the ID hanging around his neck.

The photo attached to the ID is…

Um…

It was Shin Haerang, but it wasn’t Shin Haerang. Shin Haerang, a young man in his thirties with a clean look.

What the hell happened in the lab?

“Academy… Ah. I miss it. I also liked being at the academy in the past. Huh… To think I had to be like this even though I was newlywed…”

“Oh. Are you married?”

“Yes. See that zombie over there?”

With a smirk, he pointed to the lab through the window. There, I see a skinny woman with her pen in her hair as a hairpin.

“This is my wife. Whoa. A lab couple.”

“Wow… I never thought love would bloom in the lab…”

“Anyway, what you have to do is to fight the enemies who might enter this place in the event of a battle. Of course, if the first barrier is breached, you have to pay attention to that side first.”

In other words, when the battle starts, you fight inside the first barrier, and when you are pushed back, you have to defend this place in the end.

Easy to understand.

“Okay. Got it!”

“Whoops. It’s reliable.”

“By the way, senior is also a hero, but is it impossible to fight?”

“Because I’m not in the combat side. When you are in your second year, you will be divided into combat and research positions.”

“Do you think the research job is very difficult?”

“What’s not hard?”

“Um…But I have a question. Isn’t the witch who leads to death targeting this laboratory right now?”

“Yes.”

“I heard that this laboratory is quite important… Can we just do it? Of course there are other heroes…”

“Our lab is important, but it doesn’t mean that other places aren’t important either.”

“But…”

“But it’s a bit better here. There’s a big gap between the ideal and the reality.”

Yoo Choa’s face darkened at the bittersweet voice.

“…Is it for political reasons?”

“Well. There is that. The bigger reason is…”

“The lack of heroes.”

Shin Haerang nodded at my answer, and a shadow formed on his face.

Yes.

Awakeners are few in number compared to monsters or dungeons.

But not all awakened people become heroes.

If you fall into a villain or hit even those who are too weak to participate in battle, there is always a shortage of heroes.

The atmosphere in the conference room, which had been bright until earlier, became heavy, so I smiled and said to break the atmosphere.

“I should do it anyway, right? As long as I’m already in the academy, as long as I’m a hero.”

If I didn’t want to do it, I would have already dropped out or beat all the existing heroes.

Nevertheless, what remains is that they all know.

And so am I.

Running away after doing nothing doesn’t suit my personality.

At my answer, Choa Yoo and Suho Cheon grinned, and Haerang Shin, who stared at me for a moment, also showed a smile on his face.

“…hahahaha. That’s right. If not us, who else?”

It was only then that the heavy atmosphere seemed to be lifted.