Villain Professor of Heroes

I thought about pretending to acknowledge them but decided against it.

Right now, the video from yesterday has gone viral, and I’m drawing a lot of attention.

Especially in a public place where all the freshmen have gathered, I don’t know what kind of rumors might spread if I were to approach first.

Just like how reporters swarmed like bees when I had a brief conversation with Yu Hye-won yesterday.

A good-looking and young professor interacting with a quiet and timid freshman—it’s the perfect gossip material, isn’t it?

I should return the handkerchief at some point, but let’s make it much later when there’s another chance.

The teaching assistant, who was in charge of this group, called out names one by one from a list.

“Han Min-ha.”

“Yes…”

At the sound of her name, Han Min-ha hesitantly raised her hand.

Her posture was still hunched and withdrawn.

She looks incredibly meek—perhaps overly so. Given this, I doubt she’ll even be able to pass the initial assessment, let alone make friends with the other students.

Then, my eyes met Han Min-ha’s.

“Ah…”

Han Min-ha seemed to recognize my face and moved her lips as if to say something, but she quickly lowered her head before she could say more.

Alright. Let’s pretend we’re meeting for the first time. That’s probably the best for both of us.

The groups of ten freshmen split up under the supervision of the assistants and dispersed.

Since the initial assessment has many subjects, going through them one by one wouldn’t finish in a day.

So, the evaluation moves in a rotation with groups assigned to different stages.

I also headed toward the set for the Basic Defense evaluation.

Though they call it “Basic Defense,” very few freshmen can actually form even a rudimentary barrier at this point.

This is just to check the extent of their inherent talents and mental fortitude.

The forms and intensities of defensive barriers vary widely depending on individual abilities.

Defensive techniques improve when the mind is calm, making it harder to master high-level skills if one is overly agitated.

Simply burning with determination won’t create a strong defensive barrier.

Most competitive heroes learn only the basics of defense and set it aside because reaching mastery requires long training, which there’s rarely time for in our battle against villains.

In my case, I know the technique called Mental Barrier, which defends not just physically but also from mental attacks.

The ultimate goal for those who study defense as their profession is “Mind Grab,” but which hero would waste effort on that?

It might be better for them to study intercontinental flight, deep-sea diving, or bunker-busting instead.

Perhaps the reason I had no guidance students in the original story wasn’t because I liked being alone but because the subject itself was unpopular.

Upon arriving at the Basic Defense testing site, I sat at a desk and organized the evaluation forms.

Soon, ten freshmen entered the room.

Coincidentally, Yu Hye-won was among them.

She smiled with her eyes as if to get my attention.

“Hello, everyone.”

“Huh? It’s Professor Hyun…”

The students murmured quietly upon seeing my face.

I waited for them to finish whispering.

Meanwhile, Yu Hye-won continued to look at me.

When the students finally quieted down and straightened their postures, I finally opened my mouth with a faint smile.

“First of all, congratulations on entering Graford. Graford is the world’s premiere hero-training academy. You are chosen individuals, so feel proud of yourselves.”

“Thank you, Professor.” “Understood.”

The students nodded while responding.

“From now on, we will conduct a small test to check how much potential you have in Basic Defense. It’s not dangerous to your physical health, so please don’t worry.”

I encouraged the students to sit on the prepared chairs.

Once everyone sat down, I turned off the lights in the testing room.

“The strength of your defensive barrier depends on how calm your mind is. I’ll now check your mental fortitude. Some of you might experience hallucinations during the evaluation, but remember that it’s not real, so don’t be overly concerned.”

But the reassurances didn’t seem to ease the freshmen’s tension.

After all, the initial assessment significantly affects your future hero career, and the word “hallucination” made them visibly uneasy.

I could hear the sound of someone swallowing saliva from the corner.

“Professor Hyun, may I ask a question?”

At that moment, Yu Hye-won raised her hand.

“Please go ahead with your question.”

“Does this involve being placed in an extreme scenario through hallucination?”

“You already seem to know. That’s correct.”

“Will there be explosions everywhere, and limbs flying around?”

“Something like that, but it’s not real.”

“But hasn’t there been cases where students dropped out before even finishing the evaluation due to sudden shock?”

At that, the students glanced at each other with tense eyes.

It’s true; there have been cases like that in the past.

But if someone can’t even withstand a simulation, they certainly wouldn’t survive actual combat.

It’s right to send back students who aren’t ready for this level.

“That was merely ‘dropping out.’ Even if you don’t pass the evaluation, that’s fine. There will be supplementary lessons for those who fail. Now, let’s start as we don’t have much time.”

The students each put on the VR helmets in front of them.

“If you absolutely cannot handle it, press the button attached to the side of the helmet—it will turn off.”

After confirming that the helmets were on properly, I turned on the equipment.

The students are about to vividly experience a horrifying battlefield.

What they are about to see is not a simulated reality.

It’s actual footage recorded by senior heroes using bodycams for evidence collection.

What they’re about to see is worlds apart from the edited highlights shown on the news.

“Ugh!” “Aaaargh!”

Even before a few minutes had passed, groans of pain erupted from all around.

Some jumped out of their chairs, while others desperately tried to throw off their helmets.

“You bastards! Back off immediately!”

“No! No!! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! Put the baby down! Damn it!”

The students, fully immersed in the VR, cursed the villains in front of them as if they were real heroes.

“Aaaargh! I’ll kill them! I’ll tear their limbs apart!”

The students in this group experienced anger before fear.

Though anger may help increase combat power on the battlefield, uncontrolled rage can’t sustain long fights.

Still, none of them seemed ready to give up.

Let’s check on Yu Hye-won.

Surprisingly, Yu Hye-won sat silently with her arms crossed, her demeanor composed.

The short evaluation time soon ended with the sound of the timer.

After powering down the devices, the students momentarily stiffened in shock.

“It’s over. Please take off your helmets.”

Relieved sighs rose as the students slowly removed their helmets.

Though the experience lasted just a few minutes, they were drenched in sweat as if they had been soaked in water.

“What do you think? This is what you’ll face on the actual battlefield once you graduate.”

“Is this real footage…?”

“All captured by senior heroes.”

The students hung their heads, their faces pale.

“Professor, it seems like this evaluation lacks differentiation.”

Yu Hye-won raised her hand again.

“If you just grit your teeth and endure, anyone can pass. How does this help us become heroes?”

“I don’t believe the ability to watch death without feeling any emotion is a qualification to be a hero.”

Hearing my words, Yu Hye-won’s face hardened.

“It’s an evaluation of the courage and mental strength it takes to overcome such emotions and act.”

Speechless, Yu Hye-won turned her head away without responding further.

*

No one failed until the rotation was done for several groups.

Perhaps some may drop out later tonight, overwhelmed by the video they saw, but at least no one threw their helmets mid-evaluation today.

“The next group will be brought in, Professor.”

The teaching assistant opened the door and led the next group in.

It was Han Min-ha’s group.

Han Min-ha quickly averted her gaze after catching my eyes.

After sitting the children down on the chairs and repeating the already familiar explanation, I had them all put on their helmets.

While checking if the helmets were on properly, I noticed that Han Min-ha’s back was already soaked in sweat from tension.

Hmm… I’m feeling a bit uneasy about this.

With a troubling premonition, I powered on the device.

“Mom!” “Don’t come! Don’t come!”

As expected, the students screamed and flailed their arms around in panic.

However, glancing at Han Min-ha, I was surprised to find her sitting silently without making a sound, just like Yu Hye-won.

Seems like her mental strength is far stronger than her appearance suggests.

Perhaps her background as a hero prodigy gives her a certain level of competence already.

At the moment I thought that—

Han Min-ha suddenly collapsed forward.

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