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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Academy Enrollment
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The entrance ceremony proceeded exactly as in the rehearsal. As long as no unexpected incidents cropped up, there was no chance of it going off the rails. Fortunately, no villains stirred up any trouble. The Korean Hero Academy—the Academy's—entrance ceremony wrapped up without a hitch.
─With this, we conclude the 69th Korean Hero Academy Entrance Ceremony.
With the announcer teacher's closing words, the ceremony came to an end. The moment it did, cameras from every broadcast station zeroed in on me all at once. I could feel their sheer determination to capture my image.
Was my face probably splashed across the national news ending outros right now? A hundred percent, they'd have it front and center on every screen. Keeping my expression perfectly neutral without giving anything away, I broke from the formation. Next up after the ceremony: head to the Academy's main building.
Class assignments had been finalized ages ago. Yesterday afternoon, the results went out to all Academy students. As the top Captain candidate—the top admittee—I was naturally placed in Class 1-A.
'Jeong Sua's probably there too.'
At the Academy, Class A was the cream of the crop. That never changed until graduation. Captain candidates' rankings flipped and flopped all the time, but Hero candidates—the girls'—stayed rock-solid unless something major happened.
'The reason Captain rankings are such a mess is pretty hilarious too.'
They all tried to avoid being number one. They poured effort into tanking their scores, and whoever failed the least ended up on top. While the girls busted their asses to climb, the boys hustled just as hard to drop. Being a guy didn't make cruising through the Academy any easier.
'Of course, I've got zero plans for that.'
I'd pull out every trick in the book and fight tooth and nail to hold onto that top spot. Might be smooth sailing, but no way I'd slack off.
They fed you, tucked you in, handed you cash, even lined up jobs. Just bust a good nut, and you were treated like elite talent. No other world came close to this paradise.
'Top Captain in Korea, strongest in the world.'
That just meant eating well, shitting well, and thriving. No lofty goals or anything. Purely grinding for my own indulgence, no strings attached.
Hero candidates—the girls—didn't chase grand dreams either. They were gunning for Hero status for a solid future, same as me.
Heroes with superhuman powers were nationally prized professions. Long as Gates stuck around, it was a hot field with real prospects.
Right after the ceremony ended, students surged out of the auditorium in a massive wave, scattering to their assigned classes. I trailed the group toward mine. Didn't even need to know the way—the kids moved in an almost perfect single file.
The Academy's main building was ridiculously massive. So grand it barely felt like a school. The city had sprouted up around it alone, fueled by insane public interest and funding for hero academies. This scale? Par for the course.
We passed through the east entrance and down the corridors. First-year students who'd arrived early milled about in the halls, hunting for their rooms in a chaotic buzz. I shoved through the sea of girls, making a beeline for Class 1-A.
[1-A]
Class 1-A was farthest from the east gate, right by the west entrance. A bunch of students were already inside, settled in their seats.
Captain candidate boys all rocked black hair, while Hero candidate girls flaunted wild, colorful locks in every shade. A side effect of their superpower types.
'Jeong Sua.'
Jeong Sua had claimed the front row. Prime spot for that one-on-one teacher vibe. No average overachiever would pick it voluntarily—
'Top dog, as expected.'
Unlike the boys, girls went all-in on exam prep to snag Academy spots. Practicals were brutal enough, but they had to nail written tests too. The grind was on another level.
Jeong Sua bulldozed through that meat grinder to claim first place. That alone hinted at her caliber. For an aspiring top Captain like me, she was talent I had to lock down, no matter what.
I snagged a decent back-row seat. No plans to grind studies, so front row? Hard pass. Absolutely staying put.
"That guy's sitting there."
"Two seats diagonal back from the Captain's the easiest hook. Gives that emotional comfort vibe, builds rapport."
Whispers drifted over. Tried ignoring them, but damn if it wasn't tough. Knew they were yapping about me—impossible to fully tune out. Best I could do: play dumb and eavesdrop.
"Who said that?"
"Nootube."
"Thirty Ways to Snag Your Dream Captain? Luna?"
"Huh? You know it too?"
Nootube overflowed with info vids. This world or the old one, the ecosystem was the same grind. Nootubers clawing for clicks with whatever bait worked.
"That chick never actually landed a Captain. Word is she clung to Academy life by a thread, got dumped at graduation, scraped by on DW running Gates."
"For real?"
"Don't buy Luna's crap. Why trust a nootuber who couldn't even score Captain affection? Dream Captain two diagonal seats back? Straight bullshit."
"Hiiing... Guess I gotta slide closer then."
She scooted her butt back, shoved the chair out, and stood. Loud drag-scrape as she relocated. That diagonal spot? Nabbed by another girl. Meaningless or not, desperation made her clutch it. I sized up the new claimant.
'Tch.'
Looks were huge for female Heroes. Maybe even trumped raw powers. To win a Captain's heart and his seed, you had to bring the appeal—obviously.
In this world, Captain candidates held god-tier status. Female Heroes needed that semen to level up powers and hit peak output.
Class filled out completely. Thirty total. Five boys, twenty-five girls. Standard per class.
Ballpark math: five Hero candidates per Captain hopeful. No average stamina could keep up.
That's why Hero hopefuls washed out in droves. Snagging a Captain? Brutal odds. Reality didn't care.
Graduating in a Crew? Rare as hell. Net dives pegged it under 5%. The rest leaned on DW for their Hero gigs.
'Those Heroes still outpace regular peers by miles, but...'
All those stares aimed my way? Rooted in that desperation. Even mid-tier Captain candidates drew eyes, but top-admittee premium? Jackpot.
My market value was off the charts. Wild to think it all stemmed from one sloppy romp with Choi Seulgi and blasting loads. This world? Straight fire.
Chattering girls. Boys hushed and tense. Amid the polar vibes, a commanding voice cut through.
Drag—!
Someone yanked the front door wide. Right on cue: Class A homeroom teacher made her entrance. Heels clicking assertively, she strode in like she owned the place.
Suited up for the ceremony, she planted herself at the lectern.
Red hair with a tousled edge, heavy smoker vibes, decadent allure radiating. Zero teacher energy.
'Academy hires skip the certification exams.'
They scouted based on Hero skills, track records, a mix of hardcore criteria. No slouch standards—Academy gigs were tougher nuts to crack than regular teaching.
'Folks say Hero work pays better cash-wise than Academy teaching, but...'
If money wasn't the game, Academy teacher was prime real estate.
"My name is—."
She chalked her full name on the board.
"Lim Sarang."
Casually dropped the mismatched name, then snapped her fingers to spark a flame. The letters blazed red. Gentle embers trailed behind—surprisingly gorgeous.
"Before teaching, I ran as Korea's 50th-ranked Hero. Anyone even mildly into Heroes—knows the name."
Girls' eyes lit up like stars. Idol-meets-celeb reaction.
Korean ranking or not, 50 was elite tier. World-class contender. Lessons from her? Peak glory for the girls.
"Hate dragging shit out, so quick version—."
Lim Sarang swept her gaze over Class A. Looked like she clocked everyone, but something snagged. Her eyes lingered—five spots. The boys' seats.
"Change into combat uniforms and haul ass to Field A3 by ten. Dismissed."
She flicked her tongue over her lips. Glossy and tempting.