Academy’s Villain Professor-Chapter 132 : Chapter 132

Chapter 132 : The Exam (2)
The examinee from the front seat had called Ho-cheol over to talk.
Ho-cheol followed him to a secluded area behind the school.
A few steps behind Ho-cheol, another examinee tagged along, perhaps worried he might try to run.
As he walked at a leisurely pace, Ho-cheol recalled the earlier situation.
Only four of them had shot up from their seats in annoyance, but there were more who wore the special glasses or had dissatisfied expressions.
All in all, maybe about 6 of them.
Among them, these two were the ones solving the problems and sharing the answers.
So, four customers.
He wondered if this was actually profitable, but there had been some sullen guys who seemed to have been scammed by the cheat sheet after the first exam.
The original price they quoted was 5 million.
And since these guys guaranteed a pass, it wouldn't be strange for them to charge several times that amount.
If they provided care through the second practical exam, they would probably get a similar amount again.
And then the third interview.
What if it was corruption linked all the way to the interviewers?
Thousands, even hundreds of millions.
There would be a line of guys willing to pay.
The only reason they didn't increase the number of customers was probably because it would be difficult to manage more, and the passing rate would drop.
This is bigger than I thought.
It's not just at the level of exam brokers earning some pocket money.
As he was contemplating, they arrived at their destination.
Under the back wall of the school, in a secluded spot where delinquent students would surely hide with a cigarette or two in their mouths.
But it was quiet because of the vacation.
The man who had been standing behind Ho-cheol approached, his expression twisting menacingly.
“Do you have any idea what you've just done? No. Before that, first…”
He said, suppressing his irritation with great effort.
“Let me ask you one thing. Did you do it on purpose?”
“What.”
Ho-cheol chuckled, took the pen out of his pocket, and flicked it lightly.
Tick tick― tick―
“This?”
His expression crumpled.
The sound Ho-cheol had just made wasn't simply a flick of a pen.
The rhythm and signal were clearly theirs.
Ho-cheol hadn't just made a similar sound to confuse them; he had understood the meaning and deliberately interfered.
“This bastard!”
Was it because he had ruined a whole season's business?
He furiously reached out and grabbed Ho-cheol by the collar.
“You bastard. Why are you interfering with other people's business!”
Ho-cheol, held by the collar, shrugged nonchalantly.
“The cheat sheet you tried to sell me. It was a scam, right? Thinking about it, I got really pissed. So I decided to screw you over and take down my competitors at the same time.”
Ho-cheol grinned and taunted him.
If you have a problem, go tell the exam proctor.
‘‘We were sharing answers using a signal with a pen flicking sound and some guy reverse-engineered the signal and interfered.’’
It's funny, but if you really tattle like that, I'll turn myself in too.
But listen.
Ho-cheol, who had been smiling until just a moment ago, wiped the smile off his face and became serious.
“This shirt, that person picked it out for me, saying it looked good. I was quite fond of it myself. But if you grab my collar like this, the shirt stretches.”
He raised his hand and placed it over the hand grabbing his collar.
He straightened his thumb.
“Wanna die?”
He bent his thumb again and pressed down hard on the back of the hand holding his collar.
He had merely poked the back of the hand with his finger, but the result was not simple.
“Keoheukheok!”
In pain as if a hole was being punched through his hand, the man momentarily let go of his collar.
But Ho-cheol still held onto his palm and continued to apply pressure.
Geuduek― Kkudeuk― Bbeudeuk―
Every time he twisted the man's hand held in his, a sound like bones being crushed echoed in the back.
“Aaaack!”
“Hey, you. Don't erase your Trait.”
Ho-cheol turned his head to the side and warned the other man.
“If the scream leaks out and other people come, I'll make it so your friend can never scream again.”
A calm declaration, without any exaggeration or threat.
The man could feel it instinctively.
He was serious.
His Trait was said to be the type that drastically reduced sound in a certain area.
It was good for having secret conversations, but it also prevented a person's screams from leaking out.
It was a useful trait with many applications.
But that would also end today.
Normally, he would relieve his stress by tormenting them a little at a time, but the exam wasn't over yet.
He had to sort out the situation within 10 minutes and get back to his seat to take the third-period exam.
That's why Ho-cheol proceeded with the task in a rather dry manner.
Interrogation—torture—interrogation—torture.
This cycle was useless against even slightly skilled villains or heroes, but it was effective against all the other miscellaneous types.
And the guys in front of him were included in those miscellaneous types.
Sitting on a pile of boxes nearby, he asked back indifferently.
“Is that all?”
“Yes, yes. That’s all I know……”
Ho-cheol’s interrogation-torture was effective.
After just a couple of rounds, wasn't he spilling everything he was asked?
And with honorifics, too.
The number of these license brokers, their scale, their methods of crime and structure, and their profits.
Since he was a low-level member, it wasn't certain, but he had found out everything he could.
“If there's a single lie, we'll ring the ‘Bell of Truth’ again.”
At the mention of the Bell of Truth, the man's face turned pale.
“N-no. I really told you everything!”
“Right? You don't want to get ding-ding-dinged again, do you?”
The expression was playful, but for the one on the receiving end, Ho-cheol's ding-ding-ding was no joke.
He would grab the person's temples with both hands and shake them back and forth—bwoong.
On the outside, it looked like he was just shaking their head around, but in reality, the brain inside the skull vibrated wildly, causing a kind of concussion.
The problem was that the physical durability of an awakened person was superior to that of a normal human, so it didn't lead to fainting.
The dizziness and ensuing intense pain were not an understatement to be called the worst pain of one's life.
It was so bad that he had even forgotten the pain in his pulped hand.
“Hmm.”
He pondered, resting his chin on his hand.
According to his explanation, each class had two guys solving problems and sharing answers.
They maintained four customers.
They also provided care through the practical exam and had connections with the interviewers.
With that, the pass rate was over 90%.
By their own account, it was the best in the industry.
“So you're probably dabbling in other certifications and licenses too?”
“Th-that, I don't know.”
Was it natural for a low-level member not to know in the first place?
At first glance, it seemed like a crude, slapdash system, but it had been running well for a surprisingly long time.
They had been at this for years.
They had even gained the confidence that they would never get caught, to the point of directly approaching and contacting suckers like Ho-cheol on-site, and instead of handing over the money they made, they were lining their own pockets.
And they happened to run into Ho-cheol.
“But there must be aspiring heroes too. How can this have been going on for several years?”
“W-well, the really proper aspiring heroes get their licenses while interning at academies or active hero offices, so they don't need to come all the way here to take the exam.”
The talented individuals were already filtered out, and those who came here to take the exam were usually lacking in both a sense of justice and skill.
It wasn't that they had been lucky and never got caught; they had been doing business in a place where they would never get caught.
“Still, there must be some unusual cases every few years.”
“We basically get all the information on the applicants. Anyone with a history of hero activities or who is good enough to notice our tricks, we either herd them all into one other exam site or something.”
So they had enough connections to even manipulate the personnel placement.
“Aha. So that's why the old man sent me.”
Ho-cheol nodded as if he understood.
The people the dean could officially use were basically well-known figures.
He wasn't some government agent; to have an unknown face and identity, not have this license, and be skilled enough to notice their scam.
There was no way such an all-powerful connection existed.
And even if they miraculously met all those conditions, if they were to take orders from the dean, they would have a fundamental sense of justice.
Even if they had suspicions that were close to certainty, they couldn't uncover the truth as violently as Ho-cheol.
Within the legal realm, they would only catch a few low-level guys who were just the tail, and the body would leisurely escape.
Perhaps the dean had already tried to solve this matter by sending someone, but had failed several times and finally entrusted it to Ho-cheol.
Of course, if he had explained the whole situation in detail, it would have been practically instigating violence, so he probably kept his words to a minimum.
Of course, finding the main body was quite simple for Ho-cheol.
He turned his head and looked at the man who hadn't been hit even once.
He had deliberately not touched him.
He had only threatened him so he couldn't run.
There was no need to instill more fear and pain in him than necessary yet.
What Ho-cheol needed wasn't just their information.
He didn't know how the man had interpreted Ho-cheol's gaze, but the terrified man backed away and took out his phone.
“You, you! You're making a mistake. Do you know who's behind us!”
“Wow.”
Ho-cheol was genuinely impressed.
To think he would live to hear such words.
Of course, he had wanted such a reaction, but hearing it for real felt quite strange.
Ho-cheol gestured leisurely.
“I'm genuinely curious who's behind you. Go ahead and call them.”
What kind of expression would the person behind them make when they faced the person he was about to call?
“Ah, and I've been feeling this for a while.”
Ho-cheol strode over and stood in front of the man.
“Your pen flicking is really getting on my nerves. So.”
He clenched his fist.
“Don't come in for the next exam.”
“What does that m……”
Before the man could finish his words, Ho-cheol's fist slammed into his face.
Bbeo-eok—!
His body flew back, hit the wall with the back of his head, and went limp.
He had hit him really lightly, just enough to knock him out, so he would wake up in about 5 minutes.
This way, he could take the exam as planned, and also properly punish the guys who were undermining the fairness of the exam.
He turned around and placed his hand on the head of the man who was still kneeling.
“Now. You wake up in 5 minutes too.”
“N-no.”
As if guessing what was about to happen, he tried to pull his head back, but since he was already caught, it was impossible to escape.
Ho-cheol applied force and shook his head.
He rolled his eyes back and fainted.
Ho-cheol checked the time and hurried back to the exam room.
The third-period exam began with 48 people.
The atmosphere in the exam room was distracted.
The few who had been scammed by the cheat sheet couldn't concentrate and had practically given up on the exam, and the customers who were supposed to receive the cheating for the written exam, now that the guys who were supposed to solve and share the answers were gone, were glancing at the exam room door more often than their test papers.
As it turned out, the competition had been significantly reduced.
People should really live right.
And so, the exam ended.
After all the test papers were collected.
Several people wearing proctor armbands approached Ho-cheol.
“Examinee number 31281. There will be a brief investigation for cheating and assault.”
Following their guidance, he arrived at an empty classroom where the two examinees he had beaten up earlier and a few other men he had never seen before were.
In the center of the classroom, a middle-aged man clasped his hands and gazed at Ho-cheol, gesturing to the seat opposite him.
“Sit.”
Ho-cheol sat on the desk in the center, not the chair opposite him.
At the blatant disrespect, the man's brow twitched.
“So why was I called here? If you're going to conduct an investigation at the proctor level, shouldn't you set up an official meeting instead of here?”
“Did you beat these two up like this?”
The two had only received rough first aid, it seemed, and were wrapped in bandages here and there.
He had actually restrained himself as much as possible to avoid leaving visible external injuries, but they were making a big fuss.
Thinking that, Ho-cheol obediently nodded his head.
“Yeah. So are you their backer?”
“I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just investigating as an exam administrator, because one examinee committed violence against another.”
He drew a line right there.
But it didn't really matter.
The fact that they were together in an unofficial setting already made it certain that he was the main body.
There was probably a head connected to this main body too.
But finding that would take a long time and seem like a hassle.
Meanwhile, the man spoke again.
“You did it because you were angry about almost being scammed. I can certainly understand that. In that case, let me ask you one thing.”
He finally got to the point.
“Instead of these two suing you for assault or other charges, can you also keep today's events a secret and go home?”
“Ah, so you want to end things nicely?”
“That's right.”
Ho-cheol widened his eyes as if surprised by the unexpected proposal.
But he soon understood.
Unlike the enemies Ho-cheol had fought so far, these guys weren't a villain organization or anything of the sort.
In reality, the crimes they had committed were merely things like obstruction of business by sharing exam answers, obstruction of justice, and the like.
In the end, only four customers had failed the written exam.
This could be resolved with a refund.
And the low-level brokers he had beaten up hadn't died or become disabled.
It was just the deviance of a few heroes and public officials who were truly blinded by money.
If the problem Ho-cheol had caused was just an emotional fight over money, then it was much more profitable to end it there and continue this business for a long time.
For Ho-cheol, who had naturally expected another big fight, it was a proposal that took all the wind out of his sails.
“Even if you today's events to the media or somewhere else, we never leave any evidence. It might be a little difficult to do business in the future, but what's the point of that? You'll pass this exam and never come back anyway.”
He scratched the back of his head, his expression much more lax than before.
“That sounds good to me too. But those two guys.”
Ho-cheol raised his hand and pointed to the two low-level guys in the back.
“They were bragging so much. About how great their backer was, and all that. Telling me I'd definitely regret it.”
He was exaggerating a little, but the context was similar, so it was fine.
“So I got a little scared and called my own backer.”
Ho-cheol checked his phone.
He had sent a short text message just before taking the exam.
“I think he'll be here soon.”
Just then, his phone rang.
The new text message contained only the short main point that he had arrived.
He got off the desk.
Then he slid open the back door of the classroom—drreureuk—
“Oh, say hi.”
Ho-cheol said, pointing to the old man entering through the door.
“This is the chairman of the Hero Association.”
The chairman, leaning on his cane, looked around the classroom.
“Are these them? The ones you said needed to be buried?”
“Uh, on second thought, their crime isn't big enough to actually bury them. Just give them a proper scolding.”
His words had changed from when he had first sent the text, and the chairman clicked his tongue.
To think he had called him over, making a fuss about how important it was, only to treat them like common criminals now.
“Tsk. For something like this, I could have just sent my subordinates.”
Just 3 minutes later.
Without the right to appoint a lawyer or the chance to exercise their right to remain silent, the license exam brokers in the classroom were all dragged away and disappeared somewhere.
In the now-quiet classroom, only Ho-cheol and the chairman remained.
“The reason you called me all the way here wasn't just for that, was it?”
“No way. That was just on the side.”
Ho-cheol sat back down on the desk he had been sitting on earlier.
There was a separate reason why he had specifically chosen the chairman out of the many connections he could have called.
Ho-cheol's curiosity and questions that not even the dean or the head of the Legal Department could answer.
“There's something I need to hear from you too. It's an important matter, so I recommend you answer carefully.”
Ho-cheol took a pen out of his pocket and spun it in his hand.
Then he held it in a reverse grip.
Pook—!
The pen pierced through the table.
Ho-cheol's gaze was more serious than ever before.
“Depending on your answer, I might not let you leave here alive.”