Academy’s Villain Professor-Chapter 144 : Chapter 144

Chapter 144 : Aftereffects
The Sage nodded his head in understanding.
"A traitor. Indeed, that's a problem that neither heroes nor villains should take lightly."
Hocheol was trying harder than anyone to live a more wholesome and upright life, but that didn't mean he would tolerate and overlook everything like a pushover.
At the very least, betrayal was something he couldn't and shouldn't tolerate.
This was even more true if the traitor was a remnant of his dark past.
The Sage pondered something for a moment, then let out a dry laugh.
It was because Hocheol had answered so firmly.
In reality, it was nothing short of madness.
"To think you'd talk of making an enemy of a corporate giant that even the nation can't treat lightly. Putting success aside, how do you plan to handle the aftermath?"
"It's not impossible. The aftermath..."
Hocheol thought for a moment.
He wasn't trying to bring down the corporation, just kidnap and beat up one employee.
Black Oscorp was a multinational corporation that even the government couldn't handle recklessly, but conversely, they only had a small branch in this country.
They wouldn't be able to interfere openly or resort to force.
Most importantly, if Hocheol acted personally and got caught, would a military contractor be so embarrassed that they could go around talking about it?
Hocheol was confident in a fight between small elite groups.
Only one thing was important.
As long as he didn't leave any information or traces that could identify him, it would be over.
After weighing several conditions and situations, Hocheol still nonchalantly jutted his chin.
"The aftermath is the responsibility of those who harbored a criminal. I don't see any reason for me to worry about it."
"Well, now. That's something to look forward to in its own right."
The Sage even clapped his hands in delight.
Just when he thought the Jian incident had ended rather blandly, a much bigger case that couldn't even be compared to it came along.
Watching Hocheol with this Clairvoyance trait, his dopamine never had a chance to dry up.
The sight of him so confidently challenging a multinational corporate giant.
No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Hocheol's reaction made it seem as if the corporation was the challenger.
"Well, it might be a little annoying."
Hocheol, squatting, placed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on the back of his hand.
The only disappointing thing was that even if he knew the doctor's whereabouts, he couldn't mobilize the LUNAR Auction's manpower to confirm his identity and capture him.
No, it was impossible to even ask for cooperation in the first place.
The LUNAR Auction was the largest auction house in the Black Market.
And it was a well-known, open secret that most of the funds circulating in the Black Market were black money from the battlefield, used for money laundering.
Naturally, Black Oscorp's share in that would be substantial.
No matter how much favor LUNAR held for Hocheol, and even if they had promised full cooperation, there was no way they would grant his request to dig up information on their backer.
On the contrary, they would probably gather all of his personal information and offer it to them.
"That's something I can just do by putting in the legwork."
In any case, Hocheol, having gotten all the necessary information, placed his hands on his knees and stood up.
They weren't close anyway, and since he had gotten what he needed, there was no reason to stay here any longer.
Above all, this back alley smelled too foul.
As he turned to leave, Hocheol hesitated for a moment.
He turned his body back and looked down at the Sage.
"Ah, I want to ask one more thing."
"Ahem. Only one question. You can't be unaware of that rule."
"No. I'm not asking you as the Sage, but just as an old man who's a local resident here."
"Heh."
The Sage wore an expression that was half-flustered, half-expectant.
For decades since awakening his trait, the questions he received were always things that only the Sage could know.
To be asked a question not as the Sage, but as a resident of the back alley.
He flicked his hand as if to say, "go on."
Hocheol scratched the back of his head and asked.
"Do you know a place around here that sells women's underwear? Or a place you'd recommend."
For a moment, the Sage froze in disbelief.
Then he grabbed a few Go stones and threw them at Hocheol.
"Why are you asking me that!"
"If you don't know, just say so. Why are you getting angry?"
Tadadak—
Hocheol grumbled as he blocked the flying Go stones with his palm.
After that, they found a clothing store by asking around, and the purchase of Jian's clothes was completed without any major problems.
There were a few minor incidents.
Jian pestered Hocheol to check her out while trying on the underwear he had chosen, and getting a few flicks on the forehead.
It was truly just a happening, as the word implies.
On the way back.
Sohee gripped the steering wheel tightly.
"...The battlefield."
Her palms were sweating so much that it felt like she would lose her grip on the wheel at any moment.
"It's the battlefield I know, right?"
Hocheol, leaning his head against the passenger window, gave a slight nod.
"Crazy. Crazy."
It wasn't unreasonable for her to mutter that.
The battlefield was the name for the world's only super-giant special gate.
The largest gate in the world.
Its interior was so vast that it boasted a scale larger than a continent, and humanity had yet to complete even half of its map.
It was unknown what dangers and disasters lay hidden there, but there were also returns that outweighed the risks.
The abundant resources there were no exaggeration to call the future of humanity.
The entrances to the battlefield were scattered in dozens across the world.
Thanks to that, no country could claim the battlefield as its own territory, and as a result, it became a land without a master.
Naturally, there was no law there.
A few international laws only maintained a minimum of order.
But that too was just a shell.
It was a place ruled not by nations, but by corporations.
Not by ethics and morals, but by power and money.
"Black Oscorp."
And the five largest corporations among the hundreds, thousands gathered on the battlefield.
Black Oscorp was proudly listed among them.
"...This really doesn't feel right."
If it were just a large corporation, Sohee wouldn't be so worried.
But a battlefield corporation was completely different.
To counter the monsters, those corporations not only hired hunters, but also eagerly armed themselves by buying all sorts of weapons.
Their firepower was comparable to that of a small nation.
No matter how highly Hocheol was rated as a human weapon or whatnot, he would inevitably be outmatched by the firepower meant for a real war.
"And you're going to do it alone?"
"Of course. It's my personal grudge."
Moreover, because Hocheol insisted on going it alone, he could no longer expect help from the Association or Clinton, who had been able to provide at least some backup, even if it wasn't 'reliable'.
Though they wouldn't be of much use on the battlefield anyway.
"Ah, really. This is driving me crazy."
Hocheol said not to worry too much, but it wasn't something she could just do by being told.
"I won't tell you not to do it, since you won't listen anyway. But can't you at least share the story with the Association or Clinton and get some help?"
"Thanks for your concern. And I'm sorry, but I can't do that."
"That's right. It's okay. Mister, you have me!"
Jian from the back seat popped her head between the front seat and shouted.
The people around Hocheol found it difficult to move because of his personal grudge due to their social standing.
And since their social standing was so high, it was impossible for them to move secretly.
But she was different.
For Hocheol, that much was nothing!
"Right. I needed to talk to you about that."
Hocheol turned his body completely to look at Jian in the back Seat.
She had said it for his sake, but seeing Hocheol's rather serious expression, she felt that something was going wrong.
"You used your trait earlier, didn't you?"
"Ah, uh... Yes..."
She immediately sat up straight and straightened her back.
Is he going to scold me for that now?
But fortunately, it wasn't about that.
The problem was, it would have been better if it were.
"There are two ways to classify the permissible output of a trait."
Hocheol brought up a random topic and held up his index and middle fingers.
But his expression was so serious that neither Sohee nor Jian could point it out.
"Just as there is a limit to the strength that comes from muscles, there is a clear limit, and you gradually increase that limit through training."
He folded his index finger.
With only his middle finger remaining, he pointed at Jian's chest.
"There is a clear limit, but you can ignore that limit and forcefully raise it. In this case, you can see the body being consumed."
Originally, the proportion of the latter was overwhelmingly small, but as one went up to the top-tier heroes or villains, it was amusingly close to half and half.
When the limits of output and capacity were exceeded, the mind and body could not withstand the overload of the trait.
It was simply expressed as 'consuming the body', but the reality was harsher.
It could leave a permanent disability, or shorten one's lifespan.
It wasn't for nothing that Hocheol saved his trait as much as possible in battle.
When Jian had used her trait briefly earlier, Hocheol was convinced that her condition was not normal.
"The speed of the trait's manifestation and its power itself have noticeably dropped. The rebound has come now."
Thinking about it, it was natural.
She had fought with Eclipse, had only her external injuries treated, and then fought with Hocheol again.
It would be strange to think she was normal.
Of course, Jian couldn't help but be flustered.
The difference in the speed of the trait's manifestation when she fought with Hocheol and when she used it just now was less than 0.03 seconds.
But to realize and even point out that difference?
"Well, it's impossible for there to be no aftereffects. So what's your current condition?"
That question, so full of conviction.
It was a question, but also not a question.
Realizing she couldn't deceive him, Jian answered obediently.
"...Less than 30% of my full power."
"And to recover?"
"At least half a year..."
Jian's voice trailed off.
It was the price for pushing her trait beyond its limits without time to recover.
No, it was fortunate that she could get away with just a few months of recuperation without any permanent aftereffects.
Of course, she could still beat up an S-class villain or so, but compared to when she fought with Hocheol, it was 'just' that level.
Hocheol said flatly.
"Your trait is forbidden for the time being. Same goes for fighting."
In the first place, her offer to help was just Jian's personal opinion.
Hocheol had no intention of doing anything with her.
Even Dayeon and Yejin were not minors, and he only took them with him under the pretext of practical experience, in situations he could perfectly control.
But Jian was different.
She was a minor, and as long as Hocheol was her guardian.
She would not fight.
No, she shouldn't.
Above all, this matter was for a very personal motive, the punishment of a traitor, and he had no intention of using her for it.
Jian leaned forward in a panic.
She stuttered as she tried to persuade Hocheol.
"B-but. I have a bad personality, and I don't know anything, and."
She was on the verge of tears.
It wasn't just because she couldn't use her trait, but because without her trait, she was truly useless to Hocheol, nothing more than a hindrance.
"Without this trait, I really become a useless person."
"In the first place, I have no intention of demanding any such use from you, so what does it matter?"
He bent the middle finger that had been pointing at her chest and wiped away the tear that had formed in her eye.
"And why would you be useless? You're precious to me. That's enough."
Screeeech—!
For a moment, Sohee's sweat-soaked hand slipped on the steering wheel, and the car spun wildly.
It was fortunate that they were on a deserted national highway, or it could have been a major accident.
Hocheol, who had barely managed not to fall over with his superhuman sense of balance, looked to the side in a panic.
"Ow, what was that?"
"It's because of you, Mr. Hocheol!"
But Sohee blamed Hocheol for the accident.
No, it was actually his fault.
Her face brightened red as she shouted.
"S-shamelessly saying such things so casually!"
"Why? What."
Jian's face was even redder than Sohee's, and she buried her face in the back of the passenger Seat.
"If I wasn't driving, I would have hit you."
"Drive safely."
Leaving Sohee's grumbling behind, the Boong Boongie sped off again.
Even after Hocheol returned to the academy, his daily life did not change.
The things he planned and carried out were ultimately just intermediate steps for his new life, his daily routine.
Even if he became enemies with one of the world's leading corporations, that was no reason to disrupt his daily life.
As he continued to study for his certification as always.
His phone rang loudly.
He checked the number, saw an unexpected name, and pressed the call button.
"What's with the sudden call?"
A voice that was more sad than resentful came from over the phone.
Hocheol, sounding a little dumbfounded, asked the voice on the other end of the receiver.
"You got beat up by another villain while chasing an escaped convict?"
"Yes."
Hocheol sighed.
But it wasn't something to be particularly surprised or disappointed about.
"Well, you're not a real combat-type villain. If your opponent was around S-class, there's nothing you can do."
"Well, it was a new villain with no rank."
What did I just hear?
With that expression, Hocheol checked the name on his phone screen.
Wolf Fang.
It was him, right?
A short silence followed.
Hocheol let out a deep sigh as if the ground would collapse.
"This is so embarrassing. Don't go around saying you know me. I should just delete this saved number."
Hocheol, unusually, wiped his face in genuine shame.
A new villain.
What did that mean?
It meant a complete rookie with almost no practical experience.
Even if his output was S-class, if he had no practical experience, he should have been more than able to handle him.
Of course, he wasn't a pure combatant.
But to be beaten up by a real kid villain with no rank, not an escaped villain, not a high-ranking villain.
Most of all, there was something else Hocheol couldn't understand.
"No, so why are you calling me to tattle?"
Surely...
Hocheol, thinking it couldn't be, asked just in case.
"Are you asking me to get revenge for you?"
In fact, the relationship between Wolf Fang and him was quite ambiguous.
But one thing was certain, it was not a relationship where he would tattle after getting beat up, or where he would get revenge for him.
"That's not it."
Wolf Fang whispered in a low voice, as if someone might be listening.
Of course, he had his villain pride.
He didn't want to contact him over something like this.
But the reason he was contacting him, even at the risk of getting an earful, was because of the last shred of loyalty he had for Hocheol.
The heroes and the Association would soon find out, but this was something Hocheol needed to know a little earlier.
And for good reason.
"I think it's a student from the boss's academy."
Hocheol momentarily lost his grip on the pen he was twirling in his hand.
It flew through the air and landed squarely on the head of Jian, who was lying on the floor drawing.
"Ouch."
Hocheol was so flustered that he didn't even notice she had been hit, and asked back.
"What?"
What kind of bullshit is this now?