Academy’s Villain Professor-Chapter 199 : Chapter 199

Chapter 199: The Final Plan
One of the students cautiously raised their hand.
Ho-cheol, who had naturally expected a question, tilted his chin as if to say, "Go ahead."
“But our special move. Haven’t we already made one?”
Among Ho-cheol's past lectures, there had been one about special moves.
In fact, most of the students had already created several useful techniques according to his advice and guidance.
He shook his head.
“That’s just a trump card you can use right now. It’s a bit different from a special move.”
A trump card and a special move.
At the very least, in Ho-cheol's theory, there was a big difference between the two.
If he had to say, a trump card could be included in the category of a special move, but it was clearly different from what he had set as the theme for this midterm exam.
This wasn't just about the midterm exam; it was a lifelong homework for them if they were to live as heroes.
“There’s also the difference in weapons.”
The special move from before was a technique created based on the weapons they used.
Naturally, without a weapon, its power would be halved.
But for this special move, a weapon was just a side dish.
It would be good to have one, but it was fine without one.
Just as Ho-cheol didn't necessarily need a sword to use his special move, a special move was only meaningful if it could be used in any situation.
Ho-cheol raised his index and middle fingers.
He gestured with his middle finger first.
“The trump card I presented to you then was the maximum performance you could pull off with the capabilities you had at that time.”
He folded his middle finger and then gestured with his index finger.
“This time, it's the ideal hero's technique that you can show with all your might when you have unlocked all of your potential. This is the most important difference.”
It was a simple and straightforward difference.
The special move they had learned now was likely to be unused if their Trait's proficiency and output improved.
Even if they used it, it would probably be treated as just one of their ordinary techniques.
But the special move he had presented this time was completely different.
Even if they were to become an S-rank hero, this one would maintain its identity as a special move to the very end.
“Of course, since you guys don't know the potential and the peak of your traits, I’ve planned everything from A to Z. You guys can just pick what you like from here.”
Towards the students who were still making a difficult expression, Ho-cheol bent his gesturing index finger.
The tip of his finger was aimed at Ye-jin.
“What’s your best technique right now?”
Ye-jin answered immediately.
“A cold energy attack. If a non-Augmentation type is within a 1m radius for more than 10 minutes, their body will be completely frozen and they won't be able to move properly.”
A Trait that emitted cold energy from her entire body.
If you looked closely at the Trait, Ye-jin had an organ that generated cold energy from her sweat glands and pores.
“The new technique you’ll learn will not just end with using the leaking cold energy, but will compress the cold energy itself and wrap it around your body.”
Ye-jin's eyes widened and she shouted.
“C-cold wrap!”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
When Ho-cheol clicked his tongue, Ye-jin shut her mouth again and glanced at him.
Right now, all she could do was to slowly slow down the opponent's body and take them down with frostbite, but if she were to create a special move through the training and method Ho-cheol had mentioned…
“Like this…”
Ho-cheol lightly held out his hand.
Ye-jin instinctively pushed away the fist that was coming towards her face with her palm.
“Just by blocking it, it will act as a fatal blow that incapacitates a part of the body.”
“Th-then for that to happen.”
Ye-jin had a worried expression.
To have to lower her body temperature to the point where just touching it would cause a fatal frostbite?
To maintain that much temperature, it was out of the question for her now.
She was just insensitive to the cold, not that she couldn't feel it.
“It far exceeds my maximum cold resistance.”
“That’s why it’s a special move. It's cold resistance now, but you have no choice but to make it an immunity.”
The training method was extremely simple.
Ho-cheol flipped a page in his notebook.
“First, keep eating dry ice. When you get a little used to it, eat something colder. There are things like liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen, aren't there?”
If it's really hard, you can get help from an awakened one with a similar type of Trait.
Ye-jin's expression turned black.
She had said she was prepared for anything to become stronger, but to think she had to eat raw dry ice.
A few students let out a small laugh.
Ho-cheol's head turned to the side.
The students who had been laughing shut their mouths.
It wasn't that he was pointing out their attitude.
In any case, they would also have to go through a similar, no, a more painful training as a requirement.
“Why are you laughing? This is very comfortable training.”
Ho-cheol presented each and every student with a special move that suited them, according to their attendance number, and the training necessary for that special move.
At the very least, there were several types of special moves Ho-cheol had presented, but the training method for them was all the same.
And everyone, just like Ye-jin, no, their complexion had become worse than hers.
As he had said, eating dry ice was on the easier side.
“Now. Of course, I don't expect you to have completed the technique by the midterm exam. In the first place, it's an impossible problem. So what I'll be looking for is how much you’ve improved, and if you have potential.”
Ho-cheol clapped his hands as if to finish his words.
“If you don't like any of the special moves I’ve presented, or if you have something you want, you can make that your special move. In any case, I'm just an example.”
Ho-cheol put his notebook back in his pocket.
“Let’s make one thing clear. You're not choosing the answer, you're making what you've chosen the answer.”
He gripped his wooden practice sword again.
“Even if the path you've chosen is shattered to pieces, you will climb to the top.”
At the same time, he lightly swung his wooden sword.
Kagagak—
A huge line was drawn between the students and Ho-cheol.
Even though they were only 1m apart, the students could feel it instinctively.
Ho-cheol and they were in a completely different world.
The line he had just drawn felt like a huge wall that separated two worlds.
From beyond that wall, Ho-cheol smiled lightly.
“I'll be expecting you, and waiting for you.”
***
After Ho-cheol's professor's schedule was over, he went to work as a villain again.
His hideout, Ha-rin, with her chin in her hand, let out a sigh.
“Haa.”
She was now so confused about which was her main base that she would just sit in Ho-cheol's hideout whenever she had free time.
The good thing was that she had been given the important mission of monitoring Ho-cheol by Hong Beom-do and the other executives.
Thanks to that, she could pass her original duty as a smuggling team leader on to someone else and spend her time here without much problem.
Of course, for Hong Beom-do, Ho-cheol was a golden goose that laid golden eggs, pointing out the traitors.
Especially after the news that villains had blatantly attacked him on his way back the other day, how surprised he had been.
There was no reason not to put a person on him.
Her gaze turned to Ho-cheol, who was sitting on the windowsill.
He had been diligently working his pen in that spot for several hours.
What was he doing?
Ha-rin had no idea, of course, but Ho-cheol was in the middle of making an exam.
Since the exam period was not far off, he had to start preparing for the midterm.
The Monday lecture was 100% practical, so there was no need to prepare any problems, but the Friday first-year lecture was impossible.
In the first place, these kids didn't even have a temporary license.
After making a detailed plan, two more weeks had passed.
It was a long time if it was long, and a short time if it was short.
However, at the very least, if they considered themselves as colleagues pursuing a single goal, risking their lives, that relationship was surely special.
At least, that's what Ha-rin thought.
The problem was, she could not welcome this change at all.
She had even taken on the stigma of being a villain for the sole purpose of revenge.
Naturally, she had not given any kind of sincerity to villains.
If Ho-cheol was not a villain, maybe.
She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the presence of Ho-cheol, which was slowly growing within her.
She let out another sigh.
“The ground is going to collapse.”
Ho-cheol, who had been sitting on the windowsill and making midterm exam questions, said, spinning the pen in his hand.
Ha-rin, who had hidden her true feelings, said bluntly.
“It’s because I’m anxious. Can we succeed?”
The day their plan would be executed was not far off.
And the success of that plan was also the end of her revenge.
“It’s not a good thing. Nothing changes just because you’re anxious. If anything, it will just ruin things.”
They had done everything they could.
By weeding out most of the traitors in Hong Beom-do's organization, and while he was at it, he had also tripped up his most loyal subordinates.
Although Hong Beom-do had not purged them right away because he knew their loyalty well, in the first place, Ho-cheol had just added that they were suspicious.
But the seed of suspicion that Ho-cheol had planted had grown into a tree too large to be simply ignored.
At the very least, they could no longer stay right next to Hong Beom-do as they had been.
This alone was enough.
At the most critical moment, if the most loyal subordinate who could even throw away their life was not by his side, the success rate of the plan would skyrocket.
And in addition, Ho-cheol had caught the real traitors inside and had drawn in an external organization.
The high-risk villain organizations he had received from the head of the Legal Department.
He had linked them with the traitors, who would not be strange even if they caused trouble at any time, and had soured the relationship between Hong Beom-do and them.
Ho-cheol's meticulous instigation had planted suspicion, built up malice, and divided killing intent.
At the same time, Ho-cheol had contacted high-risk villain organizations.
If they were in their right mind, they would not even have dared to attack Hong Beom-do due to the overwhelming difference in military power, but the villains on this list were real madmen who were not swayed by such calculations of profit and loss.
If Hong Beom-do was a tiger in the ecosystem of villains, then they were vipers who would surely bite at his heel if they had the chance.
And on top of that, Eclipse would also be tagging along.
In fact, for Ho-cheol, it was a big gamble.
If he wasn't careful, he could cause a series of deaths.
“We’ve been through that hell for nearly two months. We have to succeed.”
“Well That’s true, but.”
It was natural for Ha-rin to be worried.
This was a revenge with her life on the line.
There was no next chance.
Failure was only death.
No, even success was only death.
Ho-cheol, who had even put down his pen, stared at the whining Ha-rin.
“Then quit.”
“What?”
Ho-cheol said nonchalantly.
“Give up on your revenge. No one will say anything if you run away without getting revenge. In fact, they’ll praise you for being wise.”
“You, you!”
Ha-rin momentarily glared at Ho-cheol with a venomous expression, but she soon relaxed her expression.
At a glance, it was a nuance of taunting and mocking her for being a coward, but in reality, it was completely different.
After sharing the plan, Ho-cheol had suggested that she give up on her revenge several times over the past 2 weeks.
It was ridiculous to get angry at something like this.
In the first place, she had not told Ho-cheol the catalyst for her revenge.
He probably thought it was an insignificant reason.
After thinking for a moment, Ha-rin said, as if spitting out the words.
“Hong Beom-do, he killed my parents.”
Ho-cheol was momentarily flustered and dropped the pen he had been spinning in his hand.
Not an accidental death?
It was the complete opposite of the information he had heard.
Since he had completely believed that information, the shock Ho-cheol received was even more intense.
It was information from the dean, of all people.
Ha-rin had lost her parents, but the dean had lost his child.
If that was really true, there was no way the dean would have just stood by.
Either Hong Beom-do or the dean would have been dead a long time ago.
Ho-cheol, who had picked up the dropped pen again, asked.
“Revenge for your parents. The motive is certainly there.”
Let’s dig a little deeper.
“Then shouldn't you have entrusted it to a hero?”
“No.”
Ha-rin answered firmly.
“I haven't told anyone. Even if a hero caught him, at most he would just go to prison. That’s why I didn’t tell anyone. I wanted to get revenge myself.”
For Ho-cheol, it was just dumbfounding.
He had a rough idea of the estimate.
At that time, the only witness was probably Ha-rin, and she had hidden the truth.
To get her parents' revenge herself.
However, considering Ha-rin's age, at the time of her parents' death, she would have been just a little kid.
To think she had been planning revenge since then.
Honestly…
She’s completely crazy.
Those words rose to the tip of Ho-cheol's tongue and then went back.
After thinking for a moment, Ho-cheol scratched the back of his head.
“A foolish revenge.”
“What?”
At the short sentence, Ha-rin's expression crumpled.
She had confessed her past to prevent him from clouding her revenge any further.
And yet, beyond urging her to give up, he was even belittling her revenge?
An unbearable anger welled up.
“Did your parents tell you to get revenge by killing Hong Beom-do?”
But Ho-cheol just lightly brushed off her angry gaze.
“To throw away your own life, your past, your present, and your future, and live only for revenge, did they say that?”
Ho-cheol was, for a rare moment, genuinely annoyed.
It was an annoyance directed at Ha-rin, but also an emotion directed at himself.
The fact that the Ha-rin in front of him overlapped with his past self was not a simple hallucination.
“A life dedicated only to revenge. That's foolish.”
Ho-cheol put down his notebook and got off the windowsill.
Then he stood right in front of Ha-rin. Looking down at her, who was sitting, Ho-cheol said.
“Revenge is a process, not a goal.”
If there is another goal, and you can achieve revenge in the middle of it?
What could be better than that?
But a life like a racehorse, running only towards revenge, is miserable.
“Since you have a firm goal you want to achieve, and you're more desperate than anyone else, you might be a little stronger than your peers. And your thoughts might be deeper.”
His voice was filled with a very firm conviction.
“But that's like looking at a single tree in a forest for your whole life, and only going towards that tree.”
He couldn't help but be confident.
This was all Ho-cheol's own experience.
“You won't get lost if you keep looking at that tree, but at most, it's just a level of going a little faster and farther than others.”
She wasn't close enough to be called one of his people yet.
In the first place, she was hiding the most important thing.
However, he had no reason to spare his advice for a latecomer who was foolishly following this path, which he had already walked and which had only a cliff at the end.
“What other trees are in the forest, what color the sky is, that the day changes, and that the seasons pass. You'll live your whole life without knowing such things. At the very least, if it were me, I wouldn't want to see my precious person live a life where they're so blinded by revenge that they don't know anything.”
Ho-cheol let out a faint sigh.
“What trees are in the forest, what color the sky is. That the day changes, that the seasons change. What kind of scenery unfolds if you get lost. I wish I had seen the same things that others had seen.”
His past self had not known that.
No, even if he had, he had not accepted it.
Because he had nothing left anyway.
To realize that, there was something far more important than someone's serious advice.
“If you really don't have anyone precious even now, you wouldn't have listened to me in the first place, but…”
Ho-cheol knew.
That she sometimes looked at the distant empty air with a longing gaze.
The dean had been tormented, saying that Ha-rin had gone astray because his education and the surrounding environment were a problem, and that he had failed to play his role as a family, but in reality, that was not the case at all.
“If you have someone precious, then stop. And go back.”
Ho-cheol reached out and placed his hand on Ha-rin's shoulder.
“We live for the living, not for the dead.”
Ha-rin could not answer.
Instead, she just parted her lips for a long time.