Chapter 136: Classics Are Helpful In Modern Times (1)
Early Saturday morning.
In the principal’s office, where no one should be, an elderly man with white hair was diligently scribbling with a pen, dressed in a suit since dawn.
He squinted at the monitor in front of him, checked the contents, and took notes in a notebook with a pen. The nameplate on his desk read ‘Sejong Education Institute Principal, Kim Seok-dae’.
Although everyone informally called it Sejong Academy, Kim Seok-dae was quietly organizing his work from dawn, staring at the monitor.
“It’s finished.”
The principal put down his pen and leaned back in his chair.
There had been an incident overnight that almost complicated things, but he managed to sort out the planned schedule without much trouble.
“The faculty and lecturers and the students’ assignments are done. Now… just waiting for the day of the field practice.”
April’s biggest event, the regional practice exercise.
Incidents occur every year, so more careful planning was necessary this year.
The frequency of accidents last year was notable.
Incidents like local thugs picking fights with ability users, resulting in one ability user beating up 17 delinquents.
Or a drunk driver hitting an ability user with their car, only for the ability user to be unharmed, then calling the insurance company claiming they were the victim, lying down in the middle of the road saying they were 0 and the ability user was 100.
Or two ability users falling in love, only to find out one of them was already dating a normal person, leading to that person self-harming and ending up in critical condition.
Accidents occurred endlessly due to crowds gathering to see ability users who come out of Sejong Island.
“I hope the accidents are manageable.”
Despite preparing as many people as possible, the most important thing was to take care of the ability users’ mental health to prevent their outbursts.
A moderate number of accidents were preferable.
Seeing many people moving to fix their mess made ability users realize they shouldn’t cause trouble. It became a fixed concept in their minds, an experience they gained physically, which they were repeatedly warned about at the academy.
When heroes caused trouble, it harmed civilians, and many suffered.
Therefore, heroes, ability users, need to be cautious not to harm ordinary people unnecessarily.
“Without trials, there is no growth. No flower blooms without being shaken.”
That was Kim Seok-dae’s philosophy and the reason the academy was established.
“The problem is Solar Platina.”
Several screens opened in front of the monitor.
Solar Platina, the golden armored knight who faced the demon Lilith. Ermina Sternfert, confined in a hospital, uncertain if she could recover her abilities. The Golden Priestess, who appeared in the Half-toad and Sirmila cases.
Combining all these, there was only one conclusion.
“Solar Platina is on Sejong Island.”
There was no other way to think.
Or rather, it would be strange not to think so.
If he couldn’t infer that, he wouldn’t have risen to the position of academy principal.
“The question is how she entered.”
Opinions varied on this.
Did she enter as an ability user student?
As a non-ability user, an ordinary person?
Or completely changed her identity, disguised as an adult older than 25?
Everyone had their theories, but the principal leaned towards the ‘student theory’.
“Even if they’re ability users, they’re just kids up to 25 years old at most. It’s not easy for such kids to enter as adults and hide their identity. The younger they are, the more they want to brag about themselves.”
The principal stood up, holding a mug.
“Whether they’re hiding their power or their identity, making friends or not, whatever the reason, they are here as students. Nobody knows yet… but they will soon.”
The principal turned his gaze toward the map on the wall.
“If we’re going to purify and save demons, we have no choice but to prepare them.”
On the map of the Korean peninsula below the demilitarized zone, each region was marked with red pins, and the principal sipped his coffee with a cool, composed look.
“Even the most righteous hero is, after all, human. They tend to protect their own, and in the face of their most precious people’s crises, they’re bound to reveal their true identity.”
The principal slid the wall with the map aside, revealing another space behind it.
“Sigh… Hah.”
He breathed in the old book scent, his eyes fluttering. To anyone watching, it might have seemed eerie, like an ability user sniffing mana powder, but the principal entered the space as if walking into heaven.
Inside the room.
Thick magazines were displayed on the secret bookshelf. These books, as thick as university textbooks, were all in pristine condition, and the numbers 1 to 12 or 1996 to 2000 were written on each.
“How I miss it.”
The principal pulled out a magazine. Unlike the others, this one had a bit of blood on it.
“Not being able to see the end of this story.”
He clutched the magazine with a bitter expression. On its cover, in large letters, was ‘Kwangkwang,’ and a shoujo manga character with eyes taking up 30% of the head, holding a whip-like object against a backdrop of the moon.
“If only the author hadn’t met such a fate in the chapter where the mascot fairy betrays the hero. Sigh.”
His sigh deepened.
“But I’ve finished my work, so I deserve a reward.”
Thump.
The principal piled the magazines on a table and reclined in his chair.
And the moment he opened the first page.
Trials were the completion of humanity.
With this phrase, a story began.
A story that might have concluded if not for a meteorite, but now its continuation remained unseen.
“I wonder what happened to the magical girl betrayed by the mascot.”
“Teacher, I think I’m going to die.”
“You won’t die.”
Sejong Island staff quarters.
My room was no longer just my space; someone else frequently occupied it.
“Teacher, I can’t do this anymore. I feel like my stomach is going to burst.”
“I didn’t even give you that much. We’ve just started.”
“What? But I’ve already eaten four times.”
“Only four times, Yumir. What time is it? It’s only 11:35 am. And now, the fifth course is ready.”
“No, please…!”
Yumir reached out her trembling hand to stop me.
“At least give me time to digest…!”
“You asked for it. I’m just giving it to you as it’s ready.”
“I didn’t mean for it to go this far!”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it. Now, then….”
I took out another book for Yumir.
“Next is a story about a magical girl thief. Chosen by a god, she fights monsters sent by the demon king with a little angel mascot. It’s also a very sad story.”
“Wait a minute. What’s that? It sounds…really old.”
“It was serialized before we were born. And…it was censored.”
I mimed a throat-cutting gesture.
“Give children dreams and hope. Always happy, and even if the hero protagonist faces hardship, they shouldn’t suffer this much. Now, Yumir student, today’s ‘Hero Bundle Hiding Their Identity’ 4th part, the fourth story is about a magical girl.”
“Uh, uhuh…!”
Yumir clenched her fists and glared at me.
A pile of books lay in front of her on the desk, my collection from the library’s second floor titled ‘Classic Story Collection’.
“Yumir, listen carefully. This isn’t a time when everyone can be a broadcasting station with their smartphones, and these stories about heroes hiding their identities are from an era when cameras on phones were almost non-existent.”
“Can’t we have stories like the last one, where everything is easy?”
“Which story?”
“The story of the righteous thief, the Phantom Thief!”
“Oh, that one.”
It was part 2 of the ‘Heroes Hiding Their Identity’ series.
“But part 2 had too convenient a setting for the protagonist, didn’t it? When did I tell you about that? It seems it was before we went to Ulleungdo.”
“Why are all these gloomy stories prepared right after we return from Ulleungdo?”
“Because the day after tomorrow starts a five-day practice.”
Yumir needed to be prepared.
“Such big events are when evil groups try to reveal the protagonist’s identity.”
“Can’t the Goblin be the protagonist?”
“Why would the Goblin step in? Yumir, who am I?”
“…A librarian.”
Yumir pouted her lips.
“Tch. If I was going to join the staff, I should have been a teacher. Then I could have formed a real teacher-student relationship, not just a counselor.”
“How much age difference do we have? Plus, that’s too troublesome. Would the students leave me alone?”
“Are you saying that because Seol-hee unnie complimented you on being handsome last time?”
“Of course. But more importantly, keep reading. There’s still a lot left.”
The stories of this world continued in a direction unknown to me, just as the stories of my world were unknown to the people of this world.
“The stories I have are more filled with despair, frustration, and ‘melancholy’ than dreams and hope. It’s what you’d call misery porn.”
“Wow, that’s really true. Teacher, then what’s the fifth story about, not the fourth one where the protagonist suffers?”
“It’s a script I saw on the Internet, the dark web. A story that would make young children cry and wail.”
I said that, but it was the story of my world.
“A story about a regular magical girl protagonist defeating monsters.”
“What’s so bad about that?”
“Are you okay with a spoiler?”
“…What is it?”
“If you’re ready, listen.”
I took a moment to steady my breath.
…
…
…
“The senior magical girl protagonist gets decapitated and dies in the first volume. And that’s how the first volume ends.”
Aaah-
Aah-
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