I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 166

166

After finishing the conversation with Professor Seong and leaving the empty classroom, I found the first-year students waiting outside.

“Ah, is the class being held in this classroom this time?”

“Yes, senior.”

Seonghyun looked around at all the first-year students looking at him.

From those who seemed indifferent to those with eyes full of respect.

Those numerous gazes didn’t really matter.

As long as there was no hostility.

“The conversation was a bit delayed. You can go in now.”

“Yes, thank you, senior.”

They were only called ‘senior’ in name, but their attitude and expressions were as if they were treating him as a professor.

This feeling wasn’t bad.

But it wasn’t good either.

“Hunter Kim Seonghyun. Then I will finish all my classes today and tell the headmaster.”

“Is it your resignation?”

“Haha, that’s right. I’m really… the headmaster was the one who reached out to me first, so I feel a bit shameless.”

If Seonghyun was like a benefactor who helped Professor Seong regain his family’s happiness, the headmaster was a benefactor who saved him from a financial crisis.

To be really honest, if you compared these two cases, Seonghyun’s grace was definitely greater, but Professor Seong didn’t think so.

“Where does the weight of grace lie? It’s just a little heartbreaking.”

Professor Seong’s eyes, filled with both deep sadness and deep joy, were truly impressive.

It made me wonder if he was always such an emotional person.

“It’s okay. Once you finish talking with the headmaster today, I should meet with the headmaster as well.”

“I won’t ask you to ease my sense of indebtedness. I just hope the headmaster doesn’t feel resentful towards Hunter Kim.”

“Don’t worry.”

Professor Seong didn’t seem to see him as just a top-tier hunter.

Seonghyun actually liked that even more.

“I’ll tell you the details after all the conversations are over.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Professor Seong went back to finish his remaining classes, and Seonghyun also intended to spend the day at the academy, so he returned to his classroom.

The moment he opened the classroom door, the slightly noisy atmosphere instantly turned as cold as if cold water had been poured on it, going beyond silence.

“They were wary even when we were around, but it wasn’t to this extent.”

“Are you comparing yourself to Seonghyun?”

“That’s not what I mean. Are you picking a fight with me a lot these days?”

“I’m not picking a fight, I’m just stating the facts.”

Leaving the two who were still bickering behind, just as he was about to sit down, one of his classmates hesitated and approached Seonghyun.

“U-um, Hunter Kim Seonghyun.”

“Huh? Speak comfortably. We’re friends.”

“E-even so…”

“It’s okay. More importantly, what is it?”

The classmate, hesitating whether he could really drop the formalities, brought forward what he had been hiding behind his back and said,

“C-can I get an autograph…”

After hearing the word ‘autograph,’ Seonghyun looked around, and the eyes of his classmates seemed different.

‘…I thought there was a strange atmosphere from earlier…’

He was worried that they might be afraid of him, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

“But you know.”

“Huh?”

Seonghyun, who had picked up a pen to give an autograph, stopped and asked, and the classmate looked at Seonghyun with a very nervous expression.

“You lost a bet and came as a representative, right?”

“O-oh? U-um…”

Adding the time Seonghyun lived before his regression, he was already over thirty years old.

Perhaps that’s why his classmates looked quite cute.

“You didn’t have to go that far. Is there anyone else who wants an autograph? I’ll give it to them if there are.”

“M-me!”

“Me too!”

He thought there would only be a few, but without exception, all of his classmates gathered to get Seonghyun’s autograph.

“Hey, did you really treat 130,000 people in America?”

“And I heard all 130,000 were seriously injured.”

“That’s right. I watched several interview videos, and they said that someone who had their arm cut off had it grow back!”

Seonghyun answered all the questions that poured out.

Of course, he couldn’t explain in detail, but he only explained the parts that hunters of this age, with pride in being academy students, would find most interesting.

What happened inside the Grade 1 Gate [a high-level dungeon], the terrorist attack by the organization, working with the famous Lich [a powerful undead sorcerer], Padron, and other top-tier hunters in America, and negotiating with the president of the American Association, etc.

There were no lies.

He just hid the truth a little.

“Wow…”

“Crazy…”

Seonghyun, who had only felt difficult to approach, was becoming more comfortable as he explained what had happened in America.

Just as the conversation was heating up, Professor Seong appeared.

“Hunter Kim. The conversation is over. The headmaster is waiting.”

At those words, gazes of unwarranted resentment turned to Professor Seong, and Professor Seong, naturally unaware of the reason, awkwardly averted his gaze.

“Ah, that’s a shame.”

“It was the highlight. Tsk.”

Since Seonghyun didn’t come to the academy often, it was unknown when they would be able to hear the next story.

“He’s in the headmaster’s office, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Professor Seong bowed to Seonghyun.

Not caring at all whether his students were watching or not.

The hallway from the classroom to the headmaster’s office.

It was the time when all the academy classes were over, so everyone was leaving school, and Seonghyun happened to be passing through this hallway.

“There’s no need to go this far.”

All the students who were coming out seemed to split in half, clearing the way for Seonghyun.

Since there was no point in trying to stop them, Seonghyun directly stuck to the hallway wall, and the divided path came back together and returned to normal.

He walked like that and arrived at the headmaster’s office.

As if he knew Seonghyun had arrived, the headmaster’s voice was heard from inside.

“Come in.”

To others, it might sound like the same voice as always, but it was different to Seonghyun.

A slightly powerless and helpless voice.

The change was visible enough to be felt even without seeing his face yet.

“Hello, Headmaster.”

“Haha, are you treating me like the headmaster because you came to the academy?”

“Whether inside or outside the academy, you are always the headmaster.”

The headmaster naturally vacated the seat of honor and gestured for Seonghyun to take it. Seonghyun tried to refuse the headmaster’s guidance, but realizing that the headmaster was insistent, he simply complied.

“Did you have a good conversation with Professor Seong?”

“…Yes.”

Judging from his reaction, it seemed that the cause of the powerlessness he felt earlier was Professor Seong.

“It doesn’t seem to have gone well? Someone like the headmaster is showing his emotions so clearly on his face.”

“Is there any reason to hide my emotions from Hunter Kim? However, as the headmaster representing the academy, before being a supporter of Hunter Kim, I just feel a sense of regret.”

“There are still many talents you haven’t found yet, aren’t there?”

“Haha, you’re talking as if Hunter Kim is going to be a professor himself.”

“That’s fine too. It may not be possible every day, though.”

“…Are you serious?”

The headmaster’s smile, which had been light, disappeared in an instant.

“Of course. If you’ve finished talking with Professor Seong, you know why I scouted Professor Seong, don’t you?”

“Of course. To put it simply… the coexistence of all.”

Compared to the same Gate from the past, the headmaster knew better than anyone else that the difference in strength was on a completely different level.

“I’m not trying to increase my power. I’m trying to stand against that Gate, which is completely unpredictable in how it will change.”

“…A great cause…”

However, with the status and power of the academy’s headmaster, he couldn’t throw himself into such a great cause.

He would only destroy himself.

‘But if it’s Hunter Kim Seonghyun…’

The person closest to the great cause itself at this point in time.

It was Seonghyun, not anyone else.

No other place or anyone could approach this great cause.

Even if the President of the United States and the Chairman of the Association joined forces, it would be impossible.

This is a problem that cannot be solved with power.

It is necessary, but its limitations are clear.

“Then what is the detailed plan? Now that I’ve realized Hunter Kim’s intentions, I can’t just stay still. There isn’t an immediate crisis in this world right now, but this situation itself, where we don’t know what kind of crisis will strike, is a crisis.”

“So, I’m going to include the headmaster in this plan and preparation. The Association as well. By mobilizing all the connections I can.”

“Hunter Kim’s connections…”

Seonghyun has only been actively working for about 6 months.

In the meantime, his power has reached not only Rich [likely a typo and should be ‘Lich’, referring to Padron], the world’s number one hunter, but also the American Association.

“I will come to the academy for the next year.”

“Oh ho…”

Those words carried a different weight than what he had said earlier.

It was the difference between saying he would take the time to help and saying he would come directly for a year.

“Are you going to take on the role of professor for a year? To replace Professor Seong’s position?”

“That would be nice, but wouldn’t it be impossible for someone who was a student until yesterday to become a professor overnight?”

“It is possible with the headmaster’s authority, but…”

The headmaster’s expression was also dark as he said this.

The side effects that would appear if he did that.

“If I receive special treatment just because I’m a top-tier hunter, the authority of the academy’s professors will plummet. I may be different from ordinary top-tier hunters, but that and the position of professor are separate.”

The driving force that allows Seonghyun to lead this great cause directly.

It was the support of many people.

There may be people who have been favored by Seonghyun and those who have not, but they all had one undeniable thing in common.

Those who have been favored have the expectation that they might receive that favor once again.

Those who have not been favored have the expectation that they might receive that favor someday.

There may be people who feel that they don’t need Seonghyun’s favor, but the fact that they all value their lives more than anything else also plays a big role.

Everyone’s support, regardless of status, power, authority, funds, etc.

Seonghyun was the only one in the world who could exert such influence.

Of course, that included people with a lot of knowledge, like professors.

“You’re right. Then are you saying you’ll continue to come as a student?”

“Yes. There’s no other way. If I come to the academy like that, I will consistently have meetings with the professors.”

It was within the scope of what was allowed for Seonghyun to meet directly with professors and talk about classes, but Seonghyun becoming a professor directly was a completely different category.

It was okay to scratch their pride a little, but undermining their authority would be something that people would resist, no matter who the opponent was.

Making the most of what they have learned.

“Are you starting tomorrow?”

“It’s not urgent, but the sooner the better.”

“I understand. I will temporarily fill Professor Seong’s position.”

“Thank you.”

From now on, it has officially begun.

The first step towards the great cause.