NOVEL NEXT Chapter 93
Chapter 93: Department Store
“Yes. Thank you for your hard work!”
The instructor from the Hero Academy, and also a celebrity, Jin Seok-woo.
After finishing a brief shoot, he politely greeted the staff.
As he stepped outside the filming location, the sun had already set for the evening.
After getting into the car, he quenched his thirst with the drink his manager provided and checked the next schedule.
“So, after the interview at Hero Daily, we’re done, right?”
“Yeah.”
Vroom—
The car driven by his manager took off.
They were heading to the location of the interview.
Feeling fatigue from the earlier shoot, Jin Seok-woo buried himself into the car seat.
‘Wasn’t there a script reading for the new movie tomorrow?’
A busy daily life that gave him no time to breathe.
It was like this yesterday, today, and it would be the same tomorrow.
However, he held no significant dissatisfaction with the path he chose.
Simply being able to do this as a hero was a stroke of luck.
“Hyung, I’m going to take a quick nap.”
“Is it tough?”
“A bit.”
“Then why’d you take the instructor position at the Hero Academy…”
Jin Seok-woo’s manager was a little skeptical about him working as an instructor at the Hero Academy.
His already busy life was bound to become even more exhausting with the responsibilities of taking care of the academy’s students.
“Hehe, what can I do, it’s what I want.”
With his eyes closed, Jin Seok-woo chuckled softly.
Although he participated a lot in entertainment due to the guild’s directives,
No matter how you looked at it, his essence was that of a hero actively engaged in the field.
And he was confident that he would not lose to anyone in his heart for peace.
In that sense, nurturing bright juniors who passed the Hero Academy entrance exam was a very honorable task.
He had no intention of quitting the instructor position once accepted.
‘I still need to prepare for the training.’
With his eyes partially opened, Jin Seok-woo picked up a document that lay in the passenger seat.
It contained information related to all operations at the Hero Academy, and he kept it close to him as he had been focusing heavily on it lately.
‘Assigning a party for the shoot…’
Flick—
Jin Seok-woo turned the pages of the document one by one.
Soon, just like before, a specific party’s combat footage was scheduled for feedback training where other parties would review it.
It was time to select a party to shoot footage for training materials.
‘Go Mina’s Party seemed to have the flair of celebrities.’
Previously, they had shot footage of Go Mina’s Party from the Ladies.
With outfits that reminded one of heroes from movies, they were perfect heroes to attract public attention.
‘I feel like the agency would be interested too.’
Jin Seok-woo was considering inviting them into the entertainment industry on a personal level, apart from his instructor duties.
There was no specific reason.
It was simply a plan to increase the number of those treated as heroes and celebrities, similar to himself.
As he was lost in such scattered thoughts and flipping through the documents,
He paused.
His gaze fixed on a specific document.
There was a name of a certain guild and party written on it.
“Yoo Ji-han’s Party…”
The party that submitted the most outstanding feedback in the first feedback class.
Jin Seok-woo had shown the feedback they submitted to his party members as well.
Everyone’s response was consistently one of amazement and disbelief.
——Is this really what a Rank 4 party wrote?
——Seok-woo, don’t joke with me.
They grasped the combat video as if they had experienced it themselves, and there wasn’t a single flaw in their insights or suggestions for improvement.
A party that had just reached Rank 4 possessed insight that could astonish even a Rank 2 hero.
It was uncertain whether this was due to the ability of a specific individual within the party or if the overall level of the party members was high.
“I guess it should be them.”
Jin Seok-woo marked a check on the name of Yoo Ji-han’s Party with a red pen.
They were set to be the next party for filming feedback videos.
Originally, it would have been appropriate to film later in line, but
Jin Seok-woo found himself wanting to see their combat again.
‘I hope they don’t just end up being heroes who talk big.’
Would they be able to showcase skills that lived up to the feedback they had given?
This was a highly anticipated part for him as an instructor.
*
The news that Yoo Ji-han’s Party had been selected as the filming subject for the next feedback training was quickly conveyed to the parties involved.
The staff in charge of managing filming equipment at the Hero Academy showed them a camera and explained it.
“This is a small body cam that attaches to your shoulder. If this is uncomfortable, we also have a necklace type and one that can be strapped to your chest…”
Hearing the explanation, Kim Si-hu reacted with great curiosity.
He thought these cameras were only handled by professionals.
This time, he got to use one himself.
‘So that’s what everyone was wearing in the videos.’
Yoo Ji-han tried wearing the shoulder-mounted body cam.
Fortunately, moving his arms around in that position felt quite comfortable.
Min Yu-ri fiddled with the necklace type body cam and asked, “So the footage content will include individual evaluation scores, right?”
“Yes. If good scenes come out, they may be used for promotional videos in the future.”
The Hero Academy sometimes produced videos to promote itself to the outside world.
The feedback videos could serve as reference materials for that.
If it was actually used, compensation would be provided according to the rules.
“I can’t believe they’d actually use ours.”
“Right?”
Yoo Ji-han let go of his hopes.
Unless they captured truly great scenes, there was no way a video meant for training materials would be used for promotion.
“Is there any way to adjust the strap?”
“One moment.”
Yoo Ji-han’s party borrowed a camera for Chilla as well and stepped outside the equipment room.
And as they walked around the Hero Academy building,
“Hey, trash!”
“……”
Someone walking from the opposite direction called out to them.
With a rather unsettling face they had become quite familiar with by now.
The hero and fellow student from the Knife Guild, Moon Kyung-jin, who had caused trouble several times before, was there.
Beside him, his party members glared at Yoo Ji-han’s group.
‘Trash?’
Min Yu-ri blinked in shock after being called trash out of nowhere.
Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu just glanced at him before silently walking past.
Then Moon Kyung-jin spoke incredulously.
“Are you ignoring me? Are you scared?”
“Are you avoiding shit out of fear? That’s dirty.”
“What the hell, look at this guy talking?”
A hulking man from Moon Kyung-jin’s party blocked Yoo Ji-han’s path.
He was a new hero who replaced the warrior who died in the apartment.
Yoo Ji-han stopped, looking up at him, who was just slightly taller than himself.
“Are you Yoo Ji-han?”
“Yeah, so what?”
“Don’t you have anything to say to our party leader?”
“I don’t have anything to say, but I do expect an apology.”
Yoo Ji-han countered without changing his expression.
The expression of the man who blocked him contorted with anger.
The atmosphere turned tense as they glared at each other.
Moon Kyung-jin instructed the man opposing Yoo Ji-han.
“That’s enough. We won’t gain anything by fighting here.”
“You little disrespectful brat…!”
“Just move aside.”
Suppressing his anger, the man slightly stepped aside.
Yoo Ji-han glanced at Moon Kyung-jin and walked forward again.
He felt the hot stares from behind but didn’t care.
“Who were those guys?”
“They’re from a rival group.”
“Oh dear, how did that happen…”
Kim Si-hu briefly explained the situation to Min Yu-ri, who was unaware.
The previous quarrels they had experienced in the apartment complex.
After hearing that, Min Yu-ri frowned.
“Are they completely out of their minds?”
Yoo Ji-han warned the two of them to be cautious if they crossed paths with those guys again.
They were definitely the type capable of attacking fellow heroes.
*
“Is the camera working well?”
“Yes.”
The day Yoo Ji-han’s party was set to leave for the field.
Wearing basic equipment along with the filming gear, they moved toward a department store designated as a Rank 4 Monster Area.
Located in Bucheon City, this department store had a total of seven floors.
The barrier even encompassed a small building next to the large department store.
“It’s intense.”
Inside the barrier, in front of the department store’s small plaza.
They could see large craters and scattered rocks everywhere.
Clearly, traces of battles caused by heroes.
It was evident that fierce combat had taken place outside before entering the building.
‘That’s…’
Yoo Ji-han drew his sword, noticing a roughly severed green stem.
Traces of something that was presumably a monster.
A plant-type monster had emerged from the flower shop on the first floor of the department store, not only escaping outside but also infiltrating the entire building.
Clink—
Yoo Ji-han stepped on the shattered glass pieces and entered the department store.
Signs with names and prices of items littered the floor, and various display stands were in disarray.
“Sniff.”
The scent of perfume from a cosmetics store overpowered the first floor.
Kim Si-hu, seeming displeased with the mixed scent of the perfume, fiddled with his nose.
Clang! Clang!
Inside the flower shop, suspected to be the monster’s origin, battle was already underway.
Visible outside, they glimpsed a pink Baby’s Breath flower.
It was a monster that had transformed from a Baby’s Breath flower.
It stood at about human height, with sturdy stems and moving in groups, capable of both attacking and defending with its solid petals.
‘Thank goodness it’s not white.’
The white Baby’s Breath flower, which symbolizes death, corresponds to a Rank 2 monster.
It emits poison from its entire petals, capable of poisoning large numbers of enemies, making it one of the powerful monsters.
This place had already been thoroughly investigated by the Hero Department in all layers, so there wouldn’t be significant issues.
But it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.
“Let’s go up.”
Sounds of clashes echoed from not just the flower shop but various places.
The first floor was already filled with many parties engaged in hunting.
Yoo Ji-han’s party walked up the escalator that had stopped to head to the second floor.
In limited spaces, they had no choice but to move quickly for hunting.
“At least there aren’t as many people.”
The second floor was quieter than the first.
It was mainly filled with women’s clothing stores.
As they scanned the surroundings, Chilla perked her ears up.
“Click!”
“I think it’s over there.”
“Let’s go.”
Yoo Ji-han’s party followed Chilla as she moved ahead.
What they found in the store they arrived at was similar to the Baby’s Breath flowers below,
But this time, it was one with blue petals.
“Yu-ri, have you ever caught a Baby’s Breath flower before?”
“No.”
“If you chop the branch just below the flower, you’ll do well, so keep an eye out.”
Yoo Ji-han, sword in hand, stepped forward first.
As the Baby’s Breath flower swayed its branches attempting to attack him,
Yoo Ji-han’s thrust pierced through the dense flowers.
Crunch!
The blade sliced through the branch that had been shielded by the flower.
The branches weakened as they got closer to the flower, making that the Baby’s Breath flower’s weak point.
Especially when the flower at the center dropped, it would weaken the roots, inducing confusion in the Baby’s Breath flower.
Thud, thud, thud!
Yoo Ji-han’s sword moved flexibly in an S-shaped pattern as it swiftly cut down the branches of the Baby’s Breath flower, starting from the branch he had severed.
Kim Si-hu and Min Yu-ri watched in amazement.
“Click.”
Chilla, having approached the now fallen Baby’s Breath flower, stabbed its stem with the edge of her shield.
Having easily dealt with one foe, Yoo Ji-han turned back and said,
“Too easy, right?”
“……?”
“E-easy?”
“Isn’t it easy? You can easily follow along with magic too. It’s just a Baby’s Breath level monster.”
Yoo Ji-han spoke as if it were no big deal.
Back when he first undertook a proper role as a party member and supporter, he had been very careful even when hunting Baby’s Breath monsters in a Rank 5 Monster Area.
But now, thanks to growing accustomed to participating in a new party, he felt a certain level of ease.
“If you say so, I guess that’s the case.”
“If it’s just Baby’s Breath level….”
Kim Si-hu and Min Yu-ri expressed slight skepticism,
But they couldn’t help but nod their heads.