NOVEL NEXT Chapter 50
After the midterms concluded, it was Thursday.
Of course, Heros Academy didn’t bother to give us any mercy days off.
As a result, students were training like withered summer oranges, just lying around and debating whether to actually get up and do something.
“Life is… meat… it’s boiled pork…”
“Seolhwa, what on earth are you talking about?”
“Meat… meat sounds delicious. I heard we’re having steak for lunch today. Jinhyeon, do you prefer well-done or medium-rare?”
“I don’t know…”
That basically meant the kids looked so bad that it was indescribable.
Even Jinhyeon, who usually couldn’t care less, looked like he was on the verge of collapsing.
And this was actually an improvement compared to the morning hours.
Sitting in class, the sight of the kids — you could swear they all had a collective brain freeze or something.
“If you’re struggling, it’s okay to take a break. Just for today, I can understand that. But starting tomorrow, I expect you to work hard again.”
Even Justitia, usually keen on whipping the kids into shape, said it was okay to take it easy today.
Lapis was a whole other story. Her state was as grim as her report card.
“Maybe… maybe we shouldn’t become heroes…”
“Lapis, isn’t giving up too early?”
“But… I can’t imagine doing this for three years… or maybe even longer…”
“Well, I can’t really help you with that. Besides, being a hero doesn’t mean you have to be a genius.”
Honestly, I could have helped her if I wanted to. Just whip up some methamphetamine, and her grades would skyrocket in no time.
Before the disastrous side effects came to light, it was actually a hot-selling product known as an awakening agent.
But once those side effects were revealed, it got banned worldwide and went underground.
There was no way I was giving Lapis methamphetamine, though.
Not just because she was the main heroine but also because we had developed a bit of friendship too.
I didn’t want to see someone I had some connection with end up in such a sorry state.
I knew too well how pitiful drug addicts could spiral downwards because I’d seen it happen first-hand too many times.
Thinking about Lapis ending up like that made me feel a little uneasy, no matter how I looked at it.
“Isn’t it true… being a hero doesn’t mean you have to be smart…?”
“It’s definitely a plus to be smart. But I believe you can manage, Lapis.”
I tried to comfort Lapis, who was on the brink of despair, and closed my eyes to construct my mental image.
What kind of image you ask? It was for the club activities.
Meilin had told us to figure out what kind of image we build when we use our abilities or to create one if we didn’t have any before we met today.
I’d built my mental image ages ago. But since I hadn’t meditated on it in a while, I was trying to recall it.
Maybe I could come up with something clever.
Closing my eyes, I tuned out the surrounding noises and slowly built up the image that came to mind when using my abilities.
Finally, the image revealed itself as a gigantic production line.
Merely creating one thing instantly, in a manner that fit the process. A colossal and majestic parade of machines where the end was nowhere in sight.
This was the form of my ability as I envisioned and defined it.
In the past, when I wandered aimlessly without even building a mental image, someone told me, why not just use what’s already there as a reference instead of overcomplicating things?
This was what I created based on that advice.
The machines were so interlocked obsessively that even I, the owner of this mental image, felt it would be tough to dismantle it if I tried.
That might be a reflection of my actions so far.
The more you use your ability, the more rigid it becomes.
Now, that might sound bad, but it wasn’t all terrible.
If you walk the same path in a forest for too long, the grass wears away, and a comfortable path appears where people walk frequently.
Likewise, the more I used my ability, the more it optimized into that form.
A seasoned worker could perform their job without even looking, after all.
But if it becomes too rigid, it becomes hard to introduce variations into the ability.
So I had to loosen it up a bit to open up new possibilities…
Easier said than done. It was far from easy.
It was like telling someone to change their perspective—think more creatively.
Still, it was necessary.
Somehow I needed to try. At the very least, acquiring multi-synthesis would make things easier.
Actually, I had an idea on this.
If the reason I could only synthesize one at a time was that I had a single production line, then I just needed to add more lines, right?
…Although, again, this was easier said than done.
Production lines were merely the visualization of my abilities; in reality, they were my ‘ability’ itself.
To expand the production lines, my ability would need to grow suddenly enough to create another line, or I would have to allocate some of my current ability to create a new one.
Both options were excruciatingly difficult.
The possibility of the former was faint, but the latter was also incredibly stubbornly hard, and if done incorrectly, could ruin my already optimized ability.
So what was the conclusion?
Practicing with the fervor of grinding my bones away.
What supernatural method could there be? There is one. Grind away until the day I die.
But I had zero interest in gambling my life on it.
Not like I had plot armor, and if a story writer existed, I could just imagine them itching to kill me off.
So, I had no choice but to practice like I was sharpening my bones.
“Thank you for your hard work, everyone. You all look completely drained. Today’s training ends here. You did great with the midterms. Oh, before you leave, I have two announcements.”
Justitia caught our attention as we started to leave.
“First, it’s regarding the resumption of the field experiential learning that was halted due to unfortunate incidents.”
Immediately, the kids perked up, suddenly bursting with energy as they clamored to know if it was true.
“Is that really okay?”
“That happened before…”
“Well, it won’t be exactly the same as before since that incident happened. Therefore, the main experiential learning will take place at the Hero Association, not in the field.”
“The Association, you say?”
Minho asked incredulously. He must have been startled by the sudden turn of events.
“Yes, at the Hero Association. You all designed the suits earlier, right? I’ve heard they’ve been completed. So, we’re going to pick them up and resume the interrupted learning.”
But hearing why they were going made him relieve his tension quickly enough. It was a scene straight out of the original story.
Once the issue of the suits came up, the children’s worried expressions morphed quickly into excitement and awe.
“So, will Teacher Gaezer be leading us at the Hero Association too?”
“Yes. Moreover, the number one hero, Invictus, will be invited as a special guest instructor, so you can look forward to it.”
With the name Invictus being thrown around, the kids visibly relaxed as if to say, “Phew, we’re safe now.”
“Yes. Then you can rest easy. Only those who can act without fearing death will dare to challenge us. Now, onto the second announcement. Alright, everyone, it’s time to vote for the Class President and Vice President.”
“Didn’t we do that already…?”
We thought the same as Fukukin. Did we not already vote? But it dawned on us that we hadn’t.
How did we manage without a class president for an entire month? It was astonishing and a tad embarrassing.
However, once it was mentioned, the kids perked up with enthusiasm.
Everyone seemed to think they were the best candidate for president, and they strutted like they were on fire with competitive spirit.
“Hmm… For president, that guy… and for vice, the cat…”
Morgan stroked his lion mane while pondering over whom to pick.
Ageha, Lapis, Jinhyeon, Yeonhwa—my friends—had their eyes on me as they each claimed they were the best candidates for president while deliberating over who to choose for vice.
…What’s with the stares, guys?
I have zero interest in being president or vice president. Yuck!
Justitia seemed to have thought long enough, as she passed around paper for everyone to write down the name of who they wanted for president and vice-president.
I jotted down Im Changwon for president and Ageha for vice, as that’s how it went in the original story. I figured it would ease Minho’s mind.
Still, I couldn’t shake off a weird sense of unease.
Finally, after all the students submitted their votes, Justitia announced that she would now begin counting the votes.
“For president, Im Changwon has one vote. For vice president, Blanca has one vote.”
Then, she drew our names on the paper with the scythe before crossing through it with a big stroke.
That was probably Morgan’s vote.
But that was only the beginning.
“For president, Shin Dongjin has one vote. For vice president, Blanca has one vote.”
“For president, Toojuu Ageha has one vote. For vice president, Blanca has one vote.”
“For president, Im Changwon has one vote. For vice president, Blanca has one vote.”
“For president, Yong Minho has one vote. For vice president, Blanca has one vote.”
“For president, Seo Jinhyeon has one vote. For vice president, Lee Yeonhwa has one vote.”
As the counting progressed, I was getting closer and closer to being the vice president.
Most of the votes for president were people writing their names, but oddly enough, everyone seemed to vote for me as vice.
And the final tally results:
President: Im Changwon, Vice President: yours truly.
…Why?