The Monster Aspires to Be a Hero!

The first was a report on the physical enhancement ability.
The physical enhancement ability received an A-rank assessment.
The hero ability certification exam only measures up to A-rank in preparation for potential accidents.
If the hydraulic press were to malfunction, there is a risk of horrific casualties.
So the score he received was effectively the highest possible.
To be assessed A-rank in physical enhancement ability is a level usually only achieved after awakening one’s abilities and consistently training the body for years.
Yet it’s reported that this newly awakened ability user received an A-rank assessment.
“His posture was extremely stable, they say.”
Perhaps his consistent exercise regimen gave him a good sense, despite just awakening his new ability.
He may have been steadily training his physical enhancement ability ever since awakening it.
Still, an A-rank physical enhancement ability user has exceptionally high potential.
On top of that, he’s a multi-ability user also possessing a hardening ability.
While the supervisors exchanged amiable laughter remarking how remarkable it was, they all shared the same thought.
He was too promising a talent to be allowed to operate an independent personal hero office.
If possible, they wanted to recruit him to their respective offices to groom and produce him.
They all had that thought.

“The hardening ability… is A-rank too?!”
The hardening ability is A-rank.
To simultaneously receive top assessment grades for newly awakened abilities.
This was no longer a matter of potential or whatnot.
Their expressions stiffened as they swiftly reached under their desks to grab their smartphones.
It was too pressing to even bother looking around at the others.
They hurriedly sent messages to their respective offices.
Perhaps they could nurture this potentially rising superhero of Korean society with their own hands.
Starting with such content, they didn’t forget to include the provocative detail of being a multi-ability user with two A-rank abilities.
Who would secure this man?
They had already discarded their masks as neutral supervisors meant to maintain impartiality.
Yet they continued sorting the assessment sheets with stiff laughter, likely out of professionalism.
But that only lasted a moment.
He could simultaneously manifest his multi-abilities, exhibiting a synergy effect that applied an adjustment to his physical enhancement ability.
Exceeding the highest A-rank, he received A+, while his hardening ability was also extremely stable.
From then on, the supervisors had already lost their rationality.
And they realized it.
A newly awakened multi-ability user.
With excellent multi-ability control and manifestation.
And he had taken the hero ability certification exam at this timing.
This was perhaps… no, almost certainly that man.
The one who had stopped the runaway bus in front of Eunsung Hospital!
Skillfully wielding physical enhancement and hardening abilities to the degree of stopping a 15-ton bus.
Righteous enough to move first and save others despite being unaware of his own abilities.
Greed shone in the supervisors’ eyes.

As that strange atmosphere lingered among the supervisors, the sound of a desk being slammed rang out.
At the center of that sound was Iron.
“We are supervisors. We must remain neutral until the exam ends, and those who fail are ordinary citizens.”
The exam had only just begun.
At this rate, there was a possibility they would pass him for personal reasons without even administering the tests.
That could not happen.
It was something those who had devoted themselves to the heroic profession must not do.
As much as abilities, a hero’s personality and values are of utmost importance.
Iron too was a man who had realized his hero aspirations.
And yet, he was not without greed.
Who would refuse the chance at a promising talent with high growth potential having only recently awakened their abilities?
But that was separate from this.
When Iron said that, reason gradually returned to the supervisors’ expressions.

He must first pass tomorrow’s second test.
And then pass the third and fourth tests next week to finally become a hero.
It wasn’t an exam where outstanding abilities guaranteed a pass, nor where lacking abilities meant an automatic fail.

It was only then that they could return to their proper supervisor mindsets.

The first exam was resolved without issue.
I safely qualified to participate in tomorrow’s exam.
…To be honest, I was uneasy.
I had worried about my non-human, monster identity being exposed.
I felt guilty, but shook my head to dismiss it.
The more guilt I felt, the more I should reach out to help others.
That’s what a hero is, after all.

Since quite a few people had gathered, by the time the assessments finished and I exited, the world was already bathed in sunset hues.
I hurriedly ate a meal nearby and rushed home.
As I was about to enter by opening my door, the neighboring apartment caught my eye.
I clearly recall a sense that someone was moving in on the day I had moved here, but I haven’t seen their face until now.
No, from the start, there didn’t seem to be any signs of people living there.
What could it be?

Upon entering, a wave of fatigue suddenly washed over me.
I didn’t show it outwardly, but it seems I had been quite tense worrying about my identity being exposed.
As I showered in hot water, that tension gradually dissipated.
Ahh… this is nice.
The rooftop room’s showerhead had such low water pressure that it was inconvenient, you see.
For this newly built place in a great location to have rent at such an unbelievable price…

It seems you’ve completely forgotten the suspicion of it being a scam.
I’ve checked it over and over.
Among rental scams, there is an extremely dangerous one involving trusts and mortgages.
It’s when the building owner entrusts the building to a financial company and takes out a mortgage loan against it.
Similar to pawning goods for cash, but this creates a big problem.
For example, if I paid the landlord a rental deposit to move in, but the landlord then put up the building as mortgage collateral with the financial company, my contract becomes void.
That’s why you must request a certified copy of the real estate registration and carefully inspect it.
Properties with such defects cannot even get rental insurance, so they are relatively easy to filter out.
While not a full rental deposit, I did pay a sizable deposit for this monthly rental, so I checked it thoroughly.
But there were no defects whatsoever.
Honestly, the terms are so exceptional that it seems unbelievable.
The average monthly university dorm fee is around 250,000-300,000 won, but the rent here is only 300,000 won.
There’s no way I could find a better place than this.
The landlord must be bearing considerable burden.
With a 3 million won deposit and 300,000 won monthly rent, the price is really unbelievable.
…This is a debt.
I must absolutely repay it once I debut as a hero and have a stable income.
But the other party offered it first. Even so?
From long ago, I’ve felt uncomfortable receiving things from others.
If I receive something, I absolutely have to return it, otherwise it keeps weighing on my mind.
It’s an uncomfortable personality trait, some even call me cold and nitpicky, but it’s an incurable ailment.

After drying my hair and opening the window for ventilation, I no longer felt those subtle gazes.
I wonder what that was, really?
As I was thinking that, it happened.

Ding dong.
It was 9 PM.
Among those who knew I had moved here, there was no one who would visit at this hour.
I hadn’t ordered any deliveries either.
Who could it be?
It’s a woman around your age.
Jieun?
No.
I approached the intercom cautiously.
“Who is it?”
I’m your new neighbor. I’m going around with moving-in Korean rice cakes.
Passing out rice cakes when moving in these modern times, how old-fashioned and courteous.
For a brief moment, I was relieved the new neighbor didn’t seem to be a psycho or villain.
But on the other hand, the thought of receiving something for free made me feel uncomfortable.

Still, it wouldn’t be proper to leave them standing outside like this.
I opened the door and went out.
While the intercom didn’t show it, it seemed she had difficulty walking, holding a crutch under one arm with the rice cakes in her other hand.
To have made someone like her stand for so long…
I felt guilty pangs.
“Hello. I’m Jinwoo Lee, a recent move-in as well.”
To quickly conclude her errand, I bowed my head slightly.
At that, the woman wearing a hat lightly smiled and nodded at me.
“Yes, I also moved in recently. I’m Seo Yuna.”
…Huh?
That familiar voice and name made me stare intently at her face – it was somehow familiar too.
The dyed hair was what delayed my recognition.
“Could it be… No way?”
The moment she stood before me, all the puzzle pieces started fitting together.
The 9 people I had saved.
What were the chances the child of the real estate agent I had visited would be among them?
I had once dismissed it as an unbelievable coincidence and thought I must absolutely repay this debt someday.
But that was a ludicrous assumption.
It seems she had noticed me looking for a place and took matters into her own hands.
“…Why do such a thing?”
“There’s a saying, isn’t there? That it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Don’t you think so?”
With that signature provocative expression, she smiled at me.
My heart says I should firmly tell her such considerations are unnecessary.
I should say it, but… I’ve already been living in this much better place for several weeks now.
The thought of moving to somewhere more inconvenient than here was dreadful.
“…I will absolutely repay this debt someday.”
“There’s no need for that?”
“I feel uncomfortable.”
“I’m also someone who feels uncomfortable until I return anything received from others.”
She seemed to be a kindred spirit in that regard.
“Ah, ugh…”
She let out a pained sound, likely from the discomfort of standing on her crutch.
I quickly took the rice cakes from her hands.
“I will gratefully enjoy these. Please don’t go wandering around with your leg inconvenienced, rest well.”
I said that as I closed the door.
The memory of boastfully telling her in front of the hospital that I didn’t expect any rewards came flooding back.
I felt utterly embarrassed.
In the end, wasn’t I just a piece on her palm?
Since she was the same kind of person as me, she must have agonized before resorting to this brazen method.
Still, it left me with a complicated feeling in my head.
Tomorrow was the hero ability certification exam.
So I needed to sleep soon, but thoughts of that woman named Yuna kept swirling in my mind.
She knew I aspired to become a hero.
Just how much had she investigated about me?
Could she have been the one peeking at me before?
With all these thoughts, sleep eluded me.

In the morning, I hurriedly prepared for the second exam.
The exam start time was 10 AM.
I had planned to arrive about an hour early to have some leeway, but oversleeping forced me to rush a bit.
After rushing my preparations and leaving home, I managed to arrive at the second exam venue with around 30 minutes to spare.
I let out a brief sigh.

Are you bothered by that woman?
I am bothered.
‘It wasn’t an act done with any expectations. If a hero saves someone and receives money or goods, it would be newsworthy.’
‘My heart is already that of a hero.’
…Arghhhh!
I had said that thinking I would never see her again, but she lives next door.
I felt utterly embarrassed to the point of wanting to die.

As I was agonizing over this, I noticed a child nearby with an anxious expression.
The child soon stopped in that spot and began crying loudly.
“Mommmyyyyy!”
It seemed some kind of problem had occurred.