Chapter 7
Several days had passed since the incident at the museum.
The events that took place at the Seoul Artifact Museum made the headlines and were heavily reported on.
As a result, the guards and Heroes who had been in charge of the museum’s security became the talk of the nation.
Naturally, the White Witch—no, Yoo Iseo—couldn’t escape public scrutiny either, and a press conference was even held regarding the matter.
I did feel sorry for putting her in such a situation, but this much was inevitable for the scenario to progress.
Everyone had their own circumstances to deal with.
But there was some good news.
The effect of the Authority of Restoration had worked perfectly.
My body, which had been on the brink of death, had completely recovered within just a few days.
Under modern medicine, it would have required at least six months of intensive treatment or a month of recovery even under the care of a top-class Healer.
It wasn’t merely a case of healing wounds—it felt as though the flow of time within my body had been reversed.
However, because the Authority of Restoration consumed an enormous amount of stamina, I had to spend the last three days sleeping almost nonstop.
It was something to be thankful for, surviving that ordeal, but missing the few things I could’ve done before the start of Become a Hero was a painful loss.
If only I had at least obtained a hidden piece or done some training, I might’ve gained something useful for what was to come.
But regrets were just that—regrets. I couldn’t turn back time.
Besides, today was the entrance ceremony of Sirius Academy.
That meant that Become a Hero had officially begun, and it was no time to dwell on trivial regrets.
Sirius Academy.
A hero academy founded by the late Baek Hyun-joong, a first-generation and top-ranked Hero, built atop Yeouido, which had once been devastated by an invasion of Demons and Monsters.
It occupied the entire island of Yeouido, and with its clustered infrastructure, it stood as the beating heart of Hero training, surpassing even its former glory.
I turned my head to look around.
A towering auditorium filled with countless new students.
Each cadet, clad in a black uniform resembling a military outfit, had their weapon fastened to their waist.
Boys and girls who still looked young and fresh-faced had eyes gleaming with excitement.
I couldn’t deny that I was just as excited.
The prologue of Become a Hero.
To be able to witness with my own eyes the very scene I had watched hundreds of times through a monitor.
My chest thumped with tension and anticipation.
[The entrance ceremony will begin shortly. All new students, please take your seats.]
As someone stepped onto the platform, the noise in the auditorium subsided.
It was a beautiful girl with short, neatly cut hair in a tidy school uniform.
Yoo Iseo, the Student Council President, had taken the stage.
Her hair was shorter than before, and a radiant smile adorned her face as she lightly scanned the audience.
I silently recited the lines I had memorized after watching this scene so many times.
—New students entering the Academy, I sincerely welcome your admission.
“New students entering the Academy, I sincerely welcome your admission!”
Thunderous applause erupted simultaneously.
With her proclamation, the entrance ceremony of the Academy began.
The moment the line I had heard countless times reached my ears, goosebumps ran down my arms, and a strange heat rose to my face.
And once again, I truly felt that I had entered Become a Hero.
However, before long, my initial excitement vanished completely, replaced by the struggle to stay awake.
The history and traditions of the Academy, the introduction of the illustrious Heroes it had produced…
The principal’s endless speech was more than enough to cool the flames of excitement in my chest.
Come to think of it, even when I played the game, I only watched the prologue the first time. After that, I always skipped it...
Unfortunately, this wasn’t a game. There was no skip button here.
I was certain I wasn’t the only one fighting drowsiness.
Just as I was about to lose that battle, I heard the Student Council President’s voice again.
“We will now proceed with the oath of the freshman representatives. Freshman representatives Park Siwoo and Cadet Helena, please come up to the stage.”
“Helena?”
“Freshman representative?”
At that all-too-familiar name, I snapped awake as if cold water had been poured over me.
Soon, a boy and a girl stepped onto the center of the auditorium’s stage.
Their faces appeared on the large monitor above the stage, and murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“Wow, they’re the freshman representatives?”
“Did they pick them based on looks?”
“No way. They’re the top and second-ranked students.”
“Guess the good-looking ones get everything, huh…”
I lifted my gaze and took in the sight of the two standing atop the platform.
A gentle-looking boy with calm eyes that resembled leaves glinting under sunlight, and soft brown hair swaying like reeds.
Park Siwoo.
In Become a Hero, there existed three Playable Characters.
Each possessed unique charm and special powers.
In a sense, they were the protagonists of the story.
And each one of them was a significant variable that shaped the narrative of Become a Hero.
Park Siwoo was one of those Playable Characters.
Among all, he was regarded by players as the one with the highest potential—a power as brilliant as a massive meteor gliding through the heavens.
I turned my gaze to the beautiful girl beside him.
A girl with radiant silver hair and mysterious violet eyes.
Helena Raiders.
She was one of the most popular characters in Become a Hero and an exceptional ally.
If I wanted to survive and eventually reach a happy ending I needed to build a solid relationship with them.
As I’d mentioned before, I had to carefully balance myself between the Academy and Pandemonium.
A precarious and perilous mission.
But even so, to survive and to see the happy ending, I was willing to endure every danger that came with it.
“Oath! We, the freshmen, solemnly swear to become proud Heroes who will fight for the world!”
With that, the representatives’ oath came to an end.
“This concludes the entrance ceremony. We welcome all new students to Sirius Academy. Please proceed to your assigned dormitories.”
As the Student Council President’s announcement ended, my phone vibrated with a new message.
From the chorus of vibrations echoing throughout the auditorium, it seemed that all cadets had received the same text.
It contained details about our dormitory assignments and instructions for what to do next.
Following the other cadets who were standing up, I began heading toward the dormitory.
When I finally arrived at my assigned room, I couldn’t help but let out a gasp of astonishment.
Even for the nation’s top Hero Academy, having single rooms for every student was unbelievable.
And not only that—the dormitory was spacious, comfortable, and well-equipped.
It felt like stepping into a brand-new studio apartment.
Moreover, with all the facilities available in the basement, I almost wondered if this place was actually a hotel in disguise.
The dormitory had its own convenience store, sauna, fitness center even a billiards room and a bowling alley.
Things you would never imagine finding in a normal dormitory.
I spent the next while unpacking the luggage I had sent ahead of time, organizing the room, and decorating a bit.
By the time the once-empty space started to look somewhat livable, my phone buzzed with a new message.
> [Orientation will begin at 11 a.m. today.
> Students who have finished unpacking, please put on your uniforms and proceed to your assigned class.]
Seeing that message, I couldn’t help but smile.
At last, the Academy’s first episode was about to begin.
---
The first episode was a special initiation ceremony an event where instructors disguised as Villains ambushed the freshmen.
Through it, the cadets would shed their naive admiration for the word Hero and instead experience the fear that real Heroes faced.
It wasn’t just a mean-spirited prank, either.
Those who performed well during the event could catch the eye of an instructor.
And at Sirius Academy, instructors weren’t ordinary teachers—they were all active, field-working Heroes.
To gain their recognition was equivalent to being acknowledged as a promising prospect.
However, there was one problem.
Within Become a Hero, countless organizations existed.
Since the Academy was an institution that trained top-tier Heroes, it naturally drew the attention of many of those groups.
Because of that, the Academy was full of hidden agents and informants from various organizations.
Earning an instructor’s recognition meant a potential guarantee for one’s future—
but it also meant becoming a target for groups such as Pandemonium.
Depending on the relationships one built, this could bring either valuable allies or a mountain of trouble.
To reach a happy ending, I couldn’t afford to lose even a single cadet.
At this early stage of the game, excessive attention on any student was never a good thing.
Especially not from extremist organizations like Pandemonium, who would extend their claws toward anyone they deemed a threat to their future.
How many times had I raged while watching dozens of students die each time Pandemonium attacked in-game?
It was nothing short of a natural disaster.
That was why, this time, I planned to draw the instructors’ attention toward myself.
There were multiple benefits to doing so.
First, since I belonged to Pandemonium, I would naturally be exempt from their threats or interference.
Second, it would attract interest from other organizations who didn’t know my affiliation.
Ordinary cadets at this point would crumble under such pressure but I was different.
I put my uniform back on and left the dormitory, heading to my assigned class.
My placement was Class 1-A.
The same class as Park Siwoo and Helena.
When I opened the classroom door, a pristine, white-toned room unfolded before me.
Its tiered seating layout resembled that of a university lecture hall.
It seemed I wasn’t the first to arrive a few students were already inside, awkwardly exchanging greetings.
The sight stirred faint memories of my school days in my previous life.
As I lingered by the doorway, watching them for a moment, a voice called out from behind me.
“Excuse me, could you move aside? I’d like to pass.”
“Ah, sorry.”
…Maybe I was getting old. Sentimentality came too easily these days.
I turned to apologize and the moment I saw the person behind me, words failed me.
“Helena?”
“Hmm? Do we… know each other?”
She looked puzzled that I recognized her.
If I stammered now, she’d probably think I was some kind of weirdo.
I hurriedly spoke.
“You gave the oath during the entrance ceremony. There’s probably no one here who wouldn’t recognize your face.”
“Ah…”
She nodded as if understanding—then just… stared at me.
Her mysterious violet eyes reflected my image.
One second passed. Two seconds.
Her gaze still didn’t leave me.
Why… is she staring at me like that?
As her unwavering eyes stayed fixed on me, my face began to feel uncomfortably hot, and I found it hard to meet her gaze.
Honestly, any man would feel nervous if someone as stunning as Helena looked straight into his eyes like that.
I had no idea what was going through her mind.
Even when I subtly tried to avert my eyes, her gaze didn’t waver.
At that point, a ridiculous thought crossed my mind.
Could it be… she’s interested in me?
Objectively speaking, I was handsome.
My body was lean yet muscular enough to make any outfit look good.
And my face—there was no need to elaborate.
A sharp, slightly decadent kind of beauty.
The kind of face a seventeen-year-old girl could easily fall for.
Not that I’d want that kind of attention, though.
Just as that absurd idea crossed my mind, Helena finally opened her lips.
“Um… are you going to move anytime soon?”
“…Huh?”
“I said I need to get into the classroom.”
“Ah…”
A dizzying wave of embarrassment washed over me as my face burned.
I quickly stepped aside, slipped into the room, and dropped into the nearest seat, burying my head in my arms.
Damn it.
I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.