Chapter 25 Part 13: Adaptation.

I honestly didn’t have good feelings about career counseling time.

It was a boring time in middle school, high school, and even college.

It’s not like it helps students decide on a clear career path.

Nor does it introduce various professions.

For students who have already decided on their path, it was safe to say that it was a meaningless time.

Besides, honestly, everyone will go to college based on their grades, right?

Whether they apply to a reach school or a safety school, they’ll choose a major that fits.

And then they’ll get a decent job and live a decent life.

What meaning would career counseling have for such students?

That’s how it was for me. I probably would have benefited more from an hour of self-study.

If only we had written a proper self-introduction letter and finished it, that would have been something.

But that never happened during career counseling time in my life.

It was the same for the elective courses I took in college.

So I was planning to spend the time thinking about other things.

“I’m here!”

Seeing Invisible Man burst through the door, I couldn’t help but smile.

At least if he was here, career counseling wouldn’t be boring.

And it was Invisible Man, dressed in his hero costume.

There’s no way it could be boring. And my thoughts were not wrong.

He instantly turned invisible and reappeared, skillfully scribbling letters on the blackboard.

The letters spelled out Invisible Man.

It’s only natural. I would have written the same thing.

But he erased the beautifully written cursive letters.

And slowly, he wrote a word in neat handwriting.

Mark Denez.

Invisible Man’s real name, which few people knew.

He wrote his real name and said with a grin.

“Does anyone know why I erased the words ‘Invisible Man’ and wrote my real name?”

Of course, no one raised their hand.

Not only did we have no idea, but we also didn’t want to draw attention.

I was more of the latter. He probably did that to let us know one fact.

The important fact that he is a person before being a hero.

I wondered if anyone else had noticed this, but fortunately, it seemed like I wasn’t alone.

I could tell just by looking at Gong Jinhoo’s expression.

But he was also staying still because he didn’t want to draw attention… but what could I do?

What would Invisible Man look like if no one answered?

So I slowly raised my hand.

“Oh! The student there! Yes, you, tell me!”

“It’s to show that Invisible Man is also a person before being a hero, right?”

“…Uh. T-That’s right! Correct.”

He was flustered, but he quickly changed his expression.

I thought that a pro is a pro, indeed.

Regardless, the stares from around me were so intense that it was hard to bear.

I know it’s not in a bad way, but I feel like I’m going to suffocate and die from these gazes.

Fortunately, Invisible Man changed the subject before it was too late.

“But I hope you also know that it’s to let you know my real name! Not many people know my real name.”

It was just a joke, but the effect was enormous.

In an instant, the whole class was focused on him.

It’s not for nothing that showmanship is one of the virtues of a hero.

Anyway, after calming the atmosphere, he slowly wrote two words on the blackboard.

Hunter. And Hero.

The moment he wrote those words, the atmosphere began to change.

After all, the purpose of entering the academy was those.

Some people might have come to become hunters, and some might have come to become heroes.

Of course, they had no choice but to focus on those words.

Perhaps he noticed the intense gazes.

He smiled brightly and wrote ‘How’ between the two words.

“How. How can you become heroes or hunters?”

Invisible Man immediately wrote ‘What’ below it and added.

“To know that, you need to know how hunters and heroes came to be.”

Finally, he wrote ‘Fact’ and declared.

“From now on, this Invisible Man will explain in detail, so listen carefully!”

A little, no. I started to get very excited.

Everyone knows the reason why hunters and heroes came to be, but not in detail, right?

But a current industry professional is going to explain it.

And he’s going to explain it in detail, so how could I not be excited?

So I started listening to his explanation with full concentration.

Of course, the content wasn’t much different from what I already knew.

About a few hundred years ago, living beings began to develop mysterious abilities.

People who were born with such abilities soon realized one thing.

That there were people who had learned these supernatural powers, like magic or martial arts, after birth.

People were very confused, but they soon adapted to the changed reality and started to live.

There were many changes in the process, but it wasn’t much different from the world I was in before.

Then, some time later, in the 1920s.

That’s when the words hero and hunter first appeared.

Heros, to arrest the same humans, villains, who used their supernatural powers for crime.

And Hunters, to hunt monsters that rarely appeared among animals and plants.

Those two groups have been used interchangeably or have been hostile to each other, undergoing various changes until they settled down.

And after a few decades, even global organizations have been established.

He finished his explanation there, and it was a bit disappointing that everything was exactly as I remembered.

…Is it because I was nagged so much by my older siblings?

I didn’t know I would remember it so vividly even after so much time had passed.

Of course, it wasn’t boring just because I knew everything.

Most of the stories I heard from my older siblings were from the perspective of villains.

The content Invisible Man was talking about was from the perspective of a hero, so it was bound to be interesting.

Thanks to that, I felt quite strange.

Listening to Invisible Man’s story, I realized once again.

I, Lee Yeji, was looking at the world closer to the perspective of a villain than a hero.

I aspire to be a hero and want to die saving people, but my perspective on the world is that of a criminal.

The contradiction was so suffocatingly cold that I clenched my teeth.

Still, I believe in the theory of moral neutrality at birth.

If I work hard with others, I can become a proper hero.

So I smiled, encouraging myself to keep going.

Besides, just because this career counseling time is over doesn’t mean it’s really over.

There will be more career counseling time in the future, so I can work hard every time.

“Well, I think I’ve explained everything! Is there anyone who has any questions?”

Invisible Man put down the chalk and smiled.

The class was almost over, so it seemed like he was going to take questions and finish.

Of course, no one had any questions.

He explained it well, but the class would be over in a few minutes.

There aren’t many students who would ask questions when the class is about to end.

Invisible Man knew that too, so he smiled and ended the class.

As Invisible Man left, shouting his usual slogan, the bell rang, signaling the break time.

And earlier, no one had any questions during class, right?

But it’s not like no one would have any questions during break time.

He seemed disappointed that there was no one to ask questions, so I thought I could go and ask him.

So I was about to follow him, but suddenly Gong Jinhoo called me.

“Uh, Yeji.”

“…What?”

“You’re okay, right?”

“…Of course I’m okay. I don’t know why you’re asking, but I’m fine, okay?”

“…You didn’t look okay during class.”

“Me? How did I look?”

“Yeah. Uh, how should I put it? You looked like… a villain.”

“Ah.”

“A snake waiting for its prey? I guess that’s a better expression than a villain.”

“I, I see.”

“Y-You’re okay, right? Even though you say you’re fine, I’m a little worried.”

Gong Jinhoo knew what I was worried about.

I also know that there are many people in this era who cannot be called parents.

So this is a valid concern. I have to act while thinking it’s a valid concern.

There’s no way I can say that I was actually abused like that.

So I acted with a suitable expression and smiled brightly.

“If that were the case, I would have asked someone else for help. You know? There are many great heroes in the world.”

“Ah, that’s right. Sorry. I guess I was too suspicious…”

“No, I would have been suspicious too in that situation. I just had a bad dream.”

“That’s what it was, right?”

The window started to appear.

Well, it can’t be helped. There were many great heroes in the world, but…

No one came when I asked for help.

I’m seeing this hallucination because I’m telling such a lie even though no one reached out to me.

I guess I’ll have to postpone asking Invisible Man questions.

Now… yes.

It would be better to wash my face in the bathroom, sit down.

And think about how to interrogate my aunt during the remaining break time.

So I walked to the bathroom without hesitation and clenched my teeth.

It’s painful enough to have unwanted memories come up.

But if those memories appear as hallucinations, what am I supposed to do?

A hero who laughs slyly, saying that a rat has escaped.

A police officer who laughs while restraining me, saying that he should get more money next time.

And my sister, who laughs, saying that this is also meaningful data.

Everything was disgusting and terrible, and I wanted to do something about it.

But I’m at the academy now.

It’s all in the past. So let’s calm down.

So I took a deep breath, went into the bathroom, and filled the sink with water.

And I slowly looked in the mirror… and I didn’t feel good.

It was disgusting to see my past self asking for help and slowly falling into despair.

But what can I do? That’s a hallucination. This is an auditory hallucination.

So I slowly ignored it and put my face in the water-filled sink.

Hoping that the hallucination would disappear when I raised my body.