Chapter 5- Basic Evaluation (2)
I thought about acknowledging her but decided against it.
Right now, I’m drawing a lot of attention as the video spread yesterday.
Especially in a public place with all new students gathered, who knows what rumors might spread if I speak first.
Just like how reporters swarmed like bees after I exchanged a few words with Yu Hee-won yesterday.
A handsome young professor and a quiet, timid new student.
Perfect material for gossip, isn’t it?
I should return the handkerchief, but later, much later when another opportunity arises.
The assistant in charge of that group called out names one by one from the list.
“Han Min-ha.”
“Yes…”
When Han Min-ha’s name was called, she hesitantly raised his hand.
Her posture remained hunched and slouched.
Being intimidated is one thing, but that’s a bit too much.
With that kind of attitude, forget about the basic evaluation – I wonder if she’ll even be able to make friends with others.
At that moment, my eyes met with Han Min-ha’s.
“Ah…”
Recognizing my face, Han Min-ha’s lips quivered as if trying to say something.
But she couldn’t say anything more and lowered her head deeply again.
Right. Let’s pretend we’re seeing each other for the first time now. That’s better for both of us.
The freshman groups of ten were split up and dispersed under the guidance of teaching assistants.
The basic evaluation subjects were so numerous that going through them in sequence would take all day without finishing.
So groups are assigned to all processes and rotated through a push-through evaluation system.
I also moved toward the Basic Defense Studies set.
Though it’s called Basic Defense Studies, hardly any freshmen can form anything close to a defensive barrier right now.
It’s just checking their level of talent and how strong their mental fortitude is.
The form and strength of defensive barriers that individuals can create varies greatly depending on their abilities.
Defense techniques become more advanced the calmer one’s mind is.
You can’t create a strong defensive barrier just by blindly burning with determination to create a strong defense shield.
That’s why most heroes with strong competitive spirits only learn basic defensive techniques and put them on the back burner.
Where would there be time for such luxury in the war against villains when it takes long periods of training to reach mastery?
In my case, I know how to use a technique called mental barrier that can block even mental attacks.
When even professors who make researching defense their profession consider ‘Mental Grip’ the ultimate technique, what hero would waste effort on this?
Rather than that, they might as well learn things like intercontinental flight, deep-sea diving, or bunker busters.
Perhaps in the original work, the reason I had no students to mentor wasn’t because of my personality that likes being alone, but because the subject itself was unpopular.
Arriving at the Basic Defense Studies evaluation room, I sat at the desk and organized the evaluation papers.
Soon, ten freshmen entered the evaluation room.
Coincidentally, Yu Hee-won was among them.
She smiled with her eyes as if asking me to watch her.
“Hello everyone.”
“Oh…? It’s Professor Gyo Su-hyeon…”
The students whispered in lowered voices upon seeing my face.
I waited for a while to let them whisper sufficiently.
During that time, Yu Hee-won continued to stare at me.
Soon the students closed their mouths one by one and straightened their postures, and only then did I open my mouth with a faint smile.
“First, congratulations on your admission to Graford. Graford is the world’s best hero training academy. You are the chosen ones, so you can take pride in that.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
“Understood.”
The students nodded and answered.
“From now on, we’ll conduct a small test to check how much aptitude you have for Basic Defense Studies. Don’t worry, it’s not dangerous and won’t harm your body.”
I invited the students to sit in the prepared chairs.
When all the students were seated, I turned off the lights in the evaluation room.
“How strong a defensive barrier you can spread depends on how calm your mind is. So from now on, I plan to check your mental strength. You may experience some hallucinations during the evaluation, but since it’s not actually happening, you don’t need to worry too much.”
But there was no way the freshmen would really feel at ease with words like don’t worry or it’s okay.
The basic evaluation has a huge impact even on hero activities after graduation, and the word ‘hallucination’ seemed to make them quite anxious.
Someone’s gulping sound could be heard from here.
“Professor Gyo Su-hyeon. I have a question.”
At that moment, Yu Hee-won raised her hand high.
“Go ahead and ask.”
“This is probably going to push us into extreme situations through hallucinations, right?”
“You already know. Yes, that’s right.”
“With explosions everywhere and limbs flying around?”
“Something similar, but it’s not actually happening.”
“But haven’t there been people who dropped out even before passing the evaluation due to sudden shock?”
At those words, the students looked around at each other with tense eyes.
It’s not wrong.
There have been many such cases in the past.
But if you can’t even handle the video, you’ll lose your life in an actual combat site.
It’s right to send home students who can’t handle that much.
“That was merely ‘dropping out.’ Even if you don’t properly pass the evaluation, it’s okay. If you fail, we’ll provide level-appropriate supplementary training. Now since we’re out of time, I’ll start the evaluation.”
The students put on their VR helmets one by one.
“If you really can’t handle it, press the button attached to the side of the helmet. The video will turn off.”
After checking if they wore the helmets properly, I turned on the equipment.
Now the students will vividly experience a horrific battlefield.
What they see is not virtual reality.
It’s actual battlefield footage captured by senior heroes’ body cameras for evidence collection.
It will be completely different from the sanitized edited versions shown on the news.
“Huck…!” “Urgh…”
Painful groans burst out here and there in just a few minutes.
Someone jumped up from their chair, and some students painfully wailed trying to throw off their helmets.
“You bastard! Get back from there right now!”
“No… No!! Don’t kill! Don’t kill them! Put the baby down! You son of a bitch!”
Students completely immersed in VR cursed at the villains before their eyes as if they had become real heroes.
“Aaaargh! I’ll kill you! I’ll tear you limb from limb!”
The students in this group feel anger before fear.
Anger of course helps raise combat power on the battlefield.
But you can’t fight long just with anger alone.
Still, it doesn’t look like anyone will give up because they can’t handle it.
Let’s see how Yu Hee-won is doing.
Surprisingly, Yu Hee-won sat straight without saying anything, arms crossed.
The timer rang as the short evaluation period ended.
When I turned off the device, the students froze in surprise for a moment.
“It’s all done. Everyone take off your helmets.”
The students took off their helmets slowly with deep sighs.
It had only been a few minutes, but they were all glistening with sweat as if soaked in water.
“How was it? Your first taste of the actual field you’ll face after graduation.”
“This was real footage…?”
“All captured by senior heroes.”
The students lowered their heads with pale faces.
“Professor. It seems there’s no discrimination in the evaluation.”
Yu Hee-won raised her hand again.
“Honestly, anyone can pass this test if they grit their teeth and endure it, so how does this make someone a hero?”
“Well. I don’t think being able to watch people die without any emotion is a quality of a hero.”
Yu Hee-won’s face hardened at my words.
“It’s an evaluation to see if you have the courage and mental strength to overcome that and take action.”
Yu Hee-won, at a loss for words, turned away without further response.
* * * *
Even after several groups had rotated through, there were no dropouts.
While some might quit later when tonight’s footage haunts them, at least no one threw their helmet off during the evaluation.
“I’ll bring in the next group, Professor.”
The assistant opened the door and led the students in.
It was Han Min-ha’s group.
Han Min-ha quickly averted her gaze when our eyes met.
After seating the students and repeating the explanation I’d given many times, I had everyone put on their helmets.
While checking helmet placement, I noticed Han Min-ha’s lower back was already damp with sweat from nervousness.
Hmm… this seems concerning…
I turned on the device with an uneasy feeling.
“Mommy!”
“Don’t come! Don’t come!”
As expected, the students started screaming and flailing their hands in terror.
Glancing at Han Min-ha, surprisingly, she was sitting quietly like Yu Hee-won, not saying anything?
Despite appearances, she seems to have extremely strong mental fortitude.
She must be somewhat capable, being from a hero family.
Just as I thought that.
Han Min-ha collapsed forward.
