I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

People were afraid of sudden changes.

When someone suddenly changed their behavior, significantly for the better, it’s natural to think, ‘What’s going on? Is it their time to go?’

“Everyone’s gone mad.”

Thus, the president of the Hero Association, Jeong Gi-jo, wanted to understand their true intentions through 1:1 consultations with the association members, led by Park Eun-jeong.

“Everyone’s obsessed with doing good deeds.”

And then he realized.

It wasn’t corruption by villains but a ‘corruption of justice’, as if their minds were forcibly changed, completely reborn as new people.

“…I’m really curious about the method. Tsk. Seol-hee. What do you think?”

“The Hero Association members changed overnight?”

“Thinking about it too much gives me a headache, Mr. President.”

Baek Seol-hee scanned the CCTV connected to every room on the walls of the president’s office.

“It’s still a bit scary, though. People who used to just fool around are now developing themselves in a healthy direction.”

“Yeah. People who never read a book are now reading, cleaning the space they’re temporarily staying in, exercising according to their routines in their rooms. They’re even practicing their abilities on their own without damaging the interiors. And…”

“They agreed to 24-hour live CCTV surveillance?”

“Yes! The same people who couldn’t stand having their pictures taken, claiming it was their personal information, are now ‘understanding’ and agreeing to 24-hour surveillance?!”

The president couldn’t help but be terrified.

“It’s strange. This isn’t like them. You know, they were quite the troublemakers?”

“They’ve been rehabilitated.”

“It hasn’t even been a year! How can people change so suddenly in just a few days?”

“People can change with just a slight trigger. They’re not machines.”

“I wish they were machines, that a completely new command had been inputted. It’s really scary.”

“What is?”

“I’m afraid they might suddenly revert to their old selves.”

The president pointed to a man.

“Look at Chang-sik. He’s not like that. Although his current state is desirable, in the past, he would have demanded the highest computer specs and then used it for CTA while killing people.”

“Are you talking about a game?”

“Yeah. A game. …Sigh. Really, what’s going on?”

“Don’t overthink it. There’s no sign of them being beaten or tortured.”

“That’s what scares me more. Sigh….”

The president covered his face with both hands and lamented.

“Whether it’s towards righteousness or whatever, it feels like humans have been forcibly remodeled to one side.”

“…….”

“I’m not fond of philosophy, but can we consider them human if they live for society and justice, deprived of their free will?”

“Well, that… might be something to discuss with Gwang Ik-gong.”

“Gwang Ik-gong… Tsk.”

The president shook his head.

“This isn’t the time to talk about that. …I wish I could be like them.”

“Excuse me?”

“…Sigh. No, never mind. It’s because it’s you, Seol-hee. I have to talk to you, Seol-hee.”

The president turned his head toward Baek Seol-hee with a very serious expression.

“Gwang Ik-gong is….”

“Mr. President!!”

“……Ah, shit. Seol-hee. Let’s talk about this later.”

The shout from outside made the president shut his mouth.

“Old man! Let me meet those who lost their abilities!”

“…Taejo. Is turning on the video recording with Taeguk Watch a threat to me?”

“No! I’m here to satisfy the curiosity of many people!”

“Bringing a camera into a place full of secrets is a violation of the duty to maintain security.”

“Oops!”

Taejo, who suddenly entered the president’s office, pressed his Taeguk Watch to stop the video recording.

“…But you’ll still let me meet them, right? I turned off the video!”

“I can’t just let you meet them recklessly. If there’s no valid reason for the meeting.”

“I’m curious!”

“You barged in here just because you’re curious?”

“Yes!”

Taejo was confident.

The president, faced with such audacity, could only tap the table with his fingers, expressionless.

“When I was young, back in my day, in front of adults, we would be polite….”

“If I tell you the reason for my curiosity, will you let me meet them?”

“Naeje? You too?”

Into the room, along with Taejo, came another S-class, Naeje, standing by Taejo’s side.

“Using Taejo as bait?”

“He’s the youngest. It’s the youngest’s role to step up in situations like this, right, brother?”

“Even to the point of risking himself?”

Three S-class individuals had come to stand before the president of the association.

“Seol-hee, say something. Are these kids threatening me?”

“I’m curious too.”

“Seol-hee?”

“What would ability users fear the most? Losing their abilities. But now, people who have regained their abilities have appeared. …Of course, it’s only natural to be curious.”

Baek Seol-hee stood calmly beside the three S-classes.

“After all, you’re going to officially release the investigation results based on the data collected. What happened to their abilities? Whether they’ve awakened completely new abilities or acquired different ones.”

“…….”

“Mr. President, isn’t that more important than the agents suddenly becoming allies of justice?”

A villain could suddenly change.

But it’s a different story for a Zenros to become an ability user again.

“The whole nation, no, the entire world is watching. What abilities the Zenros, who were kidnapped and then returned, have now.”

“…That’s. Taejo. If I put it in game terms, would you understand immediately?”

“Game terms?”

“Yeah. This isn’t an official statement from the president. Just talking off the record.”

The president took a deep breath.

“Have you ever heard of something like a level reset reincarnation system?”

[President: “A Strong New Game”, Ability Users Starting Again from E-Class.]

“These days, newspaper articles’ headlines are like light novels.”

After expending a bit of magic power,

I entered a pension in Ulleungdo and took a rest, absorbing the information of the world.

“It’s not wrong, is it? It feels like leveling up a sub-character, even though it’s my own body. Right?”

Gunggi, dressed in Hanbok, placed green tea in front of me and gestured towards a girl she had brought along. She, too, was dressed in Hanbok. Unlike Yoon Hye, who wore it like a dress, her chest was tightly wrapped with bandages.

“How do you feel now?”

“…I’m always grateful.”

“You don’t have to be so humble. You know that, right, Do-eun?”

“Yes…!”

Yu Do-eun. Grade C. Former middle school student at the academy. Currently a Zenros. The girl Gunggi had switched out, who had been suppressing her demonic nature until she was discovered and subdued by me.

“Goblin isn’t such a bad person either. Look. Does this face look like that of a bad person?”

“He doesn’t seem like a bad person, but he does seem like a bad guy.”

“Exactly. Girls all have the same eye for these things.”

“…….”

I didn’t know when I had ever been a demon.

I just sealed everyone I encountered, trapped them in talismans, sent those talismans to Daejeon, and then unsealed them to return them to their original forms without distinguishing whether they were boys or girls.

“Student Do-eun. I have one question. You can still go back to your original place now. What do you want to do?”

“…I like it better now. My place is here, with the organization.”

Yu Do-eun placed her hand on her chest and spoke with conviction.

“I’ll work for the organization that saved me. Even if someone completely different takes my place. Even if I can no longer use the name Yu Do-eun.”

Beep.

The TV displayed Yu Do-eun’s image.

A girl with white hair, identical to Yu Do-eun, was seen using her abilities at the Hero Association’s training ground.

-…As you can see, Ms. Yu Do-eun is also wielding E-Class magic power. Although she can no longer use her ‘Magic Bullet Shooting’, her physical prowess is comparable to that of an E-Class….

“It feels strange. An entity that isn’t Yu Do-eun living as Yu Do-eun.”

“…It can’t be helped.”

Yu Do-eun observed the girl sharing her appearance and smiled wryly.

“I’ve decided to become an agent for the organization.”

“That must be tough.”

“It’s fine. I just need to start from the bottom and gradually regain my original abilities. As Gunggi mentioned, if I stick to the curriculum, I can make it back to C-Class in at least two years. My parents have decided to move to the US with me.”

“…I’m sorry for making them inadvertently abandon a daughter.”

“It’s alright. Hehe.”

There’s nothing too complicated about it.

The girl, Yu Do-eun, whom we replaced, wished to join the organization.

The place meant for the girl Yu Do-eun was taken by a ‘test subject’ prepared by Pandemonium.

Their genetics may differ, but it’s simple to justify by claiming the genetics were altered during the transformation into a demon.

Even if Yu Do-eun was viewed as a special case unlike the others, it simply concluded with the acknowledgment of that fact.

“My worry is whether that girl might later declare ‘I am not Yu Do-eun!’”

“We’ll keep overseeing her within the organization. Since she’s transitioned from a non-ability user to an ability user, she’ll strive to live as Yu Do-eun, eager not to forfeit that privilege, regardless of what others might say.”

“…Indeed.”

Yu Do-eun gently lifted the upper part of her Hanbok.

Beneath the bandages, near her cleavage, was a mark glowing with the same hue as Gunggi’s magic power.

The mark, resembling a flame bird with its wings spread, emitted a soft glow.

-Meanwhile, concerning the mysterious marks found on the bodies of Zenros…

This applied to the counterfeit Yu Do-eun as well.

The difference lies in the mark engraved near the chest of this Yu Do-eun, which adopted a more oriental form, contrasting with the marks on the counterfeit Yu Do-eun and other Zenros, which displayed a different style.

The Zenros had been reset to level 1.

The symbol representing the newly acquired abilities of these individuals signified the magic transmitted from Gunggi and Doul, awakening new powers through a ‘contract’ dedicated to upholding order and justice.

It remained ambiguous whether to refer to them as the Sephiroth Alliance or the Sephiroth Knights.

However, it made sense to say they were tasked with safeguarding Earth’s peace.

“As long as the shape of the mark is entirely different, not just in color, it bears no relation to the organization. That settles it, right?”

“Excuse me, Director Do. I have a question.”

Gunggi nudged me in the back.

“Does this really mean nothing? I detest conflicts. Surely, being ‘the Queen of Spades’ doesn’t hold any real significance, right?”

“There’s no specific order or hierarchy, except for the leader.”

“But why is the leader designated ‘the King of Hearts’?”

“Well.”

It’s simply because that’s the theme.

“The guardians of order are themed around playing cards, and naturally, the leader is the King of Hearts.”

“So, why isn’t it the Ace of Spades but instead the King of Hearts?”

“Well.”

It’s just how it was.

“Because it’s the King of Hearts.”

Nod.