I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

Kim Jin-ho.

Born on February 2nd, 2002, a day when all the clocks pointed to ‘2’, he was a special ability user.

At first glance, his backstory might seem like that of someone destined to play second fiddle, but surprisingly, he was South Korea’s undisputed number one.

His magical power and skill in handling special abilities were arguably the best in the world.

If the Chief was considered an omnipotent god,

Kim Jin-ho seemed like someone who could daringly ascend to the position of that god, embodying what I would call the ‘epitome of elegance’.

An incarnation of justice.

Always the first to step into danger for the country and the world, he was willing to sacrifice his life for justice.

If there were heroes, he was the man the world would definitely appoint as humanity’s guardian for his heroic deeds throughout history.

He died before the original story even began.

In the original story?

Of course, he didn’t die.

Due to the curse of his birth date, he lost his title of Korea’s number one to the protagonist, becoming second, and started to envy the protagonist.

Moreover, a woman he might have been interested in fell for the protagonist instead, leading to NTR (netorare), making him essentially a plot device created by the author to elevate the protagonist.

He died fighting the Seven Sins.

Facing an opponent I had trouble with, he fought one-on-one and won, but half of his physical body was taken by a demon, and he ultimately died.

-Ha, haha… If I knew this would happen, I would have shown some patriotism before dying…

That was his last will.

As a special ability user, he could rest easy knowing someone trustworthy would follow in his footsteps, even if it was somewhat unsettling if it was his own bloodline, fighting demons for the country, the world, and his child.

But he was too focused on eradicating villains and fighting demons in his patriotism.

-Hey, Gwang Ik Gong? Maybe meet some women…?

-There’s no time to meet women. I must subdue more villains in that time.

-You’re past being an adult now. How about showing patriotism by having children?

-How could a child born without love be considered patriotism? If a person I truly love appears, I will confess and show patriotism on my own, so don’t worry.

But he probably never imagined he would die before even reaching his mid-fifties.

So, I asked the Chief.

-Mr. Do, Section Chief. Wouldn’t it be easier for us to take over Korea if Korea’s strongest just died? Why bother reviving this man as a bound spirit?

-There are four reasons.

Of course, it wasn’t just out of sympathy.

-Giving life-saving grace.

Even though his physical body died, his soul was alive. So, Gwang Ik Gong, as a being, did not die and would recognize the grace of having his soul survive.

-Repaying a life-saving debt.

He’s not someone who would ignore the grace of being saved. So, he would help the Secret Society at least once if a great crisis were to occur.

-Mutual benefit.

By borrowing the prestige of being Korea’s S-class number one, the Secret Society could move comfortably in Korea under Gwang Ik Gong’s protection.

-Patriotic loyalty.

If Gwang Ik Gong, even as just a soul, miraculously succeeded in reproduction using his special abilities and magical power, that child would greatly aid our Secret Society in managing Korea in the future.

-This isn’t just about refusing help; what are you talking about? It makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong just by saying it. It’s just out of sympathy, isn’t it?

-I’m asking because of sympathy. In other words, it could also be called mercy.

-It does seem like it’s just sympathy…

I persuaded the Chief with these four reasons.

There was one more personal reason.

A check on the protagonist.

At that time, I didn’t know Yumir was a woman. So, in case the protagonist decided to drop a meteor, I planned to tell Gwang Ik Gong in case of my failure, ‘Kill the protagonistㅡㅡㅡㅡ!’.

In other words, it was a form of insurance.

A personal insurance that I couldn’t share with anyone else.

If the protagonist were a man, then Gwang Ik Gong, being a man himself, would ruthlessly kill him as a countermeasure to prevent destruction.

-Okay. But if you want to save even one person’s soul, it will require a huge price. What will you pay with?

-Alchemy?

-Do you think it’s easy to keep an S+ grade soul attached to the world? If I keep Gwang Ik Gong’s soul, I won’t be able to appear on the front lines for a while due to a lack of magical power.

The Chief’s point was valid.

-Even if we save Gwang Ik Gong, if he’s just a soul, he’ll only be able to maintain his spiritual body. Without a regular supply of magical power, even maintaining his spiritual body will be difficult.

Too many uncertainties.

-Depreciation might hit minus in just a month, or he might completely vanish. Adding my mana spent and the time I can’t participate in the front lines, it seems utterly useless.

The loss would be immense.

-I think infiltrating Korea while it’s destabilized by Gwang Ik Gong’s death would be more beneficial. What do you think, Mr. Do Section Chief?

Utilizing death seemed more efficient.

Despite the unfavorable odds, I dared to propose a ‘deal’ to the Chief.

-Chief.

-Yes?

-Anyway, you’ll have to rest for 10 months, or maybe a year, wouldn’t it be okay?

-…

A sentence of just 40 characters in text.

-Deal.

With that sentence, I managed to get the Chief’s help to turn Gwang Ik Gong into an earth bound spirit.

Looking back now, it seemed there might not have been a need for it.

But if it meant Baek Seol-hee was under less stress because he was alive, then that’s good in its own way.

Anyway.

That became the fundamental reason why Gwang Ik Gong, the S-class rank 1, could not appear on the front lines.

He used to be a human tactical nuke until last year.

Now, he’s become a ghost tactical nuke (single-use).

“So, you’ve become a one-time bomb now?”

“Seems like it.”

Kim Jin-ho nonchalantly picked up a wine glass, but Baek Seol-hee immediately snatched it away from him.

“What are you doing?”

“Where do you think you’re drinking wine with that body?”

“Well, can’t help it, can I? Imagine how inconvenient it would be if I shrank even more here.”

“How so?”

“I can’t tell Seol-hee that.”

Kim Jin-ho subtly gestured towards the bathroom.

“Anyway, I can’t just recklessly go outside now. If I want to attend external events, I need to return to my original body, and I have to be seen by others. What if I suddenly become transparent in front of other people?”

“The KOSPI would collapse, and the KOSDAQ would plummet, Seol-hee.”

“……”

Baek Seol-hee covered her face with her hands.

“There have been various incidents recently, but I never imagined something like this happening. Maybe going public would be better…. No, that would only cause more chaos.”

“If the S-class rank 1, the world rank 1 falls, there will be a flood of people claiming they deserve the rank 1 spot. Naturally, everyone will target Seol-hee. After Gwang Ik Gong, it’s Snow White. That’s the academic consensus.”

“Moreover, I saw a recent video, you were fighting really well? It seemed like you were making the Goblin’s techniques your own while fighting the Goblin.”

“……Are you close with the Goblin?”

“Me?”

Kim Jin-ho tilted his head.

“If you ask if we’re close, it’s a bit complicated. Just, well, we had that kind of conversation before the last fight.”

“What conversation?”

Baek Seol-hee’s ears perked up.

The fact that someone she cared about was forming a peculiar relationship with someone she didn’t know made Baek Seol-hee genuinely curious about what they had discussed.

“I said that. After this fight ends, I’ll introduce him to a woman.”

“…What?”

“You.”

“……Nonsense.”

“Oh? You don’t seem to dislike the idea?”

“It’s not that. It’s just absurd. So, why are you telling me this?”

Baek Seol-hee quickly changed the subject, worried that this exceptionally perceptive guy might start getting weird ideas.

“Yeah. Ki-jo hyung, you suddenly came looking for me and brought Seol-hee. If I knew this would happen, I would have forced myself to stay in my original form.”

“Showing the truth is more convincing. Now, it seems Seol-hee should actively start working as Korea’s number one.”

Chairman Jeong Gi-jo began with a serious expression.

“After the Duoexini incident and the Sephiroth Knight Order attack, the international situation is rapidly evolving. Tremendous events are happening behind the scenes.”

“Skip the introduction, get to the conclusion.”

“Three S-class heroes from Japan are coming to Korea.”

“…….”

Kim Jin-ho immediately frowned.

“Who are they?”

“[Nadeshiko]. [Hayabusa]. And [Susanoo].”

“Didn’t the last one get beaten by that guy called ‘The Dark Charisma’ or something recently?”

“He did. So, he’s coming to ‘apologize’.”

“…All three S-classes?”

“Yes. Furthermore.”

Jeong Gi-jo continued with a somewhat enlightened expression.

“S-class heroes, Nadeshiko and Hayabusa have proposed staying on Sejong Island for a month.”

“……Do they know about my situation?”

“No, it’s not that. No one knows the reason. Even Japan seems to be in turmoil.”

“It’s strange enough that three S-classes are visiting Korea, but two want to enter Sejong Island? For what purpose? To check on Zenros?”

There were a total of five S-class heroes in Japan.

One was coming to apologize, and the others to visit a friend who became Zenros, so let’s accept that for now.

“Why are they coming to Korea? They should just stay in Tokyo and Kyoto and protect their own lands.”

“We’re checking from all angles, but a strange rumor has it that we’re investigating.”

“Strange rumor?”

“Yes, it’s a bit absurd. But aren’t all S-class people like that?”

Jeong Gi-jo’s face turned very pale.

“To dispute the legitimacy of the Rider, they say they’ll search for ‘that person’ on Sejong Island.”

“…Legitimacy?”

“Yes. They want to see who the real Rider is.”

Sigh.

“As if trying to regain the legitimacy of the Rider who was NTR’d by the Goblin.”

Jeong Gi-jo let out a deep sigh.

“I wish they wouldn’t cause international issues for such reasons.”

The lamentation simply dissipated into the air.