The journey from Pyongyang to Seoul took longer than expected, but I managed to arrive at the Seoul Hero Academy's entrance ceremony right on schedule.
Though perhaps Black Cell's standing was higher than I'd assumed?
I never imagined that Dean Baek So-a herself would be waiting for me.
Still, I kept my business smile firmly in place and followed her — and there they were: the heroes I'd met before.
"Oh?! Dean Baek So-a!! And Maxwell too?!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Does this mean Black Cell is finally joining the Academy's events?!"
"Girls, Maxwell is right here — keep it down, please."
"I don't mind at all, Dean. In any case — Solar, Sunray, it's been a while."
Those two were as full of energy as ever.
Their booming voices drew stares from everyone nearby, but naturally, Solar and Sunray paid that absolutely no mind and kept right on talking to the Dean.
"Your skin is still just as flawless as ever, Dean — seriously, it hasn't changed a bit."
"I know, right? I'm so jealous, just like Solar said~"
"Haah… I'm currently with a guest, so—"
"Oh, who cares! Maxwell doesn't seem bothered at all! Right?!"
"On the contrary, it's quite refreshing to see."
"See~"
Whether it was their natural personalities or something else, Solar and Sunray seemed remarkably close with Dean Baek So-a.
The Dean, for her part, looked thoroughly pained by her students making a spectacle of themselves in front of a guest.
The moment it seemed like the topic of her ability was about to come up, she cut it off with a sharp look.
"Enough. We need to get moving."
"Tch, fine."
"The Dean's embarrassed though~"
"…Ray. Do you want to get hit?"
"Eek?! I-I'll be quiet!!"
"Haah. Maxwell, I'm truly sorry about these two."
"As I said before, I don't mind at all. If anything, I'm glad to have seen a more human side of heroes. It was genuinely refreshing."
We chatted near the main hall until it was nearly time for the ceremony to begin.
Dean Baek So-a, who had to lead the proceedings, handed me off to Solar and Sunray, and the two of them took over as my guides.
And then, unexpectedly, it seemed like something worthwhile was about to come of this.
"Maxwell, would you like to meet some of our seniors?"
"I'm sure everyone else would love to meet you too!"
"Is that so?"
They were actually offering to introduce me to other heroes.
Since expanding my connections within the hero community had been a goal of mine from the start, I agreed without hesitation.
Afterward, as I strolled around in a lighter mood, taking in the surroundings — much like the old saying that people will talk behind anyone's back, even royalty — Solar and Sunray both broke into mischievous grins.
"So, Maxwell — now that you've seen our adorable Dean in person, what do you think?"
"She carries herself with an authority befitting her position, I'd say."
"Oh, come on~ that's not what we mean!"
The two of them gave me that look — the one that says they know perfectly well I know what they're really asking — and I found myself in a rather awkward spot.
They were passionate heroes through and through, so the lack of personal boundaries was a little unusual, but then again, the Dean's ability really was something of a running joke.
"Honestly, I doubt anyone could have predicted that Reality Manipulation would manifest in quite that way."
"Pfft~ Dean Baek So-a's childhood is genuinely the stuff of legend."
"Of course, she has a complete meltdown if anyone brings up those days now~"
As they'd just alluded to, the Dean's ability was none other than Reality Manipulation.
The catch was that it was so overwhelmingly powerful, it had only ever activated once.
Back when she was young and barely understood her own ability, she had made a heartfelt, earnest wish about what kind of being she wanted to become.
Solar and Sunray were clearly dying to hear me say it out loud, so I obliged.
"Being transformed into a magical girl at her age must have been an extraordinarily painful experience."
"Pfft—!!"
"Ahahahaha!"
And so Dean Baek So-a's most buried piece of personal history was exhumed for the entertainment of two very mischievous heroes.
My bodyguards and I felt a deep, sincere sympathy for her.
************
Thanks to Solar and Sunray, I came to understand that the hero community was, at the end of the day, still a place where ordinary people lived.
After the tour, I made my way without incident to the VIP seating.
Since the ceremony was about to begin, the two of them said they'd introduce me to the other heroes once it was over.
Before they left, they dropped one last piece of information.
"Don't be too surprised later!"
"Hehehe! This entrance ceremony is going to be really something."
"Could you tell me what's going to happen?"
"It's a secret!!"
The moment they told me anything at all, it stopped being a secret — but what on earth were they hinting at?
They had their own assigned seats elsewhere, though, so we had to part ways.
I settled in and looked around.
The third-floor seating gave a clear view of everything below.
It was a secured area, so I dismissed my bodyguards for the moment and sat back comfortably.
Being Black Cell's first appearance at an event like this, the eyes of the VVIPs around me naturally gravitated this way.
"Why is Black Cell here…?"
"Does this mean something has changed within the company?"
"Their next move will be worth watching."
The world's most notable figures were looking in my direction.
But they were looking at Black Cell's prestige, not at me — so I ignored their gazes and passed the time.
And then, a little while later, the entrance ceremony began with a grand, sweeping chorus.
As the senior heroes offered their congratulations, the faces of the students walking that path of honor were radiant with joy.
The teachers appeared in turn, and the ceremony itself proceeded smoothly and without incident — but when I glanced to the side, I noticed a woman with sky-blue hair and a cold, sharp expression.
My heart dropped.
'Wait — what is she doing here…?'
She still had a trace of youth about her now, but there was no way I could mistake that face.
The future executive of the main villain organization, at the center of countless incidents to come.
The ice-wielder who stood in direct opposition to Solar, the fire-wielder.
Frost was sitting right next to me.
She was probably here under a cover identity, just as Black Cell posed as a pharmaceutical company to the outside world — attending the ceremony as a disguise.
But was she here to carry out a terrorist attack at the entrance ceremony?
That seemed unlikely. Dean Baek So-a, who could wield Reality Manipulation, was present, not to mention the sheer number of heroes attending.
In other words, if she tried anything, it wouldn't be terrorism — it would be suicide.
And yet, for some reason, Frost kept stealing glances at me.
She was clearly very aware of my presence, so just to be safe, I signaled my bodyguards.
And so the tension-filled time passed between two villain organizations — distant yet uncomfortably close.
But even as the ceremony neared its end, nothing happened.
Why not?
Was she planning to strike during the closing remarks, when everyone's guard would be down?
In the end, I couldn't contain my curiosity and turned my head to the side — and she, apparently thinking along the same lines, turned to look at me at exactly the same moment.
"…………."
"…………."
Our eyes met for a brief instant, and an awkward, peculiar silence settled between us.
Frost, staring back at me, was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Her pupils had begun to tremble almost imperceptibly.
Like a frightened animal…
In that moment, a flash of insight cut through my mind.
There was still a great deal of time before the main story began.
What if I analyzed Frost's current situation?
The main villain organization might still be at the level of a small operation at this point.
And she seemed to know Black Cell's true nature through some means or another.
On top of that—
'She's not an executive yet. She's still at the bottom…'
Frost would eventually become one of the main villains, yes — but right now, she was in the same position as me.
***************
Even villainous organizations have their hierarchies, as a rule.
But given that Frost — a woman with a brilliant future ahead of her — was visibly afraid of me, it was clear that Black Cell occupied a virtually unrivaled position among the criminal organizations in Korea.
'Which means there's no getting out until it collapses from within.'
When exactly would that happen?
It was good that I had plenty of time to prepare, but the worry was immense.
As I found myself sighing involuntarily at the thorny road ahead—
BOOM!!
An explosion rang out from somewhere without warning.
With a sinking feeling, I glanced to the side.
Frost was staring at me with an expression that screamed, 'So you finally did it!!!'
Which meant it wasn't her side.
And obviously, it wasn't Black Cell either.
Then what was this commotion?
Looking down at the floor below, the new students were equally bewildered.
"Did a fire break out somewhere?"
"That didn't sound like a fire — wasn't that an explosion?"
"But the teachers look completely calm."
"What on earth is going on."
Judging by those reactions, this clearly wasn't something that happened at every entrance ceremony — and yet the heroes gracing the occasion weren't rattled in the slightest. Solar and Sunray, in particular, were wearing expressions of barely contained excitement.
In that instant, I remembered what those two had said to me earlier.
'Don't be too surprised later!'
'Hehehe! This entrance ceremony is going to be really something.'
They had clearly known this was coming.
Which meant…
CRASH!!
SHATTER!!!!
SCREEEEEEECH!!!
"AAAAAAAAAH!!"
"Wh-what IS that?!"
"AAAAAAAAAH!!"
A massive black tentacled creature burst through the ceiling, and the hall erupted into chaos.
The new students and the attendees below immediately screamed and fled — but the Academy staff, and the heroes watching from the stands, looked absolutely delighted.
Even the VIPs in this section were making no move to act, which meant most of them, like me, had been tipped off in advance.
I turned to my flustered bodyguards behind me and spoke.
"The Academy is conducting a hazing ritual for the new students right now, so there's no need to worry."
"""Ah……."""
And so it was confirmed: the Hero Academy was deeply, sincerely committed to tormenting its new recruits.
It was a scene that made abundantly clear that the forces of good were not to be underestimated either.
*************
Given how unusual the situation was, the new students figured out it was a prank fairly quickly.
The moment the black tentacled creature vanished from the ceiling, the main hall settled back down rapidly — and Dean Baek So-a appeared at the podium.
When the Dean straightforwardly explained what had just happened, the hall filled with sighs and irritation — but there was a reason this had been prepared.
"The fear you felt just now was not false. And villains, monsters, and disasters do not send advance notice. They appear without warning in the middle of ordinary life and shatter the lives of ordinary people."
Then the true purpose behind the hazing rang out through the hall.
"Heroes are the ones who must step forward precisely when everyone else is frozen in fear. Today, you screamed. You ran. You panicked. But by the time you graduate from this Academy—"
You will be heroes who can walk forward before anyone else.
Clap clap clap clap clap!!!
With Dean Baek So-a's speech concluded, the entrance ceremony came to a fine close.
But for me, this was only the beginning.
In the distance, Solar and Sunray were making their way toward me, their faces bright with anticipation for my reaction.