Chapter 212 – Omen of Crisis (1)

“Chief Sung! I mean… Director Sung!”

An employee of the Hero Association came rushing into Room 313. Director Sung, recently promoted, was folding the sheets on his bed.

He moved with ease. Thanks to the high-end prosthetic arm and leg the Association had provided, his movements were precise. He greeted the employee calmly.

“Ah, Deputy Director Park. What’s going on?”

“Well, first of all, congratulations on your promotion and being discharged, sir.”

“Congratulations for what? I’m sure they just promoted me to fill a vacancy.”

“It was for your sacrifice during the Joaquin tragedy and for successfully naming the new Seven-Star Hero. The vice president promoted you two ranks at once—from deputy director to director. That’s not something you see at your age.”

“What did I even do? It was all thanks to Mr. Kang Geom-Ma. Honestly, I was just a burden at the time.”

Director Sung smiled bitterly as he finished stacking the pillow and blanket.

“And you should try losing an arm, a leg, and a subordinate. Let’s see if a promotion still matters to you then. Honestly, if the vice president hadn’t talked me into it, I would’ve retired already. Everything started to feel… meaningless.”

“I’m very sorry about Supervisor Ha—”

“It was my fault for failing to protect my team. Anyway, what’s got you running in here like you’re being chased? You didn’t just come to congratulate me.”

Deputy Director Park took a breath and spoke.

“We received a report that the crack in the Gate to Gehenna is growing.”

Director Sung’s face stiffened. His prosthetics, which normally moved with smooth precision, froze. For a moment, his heart skipped a beat—but only for a moment.

“Wasn’t it around 2 centimeters last week?”

“Yes, but they just reported that it’s grown by another half centimeter.”

Director Sung brought his prosthetic hand to his temple. Deputy Director Park looked at him with some surprise. When other staff heard the news, it had caused total panic.

0.5 cm. Smaller than a fingernail, yet the implication of that widening was terrifying.

A crack in the Gate, which had remained untouched for centuries. What else could it mean but a threat? Even a tsunami would be less alarming.

But Director Sung stayed composed. Though concern was visible on his face, there was no trace of fear. Was it the Joaquin incident that had hardened him? No, it was something else.

His calm came from confidence. The kind of confidence given to him by Mr. Kang Geom-Ma—enough to dispel any fear.

“Have the vice president and the Sword Master been informed?”

“Yes. After reporting to them, I came straight here.”

Under normal circumstances, Director Sung wouldn’t be required on-site. His role was administrative. But now that he was director, fieldwork was also part of the job.

‘If the Gate to Gehenna is showing signs of abnormality, there’s a high chance it’s connected to one of the Corps Commanders.’

In the past, just hearing the term “Corps Commander” would have made him tremble. But not now. And not because of his title alone.

‘I need to see it with my own eyes.’

He couldn’t forget what happened to Supervisor Ha. There could be more traitors in the Association. Even a hidden beast. He had to confirm it himself and report directly to Mr. Kang Geom-Ma.

Having made up his mind, he turned to Deputy Director Park.

“Deputy Director Park.”

“Yes, sir.”

Director Sung’s eyes turned cold. Park swallowed hard. Then Sung gave a small smile and said.

“We’re going to do some fieldwork. To the Gate of Gehenna.”

“But sir, you just got discharged!”

“You know something? Mr. Kang Geom-Ma never leaves things for later.”

Director Sung pulled on his coat.

“We should follow his example, too.”

***

Suddenly, I felt a tingling at the back of my neck. I turned sharply, but all I saw was the quiet garden behind the academy. No one was there. If someone had been, they’d have been right in front of me.

‘Was it just my imagination?’

I scratched the back of my neck, which had started to itch, and looked forward again. The members of the club were staring at me intently. They were all waiting for me to speak.

“……”

The atmosphere had turned unusually serious. Especially Speedweapon—his face was completely stiff. I wondered why, and then the answer came to me even though we were still students, there was now a clear distance between them and me.

No matter how close we used to be, if one of us suddenly became someone important, it wasn’t so easy to laugh and joke like before.

‘It’s understandable that they’re tense.’

They were probably also worried I might suddenly say something like, “The Exploration Club is disbanded!” After all, I’m now a Seven-Star Hero, I still attend school, and I’m part of this club. Three roles at once. Out of those, the club is the easiest to drop, so of course they were anxious. But their worries were unfounded. I wasn’t planning to give up on any of the three.

It might be tough to commit to all of them fully, but I was determined to stay involved in each. Being a Seven-Star Hero was my “job,” school life was my daily routine, and the travel club was what kept me human.

‘Without them, I’d just be a lunatic who only knows how to swing a sword.’

So even if it stressed me out a little, I’d keep showing up to club activities. First, I had to ease their worries before explaining what I wanted to tell them.

I couldn’t just blurt out, “We’re creating a special class and all of you are joining.” The mood wasn’t right for that. And I wasn’t any good at breaking the ice with jokes.

I looked into the eyes of Speedweapon, Ryozo, Chloe—then skipped past Chloe. No matter how strong I was, those doll-like, empty eyes were still hard to face.

‘Ha-na senior didn’t come today.’

She had said in the club chat that she might not make it. It was already more than ten minutes past our agreed time, so it was clear she wasn’t coming.

‘Still, she’s not essential for today’s discussion.’

Thanks to my glances, the mood lightened a bit. I cleared my throat. Speaking in front of others was still awkward. Usually, Speedweapon handled these kinds of announcements since he was better at it.

‘Now that I think about it, I’ve never really tried to convince anyone of anything before.’

I always spoke with my sword before my mouth. At that moment, I understood why they called me “the sashimi faster than words.”

After some thought, I decided to just say it plainly. My earlier doubts didn’t matter anymore.

“I called you all here today because the director and I have decided to create a new class outside the existing ones, and I’d like all the members of the Exploration Club to join. That’s all.”

“……?”

Sorry, guys. I’m terrible at talking. At that moment, Speedweapon slapped his knee.

“A new class…? Ah! President, it’s because ever since you became a Seven-Star Hero, people won’t leave you alone, right?!”

This guy—I thought he was only good at explaining things, but he even picked up on half-baked comments. Thanks to him, I was able to speak more comfortably.

“You know how I keep getting swarmed every day—it’s not something I can keep up. And I’m not the only one affected. I’m causing trouble for the other students too. And with final exams coming up, we’re creating a special class in a separate building.”

Chloe chimed in.

“That makes sense. For students who take their studies seriously, it could be a major distraction.”

“Exactly. That’s the main reason. But if I’m the only one in the class, it would look bad, right? So the director gave me permission to select around ten people to form a group.”

“Wow… even if that’s the reason, that’s huge! In the 700-year history of Joaquin Academy, a new class has never been created. The current director introduced the merit student system, and now this—a class just for you…”

Suddenly, Speedweapon’s eyes grew moist. He was thinking about how the president, once discriminated against as a special student, had become a Seven-Star Hero and was now making history at the academy.

That’s when Ryozo, who had remained silent, finally spoke. She was the calmest among us.

“So, aside from the club members, who else are you including? You said you need to gather ten, right?”

“I’m thinking of including Leon. And also Abel and Rachel.”

As I listed their names, Ryozo’s face grew darker. Her lips curled in displeasure and her brow furrowed more with each one.

‘Now that I think about it, Ryozo and Abel had a big fight the other day.’

But there was nothing I could do. The main goal of this special class was to support the Hero and those around him.

To be blunt—I couldn’t leave them out just because of friction. Who knows, maybe spending more time together would help them reconcile.

Ryozo stayed quiet, lips sealed. Her raised eyebrows showed her feelings, but she just huffed through her nose in protest. She clearly didn’t like it, but was willing to accept my decision. I gave her a faint smile, then turned to Speedweapon.

“That’s why I wanted to ask you something, Speedweapon. Could you tell them for me?”

“Eh, me? Wouldn’t it be better if you told them yourself?”

And he wasn’t wrong. But honestly, I wasn’t confident in my ability to persuade them.

Speedweapon, on the other hand, was a master at explaining and persuading.

With someone that skilled around, I saw no reason to strain myself unnecessarily.

I mixed a bit of truth and fiction in my reply.

“I’d like to go myself too, but between Seven-Star duties and classwork, I’m overwhelmed. For now, can you try talking to them? If they say no, I’ll go myself.”

Speedweapon nodded. He understood.

“…Well, yeah. I imagine even just gathering us today was tough for you. Alright, I’ll go and tell them. I don’t know about Leon or Abel, but Rachel will probably agree happily.”

The conversation was nearly wrapped up. I let out a sigh of relief.

That’s when we heard hesitant footsteps approaching. Everyone in the club instinctively turned to look.

With her neatly braided hair and skin so fair it seemed to glow, a girl who looked human at a glance—but had an otherworldly, mystical presence—appeared. It was Horn. She was wearing the academy uniform, and it suited her perfectly.

Speedweapon muttered, eyes wide, unable to look away from her.

“This is crazy according to the nameplate, she’s in our year. How has no one seen her before?”

And this coming from Speedweapon, who “surprisingly” didn’t usually care much about girls. The fact that even he was so awestruck spoke volumes about her appearance.

For me, since I knew Horn was a dragon, I wasn’t as affected. But seen from the outside, she really was stunning—a true draconic beauty.

‘But why is she alone without Choi Seol-ah?’

At that moment, Horn saw me. Her face lit up as if she’d found a treasure and she ran toward me with all her might. Dust kicked up with every step.

“Lord!”

The club members’ eyes fixed on me.

“…Ah.”

Yeah. I definitely needed to explain.

Why such a mysterious and beautiful girl was calling me “Lord.”