Chapter 319: The Transfer Student is a Singularity (7)

“It’s cold.”

…Huh?

“And I’m hungry…”

And just like that, Speedweapon ended up picking up a homeless woman in the middle of the night.

***

Changseong, former president of the Association, was notoriously strict when it came to evaluating physical strength.

With his hero’s solid jawline and designer’s sharp eyes, he scrutinized heroes without missing a single detail.

When it came to raw physical level, he was even more uncompromising than the Master of the Sword.

So passing Changseong’s standards meant being truly recognized. It was a badge of honor.

The current president, Sung Yuchang, was similar to Richard Mura in some ways, but far more demanding in others.

Sung Yuchang was the first president of the Association who wasn’t a hero since its founding.

Without any blessing, he had climbed to the top — and for that, his name would go down in history.

To him, the most important quality in evaluating people was ‘tact.’

Deputy Director Kim recalled the day of her interview. Sung Yuchang had personally conducted it and gave her this advice.

— No matter how talented a hero is, if they don’t have tact, they’ll die early.

‘Why is that?’

— Because before the Heavenly Sword, everyone’s equal. His sashimi serves one me, one you.

‘Ah, I see…’

— So you need a sharp eye.

In any case, everyone in this camp had passed the scrutiny of both presidents.

It took real grit to operate in Gehenna, where just breathing was hard for civilians — and mental agility, since it was enemy territory.

In short, the current exploration unit, including Deputy Director Kim, was an elite team, made up exclusively of individuals who had cleared the standards of both Association presidents.

They were people who could gauge another’s strength at a glance.

“First, drink this hot cocoa.”

“Thank you…”

Just from overhearing the scattered bits of conversation between the human girl and President Speedweapon, they were already deducing her identity.

“….”

Deputy Director Kim looked at the girl with a face of total defeat.

She was a well-known member of the Heavenly Sword fan club.

The shock and sense of loss were overwhelming.

‘I thought at least I had a chance to be his third…’

Her nickname was ‘#RedSashimi’, and online she had been waging a holy war against someone named ‘SaintRyu’.

“Deputy Director Kim, that girl…”

An underling A approached her cautiously.

“Silence.”

“Excuse me?”

“You and I saw nothing today.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

Underling A flinched. Deputy Director Kim turned toward her, wrapped in darkness. In her black eyes, shadowy flames had replaced her usual green pupils.

“How can a “human” be walking around Gehenna?”

She grabbed her shoulder tightly. It hurt.

“Chief Speedweapon is mumbling to himself right now. That person is just… dealing with schizophrenia. Got it?”

…Ah.

‘So that was it.’

That’s how madness manifested when one’s devotion to Kang Geom-Ma went too far.

Underling A understood, as she looked at her superior.

***

Sparks crackled from the dry branches.

The flecks of light expelled by the fire sometimes gave warmth to humans or turned into stars that adorned the evening sky.

One might ask what’s the point of making a campfire in the 21st century.

But because it’s such a primitive form, it offered Homo sapiens an inexplicable sense of security.

Although some members of the team grumbled that it was a waste of time, at least Speedweapon didn’t think so.

— If we already have heating, what’s the point of the campfire?!

‘If you’ve got so many complaints, why don’t you get promoted to chief yourselves?’

— Damn boss! Labor abuse!

‘Hehehe… I’m not taking the fall alone.’

— Workers of the world, unite!

With seven years in the workforce, Speedweapon had become a society-soaked adult.

“How’s the cocoa taste?”

“What’s this called… cocóah?”

“Ah… It’s your first time having cocoa.”

“Uh… sorry.”

“Aaah! No need to apologize! It’s totally normal!”

But nature doesn’t change easily.

Speedweapon treated the woman with infinite gentleness.

It was pure kindness, without any hidden motive.

A virtue that, as a healer, he had to maintain even as an adult.

“…It’s tasty…”

“I’m glad you like it!” he answered with exaggerated gestures.

At first glance, one might assume the woman was haughty. But after talking with her a bit, she turned out to be very shy.

Her way of speaking was a bit awkward, but considering the place where they met, it didn’t seem strange.

What truly caught Speedweapon and the entire exploration team’s attention was…

‘She looks like him.’

The woman’s face.

She was like a copy of Kang Geom-Ma. The same shiny black hair and unreadable dark eyes.

Of course, there was a difference she was so beautifully proportioned it inspired awe.

‘The president is handsome too, but this girl has an unreal beauty. She’s in her prime as a teenager, she could compete with Abel or Ryozo.’

Just a smile from her and boys her age would probably forget how to breathe.

Hm? But now that I think about it, does she really look like him aside from the hair and eye color?

He shook his head.

‘No, she does resemble him.’

In this world, the only person who matched those two traits was Kang Geom-Ma. (Yu Sein also had black hair and eyes, but bleached his hair whenever he could, so only Kang Geom-Ma knew it was naturally black.)

Speedweapon sneaked a glance at the girl. She, with both hands on her cup, was quietly watching the fire.

A girl shrouded in mystery. A human wandering Gehenna was rare enough on its own.

And on top of that, she shared physical features with Kang Geom-Ma.

The firelight’s shadows seemed like arrows pointing at her.

“Do you know Kang Geom-Ma?”

Amid the fire’s crackle, Speedweapon spoke again. The girl slowly turned her gaze.

“Geom… Ma…?”

“Yes. He’s a friend of mine. You look so much like him that I wanted to ask if you were related. I don’t know your situation, but it’s not common for a human to wander around the Demon Realm. I’m just asking just in case, so feel free to answer.”

“Geom, Ma… I don’t know him.”

She mouthed the syllables. Everyone’s eyes locked on her lips. But in the end, she shook her head.

“I see… well, that’s to be expected.”

Of course she couldn’t be Kang Geom-Ma’s daughter. Just by looking, she was in her late teens. That would mean Geom-Ma had a daughter at age ten.

Does that even make sense?

Just thinking about it made that theory crumble instantly. What intrigued Speedweapon was the relationship between Kang Geom-Ma and this girl.

Surely there was some connection.

‘But she doesn’t know?’

She didn’t seem to be lying. Even if it was his first time seeing her, he could tell.

Speedweapon was someone even Sung Yuchang acknowledged for his keen insight.

The girl’s reaction was pure—only someone with a clean mind could respond like that. He didn’t even need to guess; she truly didn’t seem to know Kang Geom-Ma.

‘The best would be to let them meet.’

Speedweapon scratched his eyebrow. Since the Second Great War Against the Demons, the Academy had severely restricted outsider access.

With good reason. The Joaquin incident, among others, showed that whenever outsiders entered, trouble followed.

So it was understandable that the Academy had become more conservative.

‘…But I can’t exactly summon Kang Geom-Ma to the Demon Realm or its outskirts…’

He came to help him with his tasks, but ended up adding more. Wasn’t there a more practical solution?

“Chief.”

As Speedweapon’s frown deepened, Deputy Director Kim whispered in his ear.

She was right behind him.

“Ah! Damn it!”

“A Hero Association prospect startled by his subordinate’s face? That’s rare.”

“Look in a mirror, please! Ugh, my heart nearly jumped out.”

“…”

“What now? Why so quiet?”

Deputy Director Kim was standing directly in the firelight, like a ghost from an old tale.

“…Am I ugly?”

“Why are you steering the conversation so far off course?”

“Tell me. Do I have what it takes to be the Heavenly Sword’s third…?”

“Ack!”

Subordinate A, with more sense than Deputy Director Kim, quickly covered her mouth.

“Sorry, Chief. I’ll handle my superior.”

“…No, it’s fine… you’re doing a great job.”

“Let go! Let me go! I told you to let go!”

They dragged the screeching Kim aside. Subordinate A, with just a glance, picked up on Speedweapon’s concern.

Because he had come to the same conclusion.

“What if we enroll her in the Academy?”

“…Transfer? You mean bring her in like a new student?”

“Yes. I heard Mr. Leon also entered the Academy that way.”

“That’s right…”

Speedweapon nodded.

And looked again at the girl’s profile.

Though they were talking about her, she was just poking the ground with a twig.

She didn’t seem interested, nor did she intend to follow the conversation.

“But you know. To get into Joaquin Academy, you need to manifest a Blessing. Or at least show something similar.”

Speedweapon looked back at A.

“Come on, Chief. How could a regular human get lost in Gehenna? If even the current cadets came to the Demon Realm, they’d end up coughing blood.”

Seen that way, it made sense.

He’d gotten so wrapped up in the possible connection between the girl and Kang Geom-Ma that he forgot the most basic point.

“Besides, you’re the Chief. If you get President Sung’s approval, everything will go smoothly.”

Speedweapon hesitated for a long time.

What if he admitted someone into the Academy surrounded by so many unknowns, and something went wrong? He’d take full responsibility.

‘But even so…’

Taking her to the Association would be worse. The Research Department and the administrative office were totally different. If they said they found her in Gehenna, she’d be sent straight to the research wing. Even Speedweapon didn’t know what might happen to her there.

“Hey.”

He didn’t take long to decide.

“What’s your name?”

Speedweapon was a hero—and a healer. It was his role to protect and shelter others.

The girl hesitated, biting her lower lip, then answered clearly.

“Rina. My name is Rina.”

At that moment, a half-burned log fell to the ground.

— When the new student is a singularity. Classic.

***

The revival of Joaquin Academy is a relatively recent achievement.

Although Ryozo and Media worked tirelessly, the academy had been nearly destroyed after the Second Great War Against the Demons.

Some even proposed relocating its headquarters.

For such a suggestion to be made about an institution with so much history and tradition, the situation must have been truly dire.

The two directors firmly rejected the idea of moving it.

They argued that such a step could be seen as humanity’s surrender.

Both of them took action. Even Kang Geom-Ma and other acquaintances joined the effort.

Thanks to that, they successfully attracted investments (especially since they had received less funding from nobles). With pride, they rebuilt Joaquin Academy.

However.

Those results couldn’t be seen overnight. There was an inevitable transitional period.

During that time, many boys and girls manifested their Blessings, and their parents demanded a place for them to study.

The first year was manageable, but by the second, people were already demanding an alternative institution.

Then, certain factions had an idea.

— If it doesn’t exist… why not create one?

And they did.

As soon as the decision was made, they united under a common will to found a new academy. Thanks to the generous investment of nobles dissatisfied with the directors, the construction was completed in just one year.

Parsy Academy.

With only ten years of history, it hadn’t yet produced notable results, but that very fact pushed them to aggressively recruit students.

Perhaps that’s why the current Joaquin Academy, despite being at its strongest, was seeing a drop in enrollment rates.

‘I could understand up to that point.’

Joaquin Academy was the legacy of the Sword Master. Even though competition was annoying, it was tolerable. After all, it wasn’t the only academy in the world.

Moreover, the exodus of noble and special-admission students helped ease internal tensions. Many of those who considered themselves superior had gone to Parsy. Annoying, yes, but there was a silver lining.

But those bastards went and caused a scandal.

That morning, an emergency faculty meeting was called.

They summoned me even though I only had a temporary role as a professor.

Leon was also summoned for having been my direct opponent. It was the decision of our dear director, Saki Ryozo, ever thoughtful.

Leon, I, and the entire staff started the day with a morning assembly. No one had time to be surprised by my presence they were too busy injecting coffee into their veins.

Just as the tension began to build, President Sung of the Association appeared with an announcement.

“Parsy Academy sent a request yesterday. They want to organize an ‘academic exchange’ with us…”

The uproar was inevitable. Bang! Lee Woo-Bin’s fist left a dent in the table.

“They’re challenging us!”

“That’s exactly what it sounds like.”

“Those bastards! When they stole our students, we let it go! And now this!? This is a declaration of war with no titles or ranks!”

“Weren’t they the same ones begging Heavenly Sword not to punish them? Now they think they’re hot stuff just because they’ve improved a little?”

The voices burned across the table.

My patience ran out too. The uproar ended the moment I stood up.

Several staff members collapsed into sudden sleep.

I am that man. The one who guarantees the staff’s right to rest.

“Um… Mr. Heavenly Sword…”

President Sung looked at me cautiously.

“You’re not going to head over there directly, right?”

“…”

“Why are you staying silent?”

“…”

“You’re not actually going to do it… are you?”

“…”

“…Excuse me?”

“…”

…

The chair tipped backward.

“It’s settled.”

Without another word, I took my sashimi knife.

Not even Sung’s desperate pleas could stop me.