[The hero, faced with an unexpected situation, raises his vigilance even higher.]
[Aims for the stealth of an assassin.]
[Avoids people’s gazes!]
[(ᄆ_ᄆ)]
[He belatedly wonders what was the wrong answer in the previous situation.]
The goddess, who had been quietly observing the hero, smacked her forehead.
Even as a transcendent being, she was utterly dumbfounded.
‘Is this real life?’
She had set the stage for him since he kept singing love-love songs, yet this was the kind of wariness he displayed.
“Come on, just enjoy the attention.”
Rather than embracing the life of a popular guy, he completely failed to understand why people were even looking at him.
Had his brain turned into pure protein after spending all his time hanging out with the musclehead uncles of the hero party?
Why couldn’t he realize that people were glancing at him simply because he was handsome?
[The hero marvels at the academy campus.]
[He realizes he has arrived in a new world as he watches students wielding magic.]
“…Oh, right. He barely ever went out, huh.”
For some reason, the hero thought of her—a great goddess—as an airhead, a voyeur, and a thousand-year-old single, but even she was a transcendent being who knew gratitude.
How could she not prepare a gift for the one who was summoned as a hero, traveled across distant stars, and protected a world?
Not only had she preserved his strength as much as possible, as he requested, but she had also carefully selected a wonderful world where he could comfortably enjoy his life afterward.
On top of that, she had secured a luxury apartment set to rise in real estate value, along with enough cash and coins to ensure he would never have to worry about money.
However, that was where the problem arose.
…With nothing lacking, he had spent months holed up at home, endlessly watching internet videos, dramas, and anime.
To make matters worse, his ultra-luxury apartment complex had everything, from a convenience store to a restaurant, right on the premises.
Her wish for him to relax and enjoy a comfortable life had instead turned him into the ultimate shut-in.
The only time he left home was to visit the convenience store within the complex.
[The goddess grins brightly as she mentions that the convenience store employees are startled every time they see the hero.]
[(_)]
[With a playful smirk, she asks what life as a popular guy is like.]
‘No way, that can’t be true. Hmm… But they do seem excessively nervous. Am I still exuding too much pressure because I haven’t gotten rid of my old hero habits? Maybe I should stay inside longer until I can control it.’
“Ah, damn.”
Recalling that memory, the goddess let out a sigh.
He thought she was joking when she said that, but it seemed she was completely serious.
But seriously, how could someone mistake a part-time worker admiring his looks for a sense of reverence?
The goddess once again pressed a hand to her forehead and looked at the hero with a slightly furrowed brow.
[The hero reminisces about old memories with delight.]
[(á„’_á„’)]
[Before he knows it, he arrives at the auditorium where the entrance ceremony is being held and observes the people around him.]
Even in ancient times, he had an impressive appearance, but after multiple rebirths and transformations, his looks had reached a level that even a god could appreciate.
In other words, he was incredibly handsome.
However, during his journey of defeating the demon race, there had been no time to praise his appearance, and after shattering even the stars, most people only spoke to him with excessive reverence or flattery.
Right or wrong, they simply prostrated themselves before him.
Knowing this, the hero never took people’s words at face value.
“Hey, I’m telling you, you’re good-looking. Why don’t you believe me? Are you seriously ignoring the words of a goddess? Do you want to quit being a hero? Huh?”
Muttering in a deliberately delinquent tone, the goddess soon reminded herself that her voice was still blocked from reaching the hero.
Hmm, thinking about it again, the apostle she had raised was both praiseworthy and an absolute pain in the ass.
Letting out a long sigh, she watched the hero scanning the auditorium and soon came to a decision.
‘Fine, if he doesn’t realize it, I’ll just keep hammering it into his head until he does.’
Realizing this obvious truth, the goddess began preparing an additional dose of MSG—her so-called “Red Pill Operation.”
A long-term project for the hero’s love-filled and happy academy life.
‘This auditorium sure is huge.’
Recalling his old high school gymnasium, now a distant memory, he looked around at the densely packed crowd.
Since this was a hunter academy, it was no surprise that there were many women.
The variety of outfits made it clear that this was more like a university where students wore casual clothes.
At the same time, it was fascinating to see how, befitting a world plagued by monsters, students carried swords, knives, and staves as part of their daily wear.
So this really was a different world.
The feeling he had when he was first summoned as a hero now washed over him once again.
Of course, just like that old high school gymnasium, even that moment had long since faded into the past.
Still, there was no doubt that an academy life filled with peers would be a hundred times better than a blood-soaked journey alongside the muscleheads of the hero’s party.
At this rate—where he was suppressing his presence to the maximum without knowing what the real problem was—it seemed likely that he would end up with just a plain academy life, with no harem and no love comedy.
‘At the very least, there’s no one here treating me like a god.’
No one in this world knew that he was a hero, a legendary warrior.
No one knew that he had once sliced an alien planet in half.
A perfectly clean slate.
Here, he felt he could live comfortably as a capable individual.
And if he happened to meet a fated partner—someone beautiful, kind-hearted, with a great figure, and who could hold a good conversation—it would be even better.
If things didn’t work out that way, he could always take the self-made, overpowered hunter route.
Either way, his goal was to go through this experience without feeling burdened.
‘But still, the students here are stronger than I expected.’
Of course, no one here was stronger than him—after all, he had split a star in half.
However, among them were individuals who could have given his younger self a decent fight.
And among the academy’s professors, there were many who wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Royal Knights or even his old hero party.
By this world’s standards, they were S-rank hunters.
According to the internet, high-rankers who placed in the global rankings fell into that category.
If the academy was capable of recruiting such people as faculty, they must be paying them a fortune.
Or maybe the benefits were just that good?
‘In that case, getting a job as a professor here wouldn’t be bad.’
Of course, right now, he was only capable of using about 10% of his full potential, so getting a professor position straight away wasn’t realistic.
Then again… would they accept him if he pushed hard enough?
Either way, it was a path he had walked before.
He’d recover his skills soon enough.
By the standards of his original world, he was still just a college student, so there was no need to be impatient.
Yeah, first, he just needed to focus on adapting.
With that in mind, he decided to listen carefully to the conversations around him.
He had no idea who was famous or where people came from, but…
“Isn’t that the ‘Ice Blossom’ prodigy from the Blue Magic Tower?”
“The Allabad family sent their child here too. They could’ve just attended their own academy.”
“That just shows how high our academy’s prestige is. The faculty lineup this year is insane. All the major sects and noble families sent their heirs.”
“Yeah, if they skipped out, it’d look like they were afraid of the competition.”
There was always someone like a Speedwagon—the designated exposition guy who knew all the details.
Silently masking his presence, he nodded along, absorbing all the information.
He hadn’t intentionally meant to eavesdrop; he just didn’t want to draw attention in a crowded auditorium.
It was a necessary “strategic retreat.”
With all guilt pushed aside, he continued picking up bits of information.
Apparently, a famous spirit summoner from Japan had transferred here.
The next sect leader of the Mystic Sect was attending, and messing with them could be fatal.
And so, he spent the entrance ceremony collecting tidbits of knowledge.
“To all of you joining the Seoul Potrait Ability Academy, I have much to say. First, let me tell you about my time in California…”
The school had money, a brilliant faculty, and yet, for some reason, the director’s speech was just as boring as any other.
For a moment, he almost suffered PTSD, recalling the explanation-obsessed old cardinal from his hero party.
[‘The Balance of Order and Causality’ is preparing a scheme with a sly smile.]
[(ᄒᄉᄒ)]
[Manufacturing the Red Pill.]
Bored, he momentarily disabled his mental block and peeked into the goddess’s messages.
Something about them felt ominous.
Frowning, he pondered the meaning for a moment before shaking his head and blocking her again.
‘The goddess is up to something weird again.’
How in the world had a perfect hero like himself been raised under someone like her?
The director finally finished his long-winded speech, and a few professors took turns delivering short, to-the-point remarks.
It would be nice if the school transitioned to younger leadership sooner rather than later…
“We will now proceed with the freshman representative’s pledge.”
Just when he thought the entrance ceremony was finally wrapping up, there was yet another step.
Maybe it was because he hadn’t been in school for a while, but the excessive formality here rivaled that of a noble banquet.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just dismiss everyone and let them find their own circles?
As he thought that, he watched a student step onto the stage, heels clicking against the floor.
“Top student, Cheon Juyeon.”
A beautiful girl with a radiant smile stepped forward.
And from her, he felt a strangely familiar, dark, and ominous presence.