Chapter 122: Departnt Head
Shwoooosh—
Having escaped via his trait, Hocheol surveyed his surroundings.
He was in a corner of the gate, far from the tower.
Nearby, an orange orb about the size of a human head lay shattered in pieces.
That must’ve been the core.
Suppressing the nausea from the teleportation, Hocheol spoke to the association hero beside him.
“Thanks to you, I made it out. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
Teleportation traits inside a gate carried significant risk for the user just by activating.
Only after fully analyzing or destroying the core could such traits be used safely.
The sa applied to the telepathic communication sent to Hocheol.
Sure, replying to it had been tough and cost him a hit, but escaping that situation was well worth the price.
In the distance, the tower collapsed as the inversion field vanished.
The sight of the multi-story tower crashing to the ground was spectacular from afar.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a pleasant view for Eclipse, who was right beneath it, but that wasn’t Hocheol’s concern.
It wasn’t just a massive structure.
Thanks to technology that imbued objects with traits, the building was far sturdier and heavier than its materials suggested.
Even Eclipse, with his near-omnipotent trait, lacked high-speed movent, so he’d have to take the full brunt of it.
Kugugugugung—!
Debris rained down like a storm, shaking the entire landscape.
Dust clouds rose, engulfing the tower.
A few seconds passed.
Kwang—!
A pillar of light shot up from the rubble.
The impact, stronger than the tower’s collapse, hit where they stood.
The ground quaked as if an earthquake had struck, and visible cracks appeared in the sky.
The space itself couldn’t withstand the release of power.
So team mbers, overwheld by the sheer force, collapsed on the spot.
It ant Eclipse had burned through his stored sun and activated 「Ra」.
To react that intensely against a non-enemy.
“He must be really pissed.”
The team and Se-ah, who’d heard Hocheol was fighting a villain, were stunned by the light pillar.
That technique—it was one anyone could recognize with a quick internet search or docuntary.
“That’s Eclipse!” Se-ah shouted.
Hocheol nodded casually, chiming in.
“Yeah. He’ll be here in ten minutes.”
In that state, talking wouldn’t work.
If caught, Hocheol might survive, but the rest would be slaughtered.
“Let’s get out of here.”
For once, he and the hunter agreed.
Escaping the gate was easy.
With fixed coordinates, repeated teleports did the trick.
The teleporting association hero would be bedridden for days, but it was better than dying.
They returned to the second gate, collapsing the already unstable passage.
A new one would form soon, but it cut off any chance of a raging Eclipse following them.
Back at headquarters, the joy of the mission’s success was overshadowed by shock at Eclipse’s appearance.
Thanks to closing the passages on their way back, the odds of Eclipse crossing were slim, but they evacuated imdiately to prepare for the worst.
* * *
With a bandage on the side pierced by Eclipse yesterday, Hocheol frowned while grading practice tests.
“Why are recent precedents so complicated?”
His head throbbed.
It was supposed to be a break, but his free ti had dwindled.
“Hiss.”
He spun the pen in his hand, exhaling through his lips.
All because of those damn certification exams.
The first written exam was just two weeks away.
Two days after that, another written exam.
Then practicals right after.
The practicals weren’t a big worry—the high written cutoffs were the issue.
If he could focus solely on studying for two weeks, maybe it’d be fine.
But he had no such luxury.
The investigation results would co in soon, requiring a trip to the Intelligence Departnt.
Plus, other tasks were piling up.
He’d finished about half of today’s mistake notebook when his phone, tossed on the bed, buzzed.
Leaning back in his chair, he stretched to grab it and leaned back on the desk.
The ssage was absurdly blunt.
[et]
Too simple, almost rude.
No location, ti, or explanation.
It was from an unsaved number, impossible to place.
But it felt vaguely familiar.
After a mont, he searched the faculty site and found the sender.
“Well, damn.”
An unexpected figure.
‘Enhancent Departnt Head’
The person in charge of Hocheol’s departnt, but soone he had no connection with.
Despite a sester as a professor at Clington, they’d never spoken or even t.
When he needed approval or help, he went straight to the dean.
Surely the departnt head wasn’t pissed about being bypassed and blowing up now?
Hocheol had no interest in being chummy, but bad blood would be inconvenient for him.
“Still, this is a bit much.”
How could soone send such a curt ssage?
As he marveled, another buzz ca.
The sender, perhaps realizing their mistake, included a ti and place.
“Enhancent Departnt Faculty Gym.”
He knew it existed but had never visited, given his ambiguous standing compared to other professors.
The eting was in two hours.
Since it was on campus, he had ti to prepare.
Instead of getting ready, Hocheol called the dean.
Who was this person, and why, after no contact all sester, were they suddenly demanding a eting?
He needed so context.
After a brief ring, the dean’s voice ca through.
[What’s up?]
Hocheol explained briefly.
[Oh, I see. They called you. Finally, huh?]
“Wait.”
Hocheol questioned, as if doubting his ears.
“Why ‘they’? You’re the dean, above the departnt head.”
Se-ah, the Manipulation Departnt Head, was on the sa level.
And given the dean’s relationship with her, the hierarchy was clear.
[I’m the dean, sure, but their tenure as an educator and age make them hard to dismiss.]
“Oh, a lifer.”
Among Clington’s professors, they had the longest career.
Their seniority alone was imposing, and they were older than the dean, so his caution made sense.
A sudden question crossed Hocheol’s mind.
“No retirent age here?”
[For Awakened? Nah.]
“Yeah, fair enough.”
Hocheol tapped the desk lightly with his middle and index fingers.
“No wonder the Enhancent Departnt stays out of the union or the dean’s faction. Not just neutral—too relaxed?”
[Exactly. To them, it’s all fleeting trends. Even if not, their personality wouldn’t care.]
“What kind of personality?”
[Improving students’ physical strength and yours. That’s it.]
A true educator, even more than the dean or Se-ah.
“Admirable mindset. So why call ?”
Hocheol nodded but got to the point.
[If I had to guess, they’re likely testing you.]
Hocheol frowned, his impression of the departnt head plumting.
“…A professor testing another professor? Is that even allowed?”
[It’s not a big deal. But the results heavily impact promotions and such.]
Before the union, the dean held absolute power over faculty appointnts and promotions.
But the Enhancent Departnt was an exception.
The departnt head rarely spoke up, but when they did, their influence rivaled the dean’s.
[Their approval isn’t strictly necessary for promotion, but their veto makes it impossible.]
Hocheol’s recent deputy head role was only possible because the departnt head was neither approved nor opposed.
Propping his chin, Hocheol asked irritably.
“So they could kick out of the deputy head?”
He had no interest in high positions.
If they’d rejected him from the start, he’d have shrugged it off.
But not now.
“No way I’m letting that happen. I need those training halls next sester.”
His deputy head position ca with no responsibilities, only perks.
Perks like near-free access to training halls, which required a month’s reservation otherwise—a sweet deal for Hocheol, who prioritized student growth.
He wasn’t letting it go.
[I don’t think it’ll co to that. I’ll make sure it doesn’t. You should contact Professor Seong Se-ah too.]
Neither the dean nor Se-ah wanted Hocheol ousted.
The union and dean’s faction were near enemies, but the dean and Se-ah got along fine.
Their training hall disputes had just escalated into organizational conflict.
Lately, they’d started acknowledging each other’s thods, making Hocheol’s deputy role a useful buffer.
“Still doesn’t feel great.”
[You’ve been through a lot, so I get it. But it’s a tradition in the Enhancent Departnt. Don’t take it too personally. Rember that ti at the union’s night event when you clashed with an associate professor?]
Hocheol rubbed his temple and cheek with his thumb and middle finger.
Union night?
Associate professor?
The mory was fuzzy.
Sothing yellowish, maybe.
Nothing clear.
The dean, deeming it unimportant, moved on.
[That guy didn’t know, but he was set to take half your classes as a full professor. He failed that test, so it fell through.]
“Better pass, then. Anything else? Test details?”
[It varies. One piece of advice—]
The dean paused, then said.
[Go on an empty stomach.]
* * *
Ten minutes before the eting, Hocheol arrived at the ‘Enhancent Departnt Faculty Gym.’
A plain five-story building.
He opened the door and stepped inside.
The interior wasn’t much different from a regular gym.
If anything, the equipnt and facilities looked older than those in student-accessible gyms.
The mont he stepped inside, he frowned.
His body suddenly felt twice as heavy.
It wasn’t an illusion.
A large sign in bold font hung by the entrance:
[1st Floor: 2x Gravity Constantly Applied]
Hocheol looked up at the ceiling.
Among the lights, an octagonal device spun slowly.
Less advanced than the ti-dilation or space-expansion devices in other training halls, but its gravity enhancent was solid.
“Seriously.”
For Enhancent Departnt professors, this was probably no big deal.
Training in this environnt would build real muscle.
His only concern was.
He glanced at the stairs in the left corner.
The eting was on the fifth floor.
Surely the gravity didn’t increase with each floor?
Feeling an odd foreboding, he climbed the stairs.
Or tried to.
Right before the second-floor stairs, another bold-font warning hung on the wall:
[Entry Prohibited Without At Least 3 Weights]
What were the weights, and where did you get them?
No need to wonder.
Below the warning, a finger-shaped sign pointed right to a ‘Weight Rental Station.’
“What the…”
The next floor likely had stronger gravity, so this was probably a test of minimum capability.
Safety was fine, but wasn’t this thod outdated?
Like, 10—no, 20 years behind.
Grumbling, Hocheol opened the door to the weight rental station.
Inside, unaffected by the gravity device, the oppressive weight lifted the mont he entered.
The station was exactly what it sounded like—a room full of weights.
Four-story shelves lined with weights flanked the room.
At the center, a person at a counter, propping their chin, flipped through a book.
Sensing soone, they looked up.
“Co on in… Oh, uh, you!”
Ye-jin’s eyes widened upon seeing Hocheol.
Surprised by the unexpected face, Hocheol quickly regained his composure.
Glancing at her book, he asked.
“Reading dirty books again?”
A pop sound, and her face turned beet red.
“No, I’m not!”
She hurriedly hid the book under the counter.
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