6

Title: The Stormy New Student, Baek Taeyang (1)

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"…Next is the new student agenda. Please pay attention to the screen."

Everyone in the auditorium turned their gaze to the screen at the woman's words.

Displayed on the screen was a student, with white hair and somewhat rough skin.

What was impressive was the overall aura.

It immediately made one wonder, can this student really enter Victory Academy? That was the first thought that came to mind.

That's how much of a vibe of 'I'm a troublemaker' he was giving off.

"Name: Baek Taeyang, Age: 20. Ability… not confirmed but presumed to be debuff type."

"What? Am I hearing wrong, Instructor Ryu? Presumed?"

The one who spoke was a man with a bald head. His name tag read "Gate Instructor" and below it was the name "Kim Sukgu."

"The reason is… Baek Taeyang's ability is a constant activation type."

At that, murmurs began to rise in the auditorium.

Constant activation abilities were not something to be taken lightly.

"The danger of constant activation abilities lies in the difficulty of control and the lack of precursors to ability activation. If one were truly determined…"

As Instructor Ryu Hye-mi tried to speak, silence fell over the auditorium.

"Comparing the Patboy Massacre to novice students who know nothing is too extreme of a comparison."

Chairman Cheon Hae-il of Victory Academy.

When he spoke, those who had been comparing stopped their thoughts.

He had that kind of power.

The Savior of the Era, the Immortal, the Closer, the Last One Standing, the Supreme General, and many other titles were attributed to him, but people generally just called him this.

A Superhuman.

Everyone referred to Cheon Hae-il as a Superhuman.

It wasn't because he maintained the appearance of someone in his mid-20s at the age of 132, or because he founded Victory Academy on his own without any other investments, or because he held power above national authority.

It was because of his ability. He truly possessed immense power, capable of splitting seas and breaking mountains.

During the chaotic early days of the Gates, when even the military was powerless, he single-handedly appeared and sorted everything out, earning him the title of Superhuman.

"This is the most noteworthy part. Awakening usually requires a dramatic trigger for ordinary people to awaken later in life."

"For example, feeling the threat to life, or a strong desire to save someone just before they die."

"But Baek Taeyang awakened simply for the sake of defeating a Hunter."

The seriousness of the situation was conveyed.

Initially, they were puzzled as to why a new student was on the agenda for an emergency meeting.

New admissions were not unusual.

If they were qualified, it was natural for them to want to enter Victory, and sometimes they even scouted talented individuals.

Why deal with this so urgently? They reflected on their own foolishness for a moment, ignoring Instructor Ryu Hye-mi's abilities.

"...It's just an admission, but isn't it practically a transfer? He's too dangerous of a talent."

Instructor Ryu Hye-mi couldn't refute Kim Sukgu's words.

In fact, he had been in juvenile detention until recently and had just been transferred to the academy's dormitories.

Leaving him alone could potentially lead to a resurgence of the Patboy Massacre.

Even Chairman Cheon Hae-il, who had been advocating for Baek Taeyang just now, had a somewhat dark expression.

From the briefing results, Baek Taeyang was not a criminal. He wasn't even a potential criminal.

He had never initiated any incidents, but no one could deny that he was a potential high-risk individual.

"Please look at the next screen."

As Ryu Hye-mi manipulated the remote control, the screen changed.

It started from the moment Baek Taeyang faced off against an Awakener.

In the video, Baek Taeyang was facing off against an Awakener without flinching.

Even if the Awakener shown in the video was the weakest Grade 5 Awakener, it was still unbelievable.

The difference between an Awakener and a non-Awakener was insurmountable.

A fierce battle ensued for a short time until the Awakener seized the opportunity and struck Baek Taeyang's abdomen.

Normally, his stomach should have been pierced, with all his entrails spilling out. However, he regained his senses and controlled his strength, preventing such a thing from happening.

Baek Taeyang vomited everything he had eaten, including alcohol and food. Unprocessed things came out.

The expression of disbelief was evident as he rushed forward again, and just as his opponent tried to calm him down and grab his fist...

"He awakened."

A black light enveloped Baek Taeyang's body.

Although the Awakener realized that he had awakened and hurriedly tried to raise his power, the punch had already struck his solar plexus.

He was sent flying through the building and crashed into a parked truck, and the video ended there.

"To awaken just to defeat a person, and with that destructive power!"

"According to the information, that Hunter is said to be in the reinforcement category. Even though he enhanced his body, to suffer that much…"

"Then it must be a debuff type, although the use of the ability was delayed, the damage is too great."

"Accepting late awakeners is natural, but how to manage them…"

While exchanging opinions, all the instructors kept glancing at one person.

From the moment Baek Taeyang's case was brought up, he had been staring at the screen with folded arms and a stern expression.

Only one person continued to maintain his silence and his gaze seemed to be felt by those around him as he nodded his head.

"I'll take care of him in our class."

Written below the black name tag labeled "Training Instructor" was the name "Jang Doo-chul."

Just seeing the name instilled trust.

Although overshadowed by the Superhuman Cheon Hae-il, if chosen as one of the strongest members of Victory Academy, he could perfectly control Baek Taeyang.

"But when is Baek Taeyang coming?"

"Tomorrow."

"What?"

Did we just deal with this now? Ryu Hye-mi quickly explained when she received such a look.

"The date on the video was the day before yesterday. And today, we also received the incident…"

"...Baek Taeyang lost consciousness due to the aftermath of awakening while in juvenile detention…"

Ryu Hye-mi desperately explained.

She wanted to change into proper clothes but didn't have time, so she lay on the bed naked.

She had just finished processing the data in time for the meeting.

She wanted to show how many things she had handled in an instant.

In fact, everyone understood her, but they found it amusing to watch her flounder.

+++

"I made a mistake."

Recalling yesterday's events, Jang Doo-chul rushed out.

Even the desperate measures he had just taken to rectify the situation seemed futile now.

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