LIGHTNOVELONLINE Ch 01
Chapter:01
Hero Academy.
In an era where eighty percent of people are awake, this school is among the most prominent globally.
It’s the dream of countless hero hopefuls.
But the harsh reality is that most of them are crushed by the academy’s extremely difficult entrance exams.
And right now, the final stage of that very entrance exam was taking place within the academy’s massive training arena.
One holographic monster stood tall in the middle of the space.
On the other side, in a cage-like holding area, the applicants and the exam proctor waited.
Laughter echoed from the waiting area.
“Dude, he’s frozen stiff again.”
“Ahh, there he is, squandering time until he withdraws.”
The target of the mockery was one Ha Jinseok, who stood frozen in place like he’d been nailed to the ground.
But it wasn’t because of the ridicule from the other applicants.
“…Damn it.”
You ever hear how when someone’s faced with something so shocking, they can’t move a muscle?
That was Ha Jinseok for the past few hours.
*Swoosh—*
A cool breeze blew through the iron bars of the cage, brushing against his cheek.
The sensation of the wind was unmistakably real.
But even so, everything about this situation felt surreal to Jinseok.
Because not long ago, he was dead.
“…I definitely died.”
The world had pursued Ha Jinseok, known as the worst villain in history, until he was killed.
Yet here he was, alive again.
And not just alive—
He was standing in the middle of the Hero Academy’s entrance exam as a test applicant.
What’s more, he wasn’t even himself anymore.
He’d somehow become Kim Changsik, the man hailed as the strongest hero of all time—his complete opposite.
A deep sigh escaped Jinseok’s lips.
“I need to deal with this situation first.”
The murmurs of the other applicants reached his ears again.
“Kim Changsik, that idiot’s frozen up again. What kind of dumb stunt is he going to pull this time?”
“How many times has this happened? If he’s just going to freeze up, why even bother showing up to the exam?”
“Hey! Just quit and get out already!”
Even the proctor chimed in, nodding as they tried to reason with him.
“Applicant Kim Changsik, if you’re too scared, you can give up.”
Hearing that, Kim Changsik—or rather, Ha Jinseok—let out a dry laugh.
“So this is what the guy who ends up being called the strongest hero used to deal with, huh?”
“This is interesting.”
The proctor tilted their heads, puzzled by his reaction.
This final stage of the entrance exam was notoriously difficult.
Most inexperienced applicants would have given up due to the holographic monster’s over 80% realism and the apparent intent to kill.
And the current monster?
“Grrrrr…”
This time, the holographic opponent was a high-level Velociraptor—a predator that struck fear into the hearts of most applicants.
The proctor sighed heavily, raising a hand to stop him.
“Let me remind you again—wait, what?”
But before the proctor could even finish, Jinseok grabbed a practice sword and stepped out of the cage.
*Clang!*
The sound of the cage door opening rang out, and his fellow applicants erupted in murmurs.
“What’s he doing? Is he seriously stepping out? Is he trying to get himself killed?”
“Shouldn’t we stop him? That thing’s just a hologram, but the impact is real!”
“Wait, what? No way. Is he really running toward the raptor? That dude’s insane!”
All eyes locked on him as he moved forward.
And then Jinseok swung his practice sword.
*Slash!*
One clean, fluid motion.
A single, elegant strike.
In an instant, the fierce Velociraptor was torn to shreds.
Resting the sword casually on his shoulder, Jinseok raised his head and glanced at his dumbfounded peers.
“What’re you staring at?”
The man once known as the ultimate villain had just secured his place in Hero Academy.
—
After the exam, Jinseok received a few instructions from the proctor (supervisor).
He barely listened, nodding absentmindedly before heading to the dorm he’d been assigned.
A small, quiet single room.
A compact desk, neatly arranged furniture.
From the desk, he could hear birds chirping outside the window.
Following the sound, Jinseok opened the window.
*Clack.*
A refreshing breeze greeted him, filling his lungs with fresh air.
His heart thumped loudly.
“…I’m alive.”
In the distance, he spotted a large tree.
And further beyond, the grand gates of the academy came into view.
“But…”
He looked at his own face, or more accurately, Kim Changsik’s face, reflected in the window.
“…Why him?”
He touched his face, inspecting his new body.
No matter how he looked, it was unmistakably Kim Changsik—the man renowned as the strongest hero.
This situation made no sense.
Slowly, he ran a hand over his stomach.
He distinctly remembered being stabbed to death by Jang Docheol.
“Yet here I am, as Kim Changsik…”
—
For two days, Jinseok locked himself in his room, trying to make sense of the situation.
Eventually, he reached two conclusions:
“I came back to life, and I became Kim Changsik.”
Looking at the reflection in the window—gentle eyes and fair skin—he confirmed it again.
The man everyone agreed was the strongest hero.
And most importantly…
“…I have traveled back in time.”
This wasn’t just a random guess based on appearances.
First, there was the fact that he’d just completed the academy’s entrance exam.
According to his calculations, he would have been around four or five years before Kim Changsik became the most famous of all the heroes.
But honestly, none of that even mattered.
“I mean, the calendar in this room says it’s five years ago.”
Piecing everything together, he had no choice but to accept it.
He’d gone back in time and somehow ended up possessing Kim Changsik’s body.
The situation makes sense now.
But…
“Does any of this actually make sense?”
Staring blankly for a while, Jinseok eventually flopped onto the bed.
*Thud.*
The gray concrete ceiling stared back at him.
Even if he accepted it, he had no idea what to do next.
“Should I try to find my old self?”
Trying to remember where he was five years ago, he let out a deep sigh.
“And if I do find him? Then what?”
Could he even bring himself to explain this situation to his past self?
He would probably think I am crazy and beat the living daylights out of me, he muttered, shaking his head.
Frustrated, he closed his eyes.
“Let’s just take a break for now.”
For the first time in months, Jinseok wasn’t running for his life.
This moment of peace felt unreal.
As his body relaxed, memories from his past life floated to the surface.
The overwhelming power he once wielded.
Because of the confusion it created, he was viewed as a villain by all.
Sure, his rough personality didn’t help.
“But judging me as a villain just because of my trait? That’s too much, isn’t it?”
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips.
Framed by Jang Docheol, the boss of a villainous organization, Jinseok had been branded the ultimate villain.
He’d tried to clear his name and explain the truth, but…
His wild personality, intimidating appearance, and dark, villain-like trait had sealed his fate.
“I just cemented my status as the worst villain instead.”
Hunted by everyone, he’d been driven to the brink and ultimately met his end.
*Clench.*
Unconsciously, he grabbed his stomach where Jang Docheol had stabbed him.
“Damn it, that bastard.”
The memory reignited his thirst for revenge.
Revenge.
He shot up from the bed.
“Alright.”
Could this be a second chance?
‘I once stood against the entire villain organization and held my ground.’
Now, with the Hero Association backing him, his odds looked even better.
His heart pounded with excitement.
“…I can do this.”
No, he knew he could.
Sure, right now, he was just a rookie Academy student.
But this guy was destined to become the strongest hero.
Even he had to admit that “Kim Chang-sik” was like 80% Hajin-seok in terms of skill.
“Well, I can make up the remaining 20%, no problem.”
The best part about this whole situation, though, was simple:
“Exclusive intelligence.”
He was the only one who knew exactly what was going to happen in the future.
As that realization hit him, he grabbed a notebook off the desk and started scribbling furiously.
“This year, the Hero Association got outplayed by those villain bastards more than once.”
Having spent years enjoying his quiet life with just newspapers for company, he could recall major incidents and disasters pretty fast.
On top of that, the idea of snatching an artifact that Jang Do-chul was supposed to claim brought a smirk to his face.
“Hah! Revenge might not take as long as I thought.”
Then there was the stuff he’d learned over the past few months—weaknesses of the Villain organization’s top brass.
“And the artifacts collecting dust in the academy ‘cause no one figured out how to use them.”
But then, his pen suddenly stopped.
“…Wait, what?”
His eyes widened in shock.
“…Hold on. So, I have to live the academy life now?”
For someone who’d never experienced group living—hell, not even once—the idea was like a death sentence.
He clicked his tongue.
“To get the Hero Association on my side, I *have* to graduate from the academy, huh?”
As his head started pounding, his face scrunched up in frustration.
*Ding!*
Out of nowhere, a holographic window popped up in mid-air.
[The True Hero]
– Throughout history, a hero has been someone who could inspire people and reshape the world.
– Many claim to be heroes, but the “world” recognizes only one true hero.
– And that’s you, Kim Chang-sik. You are destined for greatness.
“…What the hell is this?”
The bizarre message left him speechless.
But the system didn’t give him time to process it.
*Ding!*
[The Path of a True Hero: Step One]
Check your status window and review your awakened abilities and traits.
[Reward: +1 Bonus Stat]
Normally, he’d never believe something like this.
But after all the weirdness he’d already been through, this felt almost… tame.
“A hero? Rewards? Quests, or something?”
As he started piecing things together, his shocked expression shifted into a scowl.
“Then that guy’s been coasting on this system the whole time?”
Come to think of it, Kim Chang-sik’s rise to fame began right after entering the academy.
So this was the destiny laid out for Kim Chang-sik by the world.
“Man, that’s annoying. While I was struggling, this guy was cruising on a smooth highway paved by the ‘world.’”
Of course, now it was *his* turn to drive down that highway.
And he had the ultimate engine: exclusive future knowledge.
Taking a deep breath, he called up his status window.
*Ding!*
Name: Kim Chang-sik
(Hero Trainee)
—
**Strength**: D
**Agility**: D
**Stamina**: E
**Magic**: B
—
Bonus Stats: 0
[Unique Traits]
1. (New!!) **Hero Detection (Irregular)**
– Let you see another person’s status window.
(Stronger opponents reveal less information.)
2. (New!!) **Modification (Irregular – Sealed)**
– ???
—
As soon as he reviewed his status, a system message appeared announcing he’d earned his reward. But he barely noticed it.
“This… isn’t the same as the original?”
His awakened traits were nothing like the ones he remembered Kim Chang-sik having.
Had his arrival altered the future somehow?
“Not sure yet, but it seems like this world might not play out exactly the way I know…”
Looking at the notebook filled with predictions he’d written down, he felt a bit uncertain.
And just then—
[Attention, Candidate Kim Chang-sik. Please report to Candidate Class A immediately.]
The loud, repetitive announcement made his face scrunch up again.
“I guess I would better go over.”
—
Chang-sik stepped out of the dormitory, strolling through the academy’s spacious grounds, which were eerily quiet.
“Are the regular students on break?”
Candidate training usually coincided with the official students’ vacation.
Which explained why the massive campus felt so empty.
“Where the hell is Candidate Class A?”
As he wandered past various buildings, something caught his eye—a girl crouching in the shadows, playing with a lively little squirrel.
With no one else around, he walked straight up to her.
“Hey.”
“……”
She didn’t react, still engrossed in playing with the squirrel.
He got closer and raised his voice.
“Hey, can I ask you something?”
Finally, she slowly lifted her head to look at him.
Her curious gaze met his annoyed one.
“Didn’t you hear me calling you?”
She blinked at him in confusion, glancing around like she was checking for someone else.
Then, pointing at herself, she asked, “…Me?”
Her reaction made Chang-sik click his tongue.
“Yeah, who else would I be talking to?”
“Wait, you can *see* me?”
Now it was his turn to frown.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“No, it’s just that.”
“Forget it. Do you know where Candidate Class A is?”
“Candidate Class…? Oh, yeah. Fourth floor of that building.”
She pointed to a building nearby, still looking dazed.
Memorizing the location, Chang-sik gave her a slight nod.
“Alright, thanks.”
He turned to leave, but she suddenly grabbed his arm.
“Wait! Are you a candidate?”
“Hmm? Yeah, I am.”
“What’s your name…?”
Her voice wavered as she spoke, and her cheeks flushed bright red.
Chang-sik gave her a weird look but answered plainly.
“Kim Chang-sik.”
With that, he walked off without another word, leaving her standing there, staring after him.
“…What a strange guy.”
Looking down at the energetic squirrel circling her, she smiled.
“Don’t you think so too?”
But then the squirrel collapsed onto the grass.
Its lively energy was gone, replaced by the stench of decay.
The squirrel had been dead for a long time.
“Candidate Kim Chang-sik, huh…”
A smile crept across her lips.
**The Villainous Hero’s Life of a Lifetime**