This World Needs a Hero

Chapter 24

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Unlike other lectures, ‘Extreme’ did not provide detailed lesson plans in the announcements.

At most, only the location of the lecture was mentioned.

Consequently, the students couldn’t guess what they would learn today until the lecture began.

In the past few classes, they had focused solely on building their fundamentals, so they expected the same this time.

But…

Question marks appeared on the faces of the students.

“Is it something different today?”

“It’s strange that it’s a classroom, not the training ground.”

“Today, we will learn about anatomy,” said the Hero.

Anatomy.

In reality, it wasn’t an unfamiliar subject.

It was a discipline that healers, often referred to as partners of martial artists, must learn.

As the First Era came to a close, Gods disappeared, and humanity lost the divine power that protected them.

As a result, the treatment and emergency care of the wounded relied entirely on surgical procedures.

Of course, potions were used too. In the case of ordinary patients, they often refrained from using them due to their high cost.

Therefore, not only healers but also martial artists mostly familiarized themselves with basic anatomy.

However, what the Hero displayed on the hologram was not the anatomy of a human.

The children tilted their heads as they looked at bizarre cross-sections of bones and muscles.

“From today, you will become experts in ‘Monster Anatomy.’ Be prepared for relevant exams and practical exercises each quarter.”

The expressions of the students became peculiar.

Monster Anatomy?

Why would we need that?

“We’re not going to treat monsters, so why is Monster Anatomy necessary?”

The Hero’s lips twisted.

“…I sincerely hope you’re not harboring such foolish thoughts.”

Ignoring the children’s puzzled faces, the explanation continued.

“Anatomy is not only used for healing. Does anyone want to explain why the study of Monster Anatomy is necessary for you?”

The children collectively avoided eye contact.

Surprisingly, one hand went up immediately.

The Hero remained silent for a moment, then nodded decisively.

“Yes, Cuculli Evans.”

“On the battlefield, it’s challenging to find food! If you learn Monster Anatomy, you can butcher their meat more easily!”

Cuculli confidently concluded his statement.

Some children looked at her with expressions that seemed to question the authenticity of her claim.

The Hero sighed and looked at Cuculli.

The horns on Cuculli’s head wiggled proudly.

“Wrong. The blood and flesh of monsters are contaminated with toxins, making them inedible. Not only do they taste awful, but they can also be the cause of various diseases.”

“I-I’ve eaten it back in my hometown!”

“You’re a dragon, right? Your internal organs function much better than humans, so you’re probably fine.”

“Hehe, I see.”

To think someone would consider eating that again even after trying it once is impressive.

The Hero continued, swallowing the afterthoughts.

“Anybody else willing to answer the question?”

Since no one raised their hand, the Hero had to choose someone.

To save time, he pointed to someone who seemed likely to provide the correct answer.

“Ban Dietrich.”

“Ye-Yes!”

“Go ahead.”

The large boy suddenly looked as if he were taken aback by the sudden attention.

With a face buried in his massive shoulders, he spoke.

“Well… I think it might be for efficient attacks. If you are knowledgeable about the anatomical structure and functions, it could be easier to inflict fatal injuries.”

As he finished speaking, the Hero nodded slowly toward Ban in approval.

It seemed that Nyhill’s report about Ban spending a considerable amount of time in the library was not inaccurate.

“Correct. One extra point for you.”

“Th-thank you.”

The excited exclamations of the children had barely subsided when the Hero descended from the podium.

His destination was the front row.

“Higek!”

[Fatal injury possible!]

In parentheses, underlined.

Evergreen, who had been diligently taking notes on the Hero’s words, was startled, dropping her pen.

“Can I borrow it?”

“Huh? What, what do you need?”

The Hero’s hand pointed at the quiver filled with tightly packed arrows.

“Oh, yes! Please, use them all!”

With everyone’s gaze concentrated, he, as if trying to assess the balance between the shaft and the tip, rolled the arrow on the palm of his hand and recited,

“Even with just a small arrowhead penetrating the body, a person is incapacitated in a matter of seconds, short or infinitely long.”

The Hero’s movements were swift and precise.

The children swallowed their saliva, watching the sharp tip glide across the skin.

“So, with your level of skill, you don’t necessarily need anatomical knowledge to kill a human with a cold weapon. Whether the tip catches a rib or grazes an artery, you can still kill your opponent. It’s a matter of efficiency.”

Slow and composed.

A voice that stimulated the imagination of the listeners echoed in the classroom.

The children swallowed hard.

“But they are different.”

It was at that moment that the assistant activated the mechanical device inside the classroom.

Chreeeeek!

The wall behind the podium slowly opened from left to right.

The strange odor that had been lingering in the classroom intensified, and soon the screams of the children echoed.

“Wh-what is that?”

Behind the wall.

There were numerous stuffed monsters hanging there.

Twisted wings and torso.

Pale skin with veins visible.

Spiral horns and bent claws.

Even in their lifeless state, the eerie forms overwhelmed the children.

With an arrow in hand, the Hero walked towards one of the monsters.

In the silent classroom, only the sound of his footsteps reverberated.

“Their bones, skin, muscles, tendons, and blood vessels are thick. Strong and tough… above all, complex.”

There was no warning.

As soon as the Hero finished speaking, he swung the arrow in his hand towards the abdomen of the frontmost monster.

The children took a deep breath, preparing for the gruesome scene that would unfold.

Thud!

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However, the arrow, expected to penetrate deeply, only reverberated near the creature’s tough outer layer.

Thud!

The sound of bones scratching echoed once again, surprising all of them.

“Huh?”

…It was a position where you could never expect bones to be.

No creature would have bones in the middle of the abdomen.

The Hero calmly continued speaking, “This is why you need to become experts in Monster Anatomy.”

The children understood instantly.

—

The reason the bodies of monsters distinctly differed from other creatures was the presence of a body organ called the ‘core.’

Core.

An organ that absorbs mana from the atmosphere and converts it into magic.

These creatures received magic by just breathing, leading to endless mutations.

The anatomical structure of monsters was fundamentally different from that of natural fauna.

“Because they are entities that directly defy the order of nature.”

I continued speaking to the frozen children.

“When fighting monsters, the opportunity cost of an attack is much higher than in human combat.”

They don’t flinch just because their skin gets scratched like humans do.

If an attack that consumes an opportunity doesn’t result in a valid hit…

The outcome was almost predetermined.

“A weapon is not just what you hold in your hands. If you learn Monster Anatomy properly, at least you won’t die foolishly staring at a less effective weapon. Understand?”

That is the importance of theory.

The children nodded silently.

Now that motivation seemed to have been somewhat achieved…

“Pia, distribute the textbooks.”

Thud!

The expressions of the children looking at the books on the desk changed, not much different from when they first saw the monsters.

『Comprehensive Study of Monster Anatomy』

– Author: Ted Redymer

It was a textbook I synthesized from the information collected in the Iris of Laplace and existing research data from the laboratory.

It was a thick book, characteristic of most legal texts.

“At precisely 2 PM, we’ll have a test on Chapter 1. After a brief written test, we’ll proceed with the practical session, so be prepared.”

The children hurriedly opened the book, and soon their faces turned as if they were about to vomit at the complex diagrams that awaited them.

“For lower-level monsters, the post-mutation symptoms are similar, making it easy to memorize. See you in four hours.”

Ignoring the students who questioned the logic with various gestures, I smoothly exited the classroom.

Pia muttered to herself with a sense of resignation, “They’ll adapt well once they go to graduate school.”

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Squish! Squish!

Leciel lifted her head and looked at the classroom’s scene.

The only sounds were the rustling of pens and sighs.

Her classmates were practically burying their noses in the books, vigorously taking notes.

Leciel tried to refocus her gaze on the book again.

It was an attempt she had made countless times.

『The hind legs of the lower-level monster ‘Kaborg’ are abnormally developed. Based on the femur similar to that of amphibians, 16 bones are arranged…』

Strictly speaking, the ‘Comprehensive Study of Monster Anatomy’ wasn’t a book with a particularly high reading difficulty.

Unlike other academic books, it lacked elaborate explanations, and the attached materials were intuitive.

…But Leciel was experiencing significant difficulty.

‘Why can’t I concentrate?’

Her grandmother used to say something like this in the past.

“Theory? That’s something needed only by people without talent. Leciel, it won’t be of any use to you.”

The theories created by ordinary people were useless to geniuses.

It wasn’t entirely untrue.

‘Theories created by ordinary people are useless to geniuses. That’s not entirely wrong.’

In comparison to her talents and intuition, those theories were consistently inefficient.

Under her grandmother’s educational philosophy, Leciel was living a life far from studying— body-on collision, learning, breaking through limits, the ways of a martial artist.

Naturally, she expected the Extreme Lecture to be conducted in a similar manner.

Didn’t even the orientation give off that vibe?

Yet, now she unexpectedly faced this obstacle.

‘…I should’ve tried studying.’

Both the densely packed book and the situation requiring her to study for the exam felt unfamiliar.

But more than anything, what felt strange was the emotion gradually surfacing in her heart.

It was impatience.

‘…This is annoying.’

Whenever she saw her classmates flipping through the pages of their books, she felt a sense of falling behind for the first time in her life.

Impatience intensified.

Despite staring at the book, the content didn’t register in her mind.

It was a vicious cycle.

…If this continued, she would mess up both the exam and the practical session.

‘Grades should be fine, but…’

She really didn’t want to leave a lacking impression on the Hero.

Leciel bit her lip so hard that blood oozed out.

“Hey.”

“What?”

Her colder-than-usual response to the boy who approached her was inevitable under the circumstances.

Surprised by the unexpected harshness in her voice, even she was taken aback.

But it was too late to correct it.

“Uh, well, I….”

…Ban Dietrich.

The boy who hadn’t properly uttered words before was hesitatingly looking at her.

“H-Here.”

“Ugh, why do you care so much!”

“Just because you seem incredibly frustrated.”

Ban discreetly offered his notes and textbooks to her.

“If it’s okay with you, would you like to take a look?”

Surprised by his act of unexpected kindness, Leciel looked at Ban’s notes.

Neatly organized, it was apparent that he had a strong foundation in his studies.

Leciel’s eyes trembled slightly.

‘He already used all of this?’

Recalling Ban’s consistent habit of carrying books wherever he went, whether in the dormitory or on the battlefield, Leciel hesitated before perusing the content.

“…”

It was truly perfect note-taking.

Categorizing monster types based on similar mutation outcomes, highlighting commonalities and differences within categories, and even color-coding complicated anatomical details.

“Uh…”

While she was curious about the reason behind his kindness, there was no time to ask.

With only half the time left until 2 PM, the start of the exam, Leciel tentatively grabbed the edge of his notebook.

“Uh…”

“Yeah?”

“You’ve worked hard. I’ll borrow it for a moment.”

Someone behind them urgently whispered at that moment.

“Me too!”

Suddenly, Cuculli slid in between Leciel and Ban.

In her hands, she held a ‘Monster Anatomy Comprehensive Theory – Dragon Species Translation,’ looking just as pristine as the others.

“Sigh, even someone who has tasted how monster meat tastes, needs to study. Give it up, give it up! Show me your notes!”

“Yeah, go ahead and take a look.”

“This favor will be repaid, Ban!”

With her fangs revealed in a grin, Cuculli glanced at Leciel.

“By the way, Leciel, you’ve also been building up your studies. No wonder, it seemed like you would.”

“…”

It was a strange sense of relief to have a comrade even if being tied together was uncomfortable.

With a mildly irritated sigh, Leciel raised her hips and gave up her seat.

It was two hours before the start of the exam.

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