A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 10

In that moment, Ahn Se-ri began to understand why Cha Eun-woo praised Seo Da-yoon so much.

Even if she seemed unremarkable now, the idea that she could surpass Park Seo-hoo in the future resonated deeply with her.

“You said you made the mana heart about a year ago, right?”

“Hmm? Yeah, that’s right.”

This girl was a monster.

While others took a year to create a mana heart, she had made one in just a week before taking the entrance exam. How was that even possible?

Moreover, it was standard for wizards to build their foundation before entering the academy. That’s why professors preferred to quickly cover the basics and move on to the early curriculum.

However, Seo Da-yoon was keeping up with the class without any foundation at all. Her growth rate was truly monstrous.

“Don’t be too impatient. Time will solve everything.”

“Ugh, that’s easy for you to say, Se-ri! While I was stumbling around, the other kids were relaxed. If this continues, I’ll be the only one falling behind… Everyone else is a genius.”

Seeing Seo Da-yoon whining, Ahn Se-ri felt a strong urge to hit her.

Oh dear, this girl. They’ve been doing that for years; you can’t just not be able to do it.

“Got it. Let’s go to the library!”

“Again? We went during the morning break too…”

“If someone like me wants to beat geniuses, I have no choice but to work hard.”

She was even a relentless hard worker. This girl would become a hero who would change history in the future. Someone Ahn Se-ri could never reach, even if she were to be reborn a million times.

—

Before entering Florian, An Se-ri believed she was someone chosen.

A talent that far surpassed the so-called genius, An Se-hyun. She mistook it for something extraordinary, unaware that it was merely a frog in a well.

She believed she would one day become a great hero, like her father or President Ryu Jeong-ah.

But after coming to the sea called Florian, she realized that it had all been an illusion.

The first time she felt the wall was during the entrance exam.

Park Seo-hu.

It felt as if he was mocking An Se-ri. The future sword master, effortlessly navigating the exam hall, seemed like a true hero. In reality, Park Seo-hu already possessed skills that could overwhelm even the graduates.

Next was Cha Eun-woo.

She had approached confidently, only to be utterly crushed. A true genius with a perspective and thought process that were on an entirely different level from hers.

And then, standing before her, was Seo Da-yoon.

The girl she thought was at the very bottom was, in fact, a newly hatched dragon. She had lived looking only upward, never considering that she could be overtaken by the birds soaring from below.

An Se-ri came to an uncomfortable realization.

There were likely many geniuses, not just Seo Da-yoon. Placing fourth in the entrance exam was merely a benefit of the education received as a child of a massive guild, not an achievement born of talent.

In the future, countless geniuses at Florian would spread their wings, and An Se-ri would helplessly watch it all unfold.

Ah, how she hated it.

An Se-ri had always worn a mask when dealing with others.

She thoroughly suppressed her emotions and played the model student. It had become so familiar that a fake expression naturally formed in front of others.

But today, the mask felt unbearably heavy.

“Let’s go somewhere other than the library.”

“Um… how about a café?”

“No, not a place like that.”

Until now, she could only remove her mask in front of those she truly trusted. But recently, an exception had arisen.

Professor Cha Eun-woo.

Since that first encounter when her mask was unexpectedly stripped away, she found it strangely impossible to act in front of him. It seemed to ease her heart.

If she thought about it, this melancholic feeling had all started with Cha Eun-woo.

So, she decided to lean on him for a while.

* * *

“Do you think my office is a reading room?”

These days, my office was always bustling. In the morning, Lee Ye-eun would come to hang out, in the afternoon, An Se-ri and Seo Da-yoon would use it as a study room, and in the evening, Lee Ye-eun would return for research reports.

Honestly, it was annoying. For someone who had spent a year cooped up in a small room playing games, being in the same space as anyone other than family was a challenging ordeal.

As if asking what the problem was, An Se-ri spoke nonchalantly.

“Well, what about it? Don’t you feel lonely when you’re by yourself, Professor?”

“I’m comfortable alone.”

“Just kidding.”

The most uncomfortable part was An Se-ri herself.

In the game, she always wore a mask and built walls between herself and others. Yet, in front of me, she seemed oddly at ease. Perhaps that too was a mask, a facade she had crafted.

“Da-yoon, what do you think about my privacy not being guaranteed?”

“Uh, well! That is… I…”

“…No, never mind.”

Seo Da-yoon had been unable to meet my gaze for days, and I couldn’t understand why she kept following me. Whenever I tried to talk to her, she would flinch like a small animal, so I decided to give up on getting close for the time being.

Still, it didn’t seem like she disliked me.

Ding!

─The mentor effect is activated. You gain a small amount of experience. (Target: Seo Da-yoon)

Seo Da-yoon was like a lottery ticket.

At first, I had tried to chase her away for coming all the way to my office to study, but seeing the message window appear before me changed my mind.

Seo Da-yoon, a genius who had only recently learned magic. It went without saying that she was growing at an incredible pace. Just by providing a place for her to study and occasionally sharing what I knew, I was accumulating a significant amount of experience thanks to the mentor skill.

The experience I gained from Seo Da-yoon was particularly special.

───────────────

＜Skills＞

▼ Magic Missile

: Offensive magic. Shapes a mass of mana and launches it.

▼ Magic Barrier

: Defensive magic. Creates a wall of mana for protection.

▼ Slow

: Debuff. Slows the movement speed of the targeted enemy. This skill does not stack.

Available PT: 40

───────────────

It seemed that my magic was different from others.

In the setting of Florian Rhapsody, one had to interpret and understand magic circles, drawing them each time they learned and used magic.

Of course, that was merely the setting; in the game, like any other RPG, magic was learned through skill points and activated with shortcuts.

—

But I also got a skill window. Just like in a game.

Moreover, PT could be gained through training, but it could also be obtained through Seo Da-yoon.

Then, what if it’s not just Seo Da-yoon?

What if I gathered dozens of talented kids and made them my source of experience points?

The ability I had thought was trash actually held infinite possibilities.

I sneaked a glance at the textbook Seo Da-yoon was looking at. As expected, it contained complex and obscure explanations.

Just like many difficult disciplines in modern times, magic wasn’t particularly kind in its teaching materials. It was impossible to easily understand the rigid theories written down as they were.

So, it was perfect for teaching Seo Da-yoon.

“Da-yoon, how about approaching it in a slightly different way?”

“…A different way?”

“Right. Don’t think of it as a whole; break it down into steps. It’s important to visualize when casting magic. For example, don’t just think of shooting a fireball; first, construct the framework, then contain the mana inside, and finally set the direction before launching it.”

Seo Da-yoon tilted his head, then hesitantly asked back.

“Um, but in theory, that’s considered the most dangerous approach. They say all processes in magic happen simultaneously…”

“I’ll assert this: that’s nonsense.”

There are two perspectives on magic.

One is that magic is a pure discipline that embodies the laws of the universe created by God, alongside mathematics. The other is that magic exists as a tool for destruction, like guns or knives.

In truth, while there are two perspectives, the former is overwhelmingly the mainstream opinion.

It’s obvious; everyone likes to paint a pretty picture of their own face. Thus, they place greater importance on tradition and form, shunning practical changes.

But I had no intention of playing along with their games.

With the world on the brink of collapse, what importance do tradition and form hold? I had to teach efficiently, no matter what.

“Then… Ah! I think I get it.”

Ding!

─The mentor effect is activated. You gain a small amount of experience points. (Target: Seo Da-yoon)

“Well done.”

It seemed he understood quite well.

As I affectionately ruffled Seo Da-yoon’s hair, he looked pleased like a puppy. An Se-ri asked with a hesitant expression.

“Professor, were you perhaps a hero?”

“I wrote a thesis and got my doctorate.”

“That’s strange. Don’t theoretical professors especially hate, or even despise, efficient methods?”

“That’s probably true. They need to find authority in such things.”

—

“Anyway, it’s strange.”

On the other hand, Ahn Se-ri was not a source of helpful experience points.

She already knew so much that there wasn’t much I could teach her at my level. She was likely far more knowledgeable about the settings than I was.

So it was important to quickly give her the Clairvoyance.

That way, it would be easier to benefit from the experience points gained through it.

Of course, right now, even accessing Clairvoyance seemed impossible.

“Ah, time’s up. Let’s go to the next class.”

“Already? It feels like we just started.”

“Professor, we’re going to head out.”

“Okay.”

The profession of a professor was surprisingly leisurely.

In reality, I had heard that they were busy focusing on research and papers rather than lectures, but in this game, the professors at the academy placed much greater emphasis on nurturing heroes.

Still, theoretical professors like me were evaluated annually based on our papers, so we were busier compared to the honorary professors.

However, research in this world wasn’t particularly grueling. The overall level of academia was so low that most papers were hastily put together around the end of the year, and the quality barely exceeded that of academy graduates.

Among professors, there was a joke that the paper written for obtaining a PhD was the best paper of one’s life.

While other professors invited promising students to their training rooms or research labs, I only had Lee Ye-eun in mine.

Moreover, my teaching method was one of thorough neglect. To be precise, it was that I had nothing to teach Lee Ye-eun.

So I had plenty of time to spend alone.

“Haah.”

As I exhaled, the stale toxins within me escaped. It was the result of circulating my mana through meditation.

Since creating the Mana Heart, I had repeated this training for several hours every day. At first, it was frustrating, but now I was starting to see some results.

While nurturing talented playable characters was important, it was also crucial to develop my own strength.

“It’s about time.”

In this monotonous life as a professor, the only thing that kept me somewhat busy was the lectures. After the second week of the semester, the first lecture officially began.

I checked the attendance sheet, wondering if any students had dropped the course. Surprisingly, nothing had changed, including Song Seok-hwan.

He must find it uncomfortable to see my face. I felt uncomfortable seeing his face too.

I headed to the lecture room, praying that today would end without any incidents.

* * *

Murmurs───

Second large lecture hall, 9th floor of the Oseong Building.

It was an excessively large space for a classroom with just over twenty students.

Before the lecture began, Song Seok-hwan entered without being late. The friendly gazes that had followed him in the first week had all turned negative.

As Song Seok-hwan glared fiercely at the students whispering about him, their eyes quickly averted.

But not everyone was like that.

“Oh my, she didn’t drop out. Doesn’t she feel embarrassed at all?”

It was Ahn Se-ri’s voice, who had arrived in the classroom before Song Seok-hwan. Though it wasn’t loud, her gossip was clear enough for everyone in the room to hear.

“Was that meant for me to hear?”

“Hmm? What do you mean? I have no idea.”

How dare she.

At that moment, he hadn’t paid much attention, but looking back, Ahn Se-ri had indeed been in the classroom. Song Seok-hwan felt as if he had been struck from behind.

Wasn’t it she who had provoked him with Seo Da-yoon in the first place?

They were in cahoots.

Then, could it be that she was the one who moved the president? It made sense, but even if she was the daughter of the Gold Oak Guild Master, it was hard to believe she could manipulate that witch.

Yet, if it wasn’t her, nothing else made sense.

“What a pathetic girl.”

Song Seok-hwan sharpened his gaze at Ahn Se-ri.

It was unfair that she had first given him a jab and then attacked him like this, seeking petty revenge.

He had treated her like a friend, feeling sorry for her just because they were the same age, and she acted like this?

“Hey, do you think I’m a joke? A mere girl who isn’t even a successor dares to mock me? You’ll never surpass Se-hyun hyung in your lifetime.”

He had tried to touch on her weaknesses, but Ahn Se-ri scoffed. Instead, she counterattacked.

“Oh my, a fake with no roots talks about successors without feeling ashamed? You, with your lowly bloodline.”

Bloodline.

That was Song Seok-hwan’s Achilles’ heel.

Originally, Song Ji-hyeok, the master of the Emergency Guild, had two outstanding sons.

Both had inherited their father’s exceptional talents, but they lost their lives in a dungeon, and the grieving couple had adopted a child.

A sharp sound of teeth grinding echoed. Just as the furious Song Seok-hwan was about to explode, the door to the classroom opened.

“Enough.”

A cold voice instantly chilled the heat in the classroom.

Professor Cha Eun-woo.

At that moment, Song Seok-hwan unconsciously took a step back.

“Return to your seats. The lecture is about to begin.”

The students watched the tense atmosphere between Cha Eun-woo and Song Seok-hwan with bated breath.

Everyone knew about the clash that had occurred between the two during last week’s lecture.

It seemed like a second round could break out at any moment.

“Cheh!”

Surprisingly, Song Seok-hwan quickly backed down.

It was as if it represented what had happened in the classroom last week.

Cha Eun-woo had tamed a wild colt.

“Did you see that? Song Seok-hwan’s scared expression.”

“That guy thinks he’s so great….”

Whispers floated through the air, reaching Song Seok-hwan’s ears.

Now even these insignificant kids…

“Don’t talk during my lecture.”

As Cha Eun-woo issued another warning, the commotion in the classroom came to a complete halt.

His voice seemed to possess a certain charm, embedding itself in their minds, making it feel like they had no choice but to obey.

With a careless flick of his hand, the screen at the front of the classroom lit up.

There were five Go stones displayed.

“Today, I will teach you about formations.”

Formation is a term that indicates the arrangement of party members in a group.

Most dungeon raids are conducted in parties. Heroes conduct extensive research on formations for more efficient coordination. Some even say that the success or failure of a raid hinges on the formation.

“Let’s start with the basics. In a party, positions are commonly divided into tankers, dealers, and supporters. The tanker is the warrior who holds the front line, while dealers are further divided into melee and ranged types, and then further into physical and magical categories. Finally, the supporter is a role that encompasses healing or buffing. You all must have heard this at least once.”

With a bit of exaggeration, this was common knowledge, except for those who had little interest in heroes.

Only Seo Da-yoon was taking notes.

“There are various ways to configure a formation. The most basic methods are to use two fixed dealers in a 2-2-1 or 1-2-2 setup. Most guilds adopt these.”

As Cha Eun-woo clapped his hands, the arrangement of the Go stones on the screen changed.

“The placement of dealers or supporters varies depending on the dungeon. Countless studies are conducted on how to determine the best setup for different situations.”

Song Seok-hwan scoffed inwardly.

As a successor of the elite, he had witnessed numerous strategies close to real combat. This level of basic content was hardly worth mentioning.

He felt there was nothing to gain from this class.

For similar reasons, Ahn Se-ri was also disappointed.

I thought he would share something a little more special, but this was just a repetition of very basic theories.

Considering the level of the students attending the lecture, it was to be expected, but what about me? I didn’t actually sign up; I was dragged here.

Perhaps sensing my feelings, Cha Eun-woo chuckled softly.

“This is just the basics. Shall we approach it from a more interesting angle?”

Clap!

He clapped his hands once, and the Go stones changed noisily.

What was created this time looked so alien compared to what had come before. It was a formation that even An Se-ri and Song Seok-hwan had never seen.

Three in the front, two in the back, lined up in two rows. It resembled the letter W.

“This will be the formation you’ll use in my class.”

Murmurs filled the room—

As a formation that no one had ever seen appeared, the classroom became chaotic.

“What is that?”, “Is it a newly researched formation?” I could hear whispers. Song Seok-hwan muttered to himself. If it was newly researched, I would have seen it before.

“First question. Do you know why the roles of heroes are divided into tankers, dealers, and supporters?”

A girl in the front row, wearing glasses, answered.

“Because it’s more efficient?”

“Correct.”

It was far more efficient for heroes who had drastically elevated their level in one area to share roles than to have five ambiguous all-rounder heroes.

What I couldn’t do, my comrades would do for me, and what my comrades couldn’t do, I would do.

It was a truly ideal form of role distribution.

“The theory is good. The results are also good. But it’s not the best.”

However, Cha Eun-woo denied that.

The formation commonly regarded as the base by all guilds was not the best.

“If you run the formation through a strategy simulator, you might consider 2-2-1 or 1-2-2 as the best. However, in real situations, there are countless variables that a simulator can’t capture. That’s why there’s a vanguard, and only after several revisions is the final formation completed. Am I right?”

From here on, the students were unaware of the content.

These were things that could only be known through firsthand experience. An Se-ri and Song Seok-hwan nodded slightly in agreement.

“If you’re lucky, the original formation might survive, but that’s rare. In severe cases, the tactics can change so much that you can’t even recognize the original formation. Yet, no one raises any objections. Heroes never conduct research after retirement. It’s the so-called lack of communication between researchers and the field that causes this entanglement.”

Some students were puzzled. Some even scoffed inwardly.

Isn’t that professor a theorist too?

What makes him think he’s so well-versed in the field?

Yet, for some, it was content they couldn’t help but resonate with deeply.

Cha Eun-woo’s lecture was not the idle chatter of desk-bound theorists or the foolish heroes who prattled on without knowing anything. It was a conclusion that could only arise from mastery of both theory and practice.

“I don’t need tanks in my class. We only have the front line, which can combine melee dealers and tanks, and the back line, where ranged dealers or supporters are positioned.”

In the end, only two formations remained on the screen, represented by the Go stones.

A W-position with three in the front line and two in the back, and an M-position with two in the front line and three in the back.

“Efficiency drops in a static formation. However, there is no better shape when dealing with variables. Formations with many lines have wide gaps between the front and back, making it difficult to respond in crisis situations.”

Cha Eun-woo’s explanation continued, but for the students, it was not something they could easily comprehend.

To abandon the existing theories, which were built on countless practical data, and apply a newly written theory was not something one could simply agree to and move on.

Especially complicated were the feelings of Ahn Se-ri and Song Seok-hwan.

They had never heard or seen anything like this before.

They had learned from the countless victories humanity had accumulated, right from the closest vantage point. It would be normal to disregard a theory proposed by an unknown professor.

Yet, strangely, they felt drawn to it.

If such a theory had been presented by a large guild in a developed country, one could be confident that it was systematic enough to have emerged from numerous experiments conducted by ranked parties in high-level dungeons, without needing further explanation.

However, one thing nagged at them: the fact that the person who devised it was a theoretical professor.

“Time’s up. We’ll resume in ten minutes.”

As Cha Eun-woo declared a break and left the classroom, the students gathered in small groups.

“Isn’t that guy crazy? Who does he think he is to dismiss what everyone else uses?”

“Right? I feel like I walked into the wrong class.”

“This is why the seniors told us not to take classes from theoretical professors.”

A loud scraping sound echoed as someone abruptly stood up, pulling their chair back.

The prince of the Emergency Guild, Song Seok-hwan.

Despite the many negative perceptions created by his behavior, his skills were undeniably real.

“Hey—what do you think?”

Naturally, the question was directed at Ahn Se-ri.

Everyone in the classroom held their breath, focusing on their conversation, even the famously indifferent third-ranked student in the entrance exam, Baek Seol-hwa.