A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 27

The black one has stealth abilities.

The gray one throws bombs.

The white one has somehow been caught by Baeksulhwa.

Only two remain.

How should I catch the one that hides with stealth and the one that inflicts status ailments upon approach?

“A stealth monster is hard to find without detection abilities. Moreover, in a place full of obstacles, the difficulty increases significantly.”

“Forget about trying to find it. We need to draw it out.”

The easiest way to reveal the monster’s form.

That is simply.

“How about we deal with that bomb-throwing monkey first?”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

The team members offered their opinions hesitantly.

No.

If we do that, that stealthy one will forever keep its tail tucked away.

Baeksulhwa took the initiative.

“Follow me.”

Whoosh-!

In an instant, she charged fiercely toward the gray monkey.

The team members, flustered, followed behind, but the gap between them widened.

—Screech! Screech!

As expected, the gray monkey retaliated.

Kimbap bomb. It exploded in mid-air. Sky-blue powder enveloped Baeksulhwa’s body.

“Baeksulhwa! Are you okay?”

“If you rush in without a plan…”

Baeksulhwa resisted.

Ignoring the state of confusion, she swung her sword and charged forward.

Swish-!

“Uh, uh?”

“Baeksulhwa! What have you done?”

She struck Lim Hansol.

“I-I didn’t mean to….”

Baeksulhwa’s usual stoic expression.

But today, her complexion was particularly pale.

The team members could easily tell.

That her reckless actions in a state of confusion had led to this outcome.

“Ugh, ugh….”

Baeksulhwa began to swing her sword wildly.

Cutting through rocks, slicing through trees, cleaving the air.

In that moment, her perfected swordsmanship had vanished, leaving only a sword flailing aimlessly.

“Isn’t that… dangerous?”

“Damn it! We’re all going to die!”

─Kreeeak!

The monsters did not miss this opportunity.

The strongest foe, Baeksulhwa, was unable to control herself—this was their chance.

Though they had hidden away due to their lack of strength, they did not shy away from an enemy they could defeat.

With a single-minded determination to kill, the two monkeys charged forward.

“Captain!”, “Baeksulhwa!”

The horrified screams of her teammates calling out to her.

As the crisis approached Baeksulhwa,

The corners of her mouth lifted.

It’s fortunate you’re monsters.

With your low intelligence and your cruelty that prevents you from letting your enemies go unharmed.

Swish-!

With just a single strike of her sword.

That was all it took to end the second stage.

The team members stood with their mouths agape, staring blankly at the corpses of the monkeys.

Baeksulhwa spoke to the fallen Lim Hansol.

“Let’s get going.”

Im Han-sol jumped up and smiled brightly.

“How was my acting? The moment I got hit, did you see how I knew exactly what to do next?”

Im Han-sol excitedly began to replay the scene in her mind.

Now that the team members had grasped the situation, they asked.

“That was acting?”

“Yep, yep. It was all to draw them in.”

“I was really surprised.”

“Hehe.”

Im Han-sol made a peace sign with her fingers.

Then she spread her palm and offered it to Baek Seol-hwa.

“We had an amazing synergy!”

“……”

Baek Seol-hwa looked at Im Han-sol again with a stoic expression.

The high tension lasted only a moment.

Standing before Baek Seol-hwa, who was staring at her with a fierce gaze, Im Han-sol instantly froze again.

“Ah, I get it… If you don’t want to high-five, then…”

Just as Im Han-sol was about to lower her hand, Baek Seol-hwa lightly tapped it with her palm.

“Good job.”

“Ah…!”

It was a brief compliment, but it made her heart swell with joy.

She had been acknowledged by Baek Seol-hwa.

The other team members looked at Im Han-sol with strange expressions.

They felt a mix of admiration and envy.

“Alright, let’s go! We’re going to take down the boss and finish this!”

“Woohoo!”

It was a little earlier than the time Team B would step into the final stage.

Among the four teams, they were the first to enter the second stage.

Team C, led by Ahn Se-ri, was ready.

“The second stage is about catching three monkeys that are hiding.”

“Now’s my chance to shine!”

“No. Stay back.”

The pinnacle of archers among the academy’s freshmen.

Even when considering all the students at Florian, Anseri was a genius who ranked among the top ten.

Archery was her specialty.

Anseri’s eyes glimmered with a blue light.

“I found it.”

Piiing-!

An arrow shot forth.

It soared through the air, weaving between the trees, and pierced the target with precision.

─Screech!

A short scream was all that remained as a monkey plummeted from the tree.

Once more, another shot.

The white monkey fled with the fastest speed of any monster seen in the dungeon so far.

But the arrow was much, much faster.

It struck true, piercing its neck, leaving no chance for a dying scream before it fell.

The final shot.

The monkey knew.

This was a lethal blow. It too would follow its friends.

Thud-!

With just three arrows, she had taken down three monkeys.

Nam Hye-joo gaped in astonishment.

“Seriously, that’s amazing… Let’s fight! Okay? Please. I’ll show you something cool when I reach the boss stage too!”

“Depends on how it goes.”

“Are you serious? Don’t forget that! You have to promise!”

She was faster than any other team could compare.

In an instant, they reached the final boss stage.

At the center stood the team leader, Anseri.

* * *

“Soon, there will be teams starting the boss battle.”

Looking at the clock, just 10 minutes had passed.

The standard for an A+ is 20 minutes.

Naturally, the boss battle is the most challenging stage of all.

From now on, we need to start if we want to barely make the time.

“Already?”

My assistant, Lee Yea-eun, was skeptical.

She seemed to think it was too early to finish.

“If it’s Group C, they’ve probably already arrived. Group B and D will struggle, and Group A… it depends on how they handle it.”

“Well, with Ahn Seri, the synergy in the second stage is really good. Isn’t the party balance off?”

“On the other hand, the last stage is much more favorable for Groups A and B.”

“What about Group D…?”

“Overall, their balance is the best.”

However, Group D lacked an outstanding individual to change the game, making it impossible for them to push ahead.

We both swallowed those unspoken words.

“Which group do you think will come out first, Professor?”

“Group A.”

“Uh, why?”

“Song Seok-hwan is on a different starting line than the others.”

The young master of the Emergency Guild.

He’s a well-known early-game bully in the game.

Although he faced humiliation in the last practical class, he must have gained some insight from that failure.

Moreover, there was a personal wish to consider.

It would be problematic if Song Seok-hwan didn’t stand out here.

I had no intention of taking him under my wing, but as a rival, he needed to serve as a barrier for my students.

“Then what about your favorites, Professor?”

“My favorites?”

“Don’t play coy. You have students you favor. Seo Da-yoon, Ahn Seri, Baek Seol-hwa.”

I felt a pang in my heart but answered calmly.

“I’ve always treated all my students fairly.”

“Of course you would. But what’s your standard for favoritism? Do you intentionally keep only the talented ones separated and manage them?”

I exercised my right to remain silent. Regardless, my teaching assistant continued to speculate on her own.

“Well, Baeksulhwa and Anserin are on a different level than the others. I understand the desire to teach them more. Then what about Song Seokhwan… Ah, he had a fight with the professor, right?”

“……”

“But why Seoda-yoon? I heard he won a duel against a third-year, but there are still a few who are better than him.”

That’s a statement made out of ignorance.

Better than Seoda-yoon? If there were such a student, I would have definitely brought them in.

“It doesn’t seem like you only give special guidance to the top students… If there’s a common trait among them, it’s that they’re pretty? Professor, do you perhaps favor only the pretty girls? Wow……”

Lee Ye-eun began to tease, her reaction breaking the tension.

It was an unfair accusation, but upon reflection, it wasn’t entirely wrong. It wasn’t just because they were beloved students; objectively speaking, they were all beautiful.

“I didn’t intend for that.”

“Are you trying to deny it?”

I knew it was a childish joke, but I defended myself to protect my honor.

“You didn’t become my student just because I thought you were pretty.”

Caught off guard by my words, Lee Ye-eun seemed flustered.

Then she said something completely unexpected.

“Wait, does that include me too?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Though she wasn’t a playable character, Lee Ye-eun was still useful.

She was one of the heroes included in my plans to save humanity.

I wasn’t sure how she took my words, but she started to smile mischievously.

“Hmm~. I see. So that’s what you thought, Professor.”

I wondered how it had come to this.

When we first met, I was the charismatic professor, and Lee Ye-eun was the obedient student, following me like a puppy. Now, it seemed like she was trying to tease me.

It wasn’t a bad feeling, but my ideal image of a professor was one that exuded a bit more authority.

Why? Because that just feels cool.

“I guess some groups will start coming out soon.”

Checking my wristwatch, I saw that it would soon be twenty minutes.

There was a possibility that the worst-case scenario could happen, where all groups fell short of the A+ standard, but I wanted to believe that wouldn’t be the case.

“Professor, do you want to make a bet with me?”

“A bet?”

—

“The professor said that guy with no manners would come out first, right? I’ll bet that your kids will come out first. The loser buys dinner.”

“That’s unfair. Just pick a group.”

“Then you can take Group D, professor.”

“…Alright.”

It was a purely unfair treaty, but what could I do if my student wanted it?

Instead, if I lose, the menu will be sweet and sour pork. Of course, the sauce will be poured over.

─Beep!

“Oh, I think one has come out?”

The sensor I had set up in front of the gate went off to time the event.

Fortunately, there was a group that succeeded with an A+.

The group that conquered the dungeon and came out first was─.

* * *

Group C was the first to step into the third stage.

In the less verdant monkey forest, there were only three stages, and this was the boss stage.

The boss was a gigantic monkey.

It was a being with overwhelming strength, different from the monkeys they had faced until now.

“Wow, that looks kind of fun.”

“We definitely need to hold our ground.”

“Don’t grab my ankle!”

Nam Hye-joo quickly closed the distance to the boss mob.

Due to her aggressive nature, she became even more fired up when facing a strong enemy. Because of that, her talent, differentiation, was manifested.

Nam Hye-joo swung her sword roughly, as if it were a blunt weapon. The boss mob couldn’t even defend itself and allowed a powerful strike to land on its arm.

Boom—!

In that moment, as the blade made contact, it was clear that it wasn’t that the giant monkey couldn’t react; it simply chose not to.

It was infuriatingly solid.

The giant monkey showed no small reaction to the attack. Instead, it merely flicked Nam Hye-joo’s hand away.

“What the… my body…”

The giant monkey glanced at Nam Hye-joo.

She quickly stepped back. If she got caught, she would die.

“Damn it…”

—

The beast roared.

─Kwahhh-!

The giant monkey leaped.

With a massive body, it moved with an unbelievable speed. Faster than the monkeys on the second stage.

In an instant, it reached in front of Nam Hye-joo and stretched out its arm.

“Nam Hye-joo!”

“We’re screwed…”

Thud!

The monkey felt a sharp sting and momentarily pulled its arm back.

Several small arrows were embedded in its hand.

─Kiiiiiik!

The giant monkey, struck by the arrows, retreated a distance away.

As mentioned in the strategy, it wasn’t particularly aggressive.

Instead, it had good durability, making it hard to inflict a critical hit with ordinary attacks.

However, it was quite timid, retreating at the slightest effective blow.

Just like the arrows just now.

Though they lacked sufficient mana, it still fled.

If it had been a bit more ferocious, it would have endured the pain and taken off Nam Hye-joo’s head.

─Kiiiiiik!

The monkey hurriedly hid its body among the trees in the forest.

An Se-ri clicked her tongue.

Is it more of a coward than I thought?

This way, the team would suffer less damage, but the strategy was taking too long.

The giant monkey swiftly climbed up a tree.

Then it began throwing bananas from the branches.

“Shield!”

Seo Da-yoon stepped forward and began to chant.

As she did, a transparent barrier formed in the air, blocking the bananas.

The force with which the banana was thrown was so strong that it exploded with a loud bang upon hitting the shield.

At that moment, the shield also cracked with a sharp sound. Nam Hye-joo and Gam Mi-seong were in shock.

“What the hell? What kind of banana breaks magic?”

“That monster….”

“Hey, Captain. Should we go catch that thing?”

An Se-ri shook her head.

That dense forest is its territory. If we go in there, we’ll be in for a rough time.

We need to draw it out from here.

“Da-yoon, set that on fire.”

“Okay!”

Seo Da-yoon unleashed fire magic, igniting the forest.

Following that, An Se-ri took a few precise shots.

At this distance, it was the archer’s domain.

Those arrows were far more threatening than a mere banana being thrown.

─Ukkkiii!