A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 28

The giant monkey, with its pea-sized brain, desperately concluded that it couldn’t run away any longer.

At this rate, it would be hit by arrows before it could even fight back.

─Ukkkiik!

“It’s coming!”

“Be careful not to touch the hairless parts!”

For the giant monkey, its fur served a role similar to armor. It was physically tough and had strong resistance to magic.

While its fur covered its entire body, there were areas like its face, chest, palms, and soles that were bare.

This was the boss monster’s weak point.

If we attacked here, we could land a decisive blow.

But if we attacked carelessly, we would only provoke the boss’s wrath.

The giant monkey was not overly aggressive, but if it felt its life was in danger, it would enter a berserk state, increasing the difficulty by several levels.

“That thing’s fur is damn tough.”

“We have no choice. Let’s use aura.”

Swoosh-!

─Kieeeek!

The blade began to bite.

Even the giant monkey couldn’t help but scream.

As Nam Hye-joo, Gam Mi-sung, and Ahn Se-ri took turns attacking, the monkey fidgeted, getting pounded like a sandbag.

“Hey, you little monkey! Does it hurt? Huh?”

It wasn’t a significant injury, but the damage was accumulating little by little.

No matter how tough it was, if this pattern continued, its stamina would inevitably run out.

A warning bell rang in the giant monkey’s mind.

The sword-wielding girl and the spear-wielding guy were annoying, and the support from the priest behind them was bothersome. The mage, who knew what they were doing, kept preparing something.

The biggest threat was the archer girl.

It hurt. It hurt like hell.

Every single arrow that struck felt excruciating.

─Kiiiiiing!

If this continued, it really felt like it would die.

It didn’t want to reach that ‘state,’ but without doing so, it didn’t seem like there was a way to escape this crisis.

─Kiiiiiing!

“It’s about time for the berserk phase, isn’t it?”

“Alright. Just like we prepared!”

The giant monkey would go berserk once its health dropped below a certain level.

Once it started berserking, its combat abilities would increase dramatically, making it hard to deal with.

Thus, the key to the strategy was what to do after it began to berserk.

The giant monkey was at its most aggressive right after going berserk.

At that moment, while showing aggression, it would neglect its defenses. That was when they had to finish it off.

Nam Hye-joo and Gam Mi-sung quickly fell to the sides.

The giant monkey lost its target for a moment.

─Kiiiiiing!

Who should it tear apart?

That red-haired girl? Or the blonde one…?

No, it was that archer girl.

If it didn’t rip her apart, she would keep shooting arrows…

─Kiiiiiing!

Right after going berserk, the aggro is directed at the most threatening target.

That target, of course, was Anseri.

The creature leaped and soared towards Anseri.

“Now!”

With the giant monkey suspended in mid-air.

It was a perfect position to strike the enemy, but the giant monkey was also left vulnerable.

Its hairless, smooth chest gleamed unnaturally.

Normally, it would have been cautious about exposing its weak points, but the influence of the berserk state made it nearly forget about defending its body.

Moreover, Team C had completely ignored the hairless areas during their attacks, making it even less conscious of its vulnerability.

The five spells that Seo Da-yoon had prepared.

Two magic missiles and a composite spell.

And the completed spell was once again combined with a fireball.

No matter how tough it was, if this hit the vital spot, it would be the end.

“I’m going!”

Whooom!

Only then did the giant monkey realize something was wrong as it felt the immense mana.

But it was too late.

Seo Da-yoon’s magic struck directly at the giant monkey’s chest.

─Kyaaah!

A scream echoed throughout the forest.

The massive magic missile pierced through its body and set it ablaze.

The giant monkey struggled with all its might, desperate to live, but Anseri showed no mercy.

With an arrow brimming with mana, it burst its head open.

The end of the boss that had reigned over the dungeon was pitiful.

The giant monkey fell victim to the trap meticulously laid out by the intruders, ending its life right there.

“We won!”

“Nice!”

As the giant monkey collapsed, the team members cheered.

And without waiting for anyone, they hurriedly ran towards the dungeon’s exit.

─Clear time: 19 minutes 31 seconds.

The sensor installed at the gate outside the dungeon welcomed the first party.

Chapter 3. Omen

A pile of papers was stacked on my desk.

There were a total of 22 sheets.

The same number as the total number of students enrolled in the dungeon research and practical lecture.

These papers were the reports submitted by the students after yesterday’s exam.

“Hmm….”

The reports detailed what they encountered inside the dungeon and how they dealt with it.

It would have been convenient to bring in videos like last time’s practical lecture, but electronic devices were completely prohibited inside the dungeon, which led to this situation.

The content of the reports varied slightly from group to group.

After synthesizing them and adding a bit of imagination, I could sketch out a rough outline in my mind, bridging the differences.

Then, it vividly unfolded in my mind as if I were watching a video, showing how each group tackled the dungeon.

“Group C… almost perfect.”

It was the only group that received the highest score.

An Se-ri and her team had perfectly absorbed my lecture and made it their own.

The flawless strategy drew spontaneous applause.

─The effect of the mentor is activated. You gain a small amount of experience. (Target: An Se-ri)

─The effect of the mentor is activated. You gain a small amount of experience…

.

.

.

.

Their growth resonated with me through the talent of the mentor.

I was utterly satisfied.

“Next is Group B, I suppose.”

Group B, led by Baek Seol-hwa, emerged shortly after Group C.

They took longer due to delayed judgment in the earlier stages, but in the final stage, Baek Seol-hwa easily hunted the boss monster in a one-man show.

The warrior class is the most advantageous in one-on-one situations.

Since Baek Seol-hwa held her ground in close combat with the boss monster, the other group members could easily deal damage.

─The effect of the mentor is activated. You gain a small amount of experience. (Target: Baek Seol-hwa)

─The effect of the mentor is activated. You gain a small amount of experience…

.

.

.

These guys also gave quite a decent amount of experience points.

In the end, Group B scored an A.

Swish—

The next report I flipped to was for Group D.

The score was a B. They hadn’t properly applied the strategies in practice, and there were many flaws, but somehow, they managed to wrap things up well.

I feel a bit guilty saying this, but they were the group I had the least expectations for.

Still, they finished the exam without any major issues and brought back a fair amount of experience points, for which I was grateful. I wanted to applaud them just as much as the earlier groups.

The problem came next.

“Song Seok-hwan’s Group A… why are they like this?”

I doubted whether it was really the Song Seok-hwan I knew.

39 minutes and 31 seconds. The score was a D+.

It was a devastating record, with a gap of double the points from the highest-scoring Group C.

“This can’t be happening…”

Thanks to this, quite a lot went awry.

First, the rival my students were supposed to compete against had vanished.

Moreover, while I received a decent amount of experience points from other groups through the mentor’s talent during this exam, I barely gained anything from Group A.

Lastly, I lost a bet to Lee Ye-eun and ended up paying for the meal.

As I had anticipated, the menu was from a Chinese restaurant.

When the sweet and sour pork sauce was poured, she got angry too.

Still, thanks to the hard work of the other groups, I gained much more experience points than I had expected.

I postponed the feedback and headed to the training ground.

* * *

Though the name “training ground” sounded grand, there was really nothing special inside.

It was just an open space, no different from a vacant lot. In one corner, there were some exercise equipment and military gear.

First, I decided to warm up with some exercise equipment.

I picked up the smallest dumbbell among the many.

“What is this….”

Thinking of the eyes around me, I didn’t show it, but inside, a voice echoed reflexively.

It’s heavy. Damn heavy.

I barely lifted it to my waist, but sweat was pouring down my forehead.

The muscle-bound figure working out next to me looked different.

That little thing was tough for me, but that muscle giant was lifting a dumbbell much larger than mine, doing tricep exercises.

I had prided myself on working hard to build my body, but it all felt like a waste.

I didn’t even have the courage to lift something like that. It would be humiliating.

Anyway, I should just start my workout.

Dumbbells are a really useful piece of equipment.

They’re small tools that anyone can have, but with just these, it’s possible to do all sorts of exercises.

Full body workouts, chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, back, lower body, and so on—I repeated every exercise I knew in two or three sets.

—Hey, look over there.

—That dumbbell…

I could hear the muscle-bound figures whispering as they watched me work out.

I couldn’t make out the details, but I could tell it wasn’t good. They were probably laughing at me for using such a small dumbbell.

My cheeks burned.

I wanted to turn back immediately, but that would be even more embarrassing.

It was clear they’d say I couldn’t even lift that properly and ran away. In reality, I was struggling so much with this that my body was trembling.

“Phew.”

Only after finishing the last set did I put the dumbbell down.

Still, I felt a sense of accomplishment.

As I wiped my sweat-soaked face with a towel, I heard a voice calling from behind.

“Professor?”

It was a familiar voice. When I turned around, there stood Baek Seolhwa in her training clothes.

“Seolhwa? What are you doing here… Ah.”

In the midst of speaking, I realized it was a foolish question.

It wasn’t strange at all for a student from the Department of Swordsmanship to come to the training hall. In fact, it was much more awkward for me to be there.

Baek Seolhwa briefly gazed at the floor beside me.

What was there to say? There lay the dumbbell I had just been using.

A small dumbbell, compared to others.

There was no room for excuses; right now, I was gasping for breath, my whole body drenched in sweat.

In front of my student, I felt so pathetic that I was inwardly embarrassed.

If she were to laugh at me, I would immediately find a hole to crawl into and escape.

However, Baek Seolhwa showed an unexpected reaction.

“Wow. Professor, are you going to warm up with that?”

Her tone was closer to admiration than mockery.

What is this? A new form of bullying?

Baek Seolhwa went over and grabbed a dumbbell with both hands, struggling to lift it.

“Ugh, it’s heavy. How can you work out with something like this?”

Only then did I finally grasp the situation.

I walked over to where the dumbbells were stored and picked up a large one that looked heavy.

I exerted just a little strength, but the dumbbell moved far too easily.

The dumbbell I had dismissed as small was, in fact, incredibly heavy.

…What is this?

A scoff escaped me at my own foolishness.

Looking again, the expressions of the muscle-bound figures beside me appeared different.

I thought they were laughing at me, but it was actually the opposite. I had thought it was a skull, but was it honey instead?

“Hmm.”

Suddenly, Baek Seolhwa reached out and touched my body.

I was taken aback and pulled back, but it was a meaningless resistance.

“What are you doing?”

“Wait, I just want to check something.”

My audacious student quickly extended her hands all over my body.

Starting from my neck, she gradually moved down, examining me thoroughly.

“Ooh.”

For some reason, she looked satisfied.

It was an expression Baek Seolhwa didn’t usually show.

Finally, she looked at my palm, but perhaps this time she wasn’t satisfied, as her expression returned to its usual neutrality.

“Strange. Your body is complete, but there are no signs of sword training…”

From Baek Seolhwa’s words, it seemed she had briefly thought I was a swordsman.

As I suspected, I have indeed acquired a certain level of skill in swordsmanship.

However, the proficiency gained through talent likely leaves no trace on my body. For instance, there are no blisters on my hands.

“Professor, what kind of training did you usually do?”

“I didn’t do anything like that. Just a bit of light exercise.”

“That’s a lie. How could you create such a perfected body with just that?”

A perfected body? It’s a term I’ve never heard before.

It doesn’t seem to be a proper noun referring to talent or characteristics; it appears to mean, quite literally, that the body is exceptional.

It could be a privilege granted to a character created in a game.

“It’s not difficult. If anyone does 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and runs 10 kilometers every day, they can improve their body.”

“That can’t be true. If it were that easy, wouldn’t every swordsman be struggling?”

It was somewhat of a joke, but it seemed Baeksulhwa didn’t understand.

In the game world, there might not be a training method commonly referred to as ‘X-Punman Training,’ or perhaps Baeksulhwa simply doesn’t know about it.

Either way, it held some credibility.

“Then, Professor, have you never trained with a sword?”

“I haven’t held one much, but I have quite a bit of skill.”

“Hmph. That’s nonsense.”

Baeksulhwa snorted, completely dismissing my opinion.

“Swordsmanship isn’t something you can build up overnight. Those magic users? They’re often geniuses who suddenly gain enlightenment and master their spells, right? We don’t have that. Skills dull if you take even a day off; you have to constantly hone and polish them. No matter how great a genius you are, you can only achieve mastery by slowly building it up.”

Baeksulhwa unleashed her words like a rapid-fire barrage.

For someone as taciturn as Baeksulhwa to speak at such length, it seemed she found my words utterly ridiculous.

“Seolhwa, you still don’t understand the terror of genius, do you?”

“I’ve been called a genius in my own right, you know.”

Genius.

The criteria varied from person to person, but at least if you were among the top five in your age group nationwide, most people would likely praise you as a genius, right?

Unfortunately, I was not among those most people.

As I silently smiled, Baeksulhwa flared up.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Being a genius means shining brighter than anyone else. Seolhwa, have you never felt the wall of talent when looking at someone?”

I didn’t name anyone, but she would know who I was referring to.

The top freshman, Park Seo-hu.

—

Baek Seol-hwa flinched but spoke as if it didn’t matter.

“…I win more often when I spar with him, you know?”

Her words revealed a lack of confidence.

In the game, Baek Seol-hwa and Park Seo-hu had been each other’s most frequent sparring partners. As she said, Baek Seol-hwa had won most of the time.

However, Park Seo-hu had never fought with his full sincerity during their sparring sessions.

Baek Seol-hwa must have known that too.

If they were to face off in a real match, would she even win once out of ten tries? That was something she couldn’t guarantee either.

“But, Professor, you’re a wizard. Did you come to the training hall to work out?”

“No. I came to practice my swordsmanship.”

Baek Seol-hwa’s eyes widened. Then she quickly brought over two wooden swords.

“Then let’s do it together.”

With no reason to refuse, I nodded in agreement.

Baek Seol-hwa handed me one of the wooden swords.

At the very least, my skills wouldn’t be so pathetic as to bring shame upon my disciple.

“I’ll just warm up a bit too.”

Baek Seol-hwa took the wooden sword and approached the training dummy.

Since it was just warming up, she swung the wooden sword lightly, but even that produced a tremendous sound against the dummy.

It felt different from when I had seen her in class.

Back then, I had watched her as if she were just a game character, so it had passed without much impact, but now, watching her as a fellow swordsman, my mouth fell agape.

It wasn’t just a matter of being strong.

The distribution of power and the precision of her movements were closer to art than mere combat technique.

In an instant, she turned the training dummy into a rag.

“Phew, I’m ready.”

That deadly wooden sword was now aimed at me.

To be honest, I felt a bit scared.

“I hope you’ll hold back a little against a wizard.”