A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 3

Lee Ye-eun whined, but this was one thing I couldn’t compromise on. If she kept drinking it like that, she’d die of diabetes before saving the world.

It took a full hour to instill the correct coffee philosophy in Lee Yea-eun.

* * *

The academy’s research lab was not much different from a graduate school lab.

Students gathered to research specific topics. The peculiar thing was that there was only one student in our lab.

“So, professor, what should I research?”

“What do you want to do, Yea-eun?”

“It’s unfair to answer a question with a question. Um, what’s your major, professor? I’d like to start with something similar if possible.”

My major? I don’t even know. I decided to dodge the question.

“Ah, it doesn’t matter since you’re the only researcher here. Don’t worry about me; just follow your major.”

“…Is that really okay?”

“Of course. Your professor is more capable than you think. I promise to provide the best support for any research topic you choose.”

“Wow! Really?”

“Absolutely. I don’t speak with a forked tongue.”

It seemed that Lee Yea-eun was so intrigued by the promise of convenience that she forgot about my major. Excitedly, she began jotting down various topics.

“Hmm… it’s too hard to choose just one.”

Isn’t deciding on a topic usually the hardest part of an assignment? Watching her brainstorm ideas, I thought to myself that geniuses are indeed different.

She crossed out each topic on her list until only one remained.

For some reason, she hesitated to bring it to me, glancing my way. When I gestured for her to go ahead, she finally seemed to make up her mind and stood up.

“I’ll go with this one.”

The topic Lee Yea-eun proposed was “Research on the Method of Enchanting Attributes in Non-Elemental Magic.”

Her major was elemental magic. It didn’t seem like a bad topic.

“Isn’t the process of enchanting attributes quite inefficient? You need three magic circles: one for basic magic, one for elemental magic, and one for synthesis.”

“That’s an interesting perspective.”

I wasn’t sure what she meant, but I nodded along. Lee Yea-eun’s eyes widened.

“Right! Listen! To activate magic, you have to draw a magic circle, right? The existing method of combining magic stacks multiple magic circles on top of each other, but the method I’m thinking of is to mix the magic circles together from the very beginning when drawing them…”

Lee Yea-eun grabbed my hands and began to chatter excitedly.

She seemed so animated that occasionally, warm breaths brushed against my cheek. It was too close.

I tried to subtly shake my head a few times to create some distance, but lost in her own world, Lee Yea-eun didn’t seem to notice me at all.

I felt a bit guilty for thinking this while she was earnestly explaining, but I had no idea what she was talking about.

At first, I could follow along, but as she continued, I encountered repeated proper nouns that I couldn’t understand, and I eventually gave up trying to comprehend.

While waiting for it to end, I counted sheep in my head. How many minutes passed like that? Finally, Lee Ye-eun’s words, which had been coming out like a rapid-fire, came to a stop.

“…So this is how it goes! What do you think?”

What do I think? I don’t know. All I know is that, according to the game’s setting, Lee Ye-eun is a genius.

I figured I might as well give a vague answer, thinking the general direction was probably right.

“The hypothesis is interesting, but the proof is too loose. I’ll take a look, so organize your thoughts better and write up a report.”

There was no response from Lee Ye-eun. She looked dazed, as if she had been hit on the back of the head with a hammer.

Did I answer wrong? What’s wrong with her?

About five seconds passed, and suddenly, Lee Ye-eun started to cry.

What the hell, what’s the problem?

Caught off guard by her unexpected reaction, I felt like crying too. It was absurd, but I tried to calm her down without showing my own confusion.

“Ye-eun, is there something wrong?”

Did my comment about it being loose touch her pride as a genius?

Nodding and only giving her compliments felt too insincere, so I pretended to look more closely, but that backfired.

Damn it.

It would be troublesome if my relationship with Lee Ye-eun soured here. She had to do a lot for me in the future.

As my mind raced with how to comfort her, Lee Ye-eun finally spoke up.

“Well… other professors just said it wouldn’t work… but I really want to do this… You’re the first person to listen to my story until the end and say something nice…”

Fortunately, it wasn’t a negative response. In fact, it seemed she was happy to be acknowledged by me.

Having gone through several research labs, Lee Ye-eun had been dismissed by all the professors because of her former advisor. It seemed the emotions that had built up over time had finally exploded.

As I gently patted her back with one hand, her sobs gradually subsided.

Eventually, when her crying completely stopped, I could hear her soft breathing by my ear. It seemed she had cried herself out and fallen asleep.

Can I think that this means Lee Ye-eun acknowledges me as her advisor?

Lee Ye-eun as an ally. For calming a crying child, this felt like an excessive reward.

Without realizing it, I muttered a small phrase.

“Lucky me.”

* * *

Magic.

One of the most commonly used settings in creative works. A mysterious power that manifests abilities impossible in reality.

Florian Rhapsody, too, inevitably featured magic.

In Florian Rhapsody, magic is activated by drawing a circle and infusing mana, followed by reciting a trigger word.

Here, the magic circle is a highly complex shape, making it impossible to draw on the spot. For a wizard, the process of engraving it onto their staff through the spell “Memorize” is essential.

Thus, it is said that a prepared wizard is the strongest, while an unprepared wizard is the weakest.

Every magic has its unique magic circle. It is not just a simple drawing; it is a picture drawn using mana, and without gaining the necessary insights, one cannot activate the magic.

The synthesis of existing magic involves memorizing two spells and then using a fusion spell. The research proposed by Lee Ye-eun was rather to draw two circles together from the very beginning.

While it may seem similar, it was entirely different.

“I’m touching the magic circle. There’s no way those professors would understand.”

It was common knowledge that if the magic circle is distorted, the magic would not activate.

For wizards, the magic circle is a gift from the gods. Touching it was akin to breaking a sacred rule.

Everyone thought it was impossible and did not dare to challenge it.

“Gods, my foot. There can’t be any grand meaning behind a mere shape.”

Their thoughts were wrong.

As Lee Ye-eun believed, the improvement and transformation of the magic circle were indeed possible. It was just that the process was so incredibly complex that no one had discovered it.

In fact, I initially thought it was absurd.

Unlike the other professors, I didn’t have a complex rationale; I simply trusted the professors who had researched longer than the freshly graduated genius, Lee Ye-eun.

The realization that this thought was wrong came thanks to my talent.

───────────────

▼ Teachings of Sethhet

: The goddess Sethhet, who knows everything. She loves to flaunt her knowledge. However, only the chosen ones can hear the whispers of the goddess.

───────────────

The ability to access the setting book of Florian Rhapsody.

When I first created Cha Eun-woo, I thought it was a useless ability, but it turned out to be far more useful than I had imagined.

Settings that held no meaning in the game were, in this living, breathing world, nothing less than the truths that make up reality.

No, they were the truth itself.

Although the number of times I could use it in a day was limited, it would still be enough to play the role of a professor for the kids.

“Ugh… Ummm.”

Just then, Lee Ye-eun, who had been lying on the sofa, sat up and stretched.

Her face looked refreshed, as if she had slept well.

With dazed eyes, she stared at the ceiling, then suddenly opened her eyes wide. After looking around, her gaze met mine, and she let out a shriek.

“Ah! Where am I… Oh.”

As if memories of what had happened before she fell asleep were flooding back, she gradually quieted down.

Finally, her face grew increasingly red, and she lowered her head deeply. It seemed she was embarrassed about having cried in my arms.

“Um, Professor. I didn’t, like, talk in my sleep, did I?”

“I didn’t see anything ugly, so don’t worry. You just snored a little. Do you have a cold or something?”

“R-really?”

Lee Ye-eun sprang up and came right up to my face.

For a moment, we locked eyes, and when I chuckled softly, she finally realized it was a joke.

“You’re, you’re not very delicate.”

She playfully balled her fist and hit my arm. Lee Ye-eun’s punch was surprisingly strong.

“Yeah, with that attitude, you’ll probably be unpopular with women for life.”

“Is that what you think?”

I boldly thrust my customized character, Cha Eun-woo’s face, toward her.

The brief staring contest ended in my victory.

“…No.”

It was an action I could never have dreamed of in my original self. But now, it was different.

I was no longer the timid person I used to be. I could confidently say it: I was handsome.

Still, I agreed with her remark about not being delicate. I didn’t want to ruin the relationship with my one and only slave—no, my student.

“There’s no need to feel ashamed about showing your vulnerabilities to your professor. Comforting a crying child is the role of an adult.”

Perhaps still feeling self-conscious, Lee Ye-eun mumbled with her face buried in her arms.

“Are you really an adult? No matter how I look at it, you seem more like an older brother. Oh, I mean that in a way that you look young, so don’t get me wrong.”

I felt a slight pang of guilt.

Lee Ye-eun was twenty-one. I was twenty-two.

Let’s think of it casually. After all, a one-year age difference is still an age gap. Besides, I calculated that my character’s age in the game would be even older.

“I often hear that I look young.”

“Hmm. Professor, your face is too unfair. You look like a statue.”

That’s true. Even though it had been a few days since I became this body, I still got startled when I looked in the mirror.

“That’s a bit of a cliché. Don’t you have a more original expression?”

“Isn’t it embarrassing to say you’re handsome yourself?”

“The professor is objectively handsome.”

“Wow, that’s so annoying….”

Lee Ye-eun’s eyes narrowed as she looked at me.

—

But what can you do about being handsome? It would be far more annoying to act humble with a face like this.

“You’ve had enough sleep, so get to writing that report. Professor Bon doesn’t know the meaning of ‘moderation.’ You’ll have to work hard.”

“Yes! I’ll get it done quickly.”

Once Lee Ye-eun left, I found myself alone.

I peeked outside, wondering who might come. Naturally, there was no one coming.

“Phew, haah.”

I took a deep breath and prepared my mind.

The creation of the mana heart.

Simply put, the mana heart is an organ that gathers mana.

All wizards drew mana from their mana hearts to perform magic.

Of course, handling magic circles also required the mana heart. It was an essential process to assist Lee Ye-eun’s research.

“First, I need to circulate the mana within my body.”

I settled into a lotus position and began to breathe deeply.

It wasn’t strictly necessary to take this posture for mana training. I just did it because it was the image that generally came to mind when thinking of mana training.

Sssssss─!

Inside my body, what could be described as tiny particles or perhaps a thick mist swirled chaotically.

I was successful in sensing the mana. Now, how should I move it?

I tried moving my body around just in case, but there was no change.

Instead, my focus broke, and I lost track of the mana’s position. If it were possible to move like this, everyone in the world would be a wizard.

How long had I been sitting still like this?

If I kept spending time like this, would enlightenment suddenly strike? I didn’t know. That wasn’t my way.

Let’s try something.

Empty my mind and meditate? Forget that. I’m tired of waiting for opportunities while doing nothing.

Opportunities are seized by those who take action.

Throw away the dreamy nonsense of being thoughtless and void.

I must not let my thoughts break. Move my head and think. What should I do?

When I think of mana, something comes to mind.

In fantasy novels, it was common to divide wizards’ ranks by something called circles.

What was it again? Creating a ring of mana near the heart was said to be the source of magic.

It sounded absurd, but isn’t that the same for the world I’m in now?

—

I changed the image I wanted to manifest in my mind to be a bit more specific.

Instead of simply moving the mana, I decided to try rotating it in a circular form.

Whoosh—

Earlier, I had failed because I moved myself.

Instead of moving directly, I rotated the chair I was sitting in. The sensation of my body spinning around. I had to feel and engrave this sensation.

Spin.

You need to spin more. Don’t stop.

At first, it turned slowly, but the force of movement kept growing stronger.

Was it too much? Even though I was Cha Eun-woo, an Awakener with an all-stat of 10, I was starting to feel dizzy. I felt like I might throw up.

“Move.”

I couldn’t stop just because it was hard.

This mana wasn’t showing any signs of moving yet.

Push harder, torture your body.

“……!”

In the midst of it all, a tingling sensation brushed against me. Could this be mana?

I felt like if I missed this opportunity, it would never come again.

Faster. I had to push harder.

Boom—!

“Huh?”

It wasn’t hard to grasp what had happened.

I had spun too much, and the chair broke. So, I collapsed onto the floor.

I felt like I was finally about to grasp something, but I had to give up just because of a chair?

Unconsciously, I stood up and took the so-called elephant trunk pose. Then I kept spinning like a madman.

If someone saw me, it would have been a sight to hold their belly and laugh, but I was desperate.

My body spun continuously like a helicopter’s propeller.

I didn’t feel the fatigue from the strenuous activity, nor the sensation of dizziness.

And finally.

I felt something beautiful spinning within me.

“It’s coming.”

I will definitely make this mine.

I focused all my mind, forgetting even to breathe. In that brief moment, less than a second, I could feel it.

The mana, which had been moving only in stillness until now, began to rotate in the direction I desired.

“Uwaaah!”

I had definitely grasped it. There was no way I could forget.

I recalled a fleeting memory and spurred my body into action. Then, the once-quiet mana began to move according to my command.

So this is it.

The sensation of moving mana.

It felt as if the ocean was churning.

In reality, it was probably just waves rippling in a small pond, but at this moment, that tiny wave felt like the largest wave in the world.

Finally, the completed mana heart settled completely within my body.

I could distinctly feel the power emanating from the mana heart.

I am a wizard now.

I have become a resident of this world.

As my heart settled and the exhilaration faded, my body began to change accordingly.

All the sensations I had been desperately ignoring rushed in.

“Uweeeek!”

I couldn’t hold back the rising nausea and vomited onto the floor. My head felt like it was going to split open. I was dizzy. Had I spun around too much?

My body, not satisfied with expelling everything I had eaten, continued to release stomach acid.

Had I thrown up about ten times? Now, thick, dark blood began to pour from my mouth.

“I’m going to die, damn it. If I make this mana heart one more time, I’ll be a goner.”

Though my mouth spewed curses, the corners of my lips were lifted high.

The sense of accomplishment from having achieved something. It was a wonderfully pleasant feeling.

After chuckling to myself, I looked around the professor’s office.

Hmm, it’s a mess.

The remnants of my vomit covered the floor, and the chair was grandly broken.

I thought I had just spun in place, but it seemed I had collided with things here and there, leaving cracks and breaks.

“…What am I going to do about this? Should I clean it up tomorrow?”

For now, I was just too tired. Time to clock out.

As I crawled like a zombie to gather my clothes and leave, a moment later.

“Professor! Good morning… Eek! What happened here?”

…The door opened, and Lee Yeo-eun walked in.

“If you’re coming at this late hour, did you forget something important?”

“What late hour? It’s morning right now.”

“Morning? That can’t be…”

Lee Yeo-eun strode over to the window and pulled back the curtains.

Swish!

With the direct evidence presented, I had no choice but to acknowledge it. What lay outside was indeed the morning sun.

“How embarrassing. For someone like me to lose track of time.”

“You’ve got the wrong point of embarrassment, you know? What’s with this room? Goodness. You’re drenched in sweat. What on earth happened?”

What happened, you ask? I spent the whole night making mana hearts.

That mana heart that even beginner wizards can create.

If I confessed that, the image I had built would shatter completely.

Reluctantly, I decided to brush it off again.

“I just… um, I’m tired. I’ll rest for a bit.”

“Excuse me? No, Professor! Professor!”

As I closed my eyes, sleep washed over me.

Having pushed my body to the limit through the night, it was only natural to crave rest.

My eyelids felt heavier than lead. I just needed a little sleep.

* * *

I regained consciousness two days later.

While I had been unconscious, Lee Yeo-eun had called an ambulance and even cleaned the professor’s office.

Truly a capable slave—no, student.

“Really, what happened to you?”

“I had an epiphany in the middle of the night. It just happened while I was training.”

It was a clumsy excuse, but Lee Yeo-eun accepted it easily.

“Of course, Professor, your mindset is different. You trained without taking care of yourself.”

“Ambition is important.”

I replied shamelessly, my face a mask of nonchalance.

As I continued to lie, it felt like I was getting better at it.

“I’ve heard that before. The higher the wall you break, the greater the shock to your body. How high does one need to be to the point of spitting blood?”

“Uh, well… let’s just say it’s beyond what you can imagine.”

“Wow, that’s so annoying.”

It wasn’t a lie. Who would have imagined that the professor teaching him was just a complete novice who had barely created a mana heart?

“Anyway, I apologize for the delay in research due to my unprofessional behavior. Shall we start seeing some results?”

Lee Ye-eun smoothly pulled a report from her bag.

It was a neat report, with a clean white background, black text, and only the necessary illustrations—no flashy embellishments. I appreciated her attitude of wanting to speak solely through her skills, without any shortcuts.

She turned the cover and opened the first page.

I could hear Lee Ye-eun gulping. It seemed she was nervous, thinking the professor was evaluating her report.

“Hmm… oh.”