A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 6

If I had more time, I would have formed a party that reduced variables. Still, it was much better than having the entire party wiped out and not being able to clear it at all.

In that sense, Anseri’s party wasn’t bad either.

If I had to create a party that could ensure everyone’s survival, I would have borrowed the same strategy as theirs.

Anyway, I succeeded in bringing Anseri to my side.

I could have ignored a verbal promise, but Anseri was not that kind of person. The evidence appeared in the form of a message.

Ding!

─The effect of Mentor is activated. You gain a small amount of experience. (Target: Anseri)

The target of the Mentor skill is only allies.

Since she acknowledged me as her teacher, the lessons learned from defeat were treated as experience, and the skill was applied.

─The effect of Mentor is activated. You gain a small amount of experience. (Target: Lee Ye-eun)

At the same time, experience came from Lee Ye-eun, who was likely fixing her report. It seemed the paper I had instructed her to read had been effective. The gamble was successful.

This was the best outcome I could have hoped for.

I returned to my office and pulled out all the books I had borrowed from the library.

With this, I should be able to understand the report, right? If I added Sethhet’s teachings to this, it would be sufficient.

“Phew, this is complicated.”

It was indeed not an easy process.

If I had known it would be like this, I should have read the game settings in detail instead of just playing. Looking at the complex theories of magic made my head spin.

Still, after mulling it over for a while, I could grasp the basic theories.

“What is this? Is this even possible?”

As a result, I understood why the professors had dismissed Lee Ye-eun.

They say you see as much as you know. Once I opened my eyes to magic, the report written by Lee Ye-eun appeared utterly ridiculous. She’s going to modify a magic circle? How could that even be?

But it had clearly succeeded in the game.

“Is this why they call someone a genius…?”

I don’t know. How could I understand something that even the professors didn’t? I might as well just get some sleep.

As I was packing my things and preparing to leave work, a knock echoed through the room.

Knock, knock—

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Lee Yeo-eun stepped inside. Lee Yeo-eun? Why is she here at this late hour… Wait, this feels like déjà vu.

“Good morning, Professor!”

Has she pulled another all-nighter? Thankfully, she didn’t collapse in a heap today. Instead, she looked utterly exhausted.

I wanted nothing more than to lay my head on the desk and sleep, but I held on with superhuman patience.

“Yeah, good morning.”

“Why is there so much stuff on your desk? What… huh? Why are you looking at these things?”

Lee Yeo-eun glanced around my desk, her brow furrowed in confusion.

To me, these were barely the remnants of a sleepless night, but to her, they were foundational knowledge she could memorize with her eyes closed. Naturally, the thought that a professor might have studied these things never crossed her mind.

“I’m not well-versed in magic, so I studied a bit before you came.”

“Pfft, just say you don’t want to share.”

Lee Yeo-eun reacted as if she had just heard the most boring joke in the world. It wasn’t a lie, though.

Did she think I’d be punished for her mistaken assumptions? Lee Yeo-eun set her bag down and began making coffee. With a generous amount of sugar and cream. Did she forget the coffee-making tips I gave her last time?

“You look tired, so drink some coffee!”

“Seeing your dedication has woken me up.”

“Come on.”

In her eyes, I could see her determination to turn me into a sugar addict. This was troublesome. As soon as I took a sip, the overly sweet taste spread across my tongue.

“…It’s not good.”

I waved my hand, signaling her to bring the report instead. Lee Yeo-eun, perhaps feeling confident, quickly pulled the report from her bag.

It seemed the paper had been quite helpful, as there were significant revisions made.

“Hmm.”

As an exclamation slipped from my lips, the corners of Lee Yeo-eun’s mouth twitched as if an earthquake had struck.

I’m sorry, but I wasn’t impressed by her report. I was amazed at my own ability to understand it. Could it be that I’m a genius?

If I were to evaluate the report, it seemed to have improved significantly. In the previous report, I couldn’t grasp why such conclusions were drawn, but this time, it made sense.

It still contained nonsensical claims, but this was a remarkable advancement.

Above all, skills don’t lie. Gaining experience through mentoring meant growth. So, naturally, the report would have improved as well.

“It’s become somewhat tolerable.”

“Ah…!”

Hearing a compliment that wasn’t really a compliment, Lee Yeo-eun jumped up and down.

If it were up to me, I would have liked to give her a proper compliment, but I lacked the confidence. I needed an excuse to say that I wasn’t overlooking any mistakes, just in case there were any.

“Have the research proposal written by next week. That way, we can apply for the budget and rent the equipment.”

“Yes!”

I felt a growing desire to leave work, but there were still tasks left to complete.

Yesterday, I received an email from the academy requesting the submission of the syllabus. I had secured one student, but I hadn’t even decided on the course title yet. The application deadline was today, and time was running short.

“Oh, Yeo-eun. Do you have any other commitments besides the research?”

“No, not really. Why do you ask?”

“Then I’ll put your name down as my teaching assistant.”

“T-teaching assistant?”

It was a unilateral notification without asking for my opinion. A refusal was a refusal. I had no other option but Lee Yeo-eun.

“I’ve already deposited your salary in advance, so don’t think about withdrawing it.”

It wouldn’t be a bad offer for her either.

In the story, Lee Yeo-eun was poor enough to manage her living expenses through a scholarship. Her eyes lit up at the mention of a salary.

“I’ll do it!”

“Excellent choice. I’ll send you the syllabus around dinner time.”

After sending her off, Yeo-eun pondered what kind of course to teach. What topics do professors usually cover? Naturally, they would choose their own field of expertise, right?

First, I needed to check my own major.

Even if the character was hastily created, there should be some fitting background. Surely, there couldn’t be nothing at all?

Hoping to find something, I searched and discovered a paper written by Cha Eun-woo before I possessed this body, tucked away in the office drawer.

But wait, is this really a paper written by Cha Eun-woo?

“Isn’t this just a strategy guide I wrote…?”

It was a piece filled with methods for leveling up by profession for newbies, tips for dungeon raids, and the like. I had created it to upload to XTube, but these useless things were considered a paper?

Thinking back, it made some sense. This world was a direct implementation of a game. Further investigation revealed that my major was called Convergence Awakening Natural Research.

“Didn’t they just slap a name on a hodgepodge of majors?”

Well, this was better than swordsmanship or magic, which I didn’t know how to do.

I decided to settle on a course titled… Dungeon Research and Practice.

After finding a few beginner dungeons, I would analyze them and then tackle them directly.

The first week would be an orientation. From the second week to the fifteenth, I planned to break it down into three-week segments, analyzing a total of five dungeons and practicing direct raids. Instead of midterms and finals, I thought I would evaluate the dungeon raid process and assign grades based on that.

Of course, since dungeons had to be tackled in parties, all classes would be structured as group projects. I could already hear the students grumbling, but so what? I wasn’t the one taking the class.

After briefly drafting the syllabus, I sent it via email to the department office. Before long, I received a reply confirming its approval.

“Being a professor might actually be worth a shot, huh?”

Florian Rhapsody had a strong reputation among the general public as a “failed game,” but that was not the case for skilled gamers.

The extreme difficulty that tested one’s limits, combined with the astronomical investment of money, resulted in a gameplay experience that attracted RPG veterans from around the world.

Among them were many users with better control than mine.

Yet, the driving force behind my fastest clear time was my confidence in strategy.

I can guarantee that anyone who studies hard enough to earn an A in my class will survive until the very end of the game.

I don’t know who will take this course, but that person will be in for the best opportunity the game has to offer.

What worried me was that there were only 40 spots available.

In my college days, based on experience, popular courses filled up quickly. Wouldn’t all the students try to enroll in my class and crash the registration server? That would be a problem for the school, not something I should worry about, right?

…There were times I thought that way.

* * *

“Professor, what on earth were you thinking when you created this course?”

The monitor displayed a grim reality.

6/40.

How wonderful it would have been if that number represented my ranking among the 40 evaluations! Surprisingly, it meant that only 6 out of the 40 enrollment spots had been filled.

“Didn’t you know that the minimum enrollment for any course at the academy is 10 students? Just the fact that 6 people signed up for this course is a miracle!”

Lee Ye-eun, now a teaching assistant, scolded me.

It was entirely my fault. I had been so excited while creating the course that I failed to assess the situation properly.

Let’s think from the perspective of an academy student. The professor is an unknown, nameless instructor, the course content is dungeon practice, the evaluation is entirely practical, and finally, there’s a group project.

I would never enroll. It’s clearly a garbage course.

I knew that in my head, but in front of Lee Ye-eun, I was too embarrassed to admit my incompetence and ended up spouting nonsense.

“Ah, the standards of Korea’s top academy are questionable. If students have such poor judgment…”

“Don’t just think from your perspective, Professor! Please consider it from the students’ point of view too! What if we can’t fill the spots and the course gets canceled?”

“What can we do? It’ll just get canceled.”

Lee Ye-eun made a face as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have.

“What about me? I’m the teaching assistant for this class.”

“You’ll have to look for another job.”

Bang!

—

Startled. Lee Ye-eun slammed her palm down hard on the desk. Was that really the sound of her palm hitting? It sounded like something was breaking.

“We absolutely need to fill 10 spots by the additional application period and the course correction period. Understood?”

I felt a slight chill. Seeing her face twisted like a malevolent spirit made it impossible for me to say I couldn’t do it.

“…I get it, so relax your expression.”

“Is that a promise?”

After several rounds of confirmation, Lee Ye-eun finally let me off the hook.

I never imagined we would face the crisis of canceling the course due to a lack of students.

Back when I was in school, if you missed the course registration time by even a little, there were no classes left to take. Popular classes closed within minutes, and most classes filled up in just 15 minutes.

The only ones that didn’t fill were the bizarre classes that stood out like a lone stone. The thought that my class was that lone stone was utterly lamentable.

“…I need a helper. Someone who understands the students’ circumstances well.”

Reluctantly, I picked up my smartphone to find a number. In truth, there were only two numbers, so there wasn’t much to search for.

The voice of An Se-ri, sharp and prickly, rang out from the smartphone.

-What’s the reason for your call when you said we’d see each other in class?

* * *

“So, what did you call me for?”

An Se-ri, who had come to my call in the professor’s office, looked alluring as she sat cross-legged on the sofa.

“First, have a seat. Would you like some coffee?”

“Do as you please.”

After pulling out the coffee grounds, I scooped some into the coffee pot. It was best to grind the beans fresh for flavor, but due to Lee Ye-eun’s strike, I had to settle for ground coffee. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but if I left it as is, I’d be forced to switch to instant coffee, leaving me with no choice.

When I first asked to be accepted into the lab, I had said I would do anything. I had been properly scammed into employment.

The sugar water that Lee Ye-eun made was now transformed into a different kind of “real” coffee. An Se-ri took a sip and gave her verdict.

“Ugh! Why is this so bitter? Please add sugar and make it again.”

…Well, that was my fault for hoping the kids would learn to appreciate coffee.

I pulled out the orange juice from the fridge and sipped the coffee An Se-ri had left behind.

At that, An Se-ri’s face turned a deep shade of disgust.

“Why are you drinking that? Do you have some strange taste?”

“It was brewed well, and someone discarded it, so I felt bad wasting it, that’s why.”

“Ew, gross! If I find out you drank from the same side, I won’t forgive you.”

“Please, I’d rather not hear such filthy talk.”

After taking a sip of juice, An Se-ri shot back at me.

—

“Did you call me just to chat? So what’s the matter?”

“We can also meet to strengthen our bond as teacher and student.”

“Goodbye.”

An Se-ri set her cup down and stood up from the sofa. It seemed it was time to end this wordplay.

Feeling that she might actually leave, I immediately got to the point.

“To put it simply, the class you need to attend is at risk of being canceled.”

“…Huh?”

Her gaze was sharp, filled with the question of what nonsense I was spouting. In situations like this, it was best to respond with a poker face.

“Didn’t you promise to take my class, Se-ri?”

“So?”

“If my class doesn’t happen, you’ll be the one breaking that promise. So, I need your help.”

An Se-ri’s expression twisted further. Though my explanation was cut short, she likely already knew that the number of students enrolled in my class was below the required minimum.

After a sigh, she sat back down on the sofa.

“…I thought something was off. I looked at the syllabus and thought, what kind of ridiculous class is this? Were you doing this on purpose to mess with me?”

Ridiculous class? That was a bit harsh. I felt slightly hurt.

“What’s wrong with my class?”

“Are you kidding? There’s a subject that assigns group projects in dungeon practice? Shit! Who would want to do that?”

I couldn’t argue against her; she was right. Still, I had some excuses up my sleeve.

“Once you actually attend, you’ll find it incredibly beneficial.”

“How would we know that? It’s your first lecture, after all. You’re not some retired A-class hero, and I can’t find any papers you’ve written, so there’s nothing to trust.”

If I kept getting hit with facts like this, I felt like my heart would break. I decided to change the subject.

“That’s enough about that. The important thing is that the class needs to be held. Otherwise, you’ll become someone who doesn’t keep their promises.”

“That’s a fallacy. How can you attend a class that doesn’t even exist? The promise itself is contradictory.”

An Se-ri pointed out the flaw with a calm expression. Her words were logically sound. But I had a trump card.

“Cheonri-an, are you no longer interested?”

She flinched.

An Se-ri’s eyes narrowed.

Just because I had won this round didn’t mean she had lost her chance at Cheonri-an. It was useless to me anyway. What I truly needed was An Se-ri as an ally, equipped with Cheonri-an.

“…So you’re asking me to help you get the class opened?”

“Exactly.”

An Se-ri raised her hands in surrender. For something as simple as this, the effort was nothing compared to the rewards she would gain in the future.

“Are you asking me to have a friend come and attend the class?”

“That would be nice, but… I want to solve the fundamental problem instead. However, my class must not lose its identity. So, Se-ri, you need to provide improvement suggestions from a student’s perspective without holding back.”

Perhaps she had a lot on her mind after looking at the syllabus, as An Se-ri began to rattle off her opinions like a machine gun.

“First, let’s change that terrible lecture topic. If it’s a simple liberal arts course, we could fill all 40 spots right away!”

“Rejected. My class must not lose its identity.”

“Please at least remove the dungeon practice. We could just focus on theory, right?”

“That’s also rejected. No.”

“Isn’t five practice sessions too much? Let’s change it to one midterm and one final.”

“That’s rejected too.”

“Then at least take out the group project.”

“How can you clear a dungeon alone? Rejected.”

“Then what can we do?”

“As long as it meets the conditions, anything is fine.”

“Seriously… Professor, are you one of those ‘anything goes’ types?”

An Se-ri burst out in frustration.

‘Anything goes’? From the sound of it, it seemed like a term to belittle someone who, when asked a question, would just say “anything,” but then would complain when anything was actually brought to them.

But that’s not me. I clearly stated that the identity of my class must be preserved.

“Is it that you can’t say anything in front of the professor? What’s with the attitude? Speak properly.”

“I’m sorry.”

As I scolded her sharply, An Se-ri immediately tucked her tail between her legs. It would be unseemly to keep dragging out the apology, so I decided to let it go.

“…This is tough.”

Perhaps running out of ideas, An Se-ri fell silent for a moment. Then suddenly, she clapped her hands.

“Oh! How about changing the grading to absolute evaluation?”

Absolute evaluation?

It was an unexpected clever idea. No matter how terrible the subject was, the bait of absolute evaluation could stir some interest.

Typically, absolute evaluation means handing out grades easily, which is common sense. That’s why it’s popular. This would definitely work.

“I’m glad I asked you, Se-ri. That’s a good idea.”

“Then I’ll see you in class for real this time.”

Seemingly having no intention of staying longer, An Se-ri got up from the sofa.

“Just one more thing before you go.”

“What is it? Is this another threat?”

“No. It’s a request.”

In truth, the plan to address the enrollment numbers was merely an excuse to summon Anseril.

This was where the real matter began.

“I have a student I’d like you to teach.”

“A student? It can’t be… that Park Seo-hu, right? I can’t handle him either.”

Park Seo-hu, the first student in the history of Florian to score a perfect mark on the entrance exam, the top student.

As the ultimate playable character, he was already standing out. To exaggerate a bit, he was a super promising talent coveted by guilds all over the world.

Naturally, all the professors wanted to teach Park Seo-hu. It wasn’t surprising that Anseril thought that way.

“Seo-hu isn’t interested. He has a suitable mentor.”

“A suitable mentor? Who is that?”

“Professor Jo Seong-woong.”

“Uh, what? The Sword Master? He hasn’t offered any classes for four years! I thought he was retired, but he’s after Park Seo-hu?”

Anseril was taken aback.

She had no idea Jo Seong-woong had such a background. Even if she had known, it wouldn’t have changed anything.

“Is that information reliable? Where did you even get that…?”

“Let’s skip the trivialities. In exchange for the information, just do me this favor. I need a wizard. One with talent equal to Park Seo-hu.”

According to academy regulations, professors were prohibited from forcing specific students to attend their classes. So, a substitute was needed.

Anseril quickly grasped my intentions and nodded.

“If it’s a wizard with talent equal to Park Seo-hu… you’re talking about that guy, right? But wouldn’t he still fall short compared to Park Seo-hu?”

“No. He’s more than enough.”

Short? No, he was overflowing.

Park Seo-hu, the overall best among playable characters.

Park Seo-hu’s stats were already different from those of other characters. It was said that seeing the ending with Park Seo-hu was akin to a half-baked ending, as the difficulty was incomparably easier than with other characters.

However, was the final growth of Park Seo-hu the strongest character in Florian Rhapsody?

The answer was no. While progressing through the story, Park Seo-hu was among the weakest of all characters, but by the time growth was complete, there were characters who surpassed even Park Seo-hu.

Monsters with three stats of 99 in potential abilities, while Park Seo-hu had only two.

* * *

The last week of February.

At the main gate of Florian Academy, vendors who had settled in since dawn were selling bouquets. Above the gate, a large banner reading “Congratulations! Enrollment” welcomed the new students.

Today was the long-awaited entrance ceremony of Florian.

Seo Da-yoon clutched her pounding heart and stared blankly at the academy.

Even she found it amazing how she had managed to enroll in Florian. It felt like sheer luck. Could a dropout like her really attend the best educational institution in South Korea?

“Don’t block the way, move aside!”

“Yes, four!”

The shout from a passerby snapped her back to reality. As Seo Da-yoon hurriedly stepped aside, the passerby scoffed and walked past her.

For a proud student of Florian, it was a situation that could easily provoke anger, but Seo Da-yoon felt nothing of the sort.

“Wow….”

The grounds of the academy were vast.

It was completely different from the image of a school she had known until now. Moreover, it was incredibly beautiful. It looked more like a work of art than a building.

Where was the auditorium for the entrance ceremony?

She wanted to ask someone passing by, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Talking to strangers made her feel shy.

Still, finding the location of the auditorium wasn’t difficult. The place where most people were headed was likely the auditorium. Following behind them, she soon spotted it.

“We’ve arrived….”

As she stepped inside, a spacious area that could accommodate thousands unfolded before her.

The auditorium was divided by departments, and Seo Da-yoon searched for the area where the students of her major, Combat Magic, were gathered.

Each department had a sign indicating its designated area, making it easy to find.