A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 65

The White Snow Flower made a strangely unsettling remark.

It felt like it was telling me just how mentally overwhelmed she was.

She pulled a joint from her pocket.

“I’ll just smoke one.”

“Sure.”

Puff—

The White Snow Flower lit the joint and took a deep drag.

The way she held it between her index and middle fingers looked all too familiar.

The smoke that curled up was fragrant.

In this world, the unique scent of the joint played a significant role in completely overshadowing the acrid smell of tobacco.

The aroma of the joint varied from person to person.

Some said it was the scent of that person’s mana. There was no evidence, but it was a saying that became famous for its emotional resonance.

The smoke from the White Snow Flower carried a rich floral fragrance.

“Ah….”

She returned from the corner after finishing the joint and took up her sword again.

“Let’s begin.”

The training started again, I had lost count of how many times we had done this.

The White Snow Flower’s offensive.

She launched five consecutive strikes and then stepped back.

Wham—!

Another five-hit combo.

And then she retreated again.

“Drugs play tricks on you.”

It was a strategic hit-and-run.

When fully immersed in battle, she had no confidence in controlling herself.

So she kept pulling back before the attack.

It wasn’t a bad trick.

It could serve as a temporary measure, but it was just that—temporary.

If the opponent accurately grasped her intentions, she would be easily countered.

Just like this.

Swoosh—!

I pressed in closely, launching an aggressive assault.

Baeksulhwa began to retreat.

But I had no intention of letting her go easily. I followed the fleeing Baeksulhwa to the very end.

In a confrontation between the pursuer and the one fleeing, the former held a significant advantage.

My direction of movement aligned perfectly with my attack, allowing me to exert my strength effortlessly, while Baeksulhwa, moving in the opposite direction, couldn’t fully channel her power against me.

With each clash, Baeksulhwa suffered losses, ultimately resorting to a fight.

The three seconds within the small circle passed quickly, and the outcome was decided.

Still, I set a personal record of sorts.

“Congratulations on breaking your record.”

“How many seconds was it?”

“Thirty seconds.”

“Ha….”

Baeksulhwa sighed.

At this rate, it was understandable to feel lost about when she would ever reach ten minutes.

Yet, I found something to advise her.

“Don’t you know? Seolhwa, your best record was when you took a break and then started again.”

“Is that so?”

“When you go continuously, the effects of the previous training carry over to the next one.”

Baeksulhwa nodded.

Up to this point, she must have felt somewhat similarly.

“Do you know what a routine is?”

Some heroes have their own routines.

For instance, during his active days, Jo Seong-woong always tapped the hilt of his sword twice with his left hand before entering a dungeon.

It was a superstition that something good would happen afterward, but the important thing is that it provided psychological stability.

“Human emotions are surprisingly simple. They can be somewhat regulated through learning. Seolhwa, when you take a break, you smoke, right? So let’s create a routine with that.”

“Like Pavlov’s dog?”

“Exactly. Whenever your emotions become intense, mimic the hand movement you make when you grab a cigarette. That way, you’ll be able to control your own emotions.”

“Ah… yes!”

Perhaps sensing the possibility in my words, Baeksulhwa’s voice in response was unusually bright.

In fact, the hand movements themselves held no meaning.

If they could control such things, everyone in the world would have done it, and there would be no one troubled by emotional issues.

What mattered was the mindset.

There’s a story about a renowned healer during a drought who gave patients honey water, claiming it was a tonic for health, and they all recovered.

It was said that when the patients believed the honey water was medicine, their bodies naturally began to heal.

The concept of routine was in the same vein.

As much as Baeksulhwa believed in me, her heart would stabilize with each hand movement she made.

“Then let’s try again, keeping my words in mind.”

“Yes!”

Baeksulhwa improved a bit in the training that resumed.

Every time she exerted too much strength, her hands would fidget, and she became aware of the ground beneath her.

However, that state didn’t last long.

About 20 seconds in, she failed to control herself, and the eruption began.

Once again, she stepped back into the circle, and three seconds passed.

“Up to here.”

“Ah….”

Baeksulhwa sighed, sounding a bit disappointed.

“How many seconds did I get?”

Still, her expression was quite good.

She probably thought she had held on for a long time.

Though it wasn’t very long, emotional control is greatly influenced by psychological factors.

So I lied.

“35 seconds. That’s a new record.”

“Really?”

Baeksulhwa smiled faintly.

After that, the training sailed smoothly, like a ship catching the wind.

Baeksulhwa showed an increasingly stable demeanor.

The initial 35 seconds was a lie, but afterward, she truly managed to reach 35 seconds.

In the end, Baeksulhwa was able to reach a full minute.

“How about it? Am I not more talented than you thought?”

“Yes. You’re doing well.”

“Hehe.”

Baeksulhwa giggled softly.

For Baeksulhwa, who struggled to express her emotions, this was akin to the behavior of ordinary schoolgirls who would jump for joy.

I wanted to share in her happiness too.

Yet, I felt somewhat unsatisfied.

The routine was more effective than I had anticipated.

The problem was that it was too effective.

What I wanted was for her to stop just below the critical point, where Baeksulhwa’s wildness and rationality could coexist.

But with the routine, Baeksulhwa had become too calm, and her sharp edge had dulled.

This was not good.

Stifling Baeksulhwa’s vitality in an attempt to lead the party was a reversal of priorities.

“Let’s end today’s training here. Be careful on your way back.”

“Yes. You too, Professor.”

Baeksulhwa’s steps as she returned to the dormitory were particularly light.

It seemed she was satisfied with her current state.

But this couldn’t be right.

Baeksulhwa was like a beast.

Her rough wildness was a weapon that made the beast even stronger.

But was taking this away and putting her on a leash truly the right path for Baeksulhwa?

I wanted to sort out my complicated feelings, so I sat on a nearby bench and breathed in the cold night air.

“Professor, what are you doing here?”

I heard a voice calling me.

It was Park Seohu, just coming out of the training ground.

“Did you just finish training?”

“Yes. What about you, Professor?”

“I was watching Seolhwa train.”

Why couldn’t Baeksulhwa be like Park Seohu?

There were various reasons, but the most fundamental one was simple.

The difference in talent.

Someone once said that to become a top-tier swordsman, one must possess the talent for differentiation.

To some extent, that was true.

But to reach the pinnacle, that alone was not enough.

The talent of a sword master.

Jo Seong-woong, Park Seo-hu’s mentor, was called a sword master.

It was a title given to skilled swordsmen.

However, that was merely a name people used; it could not be said that he was a true sword master.

A true sword master referred to an absolute being who had realized the principles of the sword.

A realm beyond human—a divine state.

During his active years, Jo Seong-woong was an excellent swordsman, but he was not a hero who could step into the realm of a sword master.

To become a sword master, the talent of a sword master was necessary.

“Seo-hu, what do you think about differentiation?”

“Differentiation?”

Park Seo-hu pondered for a moment before answering.

“Well, to be honest, I used to worry a lot about it. They say you need differentiation to become a top-tier swordsman.”

“What kind of worries?”

“I really love swords. So, since I was young, I wanted to become a swordsman, but everyone around me discouraged me. They said, ‘Without differentiation, you don’t suit the sword.’”

“I see.”

It was the first time he had heard such a story.

In the game, Park Seo-hu’s past was merely presented as someone who grew up in an ordinary family without any deficiencies and then awakened.

“But I still tried hard. Now, I’m lucky to have become the top of the academy. If I had differentiation, I might have developed even further, but I’m satisfied with who I am now.”

Park Seo-hu smiled like the protagonist of a shonen manga who overcame talent through hard work.

Overcoming through effort?

No, it was simply that the talent for sword mastery that Park Seo-hu possessed was far superior to differentiation.

“Seo-hu, you excel in personal abilities, but you also know how to utilize your party members well. Most swordsmen with differentiation can’t become like you.”

“Maybe that’s true?”

“If you had differentiation skills, how do you think you would have operated the party?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Park Seo-hu replied.

“I probably wouldn’t have picked party members the way I do now. Right now, I’m a supporter, and the others are dealers, but if I had differentiation skills, I think I would have taken on the role of a dealer and increased the importance of the supporter role.”

It was a textbook answer, the epitome of correctness.

No matter who you ask, they would probably give a similar answer to Park Seo-hoo.

A dealer who directly strikes the monster.

A supporter who assists the dealer to operate as comfortably as possible.

The dealer suited a warrior with a divergence.

“Yeah. I understand.”

As expected, suppressing the divergence wasn’t the way for Baek Seol-hwa.

She didn’t simply want to imitate Park Seo-hoo.

Her goal was to surpass him.

But in a state of suppressed divergence, no matter how well she performed, she couldn’t surpass Park Seo-hoo.

At best, she would be a lesser version of him.

If that were the case, there would be no place for Baek Seol-hwa in my future plans.

I needed to change my approach.

* * *

The lab, which I hadn’t visited in a while, was filled with people.

When I first came, it had seemed spacious with only Lee Ye-eun there, but now it looked like a larger lab was needed.

“Is everyone doing well?”

“Yes!”

“Professor, could you take a look at this for me?”

A student with chestnut hair asked for my help.

I had come with something to do, but since it wasn’t urgent, I was going to help. However, Lee Ye-eun stepped in.

“Professor, you’re busy right now, so I’ll help.”

“Uh, well… um, okay…”

The chestnut-haired student seemed a bit hesitant but nodded, unable to refuse the kindness.

It was easier for me to let Lee Ye-eun handle it anyway.

Still, if it was Lee Ye-eun, she would teach well.

“Cheon, take that out.”

“Yes!”

Cheon retrieved the item borrowed from the office.

The Permet Golem.

The ones we used as boss monsters in the last practical class.

—

Assistant Cheon cautiously asked.

“Professor, is it okay to touch this carelessly?”

“It’s fine. It’s not about breaking it; it’s about making it better.”

In the past, it might have been different, but now, dealing with my students, a Permet Golem was insufficient.

So, I decided to make a few adjustments.

I had modified golems a few times in the game, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Clunk-!

The golem was moved by the magic circle drawn on the stone.

I touched the spell to enhance the golem.

“Bios, Jullra-Daus, Rukium.”

The magic circle, glowing in various colors, began to change the golem’s traits.

I erased the unnecessary magic circles and layered new ones on top.

This series of processes was repeated several times.

Assistant Cheon marveled.

“Wow, isn’t modifying a golem’s magic circle incredibly difficult? Professor Yoon Seong-yeop usually prefers to acquire new golems rather than modifying existing ones.”

“Actually, that’s the better option. But I can’t find anything better than a Permet Golem for training at the academy.”

“I see.”

Lee Ye-eun, who had helped with her chestnut hair, came over.

“Professor, can I help you?”

“Sure, could you hold that purple magic circle over there? I’m going to tighten this one along with it.”

“Yes. Is this tight enough?”

“Try tightening it a bit more.”

“Like this?”

“Good.”

With Lee Ye-eun’s help, the modification of the ‘Permet Golem MK-2’ was successfully completed.

With this, I would be able to have a good match with my students.

* * *

The footsteps of Baek Seol-hwa, who came out of the dormitory, were particularly light.

Today was the day of Cha Eun-woo’s lecture.

—

It was a class I had always liked, but today I was especially looking forward to it.

“Hmm~.”

Baek Seolhwa hummed a little tune as she headed to the lecture.

Florian’s Fourth Training Hall.

Most of the classes in the Department of Swordsmanship are held in the training hall.

Given the nature of the major, practicing with the body was far more beneficial than sitting at a desk learning theory.

Baek Seolhwa stepped into the training hall.

For the first few weeks after her arrival, the atmosphere in the hall would momentarily quiet down whenever she entered, but now everyone had grown accustomed to it.

Even so, there were still many students who were reluctant around Baek Seolhwa.

However, there was an exception.

“Seolhwa, good morning.”

Today, Park Seohu greeted Baek Seolhwa cheerfully.

Park Seohu was one of the few classmates who was relatively close to Baek Seolhwa at the academy.

“Yeah, hi.”

Park Seohu was slightly surprised.

He hadn’t expected Baek Seolhwa to respond so readily to his greeting.

Usually, he was either half-ignored or met with a light nod of acknowledgment.

In the two months they had known each other, he couldn’t even remember the last time Baek Seolhwa had said “hi” to him.

Park Seohu asked, “Is something good happening today?”

“It’s the same as usual.”

Though she said that, Baek Seolhwa wore a faint smile.

Her expressions were so minimal that it was only recently that Park Seohu had begun to recognize her smile.

This clearly meant something good was happening.

“I see.”

“…Why are you coming to your own conclusions? I told you nothing’s going on.”

“Okay, okay.”

Park Seohu beamed.

Baek Seolhwa felt an urge to hit him.

But since it was a pleasant day, she held back.

The lecture on swordsmanship was, as always, boring.

For Baek Seolhwa, the major classes were far too elementary.

It might be a somewhat arrogant thing to say, but it was the truth.

Baek Seolhwa was exceptional.

‘Should I ask to be placed in an upperclassman course next semester?’

After the major class ended, she moved on to her next lecture.

Park Seohu followed Baek Seolhwa closely.

“Wasn’t today’s class fun? The professor had some hilarious stories from when he was active.”

“You… never mind.”

Baek Seolhwa almost asked why he was following her but stopped herself.

After all, they were heading to the same class, so it wouldn’t matter if they went together.

Normally, she wouldn’t have entertained such a thought, but today she was in a good mood and didn’t feel the need to push Park Seohu away.