A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 69

Even Jo Seong-woong, a veteran hero accustomed to such situations, felt the same.

“Let’s meet tomorrow.”

At the hotel entrance, only Lee Yeo-eun and I were left behind.

We wanted to go and sleep, but it wasn’t as easy as we wished.

It was midnight in America, but it was broad daylight in Korea. There was no way I could adjust to the time difference, not being a veteran hero like Jo Seong-woong.

Lee Yeo-eun said, “What should I do? I’m not sleepy at all.”

“Just try to sleep, even if it’s forced. From your reaction, it seems like quite a serious issue, and you can’t afford to mess up because you’re tired.”

“Okay.”

After confirming that Lee Ye-eun had entered her room, I stepped into mine as well.

I knew it was an impressive place, but it exceeded my imagination.

The Baekje Hotel was remarkable, but this was something else entirely.

“Who would have thought I’d ever stay in a place like this?”

It felt like a private room I would never have a connection with in my lifetime.

How much would it cost to stay in a place like this for a day?

I at least knew it was more expensive than the rent for my studio apartment back in reality.

“Isn’t this world worth living in, in its own way?”

I opened the small refrigerator in the room, and inside were two bottles of mineral water.

I wondered what mineral water would be like in a luxury hotel.

Would it be infused with gold flakes or perhaps brewed with ginseng? I hoped for something extraordinary, but it was just ordinary bottled water.

Even the rich drink the same water.

“Hmm. I guess I should just sleep.”

I turned off the lights and lay down on the bed.

It was incredibly soft.

Even if the water was the same, the bed was different.

“Wow, what the…”

Soft—

As I relaxed my body, it bounced back gently.

The springs were no joke.

Soft— Soft—

It was addictively comfortable.

Lying on a bed like this and then going back to my usual one? No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine adjusting.

I may be somewhat famous now, but surely I could afford a decent bed?

Despite my thoughts that I wouldn’t be able to sleep, the high-quality bed quickly summoned me into slumber.

* * *

“What? When did I fall asleep?”

I opened my eyes.

I don’t even remember when I fell asleep. As soon as I lay down, my memory was cut off.

It was the bed’s performance that left me in awe.

“Should we get one for our house too?”

With the help of the internet, I figured out what kind of bed it was.

The price was exorbitantly high, but it wasn’t beyond what I could invest in at this moment.

After all, quality sleep was incredibly important.

Alright. Let’s buy it.

After deciding to purchase the bed, I checked the time and it was exactly 6 o’clock in Washington.

I still had quite a bit of time before my appointment with the staff.

After a quick wash, I headed downstairs.

I met Jo Sung-woong in the lobby.

“Good morning.”

“Professor Cha, you’re up early. Shall we take a walk together?”

“Sure.”

We stepped outside and walked in silence.

The sophisticated scenery was a feast for the eyes.

The splendid fountain and the beautifully shaped plants revealed just how much effort the gardener had put into them.

After a moment, Jo Sung-woong broke the silence.

“The time has come.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, someone I know is playing dumb.”

Jo Sung-woong lowered his voice.

“I saw the letter that came to you, Professor Cha. Your student seems to have brushed it off lightly, thinking it was just a fuss… but the Americans love to exaggerate, they don’t lie.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. At the very least, it will have an impact as significant as the Nest of the Destroyer.”

There was a bitterness in Jo Sung-woong’s words.

He was a hero among heroes who had directly experienced the Nest of the Destroyer.

He was someone who knew that horrific day better than anyone else.

The fact that the term “Nest of the Destroyer” came from Jo Sung-woong’s lips seemed to indicate the resolve with which he was approaching this.

“Do you remember what you said when we first met?”

“Didn’t you say the world would face a crisis?”

“Yeah. This is the beginning.”

Jo Sung-woong’s hands trembled.

“I’m scared. I have no idea what’s going to happen.”

“I understand.”

“Honestly, I didn’t want to come to America either. I was afraid. But the thought of doing nothing and watching everything come to an end is even scarier.”

After a brief pause, Jo Sung-woong spoke.

“Professor Cha, you are humanity’s hope.”

“That’s an exaggeration.”

“No, it’s the truth. I promise you. No matter what happens, I will protect you.”

“Professor Jo….”

“So if the old man dies… please take good care of Seo-hu.”

“Don’t say that.”

I said firmly.

“We will all return safely. Me, Yeo-eun, and you, Professor Jo.”

“Ha, that’s something.”

Before we knew it, we had returned to the entrance.

We had circled around the hotel.

“Professor?”

Lee Yeo-eun, who had come out of the lobby, called us.

“Did you two have breakfast without me?”

“Surely not.”

I immediately denied it, worried she might sulk.

But it seemed that was the wrong answer.

“Pfft, just go eat. I was planning to go with Edeline unnie.”

It was true what they said: raising disciples was utterly useless. I felt a pang of betrayal.

What did that Edeline have to say to abandon her advisor?

“I’m just joking, just joking.”

“Those aren’t the kinds of jokes to make. It’s like driving a nail into your mentor’s heart.”

Lee Yeo-eun chuckled.

I can’t hate this, but still.

“When did you start calling the Unicorn Guild Master ‘sister’?”

Lee Ye-eun quickly turned her head and exercised her right to remain silent.

It seemed she had never actually received permission for that.

Lee Ye-eun made a small excuse in a quiet voice.

“W-well, everyone calls her that.”

“Like how we call that soccer player our brother?”

“Huh? Who are you talking about?”

“True, he’s not really our brother anymore. Anyway, can you at least suggest we go eat together?”

Lee Ye-eun replied in a hesitant voice.

“…If I’m left alone to eat because the professor abandoned me, wouldn’t he feel sorry and join me?”

“Ugh.”

It was a pathetic answer, but oddly persuasive.

Jo Sung-woong said.

“Your student wants that, so why not have Professor Cha say something? Let’s eat together.”

At those words, Lee Ye-eun’s eyes sparkled.

Her gaze was so earnest that it was hard to pretend not to notice.

More than that, wasn’t Jo Sung-woong just fulfilling his own desires? What’s the point of selling out my student for that?

“I’ll at least suggest it.”

“Really? Our professor is the best!”

Lee Ye-eun jumped up in excitement.

It felt like I was bowing down to receive a favor, but it didn’t feel too bad.

I sent a message to Edeline.

─Are you awake?

A quick reply came.

─Edeline: Yes. I just woke up.

─Would you like to have a meal together?

─Edeline: ?

What’s with this question mark?

Does it mean she doesn’t want to eat with us?

—

After a moment’s wait, an additional reply came.

─Edelin: You’re surprisingly proactive. I don’t dislike that style.

─Edelin: Since the professor suggested it, you’ll escort me, right?

Fortunately, I had the face to meet my student.

“She said yes.”

“Awesome!”

We gathered at the hotel restaurant for a meal.

The restaurant was a space that could hardly be described with mere embellishments.

The menu was equally lavish.

However, what slightly troubled me was the faint redness in Edelin’s complexion as she came down to the restaurant.

“Um, about having a meal…”

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah, no.”

Edelin returned to her room, sulking and picking at her food.

I felt a pang of guilt for having called her out when she seemed to be in poor condition.

Still, Lee Ye-eun looked genuinely happy.

Well, that was enough.

* * *

As the appointed time arrived, the association’s vehicle pulled up.

An employee stepped out of the car.

He was a man with a more dignified presence than the one I had seen yesterday. He also seemed to hold a higher rank.

“Nice to meet you, Professor Cha. I’m Andrew from the American Heroes Association.”

Andrew extended his hand for a handshake.

We didn’t engage in the childish act of trying to outgrip each other.

Yet, just by touching his thick, rough hand, I could feel the weight of his years.

Wasn’t he a hero who had made quite a name for himself in his active days?

“Please, get in.”

It was the same type of limousine we had taken yesterday.

It might be the standard vehicle used by the American Heroes Association.

One by one, we climbed into the limousine.

—

In the car, Jo Seong-woong asked point-blank.

“Mr. Andrew, could you explain why you called us?”

“Yes. I’ll explain on the way.”

The response was affirmative.

As expected, he was a person of high rank.

“We have been sensing unusual mana near the Pacific for the past three months. However, it started to surge even more just a few days ago.”

“Surely….”

“Yes. A gate opened there yesterday morning. An SS-class gate, to be precise.”

“That can’t be!”

“An SS-class….”

Jo Seong-woong and Lee Ye-eun were taken aback.

While Jo Seong-woong might have had some inkling, for Lee Ye-eun, the SS-class was far beyond the worst-case scenario she had imagined.

An SS-class gate.

It was a name that left an enormous scar on humanity.

“I would like Professor Cha to advise the command as an external consultant.”

“That’s not difficult at all.”

Edeline grumbled.

“Hmph. Instead of calling it an external consultant, it would be better to give Professor Cha full authority in tactical strategy. Professor Cha’s skills are guaranteed by the Unicorn.”

“I’ve heard that the Unicorn Guild has benefited from Professor Cha, but… isn’t there still a lack of experience? The people in the command this time are top-class experts with proven results, so don’t worry.”

Andrew firmly drew the line.

The emergence of an SS-class dungeon might seem like an outright catastrophe to the general public, but the association viewed it differently.

They would prevent the SS-class dungeon with minimal damage.

For them, there could be no greater badge of honor.

If they successfully concluded this matter, the next election would be a free pass, and they would undoubtedly gain unconditional support for over ten years.

It was a mindset that didn’t want to share such a delicious pie with outsiders.

“Tsk, so that’s how it is.”

Jo Seong-woong clicked his tongue.

He realized that his earlier comment about the treatment being neglectful was not just empty words.

The American Hero Association didn’t want me here in the first place.

It seemed Edeline had actively recommended me to be included as an external consultant.

I answered humbly.

“What does the role matter? What’s important is that everyone does their best in their place.”

I had no desire to wear a gold necklace around my neck anyway.

Whether I had achievements as a hero or not was irrelevant to me.

“I’m glad Professor Cha understands.”

Andrew smiled softly.

His coming here wasn’t out of consideration for me, but rather to draw a line early on.

Only Lee Ye-eun, who knew nothing, was excitedly chattering away.

“Wow, the professor looks like an amazing person!”

But it felt strange.

This operation had been influenced by factional struggles, and some forces that were not friendly to the current American Hero Association had likely been filtered out to some extent.

But no matter how rotten things were, with a unicorn involved, there had to be enough firepower to adequately suppress an SS-class gate.

So why had America fallen so drastically that it couldn’t recover in the game?

A sense of foreboding washed over me.

There was something more.

No matter how formidable an SS-class gate was, it couldn’t bring America to the brink of destruction.

“Professor, we’ve arrived!”

It was Lee Ye-eun’s voice that pulled me from my thoughts.

Where we had arrived was the deck of a massive battleship.

“What on earth is this?”

“It’s a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier,” Andrew replied.

What a series of events I was experiencing since coming to America.

I was boarding an aircraft carrier.

Lee Ye-eun and Jo Seong-woong were more surprised by another fact than by the fact that they were on an aircraft carrier.

“Oh my! Isn’t that John Dickel?”

“Hasumi and Wang Sheng are here too.”

“Look, over there, there’s Jake!”

“Whoa! Isn’t that Roberto?”

SS-Class Gate Raid Team.

The deck was filled with members that matched that name’s grandeur.

S-Class heroes gathered from all over the world numbered in the hundreds.

Of course, I didn’t know most of them.

How could I recognize NPCs that don’t even have names in the game?

【New master, I’m so nervous I could burst! There are just too many strong ones! Hehe, how amazing would it feel to play with these guys?】

The excited Jaybult babbled nonsense.

What did he hear earlier?

He spoke in a hushed voice so as not to be overheard.

“We’re not here to fight. These people are our allies.”

【But gathering this many heroes must be something incredible, right?】

“I’m not going out to fight.”

【Why? Why, why, why? New master, are you a coward?】

Was he really trying to get me killed?

How could I possibly enter an SS-Class dungeon?

I struck the hilt of my sword sharply to silence him.

The S-Class heroes gathered here looked at each other with curiosity.

“Why are there so many S-Class heroes?”

“Seeing this makes me feel so insignificant.”

“Brick, it’s been a while.”

There were plenty of famous heroes.

S-Class heroes were not common even on a national level. Some countries didn’t have a single S-Class hero at all.

So it was only natural for S-Class heroes to marvel at one another.

Among them, the most attention was drawn to our party.

Specifically, to the guild master of the unicorn, Edeline, who was among us.

“Look over there, it’s Edeline.”

“Well, that’s it then.”

“Even with SS-Class, having Edeline around is reassuring.”

There were many positive remarks, but there were also negative ones.

“Isn’t Edeline just a bubble being pushed in the U.S.?”

“Without our ranks, I feel like I could win.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. With your skills, what can you do?”

The person in question seemed accustomed to such remarks and brushed them off lightly.

Indeed, being the greatest hero wasn’t something just anyone could achieve.

Andrew, the staff member from the Hero Association who brought us here, announced loudly to everyone.

“We will begin the first meeting of the Pacific Dungeon Raid shortly, so heroes, please come in.”