A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 7

“Where are you from?”

“What’s your name?”

“I’ve already reviewed up to basic magic….”

Her fellow students who had arrived earlier were chattering excitedly, bonding with one another. Seo Da-yoon wanted to join in, but she was too afraid of ruining the atmosphere and chose to watch from a distance.

She felt a twinge of envy for her classmates who were happily conversing with one another.

Among them, the boy who was capturing everyone’s attention was the one she envied the most.

“Wow, you’re in the same class as Seok-hwan?”

“Our department’s top student is obviously Seok-hwan, right? I’d be happy just to get a 3.5 GPA.”

“I’m so glad I enrolled in Florian. The quality is just different.”

Song Seok-hwan, the heir of the Emergency Guild, one of the top three guilds in Korea.

His stylish yellow hair was heavily waxed, and a strong men’s fragrance wafted toward her from a distance. He was adorned in luxury items worth hundreds at every part of his body.

Someone might have laughed at her ridiculous appearance, but to Seo Da-yoon, he looked like a prince from a fairy tale. On the other hand, she felt she resembled a shabby country girl. It was hard to believe they were in the same class, learning together as equals.

“Is this your first time seeing a celebrity? Am I just a spectacle for you? Shut up and get lost.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Though harsh words spilled from his mouth, there was something captivating about it. The classmates who heard the curse could have felt offended, but they didn’t take it as a problem at all.

He was truly someone living in a different world from Seo Da-yoon.

“Awesome.”

“Look at this girl! Who do you think you’re judging?”

“Eek!”

Seo Da-yoon’s muttering reached the ears of the girl who had been confronting her from behind.

Immediately, the girl, filled with rage, approached her.

“What’s your name?”

“S-Seo Da-yoon…”

“Our major?”

“Y-Yeah…”

Seo Da-yoon answered, feeling completely intimidated.

She didn’t understand why she was being treated this way, but she couldn’t even think of resisting.

“I’ll remember your name. You, looking all nerdy, how dare you….”

As the girl raised her arm, Seo Da-yoon instinctively curled up her body.

Is she going to hit me?

With so many people around, why isn’t anyone stopping this?

What did I do wrong to deserve this?

Well, you know it too. You hit me because I’m weak and easy to pick on.

She squeezed her eyes shut, but it didn’t hurt.

Huh, why is that?

As Seo Da-yoon slowly opened her eyes, she saw a dazzling platinum blonde.

A stranger was holding the arm of the girl who had been confronting her. For reasons unknown, the confrontational girl’s expression was trembling as if she had seen a ghost.

“Be nice to each other, friends.”

“O-Okay….”

As the stranger released her grip, the confrontational girl ran away without looking back.

Who is this person helping me?

She was incredibly beautiful. If Seo Da-yoon was a pebble rolling on the roadside, this sister was a precious gem. She looked like a princess straight out of a fairy tale. She seemed like someone who would fit perfectly beside Song Seok-hwan.

“An Se-ri?”

Just then, Song Seok-hwan, who was looking this way, called her name.

It was clear at once who he was calling. This sister’s name was An Se-ri.

As An Se-ri turned her head toward Song Seok-hwan, the frown that had been on his face relaxed.

“What brings you to our department?”

“I’m looking for someone to take classes with.”

“Huh? What kind of person?”

As Song Seok-hwan growled and looked around, everyone averted their eyes. It was reminiscent of a lion’s roar.

“Someone really strong.”

“Are you talking about that jerk? Park Seo-hu, that annoying guy.”

Park Seo-hu was a name Seo Da-yoon had heard before.

The top prospect of the same generation that the whole world was paying attention to.

He felt more like a celebrity than a student from the same Florian. But seeing how casually An Se-ri mentioned him made it even clearer that the two lived in a world completely different from hers.

“Not right now… but later, I’ll be as strong as Park Seo-hu.”

“Did you really think of me that way? Hehehe… that feels nice. I’ll take the class with you.”

Indeed, a prince should be with a princess.

An Se-ri and Song Seok-hwan, happily attending classes together, working on assignments, checking each other’s answers after exams, and boasting about their scores.

Just imagining them was enough to see how well they matched.

It was a world that the supporting character like Seo Da-yoon could never reach, a world reserved for the protagonists of life.

She didn’t feel envy. No one would be foolish enough to envy characters in a movie while watching it. To Seo Da-yoon, the two felt like characters from a film.

“Huh? Why would I take classes with you?”

“What are you talking about? Who could compare to that guy besides me?”

What’s going on? The atmosphere felt strange.

Wasn’t it supposed to be warm between the two here? Contrary to Seo Da-yoon’s expectations, An Se-ri coldly rejected Song Seok-hwan.

“The person I’m looking for is right here.”

Huh?

Suddenly, something grabbed Seo Da-yoon’s hand.

What is this? Why is this happening?

Thud, thud, thud.

—

Seo Da-yoon’s head turned unnaturally to the side.

A strange feeling washed over me. But no, it can’t be, right? Leaving Song Seok-hwan alone, could it really be…?

“Did you hear what Ahn Se-ri said?”

“They say he’s as strong as Park Seo-hu.”

“Who’s that? I’ve never seen him before.”

The gaze was piercing. It was a kind of intense attention I had never experienced in my life. Is this a lie? When did people start taking an interest in me?

“You’re the one with combat magic, Seo Da-yoon, right?”

“Yes… that’s correct…”

“I found you. Let’s take a class together.”

What? No, wait a minute.

There was clearly a misunderstanding. Soon, someone with the same name would step forward and clarify that it was all a mistake. Yes, yes. That’s definitely what will happen. But why isn’t anyone stepping up?

Ahn Se-ri, holding Seo Da-yoon’s hands with sparkling eyes, Song Seok-hwan glaring at her with a face like burning fire, and the classmates watching this scene with bewildered expressions.

Everything felt new and unfamiliar.

What on earth happened?

* * *

22/40.

The number of students enrolled in my class during the additional course registration period.

“Wow! So we’re not getting canceled now, right?”

Lee Ye-eun, who had secured her position as a teaching assistant, looked noticeably happy. That kid, worrying about me.

The effect of changing the grading to absolute evaluation was immediately evident. To have 22 students enroll in a class like this. Well, two of them I forced to join, so I guess 20 came on their own.

“If the students don’t make any changes during orientation…”

“Come on, no matter how strange the orientation is, do you really think more than 13 will drop out? That’s just unnecessary worry.”

As I began to jot down the specific course content on the whiteboard in front of me, Lee Ye-eun watched intently.

Each practical evaluation would be conducted in groups of 5 or 6, with a clear A+ within 20 minutes, and for every 3 minutes beyond that, A, B+, B… and finally D. If they couldn’t clear it, it would be an F. For a 6-person party, A+ would be for 18 minutes, with the rest of the criteria remaining the same.

“20 minutes? Professor, do you have a dungeon in mind?”

“From the very beginning, the Less Green Monkey Forest, Slime Tunnels, Queen Spider’s Nest, Giant Crab Swarm, and finally, the Werewolf Mountains. How does that sound?”

It was, quite literally, a perfect plan.

I had carefully selected only dungeons with a difficulty level of advanced or higher among the beginner dungeons in the game. Especially, clearing the Werewolf Mountains in 20 minutes with a 5-person party was no easy task, even for seasoned players.

Instead, the above dungeons were famous in this world as well, and information could be easily accessed from the Hero Association database. Gathering data on the dungeons was simple, so researching appropriate strategies in advance wouldn’t be difficult either.

If anyone followed my class properly, they would become the kind of talent desired by every guild.

—

—

I looked at Lee Ye-eun as if to say, “Please praise me.” But why is she looking at me like that?

“Ha, haha… So you were here. A class where more than 13 people dropped out during orientation.”

Lee Ye-eun picked up the whiteboard eraser and scrubbed the board vigorously. I had worked hard on that…

“What are you doing?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know? How can it possibly make sense to conquer the Werewolf Mountains in under 20 minutes!”

Why not? I’ve done it all in the game.

When I looked at her as if to say, “What’s the problem?” Lee Ye-eun screamed.

“My senses are off! Even if we assemble an all-star team of this year’s graduates, we can’t clear it in 20 minutes!”

“Well, you’ve never learned dungeon strategies from the main professor, have you?”

“No! Please, Professor, think again!”

It seemed I had overestimated Lee Ye-eun. She was not a combatant but a researcher, and moreover, not even a playable character.

“Ye-eun, how about a bet?”

“A bet?”

“Ask the students directly. What do they think of my evaluation criteria? The loser buys lunch.”

At that, Lee Ye-eun burst into laughter. It was the laugh of someone confident of victory.

“Get ready. I’m going to eat something expensive for lunch today.”

Of course, that wouldn’t happen.

My goal was not to teach the stragglers.

If a party meant to clear the main story couldn’t handle this much, that would be a problem. Surely, An Se-ri would confidently assert that it was easy enough.

…There were times I thought that way too.

* * *

“I guess we weren’t meant to be. I’ll pass on ‘that item.’”

An Se-ri arrived at my office after being called.

As soon as she heard my lecture evaluation, she unleashed a sharp critique without a moment’s hesitation.

This isn’t right.

“Did I misjudge Se-ri? To back down this easily?”

I had calculated that the prideful An Se-ri would react angrily to my words. But instead of anger, her face showed confusion.

“Um… I didn’t realize you thought that of me, Professor. But still, this isn’t right. How can I attend a class like that?”

Her voice was firm, like a judge in a courtroom.

I didn’t understand. Based on my play experience, I had cleared the early specs of An Se-ri in 7 minutes. The Werewolf Mountains had taken almost 9 minutes, though.

—

Is it because I lack practical experience? I still couldn’t quite grasp the feeling.

“Don’t worry. I will guide you thoroughly.”

“Ah, ah—did you forget what you said last time? Think from the students’ perspective, not the professor’s. If you say that during orientation, all the kids will cancel their courses.”

“Am I wrong? This is how it is.”

As if to prove my point, Lee Ye-eun became buoyant.

It was a statement I didn’t want to agree with, but I had no rebuttal.

The girl who came with Ahn Se-ri covered her mouth with her hand and whispered.

“Is that really hard?”

“If it’s hard, that’s a relief. If five Park Seo-hus gather, they might barely manage.”

“Eek!”

Seo Da-yoon.

She was the girl I had asked Ahn Se-ri to bring to the lecture.

With her pretty, shoulder-length brown hair and large eyes. If Ahn Se-ri was a glamorous rose, Seo Da-yoon was a modest dandelion. Yet, even with Ahn Se-ri beside her, she managed to stand out.

If Lee Ye-eun was a genius in magical theory, Seo Da-yoon was the ultimate in combat magic. All the playable characters were talented prospects, but Seo Da-yoon was the most special among them.

However, due to the brutal early difficulty, without player intervention, death was inevitable. Having Seo Da-yoon by my side until the later stages was essential.

“Then, then I’ll reconsider enrolling…”

“Wait a minute!”

Lee Ye-eun blocked the two who were trying to withdraw. Her reaction was more desperate than mine as a professor.

“Can’t you think a little more about dropping? Once the class actually starts, I’ll adjust the evaluation criteria more realistically.”

“What do you mean? Why would I…?”

As I met Lee Ye-eun’s gaze, my mouth instinctively shut. Her eyes seemed capable of capturing a person. Honestly, I was intimidated.

Ahn Se-ri and Seo Da-yoon exchanged glances and nodded. Ahn Se-ri spoke on behalf of them.

“Well, as long as you conduct the class reasonably, we don’t mind.”

“Really? Thank you!”

It felt strange to be in a situation where a professor had to plead with students to attend a lecture. What kind of K-University is this? Ah, right. This is indeed another world. Perhaps because it’s another world, the university was peculiar too.

By the way, a reasonable class? Isn’t this already quite a reasonable class?

I couldn’t understand why they were making such a fuss.

I didn’t agree, but for now, I was the subordinate. There was no other choice.

“Se-ri, Da-yoon. Thank you for your cooperation. I will try to revise it in a way that you can be satisfied.”

“Then we’ll really see you in class.”

—

“Ah, goodbye…”

The two exchanged farewells and turned away.

By the way, it was unexpected that Seo Da-yoon came along. I had only called An Se-ri. Given the circumstances, it seemed certain that An Se-ri had invited Seo Da-yoon, but had they already become close enough to exchange messages?

Seo Da-yoon was not very sociable, and An Se-ri wouldn’t even glance at someone she deemed of low utility. So, I thought it was impossible for them to become friends, but this was unexpected.

Of course, it wouldn’t be bad for the two to get close. In fact, I was relieved they were getting along.

“Well then, let’s start preparing.”

“Preparing for what?”

“We need to find out what a reasonable class looks like.”

* * *

The first dungeon to be used for my class, the Less Green Monkey Forest.

To be precise, it’s not ‘Less Green Monkey’ ‘Forest.’ It’s ‘Less Green’ ‘Monkey Forest.’ The name came from the leaves being less green, meaning they were sky blue. If that’s the case, they might as well have called it the Sky Blue Monkey Forest.

“Professor, can we start from here?”

“Sure, I’m counting on you today.”

“Yes! I’ll show you a good performance.”

In the end, what I came up with was to take the students directly and time how long it would take.

All were third and fourth-year students. I formed a party consisting only of those ranked in the top ten of their entire year. They gathered in droves, lured by the community service hours they needed to complete for graduation. Lee Ye-eun’s help was significant in this.

“Senior Ye-eun, hello.”

“I’m not a senior anymore; I’m a teaching assistant now. Call me Assistant Ye-eun.”

“What? That doesn’t suit you at all.”

“Is this mouth just for babbling?”

“Ow! That hurts!”

Lee Ye-eun was confident that even if the freshmen attended my lecture, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with these guys.

Of course, this year’s first-years were said to be the best in Florian’s history, so it might not be the case, but I couldn’t dismiss the upperclassmen who had spent several years at the academy. I could just think of these guys’ records as A+.

“Let’s wrap this up quickly and go eat.”

“Okay!”

Indeed, it was the confidence of skilled individuals.

From the entrance of the dungeon, the welcoming committee was fierce. The two-tailed monkeys inhabiting this place were not strong monsters individually. However, their numbers made them tricky to deal with.

“Haap!”

While the warrior drew aggro in front, the wizard prepared spells from the back. Area spells were a good means when facing multiple targets. But the opponents were not favorable.

—Kiiiii!

The monkeys, sensing the magic, quickly scattered. The wizard was flustered.

“Uh, uh?”

The magic, now uncertain of where to aim, headed toward the spot where the monkeys had gathered. A few could be caught, but the reward was meager compared to the magic used.

The student in the center began to direct.

“Stay calm! They may be quick on their feet, but they’re not much to worry about, so just catch them one by one! No need to rush!”

There’s a saying that if you see one, you can guess the ten.

Without needing to see more, a rough estimate emerged. The level of this party, how many minutes it would take to clear, and so on.

To cut to the chase, I had been under a grand delusion all this time.

My clear record when playing Florian Rhapsody? That was a record built from grinding through countless attempts. How many minutes was it when I first played?

I must have died at least a hundred times before seeing the first ending. In other words, I was someone who had been reborn a hundred times. But these creatures had only one life.

That’s right.

Right now, these guys were no different from me during my first playthrough, a newbie just starting the game.

“Professor! It’s all over!”

“31 minutes and 13 seconds! Aren’t we super fast?”

Fast, my foot. You newbie brats. If you keep this up, you’ll all be dead before the story even hits the halfway mark.

“What do you think, Professor? They’re doing pretty well, right? And yet they still get a C+ by your standards. It’s clearly wrong, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. It’s disgustingly wrong.”

These guys probably weren’t particularly incompetent.

The freshmen, or the playable characters, could also be seen as newbies. My situation, having to raise such characters to save the world, was fundamentally flawed.

Unaware of my feelings, Lee Ye-eun and the party members were celebrating their performance. Watching them made my insides churn. It seemed my plan might have been wrong from the very start.

Today, I suddenly craved a drink. A strong one, at that.

Chapter 5. Orientation

The long winter had passed, and spring had arrived.

The weather was still chilly, but spring carried a symbolic meaning.

The season of beginnings, spring.

Everything I had done until now was nothing. From here on out was the prologue of the game. I had to keep the playable characters alive as much as possible amidst the intrigues and ambushes that would unfold within Florian, against all manner of evil.

After that, the ultimate goal was to form a party to save the world.

“Wow, seeing the freshmen brings back memories. Those were such fun times. There was so much I wanted to do.”

Lee Ye-eun gazed out the window, reminiscing.

She looked as cute as a baby just shedding the label of a freshman, but her words felt like fossils. Well, she had graduated from the academy and entered the lab, so I guess she was a fossil after all.

“Looks like you’re relaxed. Is the research going well?”

“Of course! I’m completely at ease.”

That was reassuring. Lee Ye-eun’s research was more important than she realized. It would serve as a stepping stone for humanity’s growth.

Now that I understood the playable characters couldn’t perform as well as I hoped, I desperately needed to level up my skills.

“Have you prepared everything for the class, Professor?”

“A little bit.”

“Come on, isn’t that a bit too relaxed?”

In truth, it was just bravado. I had practiced alone several times when Lee Ye-eun wasn’t around, worried I might make a mistake or look awkward. I had even written a script, but I discarded it now. If I got caught, it would be so embarrassing.

Glancing at my wristwatch, I realized it was almost time for the lecture.

“I should get going.”

“Have a good time.”

Lee Ye-eun sat naturally on the sofa, seeing me off. She gestured for me to leave, indicating she would lock the door, but perhaps not understanding, she just tilted her head in confusion.

Does she think my office is some kind of study room?

Thinking it over, I realized there wasn’t really a reason to send her away. There was nothing to hide, and Lee Ye-eun wasn’t the type to cause trouble.

“Don’t cause any problems while I’m gone.”

“Yes!”

I stepped out of the professor’s office, pretending to be calm, but inside I was trembling.

Would I be able to do well? I used to shake even during a five-minute presentation in school. Back then, the students barely listened anyway.

But now, I had to give a four-hour lecture.

As a professor, no less. The thought of everyone focusing on my words and taking notes doubled the pressure. What if I stuttered? If I bit my tongue, I’d want to die from embarrassment.

Amidst all these thoughts, I found myself in front of the lecture hall.

Was I really going to go in without being mentally prepared? Should I just turn back?

Damn it, I don’t know.

Staying here and wallowing in my anxiety wouldn’t help me prepare at all. I wasn’t going to be here forever. I’d figure it out once I went in.

As I opened the lecture hall door and stepped inside, about forty pairs of eyes turned toward me.

—Is that our professor?