A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 73

“It’s fine. Since we’ll be seeing each other often, it wouldn’t hurt to give a little etiquette lesson.”

“…Soyeon is not an ordinary child. I know you’re an impressive professor, but Soyeon is definitely not an easy opponent.”

Lixiao’s words were not empty.

The fact that he had come here, surpassing not only his peers but also experts from across vast China, indicated that he was no ordinary child.

Though, at best, he was merely the best in China.

He was not my match.

“Are you okay if I handle this a bit roughly?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes…”

The competition didn’t take long.

After confirming the given conditions, we entered the simulator and each input our strategies.

Of course, the results were predictable.

Jae-gal Soyeon’s result was 2 minutes and 39 seconds.

Mine was 44 seconds.

A clean and decisive victory for me.

“Th-this is absurd…”

“I said it’s best of three, right?”

“Ugh…”

The next match was no different.

I finished over three times faster than Jae-gal Soyeon’s record.

It was a complete victory with no room for excuses.

“So, what do you have to say?”

“I-I lost…”

“You spoke of honor, yet you’re the one breaking even the promise you just made.”

“…I lost.”

Jae-gal So-yeon fled to her room, her voice trembling.

Rie Shao couldn’t hide her surprise.

“I must have misunderstood the professor. No one on the continent could break that child’s pride.”

“I see.”

“She has her rough edges, but she is by no means a bad child.”

In my mind, I could roughly picture the growth process Jae-gal So-yeon had gone through.

She was exceptional.

It was only natural that she stood out among her peers, and there was no adult who surpassed her either.

With no one to rein her in, her pride grew stronger by the day, resulting in the Jae-gal So-yeon we see now.

Yet, her name was absent from my memory.

She was not a named NPC.

The reason was obvious.

Like countless heroes, she had met her fate here.

“A hidden NPC that doesn’t appear in the game, is that it?”

I was curious.

If that child survives and grows, what kind of person would she become?

* * *

Half a day later, the members of the Unicorn guild returned.

In the meantime, I slowly reviewed the recorded footage from the advance team.

A massive vortex had lifted the destroyer.

The gate wasn’t kindly letting them through; it seemed the heroes of the Unicorn were using magic to move directly.

Lee Ye-eun marveled.

“Wow, they really are S-class heroes.”

The return of the advance team was much quicker than expected.

While it was partly due to the party being composed of skilled members from the Unicorn, the ease of recording information through video magic played a significant role.

“Professor Cha!”

The returning Edeline was looking for me.

She had a curious expression on her face.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you. But when did you create this kind of magic? You must have researched it for years…”

“Since yesterday.”

“What?”

Edeline asked back with a bewildered expression.

“No, you must be joking. How could something like this be made overnight?”

“It works when you put in the effort.”

Of course, I hadn’t put in the effort.

It was all my disciples who had worked hard.

“I see. By the way, I heard you’ve been put in charge of the first raid.”

“Yes.”

“I wish you good luck. If it were anyone else, I would have advised against it, but I think you’ll manage well, Professor Cha.”

“Thank you.”

According to the information confirmed by the advance team, it was estimated that this dungeon had at least ten stages.

The advance team had gathered information only up to stage 6.

The original plan was to send the first raid tomorrow, but the command decided to change the plan to send the first raid this evening, using the excuse that the advance team had arrived early.

The target was to conquer stage 2.

The plan was to start stage 3 tomorrow morning.

Naturally, there was fierce opposition.

“Are you joking? In such a tight timeframe, it’s not even stage 1, but stage 2?”

“This is impossible!”

However, the command’s decision did not change.

Chairman Daniel, Commander Christian, and Commander John Dickel all insisted on the same policy.

Several heroes spoke to the Chinese hero, Liexiao.

“Liexiao, you should say something too.”

“Right. If it’s Liexiao’s words, wouldn’t they listen?”

However, Liexiao showed a different reaction than they had expected.

“Why do you assert that it’s impossible?”

“Well, that is…”

“I don’t think it’s an impossible goal.”

For a brief moment, his gaze met mine.

Perhaps the duel with Jeongal So-yeon had left a strong impression, as he was sending me boundless trust.

I was grateful for that expectation.

So, I should repay it adequately.

Chairman Daniel approached me.

“Professor Cha, we plan to send the attack team in an hour. Is that alright with you?”

“Not a problem.”

“Ah, it’s reassuring to hear you say that, especially given the tight timeline.”

It seemed he was aware that this was a rather unscrupulous decision.

But that was fine.

I was used to being pressed for time.

I entered the command room.

The screens displayed footage from inside the dungeon, filled with information analyzed by world-class experts.

The quality was quite impressive.

“What a peculiar dungeon.”

Typically, the name of a dungeon is crafted to encapsulate the entire theme of the place.

So, this dungeon had yet to be named.

We referred to it as the ‘Pacific Dungeon’ as a placeholder.

The Pacific Dungeon was situated in the middle of the ocean, accessible only by boat, which made it submerged underwater.

For heroes who had only fought on land until now, this terrain felt very unfamiliar.

Even I wasn’t accustomed to such a form.

“Should we use the destroyer like a large plank?”

The destroyer wouldn’t be able to function inside the dungeon, but at least it could float and carry people on top.

Lee Ye-eun asked.

“But the destroyer can’t even move.”

“The warriors can row.”

“Really? Puhut.”

Lee Ye-eun chuckled softly.

It might seem like a ridiculous sight, but it was better than wasting magic for no reason.

Moreover, in underwater combat, it was more efficient to focus on mages or archers rather than deploying warriors, who would be limited in their movements.

The role of the warriors was simply to protect the battleship while rowing.

“Next, the mages…”

Clank—

The door swung open, and an uninvited guest barged in.

It was the genius girl from China, Zhuge So-yeon.

“Why are you here?”

“Well, um… you see…”

Zhuge So-yeon fidgeted, her hands and feet restless, clearly anxious.

Lee Ye-eun spoke in a kind voice.

“Hey, is something wrong?”

“I have no business with you.”

“Uh, what?”

Caught off guard by the sudden confrontation, Lee Ye-eun was left speechless.

Of course, it wasn’t meant as a challenge. That was just her habitual way of speaking.

Even so, she had no intention of graciously accommodating an impolite intruder.

“As you can see, I’m busy. If it’s not important, let’s talk later.”

In other words, it was a request to leave.

Lee Ye-eun stuck her tongue out at Zhuge So-yeon in retaliation.

Zhuge So-yeon shot her a fierce glare in response.

How childish they were being.

Soon, Zhuge So-yeon revealed the purpose of her visit.

“I want to learn from you.”

“What?”

“Admit it. Right now, I’m way behind you. So, I want to assist you during this dungeon raid and learn.”

“That last part was informal.”

“I want to.”

It wasn’t a bad proposal for me either.

If we successfully completed this raid, my role in the expedition would gradually increase, keeping me busier.

Having a capable assistant would make things significantly easier.

Moreover, Zhuge So-yeon was a member of the Lishaow Guild.

Here, if Jeonggak So-yeon gets what she wants, it would be a favor to Li Xiaow.

“If you wish to learn, try making me your master.”

“Got it, yo.”

Jeonggak So-yeon began to bow with precision.

Lee Ye-eun asked in a small voice.

“Do you know what she’s trying to do? That’s called a ‘gubaeji-rye,’ right?”

Gubaeji-rye? I don’t know either.

I had only seen gubaeji-rye in martial arts novels, so I didn’t actually know how it was done.

As Jeonggak So-yeon finished her bow, Lee Ye-eun asked.

“Isn’t gubaeji-rye supposed to be done nine times?”

Jeonggak So-yeon clicked her tongue.

“Do you carry a stone on your shoulder or something?”

“What? If you’re now a professor’s disciple, show some respect to your senior!”

“Do you really think someone like you should be treated as a guest?”

Jeonggak So-yeon looked at me as if questioning whether that was really necessary.

Since it was tiring to watch them bicker, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to establish some hierarchy now.

I nodded.

“Make sure to show respect.”

“…Alright, yo. Then you should carry a stone on your shoulder too, yo? What I did was just a bow, yo. And gubaeji-rye is…”

“Professor, she’s saying bad things about me! Please scold her!”

What is she trying to do, really?

Both of them were just kids.

“Let’s stop the jokes and get to work. Jeonggak So-yeon, how would you strategize with this number of people?”

Jeonggak So-yeon’s expression turned serious.

Without hesitation, she answered.

“First, we’ll modify the destroyer into a suitable form. We’ll remove everything except for its ability to float and transport heroes, and then the hunters will transport them using physical strength.”

“While moving with magic would be the easiest, since the mages need to lead the assault in this dungeon, it might be better for the warriors to row or swim.”

Up to this point, I agreed with her.

Jeonggak So-yeon continued to assert her points without pause.

“Stage 1 may seem like the giant sea monsters are the main enemies, but they’re not. They’re large and only a bit stronger, with simple patterns and no debuffs, so they can be taken down easily.”

“The first obstacle is that school of fish over there. They’ll unknowingly gnaw at the base of the battleship, stealing the heroes’ foothold. So, it’s crucial for the warriors to take turns guarding that area.”

“The second obstacle is the sections where the seawater suddenly speeds up. It’s a zone where monsters increase rapidly, so special caution is needed. I recommend gathering all the mages to the center of the ship while the warriors keep watch in all directions.”

“The last obstacle is that red seawater. That red liquid, which dissolves everything it touches, seems to require the tankers to push it back directly.”

In a short time, the key points were well summarized.

There were a few immature aspects, but it was indeed at a level worthy of being called the best in China.

“The first strategy is okay. I think the same.”

Whether my acknowledgment made her happy or not, Jeongal So-yeon clenched her fist.

“The second one… isn’t a terrible method.”

“Not terrible… you say?”

“It’s not the best option. I’d like to give you time to think leisurely, but the situation doesn’t allow for that.”

“Th-That can’t be….”

“So-yeon said it’s the section where the seawater speeds up, but that’s not quite right. It’s about time, not sections.”

“Time… you mean?”

“Yeah. The currents in this dungeon change speed according to time. From here, take a look at the video. At one hour, it’s 13 minutes and 30 seconds, 14 minutes and 20 seconds, 15 minutes and 10 seconds. Do you see the difference? Break it down into one-second intervals.”

“Y-Yes, yes.”

“Can you see how the seawater manifests differently? But why does the report look like this?”

I found a problem.

Comparing the video and the report, the report was a mess.

Why is the report brought by the experts so poorly done?

Well, these guys have always been like that.

I had momentarily forgotten.

Even in the game, when I had NPCs analyze high-difficulty dungeons, they often returned with terrible reports.

“Tsk, now that I see it, the quality of the report is a disaster. There’s nothing recorded in seconds.”

I was used to this kind of work, but for them, it was their first time analyzing a dungeon through video, so such a mistake was understandable.

Still, considering their reputation as the world’s top experts, it was disappointing.

Jeongal So-yeon asked.

“Master… do you usually do it like that?”

“Like how?”

“Like, analyzing the video and strategies while timing it down to the second….”

“No. Surely that can’t be?”

“Ha, I guess that’s true?”

“If you measure so inaccurately, there will be errors, and you won’t get proper data. You need to include decimal points.”

“Y-yes?”

“If you’ve been in the habit of measuring in seconds until now, you need to change that.”

There was no color in Jeongal So-yeon’s face.

It seemed the air in the room was chilly for her.

She slowly opened her mouth.

“B-but… Master, you didn’t even rewind the video or slow it down; you watched it at four times speed. Yet you say you analyzed it down to the decimal?”

“You’re asking something strange. That’s basic, isn’t it?”

“Is that… so?”

Lee Ye-eun whispered into Jeongal So-yeon’s ear.

“That’s just how the professor is. You’ll have to get used to it.”

It was a statement I couldn’t quite grasp, but if you’re going to whisper, at least do it quietly enough that I can’t hear.

“Anyway, it’s better to avoid confrontation and just find a way around it. The third red seawater is…”

That is the ‘red current.’

I had seen it so many times in the game that I already knew the solution, but it would be strange to act like I knew here, so I played dumb for now.

“…Since the information we have is lacking, we’ll need to see it for ourselves. After deploying the raid party, let’s investigate the strategy in a bit more detail.”

Saying the information was lacking was a lie.

This place was filled with the world’s top experts.

It wasn’t a good idea to reveal information from sources that couldn’t be disclosed.

“Now, let’s look at Stage 2. Stage 2 doesn’t have minor traps, but the monsters’ levels are high. With the current firepower of the raid party, it will be tough.”

“So what should we do?”

“We need to gather all the firepower we can. We’ll assemble a new party with the dealers from the three parties. The rest will support them.”

“Y-yes?”

Jeongal So-yeon was shocked. She vehemently opposed it.

“That’s ridiculous! Gathering the dealers in one place goes against the basic principles of strategy!”

“It’s fine. There are no enemies specialized in ranged attacks, so the dealer party won’t be exposed to threats.”

“B-but still, in real combat, there’s always a possibility of ‘what if.’ It’s better to keep a few tanks close…”

“That’s even more dangerous. If the dealer party has too many numbers, they’ll easily attract aggro. The melee classes should stay far away and diligently draw aggro away from the dealers.”

“Haah, I understand.”

Jae-gal So-yeon looked skeptical, but she nodded for now.

Part of her was convinced by my logic, and part of her felt there were no alternatives.

So-yeon and I continued discussing the detailed composition.

Lee Ye-eun initially tried to act like she knew a bit, but when she couldn’t keep up, she just stood by quietly watching.

Time passed, and the strategy was completed.

Clunk—

The sound of the door opening was heard.

Edelin entered.

“Professor, it’s time for the raid team to depart.”

“Understood.”

Now, the real beginning starts.

* * *

The heroes summoned for the first raid gathered.

I began the tactical briefing in front of them.

“Temporary designation: Pacific Dungeon. This is an underwater dungeon. You all may not be familiar with it. You will board this destroyer and set off on your expedition.”

One of the heroes raised a question.

“Isn’t it impossible to operate the engine inside the dungeon?”

“Yes. It is impossible.”

Murmurs filled the room—

The hero who asked the initial question pressed on.