A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 75

Of course, I had no intention of doing so.

Where I belong is the academy, and my role is that of a professor.

What I need is a force that can protect me from getting entangled in annoyances and can act when necessary.

If I were to get involved with a politician like Daniel, he would inevitably try to manipulate me to his will.

But where is Daniel? What is he doing?

Everyone is celebrating the victory, yet the president of the Hero Association has yet to show his face.

“Where is the president?”

“Well, I haven’t seen him since earlier.”

In Daniel’s place appeared Andrew, an executive of the Hero Association.

“Thank you for your hard work. Your efforts will be remembered in history.”

“Hey, Andrew. Where’s the president?”

“Surely the professor invited by the unicorn isn’t sulking like a little shrimp just because he’s not here?”

At someone’s words, the ship erupted in laughter.

Only the heroes closely tied to the American Hero Association couldn’t laugh and turned red.

Andrew replied calmly.

“The president is unwell and is currently resting.”

“Wasn’t he perfectly fine just a moment ago? Is he suffering from a fit of rage?”

The ship once again erupted in laughter.

Andrew left without retorting, merely repeating that the president was ill like a parrot.

Cho Sung-woong spoke up.

“With a leader of the Hero Association so petty, it’s no wonder. Tsk tsk.”

Petty?

That can’t be true.

Daniel is always ready to cut off his allies like a lizard.

That bat-like man would strike the backs of all the guilds that follow him, depending on the situation, and align himself with the unicorn.

—

In fact, there was such a route in the game as well.

If Daniel is who I know him to be, he should have been making moves to recruit me by now.

This is precisely the moment when the atmosphere is heating up, and acting overly friendly would be the most typical behavior of Daniel, the chairman.

The fact that he’s lying down right now might mean…

A thought flickered through my mind.

“Professor Jo, could you lean in for a moment?”

I quietly conveyed my thoughts to Jo Sung-woong.

I wasn’t certain, but it was a speculation with enough possibility.

Jo Sung-woong’s eyes widened at my words.

“C-could it be? Is Professor Cha mistaken?”

“It’s just a guess. Nothing is certain yet.”

“Then, what should we do?”

“Just follow my instructions.”

It wouldn’t hurt to be prepared.

Preventing an incident before it happens is important.

* * *

In the deep of night, inside a room on the ship.

There were Andrew and two S-class heroes from the United States.

All of them wore rings engraved with the symbol SH.

This was akin to a membership badge for the terrorist organization, SH.

SH.

Though known to the public as a terrorist organization, that was merely a label slapped on by ignorant fools who knew nothing.

Awakened beings, superhumans, are a superior race evolved from humans.

It is the natural order for superhumans to dominate inferior humans.

Though currently bearing the stigma of a terrorist organization, soon the world will call SH a prophet.

“Now is the perfect opportunity. With most of the S-class heroes in the Pacific right now… we could easily turn America into a sea of flames.”

“If we turn America into a sea of flames, our comrades will surely increase.”

“Exactly. All awakened beings know the truth. We are superior, and they are inferior. But they are merely brainwashed by the false morals instilled by inferior humans.”

Andrew chuckled heartily.

The grand plan has already begun.

—

I had no doubt that soon the awakened ones around the world would understand the meaning of SH.

If only we could successfully bind the heroes’ feet here in the Pacific dungeon, everything would be resolved.

The variable was Cha Eun-woo, that guy.

Cha Eun-woo’s presence had made the pace of conquering the dungeon abnormally fast.

If things continued like this, it would be troublesome.

“It’s a sad night. To think we have to kill an exceptional superhuman with our own hands.”

Killing Chairman Daniel was something Andrew had no qualms about.

In fact, he was almost pleased by it.

Daniel was the worst kind of human, inferior and utterly incompetent.

Andrew had always regretted making him the head of the association.

No matter how grand the vision, it was hard to watch such a man treat superhumans with disdain.

But Cha Eun-woo was different from Chairman Daniel.

He was an exceptional talent capable of leading future superhumans.

However, the way he used that exceptional ability was misguided.

Even if it was unintentional, obstructing SH’s plans was something that could not be tolerated.

“I will kill Cha Eun-woo. Then the conquest will be significantly delayed. If things go well, the expedition team might just fall apart.”

“Yes.”

They erased their presence and moved to Cha Eun-woo’s room.

He was making a noble sacrifice for the world of superhumans.

Andrew resolved to commemorate him after changing the world.

The SH members opened the door and entered the room.

Andrew silently drew his dagger.

Cha Eun-woo lay on the bed.

‘Everything is for the superhumans!’

Andrew struck down with the dagger like lightning.

Then a fierce metallic sound echoed.

Clang-!

“……!”

It was not the sound of flesh being pierced, but of metal.

In that moment, the SH members realized that everything had gone wrong.

Flash!

The room lit up.

As the lights turned on, Andrew could see the camera in the corner of the room.

He had intended to kill without anyone knowing, but now there was undeniable evidence left behind.

Only then could he grasp the true nature of the situation.

“…You knew we were coming.”

“Yeah. From your perspective, it seems this was the only choice you had.”

He thought from our perspective?

That statement sounded as if the SH agents had known from the very beginning that they were hiding among the expedition team.

How could that be?

Now that it had come to this, there was only one way forward.

All SH agents were S-rank heroes.

He had no choice but to forcibly kill Cha Eun-woo and escape──

Swish!

“Gah!”

It was a swift movement.

The head of one SH agent flew off.

No matter how much of a surprise attack it was, there weren’t many heroes capable of instantly killing an S-rank hero.

Andrew and the other agents tensed up, their gazes drawn to their fallen comrade.

There stood Professor Jo Seong-woong.

A former S-rank hero of Korea.

“Repeat after me: you’re all dead. Who dares to touch Professor Cha?”

Andrew quickly racked his brain.

In his active days, he was merely the fourth-ranked hero in Korea.

Moreover, now he was just a retired professor.

It was hard to comprehend that one of his subordinates had died so easily at the hands of such a man.

‘He must have skills specialized for ambushes.’

Ambushes are only effective in situations where one is unaware.

If you know an attack is coming, it’s not threatening at all.

“Kill him!”

“Yes!”

At Andrew’s command, the SH agent lunged at Jo Sung-woong.

Earlier, they had used underhanded tactics, but now it wouldn’t be so easy.

An old man, dulled by retirement, could never stand against a current hero.

“Professor Cha, it was good that you pulled us out, but your response was lacking! You left just that old man behind! His weapons are no longer effective!”

“Weapons?”

“Yes! He must have skills specialized for ambush… uh, uh?”

Swish—!

The sound of a blade slicing through skin echoed.

In just five exchanges, the SH agent’s head was severed.

Andrew gaped in shock at his subordinate’s lifeless body.

“How… how is this possible? He was only ranked fourth in Korea during his prime…”

“Heh, it’s true I haven’t caught any monsters like those above me.”

“Monsters?”

“But I’ve never lost to a person in my life, that’s what I’m saying.”

There were swordsmen who had higher rankings than Jo Sung-woong during his active years.

However, only Jo Sung-woong was called a master swordsman.

Anyone who had faced Jo Sung-woong in a duel would unanimously agree.

No human could defeat Jo Sung-woong in a one-on-one match.

Yet, Jo Sung-woong could only exert his strength in one-on-one situations.

Lacking the ability to subdue multiple foes at once, he had achieved little as a hero hunting monsters, given his capabilities.

“Are you going to charge at me too?”

It was incomprehensible.

Why had it come to this?

Everything was for the sake of superior humanity; we had to complete our mission here for the greater good.

How did Cha Eun-woo know about the ambush in advance?

Could there be a traitor within SH?

Andrew had always believed that his comrades were trustworthy.

The thought of a traitor among them was utterly unfathomable.

Yet, the situation had become one where he could only think there must be a traitor.

Who on earth.

Dares to interfere with the resurgence of the superhuman?

“Uaaah!”

Andrew let out a beastly scream and lunged at Jo Sung-woong.

There was no need to swing a sword.

As Jo Sung-woong lightly tripped him, Andrew fell.

“Ugh, ugh!”

“Weren’t we both S-class? Why are you so weak?”

Jo Sung-woong pressed his foot down on Andrew’s back.

As overwhelming force bore down on him, Andrew felt as if his entire body was bound and could not move.

“Damn it, damn it…!”

Cha Eun-woo looked down at Andrew and said,

“I think we have a lot to talk about.”

* * *

Jo Sung-woong easily subdued Andrew and his subordinates.

It was worth trusting and keeping them on standby.

Andrew’s face turned crimson, perhaps out of frustration at the situation.

“How did you know we were coming!”

“It seems you haven’t grasped the situation yet.”

With a firm push of his foot, Jo Sung-woong made Andrew’s expression turn pale.

Andrew gasped for breath, choking.

Before long, he lowered his tail.

“…How did you know we would attack?”

There was still room for more punishment, but compared to his initial arrogant tone, he had become somewhat more bearable.

As I raised my hand to signal, Jo Sung-woong relaxed his grip.

Then Andrew’s complexion began to return.

“You must have some idea, right?”

“Grrk!”

Andrew’s mind must be in turmoil.

—

Perhaps there was a high possibility that he was thinking about a traitor.

Of course, there was no traitor.

However, Andrew, who was unaware of the truth, must have had the seeds of distrust sprouting in his heart.

If it were up to me, I would want him to pay for the evil deeds he committed right away, but I had to hold back.

Striking the pawn here held no meaning.

What I was after was the big fish.

I needed to use this guy as bait to draw out all those behind him.

“There’s a Korean proverb that says, ‘It’s good for the sister and good for the brother-in-law.’ I’m happy to get rid of Chairman Daniel, who constantly interferes with me, and he’s happy to get rid of you, who’s been a nuisance. How wonderful is that?”

“Who are you calling ‘that guy’?”

“What does it matter to a dead man?”

Andrew was a well-known hero in America during his active years.

As such, he must have held quite a position in SH as well.

If I could shake Andrew here, it would create great chaos in SH.

“Yeah… I see…”

Andrew wore a displeasing smile.

When I feigned confusion, he grinned.

“Professor Cha, if there’s a next time, it would be better not to capture him clumsily but to subdue him completely. Well, there probably won’t be a next time.”

“What are you talking about… huh?”

Swoosh—

Andrew’s body became transparent and soon vanished.

Jo Seong-woong and I pretended to be surprised.

“Professor Cha, w-what on earth just happened? He disappeared!”

“It seems he had a trump card after all.”

“Damn it, I let my guard down…”

“No, I should have been a bit more careful.”

“Damn, damn…”

Jo Seong-woong suddenly surged forward, trying to bang his head against the wall.

This guy was too immersed.

I understood his desire to deliver a great performance, but that was enough now.

“It’s okay to stop. He’s probably gone by now.”

“Is that so?”

Jo Seong-woong laughed heartily, as if to say he had never been gloomy.

“Well, it seems everything is going just as Professor Cha said! It’s truly a ghostly affair.”

The skill Andrew used was called Ghosting.

It was one of the skills developed by SH, designed to suppress one’s presence and render the body invisible.

Ghosting cannot be released at will until a certain time has passed, making it nearly impossible to use in combat; it is primarily a skill for escape.

Of course, there was a reason for letting it go.

“Did you properly cast the tracking magic?”

“Of course. He definitely won’t have a clue.”

I had asked Jo Seong-woong to attach a magic circle behind Andrew so that he wouldn’t notice.

It was a tracking spell developed yesterday with Lee Ye-eun, and its performance was so exceptional that it could not be detected by any ordinary means.

This was also one of the spells that future Lee Ye-eun would develop.

“Hehe, by the way, how did Professor Cha know there was a spy?”

“About half of it was just a lucky guess. I didn’t think Chairman Daniel’s disappearance was a coincidence.”

It was a somewhat vague excuse, but Jo Seong-woong nodded without a hint of doubt.

“Indeed, those who are meant to succeed will succeed no matter what.”

His unwavering trust made me feel guilty for lying.

Yet, this was a necessary lie.

My initial plan was to conquer the dungeon as quickly as possible and send the expedition team to America, but now it seemed I needed to revise that plan.

The dungeon conquest was progressing much more smoothly than in the game, giving the expedition team some breathing room.

Having discovered their base through the tracking magic, there was no need to wait for them to carry out a terror attack before striking back.

Once I had located their base, that was the end of it.

It was time to move my strongest piece, the Queen.

* * *

Inside the cabin where three commanders were gathered.

I explained everything that had happened to them.

“How… could this be?”

Edelin, having heard the full story, was at a loss for words.

Chairman Daniel had been murdered, and the identity of the culprit, Director Andrew, was that of a spy from SH.

It was an unbelievable situation, but there was clear evidence left behind that Andrew had attacked me.

“Seems like it’s really true.”

“That damn old man! How could he screw us over like this….”

The expedition’s commander, Christian, and John Dickel were outraged.

The fact that the American Heroes Association had danced to SH’s tune was certainly not good news for them.

“Professor, let me make it clear: this is the first we’re hearing of it.”

“Right! We have no connection to those SH b*stards.”

“Convincing me isn’t that important.”

As I chuckled, they exchanged glances, bewildered by what I was saying.

“The important thing is how the public will perceive this.”

Only then did their faces turn ashen.

Everyone knew that Director Andrew was Daniel’s closest aide.

This meant that there was a high likelihood that all policies put forth by Daniel had been shaped in a specific direction by SH.

Of course, that direction was one that benefited SH.

Christian and John Dickel had always been the ones at the forefront supporting the Heroes Association.

Naturally, if all the facts were made public, it was painfully obvious how their perception would shift.

In the worst-case scenario, they would be framed as no different from SH’s spies.

“Uh, Commander Edeline, you know of our innocence, right?”

“Yes! We’ve always fought together on the front lines for humanity!”

The public’s framing is a truly terrifying shackle.

If a plausible image exists and it becomes public discourse, the truth becomes irrelevant, and that image solidifies.

Clarifying the situation becomes impossible.

No matter how much truth is presented, the speed at which clarifications spread pales in comparison to the speed of controversy.

Moreover, Christian and John Dickel were indeed the ones who had acted as the Association’s lapdogs for their own benefit.

In essence, they had no reason to feel wronged even if such a frame became known to the public.

This made it even easier for them to gain the upper hand.

“I have a proposal for you two.”

“A, a proposal?”

“I’ll minimize the fallout you face from this issue.”

The two of them rolled their eyes around.

No matter how much they pondered, there would only be one conclusion.

The conclusion was that I was the only one who could throw them a lifeline.

“…What are the conditions?”

The question I had been waiting to hear came from John Dickel’s lips.

My answer was simple.

“Please grant me full command of this Pacific dungeon.”

“W-What!”

“Huh?”

The two of them stood up in shock.

John Dickel shouted.

“That’s absurd! What kind of command can a professor who doesn’t even have the skills to enter the dungeon give?”

“The times have changed. Haven’t you seen that one can command even without entering the dungeon?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“But Professor Cha! Do you think the other heroes will accept this? Will they willingly follow your orders as their commander?”

“I have sufficiently demonstrated my abilities.”

“Hmm…”

Despite their outward expressions, they had already made up their minds.

They knew well that the losses from being entangled with SH were far greater than the gains from succeeding in this dungeon raid as a commander.

In the end, the two accepted my proposal.

“Alright. We will transfer all authority as commanders to Professor Cha.”

“But you must keep your promises.”

“Thank you.”

Now that I had received command, the dungeon raid was practically resolved.

All that remained was to eliminate SH and protect the American mainland.

“I have a request for the Unicorn Guild Master.”

“A request, you say?”

“I placed a tracking spell and let Andrew go. As a result, I found SH’s stronghold.”

“Is that true?”

Edelin’s eyes widened in surprise.

Despite SH’s numerous heinous acts, they had been so elusive that we couldn’t catch them.

Pinning down their tail was a significant achievement.

“SH must strike first before terrorizing America. Lead the members of the Unicorn and take care of them.”

Given that SH was planning an assault on the mainland, they must possess formidable strength that cannot be ignored.

The only card that could decisively deal with SH was the Unicorn.

Christian opposed it.

“Wait a minute! Without the Unicorn, it’ll be tough to conquer the dungeon.”

“You don’t need to worry. It’s just an SS-level dungeon. This number of troops is more than enough.”

“Just? More than enough?”

The objective was to conquer an SS-level dungeon.

The available forces consisted of hundreds of S-level heroes.

Considering the difficulty of the task at hand, the conditions were too favorable.

It was a luxurious setup that one could hardly imagine in a game.

If someone were to fail the conquest under such conditions, it would be forever impossible to see the ending with any playable character in the game.

“Yes. I will finish it within a week.”

* * *

The dungeon conquest proceeded smoothly.

With all three commanders stepping down and me becoming the Supreme Commander, there were initially more voices of concern.

However, as the conquest unfolded step by step under my orders, and with the support of the former commanders, Christian and John Dickel, no one voiced dissatisfaction anymore.

“Good job.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Professor!”

After successfully completing the conquest today, I embraced each of the heroes from the raid one by one.

The first hug with Rie Xiao was an impulsive act born from joy.

But when the second raid returned, the leader—a female hunter from France—requested a hug, and I lightly accepted.

From that moment on, it became a promise that I would embrace the heroes who returned successfully.

So far, a total of seven raids had gone in and completed their missions successfully.

Today marked the end of the Stage 10 conquest.

According to the information brought by the new advance team, the Pacific Dungeon has a total of 15 stages.

As of today, there are five stages remaining.

Now that we were entering the latter half of the dungeon, the difficulty would significantly increase.

The expedition team took a day off in preparation for tomorrow’s attack.

“For that reason, we need to strike to the right here. Do you understand?”

“Got it.”

During the break, I taught Jegal So-yeon in the conference room.

At first, I only intended to teach her what was necessary for this dungeon, but she absorbed everything at an astonishing learning pace.

I found joy in teaching, so I shared various things during each break. Jegal So-yeon simplified even the difficult concepts effortlessly.

“But professor, the top left corner is empty, so it could be attacked, right?”

“It’s fine. This part is intentionally left empty. There’s no risk of being attacked anyway.”

“No risk, you say… Ah. It’s a direction that the current can’t reach.”

“Exactly.”

Jegal So-yeon stopped using awkward formal language and began to speak more respectfully.

Thinking back to when we first met, her attitude had improved tremendously.

Moreover, she followed my guidance without doubting my capabilities as a strategist.

Still, her strong pride and competitive spirit remained unbroken.

“Hm~. If you keep teaching me like this, you might regret it later?”

“Regret?”

“Yes. I realized today that I will soon surpass you and become the world’s greatest strategist.”

“I’m looking forward to that.”

What once felt like a sharp edge of rudeness now seemed endearingly mild, like a spicy flavor that had softened to a cute level.

Of course, not everyone shared my sentiments.

My first disciple scolded Jegal So-yeon.

“What do you mean by that to the professor? Be more respectful.”

“Shut up. Don’t tell me what to do.”

The relationship between Lee Ye-eun and Jegal So-yeon worsened day by day.

What had started as a not-so-great relationship had now escalated to almost a rivalry, making it impossible to intervene.

In such cases, it’s best to tactfully avoid the situation.

As I stepped out onto the deck, I spotted Jo Seong-woong smoking in a corner.

As I approached him, he called out to me first.

“Professor Cha, what brings you out here?”

“It’s noisy inside.”

“Are they fighting again? Tsk, well, your disciples certainly have their own personalities. They’re cute in a childish way, but still, they lack the maturity and seriousness of our Seo-hu…”

“That’s enough of that talk.”

As I interrupted, Jo Seong-woong wore a look of disappointment.

I had heard enough of his bragging about Park Seo-hoo to the point of weariness; I no longer wanted to listen.

Exhaling the smoke he had been holding in, Jo Seong-woong spoke.

“Soon, everything will come to an end. Professor Cha, are you confident about the remaining stages?”

“Yes. Everything will go well.”

“An SS-level dungeon. It was a terrifying name filled with so much meaning for our generation.”

There were various emotions in Jo Seong-woong’s voice.

Anger, regret, sadness… He still couldn’t shake off the past nightmare of the Dragon’s Nest.

Perhaps he was projecting that onto this expedition as well.

I spoke with a tone of confidence.

“Professor Jo, humanity has triumphed in the past, and it will do so now. Just as we conquered the Dragon’s Nest, we will conquer the Pacific Dungeon.”

“Right… That would be truly wonderful.”

Jo Seong-woong nodded slowly.

It was a nod mixed with many emotions.