I Became the Teacher of a Troll Tribe

Chapter 8: Survival Instinct

How long had I been unconscious?

‘…….’

I opened my eyes.

I was still in the same spot where my neck had been strangled.

‘I survived.’

For now, at least.

When my neck was grabbed, I truly thought it was the end.

In the worst-case scenario, I could have used [Master of Black Flames] to escape, but that would have been akin to suicide.

‘Is he… gone?’

I rubbed my neck and glanced around.

Only traces of last night’s intense "lesson" were left scattered about, with no sign of the house’s owner.

…

The fact that I was left alive meant I still had a chance to explain myself.

I had to find a way to convince him and avoid being labeled a Multifaceted Ability User.

I spent a long time racking my brain while waiting for his return.

But even as time passed, Stone Grunder didn’t show up.

How was I supposed to know what he did on weekends?

This is exactly why casual conversations with students are sometimes necessary.

When you’re teaching, anything and everything can happen.

‘What time is it?’

True to the manly vibe of the house, there wasn’t even a clock around.

I waited for what felt like hours, and when the sun finally seemed to hover in the middle of the sky, I decided to head back home.

It was Saturday, after all, the day of my regular meeting with Evelyn.

Though I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling about Stone Grunder’s absence…

I hadn’t experienced any headaches or other lingering symptoms since waking up.

In other words, my [Survival Instinct] hadn’t detected any danger.

Experience had taught me that this was as good as any guarantee, so I set off for home.

***

I walked for about 30 minutes after leaving Stone Grunder’s house.

Even though Moiran was now my rightful identity, the unease from last night hadn’t entirely faded.

Just in case, I avoided the guards patrolling with spears on my way back home.

“Teacher!”

When I arrived, Evelyn was standing in front of my house.

She had gotten much more comfortable lately, to the point where she’d started calling me "Teacher" in a casual tone.

It had been a while since I’d heard that term.

Who would’ve thought slang like "teacher" would soar over translation boundaries like this?

Still, it was far earlier than our scheduled meeting time.

“What is it? Why are you here so early—”

“What’s with that appearance… Wait, don’t tell me—you stayed out overnight?!”

Ah. That’s a reasonable misunderstanding.

I probably didn’t look like someone who had simply woken up at home and gone for a walk. ...Not to mention the trembling legs.

“Good grief. You haven’t been a Moiran for long, and you’re already—”

“What are you even talking about? And why are you here so early?”

“Wow. Seriously, Teacher, you’re unbelievable…”

What was this kid thinking? I slept at a troll’s house, okay? A troll that looks like it weighs 200 kilograms and stands 2.5 meters tall.

I nearly died there.

“Unbelievable… This calls for an explanation. Anyway, open the door already. I’ve been waiting forever.”

…

I already had plenty to explain without adding this to the list.

Creak

I opened the door and stepped inside.

Signs of a chaotic week were scattered all over the place—evidence of an intense few days.

But she wasn’t here to hang out, so it didn’t matter.

Thud!

Evelyn dropped a thick book onto my desk, the kind you’d expect in a specialized graduate course.

In bold letters, it read: [Magical Engineering II].

“I’ve got a lot of free time on weekends, so I figured I’d start studying here. The dorms feel too stifling… Is that okay? There are still so many words in this book I don’t understand. You’re the best in this field, so please help me, Teacher!”

“...Can you not focus on going back to reality?”

“Of course, that’s my top priority! But think of this as Plan B. I mean, I still need a salary to live, right? What if I die of unpaid taxes before I make it back?”

“...Fair enough.”

“Great! Then I’ll start coming over at this time from now on!”

Tap, tap!

“And here, I brought some new books. Can you check if I picked the right ones?”

I hadn’t even gotten through yesterday’s pile yet.

Ugh, there was so much to do.

[The Heroes of Zul Dron]

[Warriors of the Polar Regions]

[Compendium of Strange Abilities Around the World]

[What Trolls Live For]

[What the Racial Wars Left Behind]

Adding these to yesterday’s haul made a total of five books.

I’d have to finish them all by the end of the weekend.

I never thought I’d get so immersed in reading.

“So, Teacher, have you found anything? You said you’d tell me this weekend. Spill it already.”

Despite claiming she was here to study, Evelyn jumped straight to the main topic.

She’d changed a lot from my first impression of her.

I shared the new insights I’d gained from the books, leaving out anything related to Kim Nam-cheol.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, but I needed more time to process it myself.

“So this strange phenomenon has been happening for 20 years… At least it wasn’t during the Racial Wars.”

The Second Racial War, involving the Dwarves and Beastfolk, was over.

However, the tense standoff between the Trolls and the Empire—the continent’s two largest powers—was still ongoing.

Skirmishes were breaking out constantly, making it effectively a war.

“Oh, and… Trolls cry too?”

Hmm? It didn’t seem significant enough to warrant this reaction.

“Well, let’s just say something like that happened.”

“No way. The crying troll—it must have been that pretty teacher, right? Uh… Toka, was it? I once passed her in the hallway and was shocked. I never thought a troll could be beautiful. She gave off a total K-POP idol vibe!”

K-POP idol? Did she eat the wrong mushroom or something? What was she talking about? It’s true Toka’s appearance was a bit unusual for a troll, but still, that’s just not it.

“I’m serious! You should come to the research center sometime and see her! If Toka shows up, I bet human and troll women alike will flee out of sheer inferiority!”

“That’s not the point. We need a strategy to—”

“Wait… Something smells fishy here. Teacher, be honest. Did you spend last night at Toka’s house? Oh, you did, didn’t you? Isn’t it true that all the language center teachers live nearby?”

Pairing up young teachers is an age-old tradition among students. Still, Westerners do take it up a notch, don’t they?

After calming Evelyn down and clearing up the absurd scandal, we each got to work.

True to her elite graduate student background, Evelyn soon lost herself in her studies.

Meanwhile, I buried myself in the books, searching for any clue that might help me return.

‘Kim Nam-cheol… That guy really is everywhere.’

In [The Heroes of Zul Dron], he was portrayed as a notorious traitor and the enemy of his own race.

In [What the Racial Wars Left Behind], an entire chapter was dedicated to Kim Nam-cheol’s story.

To summarize, it was all about what an absolute scumbag he was.

Even in [Compendium of Strange Abilities Around the World], traces of him could be found.

Well, given that he had five times more abilities than most people, it wouldn’t be surprising if at least one of them was peculiar.

Kind of like my [Master of Languages!] ability.

“Teacher, what does this word mean? Here, this one.”

“Mediator.”

“Ugh. Just read the whole sentence for me.”

“...‘There is no difference between human magic and our shamanism in that both use mana as a mediator.’”

“Wow! That’s incredible!”

“...‘Hence, shamans’ efforts to emulate humans’ powerful magic continued—’”

“Ahhh! Teacher, you’re amazing! No wonder people who are fluent in foreign languages are so popular!”

Ahem.

Having this skill might not be so bad after all.

***

I gained a lot of random knowledge, but still found nothing concrete about how to return to my world. Evelyn’s curfew time was nearing.

“Got it. Next week, I’ll search for keywords like ‘Otherworld,’ ‘Dimensional Rift,’ and ‘Tear.’ Hopefully, we’ll find some answers here…”

“Don’t push yourself. This is all just speculation anyway. We don’t even know if those things exist. If not, just stick to borrowing history books.”

“Understood. But I’m sure ‘Tear’ is a thing—I’ve seen it in games before. I’ll look into it!”

“Alright. I’ll walk you to the commercial district.”

“Oh! You’ll escort me? Thank you so much!”

Just last week, she would have declined.

Maybe she’d warmed up to me, but either way, I felt better ensuring she got somewhere well-lit.

I wasn’t bothered thanks to [Eyes of the Dark Priest], but Evelyn wasn’t as lucky.

“Thanks, Teacher! See you next week at the academy!”

“Alright. Take care.”

After parting with Evelyn in the commercial district, I turned back.

‘God, I feel like I’m going to drop dead.’

I debated whether to grab some food while I was out, but rest came first.

Does getting knocked unconscious from strangulation count as sleep? Maybe that’s why I was still functioning—who knows.

[...I’ve always wondered.]

[...How can you see me so clearly?]

[In this darkness, no less.]

‘…’

When I was alone again, memories of yesterday surfaced.

I remembered vividly.

That thick-headed troll had cornered me with absolute certainty.

His tone and expression had been utterly chilling.

[Next time, I’ll make sure to snap your neck!]

During our first "lesson," Stone Grunder had declared his intention to break my neck.

The fact that this ridiculous session existed at all was to produce “a warrior strong enough to twist necks in any situation.”

But then why hadn’t he killed me? Not only had he spared my life, but he also left me lying there.

It wouldn’t have been unusual for him to sleep through the weekend. So where had he gone?

…Maybe he was more diligent than he seemed? No, that didn’t sound right.

‘Still, he’s someone who keeps his promises. If he spared me, he must have had his reasons.’

I settled on a convenient excuse and decided to put the matter out of my mind.

Simpler thoughts were best. After all, he was just a thick-headed troll.

‘By the way, do I still have jerky at home?’

Even after a light dinner with Evelyn, I was starting to feel peckish.

Tomorrow, I’d bury myself in books.

What did I even do to have only one day left of the weekend? Sigh.

Like many office workers, I was pondering how to make the most of my precious day off when—

Beep beep! Beep beep!

An alarm rang in my mind as a sharp pain began to bloom.

‘Ah…’

Someone was here.

Someone filled with unmistakable hostility.

***

I’d received warnings from [Survival Instinct] plenty of times before.

Until now, the cause had always been clear.

For example, imagining stabbing my instructor with an aura during training, or trying to grill raptor meat indoors with [Master of Black Flames].

Whenever I was about to do something stupid, I got headaches as expected.

‘…….’

But this time was different.

I was simply walking at night, not doing anything crazy.

Yet, [Survival Instinct] was warning me.

‘Stone Grunder?’

No, there was no way that lumbering troll could hide his presence.

Besides, skulking in the shadows wasn’t his style.

‘…Evelyn?’

Had inviting her over for a chat caused some kind of trouble? No, that didn’t make sense either.

I was Moiran now—what could possibly be the issue?

As I struggled to make sense of the situation, the headache grew worse.

The pain, which had started faintly, sharpened and took form.

Tap, tap!

Footsteps behind me.

I instinctively turned, enhanced reflexes allowing me to catch a glimpse of my pursuer.

‘What?’

A human.

Holding an [Ice Spike] in their hand.