A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 33

“Of course. Ye-eun is my prized student.”

“Hmm~. That’s right, isn’t it? I’m the only one for you, Professor?”

She didn’t have to say it that way.

But I nodded, wanting to lift her spirits.

“Got it. Just trust me and go.”

* * *

This world is not a kind one to ordinary people.

The existence of Awakened individuals is a threat not only to monsters but also to the general public.

Statistics show that half of the murder cases worldwide are committed by Awakened individuals.

Some even referred to Awakened individuals as walking weapons of mass destruction.

Baekje Hotel. The most famous hotel in Korea.

While it is due to its luxurious facilities, the biggest reason for its reputation is its defense measures against Awakened individuals, rivaling those of the Blue House.

Of course, mentioning the Blue House is an exaggeration.

Even so, there were very few capable individuals who would dare to cause trouble here.

Thus, it was often used as a meeting place for private companies.

“Identity confirmed.”

“Yes.”

After verifying my identity, the security guard let me in.

I took the elevator, authenticated my key card, and went up to the meeting place.

The top floor of the Baekje Hotel, 89th floor.

─The door opens.

Ziiing—

Can this place truly be called a hotel?

The 89th floor, known as the VVIP room even within the Baekje Hotel.

This entire floor was, astonishingly, one single room.

The room was filled with every luxury imaginable.

From the carpet on the floor to the furniture, the decorations, and even the tissues, everything sparkled.

I had never used luxury goods in my life, but just looking at them, I could feel the aura of opulence.

“You’ve arrived.”

A melodious voice welcomed me.

The owner of the voice was a beautiful Western woman with long, platinum blonde hair.

“Unicorn Master.”

Her first impression was more intense than anyone I had ever met.

The sheer mass of mana she exuded was so immense that it overshadowed her glamorous appearance.

It was a magnitude of mana that would make even the formidable Ryu Jeong-ah seem trivial.

The Guild Master of the Unicorn. The world’s strongest hero.

Edelin Pierce.

“Thank you for accommodating our request.”

“No, I should be the one apologizing for calling such a busy person to Korea.”

“No, you will gain something far more important than my time.”

Her tone was polite, yet her words carried a heavy burden.

Having invested my precious time, I was being told to make the most of it.

“First, please show me the profiles.”

Edelin handed me the documents she had brought, with a serious warning.

“The Unicorn is the most revered guild in the world, but it is also one that faces much envy. Therefore, the profiles of the Unicorn members are classified information. Please forget everything once this meeting is over.”

“Yes.”

I replied that I understood, but how could I truly forget?

In any case, I began to review the contents of the documents.

The world’s strongest guild, Unicorn.

—

Among them, the profiles of the strongest twelve, the first squad party, were in my hands.

Their specs were not detailed even in the game.

I wondered what the pinnacle of humanity looked like at this point.

“Whoa.”

Oh shit.

A gasp escaped me.

Indeed, it was a crazy spec worthy of the strongest party of humanity.

In terms of stats, all of them had major attributes above 95. In numerical terms, their stats rivaled those of the final growth Song Seok-hwan.

Should I say they were amazing, or that Song Seok-hwan was trash?

Of course, there are factors like talent and hidden stats, so Song Seok-hwan would still be ahead, but the gap wouldn’t be that wide.

The most astonishing was the level of the party leader, Edeline.

Strength stat 98.

This was a level that could hardly be believed to belong to an ordinary NPC.

More than a playable character.

I wondered why such an NPC hadn’t played a role in the story.

“Impressive, isn’t it?”

“Right?”

Edeline’s voice carried a sense of pride.

“The Unicorn’s first party is not just an ordinary party. We are the last bastion protecting America, and further, humanity.”

“I agree.”

“So, the operation of our party cannot be done in a conventional way. I hope you can devise the most efficient tactical module yourself, Professor.”

“Understood.”

As Edeline said.

Enhancing the Unicorn’s strength was akin to advancing all of humanity.

In the early parts of the story, since the playable characters did not stand out, humanity was weak, and thus the enemies were not strong either.

This meant that if the Unicorn fought well, they could serve as a bridge until the playable characters grew in the later stages.

Moreover, if they survived until the end, they could become excellent allies in the final act.

“Then, let’s begin.”

* * *

The Unicorn Guild is operated by the mega-corporation Unicorn in America.

They invested astronomical sums to gather heroes.

─The Rise of the Avengers! Unicorn Guild.

America, and the strongest force of humanity.

The reputation of the Unicorn was higher than any other guild.

However, they were just as interested in corporate profits as they were in protecting humanity.

Thus, the operation of the Unicorn Guild was difficult to understand from a common-sense perspective.

My lectures are conducted in parties of 5 or 6.

The reason is that generally, 5 or 6 is the most efficient distribution of personnel.

If the total work done by a party is 100, then a party of 5 would each take on 20.

An individual cannot do 100, but 20 is manageable.

But what if that 20 is further divided?

From that point on, surplus resources emerge, leading to decreased efficiency.

Yet, the Unicorn operated parties of 12.

─U.S. experts advised the Unicorn Guild, “Grouping 12 S-rank heroes is not efficient.”

─The U.S. Hero Association recommended to the Unicorn, “We hope you split the Unicorn party into two.”

Voices of concern arose from various places, but the Unicorn Corporation ignored them all.

The reason was simple.

Gathering star-studded heroes in one place was far more profitable.

Especially today, the first party I was asked to assist was one that gathered only the best of the best from the Unicorn.

So, damn it, out of the 12 party members, a staggering 9 were dealers.

Dealers are a star-studded position.

So they had gathered the most profitable ones together.

Particularly, there were 6 melee dealers, 5 of whom were swordsmen.

It happened for the absurd reason that swords were the most popular weapon.

I was simply amazed at how they had maintained such a party all this time.

I tried to soften my words and asked Edeline.

“How did you usually operate the party?”

“I granted free rolls to the melee dealers and shared with the main force.”

“Oh.”

That was the worst choice.

Generally, close-range dealers had all their specs evenly developed.

They could tank on their own, had mobility, and dealing was a given.

Thus, the outstanding warriors—like the white snow in Group B—would often be granted free rolls in parties, sweeping through the battlefield.

However, at the level of Unicorn Party 1, it only brought about negative effects.

In such a party, it was not easy for individuals to stand out.

Moreover, five people getting free rolls? This only increased the likelihood of overlapping movements in various situations.

It was called a free roll, but it was essentially leaving them to figure it out on their own since no one knew what to do.

“Six warriors, two mages, one archer, one tank, one priest, one assassin.”

Ordinary people would never have attempted a strategy with such a combination.

Even seasoned players who had seen the ending multiple times would be left speechless.

Yet, one memory floated to the surface of my mind.

—Don’t you do concept plays?

It started with a comment on my XTube.

My XTube may not have been a hit, but a few loyal viewers always left comments.

—Concept play?

—You know, like clearing the game wearing just a single piece of underwear as your basic weapon.

—That sounds fun. But Florian Rhapsody has a lot of party play elements… You can’t strip your teammates, right?

—Then how about this? Playing the game with a total pervert party. Like an all-dealer party or something…

I can confidently say that no one knows more about breaking combinations and perverse setups in this game than I do.

The perverse tactics, honed through extensive research and trial and error, had reached the level of art.

So I spoke with confidence.

“That’s easy.”

“Excuse me?”

Edelin was surprised by my attitude.

“This is not just for the safety of America, but for humanity as a whole. If you plan to mumble something vague…”

“Don’t worry.”

Reflecting on my memories of researching combinations like all-mage or all-tank, I realized I had more than enough materials to work with.

With this, I could certainly come up with a decent party.

As a side note, the all-dealer party failed miserably.

Other parties at least had some potential for competition, but an all-dealer setup was truly a worthless combination that accomplished nothing.

“Using melee dealers as pre-rollers was to maximize the influence of the melee dealers, right?”

“That’s right.”

As she simply guessed the unicorn’s intention, Edeline let out a small gasp of admiration.

This was basic enough to infer with just a little thought.

“You’re wrong from the premise.”

She questioned Edeline.

“If a specific class goes from one to two, does the efficiency double?”

“No.”

“Yes. If it’s something that two people need to do, then there should be two people, but having two people do the work of one won’t improve anything. It’s not necessary for two priests to heal if one party member is injured, nor do two archers need to step in for tracking.”

“So, doesn’t that mean we need to find a way to use more personnel more efficiently?”

It’s a common misconception that’s easy to fall into.

I tried that at first too. But the efficiency was so poor that I gave up.

So I changed my approach.

Instead, I pushed for classes with fewer members.

“We need to look at the party more broadly. No matter how much we revise strategically, the efficiency of melee dealers only increases slightly.”

“Then what should we do?”

I pulled out a tablet PC to explain.

Edeline stopped me and handed over her own tablet PC that she had brought. The security was quite thorough.

“Now, look.”

I drew twelve circles on the tablet PC, each labeled with the names of the unicorn party members.

In the front line was a tank, and the other classes, the warriors, were random.

This was Edeline’s party now.

“What we need to do is use the warriors to assist the other classes. Just like this.”

I moved the circles labeled with the warriors’ names.

Next to the tank, the archers, two mages, and one priest, there was one warrior positioned beside each. Then I drew slightly larger circles, grouping two together.

The lone warrior and the assassin were placed in a separate large circle, forming seven sets.

“We attach a warrior next to the other classes, excluding the assassin. Then like this.”

I spaced the large circles apart on the tablet PC.

“The classes in the rear gain mobility. In a typical formation, they could only move under the protection of the tank and melee dealers.”

“Does that mean they can move anywhere in this configuration?”

“Yes. This allows us to utilize the field very broadly. Additionally, the tank receiving attacks from the front line can counterattack.”

Edelin pressed her hand to her forehead.

It wouldn’t be easy to understand. I thought it wouldn’t work at first either, but I stumbled upon it in a moment of despair.

“I’d like to hear a bit more.”

Edelin delayed her response.

* * *

“…So in this situation, we need to twist the turn. If we mess up and get hit with a status ailment, we’re all done for.”

“Yes.”

Edelin marveled inwardly.

Before meeting him, she couldn’t believe it. She knew Professor Cha’s papers were impressive, but they seemed to diverge from the issues faced by the Unicorn Guild.

No matter how great a professor he was, she thought he wouldn’t have any sharp solutions.

When the Unicorn Company unilaterally set up a meeting with him, she protested, thinking it was a waste of time.

But after meeting him in person, her thoughts changed.

‘This person is amazing.’

At first, she was skeptical.

The groundbreaking theory he presented seemed worth researching.

Yet, she also thought that while the theory sounded plausible, it wouldn’t hold up in practice. But that was a misconception.

“Think of the Valley of Destruction. Once you enter, you’ll find a Grifter at 10 o’clock and an Agrapton at 11 o’clock. First, we’ll position the healer in the back…”

His explanation was incredibly detailed.

He laid out exactly what would appear where in the dungeon and how to respond, as if he were playing a video in his mind.

“…Once we finish this part, the dungeon will be complete.”

“I see.”

Each specific explanation fell perfectly into place.

With flawless logic continuing to unfold, Edelin had no choice but to acknowledge it.

This will definitely work.

The strategy this person presented is real.

“But how do you know the structure of the Valley of Destruction so well? It’s as if you’ve been there yourself.”

“…It’s a hobby of mine to look up dungeon records. I’ve tried to find as many known records as possible and visualize them in my mind, so I’m glad it seems somewhat similar.”

Somewhat similar? It wasn’t just that level of detail.

There were hardly any parties that described dungeon records with such precision in the first place.

Anyway, that’s not what’s important, so Edeline accepted it reasonably and forgot about it.

Edeline expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you. I’ve learned so much from you, Professor.”

“I’m glad to be of help.”

Suddenly, Edeline felt a pang of regret.

This person’s abilities are genuine.

What if not only my party but also the other parties in Unicorn received help, and furthermore, what if he stayed on as a strategist for Unicorn?

Surely, Unicorn would advance to the next level.

‘They’ll be frothing at the mouth in Korea… but so what.’

His abilities were undeniable, and I liked him as a person. He was polite and handsome to boot.

Alright, decision made.

Edeline opened her mouth.

“I’ve met with several experts about this issue. But I’ve never met someone like you, Professor. You really resonate with me.”

“Ah… thank you.”

“Come to Unicorn. I’ll offer you the best treatment.”

It was a short yet arrogant recruitment proposal.

But the name Unicorn alone was worth more than any sweet offer.

Moreover, if it was the best treatment from Unicorn, known for not skimping on investments in talent, it would be worth more than a blank check.

Edeline naturally believed he would accept.

“Thank you for the kind words, but I must decline.”

“Excuse me?”

Edeline was taken aback.

“May I ask why?”

“I believe I am suited to be a professor.”

It was an absurd reason.

Being born a genius was a blessing. Everyone wished to be born a genius, but only a select few were chosen.

That’s why the chosen few had an obligation to properly utilize their talents.

“Professor Cha, I assure you, having someone like you teaching kids at an academy is a loss for humanity. How about playing in a bigger pond?”

“I don’t think Florian is a small pond. It’s a place where infinite possibilities lie dormant.”

Is that confidence in his capabilities as a strategist as much as in his abilities as a professor?

—

Looking back, the explanation I just gave had lodged itself firmly in my mind.

I agreed that if talented children took lessons from someone like this, they could become extraordinary heroes.

“What about the academies in America? Like Halo Academy?”

Halo.

It is called the best academy in the world.

Florian is also among the top academies globally, but compared to Halo, it was the difference between a full moon and a firefly.

Yet again, Professor Cha’s answer was the same.

“I’m sorry.”

Edelin felt a pang of frustration.

It had been a long time since she had wanted someone this badly.

Her instincts screamed that this person must be captured.

“If you come to America, to Unicorn, I’ll give you everything you desire.”

“I’m sorry.”

In the end, Cha Eun-woo rejected all of Edelin’s conditions.

Even the great Edelin could not force someone who didn’t want to come.

Ultimately, Edelin raised the white flag.

She licked her lips in disappointment.

“Alright… but can you tell me one thing? Why do you want to stay at Florian Academy?”

Cha Eun-woo answered without hesitation.

“Because it is the key to the best path.”

Chapter 5. Song Seok-hwan (1)