A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 34

“Hey! Look, it’s Professor Jeon Tae-jin.”

“What a shameless person; I’ve heard there are countless undisclosed misdeeds.”

“I don’t want to take classes from someone like that.”

Professor Jeon Tae-jin of the Department of Magical Studies.

One of the top professors at Florian Academy, respected by many students.

No, he was a professor who had been respected.

After Professor Yoon Seong-yeop’s confession, his reputation plummeted.

Not only because of this incident, but also due to past events involving professors close to Jeon Tae-jin, suspicions arose that he was behind it all.

—

—

“Those little b*stards are chattering away as they please.”

Jeon Tae-jin felt wronged.

Of course, most of the masterminds behind it were indeed him. But there were a few that weren’t.

In any case, Jeon Tae-jin felt wronged.

“Professor Cha… I can’t believe he was such a big shot.”

If he had just messed with an ordinary, unknown professor, public opinion wouldn’t have soured this much.

The price for touching the world’s most talked-about star professor over the past few weeks was bitterly steep.

“I will definitely take my revenge…”

Jeon Tae-jin had a typical strong-weak-strong style.

So he threw away his pride and tried to curry favor with Cha Eun-woo, clinging to him.

The result was pitifully humiliating.

“Please leave now. I have nothing more to say.”

“Professor Cha, Professor Cha!”

It was all that b*stard’s fault.

A cornered rat will bite a cat.

If it had come to this, a reasonable compromise should have been made. To be cast aside so ruthlessly?

That damned b*stard.

I will make him regret this.

Jeon Tae-jin entered his office.

The time for their appointment was drawing near.

It was time for the blade, honed with venom, to arrive and pierce that b*stard’s heart.

Knock, knock—

A knock was heard from outside the door.

“Come in.”

As soon as Jeon Tae-jin gave his permission, the door opened.

The man who entered, having set up the appointment, was also someone with many grievances against that b*stard, just like Jeon Tae-jin.

“Song Seok-hwan, have you had lunch?”

Song Seok-hwan.

The prince of the Emergency Guild.

“I ate before coming.”

—

“Ah, I wanted to share a meal slowly and build camaraderie.”

“Enough. I only found you because we share the same goal. I have no intention of getting close to a research nerd.”

Jeon Tae-jin seethed inwardly at Song Seok-hwan’s attitude.

‘What an arrogant little brat.’

Hah. Just hold it together, hold it together.

Right now, I need to get close to that kid.

“This is disappointing.”

“Let’s get to the point. Cha Eun-woo. I can’t forgive that b*stard.”

The grudge that had begun during orientation still lingered in Song Seok-hwan’s heart.

In fact, the inferiority complex that had arisen from not being able to keep up in Cha Eun-woo’s class only deepened that grudge.

I’ll kill him.

I’ll kill him, kill him, kill him, kill him, kill him.

I’ll kill him, kill him, kill…….

Why?

‘…Why do I want to kill that person? It’s annoying, but still, it shouldn’t come to that……’

A sharp pain—

“Ugh!”

His head throbbed.

As Song Seok-hwan’s mind grew increasingly hazy, he felt himself slipping into a stupor.

The only thought that filled his mind was the voice insisting that he must kill Cha Eun-woo.

“So you want to harm Professor Cha? Hm. Isn’t that a bit too much, no matter what?”

“Stop pretending to be noble.”

Song Seok-hwan flashed a chilling smile.

“You want to kill him too, don’t you? That b*stard.”

“Ha ha… this is something.”

Under normal circumstances, Song Seok-hwan wouldn’t have thought to seek out such a lowly person.

However, everything changed when Professor Cha’s paper was published worldwide.

Song Seok-hwan’s father constantly urged him to get close to Professor Cha.

Using the guild’s power to take down Cha Eun-woo?

Absolutely impossible.

So instead, I needed a useful pawn.

“The plan is simple. This week is exam week, so we’ll leave the academy and head to the dungeon. At that time, we’ll bring out all the cards we can use to kill him. Easy, right?”

Killing a person.

It was a statement that carried an immense weight.

Who would think this was something a student from the academy would say?

“Yeah. That’s really simple.”

The response wasn’t even from a professor.

Which professor would conspire with a student to kill another professor?

“What do you plan to do after you kill him?”

“Don’t worry about that. That b*stard is only famous by name; he has no connections or anything. Even if he suddenly disappears, people might take notice, but who would dig into the truth?”

“Exactly! You’re truly an excellent student.”

Jeon Tae-jin clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

“I have one B-class assassin and three C-class warriors I can mobilize. They prioritize my orders over their own fathers and can be trusted to handle the job. What about you, professor?”

“I know some mercenaries who are definitely skilled. They’ll do anything for money. Oh, and this too.”

Jeon Tae-jin opened the third drawer of the desk.

It was the only drawer that had a lock on it.

What he pulled out was a black vial.

“It’ll help in emergencies. It’s a drug that temporarily boosts the user’s strength.”

Song Seok-hwan felt a sense of unease upon seeing it.

The black liquid inside the transparent vial evoked a feeling of anxiety in anyone who looked at it.

Upon closer inspection, one might even question if it was truly a liquid.

It resembled jelly or slime.

Song Seok-hwan stopped his thoughts.

He had never even heard of a drug that could explode one’s strength.

It was undoubtedly a dangerous item traded only in the underworld.

“I’ll accept it gratefully.”

However, Song Seok-hwan was a man who could do anything for his purpose.

He received the drug from Jeon Tae-jin and tucked it into his pocket.

“May fortune favor you.”

For Jeon Tae-jin, it was a rare moment of sincere encouragement.

That drug was dangerous.

More than the fact that Jeon Tae-jin had tried to kill Cha Eun-woo, it was something that must not be known to the world.

“Yes.”

Song Seok-hwan stood up from his seat.

As he stepped out of the professor’s office, a figure emerged from his shadow.

“Master.”

Song Seok-hwan’s loyal dog, Ryeo-woon.

Ryeo-woon was a tool.

A hunting dog trained to completely abandon its self and obey only Song Seok-hwan’s commands.

Even if it meant acting against its instincts and hostility, it would carry out Song Seok-hwan’s orders.

It was the first time that Ryeo-woon had appeared without a command and spoken to Song Seok-hwan.

“Why?”

“Could you reconsider this plan?”

“Ha!”

Slap-!

Song Seok-hwan struck Ryeo-woon across the face.

Ryeo-woon took the hit silently, not even letting out a small groan.

“Are you crazy? Are you more afraid of killing that b*stard than disobeying my orders?”

“No. My life belongs to you, Master. I will prove my loyalty by cutting off my neck.”

Ryeo-woon pulled a dagger from his bosom.

And without hesitation, he brought it down to his throat.

“Stop.”

Thud.

By a hair’s breadth, Ryeo-woon’s dagger halted.

Had it been even a moment later, he would have surely taken his own life.

“Are you more afraid of incurring your father’s wrath than dying?”

“No.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”

Ryeo-woon hesitated for a moment, then spoke with difficulty.

“I am afraid of you changing.”

“…….”

A moment of silence passed.

Song Seok-hwan’s mind was in turmoil.

Changed?

Ryeoun is a loyal dog who would easily lay down its life.

Ryeoun is entirely on Song Seok-hwan’s side…

Throb!

His head ached again.

The strange thing was that as the brief headache faded, his mind became remarkably clear.

Ah, I see.

Ryeoun is a tool. A tool that cannot think for itself.

It simply made a poor judgment out of stupidity.

Cha Eun-woo must die.

“Nothing has changed. I will kill that b*stard.”

“Young master…”

“If you have no intention of following, disappear from my sight.”

Ryeoun answered softly.

“I will only follow.”

* * *

Since that day, the atmosphere in my lectures has changed significantly.

Originally, my lectures were not particularly trusted by the students.

In practical classes or exams, the content of my lectures was effective, but it was constantly doubted whether it could be universally applied.

As a result, students evaluated my lectures as “strange yet beneficial.”

But now, it has completely changed.

My lectures are a collection of the essence of papers that have overturned the world.

From now on, every guild will abandon existing strategies and adopt new ones, and at the forefront will be these children as commanders.

There were even rumors among the students that attending my lectures would earn them favor in the guild.

So, the students began to show even more enthusiasm for my lectures.

They showed enthusiasm to an excessive degree.

“This is quite…”

▼ Inbox (99+)

─Professor, I have a question about last week’s lecture!

─I have a question!

Questions poured in without fail, day after day.

Lately, I had been so busy that I barely had time for training or studying.

The silver lining was that, thanks to my mentor’s talent, I was able to raise my abilities.

There were also new things I learned about my mentor.

I had hoped to gain experience points from everyone who had come across my thesis, but that turned out to be a failure.

It seemed that there were conditions that required direct interaction.

Still, I struck gold with one thing.

─The effect of the mentor is activated. You gain a small amount of experience points. (Target: Edeline Pierce)

The master of unicorns, Edeline.

The strongest hero of the present.

The fact that I had gained some experience from her was significant.

The amount of experience was overwhelmingly large, but more importantly, it was the opportunity to learn from her experiences that mattered.

Objectively speaking, the swordsmanship of Snow White was definitely not S-rank.

No matter how much I developed it, it would max out at A-rank.

In contrast, Edeline’s swordsmanship was at the pinnacle of the world.

S-rank? It was beyond that.

Unfortunately, since I hadn’t known her as deeply as I had with Snow White, having only met her briefly, I couldn’t even grasp a fragment of her skill.

Still, I was grateful.

Edeline’s swordsmanship was still not under control. If I practiced in the professor’s office, it wouldn’t end with just one flowerpot like last time.

I grabbed a wooden sword and headed to the training hall. Snow White was already there when I arrived.

“Professor.”

Snow White waved at me as she called out. I waved back.

“You’re here early.”

“I can’t keep a busy person waiting, can I?”

Her words had a hint of sharpness to them.

Lately, I had been so busy that my training time had significantly decreased.

As a result, the time I spent watching over Snow White in the training hall and Seo Da-yoon in the magic tower had also diminished greatly.

“Instead, today I’ll give you a gift.”

“A gift?”

Baeksulhwa showed interest.

She was a born warrior, yearning for a fight with a strong opponent.

Surely, she would be delighted to see the swordsmanship of Edeline that I wielded.

“Let’s begin.”

After loosening my body lightly, I took my stance for the duel.

Baeksulhwa mirrored my position.

“I’ll concede the first move.”

“Okay.”

Chaeng!

The lightning-fast blade surged forward.

As the duel began, Baeksulhwa grew stronger.

Her unnecessary movements diminished, becoming smoother and much faster.

Swish—Chaeng!

The trajectory of her sword shifted, aiming for my neck.

I tilted my head just enough to evade it.

If I let her take the pace like this, she would continue to press me.

I needed to regain the flow.

“Haap!”

I attacked.

Abandoning my defensive stance, I launched my offense.

If I hesitated against the swift Baeksulhwa, the chances of being countered were high.

I had to strike fiercely, not giving her a moment to breathe.

I shortened my sword’s arc and struck.

“……!”

Whoosh—!

Baeksulhwa extended her sword to defend.

But then, something unbelievable happened.

The sword she had extended for defense slid past mine and struck me instead.

It felt as if my sword had never stood between her and me from the very beginning.

Thwack!

I swiftly spun my sword and lifted it.

The blade barely grazed the Snow Flower’s sword, redirecting her attack just enough to miss me.

“Phew.”

She was already strong, but now she had grown even stronger.

When we first sparred, her swordsmanship had been rigid.

To put it nicely, it was precise; to put it harshly, her movements were too stiff.

But now, there was a newfound fluidity.

All the rigid angles had been smoothed out, and her sword moved as if it were a living creature.

It was not easy to fend off her continuous attacks.

I should start using that soon.

“Your stance has changed… Ugh!”

What is good swordsmanship?

It is the art of delivering maximum power with the utmost efficiency.

Just by taking my stance, I felt all the strength in my body being drawn into the sword.

What would happen if I swung this?

Swoosh—!

“……!”

As I swung the sword, an immense shockwave erupted.

Upon contact, the Snow Flower’s sword shattered into pieces.

Her body flew far away and crashed.

Boom!

It sounded as if something had broken.

“Ouch, ouch….”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

Did I treat her too roughly?

Fortunately, the Snow Flower stood up without any injuries.

She immediately asked me a question.

“What was that just now? I couldn’t do anything and just got taken down.”

I was just as surprised.