A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 37

My hand instinctively went to the sword at my waist.

The men began to sneer.

“Hey, professor. We know you’re just someone who sits at a desk, right?”

“Ha ha! A pen suits you better than a sword, professor.”

Those guys, they know me.

Thoughts raced through my mind.

Is the goal to kidnap me? The Korean guild wouldn’t do something so insane.

Could it be the Chinese guild’s doing?

Could it be that Team A hasn’t shown up yet because these b*stards are up to something?

That would be too far-fetched.

Due to the nature of the dungeon, I couldn’t check inside, but I confirmed through the sensors outside that no one had entered.

Swish—

I drew my sword from the sheath at my waist.

Then it’s simple.

These b*stards have nothing to do with the kids.

So, it’s fine to take them all down.

“Ugh, come on, man. Don’t try to act cool.”

“Everyone knows you’re a theory professor…”

Swoosh!

I immediately closed the distance and struck the one in front with the back of my sword, knocking him out cold.

The assailants gasped in shock.

“What, what the hell!”

“This crazy b*stard! Kill him!”

Yeah.

There’s no way these guys are heroes.

They have no beliefs, no sense of justice in their hearts.

Moreover, they were too weak.

All awakened ones dream of being heroes.

A profession that is respected by all, loved, and earns money—like a dream.

But not every awakened one can become a hero.

Those who awaken but lack talent.

They aren’t even given the qualification to enter the dungeon. Those who go in will only meet a miserable end.

Those without talent had no choice but to find other work.

Even if they can’t kill monsters, and aren’t treated like heroes, there are many things they can do for humanity, like being scholars or porters.

However, not everyone walks the righteous path.

Even if I couldn’t become a hero, anyone who awakens possesses a power that ordinary people cannot rival.

That power was misused in the underworld.

Awakened individuals committing heinous acts within criminal organizations. They ruled the underworld like kings.

Even low-level heroes occasionally felt the dissonance between ideals and reality, leading them to join these criminal organizations.

The common trait among such individuals was that they were all pathetic losers.

Rustle! Rustle!

As the thugs charged at me, limbs were severed with every swing of my sword.

I could have gone straight for their necks, but I had no intention of killing them.

In a world where healers and medicine coexist, losing a limb could be restored.

“Gaaah!”

“What the hell, why is this guy so strong? Aren’t you supposed to be a theory guy?”

Only then did the thugs realize something was amiss.

But by then, it was too late.

I had no intention of letting these guys go easily.

“Uwaaah!”

Whoosh!

A massive hammer came flying at me.

Without needing to dodge, I caught it with one hand and used the force of my swing to throw it back.

“Huh?”

The thug who swung the hammer was sent flying.

With a final flourish, I swung my sword and severed his two legs.

“Gaaah!”

With that, everything was settled.

Men sprawled on the ground, limbs severed, screaming in agony. It was a scene of utter chaos.

Though I was the one who caused it, it was a brutal sight.

Yet, I felt no sympathy.

I turned to the thug in front of me and asked,

“Who sent you? Speak up.”

“Do you think I’ll tell you? You filthy… gack….”

I pierced through the thug’s throat without hesitation.

It looked as if they had been killed as a form of ritual, but they were not dead.

It was merely a device to instill fear.

“Breathe.”

“Wait, I don’t know anything… ugh!”

Next.

Eight left.

“Are you thinking of talking?”

“Wait… I-I’ll talk… First, the treatment… ugh!”

These fools had no capacity to learn.

In the end, it would only be a nuisance for both sides.

Just as I was about to interrogate the next thug, someone shouted from behind.

“Professor Jeon Tae-jin! He ordered us to kill you!”

“Roy! This b*stard, is he crazy?”

“If you mention the professor’s name here…”

“Shut up! We’re all going to die, what’s there to be afraid of? What’s there to be afraid of! I’ve said everything, so please spare me… ugh!”

Is it Jeon Tae-jin again?

What a tiresome man he was.

To avoid resistance, I simply knocked them out and tended to their wounds.

“I want to go save the kids now, but… it seems I can’t do that.”

Swoosh—

Someone else entered through the gate.

I hoped it would be just another lackey like the thugs, but a chilling atmosphere filled the room.

The energy flowing through their bodies was heavy.

“I warned you that the mercenaries are no ordinary bunch.”

“It seems you’re underestimating the young master. To send such lowly scum our way.”

Three warriors, one assassin.

All familiar faces.

I had never met them in person, but they were named NPCs from the game.

Especially the assassin at the back—there was no way I could forget him.

“Ryeoun.”

—

Ryeo-un, the loyal subordinate of Song Seok-hwan.

Why is he standing before me instead of protecting his master?

“How do you know Lord Ryeo-un’s name?!”

My head was spinning.

These guys would move only at Song Seok-hwan’s command, even if a knife was at their throats.

So, did Song Seok-hwan join hands with Jeon Tae-jin to kill me?

If that’s the case, everything makes sense.

An incident occurred in the dungeon.

To manage the situation, the professor threw himself into danger to save the students.

And then, they attacked the dungeon to eliminate the gate, destroying all evidence.

It was a perfect scenario to kill a single person.

“Answer me! How did you know Lord Ryeo-un’s name?”

From the very first day, Song Seok-hwan had grievances against me.

Not long ago, he complained about me in class.

If those grievances piled up to the point of hatred, it made sense.

“This is your last warning! Lord Ryeo-un…”

“Shut up.”

“What, what?!”

“Did Song Seok-hwan order you to kill me?”

Song Seok-hwan’s subordinates neither confirmed nor denied it.

The warriors began to exchange glances.

It was Ryeo-un who broke the silence.

“Kill him.”

“Yes.”

The warriors responded in unison.

They charged at me, their swords radiating with aura.

Clang!

In that moment of clash, I could gauge their level.

They were by no means easy opponents.

These guys, each one of them, surpassed even the White Snow Flower.

—

I knew he was a C-rank hero, but now I truly felt just how strong that was.

“This professor, he wields a sword like it’s nothing.”

“Don’t let your guard down.”

The three of them seemed to have coordinated well; their synergy was impressive.

One by one, they struck and retreated, leaving no room to catch my breath.

Having only been in the academy, meeting a real hero made the difference palpable.

He was strong.

If I continued to face all three of them at once, there would be no way out.

Even if it meant pushing myself, I had to take one down first.

Clang!

The strike was blocked.

What did Baeksulhwa do? I mimicked her movements exactly.

I let my sword flow and attacked.

Swish—

“Gah!”

“W-What kind of swordsmanship is that?”

Baeksulhwa’s swordplay was ordinary for a playable character, but it was more than enough to astonish C-rank heroes.

As one of them fell in an instant, the others took a step back.

“Let’s attack from both sides at the same time!”

“Okay!”

Song Seok-hwan.

Did I send these guys because I hated him? Because I felt such a deep-seated loathing that I wanted him dead?

“……”

No, that couldn’t be it.

A scene from the game flashed in my mind, a conversation between Seo Da-yoon and Song Seok-hwan.

─ Seok-hwan, you hate me, don’t you…?

─ Yeah. I feel sick every time I see your damn face.

─ Then why… why did you save me…! Why not just take care of yourself…?

─ If you can’t even save the life of the person in front of you, how can you call yourself a hero?

Song Seok-hwan’s moral compass was severely twisted.

I wielded violence according to my mood.

I understood how much pain my actions could inflict on others.

Perhaps Song Seok-hwan is the character closest to a villain among the playable ones.

Yet, at the very least, he valued human life.

Song Seok-hwan believed that this was the minimum sense of duty one should have as a hero, and no matter which route he took in the game, that conviction never wavered.

And now, that same Song Seok-hwan told me to die?

Clang!

It made no sense at all.

I twisted my body to dodge the sword and then asked Ryu-un.

“Ryu-un, answer me. Did Song Seok-hwan really order me to be killed?”

“…….”

“Or did you betray Song Seok-hwan?”

“Do not speak his name carelessly.”

At the mention of Song Seok-hwan, Ryu-un finally reacted.

Something was happening.

If Song Seok-hwan, having lost his conviction, were to lose his identity as a hero.

The repercussions would not simply end with one student going astray.

As one hero.

As a user who loves the game.

And as a professor, as a mentor.

I had to save Song Seok-hwan.

Ryu-un spoke to his subordinates.

“Kill him now.”

“Yes!”

A fight between heroes cannot afford to ignore even a single attack.

Unless one is a tank, allowing a direct hit will soon lead to a fatal wound.

It is impossible to control all variables with mere reaction speed.

That’s why strategy is crucial.

Just as a boxer predicts punches by observing shoulder movements, I had to anticipate what attacks would come and move in advance to respond.

Swish—

I gripped the sword and pulled my arm back.

Through my movements, Song Seok-hwan’s subordinate must be envisioning the sword’s trajectory in his mind.

If I were to change the sword’s path here…

Whoosh—

As my sword sharply twisted with the technique of the white snow flower, his reaction was delayed.

He might have had a plan to counterattack in his mind, but it all fell apart.

“How bothersome…”

If I were to introduce one more variable here…

I feigned again before launching my attack.

“Inferno.”

This time, it was magic, not a sword strike.

For the one who had been focused on my sword, the spell that activated right in front of him without any casting became the decisive blow.

“Graaah!”

“M-Magic…!”

As Song Seok-hwan’s subordinate, he must have already known that I could use magic.

But since I had only fought with my sword, he hadn’t been aware of the magic at all.

Only one opponent remained.

Still, he bravely charged at me.

“Uwaaah!”

However, there was a gap between us that could not be bridged by courage alone.

I alternated my attacks with sword and magic.

The remaining one soon found himself overwhelmed and lost his sword.

Then, I lightly struck him with the back of my blade, knocking him out.

All the warriors were finished.

The only one left was Ryu-un, who had been watching from the back.

“Is this what a captain does, just watching while his subordinates roll around? You are unfit to be a captain.”

Though I said that, I felt a sense of relief inside.

With only three of them, it was easy to finish, but if Ryu-un had joined the fray, I couldn’t guarantee the outcome.

“How did it come to this?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Professor Cha, you are right.”

The conversation was not aligning.

I had no idea what this guy was talking about.

“I betrayed him. I betrayed the young master… I should have stopped him, ah…”

Ryeoun began to sob alone.

Seeing her weep so sorrowfully stirred a pang of sympathy within me.

What could be so heartbreaking?

I only knew that something had happened to Song Seok-hwan.

“What happened?”

“What do you mean, what happened?”

“Right. There’s no way Song Seok-hwan would order me to be killed. What happened?”

“Ugh…”

Ryeoun laughed.

It was a sad laugh, like a wail.

“Yeah, you’re right. Ah, it’s so frustrating. I’ve served him for ten years, yet I know less about him than you, who have known him for just over forty days.”

Ryeoun lowered her head deeply and asked.

“Professor, if it were you, could you save the young master?”

“Yes. I can save him. So tell me what happened.”

“Then prove it to me.”

Ryeoun pulled out two daggers.

They were finely crafted weapons with blades as red as blood.

The fangs of a wolf.

A treasure given to Ryeoun by Song Seok-hwan himself during her childhood.

“Show me that you are someone who can save the young master.”

* * *

The Emergency Guild.

One of the oldest guilds in South Korea.

It has maintained a position within the top ten in the guild rankings announced by the Hero Association every year, and for the past twenty years, it has never fallen outside the top five, making it an elite group.

Commonly, the Emergency Guild, the Geumok Guild, and the Dangun Guild are referred to as the three major guilds of South Korea.

Among them, those who regard the Ascendance as paramount often cite its authenticity and long history.

Dangun and Geumok did not have a history as long as the Ascendance.

For the Ascendance, authenticity and history were synonymous with pride.

Thus, the Ascendance Guild valued authenticity more than any other guild.

In such a guild, the issue of succession was a painful thorn.

─They say the Ascendance Guildmaster’s children have died.