A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 43

“I don’t think that’s it. Look over there.”

“Hmm?”

“Isn’t that Park Seo-hoo?”

The swordsmanship department’s Park Seo-hoo.

As the top freshman, he was a remarkable celebrity at Florian, and everyone easily recognized his face.

Seeing Park Seo-hoo, everyone had the same thought.

Without a doubt, he’s going to pass.

“Wow, I’m in class with Park Seo-hoo?”

“When did you develop the talent to talk nonsense?”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, ‘pass’? Just being here means you’ve used up all your luck for a lifetime.”

“That guy’s going to lose, then.”

“Hey, stop it. I’m going to pass anyway, so if you keep this up, I’ll feel bad.”

The students from the wizard and priest classes were gathered, chatting among themselves.

In a corner, there was one student watching them.

‘What a joke.’

Na Jin-soo.

He was different from the others.

While most students at Florian harbored grand ambitions of becoming great heroes, Na Jin-soo was content with a simple life.

He wanted to become a hero, earn just enough to get by, and then retire to live a leisurely life.

So he didn’t dream of anything grand like Professor Cha Eun-woo’s lectures.

─They’re accepting more students for Professor Cha’s class.

─Really? Hey, let’s sign up too.

─Jin-soo, you’re going to do it, right?

He had come here simply because his friends had pushed him to.

It would have been strange not to join when everyone else was signing up.

So he felt a bit dissatisfied.

While the others came in groups with their friends, he was all alone.

No, to be precise, there was one more thought.

‘Ah, is that person alone too?’

Najinsu glanced at Park Seohu for a moment.

Park Seohu also seemed to have no one he knew.

Najinsu clicked his tongue.

Park Seohu was different from an ordinary student like Najinsu.

Everyone passing by pretended to know him, but what kind of solitude was that?

“Numbers 12 through 17, please come in.”

Following the assistant’s guidance, the students entered.

The ones who had been loudly occupying the hallway until just a moment ago had either finished their interviews or gone in, leaving the hallway empty now.

Najinsu’s number was 18.

In the vacant hallway stood Najinsu.

And Park Seohu too.

‘Why are only the two of us left?’

Najinsu thought about starting a conversation but decided against it.

He wasn’t particularly shy, but the other person was off-putting.

Someone too full of themselves was uncomfortable.

However, perhaps Park Seohu didn’t think that way, as he approached Najinsu to speak.

“Hey. Looks like it’s just us now?”

“Uh? Oh, yeah.”

“I’m Park Seohu from the Swordsmanship Department. What’s your name?”

Najinsu muttered to himself.

You don’t even need to say it; anyone at the academy would know you’re Park Seohu.

Still, he forced a smile and greeted him.

“I’m Najinsu. I’m in the Assassin class.”

“If we end up in the same group, I look forward to working with you.”

“Yeah.”

Is this the composure of the top freshman?

It wasn’t strange for him to say such things since his acceptance was guaranteed, unlike Najinsu.

That said, Najinsu didn’t feel envious of Park Seohu.

Very few people would feel envy watching a bird soar through the sky.

The same went for Park Seohu.

Najinsoo and Park Seohu are from different worlds.

So, he felt no envy.

“Number 18, 19. Please come in.”

Finally, Najinsoo’s number was called.

As he entered, he could hear the voices of those leaving after their interviews.

“Why are the questions so difficult?”

“Wow, I’m completely brain-dead.”

Najinsoo and Park Seohu stepped into the professor’s office.

The famous professor Cha Eunwoo, whose name was everywhere these days.

That was Najinsoo’s first impression.

‘How can someone be this handsome?’

Even a man couldn’t help but admire his looks.

He had never seen anyone so strikingly handsome in his life.

Park Seohu next to him was also good-looking, but in comparison, he seemed to fade a little.

Park Seohu spoke up.

“Professor, why haven’t you been coming to the training grounds lately?”

“I’ve been busy, and the situation hasn’t been favorable.”

Najinsoo felt a bit intimidated.

Seeing how naturally Park Seohu spoke to the professor, it seemed they were already on friendly terms.

“Do you know that Seolhwa has been feeling lonely because of you lately? Please take care of Seolhwa more.”

“Seolhwa? I wouldn’t think so.”

“I’m serious.”

“Alright, alright.”

“It’s a must.”

The interview began.

Najinsoo thought that those coming out of the interview looked like they had faced something tough, but the questions he faced were surprisingly simple.

“What elemental attribute do you think is best for a wizard who primarily uses elemental magic?”

“What buff do you want most from your mentor?”

“What is your stance on the role of a wizard…?”

No, it was beyond simple; it was a bit strange.

They keep asking about the wizard and the priest, but I don’t understand why they’re so curious about that.

After a few questions, the interview ended in less than ten minutes.

Cha Eun-woo said.

“You both did well. We’ll announce the successful candidates tonight.”

“…Yes.”

So the interview ended, asking only trivial things.

There wasn’t even a moment to highlight Na Jin-soo’s strengths.

It was a strange interview in many ways.

Still, I had no complaints.

In fact, I was relieved that I didn’t have to face a typical interview, and those kinds of questions came up instead.

From the beginning, Na Jin-soo didn’t even want to attend the interview.

That night, the final list of successful candidates was released.

And Na Jin-soo was on it.

“Is this for real?”

* * *

Oseong Hall, 9th floor classroom.

I had only come here on lecture days, but today was my first time visiting on a different day.

“Nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you for the rest of the semester.”

“Yes!”

Group A.

Song Seok-hwan’s Group A had disappeared, replaced by a new Group A.

Now it was Park Seo-hu’s Group A.

In terms of qualifications alone, Park Seo-hu’s Group A was the best among the four groups.

Other groups had split their applicants, leading to an unstable balance within the party, but Park Seo-hu’s group was composed in the best possible way.

Moreover, the average qualifications were slightly better than those of the other groups.

Crucially, there was the presence of the group leader, Park Seo-hu.

An Se-ri, Baek Seol-hwa, and Song Seok-hwan were also excellent kids, but Park Seo-hu was at least a step above them.

“I’ve already given two out of five tests in my lectures. We’re almost halfway through. So you need to gain as much as you can from today’s special lecture.”

But having outstanding qualifications doesn’t necessarily make a good group.

Right now, Group A was the weakest among the four groups.

The other groups that have followed my class so far have never been easy. It’s going to take quite an effort to keep up.

“First, let’s quickly go over the theory. Has anyone read my paper?”

Without waiting for anyone in particular, students raised their hands.

Except for one person—Jang Jin-soo.

I knew he wouldn’t have read it. That’s just like him.

He showed this side of himself even in games.

He was often seen as lacking ambition and having modest dreams, which made him a bit lazy.

Still, since I had brought him along, I found myself pondering how to motivate Jin-soo.

After all, four out of the five freshmen had seen it.

It was clear that my paper was quite popular.

While it’s nice to be popular, it also left me feeling a bit deflated.

How wonderful would it have been if XTube had only half, no, even a tenth of this popularity in reality?

“It would be good to read it. The content of my lecture is based on that paper, so it will make it easier to follow along.”

“Sure.”

“Make sure to help each other out in your groups. My lectures are entirely assessed through group projects, so if one member falls behind, it’s tough for everyone.”

Beep—

As I pressed the remote, the screen at the front of the classroom lit up.

The lecture materials I had used before appeared on the screen.

“Let’s begin the lecture.”

I briefly skimmed through the content of a previous lecture, condensed into a simple overview.

The material might feel unfamiliar to the students, but it wasn’t difficult in itself.

Everyone nodded along as they listened.

“Is there anything you don’t understand up to this point?”

No one raised their hand.

So far, I had only presented the basic framework, so there wasn’t much to question.

The real challenge was about to begin—the practical application of what we would do next.

“I’d like to explain it kindly, but… due to time constraints, let’s go with a Spartan approach.”

“Excuse me?”

Kiiing—

As I activated the pre-prepared artifact, mana seized the space.

The ultimate goal of the class is dungeon exploration.

Learning by doing is the shortcut.

“What, what’s going on?”

The students were taken aback.

Soon, a circular magic circle appeared on the classroom floor, and the magic was activated.

Then the surrounding scenery changed.

A dark cave.

It was within the barrier used during the last practical class.

“Teleportation?”

“No. It’s a barrier.”

Park Seo-hu said.

As expected of Park Seo-hu. He’s quick on the uptake.

“As Seo-hu said, this is within a barrier. From now on, this will be the place where you attend class. Look here.”

In my hand, there was a single bell.

I strung it up and hung it around my neck like a necklace.

“If you take the bell from me, today’s class ends. Simple, right?”

I couldn’t use the golem from the last practical class.

It was a special golem, and it took quite a bit of time to prepare.

So, introducing it suddenly for this special lecture was impossible time-wise.

That’s why I decided to jump in myself.

“Professor, I have a question.”

Park Seo-hu raised his hand to ask.

“A question? What question, ugh!”

Swish!

In an instant, Park Seo-hu closed the distance.

Taking advantage of my distracted gaze, he launched a surprise attack. I was completely caught off guard.

He immediately reached for the bell.

Thwack!

I narrowly swatted Park Seo-hu’s hand away and jumped back.

I never expected an ambush like this right from the start.

—

Applause was given for the brilliant sense of genius.

“Nice sense.”

“I thought I caught you off guard, but didn’t you dodge a bit too easily?”

If it ends that easily, what are we supposed to gain from this class?

“Everyone, gather around. First, let’s come up with a strategy.”

Park Seo-hu gathered Team A in one place.

Team A began to talk, forming a circle.

Park Seo-hu is a good leader.

He hadn’t been trained like Song Seok-hwan or Ahn Se-ri in how to manage a party, but he had a personality that blended well with anyone and a natural charisma.

Moreover, with overwhelming personal ability, he would serve as a focal point for the team in every situation.

“Then, let’s begin.”

Team A’s formation was 1-3.

With a healer in the center, wizards on either side, and Park Seo-hu at the front.

Lastly, the assassin, Na Jin-soo, was on free roll.

Theoretically, it was a nonsensical formation.

The classes in the rear were all incapable of engaging in close combat.

If they were exposed to the enemy even slightly, the rear would suffer fatal wounds. Thus, a solid front line was essential.

Furthermore, since the rear was entirely composed of magic dealers, the front line needed to deliver sufficient physical damage.

The role that the warrior in the front line had to fulfill was excessive.

An ordinary warrior would quickly become overloaded and collapse, and even a special warrior wouldn’t last long.

But the warrior of Team A was Park Seo-hu.

His presence would make that impossible position possible.

That’s why he believed this was the best choice and selected the members of Team A this way.

Whooosh—

Buffs poured onto Park Seo-hu.

From the wizards and priests behind him.

“Let’s start.”

Park Seo-hu charged at me.

It was satisfying from the very beginning.

The situation Team A feared the most was me passing Park Seo-hu and taking care of the rear first.

—

Park Seo-hoo pressed close to me, leaving no room to breathe.

This was an infinitely precise movement, almost perfect.

“Good.”

I swung my training sword, infused with aura, at Park Seo-hoo.

He met my blade head-on.

Even here, I could glimpse Park Seo-hoo’s instincts.

He mimicked my steps, moving in sync.

If I went left, he went left.

If I went right, he went right.

He always positioned himself between me and Team A’s rear.

Desperate to prevent any approach to the backline.

So how would he respond to this?

Thwack-!

As I took a long step to the left, Park Seo-hoo mirrored my movement.

Here, a feint.

As I changed direction, Park Seo-hoo followed.

For a brief moment, his focus was entirely on my steps.

Now was the chance.

“Inferno.”

From the very beginning, it was Park Seo-hoo I was targeting.

A massive inferno engulfed him.

Swoosh!

Park Seo-hoo split the fireball in half.

His reaction was swift.

Continuing with an upward strike, I countered.

After lightly deflecting, I stepped back for a moment.

If we only considered his role in marking me, Park Seo-hoo was flawless, beyond perfect.

But as a team player, it was a disaster.

The lecture was about to begin.

“Park Seo-hoo, what are you guarding the rear for?”

“What? I need to protect the rear so they can move more easily… Ah.”

The close defense that followed my every step completely bound my movements.

But at the same time, the rear of Team A also came to a halt.

Because Park Seo-hoo had completely blocked the space between me and them, the rear was unable to launch an active attack for fear of hitting Park Seo-hoo.

If we had been able to alternate our strikes with perfect timing, it might have been different, but today was the first time for Team A.

Naturally, there was no way our coordination would be in sync.

“I understand what you mean.”

Park Seo-hoo widened the gap.

He maintained a suitable distance while preventing me from moving freely.

Then, the rear’s feet began to loosen.