A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 44

Magic poured out in intervals, and assassins struck with deadly precision.

It was a good rhythm.

But it wasn’t enough.

“What will you do like this?”

This time, I followed Park Seo-hoo closely.

As I moved in sync with him, using him as a shield, Team A fell into chaos.

Our movements had completely reversed from just moments ago.

“Ugh!”

Park Seo-hoo had to manage the distance well for the members of Team A to be free.

So he desperately widened the gap.

But it was too much.

“Well then, good luck.”

Thud!

After allowing the distance to grow, I headed straight for the rear of Team A.

Park Seo-hoo seemed to realize his mistake and threw himself forward, but it was already too late.

“Magic Missile.”

Boom!

The wizards had just finished their attack and were unable to prepare any means of defense.

The rear of Team A was on the brink of annihilation.

I deliberately cast magic slightly off to the side, onto the neighboring land.

“You’ve already died once.”

Park Seo-hu’s expression hardened.

If this were a real battle, a mistake in the front line would have exposed the rear, leading to the party’s annihilation.

Of course, it was an unfair situation for the front line.

The warrior had to take on all the tanking alone, manage all the boss’s aggro, create perfect angles for the dealers to deal damage, and even pull off a decent amount of damage themselves.

However, Team A was a party where Park Seo-hu had to accomplish all of that.

“Let’s try again. Don’t forget that proper distance control is key.”

Distance control.

It couldn’t be too far, nor too close.

Park Seo-hu had to keep me within a constant range while watching my movements.

In boss fights, when the front line marked the boss one-on-one, this close marking was essential and incredibly useful.

If Park Seo-hu could make this his own, Team A would have it much easier going forward.

“You’re too close. If you do that, the rear can’t do anything.”

“Yes!”

“This time, you’re too far. You need to protect your teammates.”

Though I said that, I was inwardly impressed.

No matter how much of a genius he was, I thought it would be tough, yet he had already grasped the essentials to some extent.

He wasn’t called the one who plays on easy mode for nothing.

A being whose initial stats were beyond reach, growing as quickly as Seo Da-yoon, could only be described as a monster.

Park Seo-hu was absorbing my teachings rapidly, even though he hadn’t learned for long.

As evidence, the mentor effect had activated.

─The mentor effect is activated. You gain a small amount of experience. (Target: Park Seo-hu)

I was taken aback.

When I first taught Seo Da-yoon, the mentor effect didn’t activate this quickly.

The relationship between effort and skill resembled a curve rather than a straight line.

At first, no matter how hard one tried, skill would only rise slightly until a certain point, after which the increase would become steep.

Park Seo-hu had surpassed that inflection point.

I might have misjudged the balance.

“Haap!”

—

Before I knew it, Park Seo-hoo’s distance control had become quite refined.

He was completely binding me, coiling around my movements like a snake.

The blade of Najin-soo, lurking behind, felt sharp as it anticipated the incoming magic and attacks.

Clang!

As I watched for an opportunity to target Najin-soo, Park Seo-hoo’s sword suddenly flew toward me.

Things were getting tricky.

The movements of Team A were imposing a significant pressure.

I felt like an insect caught in a meticulously woven spider’s web.

The breathing of Team A had also improved to some extent.

But it was Park Seo-hoo’s overwhelming individual ability that had created this situation.

Perception!

At last, the tip of Park Seo-hoo’s sword grazed me.

I quickly stepped back, avoiding injury, but from the start, Park Seo-hoo had no intention of inflicting harm.

The training sword had precisely split the droplet in half.

Park Seo-hoo bared his teeth and smiled brightly.

“We won!”

“Yeah. You guys won.”

“Wow!”

Team A gathered together to celebrate their victory.

The team atmosphere seemed quite harmonious.

Park Seo-hoo was an asymmetric powerhouse.

He was a monster among monsters, at least two steps ahead of any other team leader.

Perhaps Team A, led by Park Seo-hoo, would soon become the strongest team in my class.

“This should definitely serve as a stimulus.”

That said, my students were not the type to easily be overshadowed by Park Seo-hoo.

No matter who the opponent was, they would never give up.

I was excited.

What impact would Park Seo-hoo’s presence have on my class?

Chapter 3. Snow White

Team A, led by Park Seo-hoo, was satisfied.

—

The overall tactical understanding was lacking.

However, by minimizing the tactical roles of the other team members and utilizing Park Seo-ho to the extreme, we offset all the weaknesses of Group A.

One hour before the lecture began.

I called the team leaders separately and showed them the video of Group A’s lecture.

The pretext was to analyze and practice with the team leaders and to provide feedback to Group A.

But the underlying intention was somewhat different.

The leaders of each group must have been filled with thoughts of pointing out various things when I called them.

Perhaps they recalled their own first training session?

Everyone had developed in many ways compared to that time.

However, when the video ended, everyone wore expressions of shock.

The leader of Group D, Oh Jae-hak, spoke up.

“No way, how did it turn out like this? No matter how I look at it, it’s strange…”

I asked Oh Jae-hak.

“What do you find strange?”

“Well… they’re a newly formed group. But what kind of synergy…?”

Park Seo-ho replied humbly.

“I was just lucky. All the team members are kind and skilled, so it turned out that way.”

“No, this isn’t just a matter of luck…”

Oh Jae-hak looked skeptical.

It was only natural that he wouldn’t understand.

As Oh Jae-hak thought, teamwork isn’t something that can be built overnight.

Baek Seol-hwa said.

“Park Seo-ho’s movements are unique.”

Baek Seol-hwa is from the same martial arts department as Park Seo-ho.

Being in the same class, she probably noticed Park Seo-ho’s movements more.

“Tell me more.”

“In that last scene, Park Seo-ho appropriately interrupted the spell being cast by the professor. I think I would have attacked again at that point.”

“Indeed, there was a turn where action could have been taken.”

“But Park Seo-ho used that turn to regroup. That turn allowed the mages in the back to launch their attacks.”

Oh Jae-hak interjected.

“Then isn’t it just a mistake? The ace of Team A is Park Seo-hu. It’s more advantageous for Park Seo-hu to make the deal.”

“Uh….”

Baek Seol-hwa couldn’t respond easily.

She had accurately pinpointed Park Seo-hu’s movements, but she failed to notice the organic changes within the entire party.

It was typical of Baek Seol-hwa to lack the ability to synchronize with her teammates.

An Se-ri answered in her stead.

“If that were the case, even if the attack was effective, it would have been hard to contain the professor’s movements. Park Seo-hu used that turn defensively.”

“Defensively?”

“Right. If Park Seo-hu’s attack hadn’t landed properly here, the professor would have been given the opportunity to threaten the rear. He didn’t want to give that leeway.”

“Ah.”

As An Se-ri elaborated on the intention, Baek Seol-hwa and Oh Jae-hak understood.

Especially Baek Seol-hwa seemed to be deep in thought.

As a fellow swordsman class, she must have felt a lot watching Park Seo-hu.

“Yeah. Everyone explained it well. To resolve the lack of teamwork, Seo-hu moving as the playmaker for Team A is the strategy.”

Park Seo-hu was akin to the conductor of an orchestra.

Just as the musicians look to the conductor to keep the rhythm, Team A moved in sync with Park Seo-hu.

And this was the result.

“Now it’s feedback time. What are the issues with Team A, and what needs to be fixed?”

An Se-ri answered.

“If we just bind Park Seo-hu, the party becomes powerless. While it’s impossible to bind in a one-on-one, if there are many enemies, the coverage area widens, or if we encounter monsters with skills to disrupt the party, it will become very difficult.”

As expected of An Se-ri.

She read the overall situation and accurately pinpointed Team A’s issues.

“Right. A one-man team is convenient, but its weaknesses are also clear. So, it would be better for Team A to gradually share roles moving forward.”

“Yes.”

As the feedback for Team A wrapped up, it was time for the lecture.

* * *

During the lecture, Team A stood out.

The most important aspect during the interview was the student’s motivation.

The new students were the most eager to attend the lectures, which served as an inspiration for the other kids.

After the lecture ended, seeing Team A gather to train, perhaps inspired, Team D also came together.

The D team, having achieved a certain level of teamwork, would have been better off with individual training, but regardless of the direction, it was important to do something earnestly, so that was enough.

The A team played the role I had hoped for splendidly.

Everyone was conscious of the A team.

Among them, the one most affected was Baeksulhwa.

“…….”

As the lecture ended and I was about to leave, Baeksulhwa grabbed the sleeve of my shirt.

“Professor, just a moment.”

Baeksulhwa possessed a strong sense of pride.

She knew she was a genius.

She also had the ambition to be the best.

Yet, she could not surpass the colossal wall that was Park Seohu.

Baeksulhwa regarded Park Seohu as her rival.

Though she didn’t consciously acknowledge it in front of him, in the game, Baeksulhwa always wanted to surpass Park Seohu.

Having seen Park Seohu participate and excel in my class, she surely didn’t want to lose even more.

“Do you want to beat Park Seohu?”

“……!”

Caught off guard, Baeksulhwa’s eyes widened.

Then she nodded slightly.

“What did you feel after watching the A team’s video?”

Baeksulhwa thought for a moment before answering.

“Seeing Park Seohu made me realize how lacking I’ve been as a leader.”

Leader.

In a typical party, the leader also plays the role of a commander.

Anseri and Song Seokhwan are natural commanders.

But Baeksulhwa lacks the talent for command.

So I encouraged Baeksulhwa to step back from the role of commander and to act freely.

At that time, Baeksulhwa easily acknowledged it.

The children of the massive guilds and Baeksulhwa had grown up in entirely different environments.

Thus, Baeksulhwa utilized her strengths in a different direction.

But Park Seohu did not.

—

It wasn’t something I had been trained for since childhood, nor was I a bowman or wizard giving orders from the rear.

Yet, Baek Seol-hwa failed as a commander while Park Seo-hu succeeded.

“Can I do it like Park Seo-hu?”

Baek Seol-hwa had no talent.

She had tried many times in the game, but the results were dismal.

Her hidden stats related to command, confirmed through Sethhet’s teachings, were a mess.

Park Seo-hu’s path did not suit Baek Seol-hwa.

It was easy to break her will.

This child trusted me.

If I firmly told her it wouldn’t work, she would simply give up.

It was foolish to lead her down a difficult path when there was a proven one available.

“Well…”

But I couldn’t speak firmly and let my words trail off.

This could turn into a pointless torment of hope.

Still, I was curious.

Should I crush Baek Seol-hwa’s intentions and lead her only down the path validated by the game?

Could that truly be the answer?

The appearance of Bonivatus changed my thoughts in many ways.

The entire sequence of the scenario had been completely twisted due to a mere conflict with Song Seok-hwan.

In all my time playing the game, this had never happened even once.

I might have been thinking about this world too simplistically until now.

The place where I stood was, at the very least, reality, not just a game.

A trivial action had changed so much.

In such a situation, could everything I thought was right truly be correct? At any moment, variables that had never existed in the game could emerge.

“You’ll know if you try.”

“…Really?”

“Of course.”

After a brief pause, Baek Seol-hwa spoke.

“Actually, I thought you would oppose it, Professor.”

“Really?”

—

“Yeah… To be honest, I have no talent in that area. I can’t really get along with others. I’m not sure if I can cooperate well with my group members.”

“That’s true.”

I couldn’t imagine her getting along well with her group, just as Baeksulhwa said.

“I feel like Seolhwa would attend lectures alone, and during breaks, she would just go back and forth between my office, the dorm, and the training hall. She probably wouldn’t participate in department activities, wouldn’t join any clubs, and of course, wouldn’t know any seniors. The only one she could share personal stories with would be Park Seo-hu…”

Baeksulhwa’s face turned bright red.

Then she kicked my leg and shouted.

“That’s not true!”

It hurt so much, I thought I might scream.

I barely held back the cry that rose to the back of my throat.

“It hurts.”

“I hit you to make it hurt.”

Baeksulhwa looked at me with eyes like a wild beast.

I thought Baeksulhwa would be a confident outsider, but surprisingly, she cared.

“Anyway, if you really want to do it, I’ll give you all the support I can.”

Baeksulhwa nodded with a serious expression.

“I want to try.”

“Got it.”

I wanted to see something new that I didn’t know about.

Baeksulhwa fitting in at a party, Baeksulhwa leading as a commander.

A sight I could never see in the game.

But this wasn’t a game.

Not just fragments of data, but living, breathing people. Maybe I could believe in that possibility.

* * *

I brought Baeksulhwa to the training hall.

The training I would do with Baeksulhwa was the same distance control training I had done with Park Seo-hu.

“Look at this.”

Kiiing—

I manifested mana and drew two circles around me.

The small circle had a radius of about 50 cm, and the large circle was 2 meters.

“You see the two circles? They will move around me. Seolhwa, you have to stay between the two circles. If you go outside for more than 3 seconds, you’re out. The time limit is 10 minutes. Can you do it?”

—

“Yes.”

Baeksulhwa answered confidently.

Underestimating her could lead to serious consequences.

“I’m starting.”

Whoosh!

As I swung my sword, Baeksulhwa parried.

Perhaps aware of the circle on the ground, her strikes lacked the usual force.

We exchanged a few more blows, but she still seemed drained.

This was not the way it should be.

I pressed Baeksulhwa harder.

“Ugh!”

As my movements became more intense, Baeksulhwa responded with greater aggression.

Good. This is what I wanted.

The wooden sword, swung with technique, produced a clear sound instead of the usual clattering of wood.

Fifteen seconds passed, and the training came to an end.

“Stop.”

“Yes?”

“Look at your feet.”

“……!”