Academy’s Villain Professor

Chapter 41: Training (3)

Ugh—

With a pained groan, Da-yeon struggled to her feet.

The sequence of events that had just unfolded was far beyond her comprehension.

In the heat of battle, she only realized she was already down when her senses returned.

That was all that remained.

Barely lifting her head, she saw Ye-jin next to her, clutching her stomach and lying face-down.

The rise and fall of her back suggested she was at least alive.

Da-yeon tried to recall what happened.

The white-masked figure had definitely charged at her.

It was only logical to target her first, as she was the ranged fighter.

She’d anticipated it and responded accordingly.

She kicked up dirt to obscure its vision.

Her first arrow aimed to the right to restrict its movement.

Then one to the forehead, while Ye-jin charged at its left flank.

She held back her final arrow to adapt to the mask’s response—a well-coordinated strategy ready for any variable.

Based on the mask’s movements so far, it couldn’t have countered all three attacks.

That’s how it should’ve been.

So why was she lying here, defeated?

The hazy memory grew clearer.

The last thing she recalled was the mask’s body blurring.

Could it be that even her dynamic vision couldn’t keep up?

Was the gap really that wide?

“Damn.”

Looking at the two fallen students, I took off the mask.

“You okay?”

I got a bit carried away and used more force than needed for a test.

It was probably too much for students to handle.

But their teamwork was so impressive it warranted that level of output.

Even as our eyes met, they didn’t react much.

If anything, their expressions suggested they’d expected this.

Slowly getting up and dusting off the dirt, they said.

“As expected… it was you, Professor.”

“I told you it’d be him.”

Their conversation caught me off guard.

“What’s with that reaction?”

Ye-jin smugly put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest.

“I figured it out! Thinking about your patterns and teaching style, it didn’t seem like this would just be a meal voucher scramble among students. I thought you’d interfere in some other way.”

I let out a dumbfounded laugh.

In just a few weeks, they’d completely read me.

Seeing my reaction, Ye-jin’s confidence grew.

“Well, at first, I wasn’t sure, so we went all out. But seeing how insanely strong you were, I knew it had to be you.”

Da-yeon cautiously asked?

“How was it? Were we okay?”

When Ye-jin first suggested teaming up, Da-yeon thought she’d lost her mind from the day’s grueling training.

But her logic made sense, and she couldn’t pass up a chance to earn your approval.

They’d shown everything they had.

So, she was curious about my evaluation.

I crossed my arms, thinking.

Since they were the last group, I could spare a bit more time.

“For this fight alone, if I were to give a score…”

Their strategy, if refined, could easily handle a B-rank.

That’s huge progress for students.

If I’d faced them with the output of an average B-rank, I wouldn’t have escaped their teamwork unscathed.

Even if they’d anticipated and prepared for this, that wasn’t a reason to deduct points.

On the contrary, they’d executed the adaptability I’d emphasized multiple times, so they deserved extra points.

“I’ll give you 17 points.”

“…Twenty isn’t the max, right?”

Of course, it was 100 points each.

Combined, they got 17 out of 200.

Truly dismal.

I raised my index finger to explain.

“Your teamwork was solid, and distance control wasn’t bad. Even if it was pre-planned, the coordination was good, and you achieved real synergy with your traits.”

The score sounded abysmal, but my evaluation was closer to praise.

“It’s 20 points combined, but individually, that’s 10 points each—plenty high.

In all my lectures, I assign scores, but you’re the first to hit double digits in any category.”

My first praise.

Da-yeon looked visibly satisfied.

Though the outcome wasn’t great, she saw potential.

But Ye-jin, seemingly displeased, stared at the ground with a stiff expression.

After a moment of thought, she asked?

“Was my center of gravity too high? Or, instead of striking, should I have gone for a tackle and ground technique?”

“In that situation, rather than worrying about attack types, you should’ve…”

I lightly thrust my fist forward, stopping just short of Ye-jin’s nose.

Her gaze dropped from the fist to my foot, hovering above hers.

“Forcing more options to consider is better. You had the numbers advantage.”

Ye-jin nodded resolutely.

“Right. Next time, I’ll definitely take you down.”

Unlike Da-yeon, whose goal was my approval, Ye-jin genuinely wanted to beat me.

“Ambitious. But…”

I pointed to the watches on their wrists.

“You didn’t use the call button either. In a rescue operation, not combat, that’s a failure. The capsule was confiscated.”

“What?”

“But the ones with the capsule already left.”

“Oh?”

I vanished into the forest.

Five minutes later, I returned, a capsule in each hand.

Da-yeon and Ye-jin gaped, speechless.

No need to wonder who had those capsules.

“Those two didn’t press the emergency button either, so I took them.”

Two hours later, the students gathered on the beach.

They’d found 19 capsules in total, and I’d confiscated 19.

In other words, they had zero meal vouchers.

They’d climbed the mountain at night, dug through dirt, got beaten by me, and ended up with nothing.

Well, except for valuable experience.

To the utterly exhausted students, I waved my hands dismissively.

“Go back to sleep.”

Swallowing the curses on their tongues, they trudged back to their tents.

* * *

Day two’s schedule was worse than the first.

Like before, the morning consisted of endless laps on the beach to drain their physical stamina.

Then, trait training resumed.

Squeezing water from desert sand would’ve been less brutal.

As I silently oversaw the students’ training, Se-ah sidled up to me.

“Your eyes are gonna pop out.”

“Why?”

I answered curtly without turning my head.

The blunt reply was natural, given my focus.

Se-ah fidgeted with her fingers behind her back, casually probing.

“Hmm, well… Managing over 40 traits alone must be tough, right?”

Her teaching ability didn’t compare to mine.

She’d already figured out how I managed training on the first day.

Though these weren’t her department’s students, seeing me work so hard stirred her own passion as an educator.

“Get to the point. I’m already busy.”

Hiding her intentions, she drawled.

“If you ask nicely, I might help a bit~”

I finally turned to look at her.

Unlike me, who had to focus entirely on managing multiple students, her powerful manipulation trait made controlling this situation much easier.

If she helped, it wouldn’t just lighten my load—it’d make things significantly easier.

Not just for me, but the students would get better care too.

“It’d definitely help if you did.”

“Hmm. I’m not saying I won’t, but for someone asking for help, you’re pretty stiff-necked, aren’t you?”

Seizing on my weakness, Se-ah grinned mischievously.

She was willing to help, but why not have some fun first?

She still held a grudge over the cinnamon candy.

I suddenly stood up.

Se-ah flinched, tensing, but my next move left her completely deflated.

I gave a light bow.

“Please assist with managing and supervising the students’ training.”

Se-ah waved her hands frantically.

She’d expected a reaction, but not this.

The students in the distance turned to look, curious.

Se-ah’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“Hey, hey! What’s that about? Get up!”

Straightening, I asked calmly,

“…What's your reaction? I did what you asked.”

“Who said you’d comply so easily?”

Now I look like the bad guy!

Se-ah pouted.

I replied matter-of-factly.

“If it benefits the students, my pride’s not even worth considering. Besides, it’s not like it hurts my pride. You’re an excellent educator.”

“…Crazy guy. That’s a compliment, by the way.”

She slapped my shoulder playfully.

“Putting students over pride? You’re surprisingly a passionate educator. I don’t hate that kind of idiot.”

She took over managing one of the three groups I’d divided.

As I advised the students, So-hee staggered up to me.

Panting with hands on her knees, she barely lifted her head to look at me.

“F-five laps!”

“Good.”

Despite it being trait training, So-hee was stuck in a quagmire of physical training.

Her anomaly-type trait didn’t fit augmentation, manipulation, or emission.

The training method for anomalies was brutally simple.

In extreme situations, the more desperate and earnest she was, the more her trait would blossom.

Run the course I assigned and use her traits.

If she couldn’t, add another lap.

To escape this hellish loop, she had to increase her trait usage by even one.

She was running so hard her breath tasted sweet.

Normally, I’d have set an even harsher program, but since she’d only just recovered today, we settled on this.

Standing before me, she strained to activate her trait.

“Please! Just come out!”

She glared at my chest.

When her trait activated, a rainbow ring would appear around her irises, but now, there was nothing.

I nodded briefly.

“Run again.”

So-hee’s face crumpled.

I should’ve kept saying I was hurt!

As the training continued.

The first to notice something odd wasn’t me or Se-ah, but a student with a vision-related trait.

Staring at the distant mountain, he blinked in confusion, rubbing his eyes repeatedly.

After a moment’s hesitation, he approached me.

“Uh, Professor?”

“What is it?”

“There’s something weird on the mountain. Am I the only one seeing it?”

I stood and turned to the direction he pointed.

My expression hardened more than ever.

“No. I see it too.”

On the mountainside, pink mist was slowly seeping through the dense forest.

Knowing this island and mountain inside out, I could say with certainty: whatever that mist was,

it was not natural.

Nor was it likely that the gate’s core, the wolf, created a new phenomenon without consulting me.

In just ten seconds, the mist visibly expanded its reach.

My mind raced through possible scenarios.

As always, I pictured the worst case and planned countermeasures.

Now, other students noticed the mist’s growing spread.

Se-ah approached me.

She could tell this wasn’t part of my plan.

“Hope it’s just a random incident.”

“No chance.”

“This MT was supposed to be confidential.”

Her grim expression wasn’t just about the unexpected situation.

Fewer than ten people knew the MT’s location.

Yet this was happening, lending weight to the theory of a spy within the academy.

She asked me.

“What’s the plan?”

I stared at the mist.

I didn’t think the mist could engulf the entire island.

It might even be a trap to lure us in.

The standard approach would be to stay with the students, observe, and prepare for surprises…

I turned to Se-ah.

“I’m leaving this to you. Call for support, assess the situation, and coordinate until I return.

Everything.”

With that, I strode forward.

“Where are you going?”

Without looking back, I answered briefly.

“The source of that mist.”

“That’s…”

Se-ah started to object but stopped.

This was completely outside our expectations.

Everything had to be decided on the spot, and a moment’s delay could lead to unpredictable consequences.

The worst-case scenario we both dreaded was any harm coming to the students.

Anything else—even our own deaths—was trivial by comparison.

That’s why I chose not the optimal decision, but the one that protected the students.

Se-ah turned back as well.

“Training’s stopped! Everyone, assemble!”

She gathered the murmuring students in one place.

* * *

In less than five minutes, I reached the mountainside.

The pink mist had spread further, and I stepped into it without hesitation.

Even though I could function without breathing for over an hour, I slightly parted my lips.

Inhaling the mist, I frowned.

It wasn’t just colored fog.

“Muscle relaxation, dizziness, and hallucinations.”

It was a relief it was meant for subduing, not killing.

The deeper I went, the thicker the mist grew.

Despite zero visibility, my steps didn’t slow.

I had no guide or marker.

I relied purely on instinct.

Finding my enemy.

In situations like this, my instincts were more reliable than any map or compass.

How much further did I walk?

Suddenly, with a whoosh, the mist cleared.

The center of the mist was unaffected.

And in the middle of that space sat a man.

A muscular giant, over two meters tall, with bulging muscles visible even under his clothes—an overwhelming presence.

Looking at him, I muttered.

“Not a wasted trip.”

The man stood from the tree stump he’d been using as a chair.

Spotting me, he grinned with satisfaction.

“As expected! You came right to me!”

“Are you the source of this mist? If you clear it now…”

Before I could finish my warning, he interrupted.

“No! The smoke’s not my trait. I’m just waiting at the center! I knew a real strong guy would show up like this!”

I scanned the surroundings.

“So, the owner of this mist trait. And where you came from, how, and why—I need to hear it all.”

“Sorry, but I don’t care about any of that!”

He clenched his fist and smashed the stump he’d been sitting on.

Boom—!

The wood and surrounding ground exploded.

Amid the flying debris, he laughed.

“I just want a place to unleash this strength!”

But I kept looking around, uninterested.

“So, this smoke isn’t your trait.”

“What’s with that lame reaction! We’re here, so let’s have some fun!”

“One question.”

I ignored his words.

“Are you after me or the students?”

“I said I don’t care about that!”

“Then I don’t care either.”

Even with a villain in front of me, there were priorities to solving this.

A mere augmentation-type villain relying on brute strength was low on that list.

In a busy moment like this, ignoring him was best.

I turned to leave.

“Wait!”

As I genuinely started to walk away, the man called out in panic.

No hero he’d ever met had done this.

Turning his back so easily?

But he had no time to protest my indifference.

No matter what he called, I didn’t slow down.

Realizing he was useless to me, his resolve to leave grew stronger.

He’d set up this stage just to fight a strong opponent.

If this continued, the main team would have all the fun, and he’d be left sucking his thumb.

He shouted urgently.

“The students! My allies are probably heading to where they are now. And I know all their traits!”

“Instead of leaving, I should take you down and extract that info?”

“Exactly!”

I stopped and sighed.

This pink mist was the bigger threat, but if he had information, I couldn’t just ignore him.

I’d learned the importance of information the hard way in my villain days.

For now, I had to trust Se-ah.

“No choice, then.”

I turned back to face him.

“Feeling like fighting now?”

After a moment’s thought, I asked again.

“Do you have a family?”

“Why the hell does that matter? Playing educator and caring about a villain’s family?”

“No.”

I ran a hand through my hair.

My eyes glinted more ferociously than ever.

“If you don’t have a family to care for, I can tear you limb from limb without guilt.”