The Support Ate it All

There was another person who couldn’t sleep at this hour.

Go Hyeon-woo was sitting upright while focusing intently.

Instead of the soft bed, he chose the hard floor.

As he closed his eyes, memories of what had transpired on the train flashed through his mind.

Scenes hurried by like a fast-forwarded film and then slowed to a crawl when he encountered Han So-mi.

A three-section baton flew towards him with fierce momentum, as if intent on breaking his bone, and he was there, exerting utmost effort to block each strike meticulously.

The intertwining trajectories of the baton and sheath were beautiful.

Han So-mi was the first strong opponent he met after descending the mountain.

A disciple of the Sword Marquis, one of the strongest men in the entire world.

Though they both held back their true abilities in their duel, even if they clashed with all their might, it would have been difficult to achieve victory.

No, the odds of him losing were high.

As their battle intensified, his shortcomings were glaringly apparent.

If Kim Ho hadn’t intervened at the right moment, he would have fallen before his iron sword shattered.

An expert.

This was the word that had continuously come to mind since Go Hyeon-woo first met Kim Ho.

Kim Ho possessed the poise that only a strong person possesses, as well as eyes that seemed to see through everything.

Then…

Go Hyeon-woo’s gaze, momentarily drifting from his thoughts, settled on a long object in the corner of the room.

The sacred artifact of his sect, wrapped in thick cloth and tightly bound with iron chains.

Go Hyeon-woo had inherited the sect’s sacred artifact with a clear goal in mind.

Kim Ho would be a great help in achieving his goal.

However, he smiled bitterly and shook his head.

I cannot.

He wasn’t ready to ask for help yet.

After all, Kim Ho was his first friend.

He decided to try as much as he could on his own.

Go Hyeon-woo closed his eyes again and began to relive his battle with Han So-mi.

A gentle breeze stirred around him, accompanied by a faint wave of energy.

***

[‘Core’ trait acquired.]

[‘Core’ rank increases. (F->E)]

Indeed, the “elixir” was effective.

Even after getting [Core(F)] I still had plenty of mana, so I decided to upgrade it to E rank.

And there was still quite a bit of surplus mana.

Picking up just a couple more of those elixirs could quickly elevate my core to D rank.

Fzzt

A hummingbird made of electric currents was created.

In the train, it was barely the size of a fly and its movements were weak, but now it had the full form and agile movements of a hummingbird.

The hummingbird circled the room once before being absorbed back into my hand.

I looked out of the window suddenly and realized it was already morning.

I glanced at the clock and saw that the alarm was about to go off soon.

It was too hard to try and sleep for just a short while, so I decided it was better to stay awake and pass the time.

Come to think of it, I earned the right to choose a weapon after completing the tutorial.

Seizing the moment, I decided to use it.

[Weapon Selection (E)]

▷You can acquire an E-rank weapon of your choice.

– Refined Longsword (E)

– Sharp Spear (E)

– Flexible Longbow (E)

– ……

I didn’t hesitate.

I had already decided which weapon to choose.

So I quickly scrolled through the list.

[You have acquired the Earth Staff (E).]

[Earth Staff (E)]

▷Contains a faint aura of earth.

▷Enhances earth magic and protective spells slightly.

A long staff carved from wood with an emerald the size of a fingernail embedded at the end.

And why did I choose the Earth Staff?

It’s all a foundation for the future.

– ♪♬♩

As soon as the alarm went off, I quickly silenced it and hurriedly got ready.

Just as I was leaving my room, the next-door room opened and Go Hyeon-woo stepped out.

Unlike yesterday when he wore martial artist’s attire, today he was neatly dressed in a school uniform.

Of course, like yesterday, he had his sect’s sacred weapon on his back and an iron sword at his waist.

I noticed that he had replaced the one he had broken yesterday.

“Good morning.”

“Yeah, let’s go have breakfast.”

***

After a simple breakfast we headed to our assigned class.

We entered the classroom after seeing the sign that said <First Grade, Class 3>.

I thought we were quite early but the classroom was already bustling with students who had arrived before us.

The excitement of the first day of the semester must have brought them in early.

I recognized quite a few familiar faces.

Shin Byeong-cheol, smirking deviously, seemed to be plotting something with a few of his friends.

Han So-mi, who kept telling silly jokes, and Song Cheon-hye, who reluctantly indulged her despite being annoyed.

Jo Byeok and Geum Jo-han appeared to be assigned to different classes.

Go Hyeon-woo looked around the classroom and asked.

“I don’t see Miss Seo here. Isn’t she in the same class as us?”

“She is.”

“I wonder if she’s overslept. It’s a bit worrying.”

“Let her be. She’ll show up eventually.”

Last night during dinner we all confirmed that we were in Class 3.

Amidst this, the absence of Seo Ye-in from the classroom seemed to concern Ko Hyeon-woo. He probably wondered if she was going to be late on the very first day.

From my perspective, it was an unnecessary worry.

Even if Seo Ye-in was indeed lost in dreamland, there was nothing we could do about it.

It wasn’t like we could barge into the girls’ dormitory.

Rather, what I found odd was not Seo Ye-in’s absence but the absence of someone else.

Where has the homeroom teacher gone?

On the first day of the first semester, especially for the first class, homeroom teachers are usually the ones who arrive early to prepare for the lesson.

At least, that’s what my memories from the real world and from <Dragon Slayer Academy> suggested.

The excitement of the first day of the semester is a feeling shared not just by students but by teachers as well.

Yet there was no sign of our teacher.

It seemed our class teacher was quite negligent in this regard.

This was not particularly good news for the students.

As class time approached, the remaining students arrived in a rush and filled the empty seats in the classroom.

Seo Ye-in finally appeared just before the bell rang.

“Good morn’n…”

She gave a yawning morning greeting, lazily waved her hand, and then naturally took the seat next to me.

— ♩♪♬♩♩—

The melody flowing from the speaker signaled that it was time for class.

But the teacher’s desk remained conspicuously empty.

“…….”

“……?”

The number of students looking around in confusion began to increase.

“Hey, where’s the teacher?”

“I don’t know.”

“But who is our homeroom teacher?”

“How should I know?”

Clomp, clomp

Just then, heavy footsteps started to approach slowly from the far end of the hallway.

A student wouldn’t walk so leisurely after hearing the bell for class.

Therefore, the chances were high that these footsteps belonged to our homeroom teacher.

As if they were thinking the same thing? the entire class turned their attention to the hallway.

As expected, the sound of footsteps stopped right at the classroom door.

As the door slid open and the identity of the homeroom teacher was revealed,

“!!”

“Gasp-“

The whole class literally froze in place.

The man’s appearance was far from ordinary.

One ear was shorter than the other, seemingly burned and adhering to his skin, and a scar that appeared to be a sword wound ran across the middle of his face.

Combined with his sharp, predatory eyes, he exuded a fierce aura that could make even the most notorious criminals look tame.

“…….”

“…….”

Most of the students were visibly shaken and they were trembling like mice in front of a cat. While some others, including Song Cheon-hye, stared at him with tense wary expressions.

Only a few people, including Go Hyeon-woo and me, showed no particular reaction. It was not because we were brave but simply because we didn’t know who he was.

He might look scary at first glance, but without knowing his identity, there was no reason to be alarmed or scared.

The man cracked a sardonic grin.

“Judging by your reactions, I must be somewhat famous. Nice to meet you all. I’ll be your homeroom teacher for this year.”

He then proceeded to write his name on the blackboard.

His handwriting looked to be as harsh as his appearance, resembling strokes made by a knife.

Lee Soo-dok.

“For those of you who don’t know, let me tell you just once. The highest-rank monster I’ve slayed is an A-rank Behemoth. Of course, if that was all, you wouldn’t be cowering in front of me like this. Being an A-rank is a basic qualification for teachers in this school. You there.”

“Yes? Yes!”

Lee Soo-dok pointed to a girl in the front row.

Her face which was already pale with fright turned even more white.

“Tell me what people call me.”

“S-s-s, Slayer Hunter…”

“Besides that. It’s two words.”

“Ah… That, that is…”

“I won’t get angry; just say it. If you don’t speak up quickly, I will.”

The girl’s eyes flitted around.

Whatever those two words were, they seemed too uncomfortable to utter in his presence.

However, as Lee Soo-dok’s gaze intensified, she lowered her eyes and barely managed to squeeze out each letter and her voice was shrinking with each syllable.

“Hu, h…human…bu-b, b-bu-butch…er…”

“That is correct.”

As if he were satisfied with the answer, Lee Soo-dok wrote down the two words that the female student mentioned below his own name.

Human Butcher.

So it has come to this

In the world of <Dragon Slayer Academy>, there were as many superhumans who exceeded the limits of human beings as there were grains of sand.

Among the numerous superhumans there were villains who wielded their power for corrupt desires.

It could be presumed that Lee Soo-dok was tasked with tracking and apprehending these evildoers.

Additionally, the term “Human Butcher” implied that the number of humans he executed far exceeded the number he arrested.

And if we were to judge based on their frightened faces, the count of villains he had eliminated should as well be over a hundred?

It was understandable to feel intimidated in the presence of such a person.

“I’m not here by choice. If it weren’t for a request from the principal, I wouldn’t have even considered it. Regardless, this is a job and I am a professional. And one of my few prides is that I have perfectly completed every assignment that was given to me so far. I sincerely hope you don’t mess that up.”

As Lee Soo-dok spoke, the atmosphere in the classroom grew even colder.

I was probably not the only one who heard the underlying words of “I will personally kill any student who fails before they even get a failing grade.”

“There’s no time to waste, so let’s skip further introductions and get to the main point. I’ll explain the grading system.”

With a snap of his fingers, the words on the blackboard vanished as if they had evaporated.

He began to write anew on the now-clean blackboard.

+ Written Exams 30%

“Written exams account for 30% of the grade. This includes midterms, finals, reports, and assignments. Personally, I would have preferred to make it 20%, but that’s not within my control.”

Lee Soo-dok clicked his tongue in disappointment, recalling that in his time, it was indeed 20%.

Just like he said the proportion of written exams changed every year.

It fluctuated from 20% to 30%, and sometimes even dropped to 15%.

What is certain is that in all the hundreds of times I attended <Dragon Slayer Academy>, I never saw the written exams exceed 30%.

The academy clearly prioritized other aspects over desk-bound academic performance.

Next Lee Soo-dok added a line beneath the 30% for written exams.

+ Attitude Score 10%

“Just by not causing trouble and simply breathing, you can earn as much as 10%. For some, it’s like free points. However,”

He spoke leisurely, then as if he had just remembered, he added,

“This attitude score is deducted a little each time you receive a demerit point for breaking a school rule. And if it goes below 0%, it can even reduce other grades. I wonder if anyone would take the rules lightly enough to let that happen…”

It might have been intentional, but for a moment Lee Soo-dok’s gaze seemed to fix on Shin Byeong-cheol and his group.

They quickly averted their eyes.

“I’ll keep an eye on the bad seeds. Who knows? We might meet again after graduation.”

The students trembled in fear.

They probably imagined what it would mean to encounter the ‘Human Butcher’ after graduation.

In their minds, they were most likely desperately resolving never to break the school rules, even at the risk of death, but that’s easier said than done.

There’s a reason why they start with giving out 10%.

“Next is the most crucial part: the practical exams.”

+ Strategy Battle 30%

+ Duel Battle 30%

“Practical exams are divided into strategy battles, where you clear various dungeons, and duel battles, where you compete against other students. And it’s all based on relative grading. If you want to score, you have to work harder and perform better than those around you.”

To put it in terms commonly used by players, strategy battles are PVE and duel battles are PVP.

Take duel battles for example where you compete with other students, stealing and losing points in a competitive ranking system.

With the maximum score for duel battles at 30%,

The top 10% would score 27% out of a perfect 30%,

While the top 50% would score 15% of the total 30%.

The same applies to strategy battles.

Lee Soo-dok circled the contents he had written on the blackboard.

Lastly, he wrote ‘100%’ at the bottom of the list.

+ Written Exams 30%

+ Attitude Score 10%

+ Strategy Battle 30%

+ Duel Battle 30%

——————————————

= Total Score 100%

“The evaluation criteria for the first semester of the first year are as follows. I will give you time for questions. If anyone has any questions, raise your hand now.”

“……”

No one raised their hand.

It was unclear whether this was because everyone completely understood Lee Soo-dok’s explanation or because they were afraid that raising their hand might lead to immediate and severe consequences.

“No questions? Good. Today, we will be conducting a placement test to provide some light discrimination between students. Everyone, move to the arena.”