A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 16

Still, maintaining a poker face, I continued to speak firmly.

“It’s not just your scary face. The way you wear your uniform, the piercing on your tongue, even the macho attitude… your usual speech patterns and gestures…”

“Got it! I understand, so stop!”

Baek Seolhwa raised his voice, rare for him, perhaps out of embarrassment.

Muttering to himself, “Was that really scary?” he seemed ready to dig himself into the ground.

I clapped my hands in front of him to bring him back to his senses.

“Whoa!”

“Why are you worrying about that? Let me ask you, do you want to be friends with them?”

“…No.”

What Baek Seolhwa desired wasn’t to get close to his group members.

Rather, for someone like him, who lacked the ability to blend in with others, keeping a reasonable distance would be much more comfortable.

He simply disliked being a burden to the group.

So the answer was clear.

“Let go of the thought that you must be at the party.”

—

“Excuse me?”

Baeksulhwa asked, as if she had heard something strange.

No matter how I thought about it, it was indeed a strange statement.

Yet, this was the best option.

“You don’t have the talent to dominate a party like Seokhwan. The party doesn’t need you.”

“…Are you saying I should leave the team?”

“No, of course not. As a combatant, Seolhwa, you are the best. So, maximize that. This is what you need to do.”

Baeksulhwa tilted her head, perhaps not understanding.

I threw her a choice.

“It’s about running two parties, so to speak. Five members in Party 1, and you, Seolhwa, as the second party’s special unit. You don’t have to be tied down by the role of commander in the party.”

“Ah…”

When teaching students, social skills were also essential.

Even if it was a job hunting monsters, one couldn’t just act like a lone wolf.

In fact, dungeon raids were conducted in party units, making social skills crucial.

However, that didn’t necessarily mean everyone had to become friends.

After all, it was a group that would disappear after a semester.

There was no need to force friendships. It was enough to maintain a business-like relationship and do the most efficient work possible together.

This was a much-needed piece of advice for Baeksulhwa, who believed that her social skills were the root of all her problems.

“You can choose the people you want to get close to.”

From an educator’s perspective, it wasn’t the best advice.

In fact, it might be close to the worst? A good teacher would never have said something like I did.

Slowly, they would have helped Baeksulhwa open her heart and mingle with others.

But I wasn’t a good educator.

I didn’t know how to teach someone to be a good person.

I only thought about how to make her a hero, a soldier.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Was my answer satisfactory? Baeksulhwa chuckled softly.

Perhaps because I had only ever seen her with a frightening expression, her pure smile seemed exceptionally beautiful.

“So, what do you think?”

“I prefer this to forcing myself to get close for no reason.”

Beside the bench, a little distance away, Baeksulhwa moved a bit closer to me.

A subtle blend of perfume and a hint of masculinity filled the air.

It wasn’t the most pleasant scent, but it had a certain addictive quality.

I raised the coffee can I had bought for her, clinking it against my empty can before speaking.

“You said I should choose who I want to get close to, right? Then I want to get close to that professor.”

Perhaps it took some courage to say that, as her face turned slightly red.

I returned the best answer I could offer.

“If you have worries, I can at least be a listening ear.”

Was that enough to satisfy her? Baeksulhwa smiled brightly.

It was a radiant smile I had never even seen in the game.

Baeksulhwa opened her coffee can and took a sip.

Then she stuck out her tongue and grimaced.

“It tastes bad.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“Next time, I’ll buy you coffee.”

Baeksulhwa stood up from the bench and headed back to the library.

I wondered if I had done something unnecessary.

I had no idea that I might have completely changed Baeksulhwa’s future.

In Baeksulhwa’s scenario, changes in relationships were a crucial element.

In some routes, she could meet her end through betrayal.

In others, she might close her heart and walk a lonely path for life.

In some paths, she could view everyone in the world as mere pawns.

In others, she could find a true friend.

And in yet other routes…

But because of me, all those possibilities vanished.

No longer was Baeksulhwa a character bound by relationships.

One thing was certain, though: in none of those routes had I ever seen a smile like the one just now.

I thought maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.

* * *

─The effect of the mentor is activated. You gain a small amount of experience points. (Target: Baeksulhwa)

─The effect of the mentor is activated. You gain a small amount of experience points. (Target: Oh Jae-hak)

“Alright. You both did well.”

The final project brought by Baek Seol-hwa and Oh Jae-hak was quite satisfying.

Considering the clumsy report from the beginning, it was a remarkable improvement.

“How was it? Did it go well?”

“Thanks to the kids doing well. I should have worked with them sooner instead of being stubborn on my own.”

Oh Jae-hak spoke with a smile.

This guy was more sociable than I expected.

While his capabilities as a commander couldn’t be compared to Ahn Se-ri or Song Seok-hwan, his ability to share roles with other team members and smoothly coordinate among them was considerable.

Oh Jae-hak might not be an elegant commander, but he seemed capable of being a diligent leader.

The purpose of this assignment wasn’t to enhance the skills of the group leaders.

It was to teach them that ‘you two cannot do it like Song Seok-hwan and Ahn Se-ri.’

Instead, I provided guidance in ways that each could excel.

I granted Baek Seol-hwa a free roll.

For Oh Jae-hak’s party, I eliminated the main order and distributed the tasks.

Of course, even with that, I wasn’t sure if they could stand on equal footing with the other two parties.

From here on, it was up to them.

“How was our report?”

Oh Jae-hak asked confidently.

He had brought back a much better report through collaboration with his party members. So he seemed to be brimming with confidence.

“You did well. Both Jae-hak and Seol-hwa.”

Oh Jae-hak’s face lit up with noticeable excitement.

Baek Seol-hwa also showed a small change, her expression brightening.

After correcting a few things with a red pen, I returned the report to them.

“Well then, let’s see it in the next class.”

The two bowed and left.

It felt like the balance between the parties had been somewhat adjusted.

With the current two parties, they wouldn’t be overwhelmingly outmatched by the other two.

It might turn out to be quite a good match.

“I should start preparing for class soon.”

Tap, tap—

After a while of typing on my laptop, the email was finally complete.

The content requested supplies for the class.

The growth of the party was faster than I had expected, so I felt I could be a bit more ambitious with the class as well.

Just then, the door creaked open, and Lee Yeo-eun, with zombie-like eyes, walked in.

“Professor, hello…”

“Welcome, Teaching Assistant.”

“Pardon?”

At the mention of “Teaching Assistant,” Lee Yeo-eun was taken aback.

I usually called her “Yeo-eun,” but when I needed her for assistant duties, I referred to her as “Teaching Assistant.”

She must have thought, ‘Oh no, the professor is going to make me work again.’

“The supplies will arrive in the evening, so you need to prepare for the class.”

“Professor… I stayed up all night yesterday…”

“Oh, so you thought the Teaching Assistant would just do nothing and play around?”

“Yes… Please wake me up when they come…”

Leaving those words behind, Lee Yeo-eun collapsed onto the sofa and lay down.

Before long, she fell asleep.

I couldn’t help but worry a little that she might be harming her health.

“Tsk… Just today.”

In the end, I did all the class preparations by myself.

Lee Yeo-eun didn’t wake up until nearly half a day had passed. She even got mad at me for not waking her up.

Chapter 9. The Cheerful Dungeon Practice

Week 3 of the semester.

In other words, my third lecture.

I made my way toward the familiar classroom that had become so well-known to me.

As I opened the door and stepped inside, 22 students were, as always, focused on me.

I stood at the lectern and greeted the students.

“Good to see you, everyone.”

In response to my greeting, the students also greeted me back.

The atmosphere was better than last week.

“I will begin the class.”

As before, the lecture commenced.

The location for the first practical assessment, the Less Green Monkey Forest.

From now on, I would impart the strategies in earnest.

The Less Green Monkey Forest did not have any particularly strong specimens.

Each monster was relatively weak, making it easy for newcomers to handle them.

However, the monsters were cunning, the dungeon’s layout was complex, and there were many traps, so it was by no means an easy place.

Yet, knowing the strategies would exponentially lower the difficulty.

“Imagine you are surrounded by multiple enemies in a dungeon.”

The troop of monkeys inhabiting the Less Green Monkey Forest.

Individually weak, but difficult to deal with when they moved in groups.

“So, what will you do?”

As I looked around at the students and asked, someone raised their hand.

It was a boy from the Combat Magic department with green hair.

“I can blow them away with area-of-effect magic.”

“Correct.”

It was a response befitting a wizard.

The green-haired boy wore a slightly smug expression, especially glancing at Anseri from time to time.

Archers and wizards were both ranged dealers, so there was considerable overlap.

That’s why their relationship was strained.

The childish argument of which class was superior.

In other words, it was a childish provocation implying, “You can’t do this, can you?”

Anseri herself seemed indifferent, but the other students from her department shot her disdainful glances.

“What if there’s no wizard in the party?”

At my additional question, the classroom fell silent.

Someone muttered softly, “We’d have to mock the party leader. Who goes into a dungeon without a royal wizard?” and the Combat Magic students chuckled quietly.

Another added, “Especially if there’s an archer in that party,” and they all chimed in.

Squeeze—

Perhaps displeased, Anseri gripped the pen in her hand tightly.

It seemed she wasn’t indifferent; rather, she was trying hard to ignore it.

I’m sorry, but I couldn’t take sides here.

“That’s a good answer. We don’t create situations without a wizard. That’s the best approach.”

As I spoke, the students gasped in surprise at the mention of combat magic and those involved.

The parties in question looked bewildered.

Only Song Seok-hwan scoffed and provoked further.

“Of course. Wizards are the most superior class.”

Not just An Se-ri, but everyone was stirred by that remark.

The hierarchy among classes.

This was a topic of debate enjoyed by all students, commoners, and even heroes.

Before it escalated into a fight, I decided to intervene first.

“It’s true that among all classes, wizards are the most versatile.”

That’s also why I started practicing magic.

Magic was useful in any situation.

Song Seok-hwan nodded as if to say, “See?”

“However, that’s all it is. Without a front line, you’re half a fighter, and you can’t exert power against an opponent resistant to magic. No class can stand alone in this world. It’s meaningless to determine superiority.”

I provided the best answer I could as an educator.

Everything is good.

This was the so-called theory of duality.

While I personally believed that a hierarchy based on performance among professions did exist, it seemed unrelated to the class topic, so I wrapped it up appropriately.

“Let’s get to the main point. But what if there’s no one who can use mass destruction skills? How can things go as best as they should? So, we need to be aware of key roles. Who can speak up?”

A large male student sitting in the back answered.

“Can’t we just take them out one by one?”

“That’s a poor strategy. It’s bothersome.”

A few more suggestions came up, but they lacked practicality.

As I was considering announcing the answer, An Se-ri raised her hand.

“We should take out the leader.”

“That’s correct.”

The students gasped in awe.

I elaborated a bit on her answer.

“Taking out the leader first has two advantages. The first is that the command structure collapses. The second is that it significantly lowers the enemy’s morale. Once they lose their focal point, the remaining ones naturally turn into a disorganized mob.”

—

Looking around with an expression that asked if everyone understood, most faces appeared relaxed.

That’s how dungeon raids usually were.

Finding a method wasn’t difficult; once you found it, you could easily memorize everything.

However, whether you could effectively apply it in practice was a different matter.

In addition, various pieces of knowledge were lectured on.

Some students listened intently, but most were taking notes while casually glancing at their smartphones, and a few had even fallen asleep.

It was quite a scene typical of a liberal arts class.

It was the same during my college days. Even a place like Florian Academy, which could be compared to S University, was just another place where people lived.

Regardless, my lecture continued.

* * *

It’s often said that being a genius doesn’t necessarily mean one can teach others well.

No matter how much knowledge one possesses, if they can’t convey it properly, they’re not suited to be a lecturer.

In that sense, there were indeed many professors who received harsh criticism.

But Cha Eun-woo was different.

His classes had a captivating quality.

His voice, intonation, eye contact, and the overall quality of the lecture were all top-notch.

Students found themselves drawn into the lecture without even realizing it.

However, there were still those who wouldn’t pay attention.

“Alright, that’s it for now. Any questions?”

As the last slide of the PPT was shown, the usual closing remark came.

Naturally, no student stood up to leave.

Yet, everyone had one question in mind.

Wasn’t it still quite early to finish the lecture?

While some thought it would be nice if the lecture ended early, they knew that wouldn’t happen. They could only speculate that there might be a second PPT.

However, Cha Eun-woo had no prepared PPT.

Instead, something else was ready.

“Looks like there’s nothing. Then we’ll wrap up today’s lecture here… and move on to the practical session.”

With a flash—!

As Cha Eun-woo raised his arms, a circular magic circle rose from the floor of the lecture hall.

It looked complex at first glance. Even someone unfamiliar with magic could tell that this was high-level magic.

—

Everyone looked at each other’s faces in confusion.

The bright light obscured my vision. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a dark cave.

“Where are we?”

“It’s dark…”

“Could it be a space teleportation spell?”

Cha Eun-woo spoke to the bewildered students.

“It’s not that grand. It’s simply a barrier created by magic.”

“A barrier?”

“Right. If the infusion of mana stops or the magic is dispelled, this place could vanish immediately.”

As the students regained their composure, they realized how unnatural this place was.

The lines of the ground and stones were too pristine. If it were in nature, it should have been much rougher.

The flow of mana was also unnatural.

In nature, there shouldn’t be any rules of mana, yet the mana here was flowing toward a specific point.

The destination of the mana was the barrier stone that existed to maintain the magic.

“Wow, this is amazing.”

“Is this really possible with magic?”

Most couldn’t hide their astonishment at the high-level magic they were witnessing for the first time.

They had only seen such magic in videos; very few had actually witnessed it in person.

“Attention. We will begin the practical class.”

As Cha Eun-woo spoke, everyone’s gaze focused on him.

Even those who had dozed off during lectures now had their eyes sparkling.

“First, the grade for my class is 100% based on the dungeon exploration exam. Not doing well in this class won’t affect your grade. However, if you can’t keep up with this, I’m not sure if you’ll be able to successfully complete the exam.”

His tone was dry, yet there was an unsettling quality to his voice.

Everyone instinctively realized.

This wasn’t an exaggeration to encourage the class.

Falling behind here would mean the end.