A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 25

The concept of dungeon priority arose from the practice of large guilds invading dungeons that other guilds were attempting to conquer, stealing only the prime rewards.

The initial intention was good, but now it has devolved into a garbage policy exploited by large guilds to monopolize dungeons.

The association tried to limit the number of dungeons that each guild could claim, but the large guilds found loopholes by establishing ghost guilds, ultimately leading the Hero Association to give up.

Still, they don’t touch these unprofitable beginner dungeons, so it doesn’t matter for now.

I managed to secure all the dungeons sooner than expected.

The exam preparations ended satisfactorily.

* * *

A month into the semester.

For the freshmen, it had just been a month since they entered the academy.

Especially for the newcomers, it was the time to enjoy their youth, attending social events held by their departments or clubs, such as drinking parties, meetings, and MTs.

Even at Korea’s top academy, Florian, the atmosphere was somewhat relaxed for the starry-eyed freshmen.

However, there were always exceptions.

Students attending the dungeon research and practical classes wore expressions of despair, denying reality.

“No… this can’t be… How can there be an exam just a month after enrollment?”

Nam Hae-joo, the red-haired knight of the Anseri group, denied the dreadful reality.

In response, Gam Mi-seong nodded in agreement.

“Right? What kind of exam is there already?”

“I think that professor has a problem in his head.”

“Agreed. A normal person wouldn’t set up such a nonsensical class.”

The two of them vented their frustrations about Cha Eun-woo.

Unable to remain silent, Seo Da-yoon mustered the courage to speak up.

“The, the professor is probably doing this for our sake, but that’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

Gam Mi-seong and Nam Hye-joo both looked at Seo Da-yoon.

It was quite a rare sight to see Seo Da-yoon, who always took a step back and merely went along with others’ opinions, assert herself, and it surprised them.

Without realizing it, Seo Da-yoon took a step back.

These kids weren’t bad, but it felt a bit uncomfortable.

To put it simply, they looked intimidating.

Still, for the sake of the professor’s honor, she had to stand her ground here.

Seo Da-yoon focused her eyes as much as she could.

Gam Mi-seong and Nam Hye-joo burst into laughter at the sight.

“Why, why are you laughing?”

“Hmm, why is Da-yoon defending the professor~?”

“Right? What’s so great about the professor? The classes aren’t even that good. The pace is super fast, and we have practicals too. At this rate, by the end of the semester, my bag won’t even fit all the handouts.”

Seo Da-yoon flared up and retorted.

“But the lectures are good! Listening to one lecture from the professor is more beneficial than combining two other lectures!”

Gam Mi-seong and Nam Hye-joo exchanged secret glances.

This teasing was more enjoyable than they expected.

“Then what’s the point? It’s harder than combining three other lectures.”

“W-well, you gain a lot from it, so it’s good!”

“If you want that, you can just take more lectures.”

“Exactly. I’m taking 15 credits, and my friend is taking 19, but because of this one class, I’m way busier than her. Does that even make sense?”

“B-but….”

As Seo Da-yoon fidgeted, the two of them giggled.

Nam Hye-joo delivered the final blow.

“Da-yoon, seeing you constantly defending the professor… I get it. You have quite the crush, huh?”

“Wh-what?”

“Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone as handsome as the professor in my life. If he were a senior, I would just—”

“Th-that’s not it….”

Gam Mi-seong scoffed and said to Nam Hye-joo.

“What do you mean? Do you think someone like him would even notice you?”

“What? What’s wrong with me?”

“What’s wrong? Just look in the mirror.”

“Yeah, reflection.”

“Rainbow reflection.”

While the two were bickering, Seo Da-yoon asked Ahn Se-ri for help.

“Se-ri, you come and say something too!”

If it’s Se-ri, she must know the professor’s good points well.

Maybe even better than I do… No, that’s not true. I know better. Still, she’s a friend who knows enough to be similar to me.

But Ahn Se-ri replied with a sulky expression.

“I don’t care. Let them say whatever about the professor.”

Seo Da-yoon’s expectations were beautifully betrayed.

Flustered, Seo Da-yoon flailed her arms, but Ahn Se-ri didn’t take back her words.

For the past few days, Ahn Se-ri had been feeling the worst.

She had been completely betrayed by the professor she trusted.

Unbeknownst to Ahn Se-ri, the professor had helped Seo Da-yoon with her private lessons, which led to a confrontation with the third years, resulting in a duel that shook the academy…

In truth, none of that mattered.

When she first heard the news, she was purely happy.

Seo Da-yoon had beaten the third years and gained recognition from many. It felt like her friend, who had always lacked confidence, had grown.

That thought shattered on Monday morning.

─They say Seo Da-yoon beat the third years in combat magic.

─Really? Strong allies are always welcome. Let’s suggest she join a club or something.

A conversation she overheard casually while passing by.

It was simply praising a friend. Yet, it was so unpleasant.

‘I was the only one who knew Da-yoon had talent.’

That feeling lingered on.

Wherever she went, it was Seo Da-yoon, Seo Da-yoon.

She hated hearing that name come from someone else’s mouth.

─I saw Seo Da-yoon at lunch.

─Really? Does she look strong?

─No. But she’s really pretty. Not in a flashy way, but with a pure charm? A delicate charm? Something like that.

─I know someone in the combat magic department; should I ask her to join a group date?

─That sounds good. What’s her contact info… Eek!

The male students who had been gossiping about Seo Da-yoon fled with faces as if they had seen a ghost.

An Se-ri, who always managed her emotions well, could not hide her true feelings at that moment.

‘What a bunch of trash…’

From that point on, An Se-ri realized that something was wrong.

Where there are blooming flowers, there are bound to be pests.

She had to protect Seo Da-yoon from the harmful insects.

Naturally, she was the only one who could help Da-yoon.

But then. It had to be that way.

“Sorry, I have plans today…”

“Oh? Okay. Then let’s go next time.”

For the first time, she was rejected by Seo Da-yoon.

She hated that other girls seemed to have the audacity to intrude between them.

“I don’t like this.”

So, she vented her frustration on the professor. No, she tried to vent, but the professor skillfully dodged her attempts.

In the end, she had no choice but to swallow her anger alone.

Unbeknownst to her, Seo Da-yoon had burrowed too deeply into An Se-ri’s heart.

There had never been anyone like this for An Se-ri until now; when had it come to this?

She realized that fact far too late.

If she had known it would be like this, she would have protected her more.

Amidst the chatter, the vehicle carrying the students arrived at their destination.

They had reached the place where the exam would take place.

“Right here…”

“Wow, I can feel an incredibly clear mana.”

It was a mountain of moderate height.

There were signs of development, suggesting that there had been quite a few hikers in the past, but as the gates increased, the flow of travelers had abruptly stopped.

Before the exam, everyone looked on with tense expressions.

In such a situation, only a few remained relaxed.

“Hmph, what’s the big deal about this?”

Song Seok-hwan from Group A snorted dismissively.

However, due to his failure in the last practical class, he no longer received the absolute support of his group members as he once did.

But Song Seok-hwan showed no signs of concern at all.

In other groups, the leaders exchanged words to boost morale.

“Let’s all do our best!”

“Don’t be nervous, just act like you usually do.”

“Fighting!”

After checking to ensure no students were missing, Cha Eun-woo spoke up.

“Everyone, pay attention.”

Perhaps because they were outdoors, he was not in the usual suit but clad in armor.

Silver armor adorned with golden patterns, and colorful decorations hung from it in a dazzling display. A longsword was at his waist, and his cloak was blue, complementing the armor perfectly.

Cha Eun-woo was so accustomed to high-grade equipment that he mistakenly thought all ordinary gear was just as splendid, but that was not the case.

If another professor had shown up like that, it would have looked overly flashy and ridiculous. But with Cha Eun-woo, it was a sight to behold.

Unintentionally, he garnered envy from the male students and provided eye candy for the female students.

“There are markers left at the dungeons where each group will take their exam. If you fail to find the exam location, you will be disqualified. The exam starts when you enter the gate. The evaluation criteria and other details have been announced beforehand. Any questions?”

“None!”

“Good. Let’s begin.”

As Cha Eun-woo’s declaration echoed, they split into groups and ascended the mountain.

An Se-ri made an effort to shake off her gloomy feelings and decided to focus.

Today was undeniably the real deal.

The practical lessons had been conducted within a barrier, so no one got hurt, but here, a moment’s carelessness could lead to someone getting seriously injured.

“Phew…”

The basic quality of a hero is to suppress emotions.

For someone aiming to be the successor of Geum-ok, losing control of their emotions and causing an accident in the dungeon would be a lifelong shame.

To shift her mood, An Se-ri suggested to her group members.

“How about we loosen up a bit before we go in?”

“Sounds good. Are you suggesting we have a match?”

Nam Hae-joo licked her lips and stepped forward first.

On the first day of their gathering, it was Kwang-nyeon who challenged An Se-ri.

She always craved a fierce battle with the strong.

For An Se-ri, hearing Nam Hae-joo’s challenge had become tiresome.

Even on other days, she had no intention of fighting, but today, especially so.

—

Right now, emotions were running high.

I feared that if I took my frustration out on my teammates, I might end up breaking something and miss the exam.

An Se-ri smiled softly and said,

“Dueling is fine, but… over there, there’s a more suitable opponent.”

─Kieeeek!

Before her words could settle, a beast-like cry echoed.

But it wasn’t a wild beast.

No wild animal would dare to appear near a monster’s habitat.

The source of the cry was, of course, a monster.

“Hmph, let’s meet after the exam.”

It resembled a monkey, but it was no monkey.

No monkey had small horns on its forehead and two tails.

Nam Hye-joo charged at the monster without even drawing the sword at her waist.

“Uooo!”

─Kieeek!

At the same time, fists reached out toward each other.

Nam Hye-joo’s arms were just a bit longer.

Thwack-!

Blood splattered from the monkey’s face.

Nam Hye-joo continued to strike with a grin that revealed her gums.

“Aha!”

Thwack! Thwack!

The monkey reached out its arms and clawed at Nam Hye-joo.

Against another opponent, it would have been a decent counterattack, but the opponent was unfortunate.

Bleeding, Nam Hye-joo began to rampage even more ferociously.

“Make it more fun!”

Like a beast, she tangled with the monster, while Gam Mi-seong watched.

The emotions rising on his face were half disgust, half envy.

“That guy, he could use the Burst.”

During the last practical class, he hadn’t noticed because he was too busy fighting, but now it was clear that Nam Hye-joo had activated the Burst.

—

—

Divergence has the characteristic of growing stronger as emotions intensify.

It was the same for other classes, but especially for melee fighters who engaged directly with monsters, the excitement in battle was even more pronounced.

That’s why most skilled warriors possessed divergence.

I thought it made sense that those with divergence tended to get easily excited, but seeing it in action made me envious.

There were many famous warriors, but this trait was absent in Gamiseong.

Gamiseong wanted it too.

“Let’s go now.”

Nam Hye-joo, drenched in blood, smiled chillingly. An Se-ri pulled out a handkerchief.

“How about wiping off the blood first?”

“No way. I need to smell the blood to get excited.”

“If that’s the case.”

An Se-ri’s group stepped into the dungeon, fully prepared.

─Creeeak…

─Creeeak.

Inside the less verdant monkey forest.

It was just as Cha Eun-woo had said in class.

Unlike outside, inside the dungeon, the monsters only guarded against the intrusion of strangers, not attacking first.

“Let’s sweep them away and get out!”

Nam Hye-joo expressed her enthusiasm, but An Se-ri raised her arm to stop her.

The scoring method was solely a time attack.

To earn a good score, they had to quickly defeat the monsters.

However, rushing in was not a wise choice.

They needed to leverage the advantage of the single opportunity for a preemptive strike to deal a significant blow to the enemy.

“Hye-joo, Gamiseong. Herd the monsters to one spot. But make sure they don’t feel threatened enough to attack.”

Nam Hye-joo and Gamiseong approached the monkeys.

The two drew their weapons and began to swing them with a whoosh.

“Hey, get out of the way.”

“Should I just kill them?”

─Creeeak…

The monkeys began to retreat passively.

Riding the wave of excitement, Nam Hye-joo charged forward.

“Waaah!”

─Screeeech!

The monkeys jumped in surprise.

Watching that, Nam Hye-joo giggled.

Gam Mi-sung muttered to herself as she looked at Nam Hye-joo.

‘Her actions are just at monkey level.’

Nam Hye-joo narrowed her eyes.

“Geum Taeyang, you were thinking something rude, weren’t you?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

Gam Mi-sung felt a jolt of anxiety but calmly spun a lie.

Nam Hye-joo withdrew her suspicious gaze and began to threaten the monkeys again.

“This isn’t bad at all.”

While the front line was advancing, the rear was observing the battlefield from behind An Se-ri.

The characteristics of the less verdant monkey forest.

Each individual wasn’t particularly strong, but their numbers were large, and their patterns were tricky, making it crucial to gain an advantage in the first turn.

The key was to gather as many as possible before the monsters became wary and then wipe them out in one fell swoop.

Seo Da-yoon felt a bit uneasy.

There was no sense of hostility in the faces or actions of the monkeys, referred to as monsters.

They looked a bit peculiar, but they resembled calm beasts more than anything else.

Entering the lair of the still monsters and slaughtering them.

Is this the way of a hero?

Though she already knew, her heart couldn’t help but feel complicated.

“This method feels somewhat…”

“What did you say?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Seo Da-yoon smiled and mumbled.

An Se-ri had no room for such weak emotions.

She had been trained as a member of a massive guild since birth.

She wasn’t soft enough to extend even a shred of sympathy to mere monsters.

She resolutely commanded the slaughter of humanity’s foes.

“I’ll wipe them all out with area magic. Get ready.”

* * *

“I’m going to finish this with area magic.”

At the same time, in a different dungeon.

Team A,

It was different from the last miserable practical lecture.

Back then, I was ignorant. I knew nothing about the level of the party’s fools, nor what awaited us in any dungeon we entered.

Song Seok-hwan recited the dungeon攻略 he had memorized in advance.

A攻略 method commissioned from someone in the guild who claimed to be an expert.

If I just followed this, acing this exam would be as easy as pie.

─Young master, I worked hard to create this too. A less green monkey forest in the first-year lecture. That professor has quite the peculiar personality.

─Right? By the way, that professor said we should base our攻略 on what he taught in class.

─Hahaha! Don’t worry. We are the true experts in this field, aren’t we?

Yes, just as he said.

No matter how much they brag, they’re just professors.

In the end, professors are merely second-rate in real combat.