I Possessed a Broken Academy Instructor

Chapter 38

The night was thick with darkness.

In the instructor’s office of the Central Special Operations Academy, Jin Crow sat at a desk that could be described as tidy in a good light, or stark in a bad one, quietly reviewing files.

His fingers moved clumsily across the screen.

Yet, despite that, his mind churned with endless complexity.

“Midterms.”

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about it.

It was just that, having gone through so much, it had slipped his mind.

Had Ideale not reminded him, he might have found himself in a bit of a bind.

Tap, tap—.

He drummed his fingers on the table.

With each tap, the injuries that had yet to fully heal throbbed, but it was surprisingly effective in clearing his mind of distractions.

‘I need to prepare for both the written and combat exams for the linked courses. I can’t leave it to Assistant Instructor Ginatios.’

For the other courses, he could refer to the exams that had been conducted thus far, but not for his own.

The first exam since the course was established.

That meant two things.

An opportunity to gauge the general level of the cadets, and at the same time, a metric for the higher-ups to evaluate the instructor and the course’s effectiveness.

……It was the greatest reason he could not entrust it to the vice-instructor, Gi-natio.

‘I’m a novice when it comes to creatures.’

He had studied diligently in his own way, but the limits were clear.

Isn’t it already questionable that a course on creatures was established at this point in time?

‘Originally, the course was supposed to be introduced much later. By then, research on creatures would have progressed significantly.’

However, the future had changed.

The current reality was such that, with just a week’s absence, the curriculum was so lacking that self-study had to be enforced.

In other words, it meant that both the upcoming lectures and this exam would be fraught with difficulties.

“Huuh.”

He pulled a cigarette from the desk where he had carelessly tossed it and lit it.

Sizzle, hiss—.

The heavy smoke pressed down upon his lungs.

Then, in the dimly lit office, he began to organize the related content, exhaling clouds of smoke.

Beside him lay a collection of papers on creatures, which had not been detailed in the original work.

‘This is riddled with baseless speculation, and… a creature is a bioweapon created by the Empire? What utter nonsense they’ve written with such care.’

Knowing that research was still ongoing, it was quite a hassle to distill only the verified facts from the original work.

‘Professor Lee Soo-jong.’

Among them, the name that stood out the most was indeed ‘Lee Soo-jong.’

If it were up to him, he would want to reach out immediately, but the time was not right yet.

For one, there was little to gain at this moment, and he had no idea what might happen if he rashly contacted someone who didn’t particularly like soldiers.

‘For now, I’ll reference Professor Lee Soo-jong’s papers for the theory, but I’ll need to add some variations.’

Fortunately, he was able to establish a direction for the theory quite quickly.

However, the real problem lay in combat.

“Hm.”

The future of this world was still unfolding as he knew it, but variables were emerging everywhere.

In other words, it wouldn’t be strange if the full-scale invasion of creatures or the Fourth Galactic War with the Empire approached faster than expected.

Because of that, he wished he could just throw in some mass-produced entities to hasten the cadets’ growth, but convincing the Ministry of Defense of the United Human Synthesis Nation, which had only lost two planets and one colony, was beyond his capabilities.

‘Then what remains is simulation.’

How did it go in the original work?

It was such a fleeting detail that it didn’t come to mind immediately.

He narrowed his brow for a moment, mulling it over, and soon let out a soft sigh.

“Ah.”

Had he counted how many of the mass-produced he had caught in the simulation room? He recalled that the top ranks were filled with the star riders.

He considered proceeding as is, but then shook his head.

There would be no point in bringing back the corpse of Phon otherwise.

As that thought settled in, Jin Crow, rarely, curled the corners of his mouth into a sly grin.

“I must raise them strong.”

Only by capturing Phon could he truly claim to be a cadet of the Central Special Operations Academy.

Yet, relying solely on simulations would not be beneficial for honing the cadets’ sense of real combat.

No matter how well-supported the simulations at the Central Special Operations Academy were, and despite their high quality, there were always limitations to simulations.

Just then, a good idea struck him.

‘In the second year, we must also go on front-line inspections, so it’s not excessive at all.’

He nodded in satisfaction, reintegrating the front-line inspection plan that Ideale and Ginatio had personally drawn up into the curriculum once more.

*

“What brings us to the outer training grounds today?”

“Indeed.”

After Jin Crow returned, the next class gathered not in the central training ground he usually favored, but in a massive warehouse located in the outskirts.

Until now, combat classes had been held in training or sparring grounds, and even outdoor lessons had their own designated training areas, so the cadets moved into the warehouse with expressions full of questions.

“……Whoa.”

“Insane.”

However, the questions swirling on the cadets’ faces quickly morphed into a unified shock.

“Ah, everyone’s here.”

Even in the now-familiar, cold tone of Jin Crow’s voice, the cadets did not look at him.

No, it would be more accurate to say they could not look at him.

It was only natural.

Before them stood Jin Crow, his expression devoid of emotion, even chillingly so, staring back at them.

Behind him, the anxious figure of Assistant Instructor Ginatio was hardly noticed, overshadowed by the overwhelming presence that captivated the cadets’ attention.

‘Phon.’

Baek Hwi-young, standing at the back of the cadets, barely swallowed the words that almost slipped from his lips.

Had he brought the special operations gear, he might have been staring at the creature with a firm grip on his spear.

‘It’s just a corpse.’

Perhaps it was the first time encountering the creature in its true form since the return.

Or maybe it was the ruthless enmity towards humanity that flickered behind those lifeless, black eyes, a feeling I had seen countless times before.

It was hard to tell.

Yet, one thing was certain.

‘Again…’

A stronger suspicion lingered in Baek Hwi-young’s ashen pupils.

Meanwhile, Miel, standing beside him, hesitated to speak, her lips pouting slightly.

‘What’s with you these days?’

Though she feigned a sulky demeanor, her concern lay in the changes she sensed in Baek Hwi-young.

‘Are you troubled? But why?’

To her, it was a mystery wrapped in confusion.

They had been childhood friends for over a decade since her father took him in, yet this unfamiliarity felt jarring.

He had always possessed a certain maturity that was charming, but lately, it seemed to have intensified.

‘Is it because of Instructor Jin Crow…?’

That thought resonated with a strange sense of understanding.

After all, with such a terrifying instructor and the recent peculiar friction, it was only natural for things to feel a bit tense, wasn’t it?

Whether he was aware of Miel’s misinterpretation or not, Baek Hwi-young’s gaze remained fixed on the specimen of the ‘Phone’ standing in the center of the warehouse.

“Everyone, quiet.”

At that moment, Jin Crow’s low yet sharp voice cut through the murmurs of the cadets.

“This is a creature classified as a ‘Phone,’ which falls under the lower tier of mass-produced entities.”

Though he had seen this monster several times in simulations, facing it in reality was far more oppressive than he had anticipated.

“I explained in theory class, but the so-called mass-produced entities are divided into lower, middle, and upper tiers, each with fundamental differences beyond mere combat power. I’ll give three points to the cadet who explains this.”

The eyes of the cadets sparkled with desperation for points, having already been penalized with demerits just days before.

However, the cadets who had intended to raise their hands found themselves frozen, their movements halted by Jin Crow’s next words.

“However, since this was covered in a prior lecture, if you get it wrong, you’ll receive three demerit points.”

In that moment, the cadets saw it clearly.

The slight curl of his lips.

‘…His personality has gotten worse.’

‘It’s certain.’

It was not a guess, but a certainty.

Perhaps it was because both the shop and the demerits were at stake.

Even the cadets, who had been quite confident in raising their hands, hesitated, caught in an unspoken pause.

They could answer correctly, yet the mere fact that they had already blurted out something earlier had earned them five demerit points, making them hesitate for no good reason.

And then, at that very moment.

“Cadet! Dokgoran—! Aah!”

With eyes sparkling, she shot her hand up.

“More! I want to know more!”

The urgency in her voice was so intense that she nearly bit her tongue, a sight both amusing and absurd.

Because of this, Jin Crow considered ignoring her for a moment, but then realized she was the only one with her hand raised, and he nodded with a hint of unease in his eyes.

‘If the demerits pile up too high, they’ll just have to forcefully grant a shop to cut them down.’

She was, in her own right, one of the star riders.

No matter how much of a troublemaker she was, to save this world—and herself—she had to graduate somehow.

“Alright, speak.”

“Yes! Right away…!”

He was secretly curious.

Just how crazy would her words be?

Not long ago, it was a thought that only the one standing beside her, Pamiu, would have entertained, but now even the cadets and the assistant instructor, Ginatio, shared the same sentiment.

And then, the words that came from Dokgoran’s mouth were an unexpected answer that shattered everyone’s expectations.

“Right! Unlike the typical mass-produced ones, they have distinguishing features!”

“Hmm.”

Jin Crow’s low murmur could easily be mistaken for displeasure, but in truth, it was the opposite.

Surprisingly, it was a rather insightful answer.

Because of this, he found himself half-unconsciously staring at Pamiu, who stood beside Dokgoran.

However, seeing Pamiu look back at her with a gaze that seemed to question, ‘Does this gorilla have such intelligence?’ it appeared she hadn’t shared the details.

“So, what are those features?”

It seemed he had underestimated her based solely on Dokgoran’s behavior.

He asked again, filled with a certain expectation.

But the answer that returned was, as expected.

“Uh, what was it again?”

Just moments ago, the expression of excitement faded, and his eyes rolled.

Seeing that, I almost let out a sigh, but I transformed my thoughts into something positive.

Well, at least I got this right.

If there are no expectations, there is no disappointment.

“… One point for the shop.”

“Wow!”

Dokkoran, perhaps pleased even with that, revealed her sharp fangs in a sly grin and jumped, raising her bronze-tanned arms high.

“Huuh.”

Then, she looked at Pamiu as if to say she had won, and it was quite a sight.

Of course, Pamiu, about to say something, simply shook his head as if to say it was all right.

Just as I was about to be exasperated by that sight, a voice, not entirely unfamiliar, brushed against Jin Crow’s ear.

“Seongdo. Beatus.”

Jin Crow turned his head to look at the cadet who had posed the question.

On the surface, he was just a taciturn-looking male cadet.

Being a model student with a naturally quiet demeanor, I hadn’t paid him much mind, but that name was not to be taken lightly.

“Yeah.”

It was none other than him.

“You may answer.”

The Foolish General, Baek Hui-young.

The Virtuous General, Miel Anber.

The Sharp General, Hino Kanae.

The Fierce General, Dokkoran.

The Wise General, Pamiu Dimezeahr.

Alongside them, he was the final member of the Star Riders, the Sages’ Beatus.