Chapter 109
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Nude Body
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Not a single limb was unscathed, and half of her skin over her entire body had suffered severe burns. Naturally, her clothes couldn't have been intact either.
Ragged scraps of cloth that could hardly be called rags were all that wrapped around So-hyang's body, and even those barely remained.
"Sh-should I lend you some of my clothes? They might not fit your size, though..."
In other words, So-hyang was demurely seated in the dean's office, completely naked without a thread on her.
"Ah, it's fine. I have spare clothes in my White Shell, so I can just wear those..."
The problem was that her injuries were so severe that her body's healing wasn't fully complete yet.
The principle of healing relied on accelerating metabolism for self-recovery, so rising body temperature and fully opened sweat glands were natural phenomena.
It meant she had to maintain this extreme state a bit longer, where faint pinkish skin emitted pure white steam.
Thus, if she put anything on now, it would instantly be soaked in sweat, leading to an embarrassing sight.
"Come to think of it, might this be unpleasant to look at? It'd probably be better if I wore something—"
No matter what, it was someone else's naked body. Even if she was fine with it, the other person might feel uncomfortable.
Just as she was about to open her White Shell and pull out spare clothes to wear, the dean waved her hand dismissively, as if it were no big deal.
"It's fine, really. We're both women anyway—what's there to be unpleasant about?"
In the first place, this was a side effect necessary for healing the wounds she herself had inflicted. Scolding her to cover up would be odd.
"If you're okay with it, then I'll stay like this for a bit?"
So-hyang beamed happily since the person involved was fine with it, then lounged back on the chair, lying down.
"...Hmm."
The dean looked at So-hyang with a peculiar gaze.
It was her first time seeing another person's naked body. Even the body of someone of the same sex felt unfamiliar, let alone reason.
Her only experience was probably bathing with her mother, now barely a memory.
Even so, the dean could tell the female form before her was extraordinary.
A mass of flesh nearly the size of her head, dizzyingly plunging curves, breathtaking contours. A violently captivating figure that drew the eye regardless of gender.
It was hard to believe this was the body of a warrior who had severed mountain ridges and upheaved the earth with transcendent strength—there wasn't a trace of bulkiness, only soft, supple skin...
"...Ahem, it does feel a bit strange."
Even though she'd said what was the big deal between women, she couldn't help clearing her throat, her face inexplicably heating up as she averted her eyes.
The naked So-hyang herself showed no particular embarrassment, just smiling brightly as she looked around the dean's office.
"[All Phenomena Return to One: Origin and Understanding of Sorcery], Lecturer: Academy Dean... Oh, does the dean stand at the podium herself?"
So-hyang glanced at the syllabus on the desk and revealed an intrigued expression.
The teachings of a sorcerer who had achieved sainthood, a Star Emissary who had transcended mortality—from a murim perspective that strictly guarded bloodlines, sects, and foundational martial arts without spreading them outward, this was hard to comprehend.
"Well, I am a professor too. I can't really study much because of Creation Flame, but I can teach."
Recently, she'd been away analyzing unusual disturbances on the western front, but the dean originally put considerable effort into educating students.
Unlike some professors who prioritized their own research and were half-hearted about teaching successors, it was natural for the dean, who struggled with 'personal research' of her own.
"Oho... [Introduction to Mechanism Engineering]...? What's this lecture about?"
So-hyang eyed another syllabus next to it and voiced her curiosity.
From the overview, it seemed heterogeneous for a sorcery lecture, yet strangely familiar to So-hyang in form.
The dean was listed as the responsible instructor, but the actual lecturer was her assistant.
"Ah, I recently took on an unusual graduate student as my assistant. This is the lecture she'll be handling."
A graduate student at the Academy of Scholarship, the dean's assistant.
An inventor who interpreted the world in creative ways unseen in academia, casually devising mysteriously advanced techniques as if from another world.
Starting with blueprints for a flying mechanism in her thesis, she became a talent coveted by the military and eyed by the imperial princess.
"She's in her doctoral program anyway, so she said she needed help finding talent to assist her personal research...?"
A peerless genius who designed railroads, trains, and steam engines, churning out papers that turned academia upside down.
"...Hmph, apparently my help isn't enough. What a cheeky one."
"Ah, I see."
So-hyang's eyes glinted with subtle amusement, sensing something in the dean's words.
At the same time, a spark of interest ignited separately.
"A graduate student who comes up with 'new ideas as if from another world'..."
She'd heard rumors before—it seemed she'd found a compatriot from the same homeland.
"Could you arrange a chance for me to meet and talk with her sometime?"
"Uh, sure, I can arrange that... but why?"
The dean's expression looked subtly displeased. An inexplicable aversion showed on her face.
Indeed, jealousy tied to her affections.
So-hyang smiled warmly, easing the dean's unspoken worry.
"Mm, no need to worry. I just want to have a pure conversation."
Of course, the dean herself wasn't aware of her own feelings, so she just looked puzzled.
"...Worry about what? I just don't get why you want to meet my assistant."
"Of course, no ulterior motives, so don't worry."
Pure curiosity—crossing vast distances from another world entirely to meet a fellow countryman was truly wondrous.
"Ugh, why do women keep sticking to that guy? The imperial princess, that soldier woman, the new Elemental School professor..."
Whatever the muttering dean was fretting over, So-hyang just planned to exchange greetings and ask about trivial matters.
And her wish came true sooner than expected.
Specifically, right now.
"—Dean, are you in?"
He knocked politely on the door but entered naturally without waiting for a reply, like a doll.
Neatly trimmed black hair, sharp black eyes full of vitality, well-proportioned features.
For a man under the empire—where average heights differed from of original history—he was tall and handsome.
The object of the dean's affections, the talent eyed by the imperial princess, and likely a compatriot of So-hyang...
One man flung open the door to the dean's office.
"Since the academy grounds have chunks blown away in three or four areas anyway, I thought it'd be good to overhaul the electric lines and telephone network I mentioned before. I drew up a plan... Huh?"
However, the timing wasn't ideal, as there was another woman in the dean's office besides the dean.
"Oh my."
And that woman was completely naked without a stitch on.
"Wh-what..."
A massive presence filling his vision, seductive curves, a soft fragrance vibrating in the room.
A sight that could captivate any man—or woman—and the man who entered was no exception.
"—Uh... uh, uh...?"
Lost in a daze, devouring the sight before him, he forgot language itself, spouting only question marks.
"—Um, you need to snap out of it..."
"Kyaaah!! What are you staring at!!"
The naked woman herself just smiled awkwardly, but the dean beside her flushed red and unleashed Creation Flame.
Of course, not enough to burn him outright—just tiny embers to sting sharply...
"Arrrgh!!"
Unfortunately, they hit both eyeballs.
"Guhh...! My eyes, my eyes...!!"
The man writhed in agony, clutching his eyes and rolling on the floor.
"Tch... Bigger size means everything's fine...?"
The dean, voice slightly teary, poked the rolling man's side accusingly.
"Oh dear..."
So-hyang sighed regretfully and finally rummaged for clothes to put on.
-----
Park Ji-hoon.
A highly educated man who majored in mechanical engineering, entered a prestigious university, advanced to graduate school, and was pursuing a doctorate.
But tragically, he was struck and killed instantly by an 8-ton truck right before submitting his dissertation, only to open his eyes as a newborn in a new world's.
At first, he thought it was ancient, backward China, but discovering a murim world of sword qi and water-walking warriors left him astonished.
Even more absurdly, it delved into fantasy realms beyond what he knew of wuxia, barely qualifying as 'murim'.
Still, his way of life didn't change much.
He lacked talent in martial arts anyway, and his desired path remained engineering.
However, no specialized institutions taught engineering in this, and changing the world alone was inefficient.
He entered the empire's premier ivory tower, the Academy of Scholarship, to communicate with scholars and fuse sorcery's new principles with his past life's technology.
Lacking martial talent but showing aptitude in sorcery, admission was smooth.
Judging that presenting theories or papers as an undergrad lacked credibility, he focused on graduating with high marks first.
Surprisingly, even before serious activity, a gadget from his casual bachelor's thesis caught the military's eye.
With the third imperial princess—a colossal backer—as sponsor, railroad commercialization advanced several times faster than planned.
He also earned favor from an Elemental School professor seeking sorcery to substitute lacking infrastructure.
Moreover, the Academy's transcendent, the dean, took interest and fully cooperated as advisor...
Odd that everyone involved was a beautiful woman, but his aspirations were steadily succeeding.
Knowledge from another world wasn't absolute but a huge advantage; being seen as a giant when he'd merely stood on giants' shoulders was burdensome, though.
Yet unexpected encounters still arose amid it all.
"Where are you from, if I may ask?"
"…Pardon?"