Chapter 51
Chapter 51
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 51
I'd stayed in the valley until such a late hour that I skipped sleep entirely, squeezed in a brief magic training session, and then handled my work in the faculty office.
I'm so damn tired I feel like I could drop dead.
The thought that I might actually keel over from overwork flickered through my mind.
But people don't die that easily.
My body could take a little more abuse.
"...Finally got the script done. Plenty of time left, so I should rest for twenty minutes and read a book."
"Huh. You already finished all your work?"
"Yes, all done."
As I wrapped up and stood from my desk, I ran into Nam Hwa-yeon, who had come to the faculty office.
She glanced over my monitor.
There was the completed lecture script.
All that's left is to print it.
"All done? You're fast. But you know you've got one more to do today, right?"
"Ah, you mean the script for the seventh-period lecture? That's almost finished too."
"Good. Then could you handle this as well?"
Nam Hwa-yeon handed over the stack of documents she was holding.
A wave of unease hit me, but I had no choice but to take them.
With trembling hands, I read through the papers.
[Aggregation and Estimation of 'Mana Wave Distribution' Research Data]
The title on the first page was already grandiose.
What the hell is this? I scanned through it quickly using Magic Saint and realized.
This is a draft for a research paper report.
Why is she handing this to me?
She doesn't expect me to handle this too, does she?
"Professor, what exactly is this document?"
"Oh, while you're doing the scripts, take care of that too."
Bingo. Right on the money.
Her brazen words left me utterly dumbfounded.
Come on, shouldn't important documents like this go to the senior TAs, not some newbie like me? The ones who assist in lectures and all that.
"Professor."
"What is it? Something to say?"
"This isn't under my jurisdiction."
My job is strictly writing Nam Hwa-yeon's lecture scripts.
I handle other tasks occasionally, but they're mostly simple calculations.
This was a completely different department altogether.
So I planned to point that out.
And politely decline.
"Do it."
"Pardon?"
"I said do it."
And just like that, on top of the scripts, I got saddled with organizing the paper draft.
A headache throbbed in my skull as I thought.
No, this is going too far.
* * *
My schedule was free in the afternoons.
Not that I only worked morningsit just meant I could adjust my afternoon tasks as I pleased.
Sounds great, right?
"Teacher, the other groups are studying in the lecture halls, aren't they? We don't do that?"
"Exactly! We don't get worksheets or anything?"
"I heard Professor Namgung Seong-jin from the next class is raising his students' skills with practical lessons. Oh, not that I'm comparing or anything..."
No Yu-ra, Seong Yeon-hwa, and Isis, one after another.
These three kept throwing comments at me.
They clearly weren't thrilled with the curriculum I'd set up.
"I'll assign that stuff as homework, so figure it out yourselves. From now on, afternoons are training room only."
"Ah, Teacher! If that's the case, why not do it in a low-difficulty dungeon instead of the training room? That might actually help more."
They all seemed skeptical about holding classes in the training room.
Their opinions weren't wrong, but in my eyes, they were just fledglings without even the basics down, which was the problem.
Right then.
"That's enough."
The blonde girl, Isabel, cut in firmly.
She pointed at me and continued.
"No matter how rotten the guy is, he's still a teacher. We're studentsway below to talk back like that."
"Isabel..."
Her unexpected support made my eyes widen.
What's gotten into her?
"You can complain after trying the classes a time or two. But if the lessons turn out to be trash and he pushes them anyway, then we can do whatever we want, right?"
There it is.
I'd figured Isabel, with her bad blood and tangled history with Baek Seung-woo, wouldn't stick up for me so easily.
But what now?
'I've got the confidence to satisfy you all in just one day.'
A class that could satisfy every student.
For that first step, I'd prepared Eye Technique.
Eye Technique was exactly what it sounded like: a way to see the world with your eyes.
Not some overwhelming power like Demon Eye or Ten-Li Eye, but the most fundamental skill for the training and real combat situations I'd teach going forward.
It was meant to build their solid foundation.
But...
'The problem is how to teach it.'
Simply put, Eye Technique lets you capture fleeting moments seen by the eye like a snapshot. Just as you can scrutinize a photo for fine details, mastering Eye Technique lets you catch every tiny detail in the moments unfolding before you.
A technique useful for martial artists or mages alike.
But I had no clue how to teach it.
'I picked it up by feel, so I'm in no position to teach anyone.'
It's always been like that.
When I tried teaching disciples, they'd look at me like I was crazy for not even understanding, and I'd get chewed out for half-assing it.
Eye Technique needed more prep, it seemed.
For now, I'd coach them one-on-one.
"Alright, Iji. You first."
"M-Me?"
"Yeah, you. Instead of slacking, you could've learned another skill by now. Quit stalling and get up here."
Startled by the sudden call, Iji still came forward obediently.
What to teach her?
Curious and expectant gazes turned to me and Iji.
Of course, one was laced with disdain.
Ignore that one.
"Teacher, is this like that axe-throwing technique from last time?"
"Nope."
"Th-Then what are you going to teach...?"
"That was a cheat from the start. What kind of teacher only teaches cheats?"
"Huh?"
"Grab a big axe, not a hand axe. This time, I'm teaching from one to ten, step by step."
Hand axes have limited uses.
Small and handy for throwing, but don't expect much more in combat. That's thug thinking.
If you want to learn proper axe arts from me, it's big axes.
Double-bladed ones are ideal.
"Axe Artsimply put, axe techniques boil down to power."
Sword or spear arts can be handled flexibly, but axes are a different breed.
Fundamentally, they chop from above down, harnessing centrifugal forcethat's the core.
Of course, brute force alone isn't everything.
"Just like I showed you how to swing, axes can unleash all sorts of techniques too. So why hasn't anyone taught you those until now?"
Iji looked puzzled at my question.
"Uh... because axe arts are hard?"
Even as she said it, she didn't sound convinced. Naturally.
"As if. If it were that hard, you could've learned a cheat version in an hour?"
"Oh, right."
Oh, right, my ass.
How hard can a technique be if I can teach a cheat in an hour?
Sure, Iji took to it fast since she'd chopped wood before, but anyone could pick it up with enough time.
So what's the real answer?
I waited patiently, like a farmer watching crops grow.
"...Everyone just uses axes for chopping firewood?"
"Obviously. No one learns it, no one teaches itit's a niche weapon."
"Aha."
Iji clapped her hands in realization.
Plenty of active players wield axes.
But pure axe specialists? Hardly any.
They pick it for high strength, love the hearty swings, or some related skill/traitaxe mastery itself? Rare.
"But I'm different."
Back in my child soldier days.
Too young for combat, I spent days soaking up veterans' techniques under their doting care.
Among my many martial masters were axe experts, and thanks to them, I still remembered the basics and advanced forms.
"Hey, Iji. One question."
"Yes, Teacher? What?"
"What kind of weapon do you think an axe is?"
The question came out of nowhere.
Iji tilted her head, racking her brain.
"Um... a weapon used in daily life? Y'know, for chopping firewood back in the day."
"By that logic, longswords were knights' daily lives. Swinging them daily, even cooking with them if needed."
"...So?"
Iji demanded an answer, totally lost.
To think someone maining axes doesn't know this.
I sighed in disbelief.
"Sigh. Listen up. An axe is a blade, but also a blunt weapon."
"Huh? What does that matter...?"
"Means two main ways to use it."
"...Ah!"
Axes lack the flexibility of swords or spears due to weight and design. But leveraging those two traits?
Not as versatile, but plenty useful.
"The throw I taught last time cleverly mixed both. Hurl it like a blunt club, slice foes in half like a blade."
This time: simpler basics.
But I'd drill them long and hard.
Until basics became her bedrock.
Instinctive, even.
So I gave her just two stances.
Chop straight down like splitting logs. Swing the heavy axe clean like a baseball bat.
Nothing else.
"Um... Teacher."
"What?"
Iji shot her hand up.
Her face looked like a colt desperate for the bathroom.
"Wh-What about the trick, like last time?"
"...Trick?"
"Yeah, the trick. That Hwi or Cheok stuff you did."
I got it.
She's asking for an easy shortcut to mastery.
Cheats are ingrained now.
"...You little shit."
"N-Not possible?"
"Iji. You think you're at a level to handle tricks? You, who can't even do basics?"
Unbelievable. No laugh left in me.
"But last time you taught it easy."
"That's why I called it a cheat. Why do you think it's a cheat? Clear limits on who and what I can teach."
"...Oh."
"No dice. Swing each stance ten thousand times."
Iji looked disappointed.
Seeing that, I knew she needed mental correctionand assigned homework.
Ten thousand swings per stance. Twenty thousand total.
She jumped, begging mercy once, but I ignored her. She'd have to do it eventually.
Parrying with the blade or flashy moves? Later.
For now, honest swings were her best.
That wrapped Iji's first lesson.
Now for the others.
"Doesn't seem like he's teaching well."
"B-But he's a TA, so it should be fine... probably?"
"That kinda training's for my grandpa's generation."
"I expected something like this."
"...If you've got complaints, say it to my face."
They doubted my teaching.
Fair enoughtoo basic.
But no choice.
What can you do when Iji lacks foundations?
This was all on her.
Over here, the vibe was different.
Seo Ye-rin staring at me with sparkling eyes.
"...When do I start?"
She seemed more excited for proper spear arts than doubtful.
Ugh, the pressure.