cH 196
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 196
After all the other students left the practice room, only Teacher Kim and I remained.
Was there some error discovered in the exam?
I tried to recall my memory, but I don't think I made any particular mistakes.
"Um... Teacher, what did you ask me to stay for...?"
"Chan-seong, your grades dropped quite a bit in this final evaluation."
What does that have to do with Teacher Kim?
She's not even my homeroom teacher.
"Well... last time I was lucky and all my guesses were correct..."
"I wonder. Teacher thinks a bit differently?"
"Yes?"
"Written exams might be as you say, Chan-seong, but not practical exams, right? Why did you do that during the practical evaluation?"
The magic class's final practical evaluation was Spear Magic.
You pass by creating either a fire or ice spear and hitting the target.
It's somewhat more effective than the Ball Magic that magicians commonly use, but Spear is also basic magic.
Thinking I'd just make it carelessly and barely miss the target, I immediately created the magic and made it narrowly miss.
But surprisingly, the kids who were taking the practical with me couldn't even implement it at all.
I thought maybe the kids taking the practical with me were just a bit lacking, but the next students were the same, and the students after that too.
Over 90% of the entire class failed to implement it.
Less than 10% succeeded in implementation, and only Cha Min-woo hit the target, and even he took the full 10 minutes.
In the end, Cha Min-woo alone got 100 points, just implementing it got 90 points, and the rest were given scores according to their degree of implementation.
Originally, it was magic that was difficult for first-year students' level, but I made a mistake thinking only of the magicians I had seen around me.
Everyone was amazed asking how I implemented magic so quickly, but I brushed it off saying I practiced a lot.
Anyway, I got 90 points, and Teacher Kim didn't say anything special either.
I thought I had gotten through it well, but apparently not.
"What... what do you mean?"
"Are you playing innocent? Teacher knows everything. You deliberately didn't hit the target, right? You could have tried again but didn't even attempt it."
That's because I realized I had made a mistake when I saw the other kids couldn't even create magic.
"..."
"Is there some circumstance?"
Fortunately, it seems she hasn't discovered that I'm Kang Shin-hyeok yet, but what excuse should I make...
"It's not like that. I'm not as amazing as you think, Teacher..."
For now, I'll just deny everything.
"Really? Then if you weren't deliberately hiding it, you'll participate in the Martial Arts Tournament, right?"
"The Martial Arts Tournament?"
No, I have absolutely no intention of that.
"Yes. After vacation ends, supplementary classes for each subject will begin in preparation for the Martial Arts Tournament. Teacher has been put in charge of the magic class students' Martial Arts Tournament supplementary classes."
"I don't really have any intention..."
"Why? Didn't you say you weren't deliberately hiding your skills?"
"I really don't have that kind of skill..."
"Not skilled enough? In Teacher's opinion, you're the only first-year student worth sending out."
"Me? Not me, but Min-woo..."
"Min-woo? Cha Min-woo? Min-woo did say he wanted to participate recently, but in Teacher's view, Chan-seong would do much better than Min-woo?"
...Should I have just changed my major to swordsmanship from the beginning?
No, suddenly waking up after 2 years and changing majors would be too strange too.
SIGH, I said I have no intention, but why is she so persistently recommending it...
"To be honest, I don't have confidence I can beat Senior Eunseo."
I don't know how highly Teacher Kim evaluates me, but she probably doesn't rate me higher than Eunseo.
"Oh, you know Eunseo? Ah, was Chan-seong also in student council? Winning might indeed be difficult. But you never know."
"What do you mean never know? It's obvious just by looking..."
"You have to face each other to know if something is long or short. Eunseo did win last year, but we don't know yet if she'll do the same this year."
Come to think of it, this Martial Arts Tournament won't be won by Eunseo, but by Lee Ji-sung who became stronger after obtaining an opportunity.
Still, I don't want to.
"Still, I..."
"I saw in the news video last time that even when the International Hunter Association staff was pressuring you, you spoke clearly and confidently, so I thought you were a very courageous student. Why are you like this?"
"No, that and this are different..."
"You don't have to win. Chan-seong, you're still a first-year, right? If luck follows you just a bit in the preliminary brackets, the main tournament should be easy. Even if not winning, just making it to the main tournament gets recorded in your student record and will help a lot when finding jobs later."
It's a valid point, but I really don't need it.
I don't need to worry about things like finding jobs.
It's not like I'll live as Min Chan-seong for my entire life.
"Even thinking about it again, I really don't have any intention of participating."
"It would be a good experience... If that's really how you feel, it can't be helped. Forcing someone isn't good."
"Thank you for understanding. Then I'll be going..."
I greeted her and was about to leave the practice room when Teacher Kim grabbed my arm.
"Ah, wait a moment."
"What's wrong?"
"That necklace that Teacher Kang Shin-hyeok made for you. Could Teacher take a look at it for a moment?"
"My necklace?"
"Yes. I heard it has very high-level video recording magic enchanted on it, so I became interested. I don't know if you're aware, but Teacher used to do magic research together with Teacher Kang..."
Luciel would probably dislike it if she knew, but I had no particular reason to refuse, so I took off the necklace and handed it over.
"Not just the enchantment, but it seems like he made the necklace directly too? The materials are all things I've never seen before."
Of course, since it was made with Luciel's hair and heavenly gems.
"Is... is that so?"
"It's recording right now, isn't it? Could you show me once?"
"Ah, yes."
I received the necklace back and cast magic to play the video.
"It's definitely quite different from ordinary magic. The image quality is clear and it seems like it can store for quite a long period? The control magic would be quite difficult too, but you seem familiar with it."
"It can store up to 3 months. I'm familiar with the controls because I could rewatch classes anytime, so I used it often when studying."
Actually it's 6 months, but that seemed too long so I cut it in half.
"Ah, so this necklace was the secret to Chan-seong's grades."
"Haha, that's right."
"With such a small gem... Say, Chan-seong, could you lend this to Teacher?"
She's stroking the necklace with slightly melancholic eyes while speaking, and it seems like she's thinking of me.
"That's a bit..."
Seeing this makes me feel sorry, but I can't lend the necklace.
Just letting her touch it like this has already reserved two hours of Luciel's nagging, and actually lending it out?
That would be certain death at minimum.
"Ah, right. This must be an important item to you too, Chan-seong. Teacher made an unreasonable request."
"I'm sorry."
"No. Here. Go quickly. You need to eat lunch. Teacher seems to have taken up too much of your time."
She hands back the necklace with a regretful expression, but rather than simple curiosity as a magician about new magic, it seems she still hasn't forgotten me.
I said it was fine, greeted her, and left the magic practice room.
Even though more than half a year has already passed...
I didn't treat her particularly well and rather only hurt her, so I feel heavy-hearted for no reason.
***
I was in the middle of packing when Luciel, holding a chocolate bar in one hand, approached and hovered around.
"What are you doing?"
"What do you mean what, I'm packing, aren't I?"
"I mean why are you packing? Didn't you say it's vacation?"
"I told you the school is having a unity event during vacation."
"I didn't know you were going right away. Are you sleeping over?"
"Yeah. 1 night 2 days."
Vacation started last week, but there's a unity event right away.
"You're going with your classmates, right?"
"Uh... that's right."
Actually, it's a lie.
Originally, I was planning to go to the class unity event, but at the student council assembly a week before vacation, they announced that student council members would go on membership training during vacation.
It was an event that existed in the original work too, but I remember it wasn't anything particularly special.
Just Lee Ji-sung and the heroines building up favorability?
But this membership training schedule happened to overlap with the class unity event.
While wondering what to do, since the class unity event isn't an official event but the student council membership training has relatively official purposes approved by the school, I ended up going with this one.
Since all student council members are participating, Eunseo is going too, but if they knew this, Luciel or Se-jin would probably nag again, so I didn't mention it separately.
I already told them I was resting.
"Buy lots of chocolate bars when you come back."
"Got it. How's training going?"
"I don't know. Master keeps saying 'just a little more and it'll be done' but nothing changes."
She grumbles and plops down next to me.
Three of Luciel's wings are already white, and if just one more changes, she can go out freely, but it's taking longer than expected.
In martial arts terms, is it like hitting a wall?
Luciel seems frustrated, but honestly, I'm relieved.
Things are already hectic enough, but if Luciel comes out too...
SIGH, thinking about being tormented 24 hours a day makes my vision go dark.
"Do they look the same to you too?"
"Well, they seem to have turned slightly whiter than before?"
"Tch, they look the same to me."
"Don't be too impatient."
"Who says 'like master, like disciple' - you're saying the exact same thing. Just slack off and play with me."
"What should we play?"
"How about Go?"
"Why Go all of a sudden?"
"I played it sometimes with Master. Don't you know how?"
"No, I know how to play. I'm just not very good at it."
I learned it very briefly when I was young, but I only know the rules - my skill would be terrible.
Well, would Luciel be similar?
Luciel seems like she'd be good at it...
"Then I'll teach you a thing or two. Your Master is too good, so I always lose. It's no fun."
"You lose?"
"Master said just playing normally was no fun, so we agreed that the loser gets flicked on the forehead."
Come to think of it, I was treated the same way before.
Master is a complete expert but doing that to a kid too - really too much.
"Bring the Go board and stones then."
"Oh, you'll play with me? Then the loser gets flicked on the forehead?"
She runs off with a grin - she's just like a kid.
I finished organizing my luggage roughly and Luciel arrived just in time.
"You're not good at it, so you take white. How many stones should I give you as a handicap?"
"Not Go, but something else. Give me 6 black stones."
"Huh?"
I set up 6 black stones and 6 white stones on the Go board, facing each other with distance between them.
"What's this?"
"It's called Alkkagi. It's not as difficult as Go and it's fun."
After I showed a light demonstration, she understood the simple game right away and we started playing.
That Luciel girl, she's pretty good for a first time, but she's no match for me.
I got revenge on Master with this Alkkagi after continuously getting flicked playing Go.
I lightly knocked out two of Luciel's black stones with one stone and won easily.
"Hurry up and put your forehead here."
"It, it's my first time. The first time should be practice..."
"Oh my, where is there practice in the cold world of competition?"
I can't show mercy to this wicked girl who obviously heard from Master that I'm bad at Go and tried to flick me.
"Fine. But let's play one more round."
She puffs up her cheeks and puts her head forward, and when I bring my hand over, she squeezes her eyes shut.
That appearance is quite cute, but a game is a game.
If I go easy it won't be fun, and knowing that Luciel is sturdy, I used quite a bit of force to flick her forehead.
THWACK!
"Ow! This time I'm playing with the white ones."
Does the color of the stones make a difference when it's not even Go?
I told her to go ahead and was setting up when Master came out of the camping car and approached us.
"Master, do you want to play too?"
"I'm first."
"A guest seems to be coming soon."
What guest all of a sudden?
It's not like someone's knocking on the door while sleeping - did he have a dream or something? I was about to ask, when white light began bursting forth from the empty air above the camping car.