Ch 215
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 215
For a moment, I couldn't help but doubt my ears, wondering if I had misheard.
"Would it work?"
"Would it work? Even if such magic existed, I'd absolutely never do it. That's a crime."
"Why are you being so serious about it..."
"Why are you two acting like this?"
"This idiot is asking if we can use clairvoyance magic or something to peek into the women's bath."
"Huh? Anyway, Lee Ji-sung, do you really want to do that?"
"Hey, no... Am I the only trash here? Don't you guys want to see too? Everyone wants to see."
"Yeah. You're the only trash."
"Right. Think about it from the other perspective. How would you feel if someone peeked at you while you're bathing?"
Our Do-hyun speaks well.
...That, that stupid bastard.
"Let's ditch the trash and go by ourselves."
"Hey, I was just joking around. Let's go together."
Really, he's not even a hot-blooded high schooler, and he's an adult inside, yet he wants to do that?
It's pathetically ridiculous.
Still, that guy's family hot spring facility was quite good.
Especially the outdoor bath was truly artistic.
The water is warm but the outside is slightly chilly, which makes the body feel pleasantly relaxed.
It feels like all the fatigue of the day is flying away.
"Let's get out now. It's too hot."
"Hot my ass, it's just right. It hasn't even been 10 minutes yet, let's stay longer."
"Chan-seong, you're totally like an old man."
"Exactly. There are lots of old men like that at bathhouses."
As soon as they said that, the two guys suddenly started splashing water, really... they're not even kids.
"Want to die?"
"Come at me, old man."
I immediately made dozens of Water Balls.
"Hey? That's unfair, using magic for this kind of thing."
"Right, for such pranks..."
"If you don't like it, become a magician too."
"Lee Ji-sung, you're also in the magic class. Fight back."
"I can't make as many as that crazy bastard."
I launched the created Water Balls toward Do-hyun and Lee Ji-sung.
Of course, I made the intensity as weak as possible.
"Ah, it's cold!"
"Stop it."
I made the temperature cold enough to be chilling.
Both of them are running around naked trying to dodge, but it's useless.
I added a homing function to the Water Balls.
SPLASH! SPLASH!
After tormenting the guys for a while, since they were already doused in cold water, both Do-hyun and Lee Ji-sung went to the cold bath saying they might as well go there.
Seeing how they like the cold bath, kids are kids after all.
Thanks to that, I enjoyed myself leisurely, then pulled out the guys who were playing in the cold bath, went into the sauna together, washed up, and came out.
"Did we stay in the sauna too long earlier? I'm thirsty."
"Yeah. Isn't there a vending machine somewhere?"
"If we go over there, there should be a store. Everyone follow me."
Following Lee Ji-sung, we could see a store not too far from the entrance of the hot spring facility.
Coming to the store, there's also space inside, and... huh?
I can see numerous game machines, like it's an arcade.
"They said this was a training center, but there's a place like this too. But I didn't bring any money?"
"I also left my wallet behind since we were just going to wash up..."
"I brought mine."
"Oh, Min Chan-seong!"
I brought my wallet just in case, which worked out well.
I immediately picked up coffee milk.
"What does everyone want to drink? Choose quickly."
"I'll have coffee milk too."
"Do-hyun, you choose too."
"Then I'll have the same thing. Thanks for treating us."
While drinking coffee milk and looking around the arcade, it's quite crowded with kids who came out after washing up like us.
The arcade itself is quite full-scale with not only general arcade games but also claw machines, basketball games, and even Pump.
Oh, is that a karaoke room?
It feels like the neighborhood arcade I went to a few times when I was very young in my previous life.
"Min Chan-seong, do you have coins? Ah, there's an exchange machine over there."
"Want to play?"
"We only have to go back by 10 PM anyway, and it's not even 9 yet. Lend me some."
When I handed Lee Ji-sung a few thousand won bills, he excitedly ran to the exchange machine.
"Do-hyun, what about you?"
"Huh? I've never done this kind of thing."
"Try it this time. I'll go exchange money for you."
Should I play some games for once?
In my previous life, when I went to arcades, there were times I'd hang around until late at night with just a few coins.
Of course, there probably aren't any arcade games here that I played in my previous life, but games are pretty much the same anyway.
I gave coins to Do-hyun too and was wondering what to start with when the guy grabbed my arm.
"Want to do that together?"
What Do-hyun pointed to was a basketball game.
That existed in my previous life too.
It's a game where whoever puts more balls into the simple basketball hoop wins.
"Are you confident?"
"I play basketball a bit too. I think I could do that."
He looked quite confident, so I said okay, put in coins, and took position.
His claim about being confident in basketball wasn't a lie - he throws carefully with both hands and makes quite a few shots.
"It's easy. Aren't you going to start?"
He's decent, but that's not how you play this game.
After roughly calculating the distance, I started catching and throwing the ball with one hand only.
Every shot I took went into the goal net.
"Mi... Min Chan-seong?"
I easily won with a score of 120 vs 57, more than double the difference.
"Speed is important in games like this."
It doesn't give you 3 points for being careful like Do-hyun.
Next, I immediately started the shooting game right next to it.
A game where you hold a gun and shoot zombies that appear on screen.
Of course, this was also too easy for me, a former army infantry soldier who completed my service.
"Your score is 300,000 points? Did you live only in arcades after eating?"
"This much is basic. What should we do next?"
Maybe because he lost twice, Do-hyun looks slightly deflated.
Oh dear... was I too serious against a beginner?
I should go easy on the next one, I thought while looking for games, when I found something good.
"How about a round of that?"
I could see two large drums and drumsticks in the corner.
It's a rhythm game where you input beats by hitting the drums simultaneously or hitting different parts.
There was a similar game in my previous life, and I liked it as much as fighting games.
I brought Kim Do-hyun over, saying I'd teach him the method since he was hesitating saying he didn't know how, but there were other customers.
"Oh? Do-hyun, Chan-seong, are you going to play this too?"
Yu Hye-ji and Seong Ji-an, and Nam Ji-hyeon were there too.
It seems like they also came out after washing up and gathered as student council members to play, just like us.
"Ji-hyeon was here too?"
I called out to Nam Ji-hyeon as she seemed to be hurriedly leaving when she saw me.
She scowled deeply and bowed her head low in greeting.
"Ji-hyeon, why are you acting like that?"
"She's greeting? She lost a bet. Not just that, but o... UGH!"
Lee Ji-sung, who had come from playing other games, was explaining when Nam Ji-hyeon struck him right in the stomach.
"...Are you okay? Why are you hitting kids?"
"Right. Nam Ji-hyeon, this is school violence..."
"Because he was saying something that deserved a beating."
"'That deserved' sounds like informal speech, doesn't it?"
"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to Lee Ji-sung..."
"You?"
"B... Big brother..."
She spoke extremely quietly and then shut her mouth tight.
"What was that just now? Big brother?"
Yu Hye-ji tilted her head and Seong Ji-an also looked curious.
Looking at it, she seems to not have properly explained to her friends either.
When Lee Ji-sung briefly explained, Yu Hye-ji held her stomach and laughed.
Seong Ji-an looked a bit troubled though.
"Um... Chan-seong, if you keep doing this now and continue, I think Ji-hyeon will be in a lot of trouble..."
"I was also troubled by Ji-hyeon openly picking fights and bothering me all this time."
"That's because you..."
"You?"
"O... Big brother..."
She shut her mouth again with a frustrated expression.
"Nam Ji-hyeon, then how about this? Let's compete with this game, and if you win, I'll let it go."
"Really?"
"'Really' is informal speech."
"Kugh. Is... is that really true?"
"But I should have some merit too, right? I can't just give you good things. If you lose, instead of one month, how about doing it for the entire second semester?"
"Go... good."
I threw it out without much thought, but she bit.
Honestly, the penalty was enormous, so I naturally thought she'd refuse, but it's unexpected.
"Ji-hyeon? What are you going to do if you lose again?"
"I'm really good at this. I have one at home too."
With a confident expression, she put in coins, grabbed the sticks, and chose the hardest 5-star song.
"You... no, o... Big brother is doing the same song too, right?"
I nodded with a smile.
It's a song I'm seeing for the first time, but it doesn't matter.
Since it was a game I liked as much as fighting games, I always finished with this game at the end, and the highest score in the arcade was always mine.
The game started with everyone watching.
Befitting a high-difficulty song, it was quite fast and the patterns were varied, but for my level, it was a piece of cake.
Nam Ji-hyeon also fought quite well, but there were no surprises.
That's because my dynamic vision and reaction speed are much better than when I was actively going to arcades.
I couldn't lose even if I tried to.
"Min Chan-seong, you got a perfect."
"Wow, Chan-seong is really good at games."
My score was 200,000 points. Meanwhile, Nam Ji-hyeon got 198,900 points.
Wanting to deny reality, that Nam Ji-hyeon girl tried to kick the innocent game machine, but Seong Ji-an next to her stopped her.
"Then it's a confirmed extension for the entire second semester? Please take care of me, our little sister."
I teased Nam Ji-hyeon and left the arcade with the kids.
I had a tiny thought that maybe I was being too harsh on a student, but it was literally at the level of eye boogers.
From the beginning, the world of competition is ruthless.
***
"Wow, I'm dying... Hey, when do we rest?"
"Didn't they say we'd rest once before lunch?"
Since they woke us up at dawn, fed us breakfast, and immediately started mountain climbing, all the kids look miserable.
Still, compared to yesterday's PT exercises, this should be much easier, but everyone's whining.
Far from being tired, it felt refreshing and good to go mountain climbing after a long time, but I deliberately slowed down my pace.
When I fell back to the straggler group, I could see familiar faces.
"Who is it this time?"
"Oh, isn't that Chan-seong?"
"Min Chan-seong? As expected, you were also an inevitable magic class student."
Due to the characteristic of magic classes not doing physical training, most of the stragglers are from magic classes.
The one in charge of the straggler group is Teacher Baek, the swordsmanship teacher who is Do-hyun's homeroom teacher.
Do-hyun is playing the role of taking care of the back of the straggler group, following his homeroom teacher.
Looking at the corner, Lee Ji-sung is also panting hard while glancing at Kim Do-hyun.
Fortunately, it's the same as the original up to this point, but the most important element - there are no stragglers.
Everyone looks tired, but they're still trudging up well.
Just a little more and we'll be near Master's portal.
I thought I definitely needed to intervene and slowed down my speed.
"Are you very tired? Should I carry your bag for you?"
When I fell to the very back, Do-hyun, who was taking care of the kids at the back, approached.
"No. It's tiring, but... I really need to use the bathroom urgently."
"What? Don't tell me it's number two? The bathroom is still far away."
"It's not that, but... ah, this won't work."
I frowned once and ran toward the bushes.
Sensing the presence behind me, fortunately, as I expected, Do-hyun stopped, seemingly planning to wait for me.
About 3 minutes passed when I felt Do-hyun approaching in my direction, so I used Invisibility magic.
Should I start now?
***
Seeing him run off in the middle of talking, he must have been quite urgent.
I'm waiting in case he gets lost, but even though everyone has gone far ahead, Chan-seong isn't coming back.
If it's just urinating, he should just do it nearby and come back.
Just how far did he go?
Worried, I shouted toward the forest.
"Chan-seong, what are you doing? Come quickly. Everyone's leaving!"
I called out loudly, but I couldn't find Chan-seong anywhere.
Min Chan-seong, this bastard... he said it wasn't number two, but was it poop?
The distance has gotten too far apart.
I had no choice but to head in the direction he went.
Fortunately, I could see traces of him stepping on grass, so I followed the trail calling his name, but no answer came.
"Min Chan-seong! Hey! Can't you hear me!"
The traces also disappeared. Did he slip or something?
There aren't any cliffs around here... I tried to call the teacher, but suddenly fog rolled in and the surroundings became dark.
Looking at the sky, black storm clouds were covering the sun.
It was completely clear without a single cloud just earlier.
It looked like it would rain soon, so I called the guy's name loudly, but there was no answer and rain started pouring down.
I hurriedly took shelter under tree shade to avoid the rain and took out my phone, but there's no signal.
I can just go back the way I came anyway, but I'm worried about Chan-seong.
After waiting about 10 minutes, the rainfall weakened.
Fortunately, it seems to have been a shower... oh, just then I felt something moving in the distance as bushes rustled.
Is it Chan-seong?
I immediately approached, but he wasn't visible, and again I felt movement in the distance.
Did that guy get lost?
"Hey, Min Chan-seong! The path isn't that way!"
I shouted and ran, but the presence moved away again, so I had no choice but to keep walking following him, when... huh?
Next to a large pine tree, there's a white oval...
This is a portal.
I was surprised for a moment, but thinking about it, if it's white, it means the monsters have already been cleared and there's no danger.
There are portals in places like this too.
Did Chan-seong go in here?
When conquering portals, usually soldiers or, if there are no soldiers, part of the hunter team waits outside.
But not seeing such hunters, maybe it's because of the rain, or Chan-seong asked for help and they went inside together.
At first I was going to wait, but the rainfall became heavier and they weren't coming out, so I entered the portal.
***
The start was using Smog magic to create fog and obscure vision, then using magic once more.
Storm clouds formed in the sky that had been cloudless, and soon rain poured down.
The second magic I used was a spell called Weather Control that I learned from Luciel.
Since it controls nature, it consumes much more internal energy and Mental Focus than Yigieogeum, no... even more than Formless Sword, but limited to Mount Seorak, 30 minutes is no problem.
When I spread my internal energy, I could feel not only Do-hyun but also Lee Ji-sung breaking away from the group and approaching our direction from a bit away.
To proceed according to the original, I need to handle that guy first.
I first created a dummy in Kim Do-hyun's appearance on Lee Ji-sung's side and started luring him toward the portal.
From the dummy's perspective, whether his earlier difficulty was acting, he followed quite well and was safely guided to the portal.
As soon as he discovered the portal, he jumped in without delay, so it seems he was indeed aiming for the opportunity.
Now only Do-hyun remains.
He's avoiding rain under the shade of a large tree with a very serious expression.
Since he's such a kind guy, he seems to be worried about me.
Kid, your brother is fine.
I think about 10 minutes have passed, and I thought Lee Ji-sung, who entered first, would have handled things by now, so I similarly created a dummy and lured Do-hyun to the portal too.
The luring was successful, but Do-hyun doesn't enter inside as easily as Ji-sung did.
He's a guy who needs a lot of attention.
I had no choice but to use Weather Control magic once more.
I made the rainfall strong enough that even the tree shade couldn't provide shelter from the rain, and only then did he enter the portal.
Using big magic like Weather Control consecutively in a short time, plus tracking the kids' locations and luring them, even I get tired.
It's really hard work to spoon-feed someone an opportunity.