ch 3
Became a Swordsmanship Instructor at the Academy
Chapter 3
"My name is Kang Shin-hyeok, teaching first-year swordsmanship. I'm twenty-five years old, and before coming to the school, I was with the Chase Guild. I look forward to working with you all."
I wanted to introduce myself in more detail, but seeing how other teachers were keeping their introductions brief, I did the same.
Still, there was applause and cheers, and the applause seemed particularly loud.
Is it because Chase is one of the top three major guilds in the country?
But the guilds mentioned by the teachers before me are all decent places, belonging to the top 10 guilds.
"Teacher Shin-hyeok, which school did you graduate from?"
Huh? Was this something I had to mention?
"Wait a moment. Let's try to guess? Whoever gets it right doesn't have to pay for today's gathering. How about that?"
"That sounds like a good idea."
"I think it's the 7th Hunter School."
"I'll put my bet on the 4th Hunter School."
I was about to say I didn't graduate from a Hunter School, but they started an odd betting game on their own.
"Excuse me..."
"Ah, Mr. Kang, please don't say anything yet. There are still teachers who haven't made their guesses."
"If it was our school, I would definitely know... Then I'll guess the 5th School."
I don't understand why proper working adults are making such a fuss about schools, but I should speak up before the misunderstanding grows.
"I didn't attend a Hunter School."
"What? Come on, how can you become a hunter without attending a Hunter School?"
"Were you perhaps educated abroad? Does that mean you have dual citizenship?"
"Can someone with dual citizenship even apply for faculty positions? The requirements for entering a Hunter School must be quite strict."
"I'm a native Korean... There are hunters who didn't graduate from Hunter Schools, you know. I'm one of those cases."
Suddenly, silence fell.
As I was wondering what went wrong, a new memory surfaced.
Most hunters are graduates of Hunter Schools, but Kang Shin-hyeok is not.
There are two conditions for enrolling in a Hunter School: Elementary school graduation and scoring at least a 'Low' grade in the aptitude test taken by Korean citizens at age 10.
Hunter talents begin to develop from age 10, so the government tests children who have turned 10 to check for hunter aptitude.
But Kang Shin-hyeok never took the aptitude test.
The test kit consists of just two things—a disposable blood collection device and testing solution—but it costs 100,000 won.
This is because the testing solution contains fluid from a monster called Salamin, but the orphanage director sold these off and arbitrarily reported the children's aptitudes as 'Lowest'.
When a guy named Changsu, who had left the orphanage as an adult, developed his abilities and took another aptitude test for hunter registration, this fact came to light and became quite a social controversy as it was reported in the media.
This was happening nationwide to such an extent that now the law has changed, and aptitude tests are conducted at schools rather than at home.
At that time, Kang Shin-hyeok also took a retest and got a result showing he had aptitude, but he couldn't go to Hunter School.
There was no precedent for transferring from a regular school to a Hunter School, and the aptitude Kang Shin-hyeok received from his new test was only 'Middle'.
Of course, 'Middle' is not really low at all.
With 50% being 'Lowest', 30% 'Low', 15% 'Middle', 4.9% 'High', and only 0.1% 'Highest'.
By then, Kang Shin-hyeok was already 17 and attending a regular high school.
If his aptitude had been 'High' or 'Highest', a transfer might have been possible, but not with 'Middle'.
After graduating school at 20, he worked as a porter following hunters around, until his abilities awakened and he became a hunter. Then, coincidentally making contact with Changsu, he joined a guild.
Hunters tend to stick with graduates from the same Hunter School, so people like me and Changsu who aren't Hunter School graduates can only remain outsiders.
That damned academic connection.
It may be a world with monsters, portals, and hunters, but Korea is still Korea, I guess.
Even in the guild where Kang Shin-hyeok was originally, there was discrimination based on whether you were a Hunter School graduate or not... This looks like they value academic background much more than I thought.
"Ah. I see."
"There were such cases. The laws have changed too."
I thought I was fortunate to have spoken up before the misunderstanding grew, but it wasn't fortunate at all.
After I mentioned that I wasn't a Hunter School graduate, I was thoroughly ignored throughout the gathering.
It's not that I didn't speak at all.
But whenever I tried to say something, they would just pretend to respond briefly and then continue talking among themselves, making it impossible for me to join the conversation.
Up until halfway through, I was wondering if I had made some mistake, but that wasn't it.
When I came out of the restroom, I accidentally overheard the female teachers from our table talking:
"I was thinking of getting friendly with him since he was at Chase Guild, but I had no idea he hadn't even attended a Hunter School."
"I know, right? I wonder why they even hired someone who didn't go to a Hunter School. TSK."
"You know what it is? The quota system. Non-Hunter School graduates protested and got a law passed for hiring quotas."
"Do Hunter Schools also have to follow that law?"
"How else would he have gotten in? Those half-wits who have no skills but are always protesting."
"Honestly, it feels weird to even call them hunters. By the way, I feel sorry for the first-years taking swordsmanship, having to learn from someone like that."
"It should be fine since they're only teaching physical strength and basics to first-years. The school must have had a reason for deliberately assigning him to first-years."
"I heard that even the basics are important in swordsmanship... And seeing that there are no general subject teachers, he should know his place, but he seems so clueless. I wonder if he's planning to come back next time too."
"I guess he thought he could mingle just because he's supposedly a hunter. Well, at least his face was decent."
"Oh my, Teacher Jung, are you interested?"
"Not at all. What good is a handsome face? If he didn't attend a Hunter School, his size is pretty obvious."
"Size? Ah, if he didn't go to a Hunter School, he must be from an orphanage."
"But his face is decent enough, wouldn't it be okay to date him briefly for fun?"
"Come on, Teacher Yoo, no matter what, it's a bit much to date someone with no background like that."
I never imagined they would gossip like this without even having a proper conversation with me.
Is academic background really that important?
There was no special mention of such discrimination in the novel...
Could it be?
The original protagonist and the character who possesses him are both Hunter School students, just one being an excellent student and the other a poor student.
Not only that, but since every hunter appearing in the novel is a Hunter School graduate, it seems this wasn't mentioned.
This is ridiculous.
Leaving everything else aside, isn't Kang Shin-hyeok a victim?
Whether he graduated from a Hunter School or not, he's still a hunter, and according to Kang Shin-hyeok's memories, there was no quota system in the Hunter School hiring process.
He took the same exam, passed fair and square, and became a teacher just like them.
And is being an orphan a crime?
I wanted to say something about how they could find it amusing to talk behind someone's back without knowing them well, but I held back.
If a fight broke out, it seemed like no one would take my side.
No matter how much I promised myself not to live as a loner, I don't want to associate with people like this.
Seeing no need to stay any longer, I returned to my seat, said I thought I was too drunk and would leave early, and left the place.
Needless to say, no one tried to stop me.
On my way back, I searched the internet to understand why they despise and discriminate against non-Hunter School graduates so much.
It was similar to what I had heard earlier.
Like Kang Shin-hyeok, non-Hunter School graduates have poor aptitude test results.
Furthermore, Hunter School graduates received systematic education developed over many years, while non-Hunter School graduates did not.
Or rather, couldn't.
So naturally, there's bound to be a capability gap between the two groups.
This discrimination has existed from the beginning, but it seems to have worsened recently.
As per the gossip I heard earlier, non-Hunter School graduates who faced neglect and discrimination united and got an Anti-Hunter Discrimination Act passed.
This law, meant to prohibit discrimination and neglect, basically requires blind screening during hunter recruitment so that school origin cannot be identified, and some public institutions even have separate quotas for non-Hunter School graduates.
As a result, Hunter School graduate hunters have become furious.
They claim that people without proper abilities protest just to secure their own rights.
Treating them as half-wit rubbish, the hatred towards non-Hunter School graduates has actually intensified, contrary to the law's intent.
I understand, but it's unfair.
I didn't protest, and even in Kang Shin-hyeok's memories, he never participated in protests or even signed a petition.
To begin with, Hunter Schools don't even implement a quota system.
I calmed myself down while showering and then lay in bed.
I felt really awful the entire way back, and now I regret not saying something in the moment.
Despite changing my outward appearance, am I still a loner inside?
Having experienced quite a bit of hardship because of my family, I thought Kang Shin-hyeok's life without a family would be liberating and good, but after today's events, I think I had too positive a view.
Should I quit the school?
School life was quite satisfying, but after today, there will probably be more people who talk behind my back like earlier, and it seems like I'll be under a lot of stress...
The reason I came to the school is entirely because of the protagonist.
In the events that will unfold, especially a few years after the protagonist graduates, the world undergoes a significant change.
Portals increase, and even stronger monsters that don't appear now will emerge.
Of course, hunters also increase and the protagonist is active, but they lack the capacity to handle all the growing number of monsters.
Eventually, countless portal liberation incidents occur, monsters pour out, and the world becomes a mess everywhere.
Unless I plan to hide in a deep cave in the mountains eating canned food until the protagonist resolves everything, building a friendship with the protagonist and staying by his side is the safest option.
Moreover, the original work is a book possession story.
The protagonist who is possessed also knows the future, so he might find it strange if I'm not at the school.
Building rapport with the protagonist would definitely help in the future, but as a hunter myself, shouldn't I be able to take care of myself?
From the start, Kang Shin-hyeok isn't a very significant character.
Maybe the protagonist won't even notice that Kang Shin-hyeok isn't at the school, or even if he does, he might find it a bit odd but probably won't try to find him directly.
Yeah. It should be fine if I make an excuse about being sick and return to my hometown... SIGH.
After making such a resolution, here I am thinking about running away again.
It's pathetic.
I don't want to run away here like I did in my past life.
I need to change.
No, I will definitely change.
Not for anyone else, but solely for myself.
***
"Here it is."
"Thank you."
"As you know, the security system activates at midnight, so you need to return to the school by midnight tomorrow at the latest. Otherwise, you'll have to come the next morning after 8 AM."
"Yes, I understand."
I tucked the leave pass into my pocket and left the administration office.
Despite being a teacher, not a student, I had to submit a statement of reason and receive a leave pass to go out on weekends.
I was told that reasons like meeting friends or going out for fun might be rejected, so I wrote down real estate transaction.
This isn't the military, and they let us pass well enough for company dinners, but what's with this security? It's annoying, but whatever.
Anyway, I've already got permission.
I showed my leave pass at the main gate and left the school.
Then I called a taxi and headed to East Seoul Terminal.
Being a weekend, it was extremely crowded, and I barely managed to reach the ticket booth through the crowds.
"Where are you heading?"
"A bus to Jangsu-dae in Inje, one adult ticket please."
"That's 15,600 won."
I paid with a card and received the ticket.
After contemplating all night, I came to a decision.
I'll stay at the school.
It's clear that other teachers will look down on and ostracize me for not being a Hunter School graduate, but not everyone will.
There are also teachers who teach general subjects like Korean language, Korean history, and mathematics at Hunter Schools.
And since it's a secure government job, they can't do anything just because they don't like me.
If I don't mind it, that's the end of it, and giving up a job that provides good meals, is enjoyable and comfortable, and will be helpful in the future doesn't make sense.
Instead, I've become more determined.
I don't intend to just take it passively.
So today, I'm determined to find Giyeon.
No matter how much they look down on me, I'll prove myself through my abilities.