Ch 51
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 51
It's already been almost a week since I took charge of the martial arts competition supplementary classes.
One day I conduct theory lessons using the breakdown formula my master made, and the next day I proceed with sparring.
"Teacher Hong, time's up. Let's finish here."
The breakdown formula my master created is truly excellent, but practical experience is necessary, so I asked Teacher Kim and Teacher Hong for help.
We still don't know what type the martial arts competition opponents will be.
I could have sparred with students from other classes who are preparing for the martial arts competition, but I don't have any familiarity or close relationships with their teachers, so I asked these two people I'm friendly with for help.
It wouldn't be impossible to arrange sparring with students from other classes through the vice principal, but teachers would still be better than students.
Fortunately, both of them readily agreed, and Teacher Kim comes once a week, while Teacher Hong, although in charge of spear arts, was originally specialized in fighting arts, so she comes twice a week to spar with the kids.
"Everyone worked hard today. Enjoy your lunch... Oh! Don't forget to take your medicine for about 4 days when you leave."
Today is Saturday, and from next Monday, there will be no supplementary classes for three days as the first-year students go on a retreat.
It's nice to have a break from supplementary classes, but thinking about having to serve as an instructor at the retreat means that a break isn't really a break.
If things were normal, I would have spent the time leisurely at school....
"Teacher, next week is the retreat...."
"Jinsu, the retreat has nothing to do with taking medicine. Jinsu, do you want to take two packets morning and evening?"
"Ah, no sir. I'll take it with me."
"Oh? Teacher Kang, did you even prepare herbal medicine for the kids?"
"I have an acquaintance who's an oriental medicine doctor, and he said there's a medicine good for growing students.... It's nothing special."
"You really care so much for the children. You guys are lucky."
Hong Lee Seol spoke as if envious, but the kids' expressions aren't that great.
Honestly, even I don't want to take it, so how much worse must it be for the kids.
Still, compared to a few months ago, everyone's stamina has increased significantly and they've grown much taller, so it seems to be definitely effective.
Considering they're in their growth period, they might have grown anyway, but....
"Well then, let's clean up and go in. Teacher Hong, you can go ahead first."
"I'll help you too."
"Oh no, that's fine. You've already helped with the sparring.... It's okay, please go in first."
I can't ask her to clean up when she's already helping twice a week without even getting paid.
Of course, it's not completely without compensation – I promised to treat Teacher Hong and Teacher Kim to dinner after next week's promotion test is over.
After sending Teacher Hong away first and with the cleanup almost done, I told the kids to go home too.
As I finish up and grab my laptop to leave, since I won't be coming for the next 4 days, I'm doing a final check before locking up when... Juh? That kid Se-jin is still standing in the training hall instead of leaving.
"Excuse me, teacher...."
"Why haven't you left? Don't tell me you want one more sparring session? Overdoing it isn't good. Let's get some rest too."
"It's not that, I have something to tell you...."
"What is it?"
"I... I won't be able to attend Saturday classes starting next week."
What's this?
"What do you mean? Why?"
***
"What do you mean they want me to come out from school on weekends starting next week?"
"The guild has arranged a separate team for you. To be honest, supplementary classes are meaningless for you, Se-jin, aren't they?"
I understand what father is thinking with these words, but I can't agree.
"That's not true."
Teacher Kang's classes are definitely helping me.
"Not true? Are you saying the vice principal himself is teaching this supplementary class? I haven't heard that the vice principal uses sword techniques."
"That's not it."
"If that's not it, then this father doesn't understand what help it could be to you. Don't you need to show a good performance at this 'WHCU' competition?"
So it was because of the WHCU competition after all....
The winner of the martial arts competition can participate in the WHCU-19 (World Hunter Championship Under 19) held in the United States in January of the following year.
Last year, during my first participation, I made it to the quarter-finals, but this year my performance wasn't good.
I disappointed many people including my parents who had high expectations because I was eliminated in the first match.
I'm not denying that my skills were lacking, but honestly, my draw was really unfortunate.
The opponent who beat me in the first match went on to become this year's champion.
At least in the champion's interview, they mentioned that I was their most difficult opponent, which somewhat saved face, but....
The regret hasn't completely disappeared.
"You have no problems with domestic competitions, right? What's important is the WHCU. You lost last year because your magic quantity was insufficient. Other countries focus on practical training, but Korea doesn't, right?"
Father seems to have been much more disappointed than I thought.
Honestly, there was a difference in magic quantity, but the opponent's skill itself was simply superior....
Just look at the sparring I had with Teacher Kang.
The teacher overwhelmed me without using any magic at all.
"You'll win the domestic competition anyway, Se-jin, so wouldn't it be better to prepare for the WHCU competition? You need to win this WHCU competition."
I feel suffocated.
Of course I want that too, and I don't misunderstand father's feelings, but such excessive expectations are burdensome.
"According to school regulations, going out during the semester is not possible unless there are special circumstances...."
"I know that too, so don't worry. I'll talk to the vice principal separately."
"What?"
"He'll surely accommodate us, knowing that practicing at our guild is much better than taking supplementary classes that aren't even helpful."
"That's not true...."
"What do you mean it's not true? Are you saying you can win next year's WHCU just by taking supplementary classes?"
Honestly, I'm not confident.
But even if I go out hunting every weekend as father tells me to, I'm still not confident either way.
"..."
"Se-jin, you just need to do as this father tells you. You weren't like this before, why are you acting this way now?"
"...I understand."
"Good. I'm doing this all for your sake. Then your dad will talk to the vice principal sometime next week, so keep that in mind."
***
Se-jin answered that starting next week, she would go out for practical hunting every weekend.
While having one less student to teach would reduce my workload, I don't feel particularly good about it.
Although I didn't take this on by choice, now that I have, I've really prepared diligently.
The kids have been following well, and seeing their skills improve has given me a sense of fulfillment....
Moreover, while second-year students do go out for practical training, they don't conduct practical training on weekends, and by regulation, weekend outings are not allowed.
I haven't received any separate notification either.
"I haven't heard anything about this?"
"Ah, father said he would talk to the vice principal sometime next week."
Said her father would talk to the vice principal?
"Does your father happen to have a close relationship with the vice principal?"
If not, that stubborn, principled old man wouldn't easily give permission.
Though he did seem to care somewhat about the school's honor, would he agree to this?
"I'm not sure about that, but they do attend meetings together, and they probably meet occasionally at the association...."
If they attend meetings together and also meet at the association... Is he a hunter?
"By any chance, is your father also a hunter?"
"What? My father is the master of the Ares Guild."
I was surprised.
Ares Guild is one of the top 10 guilds in the country.
Like Chase where I was, it's not completely top-tier – strictly speaking, it's more mid-tier – but still, a guild master is one of only 10 S-rank hunters in the country.
This kid was also born with a silver spoon... No, wait. If her dad is the Ares Guild master, is Se-jin a heroine?
This novel has two protagonists – Lee Ji-sung who possesses the delinquent, and Kim Do-hyun who is the original protagonist of the novel.
Of course, since the real protagonist is Lee Ji-sung, the heroines end up with him, but the original protagonist Kim Do-hyun doesn't go without a partner either.
Kim Do-hyun's heroine is Kim Se-yeon.
Kim Se-yeon, the guild master of Yeomyeong Guild.
Yeomyeong Guild is one of the guilds that assists with the practical training that begins in the second year, and Kim Se-yeon first appears when the protagonist is in his second year.
She takes charge of Kim Do-hyun at their first meeting, develops a liking for him after seeing his skills, and continues to be in charge of only Kim Do-hyun, building a friendship.
During the third-year graduation season, she makes a recruitment offer to Kim Do-hyun, which causes conflict with the other protagonist, Lee Ji-sung.
Kim Do-hyun agonizes between love and friendship but eventually falls for Lee Ji-sung's persuasion and joins the same guild as him.
Still, the relationship between Yeomyeong Guild and the guild created by Lee Ji-sung doesn't sour, and Kim Do-hyun, who had only known training, develops feelings for Kim Se-yeon, who is not only skilled but also beautiful. Kim Se-yeon also develops feelings for Kim Do-hyun, and they eventually become a couple.
"Teacher?"
"Ah, yes."
"Did you not know? Most teachers already know, so I thought you would know too...."
"I didn't know."
Is Se-jin really Se-yeon?
I've always found it strange that someone as skilled as Se-jin wasn't mentioned in the original work, but since the name was different, I just thought she was an extra with exceptional skills.
"Do you have an older sister by any chance?"
"No. I only have an older brother."
If the brother I met in Jeju Island is all, then Se-jin must indeed be Kim Se-yeon. Then why the name....
Oh! Come to think of it, I think the novel did mention that Kim Se-yeon changed her name.
Judging by the fact that I didn't know until now, her previous name wasn't mentioned.
Although Kim Se-yeon isn't the heroine of the real protagonist, she is the only heroine of the original protagonist, so she does have some significance.
There's even a separate episode about her, and the content is really....
"Is Ares Guild going to help with hunting on weekends?"
"Yes. My father said he had already arranged a team specifically, so he told me to do that...."
Her expression doesn't look good while talking; it seems her father interferes a lot, just like in the original work.
"Then it wasn't your choice, Se-jin? I thought you had requested it because you didn't find my classes helpful."
"Not at all. Actually, I told my father that there are school regulations and the supplementary classes are very helpful, but he said that to achieve good results in the WHCU competition, increasing magic quantity is more important."
"Magic quantity is important too. WHCU is the World Hunter Championship? Ah, winners of the martial arts competition can go there, right."
"Yes."
I briefly thought it might be a bit early to talk about the WHCU when we haven't even held the martial arts competition preliminaries yet, but given her exceptional skills and having won for two consecutive years, I don't think it's arrogance.
"Then you must have gone in January this year too?"
"Ah, well... I did go, but...."
Seeing how she trails off, I guess her results weren't very good?
That's strange.
As an international competition, promising talents from around the world would participate, but from what I've observed while teaching Se-jin, with her skills, she could have easily aimed for the top positions, even the championship.
"Your results weren't good? I was in China then, so I couldn't watch."
"Oh, I see. I was eliminated in the first match...."
"In the first match?"
Se-jin's skills are by no means lacking....
Is the level of WHCU higher than I thought?
"My draw was unlucky. The opponent I faced in the first match went on to win the championship."
"Ah...."
That makes sense.
"You must have been very disappointed."
"It would be a lie to say I wasn't, but I can't just blame luck. If my skills hadn't been lacking, I wouldn't have been eliminated...."
Is it because she's an excellent student?
Most people tend to be lenient with themselves, but Se-jin isn't like that.
That makes it even more regrettable.