Ch 74
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 74
As I speak, something feels a bit strange.
If someone else were listening, they might easily misunderstand... Well, it doesn't matter since it's just Se-jin and me here anyway.
"Teacher? Why did you stop talking?"
"No, it's nothing, so hurry up and eat."
Finally having made up her mind, Se-jin takes a big bite of the wild ginseng.
"UEUU, it's so bitter."
"What's bitter in the mouth is good for the body. Don't just swallow it, chew it thoroughly."
Master said that just converting magic to internal energy would be enough to compete with Bianca, but it's not just about being able to compete—I absolutely must win.
My goal is Se-jin's victory.
For a certain victory, after the martial arts tournament ended, I made inquiries everywhere to obtain wild ginseng to feed Se-jin.
Every place I asked said it was difficult to obtain wild ginseng in winter, so I thought it might not work, but one place contacted me saying they had obtained wild ginseng.
They said it had been harvested some time ago, but it was well-preserved and in good condition, so I went there immediately.
Even while going, I thought it might be a scam, but the moment I saw it directly, I knew it wasn't a scam.
Since it was winter, there were no red berries or leaves, but I could feel powerful magic from the root.
When I asked how they obtained it in the middle of winter, they said the herb gatherer who dug up this wild ginseng passed away from acute myocardial infarction last week, and the bereaved family found it in the refrigerator after finishing the funeral.
As soon as Se-jin finished eating the ginseng, I instructed her to immediately operate her internal energy cultivation method and placed my hand on Se-jin's back.
"Te... Teacher... My body is so hot."
"That's normal. Just keep concentrating while thinking only of the cultivation method. If you lose consciousness, it'll all be for nothing."
Through the hand touching her back, I injected internal energy and sent it to Se-jin's dantian.
She seems to be operating the cultivation method, but perhaps because Se-jin's internal energy is so insufficient, the wild ginseng's energy is running wild.
I used my internal energy to calm the wild ginseng's energy and began opening the Conception Vessel first.
"KEUAAAK! Teacher! It hurts too much."
"I told you it would hurt a little."
"A... A little isn't this much!"
Master said it varies from person to person, but is that not the case?
Se-jin, who usually never complains about difficulties and is so mature, is grumbling this much, so it seems to be at a similar level to what I experienced back then.
Since there's nothing I can do about it, I told her to endure it and sent internal energy to the Conception Vessel once more.
The Conception Vessel was initially like a solid iron fortress, but perhaps because of the wild ginseng's energy combined with some of my internal energy, it collapsed before I even tried ten times.
When I received it, it seemed to take quite a long time, but this was much easier than expected.
The wild ginseng I obtained this time is about 80 years old, not even older than what I ate last time.
I think it's because Se-jin is still young.
Master once said that as you age, waste accumulates in the meridians and the walls thicken, so the younger you are, the easier it is to open the meridians.
"You endured well."
"Te... Teacher... Is it over now?"
Her voice sounds like she's dying.
"No. There's still one left."
Since I opened the Conception Vessel, now I need to open the Governing Vessel.
"What? KEUAAAK! Teacher! It seems to hurt more than before."
"Stop exaggerating. You won't die, so just operate the cultivation method."
After trying once, it seems the Governing Vessel will take a bit more time than the Conception Vessel.
It feels much thicker than the Conception Vessel, and since I used quite a lot of the wild ginseng's energy to open the Conception Vessel earlier, the energy has decreased significantly.
I considered stopping at just the Conception Vessel, but thinking that what I start I must finish, I supplemented the shortage with my own internal energy and eventually broke through.
I really feel completely drained, and if I had known it would be this difficult, I should have taken her to Master and asked him to do it.
"You suffered through enduring it. Now it's all over... Huh?"
I was about to tell her to rest and leave myself, but this girl has fainted.
Master said if you faint, it's all ruined, but seeing that the Governing Vessel was safely opened, she probably fainted at the same time it opened.
I used my internal energy almost to the limit so I don't want to move a finger, but I can't let Se-jin sleep on the floor like this, so I picked her up.
She didn't look that heavy, but perhaps due to her height and muscles, she has quite some weight to her.
I laid her on the bed, covered her well with a blanket, and left the room.
Really, she's a student who requires a lot of care.
***
As soon as I open my eyes, a burning smell hits my nose.
Wondering if there might be a fire, I hurriedly came to the living room, but fortunately that's not it—Se-jin is wrestling with a frying pan.
"Te... Teacher, are you awake?"
"Yeah. What did you burn?"
"Well, I was trying to prepare breakfast, but..."
Looking at the girl making a tearful face, she seems to have completely messed it up.
When I approached and looked at the frying pan, it seemed she was trying to make fried eggs, but perhaps she didn't even put oil in, everything stuck to the pan and burned completely black.
"A girl who can't even cook ramen is trying to make breakfast. If you were hungry, you should have woken Teacher up."
"Yesterday too, and it seems like Teacher is doing everything... I'm sorry."
Seeing her hang her head and look dejected, I can't bring myself to be angry.
"Well, it's not that difficult... Teacher will make the meal, so don't do this anymore."
"Yes. Ah, leave it. I'll do the dishes."
"Alright. Is kimchi stew okay for a simple breakfast? I'll make something delicious for lunch."
"Kimchi stew is good too."
"Good. Let me wash my face first."
I quickly washed my face and came to the kitchen to open the refrigerator.
I took out the kimchi I bought at the mart yesterday, cut it up, and also cut half an onion that I had bought to eat with meat, then put them in the pot.
"Pork? Tuna?"
"I like both."
"Since it's breakfast, let's go with tuna for a clean taste."
I sprinkled a little cooking oil to fry it in oil, then poured water and opened two cans of tuna, removing the oil from one and a half cans before adding them.
It should be cooked with rice water or broth for the best taste, but that's too troublesome, so I reluctantly added a little Dasida and finished by lightly seasoning with salt, then closed the lid.
"Instead of fried eggs, rolled omelet is okay too, right?"
Personally, I prefer rolled omelet over fried eggs.
"Yes!"
Thinking she gives good answers, I took out 4 eggs from the refrigerator.
I cracked the eggs into a rice bowl, mixed them well, took out green onions and chopped them finely, then added the remaining half can of tuna and a pinch of salt to make a rolled omelet too.
With even seaweed as a side dish, it's quite a decent breakfast table.
"You make stew so quickly, and the rolled omelet is so prettily made... Teacher, you really seem amazing."
"You're exaggerating again. Even without flattery, Teacher will make all the meals, so go heat up the rice. You can use a microwave, right?"
"Ah, yes."
I opened the stew to taste it, and while it would be more delicious if cooked longer, it's not bad now either.
I put in the green onions I had saved from making the rolled omelet earlier and closed the lid again.
"How do you feel? Anything different, like a changed feeling?"
"I feel full of energy. I feel like I could beat Teacher in a sparring match... AH!"
She spoke so confidently that I flicked her forehead with my finger.
"If you can't even dodge a forehead flick, who are you going to beat?"
"Try hitting me once more. I'll try to dodge... ACK!"
Seeing Se-jin collapse while holding her forehead reminds me of the past.
I used to be quite cheeky to Master after eating wild ginseng too, and I wonder if Master felt the same way I do now back then.
"After we finish eating, let's practice the cultivation method a bit and then have a sparring match."
"Yes. I'll do the dishes."
After finishing the meal, I drank a cup of coffee while waiting for the dishes to be done.
"I'm done. I'll go to my room to change clothes."
"Before that, want to sit down for a moment?"
"Yes? Ah, yes."
"If you ate, you should pay the bill, right?"
"Pay the bill? For the meal?"
"Not the meal, the cost of the wild ginseng Teacher fed you yesterday."
"Ah..."
She looks slightly disappointed, as if she didn't expect me to ask for money, but I am by no means a philanthropist.
"Is it very expensive? If you tell me the price, I'll talk to my father about it..."
"It's about the Teacher's annual salary, and you're the one who ate it. I won't accept money from your father."
"Then when I receive prize money from the tournament later..."
"You still have a long way to go before receiving prize money. Interest will accumulate in the meantime, is that okay?"
"Interest? I... I'll pay it."
She's glaring at me with an expression that says I'm being too much, but if I go further, I might really earn her hatred, so I should stop the joke here.
"I'm joking. You don't necessarily have to repay with money."
"What? If not money... Don't tell me?"
Se-jin suddenly covers her chest with her arms and backs away.
Oh my... What on earth is this girl thinking...
"Teacher, I... ACK!"
"It's not what you're thinking, so come here and just sign this."
While speaking, I took out neatly folded documents from my pocket.
"Is... Is it an IOU?"
"I said it's a joke. What IOU? It's a WHCU match prediction consent form."
Most sports competitions have what's commonly called sports betting—a system where you predict the outcome and receive money according to the odds if you're correct.
Similar systems operate overseas under different names, and the World Hunter Association that hosts the WHCU tournament also operates a match prediction system.
Known as WH Toto.
Some criticize it, saying it's not enough to make kids fight, now they're betting money on it too, but since most of the profits remaining after paying dividends are used for humanitarian purposes like supporting developing countries and relief activities for countries damaged by natural disasters, all countries recognize it as legal.
Even if it's legal, the rules are quite strict—only adults can participate in betting, and multiple bets are not allowed.
Also, educators, family members, and relatives of participating students can only bet on students they're related to.
However, even related parties can bet on other students if they receive a match prediction consent form from the participating student.
"If you receive this and submit it, you can pick other students. So Teacher, are you trying to bet on Bianca too?"
"What are you talking about? Don't you see the third line down there?"
WH Toto strictly limits the betting amount to $1,000 per person.
However, participating students can bet even if they're not adults, and there's no limit on the amount.
Moreover, the prize money is automatically bet.
Originally, the prize money of $3 million is by no means a small amount, but when paid out, it's paid with added dividends.
Last tournament's winner Bianca also won in her first year, so this time the odds were low—not even double—but when she won in her first year, the odds were 20.3 times, setting a record for prize money.
$60.9 million. Converting to Korean won, that's over 70 billion.
Lee Ji-sung, the original protagonist, participates in the WHCU tournament after finishing his first year and wins, breaking this record. That guy not only gets the prize money but also gathers money to bet on himself, earning close to $200 million—a truly enormous amount.
"You're not trying to bet on Bianca, but because of the betting amount limit?"
"Correct. Se-jin, why would I bet on Bianca instead of you? Teacher has no intention of donating to the World Hunter Association."
Related parties who can only bet on participating students can also bet without amount limits if they receive consent forms from students.
"How much are you planning to bet?"
"Of course, my entire fortune. I'll max out loans and bet everything."
"Lo... Loans too?"
The original protagonist also bet not only his saved allowance but also met his older brother and wrote a promissory note saying that if he couldn't repay, he would hand over all real estate like buildings in his name and stocks he would inherit in the future.
Of course, no matter how hard I try, I can't gather as much money as the protagonist who's a third-generation chaebol.
Still, I made 500 million from selling the Giant Sand Worm carcass last time, and my stocks have risen a lot, so if I sell everything and take out loans, I can easily prepare about 3 billion.
No wait, there's also the income from hunting A-grade portals this time, so I might be able to make up to 5 billion if things go well.
WH Toto starts betting two weeks before the tournament begins and closes one week before, so the exact odds aren't out yet.
Still, listening to expert predictions, Bianca's victory is likely in this tournament too, so Bianca's odds are almost at the principal level, while other students' odds are basically 10 times or more.
Moreover, since Se-jin was eliminated in the first round last year, her odds will be even higher.
10 times 5 billion is 50 billion, and if it's 20 times, that's 100 billion.
"I told you. Teacher believes in our Se-jin."
"No, but still, loans are..."
"I don't think it will happen, but if something really goes wrong, Se-jin will support the Teacher, right?"
"I... I'll work hard."