Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Top-Tier Instructor
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Class A's lead professor.
Sin Bihyeong turned his head at his words.
"A monster, you say?"
Scaring people like that.
'Out of all the words, why pick that one?'
As a half-demon, it was a truly frightening term.
Look, even Mina next to him had her hands trembling slightly.
"Well, what else would you call someone who's grown that much?"
Class A's lead professor grinned cluelessly and said as much.
"What exactly is it?"
The professor's eyes sharpened.
"It's only been two weeks since enrollment, and he's already at '3rd Hierarchy Rank'..."
Gasp!
The cadets gasped in unison.
They had sensed it.
They just hadn't been able to put a label on him until now.
But at this moment, the professor's verdict was enough to shock them all.
"I-Is he really 3rd Hierarchy Rank?"
The professor replied indifferently to the cadet's question.
"Yeah. That guy's definitely reached 3rd Hierarchy Rank."
"H-How..."
"Can't believe it, right? Honestly, I can't either."
The professor stared at Bihyeong as if interrogating him.
"When he enrolled, he was barely scraping into 1st Hierarchy Rank. Yet in just two weeks, he skipped two whole ranks? What kind of magic did you pull?"
"I just trained hard."
It was the truth.
Over the weekend, Bihyeong had sparred with Eoduk nonstop, barely sleeping or eating.
Fighting Eoduk, whose power bordered on mid-rank, had given Bihyeong all sorts of insights.
...And somehow I got a lucky break too.
Bihyeong had been pondering it constantly.
Yin and yang.
Before they coexisted, could he harness that clashing power somehow?
In the midst of that, he acquired Yin-Yang Incarnation, and this time, even Heavenly Vision Mirror.
He had to test them out.
And the result?
'Not possible yet.'
He had to capture and hold that instant where yin and yang crossed.
But that moment was too fleeting; he couldn't manage it easily.
'Thanks to recognizing it, though, my own Hierarchy Rank rose.'
A kind of enlightenment, maybe?
If he kept pursuing it as a goal, he figured he could grasp that crossover point before reaching 4th Hierarchy Rank, at least.
"Hmm?"
The professor eyed Bihyeong with interest before grinning.
"Interesting. Come find me later. I was gonna call you in for 'that matter' anyway."
"Got it."
As Bihyeong nodded, the professor headed to the podium, yawning widely.
His earlier interest had vanished completely.
"Alright, you fresh chicks, the sun's up. Everyone get a good rest?"
No one answered readily.
Normally, they'd have responded casually,
but the aura of the chief cadet they'd felt earlier...
No one could claim they'd been shocked just because they'd sensed him.
'Nice.'
Sensing the cadets' competitive spirits, the professor smiled inwardly while keeping a straight face.
"You probably didn't slack off. The guy leading the pack is racing ahead like a car with busted brakes."
"......"
"You might feel left behind, or think it's too late and want to give up. But."
Bam!
Just stomping the podium once washed away the tension in the air.
Pure spiritual power filled the classroom.
"Realizing that so early is the greatest stroke of luck in your lives. Congratulations."
Those who never recognize their own shortcomings, laziness, or inadequacies
don't deserve to even glimpse the backs of those racing ahead.
"Don't forget today's competitive fire. Etch that frustration into your hearts. Then you can reach that spot too."
With that, the professor stepped down from the podium and led the cadets.
"Let's go. Regular classes start today."
"......"
For a moment, the speechless kids stared at his back,
"...Yes!"
then bolted from their seats to follow him.
Watching them, Bihyeong thought,
"Man. He already won them over with just a few words."
Unlike his appearance,
he was one hell of a teacher.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Class A followed their lead professor to the academy's indoor training hall.
In modern terms, a gymnasium.
Everyone stood in line, changed into gym clothes.
"Good. Today, we'll lecture on basic spell art theory. Prepared instructor, step forward."
"......"
Everyone blinked like carp, scanning around.
Where was the prepared instructor?
"Chief Cadet Sin Bihyeong. You. Yeah, you."
The lead professor chuckled and pointed at Bihyeong.
"Who else here looks like instructor material besides you?"
"...I never said I'd do it."
"A cadet talking back?"
Where the hell did he pick up that tone?
'Sigh...'
Swallowing a sigh, Bihyeong stood and stepped forward.
"Cadet Bihyeong. Up to what Hierarchy Rank of spell arts can you use?"
"Just the basics."
"Huh? Why?"
The professor tilted his head, baffled.
"You could easily adapt 3rd Hierarchy Rank spell arts by now."
"Felt like foundations were more important, so I didn't learn others."
In truth, it was to unlock the derived story 'Researcher'—learning non-basic spell arts would ruin it forever.
Misinterpreting slightly, the professor looked at Bihyeong approvingly.
"Impressive."
"Pardon?"
"Raising Hierarchy Rank is hard. Exorcists crave it to wield stronger techniques and power."
But among those who neglect 'foundations,' none have solid groundwork.
"Foundations are the sturdy pillar and bedrock supporting you as you climb higher. Keep that mindset."
The professor turned to convey the same to the other cadets.
Then, facing Bihyeong again, he pulled a talisman from his pocket.
"Today's lesson is set. I'll show you the importance of basics."
Saying so, the professor tossed the talisman with a serious expression.
Kwahk!
The yellow talisman stabbed into the ground.
Red script on it began glowing, then sank into the earth, causing a mild quake.
"Basic Wood Art: Vines."
A foundational spell injecting wood energy into the ground to sprout buds and grow vines.
"But all Wood Arts fundamentally start from these vines."
Snap.
The professor snapped his fingers, and the tremors stopped.
Yet why?
Did that sudden silence feel like the calm before a storm?
'...It's coming.'
Bihyeong circulated his energy more, sensing something wriggling up from below.
Boom!
With that, something burst through the ground.
A massive serpent formed from tree trunks—an imoogi.
"This is 6th Hierarchy Rank Wood Art: Wood Spirit Serpent. It crawls underground and can surge up for attack or defense anytime."
Tap tap.
The professor patted the imoogi's head with his knuckles.
"To make this Wood Spirit Serpent, you inject wood energy into the ground like the basic version. You also need to master vine-growing techniques to some degree."
"......"
While Class A cadets were entranced by the mid-rank spell,
the professor smiled and waved his fingers in the air.
The Wood Spirit Serpent vanished.
The professor reverted it and continued the lecture.
"It's not just Wood Arts. All Five Elements spell arts are built on basics. Remember what the chief said, and what I said. It'll help when you hit a wall."
Well then.
"Now, shall we see our chief cadet's skills?"
"......"
"You said you're practicing basics? Show me a full rundown."
Bihyeong unleashed the basic Five Elements spell arts.
'First, fire.'
Basic Fire Art: Flame Bullet.
Flames spread from Bihyeong's fingertips, condensing into scorching heat, then fired like a bullet.
The professor blocked it with one hand, murmuring in admiration.
"Oh? That's a basic spell art? Could pass for 2nd Hierarchy Rank."
Expected result.
Effect of the derived story Path to the Apex.
'All techniques' limits rise by 1 Hierarchy Rank.'
He hadn't fully utilized it until now.
Lack of energy.
'In past fights, I matched it with mutual generation tricks.'
In other words, impossible without twisting his whole body that far.
'But not anymore.'
Through Yin-Yang Incarnation, his spiritual and demon power grew in real time.
Plus, inflating yang volume via Heavenly Vision Mirror at high noon.
Now, Bihyeong could rival 2nd Hierarchy Rank's edge without mutual generation.
'Next, earth.'
The heat in the professor's hand faded, and the ground below writhed.
'Oh?'
Earth Wall.
The professor dodged the surging ground by stepping back once.
But follow-up strikes came.
'Metal Art.'
Ore shards from the earth wall, water droplets on it,
vines whipping up as they seeped into the ground.
It happened in an instant, infused with mutual generation.
'This sense for spell arts... he's beyond first-year level?'
Might even beat upperclassmen using only basics.
The thought came naturally; he was that talented.
'Still, a bit lacking.'
Boom!
The professor nullified all spell arts with a powerful stomp and clapped.
"Impressive. Does the chief title justice and more."
Despite the praise, Bihyeong's face stayed neutral.
Just calmly reflecting on his shortcomings.
The professor's smile deepened watching him.
'Look at that? Spots the issues right away.'
Looks contemplative, but hasn't found a solution yet.
Naturally so.
The answer to his dilemma was time.
"Cadet Bihyeong."
"Yes?"
"You're bothered by the imbalance in your Five Elements harmony, right?"
Just from the spell arts, he pinpointed which element was lacking?
Bihyeong was genuinely impressed by the professor's level.
"...Yes. Correct."
"Fire, Earth, Water—you've mastered their basics."
Spot on again.
Those three basic spell arts were already at master level.
"Left are Metal and Wood?"
Bihyeong nodded calmly.
As the professor said, Metal and Wood Art proficiency hovered under 50%.
Little progress over the weekend.
'Especially at half-done, it feels blocked.'
Is this what a wall feels like?
Even applying Mina's 【Versatile】 as harmony didn't help much.
At that moment, the professor stroked his chin, eyeing Bihyeong casually.
"You look like you've taken a shit and got interrupted."
This guy's metaphors...
"Kukuku... Kidding. Kidding."
Seeing Bihyeong's face rot in real time, the professor waved it off.
"If you're hitting a wall, try 'mutual suppression' once."
"Pardon?"
"You can handle mutual suppression, right?"
Of course.
Mina had done it in the library before.
"Good if you can. Then listen closely from now. This is solid advice."
The professor gathered spiritual power in his hand, split it in two, and explained.
"Mutual suppression works by forcibly growing energy that would devour the prior spell art—one that can't mutual generate—and channeling the previous power into it. Right?"
"Yes."
"So, how do you do that 'forcibly'?"
"By packing in a ton of energy, obviously..."
"Bingo. But."
The split spiritual power clumps in the professor's hand tried merging back.
"True mutual suppression masters can do it even with minimal energy gaps. If you grasp the spell art's essence."
The professor grinned.
"Say your energy is 10. Aim for 5.5 in the target element and 4.5 in the suppressing one. Might break that wall."
Bihyeong split his energy precisely at those words.
'...Tricky.'
The professor advised using slightly more for suppression.
But that amount barely scratched it.
Yet why?
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Basic Metal Art proficiency has increased. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Basic Wood Art proficiency has increased. Did the things that felt stuck suddenly start climbing steeply again?
'Whoa, for real.'
This exorcist was a top-tier instructor.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Cadets' free practice time.
At the training hall's rear, watching them, Lead Professor Shin Hu sensed an uninvited guest sitting beside him.
"The kids' levels are impressively high."
Shin Hu turned to look.
A shaggy mop of hair like a mutt's, a goofy smile.
He looked harmless overall.
"Oh my. Isn't this the academic lecturer?"
Academic lecturer.
Not a full academy professor, but an external instructor.
Of course, all exorcists belonged to Ridge Crossing, so "external" was a bit off,
but professors and lecturers distinguished each other easily.
For good reason.
'What are the clan guys scheming now?'
Most lecturers were tied to clans.
As Shin Hu stared silently at the seated man,
the man smiled brightly and replied.
"Wanted to see the famous chief and vice-chief at least once, so I came."
"What, scouting already? Oh, can't yet. So preemptive drooling?"
Shin Hu, who spoke freely even to the council, showed no restraint,
but the man just shrugged with a laugh.
"Well... not wrong. And it's not a bad thing, is it?"
True enough.
But,
"Still, don't fill these growing kids' heads with false hopes. I implore you."
Nothing ever ended well with Dodok Clan or their connections,
so Shin Hu's cold gaze fixed on the lecturer.
The lecturer nodded cheerfully again.
"Of course. Can't introduce half-baked kids to the clan. Here to see how great the real chief and vice-chief are."
As if to prove it, the lecturer's eyes never left Bihyeong.
But his inner thoughts differed slightly from his words.
'That guy's the one who blew up my carefully set-up lab.'
The academy-suppressed yokai, 'Dream in the Mirror'.
The lecturer, who had secretly undone its barrier art, now eyed Bihyeong.