A Lesson Unlike Any Other
After lunch, I had to prepare for the afternoon class.
The morning session had been stat measurements and sparring.
And the afternoon class…
Shit. They want me to run the class entirely on my own? You've got to be kidding me.
My appointment had been so abrupt, and this being the first day, there was no assigned subject. That meant whatever remained of the schedule had to be conducted entirely by my own devices, and I found myself genuinely stumped on how to fill the time.
"Should I just have them study on their own?"
I couldn't exactly paper over it with free study either. This was awkward.
How many minutes I wasted on those endless thoughts, I couldn't say. At last, a brilliant idea struck me.
Right. I should put that information to use while I have the chance.
In a way, this could become a lesson that sent major ripples through the cadets. And the points I'd earn from those ripples would be enormous.
The moment the thought settled, I headed for the faculty materials room. A faint smile on my face, I stepped inside—only to sense someone already there. Someone had beaten me to it.
As I pushed farther in, a man turned his head. He spoke first, as if he already knew who I was.
"Oh. So you're the Instructor Cheon Hae-beom I've only heard about. Wow. Your looks really are as impressive as they say."
I had no idea who he was—we'd never met—but his manner toward me was remarkably warm.
"Dae-sik's usually pretty tight-lipped, but whenever Instructor Cheon Hae-beom comes up, he just won't stop singing your praises. You must be truly remarkable."
So that was why.
Judging by the way he talked, he and Lee Dae-sik were quite close. Just what had he heard to look at me like that? I was curious, but asking outright felt awkward, so I let it go. I gave him a polite nod and moved past.
Just as the setting described, the faculty materials room was stocked with countless items. From ordinary herbs to pieces of monster carcasses—there was nothing they didn't have.
Is that one not here?
But the crucial ingredient I was looking for was nowhere to be seen. Even Arena Academy wouldn't stock something like that, I supposed. I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
"Looking for something?"
The man who'd been lingering nearby leaned in. I put a little distance between us and answered.
"I don't see any Night-Greeting Flower. I suppose I'll have to procure some myself later."
"Night-Greeting Flower? Hmm… I'm sure we have some if we look carefully. Could you step aside for a moment?"
I yielded the space to the uncertain-looking man. Fortunately, he found it in the bottommost drawer, tucked into a corner.
No wonder it was hard to find. Who hides something all the way down there?
"It's an extremely dangerous poisonous herb, so we keep it out of sight for safety. But why do you need it?"
He asked with a suspicious look in his eyes. I answered casually.
"No need to worry. I'm going to make an elixir."
"An e-elixir? I-Instructor, I don't think you understand. This Night-Greeting Flower is a poisonous herb. You can make poison with it, sure—but never an elixir."
"It's fine. I know what I'm doing."
He shot me a disapproving look.
"Hmm… Well, I suppose I'm worrying over nothing. Still, don't feed it to anyone else. I'm not exaggerating—it could kill them. I'll be on my way, then."
"Understood."
Once he left, I was alone in the room. Free from any interference, I began manufacturing the elixir at my leisure.
I had thoroughly memorized the recipes for five kinds of elixirs in total. The one I was making now was the most potent among them. It took longer than planned, but I eventually finished every step. Looking at the finished product, I murmured to myself with satisfaction.
"Maybe I should try being an apothecary while I'm at it."
I neatly packed the flasks of elixir into a white box. Carrying it, I walked down the hallway.
"Heh heh. I'm about to get filthy rich~"
Just thinking about the points I'd rake in from this class made me smile. A one-of-a-kind lesson in the entire world—just how many points would it give? At least ten thousand, right? No—for a unique lesson that would give the world such a massive advantage, it ought to be at least double that to make the math work out.
I arrived at the classroom shortly after. As usual, the place was so loud you could have mistaken it for a marketplace. Their youthful energy was a pleasant sight, but the moment I appeared, the racket died instantly.
Now I feel weirdly guilty.
I stood at the podium and surveyed the room. Every cadet's eyes were on me—except Na Eun-sol's, which never left her workbook. I walked right up to her, but her concentration was so intense she still hadn't noticed me.
"Urgh…"
Na Eun-sol was groaning, stuck on a difficult problem. Judging by her deeply furrowed brow, she was struggling hard.
Hmm?
The problem she was working on suddenly filled my field of vision. I could grasp it at a glance. And yet, for some reason, Na Eun-sol was suffering over it.
No—that was a moment ago. Before I knew it, she'd marked an answer and moved on to the next problem.
Wait, that's wrong.
The funny part was that she'd gotten it wrong—after spending quite a long time carefully working out her answer, no less.
"Hmm-hmm~"
She looked thoroughly satisfied, humming under her breath as if she was certain she'd nailed it.
"That's not how you solve that."
At my words, Na Eun-sol froze, then lifted her gaze to look up at me.
"Wh-wh-what? When did you get here…?"
"I said that's not how you solve that."
What are you even talking about out of nowhere? Her eyes said as much.
"Instructor, I heard something from Uncle Yong…"
"Uncle Yong? Who is that?"
"Uncle Ma Seong-yong."
Uncle Yong? How affectionate a nickname is that? No wonder Ma Seong-yong dotes on her.
I asked indifferently.
"And what did you hear from him?"
"That Master's theory is completely hopeless. That his knowledge level is no different from a caveman…"
"What?"
"Ah, no! That wasn't me—Uncle Yong said that! He said you've lived in the mountains for over a decade and don't even know what a smartphone is…"
"Hmm."
A mountain hermit. Fair enough.
Sorry, but the real me isn't. I'm the Creator's closest friend—who does he think he is?
I had no choice but to launch into a general explanation.
"I will say this only once. Listen carefully. On a rainy day, Cheol-su encountered a Fire Wolf on Mount Baekdu. It was a critical situation, but fortunately the mana affinity was favorable, and he barely managed to defeat it. Calculate the amount of mana Cheol-su consumed (±50) and the elemental mana used. Now, in this sentence, there is one…"
"I already solved it."
"Just because you've already solved it doesn't mean your answer is correct. Did I not tell you? What you know is not the only answer."
It was just something I'd tossed out casually, but Na Eun-sol flinched as if I'd struck a nerve. She spoke in a timid voice.
"Ah… okay."
"Good. Anyway, as you know, Fire Wolves are vulnerable to mana, and even more so in high-humidity environments. And if you look at the problem, it also states that it was raining."
Na Eun-sol let out a small laugh.
"Pfft. Oh, is that all? I already know that! Looks like you're the one who's wrong this time, Instructor. Heh heh."
Her voice was thick with smugness.
"I'm actually ranked second in theory, you know. If you're having trouble adapting to the modern world, Instructor, I can help you out. Me—the second-ranked in theory!"
What does this kid take me for?
She was treating me like some clueless old man who didn't know how the world worked. I pretended not to hear and continued with what I had to say.
"Indeed. Your mana calculation accounting for the rain is perfect, and everything else is perfect as well. However, a very minor mistake occurred in the middle."
I took the pen from her hand and pointed to a part of the problem. Na Eun-sol still wore a self-satisfied expression.
"Fire Wolves are distributed evenly across the country, but the Fire Wolves of Mount Baekdu have different characteristics. Their habits and size differ—and so do their weaknesses."
I zeroed in on just that one word: Mount Baekdu.
The Fire Wolf of Mount Baekdu. This monster was one of the creatures the protagonist's party would encounter in the story. I had already absorbed all the information about this monster from the novel—but Na Eun-sol had not. She was encountering the Mount Baekdu Fire Wolf for the first time, which was why she'd been struggling with this trick question.
"Whoever made this workbook is a bit of a sadist. No wonder you had trouble."
Na Eun-sol looked uncertain. Apparently finding some merit in my words, her arrogant expression softened a little. Then she said,
"Ah, no. I don't remember ever learning anything like that…"
"That may be. You are a cadet, after all—not a sage who has comprehended all things."
"That goes for you too, Instructor. When it comes to theory."
Even after all that, Na Eun-sol still looked at me with distrust.
Cheon Hae-beom. Just how much of an ignoramus was this guy?
"Ahem. In any case, the Fire Wolves of Mount Baekdu can be considered practically a different species from ordinary ones. A kind of anomalous variant, if you will. Therefore, the mana required to defeat them is wrong—and so is the elemental mana."
As I spoke, I moved the pen. I put an X through the answer she'd written and jotted down the correct one.
"No. My answer is right."
"The answer key is right there. Check it yourself."
Na Eun-sol swallowed hard and opened the answer key. A moment later, her face drained into despair.
"Uh… n-no way… why is this…"
A reaction worthy of the second-ranked in theory. Her eyes went vacant.
"U-Uncle Yong said… how…"
"Just as a Korean language exam on the college entrance test can suddenly throw math at you, sometimes a problem in one subject requires knowledge of two. Still, your formulas were clean. That much, I can rate quite highly without reservation."
Did I just kill Na Eun-sol's academic passion?
The atmosphere around her felt awkward. Na Eun-sol shook her head vigorously and opened her mouth.
"Instructor, what even are you?"
"What do you mean? I'm your homeroom instructor."
"No—how on earth did you know this…"
I can't tell her all of that. That's my livelihood.
Instead, I offered her words of encouragement.
"Still, it was not a bad approach. There is a reason you rank second in theory, after all. Continue to strive diligently."
"……"
Na Eun-sol's face was flushed with embarrassment.
Guess I overstepped.
I returned to the podium and once again surveyed the faces of the cadets. Perhaps sensing some humanity in my exchange with Na Eun-sol, the overall tension in the room had eased somewhat. But there was still a long way to go. Only a handful of cadets looked at me favorably; most still treated me with wariness.
"There is no designated lesson for today, so we will proceed under my direction."
At those words, cheers erupted from all around.
They're already excited.
"Ah. For the record, this will be a theory class."
The moment I added that, the cheers vanished, replaced by a chorus of grumbling.
"Aww~"
"A boring theory class…"
"This isn't even a regular school."
The cadets complained without any filter.
True to form for a bunch of immature kids.
It was true that theory made up almost nothing of the academy's curriculum. Even night self-study existed in name only—in practice, it might as well not exist. But comparing my class to those ordinary ones would be a disservice.
I cleared my throat and continued.
"Yes. Tedious, no doubt. Being taught theory by an 'instructor' on the very first day—you are entitled to some discontent. However, this class will be so different from anything before that you would do well to look forward to it."
This is a lesson you couldn't hear even if you paid tens of billions in lecture fees. And they get to hear such a precious lesson for free. Truly blessed kids.
But a few cadets kicked away that golden fortune.
"Instructor. Would it be possible for cadets who want physical training to step out separately?"
"R-right. We're not really regular students—we're aspiring heroes, so rather than theory…"
A fair point. A handful of cadets who had built walls between themselves and books would, every theory class, ask the instructor for leave and head to the physical training room. It wasn't against school rules, and it was what they wanted—what could you do?
"Very well. If you insist, I will not stop you. Just bear in mind that any regret will be yours alone."
Miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, or sit quietly and listen. There's only one choice.
"H-huh. Thank you!"
"Oh yeah!"
There were kids who watched the four departing cadets with envious eyes. I extended mercy to them as well.
"Cadets who wish for individual training, raise your hands. I will grant you free time."
The moment I said it, multiple hands shot up like a swarm of sparrows.
The number of cadets remaining in the class was now ten.
I sent them a bold, confident smile.
You lot had better know how lucky you are.