Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Practical Training (2)
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"So, I apologize for the lack of communication on this matter, Teacher Lee Jeong-ah. According to the original plan, the construction should have wrapped up yesterday, but we got an extension request this morning."
Teacher Lee Jeong-ah was speaking with someone through a small hologram. She wore a deeply displeased expression, her face twisted in frustration. I felt an uncomfortable prickling sensation, like standing on a bed of thorns, and glanced around.
The construction workers ignored Teacher Lee Jeong-ah and kept digging into the ground. They paid no mind to the surrounding terrain—every time they shoveled, cracks spiderwebbed across the earth.
"You can't just approve that. Teacher, this is an educational institution, a school facility. At the very least, you should have cleared everyone out during class time."
"Come on now, the Black Dragon Clan donates so much to the academy. And with you, Teacher Lee Jeong-ah, right there, what could possibly go wrong? Don't worry about it. Just proceed with the lesson as planned."
The man on the screen waved his hand dismissively, as if it were no big deal. Teacher Lee Jeong-ah narrowed her eyes and spoke in a sharp tone.
"I can't conduct class like this. You're messing up the terrain with all that noise—how am I supposed to teach? Isn't 'Safety First' the Hunter Association's motto? Who takes responsibility if an accident happens?"
Her words only irritated the man in response.
"Aigoo, Teacher Lee Jeong-ah. So what do you expect us to do? The construction's already underway—should we just go tell them all to stop?"
"Yes. Tell them all to stop. Call in more people, or hand over full authority to me and pull out the construction crew. Block off the current work area with fences and safety barriers."
Teacher Lee Jeong-ah nodded firmly and spoke sharply. The workers, overhearing the back-and-forth, began pausing their tasks one by one. She exchanged a few more quiet words with the man, then turned to the workers.
"Everyone, Hunter Academy students need to start their lesson now, so please exit the area. We'll make sure no one touches your equipment, so leave it as is and head out."
"Can't we just keep going? We're almost done digging here. This is all funded by the Black Dragon Clan."
One of the men who'd ignored Teacher Lee Jeong-ah earlier chewed his gum loudly as he spoke. She scowled at him. When she frowned, she exuded a fierce, intimidating aura.
"You're a hunter, right?"
At Teacher Lee Jeong-ah's question, the man nodded and pulled out his hunter license.
"Yeah, I'm a hunter. B-Rank Hunter. See? I've been at this hunter life long enough to know—the construction here's no issue at all. I'm the site supervisor. And here you are, Teacher Lee Jeong-ah, out here working too, right? What's the big deal? Why make a fuss about stopping the work? Huh? Let's just let it slide nice and easy."
Teacher Lee Jeong-ah gave him a quick once-over and replied.
"Clear everyone out. How can I teach about safety precautions while letting a construction site run right underfoot? You must have learned the same safety rules back in your apprentice days."
The man averted his eyes from Teacher Lee Jeong-ah. I could see students clustered near the gate entrance. He glanced at them, clicked his tongue, and said.
"Don't touch this construction site, got it? All this belongs to the Black Dragon Clan."
"Hurry up and get out."
The man grumbled one last pointless remark before gathering his crew and heading back through the gate. He kept a sharp eye on the construction site from afar. Teacher Lee Jeong-ah let out a deep sigh and looked at me. The slight upward curve of her fox-like lips seemed a bit droopier today. In a voice thick with exhaustion, she said.
"Sorry. You shouldn't have to see this."
She then addressed the other students still waiting outside the gate.
"Everyone else, enter now, please."
The other students hesitated for a moment before leaping in one by one. The alien air inside the gate made them stumble upon entry. Kim Ju-seong took a deep breath and grimaced uncomfortably, while Kim Chun-bae panted heavily, overly tense right from the start. Kim Ju-seong patted his back to help him relax.
"Hey, hey, don't freak out. There's nothing here."
At Kim Ju-seong's words, Kim Chun-bae nodded and pulled himself together. Teacher Lee Jeong-ah waited until everyone had arrived, then spoke.
"Yes, everyone. We had a minor commotion due to a communication issue. But don't worry. A hunter's duty is to stay focused on the mission, undeterred by trivial distractions. Today's task is to locate and eliminate the boss inside this F-rank gate and extract its coordinates."
The students' gazes sharpened as Teacher Lee Jeong-ah explained. I listened intently, tense and ready. The others were paired up in twos, but standing right next to her would look odd, so I kept a little distance.
Extracting coordinates was straightforward. Killing the monster emitting the strongest signal inside the gate would trigger the device to automatically capture them. Boss monsters emitted unique waves that obscured the gate's coordinates.
"Before we begin in earnest, let's review the safety rules one more time. First, never touch any plants or animals you don't recognize. And..."
Teacher Lee Jeong-ah slowly reiterated what we'd seen in searches or internet streams about gate exploration. As she covered gate ecosystems and examples of E- to D-rank monsters from the monster compendium, the explanation dragged on, and the students' attention wandered.
It was all stuff we already knew. Her characteristically dry tone and dictionary-like, drawn-out explanations only made it worse. Students snuck glances at each other, goofing off or looking away. Teacher Lee Jeong-ah narrowed her eyes at them.
I tapped the ground lightly with my foot, waiting for the lecture to end. It was just too boring. The soil grew softer the more it was dug, sinking easily underfoot—enough to swallow my shoe entirely before I knew it. Teacher Lee Jeong-ah called out one of the chattering students.
"Student Kim Jin-pyo, stop fooling around. Does my explanation amuse you? That confident, are you?"
"Ah, sorry."
All eyes turned to him. Teacher Lee Jeong-ah stared at the student she'd named, Kim Jin-pyo. I glanced at him too, pressing the ground lightly with my foot.
"Huh?"
The ground gave way. The soil, which I'd thought would just grip my shoe lightly, offered no support. A nearby crack had snaked right under me unnoticed. The floor crumbled silently. Instinctively, I looked to Teacher Lee Jeong-ah. Her face hardened as her gaze shifted to me too late. She sprang toward me like a bullet.
Despite the distance, she closed in at tremendous speed and reached for my hand. I reached for hers. Our fingertips barely brushed. She was a swordswoman, but her hand felt incredibly soft.
"Aaaargh!"
That pathetic thought crossed my mind as I plummeted into the depths. People rushed to the pit after hearing my scream. I heard Teacher Lee Jeong-ah yelling for them to back off.
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The world was dark. My head spun.
Why was I here?
I forcibly dredged up hazy memories. I was an awakened hunter. During my first practical lesson, standing near a construction site, the ground had collapsed beneath me. What an idiotic way to go. Looking up yielded only pitch blackness. Was I even upright? Maybe I was already dead and in heaven.
Thinking I'd died relaxed my body. Tension melted away, my breathing slowed. With my body at ease, my mind followed. Death wasn't so bad. Come to think of it, my life hadn't been great anyway. Failed the civil service exam three times, no drive left.
Even awakened, success wasn't guaranteed. Plenty of D-rank hunters wasted away their lives—I could end up the same.
They say death completes life. If I died here, people would mourn me. The tragic hunter who slipped to his death—they'd shed tears. Would Teacher Lee Jeong-ah blame herself? That thought stung a little.
I felt bad for Senior Yu-jeong too. Dying because of Black Dragon Clan construction—she might feel guilty. If I got the chance, I'd tell her not to.
The news would cover it. Poor young hunter falls to his death. My name in bold headlines.
[Ada Bomber Jeong Su-hyeon Hunter Dies in Fall]
"No way, fuck!!!!! Fuck!!!!"
I snapped awake and bolted upright. I couldn't die. I had to survive, no matter what. Not as Ada Bomber Jeong Su-hyeon. I didn't want to hear that in eulogies at my funeral.
I clawed at the ground and hauled myself up. The soil was soft, and luckily, I wasn't hurt. But I couldn't see a thing. No idea how deep it was—even looking up, no light.
Maybe I'd tumbled down a slope into some odd crevice. I stood to find a way out.
[Come here.]
Something spoke to me from the darkness ahead.