Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Flash Strike
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"Hey, hey—Du-pal, isn't that the guy from the rumors? That total loser…."
"No idea how he even got into Professor Kang Geom-seon's class, but what are we gonna do about him?"
On my way to Professor Kang Geom-seon's class, I ran into Kwak Du-pal and his crew.
Kwak Du-pal was pretty well-known among the sword users, so he had quite a few followers trailing him.
Especially those two next to him—they'd been Kwak Du-pal's sidekicks, bullying people together even before enrolling at the Seoul Hunter Academy.
In other words, they were extremely bad news.
"How should we take him down, Du-pal?"
Tsk...
Talk of "taking him down" and all that vicious stuff was a bit scary.
"We're not kids—what do you mean 'take him down'? Let's just quietly attend class. Get your heads straight."
"Haha... yeah, you're right. Just talk."
Kwak Du-pal scowled as he spoke, and they immediately backpedaled to suck up to him.
That's right, Kwak Du-pal!
Staying on good terms like this is so much better.
Wouldn't it be best for everyone if you kept that attitude?
"Du-pal, I'm heading in first!"
-Smack!
I said that and gave Kwak Du-pal's butt a solid slap.
"Th-that bastard...?"
"...."
His lackeys looked horrified.
Of course, even Du-pal's eye twitched.
"It's just a greeting. Why so serious?"
Wasn't it fair to treat a guy who pulled nasty stunts with a little nastiness of his own?
Whenever I thought like that, the usual counterargument popped up.
Doesn't that make you just as bad?
I saw it a bit differently.
I saw it in 3D.
Professor Kang Geom-seon's first class.
His lessons were famous for being practical and combat-focused, so they were held in the training grounds, not a classroom.
"When's the professor coming?"
"I'm so excited... Taking Professor Kang Geom-seon's class has been my dream."
It was understandable.
In the [Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy] world, Professor Kang Geom-seon was at the pinnacle when it came to wielding a sword—no exaggeration.
It wasn't just superior skillbooks; his very sense for handling the body was exceptional.
'That's why I'm here to learn it.'
-Shing
The door slid open, and Professor Kang Geom-seon entered, holding a thin, long sword in his left hand.
"Pleased to meet you all."
Vintage round glasses giving off a retro vibe,
a neat and stylish jacket paired with a gentle smile.
A handsome face that looked younger than his age.
Compared to the instructors and professors I'd met so far, he seemed relatively normal.
'Like Professor Sin So-ah or Instructor Lee Dok-sa... or yeah, Lee Dok-sa.'
Of course, that was just the first impression.
Most professors in [Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy] were missing a screw somewhere.
"I'm Professor Kang Geom-seon, in charge of this semester's class. You're all students I personally selected. Feel free to take pride in that."
He smiled as he spoke.
"Thank you!!"
Kwak Du-pal replied, tense and rigid.
Even a troublemaker like Kwak Du-pal got nervous in front of Professor Kang Geom-seon.
'He's pretty twisted, but he's dead serious about swordsmanship.'
But that passion didn't reach Professor Kang Geom-seon.
"HAH!!!!!!!!!"
His roar echoed like it could split eardrums!
Kim Si-woo judgment – A roar surpassing even Stone Dragon Panpagia!
"That reckless speech! You think it's something to be proud of?"
"But Professor, you... said..."
"Reflect on yourself! Look inward for your faults instead of blaming others."
"S-sorry!"
...Yeah, he was definitely off his rocker.
It's fine—it's normal for someone deeply immersed in a field to loosen a screw or two.
"You all shouldn't be proud of yourselves yet. Do you not know why?!"
"N-no, sir!"
"What about the rest of you? You really don't know?!"
...No one would want to step up with him yelling like that.
"Fine! No class today until someone gets the right answer."
"Huh...?"
His words left the students bewildered and baffled.
What could they do?
That's just who he was.
Professor Kang Geom-seon would really skip the lesson like this.
Unlike Professor Sin So-ah, he was a professor the academy clung to desperately.
No reason for him to compromise on his teaching style.
'Still, we need the class. I don't want to waste time.'
I opened my mouth, ready to give the answer he wanted to hear.
"Because swordsmanship isn't all about skillbooks."
"Ho, and what's left for a hunter without skills?"
Professor Kang Geom-seon shot back at my answer.
"The first key to wielding a sword is skills, but next comes the body. A sturdy physique! Mastery through endless repetition with the sword!"
Body and repetition. Obvious truths.
But in [Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy], even the obvious wasn't always common sense.
The hunter world was dominated by skill supremacy—believing skills were everything. If you had sword skills, the mainstream was training those skills instead of honing your body and basic techniques.
'And sometimes, that's actually more efficient.'
"What's your name?"
"...Kim Si-woo."
"Ha! So you're the student Kim Si-woo."
He laughed, a bit surprised upon hearing my name.
"Lucky us—there's at least one sharp mind this year. Exactly. The key is the body!"
The mood shifted subtly at his words.
Truth be told, for someone who harped on "body! body!" Professor Kang Geom-seon looked pretty slight.
'If anything, he looks more sly than a muscle pig.'
But he was a professor. At the National Seoul Hunter Academy, no less.
Missing a screw meant he had something solid to back it up.
-Riiip!
As he tensed his body, his shirt tore, revealing his physique.
"In... insane..!"
"Crazy muscles!"
His frame had looked slim due to the thick clothes.
I knew Professor Kang Geom-seon's body was impressive, but this was next level.
"In the distant past! In ancient times, how did our ancestors survive hordes of beasts and monsters?"
Skills? Nonsense. Sturdy endurance and the power to hurl something!
Get it? Exploding triceps! Vast lats! Legs like they're hammered into the ground! A heart pumping fierce blood flow! All that combines into a single sword strike."
He said that and scanned the students.
"Now do you get what I'm saying? No matter how strong or numerous your skills, if the user is weak, it's just a glass cannon."
"The key isn't skillbooks—it's the body... Thank you!"
Kwak Du-pal jumped in with the answer.
Oh no.
Why jump the gun again?
Professor Kang Geom-seon's smiling face twisted into a goblin's scowl in an instant.
"HAH!!!!!!!!!"
Professor Kang Geom-seon was more unpredictable than anyone.
Best to avoid answering, Du-pal.
"As if skills don't matter! Skills are at least ten times more important!"
Professor Kang Geom-seon turned to quietly standing Kang Hwa-yeon and said,
"My dear Hwa-yeon?"
"Yes, Professor."
"You can call me Uncle like before!"
"...I'll call you Professor."
...Is he nuts?
What was with that affectionate tone?
Correction needed.
Professor Kang Geom-seon was missing two screws.
"No skillbook excels at both attack and defense perfectly! Even if one exists, it's not for you lot! Even top student Kang Hwa-yeon is here to bolster her deficient body! So does it make sense that you're skipping body training with your lacking skillbooks?!"
"...."
A few claps for Kang Hwa-yeon followed his words.
No, that's definitely not why she came.
"And student Kim Si-woo."
Me?
"Student Kim Si-woo has just one skillbook. And even that skill is pathetic. Yet with that burning desire to grow stronger alone! Everyone, learn from that passion and drive!"
Scattered light applause rose here and there at Professor Kang Geom-seon's words.
Why rub salt in the wound like that?
"Haa... haa..."
As expected, day one was just pounding training dummies like mad.
But I couldn't half-ass it.
I had to give my all, exposing every weakness and strength of my pitiful talent.
'That's why my hands are like this.'
Unlike me—feet soaked in sweat, hands dripping blood—the other students took it easy, swinging sporadically or already resting from exhaustion.
"How long do we have to do this?"
"This kind of training is pointless. I came to learn skills..."
"Anyone can see it's just spinning our wheels…."
"Just pretend to try hard…."
Naturally, some students questioned the seemingly meaningless drill on day one.
Only Kang Hwa-yeon and I kept at it without a break.
"As expected of Hwa-yeon! Perfect form."
"Thank you."
What a sneaky bitch, Kang Hwa-yeon.
Why'd she get that praise right before my turn?
Now I'm being compared.
Professor Kang Geom-seon passed Kang Hwa-yeon and approached me.
A chance for a lesson from the ultimate authority on swordsmanship in [Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy].
I had to show everything I had.
With that in mind, I poured out every ounce of strength for one final, all-out strike.
"...You."
Professor Kang Geom-seon paused as he looked at me.
That's right!
I'm a bit lacking! But please take me seriously and give me a proper lesson!
-Clang!
At that moment, he caught my descending sword with his fingers and said,
"Strange."
What?