Chapter 42
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Haven't You Seen a Saintess Who Uses Magic Well Before?
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"P-Professor! W-What in the world is this?!"
Jaewoo cried out to Professor Jung Sihyun in a trembling voice.
What the hell was this unidentified goblin?
Jaewoo's hands and arms gripping the sword were still tense with power.
His legs were ready to move at any moment, too.
Jaewoo kept his eyes fixed on the hideous goblin.
However.
The goblin didn't move.
"Hmm...?"
Unable to make sense of it, Jaewoo furrowed his brow.
At that moment, a soft chuckling sound tickled his ears.
Jaewoo glanced sideways at the professor.
The professor straightened up from leaning against the lectern and approached the goblin.
She stroked the ferocious goblin's head with her pretty, slender fingers.
The goblin's eerie appearance formed a striking contrast with the beautiful female professor.
Jaewoo blinked rapidly.
"It's a model. A model."
The goblin still didn't move.
"......Phew."
Only then did Jaewoo release the tension from his body.
But he didn't let his guard down completely.
He approached the goblin with cautious steps.
"C-Can I touch it?"
"Yes, go right ahead."
Sihyun gave her permission.
Jaewoo kept one hand firmly on his sword and prodded the goblin's arm with the other.
"Ah!"
It didn't feel like living flesh.
It was a bit hard—probably made of clay or stone or something. That's what it felt like.
Jaewoo let out a long breath and returned his sword to the status window.
This was the most intricate monster model he'd ever seen in his life.
"I commissioned a production hunter to make it as a magic tool. Pretty well done, right?"
"Y-Yeah."
Jaewoo nodded slowly and backed away.
He sat at the lectern by the window on one side and the very front seat on the corridor side opposite it.
He usually sat there anyway, but today it was non-negotiable.
He wanted distance from that horrific goblin model.
He absolutely didn't want to be anywhere near it.
It was just so gruesome and vicious-looking.
Even knowing it was a model, it kept triggering fear and unease.
- Creeak.
The back door of the lecture hall opened again.
It was the signal that other students were arriving one by one.
"Kyaa?!"
Areum, the second to enter the lecture hall, fell flat on her butt.
She scrambled backward using just her arms and butt, sliding all the way to the wall.
Dust clung to her pants, but she had no time to care.
"......Hmph."
Eunbyeol, who entered with Areum, crossed her arms and glared at the goblin model.
She nearly unleashed a combat skill from her magic hunter class but spotted Jaewoo and Sihyun just in time.
Thanks to that, no flames flew around the lecture hall.
Of course, that didn't mean Eunbyeol fully understood the situation.
She was pretending to be calm, but her eyes trembled faintly.
Her left toe kept bobbing up and down as she assessed things.
"P-P-P-Professor...?"
Areum finally noticed Sihyun and stood up from her seat.
She adjusted her glasses and brushed the dust off her butt.
Sihyun smiled lightly and tapped the top of the goblin's head.
"It's a moving model. Pretty well made, right?"
Her voice was full of playfulness.
At Sihyun's words, Areum and Eunbyeol—and even Jaewoo—all widened their eyes.
'It moves?'
Jaewoo stared at the goblin with his mouth slightly agape.
So that's why she called it a magic tool earlier!
......And that hideous thing even moves?
Chills...
Goosebumps rose on Jaewoo's skin, and he rubbed his arms without realizing it.
His skin prickled up with chicken skin.
To be honest, the model was scarier than a real goblin.
It looked downright nasty.
While Jaewoo rubbed his arms, Areum and Eunbyeol took seats by the window.
Not the front row like usual, but a bit further back from the middle.
They were scared of the goblin model too.
It creeped them out.
Honestly, they wished it would be removed from sight.
Regardless, Sihyun happily observed her students' reactions.
The Wings Guild members had told her.
You have to instill proper fear, or the students won't let their guard down against goblins in the future!
It was sound advice.
That's why she'd come early and set up the goblin in the lecture hall.
The students' reactions were quite satisfying.
Worth all the effort to make it.
"Hic?!"
"Eek!"
"Ugh!"
Students arrived one after another.
Without exception, they all screamed and froze.
And so, during the academy's fifth period—Introduction to Monster Studies—
The goblin model successfully terrified all 15 young students.
Especially those who ended up sitting near the front by the lectern; they trembled in fear.
There weren't too few chairs in the lecture hall, but not a surplus either.
The latecomers had no empty seats left and had to sit near the goblin.
They glanced nervously at the model, faces full of confusion.
'Heh heh, all from just one goblin.'
Sihyun thought the students were so innocent and cute as she beamed.
After finishing roll call, Sihyun's expression turned deeply satisfied.
Every student was present for today's lecture, and no one was late yet.
Clap! Sihyun clapped her hands lightly and spoke.
"Everyone, last time we covered various facts about goblins."
She briefly mentioned the preview learning.
"Today, I'll show you what real goblins are like using audiovisual materials."
She played the prepared video.
The projector displayed a dim cave on the screen.
Confirming the video was playing properly, Sihyun paused it for a moment.
She scanned the students' states.
A good number of them were glaring at the goblin model more than the screen.
'Too realistic is a problem too.'
Thanks to it, attention was focused well—but maybe a bit too much.
Sihyun hid the goblin model behind the lectern.
"Phew..."
"We're saved..."
The students who'd been sitting near it sighed in relief.
The students' gazes shifted to the screen.
Sihyun nodded and resumed the video.
The beginning was nothing special.
"These are active D-Rank hunters."
"Hello!"
"Nice to meet you!"
The Sihyun in the video briefly introduced the male Wings Guild members.
And they began their battle with the goblins.
Aware of the camera, they threw in some showy moves now and then, but the fight proceeded smoothly.
The video ended as the men's battle concluded.
'Pretty ordinary today?'
'Was last week the unusual one?'
The hunters in the video were definitely stronger than E-Rank students.
But just that much.
The students, accustomed to flashy, sensational internet videos, felt little excitement.
Some even started dozing off.
It was right after lunch period.
Sleepiness naturally crept in.
'It's just a liberal arts class anyway.'
Eventually, some openly slumped over their desks.
But that didn't last long.
- Snap!
Sihyun lightly snapped her fingers.
The drowsiness vanished from the sleepy students like magic.
Their minds became too clear and sharp, leaving them bewildered.
"Uh, um...?"
The student who'd been slumped straightened up.
For some reason, the sleep was completely gone.
His head felt so clear that the prior drowsiness seemed like a lie.
He stared blankly at the professor.
It felt like suddenly breathing fresh air? Or an oddly refreshing sensation?
The student rubbed his forehead and brows.
Confused, he began listening to the lecture again.
His condition was too perfect to dismiss it as just liberal arts and nap.
"Let's watch the next video."
Having easily dispatched the drowsiness villains, Sihyun played the next one.
And then.
"Huh...?"
"What is that?"
"Eh?"
The students' shock began.
"For now, I'll explain using this one. First—"
A furious goblin relentlessly attacked the Sihyun in the video.
But she continued her explanation without a care.
Unable to land a single hit, the goblin stomped in rage and wildly swung its club.
Yet Sihyun didn't even glance at it.
She kept looking at the recording device, sharing the info students needed.
The goblin still couldn't touch even a hem of her clothes.
Finally, it pointed at Sihyun, snarling and screeching.
[Kehhek—!]
It looked thoroughly pissed off.
The watching students' jaws dropped.
Too shocked to even close their mouths.
The fight hadn't truly begun, but it was already on an artistic level.
"What the heck is that? How's she dodging?"
"Professor isn't even looking at the goblin...?"
"Does that even make sense?"
"That'll do for the explanation. Now I'll show you for real."
Whether the students were shocked or not.
The Sihyun in the video calmly continued.
Pretending to manipulate her status window, she drew a sword from her bracelet's magic tool.
At that instant, the goblin swung its club again.
Sihyun twisted her body slightly, effortlessly deflecting the attack.
Immediately, her sword flashed.
Slash—, thud.
With one clean swing, the goblin's severed head hit the ground.
"......"
"......"
A moment of dead silence.
Not a single student could speak.
The Sihyun in the video smoothly sheathed her sword and returned to a stable stance.
No show of force, no unnecessary movements.
Literally fast and clean.
As the video Sihyun began moving.
In the brief lull, students whispered among themselves.
"What the hell was that...?"
"Isn't Professor Jung Sihyun D-Rank?"
"I heard she's a Holy Knight, but damn, she wields a sword like a pro."
The aptly edited video skipped the travel section.
Sihyun encountered a group of goblins and began fighting again.
The students' eyes locked back on the screen.
No one was distracted or unfocused.
All were immersed in the video.
This wasn't the time for chatter.
Right now, in this moment, they had to burn the scenes into their eyes, engrave them in their minds.
This was no cheap internet promo video.
It was a meticulously compressed lecture on real combat.
Sihyun swept away the group of goblins in an instant.
Then, out of nowhere, she returned her weapon to the magic tool—bare-handed now.
"Since it's a liberal arts class, there are students of various jobs. This time, with a spear."
Another bombshell statement!
And the eccentricity didn't stop there.
Axe, greatsword, and more—Sihyun showcased the weapons she'd received from Dayoung one by one.
The weapons themselves were cheap ones even E-Rank hunters could use.
But the user was Sihyun.
She swept the goblins away with the most systematic movements suited to each weapon's traits.
Just like with the sword.
No flair or showboating.
Just fundamental actions and precise power to cleanly dispatch the enemies.
"See? Pretty easy, right? You all can do it too."
- Thud!
Sihyun set down the massive weapon as big as herself and smiled lightly as she spoke.
And so, the long yet short-feeling video came to an end.