Episode 10
Episode 10
"I see, Professor."
Lee Han kept his emotions from showing on his face.
Dealing with insane professors wasn't new to him—he wasn't some greenhorn who'd lose his composure.
"Indeed, it seems that with just passion and dedication, one could achieve excellent results in Alchemy class."
'Once this lecture is over, I'm never taking it again.'
"I knew you'd think that way!"
Thunderstep wiped under his nose with a pleased expression.
"Then listen carefully."
"...I haven't attended other lectures yet, so..."
"Ah, never mind that. Just listen. No other lecture will be better than this one anyway."
"But I should at least try the others first—"
"No! You must take this one!"
Lee Han was gradually realizing he'd made a mistake.
The other students nearby were staring at him with jealous expressions.
-As expected of the Wardanaz family...
-Such incredible talent...
'They're just pissing me off even more.'
Professor Thunderstep glanced around before speaking.
"We'll end today's lecture here. Unfortunately, the other group that went elsewhere didn't get to meet the boar."
"......"
"...Professor. You didn't intentionally make us encounter that boar, did you?"
One of the students asked in a horrified voice.
Calling it a "boar" was an understatement—it was practically a monster.
Had they been unlucky, they could've ended up with broken bones, ruptured organs, or even died.
Thunderstep replied as if it were obvious.
"Did you really think I'd just send you out to gather herbs? Of course, you needed to face the kind of situations you might encounter while collecting them."
"But... that's..."
"Indeed, that makes sense. Hey, do you really think the professor would send us out unprepared? He was probably following us the whole time."
"Ahh..."
Once one student said that, the others nodded in understanding.
That had to be it...
"Nope. Why would I follow you?"
The dwarf professor looked at them as if they were speaking nonsense.
"I only came here because the boar collapsed."
"But... what if something terrible had happened?!"
"Then you'd just lack talent for Alchemy."
"......"
"......"
Lee Han could practically hear the collective mental scream from the gathered students.
'You ■■■ing bastard...!'
"Whether you fight, dodge, run, or hide—handling unexpected situations is the mark of a true alchemist. Got it, you iron-skulled brats?"
"Yes!"
"Um... What about the Poisonous Crow Herb? Do we not need it?"
Yoner cautiously raised her hand to ask. Thunderstep looked surprised.
"You found the Poisonous Crow Herb?"
"Yes."
"Well, I'll be. Didn't think you'd actually find it. You pass too! Come here. You're definitely taking this class."
"......"
Yoner was dragged over in a daze.
"Uh, I didn't find it alone. Nilia helped too."
"Oh? Then you pass as well! Get over here!"
This time, Thunderstep pulled Nilia forward. She wore an expression torn between happiness and dread.
"And as for this Wardanaz here..."
"You absolutely must take this class!"
"......"
Lee Han was halfway to giving up.
At this point, escaping was impossible.
'I'm screwed.'
No matter how much he disliked a class, being on a professor's bad side never ended well.
If he refused now, there was no telling if this dwarf professor would hunt him down to other lecture halls.
"...I'll do my best to attend. Alchemy has always been my dream!"
"You rascal...!"
Thunderstep grinned. He'd sensed the shift in Lee Han's emotions.
Among the freshmen present, Lee Han was the most mentally mature.
Even though he clearly had no interest in Alchemy, the moment he realized he couldn't avoid it, he quickly accepted it and changed his attitude.
Nobles usually couldn't hide their true feelings well—they'd never had to suppress their emotions before, so they lacked any practice in restraint.
In that regard, Lee Han was truly fascinating.
"Don't look so disappointed. Alchemy class comes with special privileges, you know."
Thunder Steps decided to placate Lee Han.
It was a tough world to find good disciples.
Just as students evaluated lectures, professors also evaluated students.
When you found a promising disciple, you had to hold onto them tightly like Thunder Steps was doing now.
But forcing them to stay could backfire and make them flee.
The best approach was offering carrots.
"What kind of privilege are you referring to?"
"I have a cabin near the forest. Normally, no one's allowed near it, but since you caught the boar and even found the Poisonous Crow Herb, I'll grant you special access for this semester."
"...??"
Lee Han thought this was utter nonsense.
A privilege to visit the professor's house?
'Is he talking about the privilege of cleaning, sorting trash, or doing slave labor?'
"...Ah. I didn't explain enough."
Seeing Lee Han's expression, Thunder Steps realized what he was thinking. The dwarf professor hastily added,
"Do you know what ironheads like you want most?"
"Easy-to-pass lectures, isn't it?"
"...Are you really from the Wardanaz family? That's not bad, but the correct answer is food. Right now, you just look pale, but in another week, you'll be trying to eat each other."
"......"
Thunder Steps' words were convincing.
Over 80% of the students gathered here were used to eating well and living comfortably.
If you took such students and only gave them hard black bread and cold rice balls, of course they'd suffer.
"But my cabin has meat and fish from the forest, along with spices and vegetables I've gathered from secret spots I know. Do you understand what this means?"
"...!"
Only then did Lee Han realize.
It was like a buffet pass!
"Professor!"
"You rascal. I'm liking you more and more."
The two priests clasped hands and exchanged warm camaraderie.
After class, while the students moved on to their next lectures (some muttering, "Like I'll ever take this again"), Lee Han remained in place.
Yoner and Nilia asked, puzzled,
"Aren't you coming?"
"I have to butcher the boar."
"......"
"......"
"Magnificent!"
Thunder Steps alone was impressed.
Among freshmen, this was the first time he'd seen someone adapt so quickly.
"Professor, is this edible?"
"It's just become aggressive—no problem for eating."
"I see. Could you lend me some equipment to butcher and smoke it...?"
"You rascal. Already starting to like alchemy, aren't you?"
"Yes. I absolutely love alchemy now."
Having adapted to reality, Lee Han decided to embrace alchemy.
'If the professor's words are true, this isn't something to just wait around for.'
Thinking about it, there had been hints.
Starting from the headmaster's words during admission—"The answer lies in this school, so find it"—to the rules forbidding outings and providing nothing.
Freshmen had to find their own food and endure!
'What kind of school is this...? Honestly, I'm not even surprised anymore.'
In a school where people could die unnoticed, having to fend for your own meals wasn't even shocking.
Lee Han carried the boars one by one to the stream.
A place with water was best for bleeding and gutting them.
"I'll help."
Yoner rolled up his sleeves and approached.
"Are you sure?"
"We'll have to handle worse ingredients than this in the future anyway. Just share some of the meat, alright?"
"......"
Lee Han thought he heard a growl from Yoner's stomach.
Nilia, standing behind them, said incredulously,
"You're really going to butcher them!?"
"Yeah."
"But... why at school...?"
"Not hungry?"
"...Fine! I'll help!"
Lee Han had learned hunting and butchering while with Alarong, and Nilia was literally a professional.
Moreover, Yonir had practiced handling materials numerous times, so she was far from an amateur.
"Here's the equipment. This should be enough."
Thunderstep brought over the necessary tools, his eyes gleaming with interest that seemed to say, 'Let's see how you handle this.'
Lee Han drew his dagger and began skinning the beast.
Ssskritch—
'He's actually good at this?'
Nilia was genuinely surprised.
She hadn't expected Lee Han, a scion of a great noble family, to be nearly as skilled as she was.
The three of them worked diligently together, skinning the beast, sorting the meat, and hanging it on branches.
Given the creature's massive size, there was plenty of edible portions, but Lee Han didn't discard the organs either.
'We should turn the organs into sausages.'
With no telling how long this hellish first year would last, stockpiling food was essential.
"Are you planning to smoke it?"
"Yes."
"Impressive...!"
Thunderstep couldn't help but admire their foresight.
Leaving all this meat out wasn't an option—even in cool weather, it would eventually spoil. But smoking it would preserve it far longer, an excellent method for freshmen.
"Professor, we'll be using these logs."
"W-Wait a moment—"
Thunderstep flustered as Lee Han reached for the neatly stacked firewood near the cabin.
Not just any wood was suitable for smoking—the better the aroma, the better the result.
'Those are high-quality applewood logs I prepared...'
Whether by instinct or luck, Lee Han had picked the best. Thunderstep clicked his tongue in regret.
"Nilia, is this enough?"
"More than enough. It's overflowing."
Thick smoke billowed up, the sizzling aroma of meat prickling their noses. Sweat beaded on their foreheads as they worked.
Grrroowl—
Lee Han glanced around. It wasn't Yonir, nor Nilia.
It was the dwarf professor.
"...Are you hungry?"
"Yes. A bit peckish."
Lee Han stood up immediately. A hungry professor meant automatic action for a graduate student.
'We've got plenty of meat—might as well grill some.'
"Professor, could we borrow some bread and butter—?"
"...Take what you need..."
Thunderstep grumbled but didn't protest further—after all, he'd be eating too.
Lee Han placed the meat on a cast-iron skillet, but not without preparation. He seasoned it properly with salt and pepper.
Sizzle, sizzle—
"What are you doing now?"
"Prepping it."
"?"
Thunderstep found Lee Han's meticulousness peculiar.
Why not just grill it straight...?
But Lee Han didn't stop there. He scored the meat, oiled the pan, and laid it down carefully.
The sound of sizzling filled the air as the rich aroma of cooking meat spread. Lee Han even added vegetables he'd brought from beside the cabin.
"Why'd you stop??"
The dwarf professor panicked when Lee Han paused—the meat wasn't fully cooked yet.
"Adding butter now makes it better."
"You're not trying to say you lack talent in alchemy by doing this, are you?"
Thunderstep eyed him suspiciously, as if suspecting a ploy to get out of the subject.
"Try it first, then say that."
Once the meat was perfectly browned, a proper meal took shape.
Pork steak with grilled vegetables, thick slices of bread, and butter from the cabin.
Though the bread wasn't freshly baked, for freshmen used to only black bread, this was a feast.
Chomp, chomp—
Silence fell.
All four were too busy eating to speak.
Thunderstep ate the most enthusiastically.
The dwarf professor tore off a chunk of bread, wedged a hefty slice of pork in between, and devoured it heartily.
Then, without a word, he walked back to the cabin and returned with a jar of jam.
"......"
"......"
"...I'll share a little, so stop staring like that, you iron-headed brats."