Chapter 123: Instructor Ryu, My Cock Isn't Ice Cream.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123: Instructor Ryu, My Cock Isn't Ice Cream.
Rewinding time to the day of the Gladire tournament.
Ryu Hye-mi had followed the Gladire tournament from start to finish.
Though she unfortunately couldn't listen while teaching, she tuned in whenever she had a spare moment. She even kept her earphones in to listen to the live broadcast like a radio show, never missing a beat. There was a reason for her dedication.
‘I’m actually quite nervous since our kids are competing.’
Baek Tae-yang and Kim Min-su.
Since this was the first time in the history of Victory Academy that cadets were participating in Gladire, the attention was immense. It would have been a sensation even if seniors had entered, but the fact that they were two freshmen only added fuel to the fire.
‘Tae-yang is definitely...’
He was good.
Just like during the Department Store Gate incident, Baek Tae-yang was unconsciously smiling as he fought.
A crane among a flock of chickens.
That was the most accurate phrase to describe Baek Tae-yang.
Even while swinging a massive weapon case, his balance never faltered, and his movements remained seamless despite their scale. He evaded enemy attacks with minimal motion and suppressed them by targeting their vitals with surgical precision.
Baek Tae-yang was effortlessly performing maneuvers that were far easier said than done.
The other participants in the selection match seemed to realize this as well, forming groups to try and eliminate him early. A perimeter was established with him at the center. It was a despicable ploy—a relentless onslaught of numbers intended to push his stamina to its limit, even if their teamwork was uncoordinated.
Baek Tae-yang overcame it all.
‘He’s too overwhelming.’
If there was a realm of pure talent, Baek Tae-yang was undoubtedly at the very peak of it.
She wouldn't have felt this way if he had barely scraped by. Hunters who could overcome a numbers disadvantage were as common as pebbles on the road.
However, hunters who could do it with such ease were extremely rare.
In particular, his movements, which seemed devoid of fear, left the deepest impression. Usually, when surrounded by a crowd, one tends to panic and step back. Or, they become passive, waiting to see the majority's reaction before responding.
But Baek Tae-yang had none of that.
The moment he was surrounded, he attacked the weakest-looking point and immediately tore a hole in their formation. He possessed the judgment to find the best answer on his own without anyone telling him.
This wasn't something that could be taught, no matter how much the Academy tried. It was an innate, natural gift that she could never honestly admit to the cadets.
Baek Tae-yang was proving that gift all on his own.
"Instructor Ryu Hye-mi, we agreed to watch the preliminaries and the main tournament together. Shall we?"
"I'd love to."
After working hours ended, all the instructors except for Jang Du-cheol gathered in the conference room to watch the tournament.
"Look at that. What would you all have done if I hadn't approved his transfer?"
"It seems we still haven't caught up to the Chairman's keen eye."
"It’s a relief, truly."
The atmosphere in the conference room couldn't have been better; a warm energy filled the air. Even the instructors who had initially opposed the transfer after seeing only Baek Tae-yang's profile were now clapping like seals in admiration.
Occasionally, Kim Min-su's exploits were shown, but the problem was that they looked far too shabby compared to Baek Tae-yang's. In the instructors' minds, passing the preliminaries had already become a foregone conclusion.
‘And to think, just yesterday they were predicting it would be difficult...’
She glanced at the faces of those who had been whispering among themselves about "Hunter experience" and whatnot. She didn't hold a grudge, but it was a bit upsetting that the instructors—who should have believed in their cadets more than anyone—only changed their tune once they were shown results.
Ryu Hye-mi had been sitting while watching the preliminaries, but by the finals, she was standing up to watch the match. Most of the other instructors were the same, and even Cheon Hae-il only stayed seated to maintain his dignity as the Chairman. In truth, he was just as eager to cheer fervently.
‘...I’m not worried at all.’
The semifinals.
During the match between Baek Tae-yang and Lee Ji-jun, not a single instructor in the conference room uttered a word of concern. Even when the stage was shrouded in darkness and the broadcast cut out, they simply trusted Baek Tae-yang.
Min-su had been pummeled by Max earlier, but that was a completely different story.
"He might actually win the whole thing."
"If he does, it’ll be an Academy first..."
"Indeed. There have been cases where Hunters who graduated from the Academy won, but a current cadet winning would be a first."
"Ho ho, Instructor Kim, aren't you counting your chickens a bit too early?"
"I have faith."
And so, when Baek Tae-yang claimed a refreshing victory over Lee Ji-jun and concluded the final match...
The conference room froze for a moment.
—The winner is Baek Tae-yang!
In the silence, only the announcement of his victory filled the room. Even Cheon Hae-il, famous for his imposing dignity, remained silent with his eyes wide open.
"Wow... he really did it..."
Everyone nodded at Kim Seok-gu's words. The fact that he had 'actually' achieved this result was nothing short of miraculous.
"Man... this is... truly incredible."
"Hah... I don't even know what to say..."
"If he's already at this level, I can't imagine how strong he'll be by the time he graduates."
"Ho ho, he's devouring active-duty Hunters before he's even become one himself... We'll be eaten too if we get lazy."
While all the instructors were nodding in agreement with Cheon Hae-il's final remark...
‘...I want to eat... his semen.’
Ryu Hye-mi alone was harboring a different thought.
But she didn't have a proper excuse. Winning a tournament and collecting his semen under the guise of an investigation were two completely different things. The biggest problem was the lack of a reason to investigate.
‘Why did he have to look so cool...’
She felt a little resentful toward Baek Tae-yang. If he hadn't won, she might not have felt this way. But seeing him crush his opponents so effortlessly from start to finish made it only natural that she would crave his semen. It was the natural order of things.
‘I wish a pretext would just fall into my lap.’
Min-su had already been completely erased from Ryu Hye-mi's mind. In a way, this was an inevitable progression. How long could a person keep liking someone while staring at a wall? Especially when he had forgotten a past promise and the media was openly reporting on him hitting on other women.
It wasn't that Ryu Hye-mi had intentionally erased Min-su; he had simply faded away naturally in her subconscious.
‘Hmm...’
While Ryu Hye-mi was searching for a pretext to consume Baek Tae-yang's semen...
Bang.
The conference room door swung open.
"So you're all here. I have something to discuss in detail regarding this Gladire tournament."
Jang Du-cheol entered and informed all the instructors about Noble. Fortunately, none of the instructors belonged to Noble, but that was a unique case for Victory Academy. Cheon Hae-il's strict educational philosophy, which prevented instructors from belonging to any official groups other than Victory Academy, played a part.
Anyway, when Jang Du-cheol shared the top-secret information regarding Noble and the Steal Skill...
Ryu Hye-mi was jumping for joy and clapping like a seal on the inside.
‘...Found it.’
She now had a pretext to call Baek Tae-yang to the research lab. Because of this, Ryu Hye-mi collected and prepared every piece of data she could to drag out the investigation as long as possible. She had to call Kim Min-su as well, but that didn't matter.
‘It’s fine... I can just send him out first.’
There wasn't actually that much to investigate. His skills hadn't been stolen; in fact, in Baek Tae-yang's case, he had captured the Skill Hunter. It was just a slightly deeper level of examination than a standard health checkup.
But even that was enough to make Ryu Hye-mi feel joy at the prospect of calling Baek Tae-yang to her lab.
And so, returning to the present day, the day she had summoned Baek Tae-yang and Kim Min-su.
Ryu Hye-mi looked at Kim Min-su with an expression that practically had three question marks floating over her head.
"Cadet Kim Min-su, why did you come alone?"
"Ah... we came together, but I thought it might be easier for you to conduct the exam one-on-one... Noona."
"Noona?"
"Since it's just us, we can speak comfortably like we used to."
"..."
In the past, those words would have been perfectly acceptable. In fact, she might have even encouraged Min-su to speak that way more aggressively.
But not now.
‘He’s being awfully arrogant, isn't he?’
Ryu Hye-mi's fine brow furrowed slightly. Kim Min-su stood there with his nose in the air and a look in his eyes that said, 'You like me, don't you?' In the past, she might have liked even that, thinking their hearts were connected, but now...
Now.
"Does the relationship between an instructor and a cadet seem trivial to you, Cadet Kim Min-su?"
"Huh...? What...?"
"You are here for an examination because of the danger posed by the Steal Skill. I would appreciate it if you acted with a sense of urgency. Since this is your first impertinence, I will let it slide."
But there won't be a next time.
Ryu Hye-mi continued, looking at Kim Min-su with a firm gaze.
"And it is more efficient to conduct the examination together, so call Cadet Baek Tae-yang in as well."
"...Yes... I'm sorry."
His face turning bright red, Kim Min-su hurried out of the lab. A moment later, he returned with Baek Tae-yang, and Ryu Hye-mi couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth from twitching upward.
"Then, we will begin the examination. First, Cadet Kim Min-su, please step onto the platform on the left. And Cadet Baek Tae-yang..."
Follow me for a moment.
Ryu Hye-mi smiled alluringly as she spoke.
The real main event was about to begin.
+++++++++++++++++++
A short while later.
"Instructor Ryu, my cock isn't ice cream. It doesn't just sprout things when you suck on it."
"But semen comes out..."
No, seriously, what is with this woman? I can't get a read on her.
‘Should I be happy about this or not?’
It was a problem when things went too well.