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Chapter 45
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Areum, who had confidently declared her aspirations, slowly raised her bowed head.
She cautiously opened her eyes and looked at the professor in front of her.
Professor Jung Si-hyun was deep in thought, her eyes half-closed.
Areum clenched her fists tightly as she waited for the professor’s response.
‘D-did I say it properly…?’
What did I just say? Was it really the message I wanted to convey?
Areum replayed her words in her mind.
I want to be like you! You’re my role model!
She was pretty sure she said it like that.
‘…Wait, huh?’
She meant to say she wanted to become her apprentice. Being a research student would’ve been fine, too.
But did those words even mean that?
Even though this was a liberal arts course, she was technically already a student.
A role model just means admiration and respect.
Wait, wait… what?
Areum’s eyes wandered aimlessly, unable to settle on one spot.
She wasn’t sure if she had conveyed her intentions clearly.
Did she phrase it correctly or not?!
Nervously, Areum glanced back at the professor.
A woman so beautiful that even others of the same gender would be captivated.
Her graceful movements always exuded composure, and even when still, she naturally emanated a sacred aura.
Professor Jung Si-hyun was the ideal woman Areum had only ever dreamed of.
Normally, her shy self would never have considered visiting such a professor for personal counseling.
But when they had met by chance at a bookstore,
When they shared the same taste in genre novels,
And when the professor kindly engaged her in conversation—
Areum had glimpsed a more human side of Jung Si-hyun.
The dazzling and confident professor was also just a person who enjoyed hobbies.
And then, through today’s lecture video, Areum had felt a passion ignite within her.
I want to be like her! I want to shine just like her!
That passion turned into courage, and Areum had reached the professor’s office.
“…Hmm, I see.”
“Y-yes?!”
When Si-hyun casually spoke, Areum tensed up, her body shrinking.
***
“You mean you want to be my mentee, right?”
“…Yes, yes! Whether as a graduate student or anything else, I’ll do it all!”
At my question, Areum loudly responded.
I had wondered if I’d misunderstood when she called me her role model, but I guess I hadn’t.
“Can I ask why?”
“W-why, you ask…?”
Areum looked at me nervously.
She bowed her head and fidgeted with her fingers as if counting something.
Then, an unexpected reaction came out.
“Well, um… Professor, you’re strong, cool, beautiful, elegant! And, uh, noble, sacred, mysterious, and incredibly———”
“Ah, alright, I get it! That’s enough, enough!”
Whoa, that scared me! Suddenly, it was like she turned into a rapper, spitting out words non-stop.
What’s with the nobility and sacredness, though…
There’s no way I embody such things.
Her sudden outpouring of praise made my face flush.
“…Ahem, I understand what you’re trying to say.”
“Yes!”
Areum responded energetically.
…Honestly, it made me happy.
Even if it was exaggerated, she was complimenting me.
Although a little hesitant, I could feel her sincerity.
However, there was one big problem.
“As you know, I’m a part-time lecturer, not a full professor.”
“If you join a guild, I’ll follow you—!”
Her reply was immediate.
…I hadn’t expected this level of enthusiasm.
“Whether as a mentee or subordinate, anything’s fine! I want to be someone as radiant as you!”
“…I see.”
Radiant… a radiant person.
To Areum, I must look like that.
But I don’t think I’m such a person.
Regardless, I now understood what Areum wanted to say.
In that case, I should give her a sincere response.
“Areum.”
“Y-yes!”
When I called her, she looked at me with a face full of tension.
I deliberately spoke in a serious tone.
“All the things you said earlier—you meant them, right?”
“Of course I did!”
“I see.”
I looked at her large glasses, behind which her eyes sparkled brightly.
Her body might have been tense, but her eyes held unwavering determination.
Seeing that gaze, I made my decision.
“…Then, listen carefully.”
To be honest…
I’m the type of person who prefers lounging at home to going out.
I like moderately quiet places over crowded ones.
I often feel lazy and procrastinate on what I need to do.
I don’t think I’m the radiant person Areum describes.
But still…
“From now on,”
Even someone like me with this kind of personality,
In front of such an earnest student,
“You’ll surely become the radiant person you aspire to be.”
Couldn’t I at least pretend to be one?
To create a relationship where we look forward and strive toward our ideals together.
“Areum, I look forward to working with you.”
“Y-yes! I look forward to it, too!”
Areum and I shook hands firmly.
The warmth from her hand felt like the embodiment of the student’s aspirations in front of me.
“P-please speak comfortably!”
“…Shall I?”
After nodding, I walked toward the desk and sat in a chair meant for counselling.
“Have a seat.”
“Y-yes!”
On the opposite side, Areum sat down, her posture stiff and formal.
To help ease her tension, I casually took a novel out of my bag and placed it on the desk.
“Huh…”
Areum’s eyes lit up.
“Have you read this?!”
“Of course. It’s a real masterpiece.”
“Right, right?! It’s the greatest work in the universe!”
Her rigid demeanour from earlier vanished, replaced by sparkling enthusiasm.
This reminded me of the adorable, puppy-like expression she had at the bookstore.
This must be her true self—much more fitting and natural.
“I recommend you try this next time!”
Areum took out her phone and enthusiastically showed me several novel titles.
I glanced through them and made a mental note of their names.
As the atmosphere became more cheerful,
I took the opportunity to casually ask for Areum’s class schedule.
It wasn’t just curiosity—her combat ability, as I had seen today, was far too inadequate to leave alone.
As my first apprentice, I felt the responsibility to help her grow properly.
And while I was at it, I could use this chance to research support-type skills and the Status Window.
It was something I had always meant to get around to, but kept postponing.
“Well then, see you next time.”
“Y-yes! Thank you for your hard work today!”
After exchanging goodbyes, Areum left my office.
I began packing my belongings at a leisurely pace.
Since I still had some time before evening, I decided to visit the Academy library before heading home.
***
“Ugh…”
Right after her lecture ended, Eun-byul headed straight to the library, clutching her head in frustration.
The assignment for her major class was proving to be more challenging than she expected.
She had searched through rare books and theses that couldn’t be borrowed,
But while she felt like she was close to understanding, she wasn’t quite there.
She still couldn’t draw a clear conclusion.
The vague, uncertain feeling made her furrow her brow and sigh deeply.
If only there was just a little more of a hint, she felt she could solve it!
But no matter how much she researched, she couldn’t find anything that provided the breakthrough she needed.
It didn’t seem to be an issue with the material itself, but rather something she was missing in her reasoning or understanding.
“Ah, seriously! Solving things like this is supposed to be thrilling!”
Eun-byul always approached her major studies with sincerity.
But the theories that magic-type hunters studied were incredibly foreign to her.
They were concepts she had never encountered before in her life.
As a result, her efforts often weren’t enough to solve certain problems.
The magic itself could be easily activated through the Status Window as a skill.
However, the professors constantly emphasized this point:
You must study magic on your own, separate from the Status Window.
Only then could you reach higher levels.
There were far fewer magic-type hunters compared to melee-type hunters.
But the professors and researchers available to them were abundant.
While melee-type hunters worked up a sweat on the training grounds,
Magic-type hunters immersed themselves in their research labs.
This was because understanding the essence of mana required effort and inquiry.
Eun-byul let out a long sigh, returned the book she was holding to the shelf, and turned around.
Just then, through the gap in the bookshelves, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.
White hair swayed behind the person as they disappeared.
“Huh?”
There was only one person she knew with such distinctive hair.
It was undoubtedly Professor Jung Si-hyun, who taught Monster Studies.
Curious, Eun-byul quietly followed in the direction where the professor had vanished.
She soon spotted the professor stopping at a shelf, pulling out a book, and reading it.
‘Why is Professor Jung Si-hyun reading a book meant for magic-type hunters?’
Was it just curiosity?
In fact, Eun-byul had often seen melee-type hunter students’ glance at books in the library and leave after flipping a few pages.
Maybe the professor was just like them—curious.
With a slight smile, Eun-byul turned back to the section she needed.
She selected a few books and moved to the reading area.
About an hour passed.
‘Huh?’
As her concentration faltered, Eun-byul looked up and saw it again.
Professor Jung Si-hyun, sitting in a corner, engrossed in reading.
‘No way…’
Narrowing her eyes, Eun-byul glanced at the covers of the books beside the professor.
They were undoubtedly advanced textbooks for magic-type hunters.
‘Is the professor really reading those?’
No, wait. Maybe the other books are just coincidentally placed there.
Perhaps the professor was actually reading something else.
Feeling the urge to confirm her suspicion, Eun-byul stood up.
She cautiously approached the professor.
“Hello, Professor?”
“…Hmm?”
At her quiet greeting, the professor raised her head.
Upon recognizing Eun-byul, she gave a light smile and nodded.
In a friendly tone, Eun-byul asked a question, careful not to come across as rude.
“May I ask what book you’re reading?”
“…This one?”
Tilting her head slightly, Si-hyun raised the book to show its cover.
It was indeed another textbook for magic-type hunters.
For a moment, Eun-byul hesitated.
“Are you understanding what you’re reading?”
I wanted to ask this, but it would have been far too rude.
However, I was extremely curious—both about why she was reading that book and whether she actually understood it.
Si-hyun noticed Eun-byul’s curiosity just from the look on her face.
“What book were you reading, Eun-byul?”
“Oh, well…”
Naturally, Si-hyun shifted the topic away from herself and onto Eun-byul.
Eun-byul pulled out the book she had placed in her bag and showed it to Si-hyun.
Almost unconsciously, she opened it to the section she had been struggling with all day.
“This part—I can’t seem to understand it.”
“Let me see… Ah.”
It didn’t take even a few seconds.
Si-hyun nodded and gestured to Eun-byul.
She seemed to be asking for a pen and notebook.
Though puzzled, Eun-byul handed over the items.
Scratch, scratch—
Without hesitation, Si-hyun wrote something in the notebook and handed it back to Eun-byul.
She then took out her phone, checked the time, and stood up.
“Good luck with your studies.”
She whispered softly before leaving.
Eun-byul gave a slight bow to the departing professor and looked down at the notebook.
And then.
“…What is this?”
Unconsciously, her grip on the notebook tightened.
The answer to the question that had eluded her just moments ago was written there.
It was simple, concise, and beautifully penned.
‘No way, really?’
It was such a clear solution that it left no room for further doubt.
This was undoubtedly the correct answer to her problem.
With her free hand, Eun-byul rubbed her eyes.
She re-read the notes carefully, committing them to memory.
Then, she placed the pen and notebook back into her bag and left the library.
She made her way to her major professor’s office.
Knocking on the door, she entered after hearing permission and greeted the professor before explaining her purpose.
“Professor, I wanted to check if this content is correct.”
“Hmm?”
Eun-byul was a diligent student, and her brother was a well-known figure.
Additionally, she had visited the professor’s office several times before.
The magic professor, smiling warmly, glanced at the notebook Eun-byul handed over.
However, the smile didn’t last long.
“…Did you come up with this yourself, Eun-byul?”
The professor, now wearing a stern expression, looked at her intently.
Eun-byul recognized that look.
It was the predatory gaze of someone eyeing a talented graduate student.
“Uh, I asked my brother! Just to double-check.”
“Ah, of course. An S-rank hunter, after all.”
Eun-byul nonchalantly lied, using her brother as an excuse.
Even she thought no one would believe her if she claimed that Professor Jung Si-hyun had written this.
“Honestly, I’m surprised. This is much cleaner and better than the solution I prepared. As expected of an S-rank.”
“Right? Haha…”
On that day, with just a small piece of advice from Si-hyun,
The magic professor was thoroughly impressed, and Eun-byul broke into a cold sweat.
Not long after, during a lecture for her major,
With Eun-byul’s consent, the professor presented this new solution instead of the original one.
The students, amazed by the clarity of the explanation, etched it into their minds.
It was an interpretation so flawless that there was no room for debate.
***
Meanwhile, Si-hyun,
As she walked through the Academy campus to head home,
Paused to observe the students exercising energetically on the training field.
“Are those comfortable…?”
Her gaze lingered on the students’ attire.
Some wore training uniforms, while others donned functional sportswear.
And a significant portion opted for sports leggings.
Stopping in her tracks, Si-hyun tapped her cheek with her finger, lost in thought.
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