Chapter 26
The entrance ceremony itself was simple and proceeded quickly.
The announcer introduced the academy to the students in the predetermined order.
They explained the academy’s purpose and how departments were divided based on professions and specialties, among other things.
Next came the introduction of the professors.
-First, we will introduce the professors responsible for the mandatory courses.
The professors who were called stood up from their seats and gave a light greeting.
Starting with swordsmanship, spear techniques, and martial arts, they moved on to introduce the professors of the magic department.
-This year, we will also introduce the professors of the liberal arts and part-time lecturers.
Next was the turn for the liberal arts professors.
Unlike the mandatory courses, all the liberal arts professors were called at once.
Si-hyun stood up, following the person next to her.
She greeted the students by observing and mimicking the others.
Her white hair shimmered and swayed as it reflected the light.
Among the students watching that scene was Kwon Jae-woo.
He stared at the podium with trembling eyes.
‘She wasn’t a fellow freshman…?’
He had thought he would see her again once he joined the academy.
As expected, he was able to see her again.
But she was a professor, not a student. Even if only a part-time lecturer.
“Wow, who is that? She’s so pretty.”
“Is she a foreigner? Her eyes are gold.”
Some of the freshmen near Jae-woo whispered in small voices.
Without realizing it, Jae-woo found himself focusing on their conversation.
“But I heard she’s a liberal arts professor?”
“That doesn’t matter much for grades, right? Should we take her class?”
Listening to the male students’ conversation, Jae-woo pondered.
At the academy, grades weren’t just a measure of skill.
They became an important part of one’s resume when writing self-introductions.
It was helpful for joining well-known or successful guilds.
If you could earn good grades and even get a recommendation from a famous professor?
You might get a free pass into a major guild.
That’s how the connections between hunters worked.
That’s why many students even considered which professors were teaching the liberal arts courses before registering.
‘I should think about this more carefully.’
Jae-woo shook his head.
There was no need to make a rash decision.
***
After the entrance ceremony ended, time naturally passed, and the date for course registration approached.
Since the academy had a one-year program, there weren’t any senior or junior students.
However, there were communities where students shared information related to the academy.
As a freshman, Jae-woo wasn’t much different.
Which professors were recommended, which ones were best to avoid, or those who were tough but had a lot to offer.
He had memorized all kinds of information.
Jae-woo checked the time at the bottom of his monitor.
There were only a few minutes left.
He planned to secure the most important courses first, then finish with the liberal arts courses he had in mind.
Thoughts he had rehearsed over and over again.
Jae-woo stared at the monitor once more.
The time on the screen ticked by second by second.
9:50, 9:55.
9:57.
9:58.
…10 o’clock sharp!
Jae-woo’s fingers quickly sprang into action.
The sound of typing echoed throughout the room.
‘Okay, I secured the mandatory courses!’
There were a few things he felt could’ve been better, but overall, he made good choices.
Next, Jae-woo checked the list of liberal arts courses.
The course titles scrolled down the screen.
[Number 1. Introduction to Monster Studies. Class limit——]
“What the…!”
An unexpected variable appeared.
In the community, they said the liberal arts courses usually had plenty of space.
But there it was, glaring back at him.
Class limit, 15.
Registrations, 14.
Were the students who had been whispering at the entrance ceremony not the minority?
Was it because she stood out in that prominent position?
Jae-woo didn’t know the reason. But that wasn’t important right now!
Jae-woo hastily clicked the registration button.
The sound of his mouse clicking filled the air.
Jae-woo gulped.
Please, please, please. Let me succeed!
A short moment of loading.
Jae-woo furrowed his brows and stared at the monitor.
And then,
“Yes—!”
Jae-woo instinctively clenched his fist and shot it upward.
A victory pose!
He had successfully secured the last spot in the Introduction to Monster Studies course!
He had barely made it in time.
“Hehe….”
Jae-woo entered the community, snickering.
Surely, other freshmen would have started gathering one by one.
Should he enjoy the cries of the losers?
[Why is course registration so damn tough lol]
[Why did Monster Studies fill up so fast?]
[Excuse me, but may I vent a little?]
[Here comes the rant train lol]
[WTF… what is this…]
Jae-woo lightly skimmed through the list of posts.
He clicked on one that seemed to resonate with him.
[Title: Why did Monster Studies fill up so quickly?]
[Yeah, I tried to register, but it was already full. Damn]
Is it for real that the limit is 15 students?
-There’s another similar course anyway. Just take that.
└ Didn’t you watch the entrance ceremony? How can you pass this one up?
└ True, lol
-There wasn’t much info on the professor, so I passed on it.
└ Really, lol
└ Same, lol, I didn’t want to gamble on it either.
-I envy the 15 who made it. Damn
-Lol, I registered for it first.
└ Something’s suspicious about your IQ, man.
└ ? Why are you picking a fight?
└ Just saying, lol.
└ Hahaha, lol
-I just registered because it was the first one listed.
└ Damn it, move over. That was my spot.
└ Lol, no thanks.
Jae-woo chuckled as he read the comments.
The taste of victory was sweet.
***
After a short passage of time, the academy’s term officially began.
There wasn’t a separate building for liberal arts courses at the academy.
As such, the Introduction to Monster Studies class was held in a lecture room typically used by the melee hunters.
A large field was located right next to it, and it wasn’t far from the professors’ offices.
Students with some time to spare strolled around the academy grounds, enjoying the scenery before heading to the building as the lecture time approached.
In a relatively small classroom, 15 students gathered closely together.
A short while later.
Click, clack—
The sound of low heels echoed as a woman stood next to the lecture podium near the blackboard.
With her entrance, all the students’ gazes converged in one place.
“…Hello, everyone.”
A graceful and pleasant voice.
A few male students wore silly smiles.
“My name is Jeong Si-hyun, and I will be teaching Introduction to Monster Studies.”
Si-hyun skilfully operated the projector.
As the machine booted up, Si-hyun briefly reflected.
She had intentionally set a small class size.
Would it even fill up at this size? she had wondered.
But in reality?
She glanced in the direction of the students.
Fifteen. Every spot was filled.
The feeling of a good start made her heart flutter with excitement.
Though the number wasn’t large, and she had practiced enough, she didn’t feel particularly nervous.
Now the real beginning starts!
Si-hyun took a deep breath as she gazed at the screen.
Phew—!
The computer’s standby screen appeared on the projector.
“Since it’s the first day, we’ll just go over the attendance, the syllabus, and a brief introduction to the upcoming lectures.”
Holding a file, Si-hyun called out the names of the students one by one.
The rookie hunters responded energetically whenever their names were called.
“Kwon Jae-woo.”
“Yes!”
Jae-woo, seated in the front row, answered enthusiastically.
However, Si-hyun only gave a small nod and quickly moved on to the next student.
Jae-woo felt a slight pang of disappointment.
Though there were occasional quirky responses from other students, Si-hyun merely smiled lightly and moved forward.
After finishing the attendance, Si-hyun introduced herself.
“A lot of people ask if I’m a foreigner, so I’ll address it first. I am indeed Korean, but I lived far away for a long time before returning.”
She kept the details vague enough.
The students assumed she must have lived abroad for a long time.
Some were still curious about her eye colour, but they didn’t dwell on it much.
It wasn’t important, after all.
“My rank… is D-rank. But don’t worry, I’m well-versed in not only E to D-rank dungeons but also C-rank dungeons.”
Not many students had signed up for the course expecting that information anyway.
Moreover, it’s not even a practical course. D-rank hunters can easily master theory.
Everyone quietly nodded their heads.
“From now on, you will learn various information about monsters through visual and audio materials. The ecology, characteristics, and combat methods of monsters, and so on. I hope you will gain a deep understanding of each monster.”
It was a standard introduction.
However, a few students tilted their heads in confusion.
‘Monster ecology?’
It was indeed mentioned in the syllabus.
That’s why the students found it even more strange.
Unless it’s near an out-of-control gate,
Monsters can only be seen after entering a dungeon.
How on earth does the professor know about their ecology?
Some students began to feel distrust toward the professor.
“As you know, monsters can also be categorized through a classification system. This—”
Si-hyun continued the introduction of the course.
Delivering the lines she had prepared and practiced without any mistakes, she observed the students’ reactions.
Some yawned.
A few were distracted with their smartphones.
But most of them were focused and listening to her.
Si-hyun felt a small sense of relief in how smoothly the class was going.
“That’s all. The introduction to the course ended up being longer than I intended.”
Si-hyun checked the time and glanced around at the students.
“Lastly, are there any questions?”
For a moment, silence filled the lecture hall.
Does no one have any questions? Si-hyun tilted her head.
‘Maybe it’s because I explained everything well?’ she thought as she began organizing her papers.
Just as she was about to wrap up the class,
One student suddenly shot up their hand.
“Professor! Why do we need to learn about monster ecology?”
“…Ecology, you say.”
Si-hyun paused for a moment.
She quickly gathered her thoughts and spoke.
“Ecology is also important. By understanding it, you can grasp each monster’s behaviour patterns and characteristics.”
There had been plenty of well-organized materials in the other world.
Si-hyun had read books every chance she got.
The student who raised their hand quieted down.
Si-hyun gave a small nod and continued.
“Well then, that will be all for today’s class—”
Just as Si-hyun was about to wrap up the lecture,
The same student raised their hand energetically again.
“Professor! But how do you even know about the monster’s ecology? It’s strange!”
Several other students nodded in agreement with the outburst.
A sense of solidarity was forming.
Si-hyun looked back at the student.
What was so strange? She didn’t understand.
It was valuable information, and she had worked hard to prepare it for the students.
Though the student’s rude tone stirred some emotions in her, Si-hyun calmed herself down.
Upon further thought, it did seem like a question worth asking.
In that case, she just needed to explain it step by step.
Now was the chance to show them how valuable the knowledge they were about to acquire was.
It was time for them to prepare to be amazed by the ambitious lectures she had in store.
“That’s a good question.”
Si-hyun calmly began to speak.
—
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