Chapter 33
The day of the Academy lecture approached.
It was technically the second session, but since the first one ended with just a brief introduction,
you could say that today’s class would be the first real lecture.
I left home early to grab a new meal and to try something different for lunch.
As I wandered around the restaurants near the Academy, I impulsively bought kimbap.
I hadn’t planned to eat this from the start…
It had been quite a while since I last had it, so I bought it on a whim.
“Hm…”
I picked up a piece of kimbap and ate it.
Gulp, gulp.
I also drank the soda I got from a vending machine on the way.
I continued my meal comfortably in the professor’s office.
Having a space of my own is so nice. Hehe…
Back in college, I used to do this in the club room.
It was a small department club, so there were often times when it was empty.
…I suppose those are memories too.
Munch, munch.
I savoured the taste of the tuna inside the kimbap as I reminisced.
From the open window, left ajar for ventilation, I could hear lively noises.
Voices of people working out on the sports field some distance away reached my ears.
There were also the sounds of students meeting each other near the building, exchanging greetings.
It felt like a place where people lived. This liveliness—this must be what it’s like.
There was a little time left before the lecture began.
I had already finished my preparations.
I quickly reviewed my schedule for the day in my head.
Give a two-hour lecture.
After the lecture, meet up with the Wings Guild people at the front gate and head into the dungeon.
After clearing the dungeon, go back home and have dinner with Si-yoon.
Mm! Nice and clean!
Handling all the tasks for the day in one go. It’s perfect.
I’ll have to go through a few more dungeon runs, but the fewer trips outside, the better. Hehe…
And while I took public transportation to the Academy,
the Wings Guild would give me a ride to the dungeon and back home.
They even offered to pick me up for future dungeon runs and drop me off back home.
I really like the level of support the Wings Guild offers.
Rustle, rustle.
I threw away the empty kimbap wrapper and bag in the trash can.
It was about time to head out for the lecture.
…
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind—something I hadn’t considered until now.
I think this week is still within the course add-drop period.
The students… they’ll all come… right?
I-I guess it’s fine if one or two are absent.
No, it’s not fine, but it wouldn’t bother me too much if that’s the case.
Surely they won’t all suddenly drop out, leaving the lecture hall empty… right?
Come on, no way. That wouldn’t happen.
I answered their questions well during the first class, and I made sure to highlight the appeal of my lectures!
Yes, yes. It won’t happen.
I’m sure my lovely students have stayed without making changes.
…They stayed, right?
Once the thought popped up, it spun around chaotically in my mind.
It would be overwhelming if there were too many students,
but it would also feel a bit… off if there were so few that I could count them on one hand.
Private tutoring isn’t bad, of course, but this is supposed to be a college-style lecture…
No, no, no. That’s enough!
I’ll know when I get there. No need to get ahead of myself with unnecessary worries. Yeah.
With slightly hasty steps, I left the professor’s office.
***
“Call me when it’s over.”
“Yes, I’ll be back.”
In front of the Academy’s main gate.
A young woman sitting in the passenger seat of a car checked her appearance in the mirror.
She gave a light farewell to her father in the driver’s seat and got out of the car.
Her youthful skin, in her early twenties, glowed under the warm spring sunlight.
With energetic steps, she walked through the Academy’s main gate.
She followed the path until she stopped at a large tree.
She checked the time with a stern expression and took in the surrounding scenery.
She tapped her left toe up and down, checking the time repeatedly.
After a while, a young woman wearing glasses approached, and only then did her expression soften.
“S-Sorry…! Was I a bit late?”
“It’s fine. Let’s go.”
She moved on with the woman who joined her.
“E-Eun-byul. D-Did you print the lecture notes?”
“You mean for Introduction to Monster Studies?”
“Yes, yes, that one.”
“No? Was there a need to print it? There wasn’t anything special in it.”
“That may be true, but…”
The bespectacled woman, Areum, hesitated, trailing off.
It was by chance that she ended up attending the Academy with Eun-byul.
As a support-type hunter, she took the same major courses as the magic-type hunters at the Academy.
Since there were so few hunters, there were no dedicated professors, and the basic theories were similar.
Being meticulous by nature, Areum enrolled in Introduction to Monster Studies with caution.
It was in that class that she met the magic-type hunter Eun-byul.
Through such coincidences, the two became college friends.
Of course, there were differences.
When Areum once asked why Eun-byul had signed up for Introduction to Monster Studies,
“Oh, that? It was just at the top of the list, so I signed up for it.”
she replied coolly.
Her reason for taking the class was clearly different from Areum’s.
These two women, with contrasting personalities, entered a building mainly frequented by melee-type hunters.
Passing by, some men glanced at Eun-byul and Areum out of the corner of their eyes.
Though their personalities and appearances were different, they shared the common trait of being attractive.
The two women entered the lecture hall.
Being a liberal arts course and with time still left before the lecture began,
there was only one well-built, handsome man inside the room.
By chance, he turned his head, and their eyes met.
They exchanged polite nods as they passed.
Eun-byul and Areum took seats on the window side, opposite from the man sitting in the hallway-side seat, Kwon Jae-woo.
“U, Eun-byul.”
“Yeah? What?”
“Uh, you said that except for your mother, all your family members are hunters, right?”
When Areum asked, Eun-byul nodded lightly as she replied.
“Yeah, that’s right. Have you heard of the Dawn Guild?”
“O-Of course! That’s a super famous guild!”
“They’re all members there.”
“Wow…”
Eun-byul spoke calmly, but Areum’s eyes widened in surprise.
The Dawn Guild! It was one of the top five largest guilds in Korea.
In other words, it wasn’t a place just anyone could join.
Hunters were already few in number.
For a family of four, with three having awakened and two being members of the Dawn Guild—!
It was, quite literally, an extraordinary family.
To express it in terms of the settings from the novels Areum often read, she thought, isn’t this what they call a ‘prestigious family’?
Would Eun-byul also join the Dawn Guild if she raised her rank?
Feeling her heart flutter, Areum spoke up.
“Th-that level of a guild must have high-ranking support-type hunters too, right…?”
“Huh? You didn’t know? The only A-rank support-type hunter in Korea is also from the Dawn Guild.”
“Oh, I didn’t have any interest in hunters before I awakened… I see.”
An A-rank support-type hunter was among the top tier even on a global scale.
That’s how rare they were, and they were usually low-ranked.
Even among the high-ranks, most were B-rank, and even those were few.
The majority were C-rank or lower.
“Since you’re a support-type too, if you work hard, you’ll be valued all over the place.”
“R-really…? Hehe…”
Areum smiled shyly.
For now, things like dungeons and monsters were still scary to her.
At least she had heard that official support-type hunters would be assigned escorts.
That was the decisive reason why Areum could enroll in the Academy.
“Aah—, liberal arts courses are such a pain. Can’t we just self-study and take the exams?”
“Hey… that’s a bit much.”
“Haha! I was just saying.”
It was true that she found it bothersome. Eun-byul muttered softly.
After that, Areum and Eun-byul exchanged small talk.
Meanwhile, students began to trickle into the lecture hall.
After some time, the lecture hall filled up with students.
Clack, clack—
With the sound of light footsteps echoing in the hallway, the front door of the lecture hall opened.
Professor Si-hyun, who was in charge of Introduction to Monster Studies, entered the lecture hall.
The students, who had been chatting, turned their attention to her.
Si-hyun checked the clock behind the podium.
After confirming she was right on time, she nodded lightly.
She skilfully set up the projector and screen for the lecture.
While the machine was booting up, she conducted the attendance check.
After confirming that the class was full with 15 students, a small, excited smile appeared on her previously expressionless face.
A few students found themselves unconsciously drawn to that smile.
Especially those who had chosen to sit in the front seats praised their own decision.
“Good thing I decided to come a bit early!”
As the saying goes, A good-looking dish is more appetizing.
With a pretty and charming professor, the lecture already felt enriching.
“Everyone brought the materials I posted online, right?”
“Yes!”
In response to a few students’ enthusiastic replies, Si-hyun smiled lightly.
She displayed the prepared materials on the screen.
“Today, we’ll first go over the overview of Monster Studies. Then we’ll move on to goblins, the monster you’ll encounter most frequently.”
Si-hyun’s lecture began in earnest.
Starting with the concept of monsters, she covered rankings and classification charts.
She lightly explained the basic content.
Areum adjusted her glasses and focused on the lecture.
Since she had decided to attend the Academy, she intended to learn as much as possible from every lecture.
In contrast, Eun-byul propped her chin up with one hand and let out a light yawn.
It hadn’t been long since she awakened, but she had already been to a few dungeons.
The overview of Monster Studies and information about goblins—
She had already learned plenty from her father and brother, both high-ranking hunters.
While she intended to put her best effort into her major courses, she didn’t want to exhaust herself with liberal arts classes.
However…
“There are various theories regarding the origin of monsters. For instance—”
Si-hyun continued the lecture in a composed tone.
But soon, the eyes of many students, including Areum and Eun-byul, widened.
“From that perspective, classifying monsters as living beings is a mainstream viewpoint.”
Si-hyun continued in a calm manner.
“Goblins form tribal societies, living together and establishing social structures.”
The students were bewildered.
It was strange. The lecture was far too unusual.
The materials were clearly ordinary, and the start of the lecture was simple.
But the details coming from the professor’s mouth were overwhelmingly precise.
They already found it suspicious when she spoke about ecology in detail during the first lecture.
While others were merely speculating about the origin of gates,
why was this professor speculating about the origin of monsters, and how could she know so much?
“Though many underestimate them, goblins are intelligent monsters.”
How could she be so knowledgeable about monsters?
Was this information even true in the first place?
The lecture content seemed like something out of a novel, but it also had the precision of a detailed essay.
The excessive detail made the students feel a bit dizzy.
Everyone blinked, concentrating on the lecture.
It was strange yet had an incredible draw to it.
Areum, who had been listening intently from the beginning, brightened her eyes as she took notes on Si-hyun’s explanations.
And one other person.
Eun-byul felt her hands tremble slightly.
There was nothing on her desk.
So, to take notes on the lecture, she would have to open her bag.
Eun-byul hesitated for a moment.
It was just a liberal arts class; she didn’t want to expend her energy on it.
“Though it’s not part of today’s lecture, the same monsters can appear in dungeons of different ranks.”
She didn’t want to focus.
She just wanted to pass the time comfortably.
“The reason why goblins in E-rank dungeons differ from those in D-rank and higher dungeons, and why they exhibit different patterns.”
The lecture content was, simply put, excellent.
Even her high-ranking hunter father and brother hadn’t provided such details.
“All of this is because goblins are intelligent. They live together in tribes and learn from one another. If there’s a leader, they follow its orders.”
It was information she couldn’t afford to miss.
Human memory isn’t limitless.
If she focused, she might remember some of it, but it would be easy to miss the finer details.
In the end, Eun-byul admitted it.
Professor Si-hyun’s Introduction to Monster Studies was truly a lecture that couldn’t be found elsewhere.
A lecture that contained details beyond what one could learn through hunter ranks alone.
“In that case, what should we think when we encounter goblins that are overly organized in battle?”
Si-hyun scanned the room.
When the students remained silent, just blinking, she picked a student to answer.
Startled, Areum stood up and answered.
“A-A leader?!”
“Correct! That’s exactly it. You shouldn’t just conclude, ‘These goblins are strong.’ You should also consider that there might be a higher-ranking leader guiding them.”
Eun-byul quickly pulled a pen and notebook from her bag.
She hadn’t printed out the lecture materials, but she at least needed to take notes on the lecture content.
She decided to ask Areum for the parts she missed later.
Maybe she could buy her a snack at the convenience store as thanks?
What mattered most right now was to focus all her energy on the Introduction to Monster Studies lecture.
Without realizing it, Eun-byul made a mental note to herself: Next time, make sure to print out the materials in advance.
—
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