Chapter 112

On the first day, the children who were literally trampled underfoot couldn’t readily challenge me for a while.

However, they hadn’t given up entirely and it seemed like they were devising a strategy centered around Yu Hye-won.

During free periods or when there wasn’t separate practice, the children rented the training grounds and trained enthusiastically among themselves.

Sometimes, watching them quietly train on their own would make me laugh without realizing it.

The three children would use their auras intricately while performing complex movements, unleashing all sorts of techniques onto the floating targets in mid-air.

Seeing how their formations and techniques changed seamlessly every time Yu Hye-won shouted something, it appeared they weren’t reckless.

According to their individual goals, even without me gathering them and teaching at set times, the children were practicing cooperative combat spontaneously, much like sidekicks of an active duty office.

This was exactly what I had intended.

It seems that my few years teaching at the Academy weren’t wasted after all.

Yu Hye-won would surely exhibit skills not far from those of a capable hero, even if thrown into the field right now.

With such a child leading, along with top student Song Do-yoon, and Han Min-ha who follows laboriously when told, their combination would certainly yield effects better than if I directly taught them.

Of course, I don’t plan on leaving them alone to their own devices.

I’ve set up an environment for self-motivated learning and am planning to teach the children advanced techniques to beat me from now on.

They’ve moved into their second year and next year will be their graduating class.

Given how much luck is on their side, preparing for the possibility of early graduation with advanced learning sounds like a good idea.

I don’t know how the students of other professors might fare, but these three children certainly have the ability to do so.

And on top of that, survival skills as well.

Being a hero is an extreme occupation always exposed to dangerous environments.

Even though winning in combat is important, surviving after the fight is also extremely important.

Of course, they have sidekicks, and if under the jurisdiction of the Management Bureau, other support teams might join, but mostly it’s solo hero combat.

There will be situations where, in case of defeat, they must escape to save their lives, and even when they win, they must return safely to a secure area.

In those situations, survival skills are incredibly useful.

Survival skills aren’t anything grand, just very basic things like swimming, foraging, fire-making, and camping.

However, most academy students aren’t familiar with these, nor does the academy actively teach them.

The academy focuses solely on how to kill villains effectively and stylishly.

But I don’t want the children to meet ridiculous ends like freezing to death in the wild or drowning in the sea.

In Sikrito, that side is extremely thorough, and since I’ve also acted as a sort of instructor for newcomers, I plan to teach the children everything I know.

After all, those who survive until they reach S-rank actually become S-rank.

—

“Ugh… Why do we have to do this?”

Yu Hye-won asked with distrustful eyes.

“To survive.”

“So, why do we have to swim with our hands and feet tied? We can just fly.”

“There may be times when we cannot use aura. There are villains who can reverse use the aura of their opponents.”

“But still, this is a bit…”

We were currently at the Academy’s swimming pool.

To teach the children survival swimming.

Survival swimming isn’t just floating and waiting for rescuers; it means teaching them how to swim and dive with their hands and feet bound.

“Can’t you swim?”

“No no, I can swim, but it’s like using an abacus when we have a calculator.”

“I told you, there are times when we cannot use aura. Simply put, when the calculator’s batteries run out.”

“Calculators have solar charging too.”

“The example was inappropriate.”

Yu Hye-won chuckled and snapped her fingers.

“I know. Professor, are you really going to do this?!?”

“What is it?”

“Professor, you’re just using the excuse of survival swimming to make us wear swimsuits, right!?”

At that, Han Min-ha looked startled and glanced at me.

“Is that true, Hye-won, Professor?”

“No. What does survival swimming have to do with swimsuits? Of course, we should wear suits. Who fights in swimsuits?”

“A… I see…”

Han Min-ha looked somewhat disappointed.

“And anyway, I’ve already seen both you, Hye-won, and Min-ha in swimsuits last summer break. Not particularly curious.”

At that, Song Do-yoon stared at me intently.

‘Don’t misunderstand.’

“Hmph, yeah, okay. Professor, it must be because you want to see tied-up girls in wet suits…”

Ignoring Yu Hye-won’s muttering, I pointed to the locker rooms.

“Go change into your suits.”

I herded the children like sheep into the locker rooms and headed toward the men’s locker room myself.

I couldn’t just leave them there.

Soon, we were all changed into suits and regrouped.

“Hooh, you old man, you really know how to work that suit.”

Yu Hye-won blatantly scanned me from top to bottom, Han Min-ha covered her chest and averted her eyes but occasionally peeked, while Song Do-yoon looked at me with a clinical gaze as if I were an auction item.

“Alright then, let’s begin. Is there anyone who cannot swim?”

“No.”

“Good. Let’s do some stretching and a few light laps.”

After loosening up, we all jumped into the pool.

The Academy’s pool came in various types; we chose one that wasn’t too deep but was over a hundred meters long, perfect for long-distance survival swimming with bound hands and feet.

I looked at the children with just their heads bobbing above the water.

“Follow me. Let’s first see how well you can swim.”

I started leading the children toward the far end.

After swimming for a while, I heard Han Min-ha shouting from behind.

“Professor! Please go slower!”

Turning back, I saw Han Min-ha lagging far behind and struggling desperately to catch up.

“Hey! You can use your chest as a makeshift float!”

Beside me, Yu Hye-won was spouting nonsense.

“Ugh… It’s too fast! My body feels too heavy to keep up!”

“Tsk… Stop eating so much.”

Song Do-yoon shook his head and sighed.

Looking closely at Han Min-ha, I realized the child was a very poor swimmer.

It seemed I would need to start with the basics before survival swimming.

“Professor… My feet can’t touch the ground. I think I’m going to cramp up!”

“The water’s depth is a problem if your feet can touch the ground, you nitwit.”

Yu Hye-won shot back, and Han Min-ha looked at me with a hurt expression.

“Min-ha, where did you learn to swim?”

“At the neighborhood pool… Actually, I stopped after learning to keep myself afloat…”

“So, you can’t swim at all?”

“I can float and sort of paddle like a frog…”

Well, I didn’t expect the child couldn’t swim.

Han senior, Seo Ji-ah. What have you been doing instead of teaching your only daughter to swim?

“Professor, at this rate, Han Min-ha will drown. Shouldn’t we teach her separately?”

To Yu Hye-won’s half-joking, half-worried comment, I nodded.

“It seems so. Hye-won and Do-yoon, you two continue. Min-ha, come out of the pool.”

“Whaaa! I don’t think I can make it back!”

With no other choice, I had to swim carrying Han Min-ha on my back to the edge.

“Let’s go somewhere shallower and review the basics. It would be good to evaluate her level and assign a teaching assistant.”

“Hi-Ing. I’m sorry…”

Han Min-ha bowed deeply, dripping water.

“There’s no need to apologize. Come here.”

I entered the shallow area where the water barely reached my chest and instructed Han Min-ha to try a few things.

However, after being frightened from thrashing around in the deeper water, Han Min-ha wouldn’t move, gripping the pool wall tightly with one hand.

“I can’t come over. Can you help me from here?”

“Alright, stay there.”

Walking slowly, I approached Han Min-ha, who was clinging to the wall, from behind, and she spoke up.

“Professor… You know something?”

“What?”

“Did you know that suits have zippers on the bottom too?”

“I’m aware. When you have to relieve yourself… Ah… What are you doing…?”

Through the clear water, I could see Han Min-ha’s bottom exposed between the parted suit as the zipper ran up to her tailbone.

“You could be done within three minutes if you hurry…”

Han Min-ha pushed her bottom back toward me.

My mental barrier stood steady, unaffected, silently maintaining its usual calm.

It seems the barrier has gotten used to such things.

“Min-ha, there’s something I want to ask you first.”

“What?”

“Is today a safe day? For real… It’s not a lie, right?”

“Not that… Remember how you kept apologizing before? It wasn’t about not being able to swim, was it?”

“Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh…”

Caught red-handed, Han Min-ha laughed like an idiot.

“I can swim… But after school started, I hadn’t had any opportunities with you, so I thought this was a chance… Ah-ah-ah-ahk! It hurts! Ears-ears-ears!! Ah!?”

“Close the zipper now and follow me.”

“Ah! Yes! I understand! Please let go of my ears, Professor! I’m sorry!!”

Thus, Han Min-ha, clutching her ears and sniffling, rejoined Song Do-yoon and Yu Hye-won.

Watching Han Min-ha swim freely like a seal in just a few minutes, the other two students glanced at me with newfound respect.

“How did you turn her around so quickly?”

“I said not to hit with flowers, but sometimes corporal punishment can be effective.”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“You don’t need to know. Now, let’s focus on the survival swimming.”

Afterward, the children worked hard swimming with their hands and feet bound.

Unexpectedly, they performed impressively and, by the end of the session, there wasn’t much left to teach.

Nothing beats the satisfaction of having your students follow you perfectly.

Very good.

“Tch, a perverted professor who restrains his students with ropes and gets them soaked.”

“Professor likes that sort of thing… Me too…”

“Han Min-ha, if you were tied up, you’d look like a slab of pork hanging in the butcher’s.”

“Hiik, Do-yoon… That’s cruel.”

Ugh… Cancel the compliment.