Chapter 41

On a late spring morning, at some brunch café.

Bathed in soft sunlight, a woman took her seat by the window.

Her snow-white, long hair shimmered gently under the morning rays.

The woman scanned the café with a blank expression.

Bright paintings on the walls, soothing music, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.

Seemingly pleased with the laid-back ambiance, she gave a slight nod.

A moment later, the door opened and another woman entered.

Spotting the woman by the window, she smiled and waved.

“It’s been a while! How’ve you been?”

“Yeah, you?”

Si-hyun and Ji-a exchanged casual greetings.

Ji-a sat across from Si-hyun, her shoulder-length hair swaying softly.

“Thanks for all your hard work on that out-of-town mission.”

“Hehe, thanks. It’s always tough, but I managed.”

With a light sigh, Ji-a continued.

“Sorry about our meeting time being so awkward today. I couldn’t make it any other time.”

“Nah, it’s fine! You’re here now, despite being busy.”

“Still… When I finish up my backlog, let’s go eat something nice.”

“Sure thing? When will you be done?”

At Si-hyun’s question, Ji-a began to lightly grumble.

Smiling faintly, Si-hyun chimed in to help ease Ji-a’s stress.

Relieved by her friend’s support, Ji-a broke into a pretty smile.

Afterward, they both looked at the menu, exchanging friendly opinions on what to order.

Once their orders were taken by the staff, Ji-a rested her chin on her hand and glanced at Si-hyun.

She usually goes around with her long hair loose, but today—what kind of wind blew?

Clearly, styling her hair like this made her radiant appearance even more striking.

“Your half-updo looks really good. Did Si-yoon do it?”

“…Yeah. And I learned how to do it myself.”

Si-hyun nervously fidgeted with her tied-up hair, her ears turning red.

Amused by her cute reaction, Ji-a chuckled.

“You actually thought about learning?”

“…It was forced upon me.”

“Forced, huh?”

“Mm-hmm…”

Responding to Ji-a’s inquiry, Si-hyun awkwardly shuffled her knees.

“They gifted me some merch, but then said, ‘You can’t do one little thing in return?’ So…”

“Aha.”

Ji-a immediately understood: Momobin merch had been sacrificed as bait, and her younger sister had turned her older sibling into a plaything.

Teaching her to do it herself? Si-yoon was absolutely slaying it.

For some reason, Ji-a could vividly imagine the scene and giggled.

“Is… is it weird?”

“Not at all! It suits you! Why not keep styling yourself like this?”

“…Uh, back then… I knew it was bullying. But because I was told ‘Don’t act above your station,’ over and over again…”

“—Ah.”

Though the subject was left unsaid, Ji-a fully grasped the meaning.

Ugh, those damn Hero Party members again.

“No, you really look amazing, and it suits you! In my opinion, you should embrace more confidence and try different styles.”

“R-really…?”

Si-hyun pressed her hands against her cheeks as she replied, her slightly hunched shoulders straightening a bit.

“Yeah, I’ll give it a shot slowly.”

“That’s great! No rush, though.”

Satisfied, Ji-a nodded.

Si-hyun’s usual response when rejecting something is “I’ll think about it.”

But answering this way meant she was genuinely considering it positively.

“Our food is ready!”

The server approached and placed their dishes on the table.

They started eating, chatting warmly about things like academy professor life and whether they’d made friends with any professors.

Then, checking her phone, Ji-a spoke up.

“Actually, I wanted to ask if we could team up for a dungeon run later.”

“Ah, sure. Any day except lecture days works for me.”

Recently, Si-hyun had been diligently working alongside the Wings Guild, nearly wrapping up most of their missions.

Despite Si-hyun’s positive response, Ji-a shook her head lightly.

“I reserved an A-rank Dungeon with a fast-approaching deadline, but a major guild got there first.”

“Huh? Got there first?”

“High-tier dungeons aren’t just handed out upon request. The management bureau considers various factors.”

“Oh, I see.”

Understanding the explanation, Si-hyun nodded in agreement.

“I want to try out your buffs again…”

“Hehe.”

Seeing Ji-a slump, Si-hyun smiled lightly—it was practically high praise coming from a supporter.

“There’ll be another chance. What about other A-rank Dungeons?”

“The timing is okay, but it’s too far for a day trip, right?”

“Hmm… yeah.”

Though it didn’t have to be a day trip, going too far would be exhausting.

If they really needed to go, they’d plan thoroughly once the time came.

Switching topics, they continued chatting until their brunch-lunch ended.

Checking her watch again, Ji-a suggested,

“Hey, isn’t today your lecture day? Want me to drop you off at the academy?”

“Eh, is that okay?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a bit of time left. Should be fine.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

Si-hyun planned to spend the remaining time in her office after stepping out anyway, so she happily accepted the offer.

* * *

During the 3rd and 4th periods at the Academy.

Melee Hunter students gathered in small groups on the field, listening to lectures.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Jae-woo noticed something.

“Whoa, isn’t that the beautiful professor?”

“Where? Where?”

Some male students chatted excitedly, looking toward a corner staircase.

Jae-woo also turned his gaze that way.

Professor Jeong Si-hyun, who taught Introduction to Monsters, was sitting on the steps watching the students.

Sipping from a plastic cup with a straw, she casually waved back at the students who recognized her.

“Wow, she’s so gorgeous. She’s a goddess, a goddess.”

“Aw man! I should’ve taken her elective course.”

“Her class uses the same building as ours, right? Every time I pass by, my heart races.”

“I bet her voice is beautiful too. I haven’t heard it yet.”

“Probably. With that face, if her voice was gravelly or husky, it’d be disappointing.”

While Jae-woo didn’t join the conversation, he found himself unconsciously nodding.

Introduction to Monsters was located at the end of a secluded hallway, and Professor Jeong didn’t use a microphone.

It makes sense that non-students wouldn’t have heard her voice.

“Alright, you guys! Back to practice!”

“Yes sir!”

The boys quieted down after being scolded by their instructor, but only briefly.

As soon as the third period ended and break time began, Professor Jeong left.

However, the male students quickly resumed their chatter.

“I heard she’s a melee Hunter. Is she teaching advanced classes anytime soon?”

“Why would someone D-rank teach advanced classes?”

At the mention of ranks, the boys snickered.

Jae-woo stayed silent, quietly opening and closing his mouth.

Though he didn’t participate in the conversation, he had already built camaraderie with them.

He paused, deep in thought.

“Honestly, does she have anything besides her looks?”

“Dude, that face is OP!”

“That’s true! I bet her lectures aren’t much, right? Everyone probably signed up just for her looks.”

“…Guess you guys haven’t heard the rumors.”

Unable to contain himself any longer, Jae-woo finally chimed in.

Everyone stopped mocking Professor Jeong.

“Introduction to Monsters is supposedly super well-received, according to rumors.”

“Huh, is that so?”

“I’ve never heard that.”

All the boys looked surprised.

But Jae-woo didn’t care.

“After fourth period ends, check community boards. There should definitely be posts.”

“Why bother?”

“Meh, I might take a look if I remember.”

Though the boys seemed indifferent, Jae-woo’s effort wasn’t wasted.

“Wait, I think I saw something last week on the community board.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, something about detail… It was crazy detailed, if I recall.”

“Oh, that was for Introduction to Monsters?”

“Probably.”

“And claiming she became an Academy professor solely based on her looks? That doesn’t make sense, does it?”

“…”

The voices of students responding to Jae-woo grew louder.

Naturally, those criticizing Professor Jeong based on her rank fell silent.

Satisfied with the result, Jae-woo returned to listening.

The boys who had criticized Professor Jeong by rank remained silent throughout the rest of the fourth period.

* * *

After the 3rd and 4th period specialties ended,

Jae-woo grabbed a quick bite at the basement cafeteria.

Since he had to attend Introduction to Monsters during the 5th and 6th periods, his free time was limited.

Without wandering elsewhere, he headed straight to the lecture hall early.

And then he saw it.

“Mo… Monster?!”

Right on the front desk.

There stood a hideous goblin!

Startled, Jae-woo hastily summoned his weapon through his status screen.

Gripping the sword handle tightly with both hands, he prepared to fight.

Goodness, this was the scariest goblin he’d ever seen.

Tensely poised for battle, he waited.

“…?”

Only then did he notice another figure.

Professor Jeong Si-hyun leaned casually against the podium, watching him with a playful grin.