Frank took quite a while to engrave the mark, so it ended up taking about an hour to get back.
Still, since we left early in the first place, we weren’t late, and it felt like we got back just in time for school.
“Well, I’ll be going now. Thank you so much, Rudion!”
“Yeah, sure.”
I parted ways with Frank casually.
After all, we’d inevitably run into each other later at the dormitory, so if there was anything to say, it wouldn’t be too late to bring it up then.
As I walked alone, strolling leisurely, I suddenly found myself at the upperclassmen’s building. I ran into Seria, who was standing at the entrance.
“Rudion! Good morning!”
“Good morning.”
We exchanged greetings naturally and walked in together, but something felt a bit off.
Seria is incredibly diligent and always arrives at school with plenty of time to spare.
But today, I was cutting it pretty close. I shouldn’t have run into Seria here.
…But why?
“Hey, Seria. Were you waiting here the whole time?”
“Of course. I had to go in with you, after all.”
Seriously, why?
I couldn’t understand it, but there was no time to press further.
By the time we arrived at the classroom and sat down, Professor Reina was already preparing to start the lecture.
“Alright, today’s lesson is about the nature of magical beasts. You can sleep if you’re tired. Though if you do, you might end up sleeping forever… but as long as I’m here, that won’t happen, so don’t worry too much!”
The content of the lecture was pretty normal. Even when she was a lowerclassmen professor, she only taught normal stuff.
It’s just that her teaching methods weren’t exactly normal.
Given her preference for hands-on lessons, it was clear that after a few theory sessions, the entire lecture would be filled with practical exercises.
So, I had to enjoy the comfort of sitting and listening to the lecture while I still could.
But… no student could possibly sleep after hearing something like that. After all, it’s their own fault if they don’t study and end up in danger.
Of course, I fell asleep.
Even in a game world, lectures are just as boring. Besides, I already knew all the material.
…But then Seria woke me up, and when I opened my eyes, Reina was standing right in front of me, staring straight at me.
Being in the front row, the distance was uncomfortably close.
*‘Professor, your lectures are so fun! Fighting!’*
I desperately tried to convey this with my eyes, but it didn’t work at all.
Instead, she asked me a question.
“Rudion? What did I say you should do when facing a Black Chest Ogre?”
It was a question thrown at me like a challenge to see if I could answer.
But who am I? Aren’t I the kind of experienced player who has memorized every single dodge timing in the game?
Of course, I knew all about the monster’s characteristics, strategies, and even the lore, so I could answer without hesitation.
“The Black Chest Ogre’s chest is made of black leather, which is extremely tough. Unless you have siege weaponry enhanced with magical devices, it’s hard to deal damage. Since the monster instinctively knows and uses this, it’s best to avoid attacking from the front where it can easily block with its chest. Instead, aim for the relatively weaker sides or focus on hitting the Achilles tendon to limit its movement.”
“…What about the location of the carotid artery?”
“The black leather on the chest often extends to the neck. In such cases, the neck area doesn’t turn black separately, making it hard to distinguish with the naked eye. Unless it’s a very special situation, there’s no reason to take the risk and target that area.”
I easily answered Reina’s follow-up question, but then I felt her gaze grow sticky.
Did I make a mistake? Oh, I definitely made a huge mistake.
“That part wasn’t taught yet. You know a lot, huh?”
“Ah. It wasn’t taught yet?”
This wasn’t in the lecture material.
Yeah, knowing too much is also a problem.
I thought she was just sleeping, so I tried testing her with some lecture questions, and she knew them all. Then I asked about stuff that wasn’t even taught yet, and she knew that too. Did you just seduce me first?
Something like that probably happened.
I tried to come up with an excuse but gave up.
No matter what I said, it wouldn’t get through to Reina, who was already licking her lips.
“Rudion. Follow me after this lecture.”
In the end, I ended up hearing the absolute worst line from the professor, word for word.
I cried.
First-year lectures are held four times a day.
Practical lectures are conducted according to the situation, so they’re excluded, but theory lectures last about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Starting at 8:40 AM, with 20-minute breaks and a 1 hour 20-minute lunch break, classes usually end around 4 PM… Compared to South Korea’s murderous schedule, it’s not that harsh.
Still, depending on the lecture content, fatigue can build up, so it’s good to manage your condition effectively during breaks…
“Oh, you’re here? Come sit here.”
I got caught managing my condition during lecture time and ended up losing my break.
Trying to escape the situation, I fell into a trap and did something stupid. What can I do?
The place I arrived at now is the Professor’s Research Room. There are quite a few professors who visit the Advanced Class Research Room, but today, since there was no special lecture prepared, Reina was alone, holding down the fort.
Following her words, I sat down on the chair in front.
“Rudion. I’ve had my eye on you for a while, and I was convinced during the recent lecture. How about joining me directly?”
Oh, Professor. You gotta give me a chance to breathe. It’s a bit overwhelming when you jump in like this.
I decided to express my intention to decline first.
“Can I not do it?”
“Can you not do it?”
“No, it’s not ‘Can you not do it?’… I just don’t want to do it.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to?”
“Can you not do it?”
What kind of conversation is this?
This woman has no intention of persuading me. She’s just straight-up telling me to do it.
So, I decided to first ask what exactly I would be doing before outright refusing.
Of course, in the original story, there’s a route where the protagonist becomes Reina’s direct subordinate, so I knew exactly what it entailed. But if I showed that I knew, it would be a done deal.
“How about going out to capture实战用魔物 with me?”
“…Excuse me?”
But what she said was different from what I knew.
This is a bit awkward. Isn’t it usually something like ‘fight实战用魔物 first and become a spectacle for others until they get the hang of it’?
First of all, capturing魔物? It doesn’t make sense to go on such a dangerous mission with a student, not even a teacher.
“Would I even be of any help?”
“What’s the weakness of a Red Wyvern?”
“The roof of its mouth.”
A Red Wyvern, being red, is fire属性.
The expression about eating something hot and burning the roof of your mouth is directly applied as its weakness, making it hard to forget.
I wish I could have forgotten it.
I reflexively answered and then realized my mistake.
“Instant answer… At least you won’t be a hindrance, huh?”
This big mouth of mine…
You can’t judge knowledge based on just one question, but giving an instant answer here was a mistake.
I aced the theoretical part of the entrance exam. My knowledge is already sufficient, and it shows how familiar I am with it, right?
There’s no way to make excuses now. From this point on, it’s impossible to refuse by downplaying myself.
Then, I’ll use my status as a student to create a refusal atmosphere…
“But I’m still a student. No matter what, capturing魔物 is dangerous, isn’t it?”
“To be honest, I don’t see you as a student.”
…I tried to create a refusal atmosphere, but it turned into a pathetic student appeal.
Reina started listing the reasons why she thought that way.
Even though I only took the entrance exam, I felt like I’d already been through countless real battles. That’s why you were the only one who stood out in the skill assessment yesterday.”
“…I can’t say I have no experience at all.”
There was enough evidence to back it up, so I couldn’t lie. If raiding in games and PVP count as real battles, then sure, I’ve been through them.
At my honest response, Reina chuckled and continued.
“Good. If you’d said no, I would’ve been suspicious. Don’t worry. I’m not interested in your life story. Just come work directly under me.”
“No, I mean, I wasn’t really planning to work directly under you, Professor…”
“Oh, don’t stress about it. I’ve got plenty of people under me. There’s not much I’d need you to do. Just follow me around a few times when I go to work, so you don’t have to worry about it taking up too much of your time… Oh, and of course, it’ll reflect positively on your grades. How about it?”
I’m not really greedy for grades, and besides, I’m already acing the theory part.
As for practical skills… well, I can handle them for now, so I don’t really need the help.
Anyway, Seria’s the top student. Even if I tried to aim for better grades, it’d just highlight the stats I can’t improve.
And… grad students are a hard no! I’ve still got a long way to go in the academy, and I don’t want to become a slave already!
That’s why I’m trying so hard to escape, but I don’t know why the conversation keeps steering toward me becoming her direct subordinate.
If I keep this up, I’m the only one who’ll lose out.
Realizing this, I stood up and bowed respectfully to firmly express my refusal.
“Professor, I’m truly grateful for the offer, but I’m not qualified to be your direct subord—”
“Alright, Rudion. You’re short on cash, right? If you come work under me, I’ll give you a monthly stipend. How about… this much?”
Are you trying to buy me with money?! Sure, I’m broke enough to run out of money after a few meals, but with a little effort, I can earn enough to get by… Wait, how much is that?!
“I’m lacking, so I’ll work even harder to become worthy of being your direct subordinate.”
“Hmm, no need to work hard. Just say the word, and I’ll make it happen right away.”
And just like that, I became Professor Reina’s direct assistant.
Go ahead and call me spineless. But honestly, the amount of money was too much to refuse.
If I get that much every month, it’s not just about making ends meet—I could save up and buy my own house!
“I should’ve tried bribing you with money from the start.”
Reina laughed, seemingly amused by my sudden change in attitude, but judging by how she didn’t seem to have any intention of convincing me earlier, maybe this was her plan all along?
This is the true power of the Trier family, wielding money even within the academy.
The Triers are truly terrifying…
