The day of the Academy lecture was approaching.
It was the second session, but since the first one ended with a simple introduction, we can say that today is practically the first proper lecture.
I set out early to try some new food for lunch.
While browsing nearby restaurants, I impulsively bought kimbap.
Eating this wasn’t originally part of my plan…
It had been a while since I last had it, so I just went for it.
“Hmmm….”
I took a bite of the kimbap.
Chomp chomp.
I also sipped on the carbonated drink I got from the vending machine on my way.
I continued my meal comfortably in the faculty room.
Having a personal space like this is really nice. Hehe…
Back in college, I used to do this in the club room.
The department club had fewer people, so it was often empty.
…Well, I guess that counts as a memory.
Munch munch.
I savored the taste of tuna in the kimbap while reminiscing.
From the slightly ajar window, I could hear the hustle and bustle outside.
The sounds of people exercising in the distant gym filled the air.
And it seemed like students were greeting each other nearby, perhaps waiting to meet up.
This feels like a place where people live. This is what vitality is like.
I had a bit of time before the lecture started.
I had already finished all my preparations.
I lightly reviewed my schedule for the day in my head.
I would lecture for two hours.
Once the lecture finished, I would head to the main gate to meet the Wings Guild folks and enter the dungeon.
After the dungeon raid, I would return and have dinner with Si-yoon.
Oh! Nice and tidy!
I’d piled everything I had to do into one day. Perfect!
I would have to go to the dungeon a few more times anyway, but minimizing outings would be easier. Hehe…
Besides, when coming to the academy, I used public transport.
But the Wings Guild said they’d give me a ride for going to the dungeon and getting back home.
They even offered to pick me up every time I go to the dungeon and take me home afterward.
The welfare level at the Wings Guild is absolutely fantastic.
Rustle rustle.
I tossed the empty kimbap wrapper and bag into the trash can.
It was almost time to head for the lecture.
…
Suddenly, a thought that I hadn’t considered until now popped into my head.
I remember the course correction period ends this week.
Will all the students… actually show up?
Hah, I wouldn’t mind if one or two were absent.
I mean, it’s not ideal, but I wouldn’t be too stressed about it.
There’s no way they’d all rush out, leaving the classroom empty… right?
No way, that can’t be the case.
I handled questions well during the first lecture, and I surely showcased the charm of my lectures!
Uh-huh, that can’t be it.
Our cute students must have decided to stick around without any changes.
…They would, right?
Once I opened the floodgates of my imagination, it swirled chaotically in my mind.
It would be one thing if the students were crawling all over the place.
But having just a handful would be a little… too few…
Having a private tutoring session isn’t bad, but this is supposed to feel like a university lecture, after all…
No, no, stop that!
I’ll find out when I get there. Let’s not worry unnecessarily. Yup.
With slightly hasty steps, I left the faculty room.
*
“Let me know when you’re done.”
“Okay, I will.”
At the front gate of the academy.
A young woman sitting in the passenger seat of a car checked her hair and appearance in the mirror.
She greeted her father in the driver’s seat and got out of the car.
Her youthful skin, radiating warmth from the spring sunlight, glistened.
With energetic strides, she passed through the academy gate.
As she walked along the sidewalk, she stopped momentarily beneath a large tree.
With a serious expression, she glanced at the time and took in her surroundings.
She bobbed her left toes up and down, checking the time repeatedly.
A moment later, a young woman wearing glasses approached, and her expression finally softened.
“Sorry…! Am I a bit late?”
“It’s fine. Let’s go.”
She set off with the newly joined woman.
“E-Eun-byeol, did you print out the lecture materials?”
“Are you talking about the Introduction to Monster Studies?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“No? Do we really need to? There wasn’t anything special in it.”
“That may be so, but…”
The glasses-wearing woman, Ah-reum, trailed off timidly.
It was merely a coincidence that she ended up attending the academy with Eun-byeol.
As a support-type Hunter, she took major courses alongside magic-type Hunters in the academy.
Due to the scarcity of Hunters, there were no professors, and the basic theories were similar.
Being meticulous, Ah-reum cautiously enrolled in Introduction to Monster Studies.
There, she met Eun-byeol, another Hunter majoring in magic.
Random chance led to their friendship in college.
Of course, there was a difference between them.
When Ah-reum asked how Eun-byeol ended up in Introduction to Monster Studies, she casually replied,
“Oh, that? I just enrolled because it was the first course on the list.”
That was evidently very different from Ah-reum’s reason for taking the lecture.
The two contrasting personalities of these women entered a building mostly frequented by close-combat Hunters.
Passing men glanced sideways at Eun-byeol and Ah-reum.
Although their personalities and appearances contrasted, they both shared an attractive charm.
The two women entered the lecture room.
Since it was a general elective, and they still had some time until the lecture started,
there was only a rather muscular and handsome man seated inside.
As he casually turned around, the eyes of the women met his.
They merely nodded slightly as they passed by.
Eun-byeol and Ah-reum chose seats opposite of Kwon Jae-woo, the man sitting by the corridor windows.
“E-Eun-byeol.”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“Y-You said all your family members are Hunters, except for your mother?”
As Ah-reum queried, Eun-byeol lightly nodded in response.
“Yeah, correct. Have you heard of the Dawn Guild?”
“O-Of course! That guild is super famous!”
“They’re all part of it.”
“Wow….”
Though Eun-byeol spoke calmly, Ah-reum’s eyes widened in surprise.
The Dawn Guild! One of the top five major guilds in Korea.
This meant it was a guild that nobody could simply join.
Considering that the population of Hunters is minimal,
having three awakeners in a family of four, two of them belonging to the Dawn Guild is astounding!
It was literally an incredible family.
Ah-reum couldn’t help but think of it as the kind of ‘prestigious family’ often depicted in novels she read.
Would Eun-byeol also join the Dawn Guild if she leveled up?
Feeling a flutter in her heart, Ah-reum opened her mouth.
“So, if it’s the Dawn Guild, there must be high-ranking support-type Hunters there…?”
“Huh? You didn’t know? The only A-rank support-type Hunter in Korea is also part of the Dawn Guild.”
“Oh, I hadn’t paid attention to Hunters before awakening… I see.”
If there’s an A-rank support-type Hunter, they’re among the top-tier globally.
This is because there are relatively few of them, and most have lower ranks.
Even high-ranking Hunters are mostly B-rank, and they are few as well.
The majority are C-rank or lower.
“If you’re also a support-type like that, just put in a little effort, and you’ll be treated with respect from all sides, right?”
“Is that so…? Hehe…”
Ah-reum timidly smiled.
At this stage, dungeons and monsters were just terrifying to her.
She heard that legitimate support-type Hunters are escorted separately.
That was the decisive reason Ah-reum was able to enroll in the academy.
“Ugh—General electives are so annoying. Can’t we just study on our own and take exams?”
“Hey… that’s not really the point.”
“Haha! I was just saying it.”
While it was indeed annoying, Eun-byeol muttered softly.
From there, Ah-reum and Eun-byeol exchanged trivial chatter.
More and more students began to gather in the lecture room.
After a bit of time, the room was soon filled with students.
Clop clop—
The sound of light heels echoed in the hallway as the door to the lecture room opened.
Professor Jeong Si-hyun, in charge of Introduction to Monster Studies, entered the classroom.
The students’ chatter quieted, their attention focusing on her.
Standing behind the podium, Si-hyun checked the time.
Confirming that it was exactly right, she nodded lightly.
Skillfully setting up the projector and screen for the lecture, she took attendance as the machine booted up.
When she confirmed that 15 students had gathered, a small smile broke on her previously emotionless face.
Some students found themselves unintentionally captivated by that smile.
Especially those who had claimed the front seats praised their decision.
“Good thing I got here a bit early!”
A beautiful professor is bound to make the lecture feel more satisfying from the get-go.
“Did everyone print out the materials I uploaded online?”
“Yes!”
At the energetic replies from some students, Si-hyun lightly smiled.
She displayed the prepared material on the screen.
“Today, we will first look at an overview of Monster Studies and then proceed to the most frequently encountered monster, Goblins.”
Si-hyun’s lecture officially began.
Starting with the concept of monsters, continuing to their ranks and classification tables.
She lightly explained the basic contents.
Ah-reum adjusted her glasses and focused on the lecture.
Since she had decided to come to the academy, she was determined to make an effort to gain knowledge, no matter the class.
Meanwhile, Eun-byeol propped her chin up with one hand, yawning slightly.
Even though she hadn’t awakened long ago, she had already been to the dungeon a few times.
Topics like the overview of Monster Studies and Goblins.
She had learned plenty from her high-ranking Hunter father and older brother.
While she would give her all for major courses, she didn’t want to tire herself out in a general elective.
But…….
“There are various theories regarding the origins of monsters. Notably—”
Si-hyun continued her lecture in a calm manner.
However, soon enough, several students, including Ah-reum and Eun-byeol, found their eyes widening.
“In that regard, considering monsters can also be classified as living beings is a mainstream perspective.”
Si-hyun continued the lecture in a neutral tone.
“Goblins are social structure monsters that form tribes by gathering in groups.”
The students fell into confusion.
It was strange. The lecture felt so very peculiar.
The material seemed perfectly ordinary, and the start was simple.
Yet, the details in what the professor was saying were excessively meticulous.
From the moment she talked about the ecosystem in the first lecture, it felt suspicious.
While others speculated about the origins of gates,
why on earth is this professor so knowledgeable about monsters? And how?
“Many dismiss this, but Goblins are intelligent monsters.”
How could she be so well-versed in monsters?
Isn’t it the case that this content is factual?
The lecture’s content sounded like something out of a novel but filled with the detail of an essay.
Due to the excessive details, students felt their heads spinning.
Everyone blinked rapidly, struggling to concentrate on the lecture.
That alone made the lecture extraordinarily captivating.
Ah-reum, who had been listening intently from the start, lit up her eyes and hurriedly jotted down Si-hyun’s explanations.
And another one.
Eun-byeol felt her hands tremble slightly.
There was nothing on her desk.
Thus, she’d have to open her bag to get her notes for the lecture.
Eun-byeol stubbornly hesitated for a moment.
It is just a general elective lecture, after all; she didn’t want to exhaust her spirit.
“Though not the topic for today, the same monsters can appear in different ranked dungeons.”
She didn’t want to concentrate.
She just wanted to pass her time comfortably.
“Why the Goblins from E-rank dungeons and those from D-rank or higher exhibit different patterns.”
The lecture’s content was exceedingly remarkable.
This kind of detail she’d never even heard from her high-ranking Hunter father or brother.
“Both Goblins have intelligence, which is the reason.”
They live in tribes and learn from one another. If there’s a leader, they follow its orders.
This was information that couldn’t be missed.
Human memory isn’t infinite.
While you can remember substantial amounts with full concentration, details can easily slip away.
Ultimately, Eun-byeol found herself acknowledging it.
Professor Jeong Si-hyun’s Introduction to Monster Studies lecture was indeed something you couldn’t hear just anywhere.
It was a lecture alive with details that you wouldn’t uncover simply by the rank of Hunter.
“Okay then, when a Goblin that fights excessively systematically appears, how should we think?”
Si-hyun scanned the room.
As the students blinked dumbly with no response, she pointed at one of them.
Ah-reum startled and stood up to answer.
“Is it because there’s a leader?!”
“Correct! That’s right. We shouldn’t stop at simply thinking, ‘Wow, these Goblins are strong.’ We should also consider that there might be a superior being directing them.”
Eun-byeol hurriedly pulled out her writing tools and notebook from her bag.
Though she hadn’t printed the lecture materials, at least she must jot down what was taught in class.
If she missed out on anything, she could ask Ah-reum later.
She could just treat her to delicious snacks from the canteen!
What she needed to focus on right now was the fact that she absolutely had to concentrate on the Introduction to Monster Studies lecture.
Unconsciously, Eun-byeol thought, ‘Next time, I must print the materials in advance.’
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