Chapter 15: A world where Cao Cao is a MILF but a married man killer

Chapter 15

“It is difficult to deal with men and petty people. If you are kind to them, they grow insolent; if you keep them at a distance, they resent you.”  

— Confucius (551–479 BCE)  

“He was a gentle man and an excellent commander. On the battlefield, he always stood with his soldiers, even sharing clothes with them. Though his massive pectorals were often visible, no one dared harbor impure thoughts about his sacred presence.”  

— From a soldier’s account of Saint Joan of Arc.  

***

“Even by modern standards, Joan of Arc’s records are astonishing. While we can’t take everything at face value due to the age of these accounts, even if only a fraction is true, he would still rank among history’s greatest military geniuses.”  

Tap, tap. The chalk moved swiftly across the blackboard, inscribing words one after another.  

Saint (聖) Joan of Arc.  

An S-rank (estimated) ability-user who lived as an ordinary rural youth before suddenly awakening after receiving a revelation from the constellations.  

“Joan of Arc was only active in war for about two years, but his influence was enormous. There are so many cross-verified records alone.”  

Like swinging an Aura Blade to wipe out 200 English soldiers at once.  

Or showing off his magical barrier that remained intact even after being pierced by a spear and falling from a castle wall.  

Leading a ragtag group of soldiers who had been losing battle after battle, ultimately to victory in the war.  

“You can imagine how frustrating this was for the enemy. Even Shakespeare, called the mother of English literature, wrote works insulting Joan. Haha! Considering efficient mana training methods and dungeon strategies hadn’t been developed back then, these stories are truly amazing.”  

The professor teaching world history enthusiastically shared anecdotes about the presumed S-rank Saint Joan of Arc while delivering her lecture.  

Though some students in the classroom looked bored—after all, they’d come to the academy only to sit through history classes—this was unfortunately a required subject.  

Many high-ranking dungeons were based on actual historical events, making this essential knowledge. 

Sure, studying history might give you a headache, but if it helped you understand high-level dungeons’ contexts and strategies, it was worth it.  

“Ugh, we know all this already.”  

“Who doesn’t know about the Saints?”  

Those already familiar with this world’s history seemed bored, but for me, this was all fresh and fascinating.  

‘Ah, so Joan of Arc was actually an S-rank Saint who mastered the Aura Blade.’  

Yeah, what an incredible story.  

For a moment, I wondered if I’d been transported into some Holy Grail War scenario.  

But the amazing thing was that here, this was all well-documented, cross-verified reality.  

“Haha, this part will definitely be on the exam, so make sure to remember it.”  

For now, as a student in this world, I was steadily adapting.  

***

“That kid’s attitude is really something.”  

“Who?”  

“You know, the handsome one.”  

In the faculty cafeteria, professors specializing in Hunter-related subjects suddenly began discussing a particular student.  

A week had already passed since the semester began, and most classes had met at least once or twice.

Though it was still early, seasoned educators could already get a rough sense of things.  

“Handsome kid? Who? There are so many good-looking ones these days.”  

“Huh? Ah… Professor Kim, you don’t have him in your class, do you? Haha, you’d know him at a glance.”  

“Come on, Professor, don’t be so cryptic. How good-looking are we talking?”  

“Haha, the kind that makes you want to scream when you see him.”  

At this exaggerated description, Professor Kim furrowed her brow—until Shin Arin, who had been quietly listening, smiled faintly and slid her tablet forward.  

On the screen was the attendance roster.  

While most had graduation photos of stunning beauties, one strikingly handsome male student stood out like a magnet.  

“Wow.”  

A face that drew admiration effortlessly.  

The kind of face anyone—regardless of gender—would wish to have.  

Professor Kim stared at the photo, tilting her head.  

“So this handsome kid has a good attitude too? With a face like that, he could get by on looks alone.”  

“Hah, Professor Kim, should someone teaching Hunter ethics really say that?”  

“Well, it’s just that his face is so ethically flawless, it feels justified.”  

“Honestly, people would probably shower him with praise before even thinking to criticize him.”  

“Oh, and he also ranked first in the level test.”  

“Wait, seriously?”  

Professor Kim, who didn’t teach first-year classes, widened her eyes in surprise.  

The world history professor, who had started the conversation, eagerly piled on more praise.  

“This kid—despite being a top student, he genuinely enjoys studying. While others doze off, Shin Yuseong stays after class to ask questions.”  

“What did he ask about?”  

“When I briefly touched on King Arthur while covering Britain, he seemed really interested in the history.”  

(In truth, Yuseong had just been shocked to learn that the Knights of the Round Table were all women in this timeline—but to the elderly professor, his enthusiastic note-taking had left a strong impression.)  

Other professors chimed in with their own observations.  

“I threw him a question about Greenskins, and he knew everything about plant-type monster ecology too!”  

“He seemed to struggle a bit with legal studies, but he definitely paid attention.”  

“Well, dungeon ecology is one thing, but legal studies are objectively tough, Professors.”  

“Regardless, his enthusiasm is remarkable.”  

“Right, right.”  

“Listening to you all, it’s like witnessing the birth of a Saint in real time.”  

Muttering blankly, Professor Kim suddenly realized something and turned her gaze.  

Come to think of it, the person most closely involved hadn’t said a word yet—she’d just shown the attendance photo.  

Curious, Professor Kim asked Shin Arin, who had been quietly smiling:  

“So, what’s he really like? You’d know best, Professor Shin.”  

At this, Shin Arin—the first-year combat instructor—curled one corner of her lips and began recounting a story she’d polished in her mind for a long time.  

“When I first saw Yuseong, I was reminded of the time I raided the S-rank dungeon in LA…”  

And so began the lengthy prologue to the legend of the model student.  

***

[The goddess rolls around with a bored expression.]  

[(눈_눈)]  

[She complains that nothing as exciting as the first day of school has happened since.]  

Lately, I’d been buried in studying to keep up with theoretical coursework, and the goddess had started whining.  

What’s her deal? Isn’t studying normal for a student?  

I’m studying in the library on my own—why is she nagging me?  

[The goddess narrows her eyes and voices her dissatisfaction to the hero.]  

[She argues that if he’s going to study in the library, he should at least drop stealth mode for snacks, drinks, and note-passing events.]  

“I’m studying right now.”  

[The goddess is deeply disappointed and decides to label you a ‘eunuch hero.’]  

Is she deliberately provoking me because she knows I can’t retort due to divine power?  

Annoyed, I ignored her half-hearted messages.  

Honestly, if not for this damn goddess, I—who used to ace Korean and world history—wouldn’t be stuck reviewing basics right now.  

‘Maybe I should storm the celestial realm one of these days.’  

[…]  

Finally quieted, the goddess’s presence faded as I sighed and stretched, trying to refocus.  

‘Midterms are still far off, but…’  

Listening to world history here made me realize how different it was from what I knew—to a concerning degree.  

Cao Cao was a milf and a married-woman killer in this timeline.  

King Arthur Pendragon was a woman who wielded Excalibur—and that was canonical.  

At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if a Holy Grail War broke out somewhere.  

‘At least history is interesting to study—unlike math or science.’  

After browsing history books for a while, I noticed it was almost time for class and packed up.  

Next was Combat Theory and Practice, taught by S-rank Hunter Professor Shin Arin.  

Rumor had it her lectures were always full of passion.  

Today was supposed to be practical training—what would we be doing?  

As I headed toward the academic building, lost in thought—  

“Excuse me, could you give me directions?”  

A beautiful woman dressed in all-black stopped me.  

As a model citizen and student, I responded with a polite smile.  

“Of course.”  

“How kind of you.”  

Oh my.  

Her face and figure were exactly my type.  

[The goddess narrows her eyes and glares at the hero.]  

What? Why?  

(To be continued…)