Became a Swordsmanship Instructor at the Academy
Chapter 20
What’s this? It feels like someone is poking my cheeks.
“Disciple… Are you alive?”
“Master?”
“Seeing how well you answer, I see you’re alive.”
It seems I had fainted… This is absurd.
“No, Master! What exactly did you do to my body? You didn’t even explain properly and suddenly told me to endure it. You didn’t deliberately cause me pain when it was actually nothing serious, did you?”
“What? You brat! Oh my, my fate. Even though you’re my only disciple and I went through all kinds of hardship to help you, deliberately? I always knew you had no manners whatsoever, but you really have no filter.”
He lets out a sigh and seems like he’s about to flick my forehead, so I quickly dodged to the side.
Wait a moment. I dodged?
If I were to count all the forehead flicks I’ve received from my master, it would be over a hundred, and I haven’t been able to dodge a single one of them.
In the first place, since I couldn’t even feel when he was about to hit me, it was natural that I could only get hit, but what’s this?
Somehow my body feels lighter than before.
“They say one knocks on the window after waking up from sleep, what are you suddenly doing?”
“Weren’t you about to hit me?”
Thinking it might be a misunderstanding, but then feeling like he was about to hit me again, I rolled my body to the left once more.
“Look at this guy? It seems my efforts weren’t in vain after all.”
“You were about to hit me, weren’t you? No, please stop hitting people’s heads. Every time I get a forehead flick, so many brain cells… ACK!”
What? Why didn’t I feel anything this time?
“Hey. Impudent disciple, did you think just because you ate some medicinal herb you could match me?”
“How could your disciple have such an improper thought? I declare I had no such thought at all.”
I thought I might finally escape the forehead flicks, but I spoke too soon.
“Judging by your expression, it doesn’t seem like it.”
“Just explain to me. What did you do?”
“The medicinal properties of the wild ginseng were quite good, so I added my internal energy to open your Ren and Du meridians.”
What is that, you ‘old fogey’ master? is what I want to say, but I actually know.
I’ve never written martial arts novels, but I have read some.
Not that I know it well… And it’s slightly different in each work, but in most martial arts novels, when you open these Ren and Du meridians, you become incredibly strong.
“So have I become a master of Huajing?”
“Not Beijing, not Nanjing, what’s Huajing? Is it something to eat?”
Huajing is a martial arts state that appears in many martial arts novels, but it seems it doesn’t exist in my master’s world.
“I misspoke for a moment. Then have I become a supreme master?”
“Didn’t I tell you last time you were first-class? Why are you skipping the middle peak level and jumping two levels from first-class?”
“Well, still, after all that suffering… ACK! Why are you hitting me again?”
“I was the one who suffered, not you. And do you have no conscience! You’re trying to gain a level for free with just two roots of a mere 100-year-old ginseng.”
“But you said the medicinal effects were good!”
“They were good, so I barely managed to open your Ren and Du meridians. To jump two levels, you’d need at least a snow ginseng over ten thousand years old or the heart of a thousand-year-old serpent.”
Does he think this world is actually a martial arts novel?
Where am I supposed to get such things?
SIGH, so he’s saying I’m at the peak level.
Of course, advancing from a first-class master to a peak master is still remarkable progress.
According to my master, first-class masters are so numerous in the martial arts world that they’re a dime a dozen, but peak masters number less than 10,000 in the entire martial arts world, including those outside the realm.
Honestly, when he says 10,000, it might not seem like much, but considering China’s population of well over 1 billion, roughly calculated, it’s the top 0.1%, which is pretty decent, isn’t it?
Of course, not all Chinese people are martial artists, and the population during my master’s time might have been smaller, so it’s not exactly 0.1% in reality.
But thinking about that terrible pain from earlier, it’s a bit disappointing.
“Still, I can freely use sword energy now, right?”
“Is sword energy a big deal? It might be difficult right now, but if you train a little and get used to the sensation, you can use sword force with a bit of strain. Well, it won’t be as good as what the supreme masters use.”
“Uh… Sword force? You mean I can use strong energy?”
Strong energy (Ganggi) is often expressed as ‘aura blade’ in fantasy novels, and while it was somewhat fading when I was actively writing, it was once the standard criterion for judging a ‘sword master,’ a staple element in fantasy novels.
Of course, there are no sword masters in this novel about hunters, but among S-rank hunters, there are characters who use aura blades.
Even the protagonist, who ate ginseng like rice, can use aura blades after becoming a second-year student and resolving his qi deviation, but for me, it’s possible after just a little training.
“Then let’s start training right away.”
I got up and was about to go out with my sword, but Cho Yu-ryang was just staring blankly.
“Why are you just looking? We should go together.”
This guy really… Would he only come to his senses if I put him in an instant noodle container?
“Training might be difficult right now.”
“Why? I’m fine. In fact, I feel full of energy.”
“That’s not it… Disciple, you’ve been unconscious for a day. Don’t you think we should go down and check things out first, rather than training until next week?”
“What? No, why are you telling me this now! How long has it been?”
I felt so good physically that I thought I had just fainted briefly; I never imagined I had been lying down for a whole day.
“I was about to tell you, but you asked about other things, so I forgot. Still, it seems you’re only about two quarters late compared to your usual departure time, so hurry down. Before you miss that bus or whatever.”
One quarter is 15 minutes, so two quarters would be 30 minutes.
I was extremely startled thinking I was very late, but it doesn’t matter since I usually take an earlier time slot than the last bus back to Seoul just in case.
I told my master I’d come back next week and exited the portal.
Certainly, as my level has increased, the path seems clearer and my lightness skill speed seems faster, but I still missed the bus I had originally reserved by a hair’s breadth.
There was a last bus departing an hour later, so I changed my ticket.
It’s fortunate, but if I take this, I won’t make it to school today.
I thought about taking a taxi since I have plenty of money, but it seems too wasteful.
I also sold the officetel I used to live in as a quick sale when investing in stocks, so I don’t even have a place to sleep.
Thinking I should go to a jjimjilbang, I was searching when I suddenly felt empty.
I did spend a lot of money buying wild ginseng and other things, but compared to the money I earned, it’s not much, so isn’t it a bit shabby to go to a jjimjilbang?
I bought my master a laptop and all kinds of food, but I seem to have been too indifferent to myself.
Right. Let me ‘flex’ once too.
Today, I’m going to a hotel.
***
“Oh? Teacher Kang, you went out on the weekend?”
“Ah, yes.”
I just left the hotel and was on my way to work. The hotel wasn’t too expensive, and the facilities were good as expected, but I forgot that it was quite far from the school located on the outskirts of Seoul.
Thanks to that, I didn’t get to eat the included breakfast and had to rush to work, which was a bit of a waste.
I should go when I have more time later.
Anyway, it’ll soon be final exam season, and after that, it’s vacation.
I clocked in at the faculty room and was doing paperwork when it was time for the faculty meeting.
There were no special matters, so after the meeting, I headed straight to the sword training ground.
After finishing some paperwork on my laptop, I checked the time and saw there were only 5 minutes left until class started.
Ever since I started class early last time because everyone had arrived, these kids have been coming exactly on time.
It’s a bit vexing, but honestly, it’s my fault too.
When you think about it, it’s not even the kids’ fault; I was upset because of the stocks and took it out on them.
I should buy them some snacks during class today.
I heard that among the teachers, some order snacks like cookies, ice cream, or drinks from the school store, but I’m thinking of buying delivery food instead of such trivial things.
Although the school meals are exceptionally good, even good things can become boring when eaten every day.
For kids this age, there shouldn’t be anyone who dislikes delivery food.
Maybe I’ll buy them pizza?
Because the school is in such a remote location due to security, you need to drive at least 20 minutes to reach restaurants, but if I order enough for 40 people, they’ll definitely deliver.
Of course, delivery won’t be possible all the way into the school, but I can go to the main gate to receive it.
I should place the order in advance while the kids are jogging.
“Teacher, everyone’s here.”
“Good. Do some stretching and then start jogging immediately. Today, everyone will run five more laps than usual.”
“F-five more laps?”
“Teacher, did we do something wrong?”
“No one was late today.”
“Everyone’s talking a lot. Should we make it ten laps?”
As expected, kids will be kids.
They suddenly got quiet, as if they thought it could really increase to ten laps.
After class is lunchtime, and if they eat snacks and then leave a lot of lunch, it would be problematic.
Watching the kids jogging, I ordered pizza through a delivery app.
I saw the brand I once bought for my master and ordered 42 large pizzas of the most expensive kind with cheese crust.
I plan to give 2 pizzas to the security guards at the main gate.
It’s a bribe in case they say no, and although there’s no rule against deliveries in the school rules, it’s just in case.
40 pizzas might be a bit much, but they’re all physically active kids, so it should be fine, right?
Besides, pizza can be reheated, so if there’s any left, I can share it with fellow teachers I’m close to.
I also ordered plenty of cola, one large bottle per two people, and wrote a note asking for lots of paper cups, pickles, and cheese powder.
I asked them to come to the school’s main gate at exactly 11 o’clock, so I can finish class a little early and go with a few kids to pick it up. That’s when I got a phone call.
“Hello?”
―This is Mrs. Pizza Happiness Branch. Are you the customer who just ordered 42 large Premium Hanwoo & Shrimp pizzas with cheese crust?
It seems like the restaurant is trying to confirm because they suddenly received a large order.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
―Did you really order 42 pizzas? The quantity is so large, and the delivery location is listed as 1st Hunter School’s main gate, which is our first order from there….
“I’m a faculty member at the school. I ordered them as snacks for the students. Is there any problem?”
Is 42 pizzas too many?
―What? No. Since it’s not immediate but by 11 o’clock, we can prepare them sufficiently. We’ll accommodate all your requests, and if you provide an account number, we’ll refund the drink costs since you’ve placed a group order.
The drinks aren’t a small amount either, likely exceeding 50,000 won, this shop owner really knows how to do business.
“That’s fine. By the way, would it be possible to place the same order for the afternoon?”
If I only buy for Class A kids and not for Class B kids, a riot might break out.
―What? For the afternoon too?
“Yes. For the afternoon, please have them ready by 4 o’clock. Oh, for the afternoon order, I’ll transfer the money when you deliver later since using the delivery app would incur fees.”
―Thank you, really thank you! Do you need anything else?
“It’s fine. Since the students will be eating them, please take good care of the order.”
Being the most expensive menu item of the brand, it well exceeded 1 million won, but compared to the money earned from stocks, this amount is like pocket change.
Going to the hotel yesterday was similar; it’s not like I can take money with me when I die if I save it, so I should spend when needed.
Still, it’s not a waste for our students who have been following me well from the beginning because I’m their teacher.
“Front! Speed is getting slower. From now on, those who get caught by the teacher will get one additional lap each.”
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