A Veteran Teaches Very Well - Chapter 52



part 52

PT Held: 1,500

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The fact that it appeared in my skill window meant it had been recognized as formal magic.

Naturally, the magic would activate just fine.

Moreover, one more thing.

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▶ You have achieved a legendary feat.

─Skill Development (1/1)

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—

The system window’s achievements responded as well.

Skill development.

When I taught the fairy tale, it was a hidden achievement, skill creation, but this time, perhaps because it was a skill already present in the game, it appeared as a legendary achievement, skill development.

However, the impact of the magic created this time would be far greater than that of the fairy tale’s skill.

“Since we made one, let’s make another.”

“Another one?”

“Since we’ve attached a camera, it would be nice to have a microphone too.”

“Sounds good!”

Although the research session had ended, Lee Ye-eun’s enthusiasm showed no signs of waning.

In fact, she was even more motivated than before.

This time, I had brought the settings book, and Lee Ye-eun interpreted it to create the magic.

I cheered her on diligently from the side.

Originally, research is something the professor assigns, and the slave—no, the researcher—carries it out.

A truly desirable division of roles.

Lee Ye-eun’s research continued throughout the night.

I sat in a chair and dozed off for a bit. No, I fell into a deep sleep.

And then morning came.

“Um… I dozed off for a moment.”

Just then, Lee Ye-eun called out to me.

“Professor! It’s finally all done!”

“Good job.”

Communication magic.

The official name is Whisper of Mana.

The settings book had all sorts of nonsense written about how mana communicates with each other.

I wondered if Lee Ye-eun hadn’t slept at all, as she looked utterly exhausted.

The process of creating it took longer than the video magic, perhaps because it was more labor-intensive.

“Good job. Let’s see.”

Once again, the magic was added to the skill window, and an achievement appeared.

The development of communication magic was also successful.

I pretended to casually look over the magic and spoke.

“It’s perfect at this level. As your advisor, I want to give you a perfect score for this result.”

“Really? Heh, hehehe… Really?”

“Of course.”

Thud—

As if the tension had melted away, Lee Ye-eun’s legs gave out.

I rushed over to catch her as she collapsed.

I could hear her breath hitching.

She fell into a deep sleep.

After maintaining focus on research all night, it was no wonder she was exhausted.

“You really worked hard.”

I picked up Lee Ye-eun and carried her to the room, laying her down on the bed and covering her with a blanket.

Now it was time to repay her efforts.

* * *

We arrived at our destination.

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, we witnessed an unbelievable sight.

Whoosh—

A massive whirlpool, spanning dozens of kilometers in radius, had appeared in the ocean.

The whirlpool was devouring everything around it like a predator.

My mouth fell open.

“Whoa.”

“There must be a gate at the center of that whirlpool. This is terrifying.”

The ocean whirlpool, with a diameter of several dozen kilometers, even drew a weak sound from Jo Sung-woong.

Of course, not everyone felt the same way.

The hero of China, Wang Sheng, scoffed.

“Hmph, an SS-class isn’t anything special. Is this the best whirlpool you can create?”

Beside him, Jeong Gal-so-yeon laughed derisively.

“Such bravado.”

“What? This little brat… Ah, are you scared, little one? Do you think others will be scared just because you are?”

“N-no, I’m not!”

Seemingly hit by the mark, Jeong Gal-so-yeon looked flustered.

“Things seem quite cheerful on the Chinese side. At that level, it’s quite respectable.”

It was as Jo Seong-woong had said.

Not all S-rank heroes were fearless warriors who did not fear death.

Some were overwhelmed by the grandeur of the gate, while others were already frightened by what lay ahead.

“By the way, Professor Cha, where’s your disciple?”

“Yeeun is sleeping in her room. She just came back from working hard on her research.”

“I see.”

He didn’t seem curious enough to ask what kind of research it was.

Perhaps if it were tactical research, he would have asked, but it seemed it was about magic.

Soon, the advance party, the members of the Unicorn Guild, stepped forward.

Naturally, their atmosphere was the most grim.

“What the hell, how do we get into the gate?”

“Just jump in. Getting out seems to be the bigger problem.”

The Unicorn Guild members looked displeased with their unwanted role as the advance party.

Edelin also appeared uneasy.

One of the expedition commanders, John Dickel, spoke up.

“Edelin, there’s really no need for you to go along. It would be troublesome if someone who needs to command gets hurt for no reason.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s my decision.”

“Well, if that’s the case.”

Though he said it was fine, John Dickel’s expression seemed rather pleased.

He was probably one of those who would be most delighted if Edelin were to get angry.

“Then we will depart.”

All the members of the Unicorn Guild boarded the small destroyer.

They planned to be sucked into the vortex and enter.

“Unicorn Guild Master.”

I called out to her before Edelin boarded the ship.

“Professor Cha?”

From noble mtl dot come

“Take this with you.”

“This is… a magic stone?”

An A-rank magic stone.

It was a mana stone, imbued with a considerable amount of mana.

An object that would serve as both a camera and a microphone.

The mana stone was enchanted with video magic and communication magic, ready to supply mana to the magic circle.

“Keep it on you.”

Edelin smiled brightly.

“I never took you for someone who believed in superstitions, but surprisingly, you do. I’ll hold onto it.”

Superstition?

Did she mistake it for some kind of talisman?

“Not that…”

“I’ll come back safely. I promise.”

Before I could correct her misunderstanding, Edelin had already left, lost in her own little drama.

That’s not what it is.

Besides, isn’t that a death flag?

“Well, it should be fine.”

After all, the advance team is just supposed to go and come back without incident.

Even if a death flag has been raised, it’s unlikely that a threat to unicorns will appear from day one.

No matter how high-level the dungeon is, the final boss isn’t waiting right at the entrance.

“…It really won’t, right?”

* * *

After the advance team departed.

The remaining people had nothing to do but clasp their hands and pray.

But from now on, things would be different.

Even the idle resources now had a role to play.

“Hello.”

I spoke to the mana stone, which would serve as the input device and microphone.

Edelin’s voice came through the output device mana stone.

─Oh? Professor Cha’s voice… from the mana stone?

It seemed she noticed that I was trying to speak.

The experiment was a success.

Of course, I was confident it would succeed, but still.

─Did you record your voice in the magic stone? Hmm, 70 points. If you had put it inside a doll, it would have been 100 points.

“Doll?”

─Well, that would be… Huh? Huh?

It seemed that Edeline was just now becoming aware that I had spoken to her.

By the way, what’s with all this talk about dolls?

─Wait a minute! What is this? Is it really Professor Cha?

“Yes. It’s Professor Cha.”

─That’s a lie. How can you talk to me?

Her voice was tinged with confusion.

This was the first time I had seen Edeline so flustered.

“It’s magic.”

─Magic? No, that can’t be…….

“Let’s skip the trivialities and hang the magic stone around your neck.”

─Trivialities? How can this be a trivial matter!

Even as she said that, Edeline obediently followed my instructions.

When I turned on the video magic output device, the magic stone began to play a video.

The stone emitted light like a beam projector, casting the video onto the screen on the wall.

“Looks like this side is a success.”

─What do you mean by success?

“That magic stone serves as a camera, microphone, and speaker.”

─What?

“Come in.”

I let the command center, which had been waiting outside, enter the room.

They too were astonished by the scenery on the screen.

They reacted as richly as Edeline did.

“This is unbelievable!”

“How can this be happening…?”

“Is this really the situation inside the dungeon? It’s not a manipulation, right?”

“What would you even manipulate something like this for?”

A few theoretical magicians began to examine my magic circle here and there.

The magic circle itself isn’t complicated, so you’ll quickly grasp the principles.

One of the wizards shouted.

“Goodness! Someone who has already advanced humanity by half a century has now advanced it by another half century!”

With that statement, all proof was concluded.

“Professor Cha, does this magic stone have a recording function?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Then… hurry up! Capture every scene without missing a single moment and analyze it thoroughly!”

Experts invited by the American Heroes Association, along with all the heroes, were engrossed in the footage.

As for me, I planned to review the materials they organized after everything was over.

But right now, there was something more important.

“I wonder if you liked my gift.”

“Ha ha… this is something.”

Daniel, the association president.

He probably hadn’t included me in his initial plans.

But circumstances had changed.

Even someone completely ignorant of heroes would have a rough idea of what I had accomplished.

In an SS-grade dungeon, time is gold.

This would significantly shorten the originally estimated two-week dungeon investigation.

Daniel said.

“Professor, you’ve already set the expedition’s maximum achievement as soon as you started.”

“Yes. It wasn’t an easy task for me either.”

Here, I couldn’t afford to be humble.

I had to ensure my value was recognized as highly as possible.

I felt a twinge of guilt, but this was all for the sake of the world.

I’m sorry, Yea-eun.

Still, when I submit the paper, I’ll put your name at the very front.

“To say that the homework that has troubled wizards around the world is merely not an easy task is truly remarkable.”

Even Daniel couldn’t deny my contributions.

No matter what anyone said, I was the greatest contributor to this expedition.

That meant Daniel’s plans had been significantly derailed.

“Well, this is something.”

Daniel stroked his mustache, lost in thought.

His mind must be in turmoil.

If the American Heroes Association treats me with disdain here, I will lose the trust of all the mercenaries.

There was only one course of action Daniel could take.

He had to give me a chance.

“I have heard much about Professor Cha’s reputation. Especially, Ms. Edeline has praised you highly regarding the operation of the party.”

“Thank you.”

“After the return of this advance team, I would like to entrust you with the operation of the first strike team. What do you think?”

The first strike.

Generally, the first strike is referred to as a sacrificial turn.

Since it is sent out in a situation with the least accumulated data, it essentially serves a role not much different from that of the advance team.

Especially in an SS-grade dungeon, there was no hope of achieving any significant results.

As such, the heroes assigned were the weakest of the lot.

If I had made a significant achievement, I should have been provided with an environment to achieve even greater feats, yet I was being pushed into a situation where it was impossible to produce results, all to keep me in check.

If I accepted and failed the operation, my standing built through communication magic and visual magic would collapse.

No matter how great an achievement I made, a position established in an instant can easily crumble.

Yet, if I refused, that would serve as an excuse to never be given another opportunity.

I never expected it to come to this.

What a petty human I was.

“It is an honor to be given the opportunity to assist such distinguished heroes.”

Here, it was a straight path.

It seemed an impossible task.

Yet, it was also an opportunity.

If I succeeded here, my status within the expedition would become untouchable, a symbol of victory.

There was a high likelihood that I would be sought after in all future operations.

“Haha! Thanks to Professor Cha, the commanders will have one less worry.”

Daniel laughed heartily.

There was a sense of ease in his laughter.

It was a laugh filled with certainty that I would fail.

* * *

“Professor Cha, are you out of your mind?”

“Professor, what were you thinking taking on the first raid?”

The reactions of Jo Seong-woong and Lee Ye-eun, who had heard the news from me, were extremely negative.

“No matter how talented you are, this is too reckless.”

“That’s right. Professor, do you even know who’s in the first raid?”

“I don’t know.”

“See! What kind of confidence did you have to take it on?”

“Who’s in it?”

“There are three five-person parties being deployed. They’re all foreign mercenaries, and the only notable hero is Lee Xiaow.”

Lee Xiaow.

It was a familiar name.

A powerhouse recognized by Jo Seong-woong and Jaybult. Having him on board was reassuring.

The problem lay elsewhere.

“If he’s participating, does that mean the Chinese guy is too?”

“Yes. Wang Sheng is also there.”

Hearing the name Wang Sheng made my confidence plummet.

No matter how skilled I was, could I really make that guy act like a human?

“That’s a problem.”

“Why are you the one with a problem? I’m the one in trouble, you scammer!”

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Wang Sheng showed up from behind.

“I can’t accept this! To think a small country like this would be entrusted with a party… Ugh!”

Just in time, Lee Xiaow appeared and smacked Wang Sheng on the head.

“I’m sorry… because of this foolish kid…”

“Lee Xiaow, you!”

“Wang Sheng, please just shut up.”

Lee Xiaow grabbed Wang Sheng’s head and pressed down hard.

Wang Sheng resisted, but perhaps due to the difference in strength, he couldn’t break free from Lee Xiaow’s grip.

“Th… this…”

“Professor Cha, I’ve heard you’ve done remarkable research. Truly, your reputation is well-deserved.”

“It’s thanks to Ye-eun’s hard work.”

“Me? Really?”