A Veteran Teaches Very Well - Chapter 53



part 53

“Oh.”

Lieshao looked at Lee Ye-eun with interest.

Ye-eun felt flustered under the sudden attention.

She waved her hands vigorously.

“No, no! All I did was follow the professor’s instructions. It’s all the professor’s doing.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Once again, an uninvited guest interrupted.

A brazen voice. The third guest from China, Jeonggak So-yeon.

“I agree with that fool this time. I can’t accept it.”

“What do you mean?”

“We had a deal! The Vanguard troops were supposed to be under my command! But because of that idiot!”

Jeonggak So-yeon pointed an accusing finger at Lieshao. It was a rare display of excitement for her.

Lieshao chuckled awkwardly.

“I’m sorry, but can we let it go for now?”

“Shut up! You fool!”

“Calling it a Vanguard is just a euphemism for a suicide squad, you know? Instead of a glorious victory, you’ll just be covered in disgrace!”

“I’ll decide that!”

I understood what was happening.

Originally, the operation of the first assault team seemed to be Jeonggak So-yeon’s responsibility.

But it appeared that Daniel had sought Lieshao’s approval to take that position, just to mess with me.

“They say they’ll give you the fifth assault team instead, right? This one would be much easier to achieve results with.”

“Shut up! I prefer the Vanguard.”

Jeonggak So-yeon shouted in frustration.

I asked her, “Is there a reason you’re so insistent on the first assault team?”

“Because it’s cool.”

“Is that so?”

“What’s with that annoying expression?”

It seemed that my thoughts of disdain had inadvertently shown on my face.

I hadn’t really intended to hide it anyway.

“Professor, how about just switching it up? If they want to do it this way!”

“Well, I don’t know.”

To be honest, it didn’t matter to me at all.

Devising strategies for dungeons and managing a party were the areas I felt most confident in.

No matter which way it went, I was sure I could succeed.

Lieshao proposed.

“Then how about we compete based on skill? It’s obvious that the first raid is difficult, so let someone more skilled take charge.”

“I like that. If you’re someone who values honor, you won’t back down, right?”

Zhegal Soyun spoke confidently, as if she had no doubts.

It felt oddly familiar.

It reminded me of An Seria from our first meeting.

If An Seria didn’t care about appearances, wouldn’t she have a personality like that?

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

“No backing down?”

“You decide the method of competition.”

“Let’s set the conditions randomly in a tactical simulator for a best-of-three. No objections?”

“Sounds good. And let’s add one more condition.”

“Condition?”

“If I win, you’ll use formal speech and show some respect.”

Zhegal Soyun grinned.

It was the kind of smile a child makes when playing a prank.

“The stakes should be fair. The same condition applies when I win, right?”

“Do as you please.”

“Hmmm~. I feel a bit sorry about this. The great professor is going to have to use formal speech with a mere child.”

“Professor Cha, you really don’t have to…”

Lieshao stepped in, perhaps not expecting it to go this far.

The man named Lixiao, whom I had seen until now, was a remarkably polite and earnest young man.

His suggestion to bet was certainly not meant to put me in a difficult position.

I raised my hand to stop him.

“It’s fine. Since we’ll be seeing each other often, it wouldn’t hurt to give him a lesson in manners.”

“…Soyeon is not an ordinary child. I know you’re an impressive professor, but Soyeon is by no means an easy opponent.”

Lixiao’s words were not empty.

The fact that he had come here, surpassing not only his peers but also experts from across the vast land of China, indicated that he was no ordinary child.

Though, at best, he was merely the best in China.

He was not my match.

“Are you okay if I handle this a bit roughly?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes….”

The competition didn’t take long.

After confirming the given conditions, we entered the simulator and each input our strategies.

Of course, the results were predictable.

Jae-gal Soyeon’s result was 2 minutes and 39 seconds.

Mine was 44 seconds.

It was a clean and decisive victory for me.

“Th-This is absurd….”

“I said it’s best of three, right?”

“Ugh….”

The next match was no different.

I finished over three times faster than Jae-gal Soyeon’s record.

It was an undeniable complete victory.

“So, what do you have to say?”

“I-I lost….”

“While you spoke of honor, are you now breaking the very promise you just made?”

“…I lost.”

Jae-gal Soyeon ran away to my room, her voice trembling.

Lixiao could not hide his astonishment.

“I must have misunderstood you, Professor. No one on the continent has ever been able to break that child’s pride.”

“Is that so?”

“She has her rough edges, but she’s certainly not a bad kid.”

In my mind, I could roughly picture the growth process that Jegal So-yeon had gone through.

Jegal So-yeon was exceptional.

It was only natural that she stood out among her peers, and there was no one among the adults who could match her excellence.

With no one to rein her in, her pride grew stronger by the day, resulting in the Jegal So-yeon we see now.

Yet, her name was absent from my memory.

She was not a named NPC.

The reason was obvious.

Like countless heroes, she had met her fate here.

“Is she a hidden NPC that doesn’t appear in the game?”

I was curious.

If that girl survived and grew, what would she become?

* * *

Half a day later, the members of the Unicorn guild returned.

In the meantime, I had slowly gone through the recorded footage of the advance team.

A massive battleship emerged, riding a colossal whirlpool.

The gate wasn’t simply letting them out; it looked as if the heroes of the Unicorn were using magic to move directly.

Lee Ye-eun was in awe.

From noble mtl dot come

“Wow, they really are S-rank heroes.”

The return of the advance team was much quicker than expected.

While it was partly due to the party being composed of skilled members from the Unicorn, the ease of recording information through video magic played a significant role.

“Professor Cha!”

The returning Edeline was looking for me.

She had a curious expression on her face.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you. But more importantly, when did you create this kind of magic? You must have researched it for years…”

“Since yesterday.”

“What?”

Edeline asked back, her expression one of disbelief.

“Not even a joke. How can you do something like this overnight?”

“It works out when you put in the effort.”

Of course, I hadn’t put in the effort.

It was all my disciples who had worked hard.

“Well, I see. By the way, I heard you’ve been put in charge of the first raid.”

“Yes.”

“I wish you good luck. If it were anyone else, I would have advised against it, but I think you, Professor Cha, will manage just fine.”

“Thank you.”

According to the information gathered by the advance team, it was estimated that this dungeon had at least ten stages.

The advance team had only brought back information up to stage six.

Originally, the plan was to send the first raid tomorrow, but the command decided to change the schedule to send it this evening, using the excuse that the advance team had arrived early.

The target was to conquer stage two.

The plan was to start stage three tomorrow morning.

Naturally, there was fierce opposition.

“Are you joking? In such a tight timeframe, and it’s not even stage one, but stage two?”

“This is impossible!”

However, the command’s decision did not waver.

Chairman Daniel, Commander Christian, and Commander John Dickel all insisted on the same course of action.

Several heroes turned to the Chinese hero, Liexiao.

“Liexiao, you should say something too.”

“Right. If it’s Liexiao’s words, wouldn’t they listen?”

But Liexiao responded differently than they had expected.

“Why do you assert that it’s impossible?”

“Well, that is….”

“I don’t think it’s an impossible goal.”

For a moment, his gaze met mine.

Perhaps he was deeply impressed by my duel with Jeonggalsoyeon, sending me boundless trust.

I was grateful for that expectation.

So I had to repay it adequately.

Chairman Daniel approached me.

“Professor Cha, we’re planning to send the attack team in an hour. Are you alright with that?”

“Not a problem.”

“Phew, it’s reassuring to hear you say that, especially with such a tight timeline.”

It seemed he was aware that this was a rather unprincipled decision.

Still, it was fine.

I was used to being pressed for time.

I entered the command room.

The screens displayed footage from inside the dungeon, filled with information meticulously analyzed by world-class experts.

The quality was quite impressive.

“What a peculiar dungeon.”

Typically, the name of a dungeon is crafted to encapsulate its entire theme.

That’s why this dungeon had yet to be named.

We referred to it as the ‘Pacific Dungeon’ as a placeholder.

The Pacific Dungeon was accessed by boat, right in the middle of the ocean, which made it submerged underwater.

For heroes who had only fought on land until now, this terrain felt incredibly awkward.

Even I wasn’t accustomed to such a form.

“Should we use the destroyer like a large plank?”

The destroyer wouldn’t be able to function inside the dungeon, but at least it could float and carry people on top.

Lee Ye-eun asked, “But the destroyer can’t even move.”

“The warriors can row.”

“Really? Pfft.”

Lee Ye-eun chuckled.

It might seem like a ridiculous sight, but it was better than wasting magic for no reason.

Moreover, in underwater combat, it was more efficient to focus on mages or archers rather than warriors, who would be limited in their movements.

For now, the warriors’ role was simply to protect the destroyer while rowing.

“Next, the mages…”

Clank—

The door swung open, and an uninvited guest barged in.

It was the genius girl from China, Zhuge So-yeon.

“Why are you here?”

“Well, um… it’s about…”

Jae-gal So-yeon fidgeted, her hands and feet restless.

Lee Ye-eun spoke in a gentle voice.

“Hey, is something wrong?”

“I have no business with you.”

“Uh, what?”

Suddenly confronted, Lee Ye-eun was taken aback.

Of course, it wasn’t meant as a confrontation. That was just her habitual way of speaking.

Even so, she had no intention of kindly accommodating an impolite visitor.

“As you can see, I’m busy. If it’s not important, let’s talk later.”

In other words, she was being told to leave.

Lee Ye-eun stuck her tongue out at Jae-gal So-yeon in retaliation.

Jae-gal So-yeon shot her a fierce glare in response.

How childish they were being.

Soon, Jae-gal So-yeon revealed the purpose of her visit.

“I want to learn from you.”

“What?”

“Admit it. Right now, I’m way behind you. So, during this dungeon raid, I want to assist you and learn.”

“That last part was informal.”

“I want to.”

It wasn’t a bad proposal for me either.

If we successfully completed this raid, my role in the expedition would gradually increase, keeping me busier.

Having a capable assistant would make things considerably easier.

Moreover, Jae-gal So-yeon was a member of the Lishaow Guild.

By granting Jae-gal So-yeon what she wanted here, I would be doing a favor for Lishaow.

“If you wish to learn, then consider me your master.”

“Got it.”

Jae-gal So-yeon began to bow with a sense of purpose.

Lee Ye-eun asked in a small voice.

—

“Do you know what that kid is trying to do? That’s called ‘gubaejire.’”

Gubaejire? I don’t know either.

I had only seen gubaejire in martial arts novels, so I had no idea how it was actually done.

As Jeongal Soyun finished her bow, Lee Yeo-eun asked.

“Isn’t gubaejire supposed to be done nine times?”

Jeongal Soyun clicked her tongue.

“Do you happen to carry a stone on your shoulder?”

“What? If you’re now a professor’s disciple, show some respect to your seniors!”

“Do you really think someone like you should be treated as a senior?”

Jeongal Soyun looked at me as if questioning whether that was really necessary.

It was tiring to watch them bicker, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to establish some hierarchy now.

I nodded.

“Make sure to show some respect.”

“…Got it, yo. Then you should carry a stone on your shoulder, okay? What I did was just a bow, you know? And about gubaejire…”

“Professor, she’s saying bad things to me! Please scold her!”

What is she trying to do, really?

Both of them were just kids.

“Let’s stop the jokes and get to work. Jeongal Soyun, how would you strategize with this number of people?”

Jeongal Soyun’s expression turned serious.

She answered without hesitation.

“First, we’ll modify the destroyer into a suitable form. We’ll remove everything except for the function of transporting heroes on the water, and then the hunters will handle the physical transport.”

“While moving with magic would be the easiest, since the mages need to lead the assault in this dungeon, it might be better for the warriors to row or swim.”

So far, I was in agreement.

Jeongal Soyun continued to assert her points without pause.

“Stage 1 may seem like the giant sea monsters are the main enemies, but that’s not the case. They’re large and only slightly stronger, with simple patterns and no debuffs, so they can be taken down easily.”

“The first obstacle is that school of fish. They’ll unknowingly gnaw at the base of the destroyer, stealing the heroes’ foothold. So, it’s important for the warriors to take turns guarding that area.”

“The second obstacle is the sections where the seawater suddenly speeds up. This is where the monsters increase rapidly, so special caution is needed. I recommend gathering all the mages in the center of the ship while the warriors keep watch in all directions.”

“The final obstacle is that red seawater. That red water, which dissolves everything it touches, seems like it can only be pushed away directly by the tankers.”

In a short time, she summarized the key points well.

—

There were some immature aspects, but it truly reached a level worthy of being called the best in China.

“The first strategy is okay. I think the same.”

Whether it was my acknowledgment that pleased her, Jeongal So-yeon clenched her fist tightly.

“The second one… isn’t a bad method.”

“Not bad, you say…?”

“I mean, it’s not the best option. If it were up to me, I’d want to give us some time to think it over, but the situation doesn’t allow for that.”

“Th-That can’t be….”

“So-yeon said the current was speeding up, but that’s not quite right. It’s not about the interval; it’s about time.”

“Time… you say?”

“Exactly. The current in this dungeon changes speed according to time. From here, take a look at the footage. At the one-hour mark: 13 minutes and 30 seconds, 14 minutes and 20 seconds, 15 minutes and 10 seconds. Do you see the difference? Break it down into one-second intervals.”

“Y-Yes.”

“Can you see how the current manifests differently? But why does the report look like this?”

I found a problem.

Comparing the footage with the report, the report was a mess.

Why is the report brought by the experts in such disarray?

Well, these guys have always been like that.

I had momentarily forgotten.