I Became a Swordsmanship Instructor at the Academy Chapter 30

Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy

Chapter 30

What Is This Man, Really?

It’s been over an hour since we entered the portal, but the man named Kang Shin-hyeok who left with such bold claims hasn’t returned.

I tried to stop him until the end, but Kang Shin-hyeok kept insisting he would be fine and to trust him. With Seon-hwa taking his side too, I had no choice.

Honestly, I also had a small desire to see him humiliated because he seemed too arrogant.

And I didn’t like how Seon-hwa kept taking his side.

I couldn’t believe his claims about fighting equally with Master and using Aura Blade, something supposedly only S-rank hunters use.

Still, since Seon-hwa isn’t one to make up stories, I figured he must have some skill.

I thought he’d at least have the ability to escape back here if things went badly, but his delayed return is making me a bit anxious.

Actually, shortly after Kang Shin-hyeok left, Seon-hwa suggested we follow him.

I objected, saying there was no need to follow when he had made such bold claims. Seon-hwa seemed a bit upset and has been sitting in the corner looking at her phone ever since.

From what I could tell when we met, Seon-hwa seems interested in him… Maybe I should have agreed to go along.

“Se-Seol.”

“What’s wrong?”

“The portal color looks strange…”

“What are you… Oh, it really is!”

The portal that was blue when we entered has somehow changed to a deep navy color.

“Navy means A-grade. When did it change?”

“I-I just noticed it now, so I can’t be sure… What about Teacher Kang?”

If the portal color has changed, it means monsters that appear in A-grade portals now exist inside.

I’ve heard that very rarely this can happen when monsters evolve by devouring each other or for other reasons, but I’ve never seen it before…

This is disturbing.

“Let’s quickly go find Teacher Kang. If it changed to an A-grade portal, it’s too much for him.”

Seon-hwa is right.

An A-grade level 4 portal requires at least three A-rank hunters to clear.

Actually, from A-grade portals, the monster level rises sharply, so lower-ranked hunters generally don’t accompany them.

At most, they might bring along one highly experienced B-rank hunter if they’re short on people or to provide experience.

But…

“What’s wrong? We don’t have time for this. Teacher Kang could be in danger.”

“Let’s get out first. We should report to the Hunter Management Bureau…”

“What are you saying? We need to find Teacher Kang and leave together!”

She looks thoroughly angry.

It seems Seon-hwa likes Teacher Kang more than I thought, which makes this even more unfortunate.

Monsters can evolve by devouring each other, but they can also evolve by devouring hunters.

If the portal that was definitely blue when we entered changed after Kang Shin-hyeok left alone, then the latter possibility is more likely than the former.

Seon-hwa doesn’t seem to know this fact.

I hesitated briefly but ultimately told Seon-hwa.

She looked ready to go searching alone if I didn’t say anything.

“Th-that can’t be. It must be that monsters evolved by devouring each other.”

“Kang Shin-hyeok left more than an hour ago, and the portal was definitely blue when we arrived.”

“No… That can’t be.”

“Seon-hwa, think realistically. We don’t even know what kind of monster it is. If we rush in recklessly, we might all die!”

From what I briefly observed at the safe zone boundary, this is a mountain-type portal.

The monsters that appear in mountain-type A-grade portals include Giant Poison Spiders, Giant Snakes, Ancient Orcs, and Ogres, known as the “Nightmare of the Forest.” I can’t handle any of these alone.

Originally, hunters who can handle A-grade portal monsters alone are at least high A-rank… No, if it’s an Ogre, it would be impossible without an S-rank hunter like Master.

“…”

Did I push too hard? Still, the living must survive, so there’s no choice.

“I’m sorry and I feel bad too. But we didn’t force him to go alone—he insisted on going. Let’s get out, report this, and request support.”

“I’m sorry. I just can’t do that. Lee Seol, you go out first. I’ll find Teacher Kang and leave with him.”

Haa… This is really maddening.

“What if something happens to you too?”

“I agreed when you suggested coming to a B-grade portal. I share responsibility, so I can’t leave like this.”

“What about Master if something happens to you? Think about Master too!”

Seon-hwa lost her mother when she was young and has no siblings, so Master is her only family.

“Dad…”

“Master only has you as family. Risking yourself for someone who might already be dead is really…”

“Stop. Hearing you say that actually makes me more determined. My father would never abandon Teacher Kang and run away.”

I thought I had changed her mind, but bringing up Master seems to have been a mistake.

I considered knocking her unconscious and taking her outside, but that would permanently damage our relationship.

But if I leave her alone and report this as she suggested, and something happens to her, I couldn’t face Master.

Completely stuck between a rock and a hard place, I finally agreed to leave immediately at the first sign of danger, and we left the safe zone together.

Not long after crossing the boundary, we discovered the bodies of Giant Monkeys.

Judging by their condition, they’d been killed some time ago. We continued our search, finding Giant Monkey corpses scattered around.

Like the first bodies we found, all of them were in the same condition, which was quite shocking.

All of them were headless, with perfectly smooth cut surfaces.

While Giant Monkeys aren’t particularly strong among B-grade portal monsters, their skin is quite tough, and their bones are sturdy enough to be used as material for armor.

No matter how fine a sword Kang Shin-hyeok’s shabby-looking blade might be, cutting like this should be impossible.

Did he use Aura?

Seon-hwa had mentioned he used Aura Blade, which I couldn’t believe, but it seems he can at least use Aura to some degree.

Plus, there were no other wounds besides the missing heads.

This means he killed them all in one strike, and considering how fast these creatures are, even I would find that difficult.

At this level, he must be at least an experienced A-rank hunter.

He does have the skills to match his boasting, but that makes me even more anxious.

If a hunter with that level of skill couldn’t escape and was killed, we’re not dealing with an ordinary A-grade monster.

KWAAAANG!

Hearing the sudden roar, I feel my body freezing up.

Seon-hwa has completely collapsed on the spot, gasping for breath. Being a magician, she seems to have lower resistance to Fear.

I activated my magic to dispel the Fear energy and told Seon-hwa to use a status effect dispelling spell.

“What on earth was that just now?”

I had hoped it wouldn’t be that creature, but…

Unfortunately, it is that one.

“That was an Ogre’s Fear. Seon-hwa, we really need to leave now.”

It’s a terrifying creature even among A-rank hunters, called the “Nightmare of the Forest.”

Now I understand why even Kang Shin-hyeok, who could use Aura, couldn’t escape and was caught.

“O-Ogre? Are you sure?”

“No doubt about it. You haven’t forgotten our promise when we left the safe zone, right? Let’s get out of here right now.”

“…”

“Why are you hesitating?”

“But we still haven’t found Teacher Kang…”

“Kang Shin-hyeok is already gone.”

“How can you say such…”

“Wake up! I’ve confirmed from the Giant Monkey corpses that Kang Shin-hyeok can use Aura. But we’re facing an Ogre. It’s called the Nightmare of the Forest—don’t fight it unless you have five A-rank hunters who can use Aura!”

This is so frustrating.

“He might still be fighting. If we go help, maybe we can all escape together…”

“Stop denying reality. Teacher Kang is already dead.”

Ogres roar even when not in combat, and the roar we just heard was probably one of those cases.

If it had been a Fear released during combat, we couldn’t have recovered so easily.

Besides, the portal color changing leaves no room for argument that Kang Shin-hyeok is dead.

KWAAAANG!

Another roar sounds, but since we were prepared this time, we didn’t panic as much as before.

Seon-hwa stumbled slightly but seems fine thanks to the spell’s effect.

“Teacher Kang, where are you!”

This is driving me crazy.

Ogres have highly developed hearing, but Seon-hwa is actually moving toward the sound, calling for Kang Shin-hyeok. I quickly grabbed her.

“What are you doing? If that beast notices us, we’re finished.”

“It can’t be. That’s impossible.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

KWAAAAAAANG!

I was about to knock Seon-hwa unconscious if necessary, but another roar paralyzed my body completely.

We’re doomed.

Even though I was prepared, my body freezing up like this means this isn’t a meaningless roar like the previous two.

I immediately sent magic throughout my body to break free from the paralysis and gave Seon-hwa, who was completely immobilized despite using magic, a paralysis-dispelling potion.

“It knows we’re here. There’s no time. I’ll try to handle this somehow, so hurry and run away!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. How can you handle an Ogre alone…”

“I’m an A-rank hunter, remember? If you’re not here, I can probably fight it off enough to escape.”

I spoke with a confident expression, but this is obviously a lie.

Nothing in the forest is faster than an Ogre.

Escaping when it’s aware of us is impossible.

“But…”

“I’ll be fine, really. Having you here would just be a burden, so hurry and go.”

Seon-hwa hesitated briefly, but my acting must have worked because she left with a warning to be careful, heading back the way we came.

If only she hadn’t been so stubborn, this wouldn’t have happened… Honestly, I resent her for it.

But if I don’t do this, we’ll both die for sure.

Considering how well Master and Seon-hwa have treated me, this is the right thing to do.

The fortunate thing is that the creature seems to be taking its time, perhaps not expecting us to break free from the paralysis.

I don’t know how long I can hold out, but to save at least Seon-hwa, I’ll endure as long as possible, walking quickly toward the direction of the roar.

KWAAAAAAANG!

After walking a short distance, another roar prompted me to speed up, but I was shocked by the scene that unfolded before me.

The Ogre wasn’t taking its time—it couldn’t move.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds of tiny Aura Blade fragments were slicing through the Ogre’s entire body.

Just as I thought the sight resembled a meteor shower in the night sky, the massive creature’s huge body collapsed, and simultaneously the sky turned yellow.

It’s the signal indicating portal clearance.

“You came? I told you to just wait. Where’s Seon-hwa? I heard her voice earlier.”

I thought he was surely dead, but…

What is this man, really?

He killed an Ogre, the so-called Nightmare of the Forest, and is now approaching with a casual expression.

If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, the attack just now, though miniature in size, was definitely Aura Blade.

“I heard the skin is valuable, so I wanted to kill it with minimal damage, but can we sell this… Lee Seol, what’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh… It’s nothing.”

“What’s nothing? This is outside… Well, inside the portal, yes.”

I was confused with various thoughts, but now my mind has cleared.

Whatever else, I’m certain this man’s sense of humor is the worst.

“How did you do it?”

“Hmm? I just said whatever came to mind… I’m sorry. You seemed spaced out, so I was joking…”

“Not that. How did you kill the Ogre alone? And was that attack just now Aura Blade?”

“Oh. I told you at the beginning that I’d handle it alone. And it’s almost Aura Blade, but not quite perfect. More importantly, I guess we can’t use this skin? What a waste.”

Once again, he answers casually and then mumbles to himself while looking at the Ogre’s corpse.

I thought he was completely arrogant despite his handsome face, but I was completely wrong.

This man is incredibly attractive.

At first I didn’t understand, but now I can somewhat see why Seon-hwa is interested in this man.

“Seol! Seol, where are you?”

It’s Seon-hwa’s voice.

She must have seen the sky and confirmed the portal was cleared, so she came back.

“Over here!”

“How did you clear… Huh? Teacher Kang! Teacher Kang!”

At first, she seemed to be heading toward me, but upon seeing Kang Shin-hyeok, she ran straight to him and hugged him tightly.

She must be overjoyed to find Teacher Kang alive when she thought he was dead, but somehow it makes me feel strange.

“Wh-what are you doing, Teacher Kim?”

“I thought you were dead, Teacher Kang.”

“Me? Why? Let’s talk after you let go—it’s uncomfortable, and Lee Seol is watching.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Seon-hwa separated from Teacher Kang and glared at me.

“No, I naturally…”

“I told you he wouldn’t be in danger.”

“What’s going on with you two?”

Both of them are looking at me, and I have nothing to say, so I hung my head low.

“I’m sorry.”