Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 36
“Let’s stop here for today.”
“Really? It’s only 4 o’clock.”
“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
“No. Tomorrow’s a day off, and my students contacted me saying they came to Jeju Island, so I thought I’d go see their faces for a bit.”
Everyone’s expressions brightened.
Well, except for the first day, we’ve been pushing hard, clearing three portals every day without a single day off.
Just today, we cleared one in the morning, had a quick meal of kimbap and ramen at another portal, and then cleared one more.
Of course, we earned a lot of money for it.
Daily earnings ranged from 4,000 to over 5,000 on some days.
Starting next week, many injured hunters will be returning, so things should ease up a bit.
I said goodbye to team members, telling them I’d see them Monday, and returned to the hotel.
“Good work. Travel home safely.”
“Team leader, don’t you need a car to visit your students?”
“Ah, it’s not that far, so I was planning to take a taxi.”
I checked the address of the pension that Jinsu’s uncle supposedly runs, and it’s not far from the hotel.
It’s close enough that I could use light movement techniques instead of a taxi, so I don’t really need a car.
“Jeju Island is inconvenient without a car. We’ve got insurance for all guild members anyway, so it doesn’t matter. I’m off tomorrow too, so I’ll leave it here. Use it if you need it.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I could rent one if necessary, but refusing when someone’s offering would be impolite.
“It’s nothing. Then I’ll see everyone on Monday.”
“Monday? Ye-seul, did you forget we’re meeting tomorrow?”
“Ah, tomorrow at 10 at Hwasin Department Store. I remember. So I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
She was talking about shopping earlier, so they must have planned to go to the department store together tomorrow.
“We’re planning to go to that Italian restaurant just ahead. Have you already had dinner, Teacher Kang?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll probably eat with the kids.”
I should call and check if they’re doing a barbecue or something, maybe buy some meat to bring.
I returned to the hotel room, washed up quickly, got ready to go out, and called Jinsu.
“I’m about to head over. Do you need anything?”
—Huh? Teacher, didn’t you say you were coming tomorrow?
“Actually, I’ve been in Jeju for work for quite some time now.”
—What? But then you should have come on Thursday.
“I was too busy to make time. Should I bring meat or ramen or something?”
—We’re in the city center right now.
—Is that the teacher? Teacher, this is Minhee. Are you really on Jeju Island?
—Huh? The teacher is here?
—Everyone, be quiet for a moment.
“Everyone sounds so energetic. So are you planning to eat in the city?”
—Well, my uncle had some business, and we got bored staying at the pension for two days straight, so we tagged along to see the city. We’re meeting my uncle at 6 after his business, but Eunseo is at the pension, so we’ll probably eat there.
“Huh? Why didn’t Eunseo come with you? Is she sick?”
—She played in the water too long yesterday and seems to have caught a slight cold. We suggested going to the hospital, but she said it wasn’t serious and she’d take medicine and sleep, so we came by ourselves.
“I see. Then let me know when you’re heading back. Do you need anything?”
—We did all the shopping on Thursday… Hey, is there anything you guys want to eat?
—Teacher’s going to buy it? Teacher, Minhee wants Korean beef!
“Jinsu, is Minhee sick too?”
—Hey, Jung Minhee, the teacher is asking if you’re sick somewhere. Teacher, we bought plenty on Thursday, so you can just come as you are.
“Okay. See you later.”
No matter how much they say it’s fine, showing up empty-handed doesn’t feel right.
It’s not just the kids; Jinsu’s uncle is there too.
Some drinks and… Well, I’ve earned plenty of money, so I might as well buy some beef too.
I left the hotel, drove the car, and first stopped at a supermarket to buy drinks and snacks.
Next, I went to a butcher shop to buy meat, but Hanwoo (Korean beef) isn’t cheap at all.
Knowing how well they all eat, I bought four geun (about 2.4kg) of sirloin at a thickness good for grilling over charcoal, which cost almost 400,000 won.
Looking at the price, I considered buying imported beef, but the neighborhood butcher didn’t carry imports, and going to a mart was too far and bothersome, so I just bought it.
Still, the owner gave me a broad smile and threw in plenty of extras as service—meatballs, sausages, green onion garnish, mushrooms, and more.
After loading the meat into the car, I checked the time and saw it was only five o’clock.
Did I leave too early?
The owner had packed everything in a styrofoam box with plenty of ice packs, but since it’s summer, it would be better to arrive early and put it in the refrigerator.
The kids probably haven’t returned yet, but Eunseo is at the pension, as they said.
I entered the pension address into the navigation, and it showed 25 minutes.
It looked quite close when I checked the map app, but the distance is surprisingly far.
Maybe it’s because I went far from the hotel looking for the butcher shop?
Anyway, following the navigation’s directions, I was almost there when traffic suddenly got very heavy.
Was there an accident ahead?
Moving at a snail’s pace was starting to irritate me when I finally saw what was happening—what’s this?
A bunch of soldiers standing around.
Police would handle drunk driving checkpoints, so did someone go AWOL?
Seeing them carrying guns, could it be an armed deserter?
Just then, one soldier approached and knocked on my window, so I rolled it down.
“What’s going on?”
“While attacking a nearby portal, one monster escaped, so we’re currently controlling this area. Please make a U-turn when the cars ahead clear out.”
A monster escaped?
What kind of stupid guild let a monster escape… Wait a minute. Then what about Eunseo?
“Excuse me… Sir, how far are you controlling?”
“This whole area is being controlled, but are you a resident of this area? If so, you should have received a text message.”
“I’m not, but I have people staying at a pension in that area.”
“We made evacuation announcements and sent emergency texts to residents and people in the area based on location information, so they should be fine.”
He walks away after speaking, but according to Jinsu, Eunseo took medicine and fell asleep, so there’s a possibility she didn’t hear it.
I immediately called Eunseo, but she didn’t answer.
No reply to messages either.
If she’s still sleeping and can’t answer, that’s fortunate, but if she’s continuously sleeping, that could be a problem.
KNOCK KNOCK—
“Sir, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to make a U-turn?”
“I have people inside who aren’t answering my calls, so I need to go check.”
“What? No, sir, there’s a monster in there, as I said. You can’t enter.”
“I’m a hunter.”
I took out my teacher ID from my wallet and showed it to him.
“Even if you’re a hunter, you’re alone, aren’t you? The one that escaped is no ordinary monster, so several guilds are dispatching teams to search for it. We’ve been instructed not to let anyone in, even hunters.”
Doesn’t that make it even more dangerous?
“What kind of monster is it?”
“I don’t know exactly, but even if you’re a hunter, you can’t enter.”
This soldier didn’t seem willing to listen, so I got out of the car.
“Who’s in charge? I’ll talk to them directly.”
“But… Sir, you can’t do this.”
“I’m trying to avoid trouble, so please guide me.”
“Kim, why isn’t that car making a U-turn?”
“Co-Company Commander, this person insists on going inside…”
“Sigh. Sir, you can’t do thi— Wait, are you Hunter Kang Shin-hyeok?”
Huh? He knows me?
“Yes, I am. How do you…”
“I’ve seen you on YouTube and heard a lot about you. Se-jin is my youngest sister.”
Se-jin? Who’s that… Ah! The student council president?
“I see. Look, that’s not important right now. I have people at a pension in the control zone. I heard one of them took medicine and fell asleep at lunchtime, but now I can’t reach them.”
“Maybe it’s because of the commotion? We made several evacuation announcements and sent text messages…”
“I hope that’s the case, but I’m not getting any response, so I need to go in and check. Please help me.”
“Ah… Well, the monster that escaped from the portal is a Shadow Reaper. Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”
A Shadow Reaper is a B-grade monster that can hide in shadows.
It carries a huge scythe and not only has stealth abilities but is also quite powerful.
Just as the Ogre is in A-grade, the Shadow Reaper is at the top of B-grade monsters.
It’s so tricky and rare that I’ve only seen it in books, never in person.
“I’ll be fine.”
No matter how tricky it is, it’s still just a B-grade monster.
It’s no match for me.
“Alright. Everyone, this person is fine, so clear the barricade and open the road.”
Did the student council president tell him about my duel with the vice principal?
Anyway, I was worried they’d refuse, but this is really fortunate. I thanked him and returned to my car.
Come to think of it, since Eunseo appears in the original novel, she should be fine, but I can’t be too sure.
The actions I’ve taken since coming here might have caused a butterfly effect.
Hoping nothing bad has happened, I stepped on the accelerator.
I protect my students.
***
I woke up to a quiet house.
They said they were going to the city center with Jinsu’s uncle after lunch, so they haven’t returned yet?
The medicine seems to be working, as I feel a bit better than this morning, so I checked my temperature with a thermometer, and I still have a slight fever.
I drank a glass of water and returned to my room to turn on my phone when… Huh?
[(Jeju Special Self-Governing Province)
REAL SITUATION. Monster escape from Iho Tewoo Beach portal. Citizens near Iho Beach and Iho-dong area, please evacuate immediately to designated shelters or outside the control line. Control zone and shelter location link: https:.j11.kr/abcd]
Mo-monster escape?
Now I notice missed calls from my sister, Jinsu, and Minhee, and even from the teacher.
I considered contacting them but thought I should go to the shelter first, so I checked the location through the link and went outside, but there was no one on the street.
The sun hasn’t set yet so it’s not dark, but with no cars or people around, it feels eerie.
“Excuse me.”
I turned around startled but saw no one.
“Big sister, over here. Are you going to the shelter? Could you please go with me?”
Looking to the side, I saw a girl standing on a second-floor veranda of an apartment building.
She looked like a middle school student, and next to her was a little boy who seemed about five years old, possibly her brother.
Those children must have checked the text message late, just like me.
I told them to come down and I’d go with them, and headed toward the entrance, when—huh?
I saw a huge figure over 2 meters tall, wearing a black robe and holding a scythe in one hand.
At first, I thought it was a hunter and was about to approach, but I quickly hid behind a nearby utility pole.
Looking again, that’s definitely not human.
A proper human being should stand on two feet, but that thing doesn’t have feet.
A black robe and a scythe… Goodness, the escaped monster was a Shadow Reaper?
Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to have noticed me, but the children will be coming down soon.
“AAHH!”
THUD! THUD!
When the children who had come down screamed upon seeing the Shadow Reaper, it started trying to break down the door.
They might have gone back inside, but even so, they probably won’t last long…
What should I do?
Of course, I wasn’t spotted, so I could run away and report this to save myself, but if I do that, those children would… Die.
A Shadow Reaper is among the strongest B-grade monsters.
It’s a monster that even B-rank hunters hunt in groups, and I’m just a 1st-year hunter school student with no weapon.
Even if I had a weapon, it wouldn’t make much difference…
I’m sorry for the kids, but we’re not even acquaintances—we just met today, so I can’t help it.
I don’t want to die here.
If I get killed, the children will be next anyway.
I tried to rationalize and back away, but somehow my feet wouldn’t move.
Suddenly, I remembered the day before the break.
Along with thanking us for following well during the first semester and asking for our continued effort in the second semester, the teacher asked us a question.
He asked why we wanted to become hunters.
He said we surely had a reason beyond just having talent, and asked each of us to share our reasons.
Various answers came up—because hunters make good money, because it’s cool, because family members are hunters, and so on—but as my turn approached, I grew worried.
As the teacher said, I enrolled because the aptitude test showed I had talent, and because my sister was going to hunter school.
I kept worrying until suddenly it was my sister’s turn, who was sitting next to me, and she answered it was because of me.
She said that while watching a documentary about people who lost family to monsters when we were young, I said I wanted to help prevent such victims and become a hunter.
I don’t even remember saying that, but my sister said she thought I was cool and decided to become a hunter to help and protect me.
I can’t just run away alone now.
The teacher teased my sister, asking if she had a “sister complex,” but praised me, saying “that’s Eunseo for you” and that I was cool…
If I flee now, I wouldn’t be able to face my sister who followed me to hunter school or the teacher who praised me.
I haven’t heard that Shadow Reapers are particularly fast, and I’m quite confident in my running after doing jogs throughout the first semester.
I may not be able to face it directly, but if I draw its “aggro” and lead it to the shelter, there should be hunters there who can handle it somehow.
I picked up a stone lying on the ground and threw it at the Shadow Reaper.
BANG!
Luckily it hit the mark, and the creature turned its head to look at me.
“Kids, don’t come out at all! Go back inside, lock the door, and hide!”
They might have already run away, but just in case, I shouted loudly.
The monster started coming toward me, and seeing that its attention was completely focused on me, I immediately turned and ran.
Worried it might return to where the children were, I checked behind me occasionally, but fortunately, the monster kept chasing me.
I never thought the jogging I hated most would help me like this.
My breathing became increasingly labored, but I looked back once more to check, and… Huh?
The monster was gone.
Just as I was wondering if it had gone back to the children, it jumped out from the shadow of a nearby tree.
THUD!
Feeling something strange, I rolled to the side to dodge, and the ground where I had just been standing was gouged out.
I quickly tried to get up and run away, but my legs wouldn’t move.
I’m done for.
I must have twisted my ankle while rolling to dodge earlier.
KIRAT-RAT!
Knowing I couldn’t stand up, the monster flickered its red eyes and slowly approached.
Thinking it was all over, I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.
WHOOSH—
THUD!
…Huh? I clearly heard the sound of a scythe swinging and hitting something, but for some reason, I didn’t feel any pain.
As I wondered if this is what death feels like, I heard an all-too-familiar voice.
“Seong Eunseo, did I teach you to close your eyes when facing monsters?”
Please give a review of this novel @ NovelUpdate. It will help the novel get more readers!