I Became a Swordsmanship Instructor at the Academy 37

Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy

Chapter 37

[You have arrived at your destination. Ending guidance.]

I arrived at the pension.

I had been calling the entire way, but there was no answer.

The front gate was locked, but I easily jumped over the wall to get inside.

KNOCK! KNOCK!.

“Eunseo, are you in there?”

No answer.

I tried calling again, but I couldn’t hear her ringtone, maybe she had it on vibrate.

Looking around, fortunately I found a window that was open and entered the pension, but there was no one inside.

Did she go to a shelter after hearing the broadcast?

I was feeling a bit deflated thinking I might have overreacted, when I noticed a cup with some water on the table.

It was still cold, when it should have been lukewarm if it had been sitting at room temperature in the summer heat.

Did she wake up and check the news late, then head to the shelter?

I hadn’t seen any people or cars the entire way here… That could be even more dangerous.

I immediately searched online for the shelter location and left the pension.

I was about to get in my car when I stopped and got out again.

If I moved by car, we might miss each other.

I spread out my internal energy as I moved toward the shelter, but nothing particularly stood out.

As I continued walking while spreading my internal energy, I sensed living beings with my energy perception.

I ran at full speed and found a half-collapsed villa with two children lying inside.

Getting closer, they seemed to be unconscious but not injured. Judging by the state of the gate, this was the work of a monster, but why were these children unharmed?

“Ugh…”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Mister, who are you? Are you a hunter?”

“Yes, I’m a hunter. Hey… Have you seen a girl who looks like this?”

Hoping against hope, I pulled out my phone and showed them a group photo taken during the end-of-term ceremony, pointing at Eunseo.

“We saw her. When this big sister saw us, she told us to go to the shelter together, but suddenly a monster appeared and blocked the door…”

“So what happened next?”

“I think that big sister lured the monster away.”

Sigh… This is driving me crazy.

“Which direction did she… No, never mind. Quickly take your sibling and go inside the house.”

I can pretty much guess what that kid would have done.

Eunseo is an excellent student.

She would certainly know she couldn’t handle a B-grade monster like the Shadow Reaper, so she must have tried to lure it toward the shelter where hunters would be.

I maximized my internal energy and sprinted toward the shelter.

BOOM!

Hearing a loud noise nearby, I ran in that direction and saw a monster wearing a black cloak and holding a scythe, with Eunseo lying on the ground.

The monster was slowly approaching Eunseo… Come on Eunseo, get up and try to escape. Instead, she closed her eyes as if she’d given up.

The monster seemed about to swing its scythe at her, so I raised my movement technique to the extreme.

BOOM!

Fortunately, I managed to jump between them and block the scythe the monster was swinging.

I barely blocked it, but I felt a considerable impact on my hand.

Looking now, I could see the tips of my fingers were slightly cut and bleeding.

I had sent internal energy to my hand while blocking, but because I was in a hurry, it didn’t transfer properly, resulting in the cut.

“Seong Eunseo, did I teach you to close your eyes when facing a monster?”

“Tea… Teacher?”

“Get up quickly and step back!”

“My leg is sprained…”

KIRAT! KIRARAT!

The monster let out a strange cry and swung its scythe again.

BOOM!

I pushed Eunseo back with my foot and dodged using my movement technique.

The asphalt cracked where the monster attacked, creating a depression in the ground—the power was considerable.

If I had used just a little less internal energy earlier, my hand might have been cut off completely rather than just slightly cut.

Since this monster had escaped from a portal and Shadow Reapers were known to be highly intelligent, I thought it might flee after I blocked its attack, but it showed no signs of doing so.

It seemed to think it had a chance after seeing me bleed, but it was mistaken, you bastard!

Although I don’t have my sword, it doesn’t matter.

My master always said that the sword is an extension of the hand.

While keeping my eyes on the monster, I gathered internal energy in my dantian and concentrated it in my hand.

A blue energy fluctuated around my right hand before completely enveloping it.

If I can create sword energy, I can naturally create hand energy too.

KIRAT! KIRARAT!

The Shadow Reaper seemed surprised by the energy in my hand and made a confused expression as I rushed at it using my movement technique.

It tried to block with its scythe, but that was useless.

SHRRIP.

I cut the monster in half along with the scythe it was trying to use to block.

It felt strange using my hand instead of the sword I was used to—the sensation was too vivid—but the monster died without even screaming.

I approached the corpse to confirm it was dead, then immediately went to Eunseo.

“Seong Eunseo, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine, but your hand, teacher…”

The wound wasn’t that big, but moving around had caused quite a bit of blood to flow, making her think I was badly injured.

“Oh, it’s just a scratch. This is nothing, so don’t worry about it. Are you really okay?”

“I really am fine…”

It really was just a slight cut, so I wiped it roughly on my clothes to show her it was fine, but the kid’s eyes were still brimming with tears.

“I told you it’s nothing. I’m the one who’s injured, so why are you about to cry? And you! Do you realize you almost died? What were you thinking, luring a monster?”

I had a general idea of what happened from meeting the children earlier, but this was really not okay.

“No, well… I was on my way to the shelter when the monster was about to attack the children, so…”

“It’s good to do nice things and help others. But what good does it do if you die?”

“But you saved me, teacher.”

This talking back… Seeing Eunseo smiling awkwardly as she answered, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“What if I had been even a little late? Anyway, if you can’t listen… Just wait a bit. I’ll report that I killed a monster, and when people come, we’ll go to the hospital.”

“What? No, it’s not that serious.”

“Not serious? You can’t even stand up. We need to go to the hospital.”

Being too kind is also a problem.

But which number should I call?

After a brief thought, I decided to call 112 (police) figuring they would handle it appropriately, and reported that I had killed a monster.

Not long after, I heard sirens, and several vehicles arrived in the alley.

There were not only police cars but also military trucks and civilian vehicles. Judging by their outfits, it seemed hunters who had been searching had also arrived.

Everyone looked surprised seeing the Shadow Reaper cut in half. I approached, identified myself as the caller, and explained the situation.

“That’s really impressive. Which guild do you belong to?”

“Ah, I’m not with a guild. I work as a teacher at a Hunter School.”

I showed them my ID and asked if we could go to the hospital first.

“Hospital? Where are you inju— Oh? I just noticed the blood on your clothes… Are you badly hurt?”

“No, it’s nothing serious for me, but my student injured her leg while luring the monster. Oh, and the children who encountered the monster earlier that I mentioned—they didn’t have any visible injuries when I checked, but please examine them just in case.”

***

“Is this the right place?”

“Yes, it is. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. If anything, we should be thanking you. If you hadn’t dealt with the Shadow Reaper, we would have been on high alert for days. As a citizen of Jeju, I’m truly grateful.”

They say even compliments get tiresome if you hear them constantly. I’d been hearing the same things at that joint headquarters place earlier, so I just politely acknowledge it and got out of the car.

I had sent Eunseo to the hospital in a police car first, while I went with the soldiers to the joint countermeasures headquarters…? Anyway, I was stuck at this place full of soldiers and hunters for almost an hour.

Of course, I didn’t actually commit any crime, so “stuck” might not be the right word, but I had to first explain everything to the colonel in charge of the unit, then to the provincial governor, and then to the guild master who had let the monster escape…

Couldn’t they all just gather in one place and listen together? What would be the harm?

It was really annoying to have to repeat everything I’d just said whenever someone new showed up.

Technically, I was an injured party too.

And it wasn’t just explanations—there was also talk of compensation, which took some time.

The guild that had let the monster escape offered to pay not only for the Shadow Reaper’s corpse but also a reward.

The governor also said he would consider some kind of civilian hero award, but while I welcome the reward money, I’m not particularly interested in the award.

Given the nature of the incident, it will naturally make the news, but receiving such an award would make it an even bigger deal.

I asked them not to disclose my personal information to the media and they said they understood, but I’m not sure if they’ll actually honor that request.

I didn’t want to draw attention since I don’t know what Antas might do…

But the world just won’t leave me alone.

After the discussion ended, they offered to drive me to my destination. I was planning to go to the hospital where Eunseo had been taken, but when I called, they said she had already been treated and discharged. I thought about going to the hotel but since my car was at the pension, I came here instead.

I rang the bell next to the gate, and soon someone came out—it was Jinsu.

“Oh? Teacher! I heard you were being questioned. Are you done already?”

“What do you mean ‘questioned’? Am I a criminal or something? I was just explaining what happened.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Forget it. How’s Eunseo?”

“Her ligament is slightly stretched, but she’s fine now after treatment. The children who came with her showed no abnormalities, so they just had a checkup and their parents came to take them home.”

“Children? Ah… I guess they were brought to the same hospital.”

Following Jinsu inside, I saw a middle-aged man and woman who appeared to be in their mid-40s starting a fire in a drum in the yard.

“Teacher, these are my uncle and aunt. This is our school teacher who saved Eunseo earlier.”

“Hello, I’m Kang Shin-hyeok.”

“Ah, welcome. I’m Jinsu’s uncle.”

“The kids always talk about how handsome you are, and they’re right! Do your students even study, or do they just stare at your face all day?”

“What? Haha, you’re too kind.”

“Haven’t eaten yet, right? We just arrived ourselves and were about to prepare dinner. Please wait a bit.”

“Everyone come out! The teacher is here.”

When Jinsu called out, there was a clattering of footsteps, and the kids came out.

“Wow! It’s really Teacher!”

“Teacher, we missed you!”

“I didn’t miss you that much. Eunseo, are you sure you should be walking around like that?”

“They healed me with treatment magic. I’m fine.”

“Did you contact your parents?”

“Ah, about that… If I tell them, they might make me come home…”

Kids will be kids.

“You should still let them know.”

“They’ll just worry unnecessarily since I’m fine now. I’ll tell them when I get back.”

“Alright. But remember, you were lucky this time. Next time, absolutely do not put yourself in danger like that.”

“That’s right. Do you know how shocked I was when I heard what happened?”

Eunsu chimed in. Even though she usually takes her sister’s side, this time seems different.

“I’m sorry. And teacher, I couldn’t properly thank you earlier, but thank you for saving me.”

“It’s only natural… Forget the thanks, and from now on, whatever happens, remember that your life comes first.”

“Yes.”

“Everything’s almost ready, so everyone wash your hands and sit down. Teacher, please wash your hands and join us too.”

Dinner was barbecue—Ah! Come to think of it, the beef I bought earlier is still in the car.

“Jinsu, come with me for a second.”

“Huh?”

I was worried the meat might have gone bad in the summer heat, but the butcher had packed it thoroughly with cooling packs, so it still felt cold and seemed fine.

“Teacher, you really didn’t need to bring anything. Why did you buy so much?”

“It’s not polite to come empty-handed. I’ll carry this, you take the drinks and snacks over there.”

“What’s that? Meat? We already have plenty of meat.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted beef?”

When I brought the beef back, the kids went wild.

The uncle and aunt were pleased too, and when I mentioned it was Korean beef, Minhee started speaking with her cute lisp again, making me almost want to take it back, but I held back.

“Beef cooks quickly. Please eat it while it’s hot.”

“It’s so tender! The black pork was delicious too, but beef is really the best!”

“It melts in my mouth.”

“Hey, Jinsu, eat one piece at a time.”

“There’s plenty, so eat slowly.”

“Teacher Kang, do you drink alcohol?”

“Ah, I enjoy it, but since I brought my car, I should probably avoid alcohol…”

Honestly, I could dispel the effect of alcohol with my internal energy, but I still shouldn’t drive after drinking.

I could explain, but they might think it’s just an excuse, and it’s troublesome.

“What? Weren’t you planning to stay overnight? We have plenty of rooms, please stay.”

“Teacher, you said you’re off tomorrow. Stay overnight.”

“That’s right. You were going to come to the beach with us tomorrow anyway. Let’s play board games later too.”

“Please stay.”

“I feel like I’d be imposing too much…”

“Imposing? Not at all. We’ve feasted on the Korean beef you brought today. Please stay.”

It’s not far from the hotel, but it would be troublesome to come back tomorrow, so I agreed.

The meat certainly lived up to its price—not only was it delicious, but the sea breeze was pleasant too.

It felt healing to eat something delicious in a nice atmosphere while talking with students I hadn’t seen in a while.

After the meal, the kids insisted on playing board games.

We played something similar to Monopoly, and since there were playing cards, we also played One Card and Go Fish. I thought it would be boring at first, but as we played, it reminded me of old times and was quite fun.

“It’s almost midnight. Let’s go in and sleep.”

“Aw, but Teacher hasn’t lost once. Just one more game!”

The kids are so innocent that everything shows on their faces, making it impossible for me to lose games like Go Fish even if I wanted to.

“Teacher never loses. Besides, don’t you want to go to the beach tomorrow?”

Leaving the children who were still calling for one more game, I went to the separate cottage that Jinsu’s uncle had prepared for me.

The bed was spacious, and the bedding smelled nice, showing they put a lot of care into maintenance. It might be nice to come back here personally sometime when I have free time.

As soon as I lay down on the bed, fatigue washed over me and I closed my eyes.

At that moment, I had no idea.

I had no idea that today’s events, which I thought had ended well, would develop into an absurd situation.