Became a Swordsmanship Instructor at the Academy
Chapter 6
Did I overdo it on the weekend?
My shoulders were stiff when I woke up in the morning, and my condition still isn’t great.
When I told Cho Yu-ryang that I would reduce his ramen and snacks and control his laptop use, he stuck right next to me to teach me, but he kept pointing out that my posture was wrong.
I feel like I’ve done thousands of slashes and thrusts, but I’m not sure if my posture is actually wrong or if he’s just being spiteful.
Was I too harsh?
Next week, I should buy him a bottle of Chinese liquor or something.
“Teacher, we’re all done.”
“Good. Let’s finish here for today. Everyone head back, and those who sweated a lot, make sure to shower before eating.”
High school classes are normally 50 minutes per subject, but both the swordsmanship I teach and other practical subjects related to hunter abilities are all 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Since these are skills to earn a living, they’ve combined three time slots including break times.
I only teach first-year students, but classes are held every day except weekends.
In the morning, I teach classes 1 through 5, and in the afternoon, I teach two groups, A and B, consisting of swordsmanship education applicants from classes 6 through 10.
Almost 6 hours a day. It seems like a tight schedule, but there’s nothing particularly difficult about it.
After simple stretching, I have them run around the field, followed by push-ups, sit-ups, and other physical training for 50 minutes. The rest of the time is spent teaching them how to fight according to the characteristics of various monsters, or conducting practical training using VR equipment.
Sometimes I have students spar with each other or check their postures… When I list it all out like this, it seems like a lot, but it’s really not.
With a 20-minute break in the middle, and ending early to account for time to change clothes and wash up, it doesn’t feel that long.
Plus, there are only 40 students per session, which isn’t many.
Originally, the high school department of the 1st Hunter School has only 200 students per grade, for a total of 600 students.
Of course, swords are the most popular, but there are quite a few students who prefer other weapons like spears or bows, and many who learn other skills like magic.
I offered to personally instruct and spar with students who wanted it, but so far, no one has requested it.
I’ve heard that third-year and second-year students request it quite often, but I guess it’s because they’re first-years.
I was about to tidy up and head to the cafeteria when the representative and deputy representative of Group A approached me.
“Teacher, we have something to ask you, do you have a moment?”
“If you ask gently without hurting me, I think I’ll be fine.”
“Wow… Teacher, was that a joke just now?”
“On the outside, you look normal, but the reason such a perfectly normal teacher doesn’t have a girlfriend is because of these dad jokes.”
“That’s right.”
I was just trying to joke around, but these kids are hitting me where it hurts.
“I always feel this, but you two get along so well. Are you two possibly…?”
“Jinsu and I are just friends.”
“Teacher, I have eyes too. Why would I waste my time with someone like Minhee…?”
“What? Have you finished talking? Anyone can see that I’m the one who’d be wasting my time!”
In the original work, Jinsu and Minhee were members of the third-year student council and a couple.
Judging by their bickering, they don’t seem to be dating yet, but since they were like that in the novel, it’ll probably happen soon.
Those were the days.
“Stop your lovers’ quarrel and tell me what you’re curious about.”
“We’re not!”
“We’re not!”
Seeing them give the same answer, it seems their hearts are in sync too.
“Alright. I get it, so hurry up and ask what you want to ask. You need to go eat too.”
“Well, we heard a strange story…”
“What kind of story?”
“That you didn’t graduate from a hunter school…”
Since the dinner, the practical subject teachers haven’t even greeted me.
They don’t even speak to me unless it’s work-related.
I thought they would be talking about me behind my back, but it’s a bit unpleasant to hear that it has spread to the students as well.
“It’s true that I didn’t attend a hunter school, but what’s the problem with that?”
When I responded confidently, Jinsu stammered in confusion, and Minhee glanced around cautiously before speaking.
“Actually, yesterday in history class, the teacher… Said that hunters who didn’t attend hunter schools are all selfish and incompetent people who want to be treated as hunters despite lacking ability, and spoke negatively about them.”
“Did they mention me specifically?”
“They didn’t mention you directly, but at the end of class, they said that there’s such a case at our school too, and that the first-year swordsmanship students are pitiful.”
“Most of the students would have understood what was meant.”
At this level, it’s practically a direct mention even if they didn’t say my name.
“After that class, there’s been a lot of talk among the students. About quota systems and such.”
I thought the class atmosphere seemed a bit different than usual, but it must have been because of this.
SIGH, what nonsense about quota systems.
I had decided not to pay attention to it, but I can’t just sit by and watch as absurd rumors spread.
Moreover, if it’s history, isn’t that a general subject?
Then that means they’re not even a hunter… This is ridiculous.
“Um… Teacher, are you okay?”
“Huh? Of course I’m not okay.”
“What?”
“There’s no such thing as a quota system for hunter school recruitment exams. I took the same exam and went through the same hiring process to teach you all, so naturally, I wouldn’t feel good hearing such stories.”
“I’m sorry.”
Oops, I think I was too harsh on these kids who did nothing wrong.
“You don’t need to apologize. Thank you for telling me. Go eat your lunch.”
I’m genuinely grateful.
If they hadn’t told me, I really wouldn’t have known.
I don’t feel particularly resentful toward the students.
It’s only natural that students wouldn’t know all the details of the hunter school faculty recruitment process.
Kids this age are easily influenced by their surroundings.
But the teachers are different.
First, I intend to meet with this first-year history teacher and properly question what kind of grudge they have against me.
After finishing my cleanup, I headed to the main building where the faculty room is located.
Since it’s lunchtime, the faculty room was quiet, but there were still some teachers who hadn’t gone to eat yet, and the history teacher was still at their desk.
Name: Kim Han-ju, not a colleague of the same age, but quite a young-looking female teacher.
“Teacher Kim Han-ju.”
“What is it?”
“I’m Kang Shin-hyeok, who teaches first-year swordsmanship. Let’s have a talk.”
“I have nothing to discuss with you. Why should I talk to someone I barely know?”
After saying such things to the students, did she not expect me to come looking for her?
Who started this trouble first? This kind of response is ridiculous.
“You speak well. Why are you spreading false rumors about me to students when you barely know me?”
“Me?”
Me?
For a moment, my fist almost flew out, but I managed to hold back with extreme patience.
“I heard you talked about me during a recent class.”
“Oh my. I’ve never mentioned Teacher Kang’s name, you must be misunderstanding something. Or perhaps you have an inferiority complex.”
Is this woman really trying to start something?
“I heard you spoke ill of non-hunter school graduates and said the swordsmanship students were pitiful. Wasn’t that directed at me, even if you didn’t mention my name?”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Ah, then I suppose it would be fine for me to say in my class that the first-year history teacher is an ugly weirdo who’s only interested in men, as long as I don’t mention your name directly.”
“W-what? Hey, Teacher Kang! Have you finished speaking?”
“I haven’t finished yet. What do you know about me to speak like that? Besides, what would someone who isn’t even a hunter know?”
“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”
“I heard you said in class that hunters who didn’t graduate from hunter schools lack ability but want to be treated as hunters. What ability do I lack? And when did I ever ask to be treated specially?”
“…”
She’s completely speechless.
I guess she didn’t expect me to confront her so directly like this?
“T-that’s enough.”
A male teacher blocks my way.
“And who are you? If you’re not involved, please don’t interfere.”
“I certainly have no connection to you, but I do have some relation to her. It’s not a good look to be acting this way toward a civilian, especially a female teacher, when you’re a hunter, is it?”
Well, well, a knight in shining armor has arrived.
Oh, could he be this woman’s boyfriend?
“Before considering whether someone is a civilian, a woman, or a hunter, I believe that as an adult, one should take responsibility for their words. Are you also involved in this matter?”
“…”
After I drew the line once more, even the man who had interfered turned bright red and couldn’t speak properly.
That’s what you get for meddling when you shouldn’t.
“Judging by your silence, you seem to realize you were wrong. Please explain to the students and apologize. Then I will let this matter go.”
As much as I’d like to slap her face, many teachers are watching besides the man who interfered.
“W-why should I do that? It was just something I said casually during my class. You’re now infringing on my teaching discretion.”
Is this woman crazy?
Does she think she won’t get hit because people are watching?
“Teaching discretion isn’t a term meant to be used like that. Then, as I said earlier, I can also use my discretion in my class to say that you have an orc-like face with a personality worse than your appearance, and that you go crazy whenever you see a man, right?”
“Hey, aren’t your words too harsh?”
“Are you deaf? Just now, Teacher Kim said she can do whatever she wants in her class due to teaching discretion, didn’t she? Oh, well… Since she said she spoke casually, I should start by having the kids chant ‘left foot trash, right foot Kim Han-ju’ when they’re running laps. Ah, but that directly includes your name, so maybe that’s not allowed? Well, it’s my class, so it shouldn’t matter, right?”
Even if I were called a third-rate writer, as someone who made a living with words, I can beat someone with words alone without using my fists.
She seems to be on the verge of tears.
Of course, I have no intention of showing mercy just because she’s crying.
“What’s going on here?”
As someone else seems about to intervene, I was about to ask what they’d heard and tell them to mind their own business, but upon seeing their face, I had to immediately close my mouth.
With graying hair and a face full of wrinkles, but with a build that would take two… no, three average men to match, this massive figure.
One of only ten S-rank hunters in Korea, considered the strongest in the school in terms of sheer power, Kim Man-dong.
The vice principal of the 1st Hunter School.
***
When kids fight at school, they’re usually called to the faculty room.
So where do teachers get called when they fight?
Since it’s not common for teachers to fight and they’re adults, it might end up at the police station if things get worse, but for now, I’ve been called to the vice principal’s office.
It doesn’t seem like one of the watching teachers reported it; the vice principal must have seen it as he entered the faculty room.
The history teacher is still sobbing, but fortunately, this isn’t a world where the victim’s tears are considered evidence.
“So, Teacher Kim insulted you first, and upon realizing this, Teacher Kang demanded an explanation and apology to the students?”
Hmm, I knew I could count on Mr. Man-dong.
From the beginning, Vice Principal Kim Man-dong was known for his justice and fairness in the original work.
“No, I…”
“Look, Teacher Kim, if you have something to say, stop crying and speak properly. Is what Teacher Kang said true?”
“I never directly mentioned Teacher Kang’s name.”
“I heard you said the first-year swordsmanship students were pitiful. Isn’t that right?”
“…”
“It seems Teacher Kang’s words are true. SIGH, why would you say such a thing?”
“I really felt sorry for the children…”
“What is there to feel sorry about! Do you think Teacher Kang Shin-hyeok entered the school through improper means?”
“T-there’s some kind of quota system…”
“No, Teacher Kim, as a teacher… Ah, yes. Since you teach general subjects, you might not know. There is no quota system or extra points for non-hunter school graduates when hiring teachers for practical subjects.”
“What?”
“Teacher Kang Shin-hyeok met all our school’s hiring criteria in terms of theory, practice, and experience, and did exceptionally well in the interview. I was even one of the interviewers. He was appointed through a legitimate hiring process, so what’s the problem?”
Faced with the vice principal’s stern rebuke, Teacher Kim started sobbing again, and now Kim Man-dong, who seemed to be getting heated, chastised her for crying when she had done nothing right.
In the end, I received an apology.
Although it didn’t seem sincere at all, there was nothing I could do.
But I did get a promise that she would provide an explanation from the very next class.
I’m worried about whether she’ll do it properly since she’s bound to harbor ill feelings, but the vice principal followed up by saying that if the misunderstanding isn’t properly cleared up, she’ll have to make a public apology and explanation through the weekly school broadcast, and a disciplinary committee will be convened, so if she has any sense, she’ll explain properly.
I thought it might be too lenient, but from the vice principal’s perspective, he doesn’t seem to want to escalate the matter, and since he took my side, I didn’t raise any further complaints.
“Teacher Kim, you may go now. Teacher Kang, let’s talk for a moment.”
Huh? Why me again?
