Chapter 10- Academic Advisor Assignment (2)
“Hello, Student Yu Hee-won.”
After I returned her greeting, Yu Hee-won stood in front of me, looking up at me like a cat, and opened her mouth.
“You look particularly healthy today.”
“Do I? Perhaps it’s because the weather is getting warmer.”
“When will you give me a consultation?”
Yu Hee-won still smiled while directly pressing me.
“When would you like it? But what’s the reason?”
“Just this and that.”
“Hmm. Well. My schedule is full today, so how about tomorrow or the day after?”
“Let’s do it today.”
“No, I told you I don’t have time today. And don’t block the entrance.”
I gently pushed Yu Hee-won’s shoulder aside.
Because Yu Hee-won was blocking the entrance, other students couldn’t enter the classroom and were standing in the hallway.
However, knowing Yu Hee-won’s background and abilities, the students didn’t dare say anything to her and just kept exchanging glances.
It hasn’t even been a month since admission, but I can roughly see the dynamics.
By now, there must be shrewd followers who have aligned themselves with Yu Hee-won.
This year’s class will probably cause all sorts of disputes and troubles with them as the main force.
Sure enough, when Yu Hee-won moved away from me, several other students quickly entered the classroom and attached themselves behind her.
* * * * *
Today’s lecture classroom is flat, unlike the previous one.
The assistants had cleared away all the desks, leaving the space empty, and small mats were laid out matching the number of students.
Though puzzled by the unfamiliar scene, students instinctively each grabbed a mat and stood.
Yu Hee-won stood at the very front, and her followers surrounded her as if protecting her.
“Hello, everyone.” Standing at the podium, I greeted and looked around at the students. “Are you adapting well to academy life?”
Affirmative responses were heard from here and there.
“Very good. Then please sit on the mats in front of you. Like this.”
As I sat cross-legged on the mat at the podium, students began sitting on their mats, though bewildered.
“Don’t take out your books. No matter how many days you spend reading books, you won’t grasp anything. At least, that’s how it is with Basic Defense Studies.” After confirming that all students were seated and had pushed their bags aside, I continued speaking. “As I said in the first lecture, the basis of defense is a peaceful mind. If your mental state wavers, your defensive barrier will inevitably waver as well.”
Half right and half wrong.
I would make them meditate, but not in the usual way.
“Now, everyone, close your eyes and calm your minds.”
At my signal, four teaching assistants entered the classroom.
When the students saw the solid metal pipes the assistants were holding, their eyes widened in shock.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Those are just auxiliary tools to help students who are having difficulty focusing on the lecture.”
“Are you going to beat us with that if we doze off?”
Someone protested.
This is the upper class.
They’re children from wealthy families who probably threw their weight around outside.
But that’s only in the world outside the academy walls.
Here, it’s the professor who calls the shots.
“Beat’ is such a harsh word. Let’s refine our language. These are merely tools to increase lecture participation.”
“That’s the same thing! You’re still talking about hitting us!”
Similar protests erupted from all around in unison.
“Everyone shut up!” At that moment, Yu Hee-won, who was sitting in the front, shouted sharply.
The students, who were about to rise up in protest just moments ago, suddenly fell silent and watched Yu Hee-won carefully.
Yu Hee-won, who had been glaring at the students with murderous intent, soon turned to me with a smile.
“Professor, I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“My uniform jacket is a bit uncomfortable and might distract me from concentrating. Can I take it off?”
“Do as you please.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Yu Hee-won took off her uniform jacket.
Not stopping there, she removed her shirt underneath, revealing a white short-sleeved t-shirt.
A black bra was visible through the t-shirt, and Yu Hee-won deliberately stretched with an ‘Mmm’ sound, pushing her chest out toward me.
Since the intention was obvious and it was embarrassing, I pretended not to notice.
“Let’s begin.”
The students, tense from the assistants’ intimidating entrance and Yu Hee-won’s outburst, quickly straightened their postures and closed their eyes.
Very good.
Perhaps because it was the upper class, the students followed my slow explanations well during meditation.
So by the end of the lecture, a few had managed to create something resembling a barrier using aura, albeit very weakly.
Yu Hee-won even succeeded in visualizing it.
Visualizing an invisible aura is something only possible in senior year, she certainly has incredible talent.
“That’s all for today. When you return to the dormitory, practice what we did today again before bed. Then at some point, you’ll feel like you can touch the aura.”
The next lecture was with the lower class, which included Han Min-ha.
Han Min-ha sat huddled in the most remote corner mat.
When the teaching assistants entered with steel pipes, the students raised their hands and asked protesting questions, just like the upper class earlier.
I gave them the same answers and immediately began meditation.
The start was good.
Who would lose focus from the beginning with teaching assistants loitering around holding steel pipes?
But that didn’t last long.
After about fifteen minutes, the first student who needed assistance from the support tool appeared.
“Cough…!”
A student who was nodding off and got hit squarely in the back with an iron pipe groaned and fell forward.
“Straighten your back, student. If you collapse from something like that, you cannot become a hero.”
“Yes… Professor…”
Students who were just falling asleep were startled by the sudden noise and straightened their shoulders.
“Good. Now in that position, listen to what I say and try to follow along.”
I walked among the students and gently explained how to operate Aura.
Aura is an energy that anyone with hero talent possesses.
While it’s not normally noticeable, it can be felt through training and furthermore can be controlled.
Aura becomes stronger through training and practice, helping with everything from forming barriers to death rays and sonic booms.
So try to feel the Aura circling your body.
It will be easier to feel if you imagine being inside a dense, heavy jelly, and so on.
However, unlike the upper classes, the lower class students didn’t seem to be doing very well.
More than half of the students were either groaning, furrowing their brows, or uncomfortably shifting their bodies.
Mixed in were the sounds of iron pipe impacts and low screams.
Well… the difference in levels is too severe.
As I continued walking while explaining, I eventually reached Han Min-ha who was sitting at the very back of the classroom.
Han Min-ha appeared to be straining hard to feel the Aura with a grimacing expression.
Sweat had matted her hair to her forehead and her glasses were half slipped down.
When I stopped beside her, Han Min-ha slightly opened her eyes and lifted her head.
Then our eyes met and she was startled, quickly bowing her head down.
I silently checked the aura flowing around her.
Contrary to expectations, her Aura was extremely solid.
The purity of the aura itself seems high.
Well, this must be because she’s a hero’s child with bonus points.
Seems like it wasn’t for nothing that the Management Bureau gave her special admission.
She could become quite useful if properly refined.
* * * * *
After finishing all the lectures, I stopped by the faculty office to check tomorrow’s schedule and went up to my research lab.
I had to input today’s lecture results into the faculty system and wrap up some simple tasks.
As I walked up to this floor’s corridor towards the research lab, I could see someone standing in front of it.
“P-Professor?”
Yu Hee-won greeted me with a smile.
“Student Yu Hee-won. What brings you here? Isn’t it time for physical training now?”
“But I really needed to speak with you, P-Professor. I came because it seemed like it had to be today.”
“No. Go attend physical training now. I clearly said it wouldn’t work today.”
I passed by Yu Hee-won and reached for the research lab’s door lock.
At that moment, Yu Hee-won stretched out her hand to try to grab my wrist.
Just as her hand was about to touch my wrist, the barrier that activated strongly blocked Yu Hee-won’s hand.
Then the aura that had been gathering in Yu Hee-won’s hand collided, causing intense sparks to fly momentarily.
“Ugh…!”
Yu Hee-won quickly withdrew her hand and massaged her tingling wrist while making a regretful expression.
Impressive. She can already operate Aura in such a way.
More than that…
I smiled while looking straight at Yu Hee-won.
“Student Yu Hee-won. What are you trying to do?”
