Just before the courage training began.
Noh Yura packed a simple weapon and a flashlight, then quickly freshened up.
She neatly ironed her uniform, took a shower, and prepared a carefully selected perfume. Since it was late at night, she kept her makeup simple.
'I prepared so hard…'
Why isn't anything exciting happening?!
Her preparations were perfect.
She did everything she could, but the teacher didn't even glance her way. Could it be because she had once laid hands on him?
Worried, she scanned the surface of his emotions, but there was no sign of that.
He just had no interest in her.
Perhaps he was more focused on uncovering the mysteries than on her.
'What should I do? Should I cling to him more?'
Even if someone is as unfeeling as a stone, and even with the teacher-student relationship barrier…
It's a man's psychology to pay attention when a pretty girl clings to him. In that sense, Noh Yura was confident.
She was pretty. Beyond subjective judgment, objectively speaking, her beauty was undeniable.
The problem was that she wasn't the only pretty girl in the group.
Seo Yerin, who was quiet but charming.
Seong Yeon-hwa, with her bright and lively charm.
Isis, with her cold demeanor.
Isabelle, with her elegant and noble aura.
They were all pretty by default, each with their own unique charm.
Because of this, rumors were circulating among the students that the teacher had abandoned his duty as an educator and selected students based on looks. Of course, it was just a baseless rumor.
'I need a plausible reason to cling to the teacher.'
If she clung to him without any reason, he would likely reject her.
But what if there was a plausible reason?
Yes, for example, if something that could be mistaken for a ghost appeared, and she got so scared that she ended up in the teacher's arms.
And just in time, the bushes shook.
She was a ranger.
Detecting danger early and understanding the terrain based on her wide field of vision was Noh Yura's specialty.
As the bushes shook, her mind quickly raced.
'The shaking is too small. It must be a wild animal or a low-tier monster.'
It's not a dungeon, so there's no way there's a monster within the academy grounds.
At least, it's nothing to worry about.
She had ruled out the possibility of a ghost from the start.
She didn't believe in ghosts. Even if ghosts existed, they could just be defeated like monsters, so she wasn't scared.
'The distance to the teacher is 4 meters. I'll narrow it down a bit more and then jump.'
Noh Yura slowly advanced, closing in on Baek Seung-woo.
A distance where she could leap into his arms at any moment.
With a systematic plan in place, she was ready to dash into his arms the moment something jumped out of the bushes.
Rustle, rustle!
'Now!'
As the sound of something emerging from the bushes reached her ears, her feet moved.
Her destination: the teacher's embrace.
Just as she was about to reach him, she feigned a frightened expression. For Noh Yura, who could read others' emotions, feigning emotions was incredibly easy.
The situation and atmosphere were perfect.
Or so she thought.
Until something moved swiftly and pushed her away.
"...Huh?"
Noh Yura, who almost fell backward, thought.
Why was I pushed away?
What moved so quickly in the first place?
Could it be that the creature in the bushes had swiftly attacked the teacher? As that thought crossed her mind, her eyes quickly scanned the bushes.
But what was there wasn't a swift monster.
"A squirrel...?"
A tiny wild squirrel.
A wild animal with no magic or demonic energy.
Still not fully grasping the situation, her eyes turned toward Baek Seung-woo's arms.
There, clinging to the teacher's upper body, was Lee Ji-han, trembling in fear.
"...That guy."
The sound of teeth grinding against each other could be heard.
Only then did she understand the situation.
***
I was tense, wondering if there really was a ghost.
Thinking about it, this is a world created by Eve in a novel.
Even if it seems impossible, if the author set it up, anything is possible.
"...A squirrel?"
So, the appearance of a squirrel was truly unexpected.
What's going on? Where's the ghost, and why is a squirrel popping out?
Thinking it might be a monster in the form of a squirrel, I opened [Demon Eye] and carefully observed, but it wasn't that.
Just a wild squirrel.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Strange, I definitely felt a strange presence.
It wasn't something a mere squirrel could produce.
Thinking it might be a decoy, I spread my magic wide, but nothing was detected.
Meanwhile, the squirrel, seeing us frozen stiff, scratched its hind leg and then disappeared into the bushes.
The students just stared blankly at the scene.
Then, their gazes all turned toward me.
They weren't blaming me or doubting my abilities. Their gazes were directed at me, but more accurately, they were looking at my arms.
"Ugh... I-I shouldn't have come...!"
"...Get down, kid."
Lee Ji-han, clinging to me like a koala.
I told him to get down.
His weight wasn't particularly burdensome.
Lee Ji-han's small body was light enough for my strength to handle easily.
He was probably the lightest in the group.
The problem wasn't the weight.
It was the fact that a guy was clinging to me, trembling. The other students felt the same.
Look at Yura over there.
She was so displeased that she was pointing her gun at Lee Ji-han.
I wish he'd just disappear. At this rate, I might get shot too.
If I'm going to die, I'd rather die alone.
I had no desire to be a companion in death.
"T-Teacher, is the ghost...?"
"There isn't one, so get down."
"...Really?"
"Yes, there isn't one, so get down now."
At my firm response, Lee Ji-han looked up.
He was still trembling, clearly scared.
"B-But what if there is...?"
"Get down before I throw you over those bushes."
"O-Okay."
As I grabbed the back of his neck, intending to really throw him, Lee Ji-han quickly got down.
He scratched his head with an awkward expression.
He seemed to realize how pathetic he looked.
Only then did Noh Yura lower her gun.
And at that moment.
Click!
The sound of something being pressed.
A reasonable assumption arose that Noh Yura had pulled the trigger.
But disappointingly, the source of the sound was Lee Ji-han's foot, walking awkwardly forward.
Underneath it was something.
The sound was too dull to be just stepping on a branch.
As unease crept into everyone's minds.
With the sound of something moving, the dark night sky turned red.
Flaming arrows and daggers were flying toward us.
...Why are there traps in the academy grounds?
For a moment, I was puzzled, but the incoming traps cut off my thoughts.
Fortunately, they weren't dangerously powerful.
The only advantage was the sheer number of launchers.
"Such a simple trap, it's disappointing."
Flaming arrows and other outdated traps.
An ordinary person might fall for them, but there's no way a student at Seven Stars would.
The people gathered here are elites from around the world, rising stars.
"Everyone, draw your weapons! Ah, I should've brought a shield instead of an axe!"
"...There's not enough space to swing a spear."
"I'll do my best with my sword! Ah, please move aside."
"I'll create an ice umbrella. Everyone, get behind me."
"Ah, tsk! Let me snipe the launchers, don't get in my way!"
"Everyone, spread out properly. You're too close, no one can attack properly!"
I scratched my head.
...Was my expectation too high?
I didn't think they'd be this helpless.
Well, the arrows were mixed with Decoy magic, disrupting the mages' senses, and the projectiles were cleverly targeting gaps, making them threatening.
"...Good thing we're doing courage training before actual training."
Their stances are all over the place.
It's not about individual skill.
They have no idea how to fight as a team.
Their attacks overlap, unintentionally creating multiple gaps. Even worse, the six of them are repeating this cycle.
They're not even forming a proper formation, let alone a squad.
I had hoped that since Seven Stars students are elites, they'd have some basics down, but that hope was completely dashed.
"Actually, it's good."
Since we're starting, it's not bad to get thoroughly beaten at first.
That way, they'll listen to me better and avoid bad habits.
I planned to stand back and watch.
But the barrage of arrows showed no sign of stopping.
If anything, it was intensifying.
Moreover, it seemed like various magics were now mixed into the arrows.
Low-level magics, at least, were starting to spread through the arrows.
"This is getting dangerous."
"Get out of the way! Teacher, you too!"
"My ice has its limits!"
The magics that spread through the arrows were weak.
But there were too many types, making them tricky to handle.
The students, frantically trying to block them, were getting in each other's way, making proper defense impossible.
From my perspective, watching from behind, it was pure chaos.
"I'll borrow this for a moment."
Unable to just watch any longer, I created a flame umbrella to block the arrows and borrowed the spear from Seo Yerin.
"Ah... that's my spear."
"I'll return it after using it once, so watch closely."
I could have blocked these arrows with just [Pyrokinesis], but…
Since the stage was set, I decided to show them a proper technique.
This was a good opportunity to show the students not the Baek Seung-woo from the novel, but the soldier Baek Seung-woo's skills.
Lee Ji-han had built trust with me by learning techniques from me in Efnell's Garden, but the other students hadn't. This was a perfect chance to build trust with them.
I wasn't sure if my body could handle it, but I'd manage somehow.
Whoosh—!
The spear curved.
The synthetic resin spear shaft flexed elastically, smoothly and effortlessly deflecting the arrows and daggers.
The direction I deflected them was precisely where the projectiles had come from.
—Crash!
The deflected projectiles destroyed their own launchers.
I swung the spear in my hand, regaining my senses.
With that, all the launchers were destroyed.
'It's been a long time since I used this.'
What I had just demonstrated was the subtle art of Flow Shifting, a technique that could be performed even without internal energy.
At the peak of Flow, it branched into deeper, more profound techniques like Striking Flow.
'It didn't go as well as I thought.'
Such high-level techniques weren't easy to perform.
Only those with extensive knowledge and experience in martial arts and combat could wield them.
Originally, with my current body, I shouldn't have been able to use such techniques, but with my long experience, I managed to pull it off.
However, due to my weak physique, the power was weaker than I remembered.
But it was a suitable demonstration for the budding students.
Well, did they see and feel something?
I turned my head to look back.
"Wasn't that Flow Shifting just now? I've seen my dad use it before…"
"...Yes, that's right. I've… seen my grandfather use it too."
A mage using subtle martial techniques.
The sight was so unbelievable that Seong Yeon-hwa and Seo Yerin were flustered.
Both were daughters of prestigious martial families and had seen many outstanding martial arts since childhood. That's why they knew.
Something was off about my skills.
To resolve her doubts, Seo Yerin asked me.
"...Teacher, how can you perform that with such a frail body?"
"Just because I can."
"...?!"
At my answer, Seo Yerin's pupils shook.
She asked, puzzled.
"...Then, can I… learn that too?"
Teaching the art of Flow Shifting isn't difficult.
The problem is the individual's talent, but with Seo Yerin's level of talent, it's entirely possible. However, it's still too early.
We need to build a solid foundation first by teaching the basics slowly.
"I'll teach you, but I don't plan to teach anything too difficult yet. Don't worry too much."
"No, if you're going to teach… I'd like to learn everything."
"Everything?"
I couldn't help but ask in response to her unexpected answer.
Asking to be taught everything I could teach.
That's against the etiquette of a martial artist. It's rude to ask such a thing without establishing a formal master-disciple relationship.
But I didn't mind.
In fact, it piqued my curiosity.
Usually, martial artists want to reach their peak through their own strength. So, even when learning techniques, they mostly just grasp the theory and move on.
But here she was, asking me to spoon-feed her.
"Ah, was that… too rude of a request...?"
"Not really."
That's not the problem.
I'm only teaching for this semester.
Can she learn everything by then?
The desire to study martial arts is good, but I don't think she can learn everything in less than a year.
Among the techniques I can teach, some require not just talent but sheer effort.
If she can learn two or three of those by summer break, that's more than enough, and mastering one technique would be a great success.
I wanted to tell her it was impossible, but considering my image, I just nodded.
She'll realize it herself as she learns.
"...Wait."
"...?"
No, hold on.
Thinking about it, I felt like it might be good to teach her everything.
If I teach her with the resolve to pass on all the techniques before graduation, not just this semester, what then?
'This might work.'
A good idea came to mind.
***
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