“W-what is that?”
“Isn’t that a buttstock? Can an Academy teacher really beat someone like that?”
“S-someone go stop him—!”
“Are you crazy? You’ll be lucky if you don’t get hurt for butting in.”
[Skill – Gudgeoni’s Unreasonable Beating Class]
◎ You can freely employ skillful unreasonable beatings from the military.
You can use deadly beating techniques containing the violent hazing of barracks kingpins.
When paired with the Third Eye skill, you can attack the spots that deliver the most satisfying impact.
THWACK—! SMACK—! THWAAACK—!
As I began wildly striking every corner of his body with the buttstock in conjunction with the skill Third Eye, the other students watching the situation stared in utter shock, unable to believe what they were seeing.
In the meantime, Cha Jun-hyeon waved his hands in the air and began declaring his surrender.
“I-I surrender—!”
“What?”
“I surrender! I surrender! I lost! I lost—!”
“Are you admitting defeat?”
“Y-yeah! I lost! I lost, so stop hitting me!”
“It’s good news that you’ve admitted defeat. However... it seems you’ve forgotten what I told you earlier.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I told you that the moment you lost to me, you’d be dead if you spoke casually to me, didn’t I?”
“W-well... W-wait! Please calm down first...”
“It’s already too late!”
“Aaaagh! Stop, aaaagh—!”
Unable to endure the continued blows any longer, Cha Jun-hyeon tried desperately to flee beyond the sparring ring.
However, I easily grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and gave him another long clubbing with the buttstock.
After I properly taught him his lesson, Cha Jun-hyeon groaned in pain and cried.
“You’re crying over only this much... At this rate, will you even be able to fight Villains properly after you graduate?”
Gulp—!
Following Min Hyeong-jun, Cha Jun-hyeon had also been defeated.
The remaining students, who had witnessed them collapse one after another beneath my attacks, swallowed hard as they stared at the situation.
I opened my mouth toward the rest of them.
“Who wants to take him to the infirmary—!”
“...”
“No one? Then I’ll give you a special privilege. Whoever takes him to the infirmary will be exempt from fighting me.”
“!!! M-me! I’ll take him!”
“No! I’m close with the school nurse, so I’ll take him.”
“I’m good at carrying people on my back, so I’ll take him!”
At my words that the one who took Cha Jun-hyeon to the infirmary could survive, the students raised their hands as though they had glimpsed a single ray of hope.
Like they were competing fiercely for college admission, they looked at me as though begging me to choose them.
‘Please... Pick me—!’
“You there in front—!”
“!!! M-me?”
“You. Take the bastard crying on the floor here to the infirmary.”
“A-all right!”
It seemed that a hierarchy was finally beginning to form.
The student answered politely at the order to take Cha Jun-hyeon to the infirmary. He quickly helped Cha Jun-hyeon up and headed outside, the corners of his lips raised as though he had won.
Meanwhile, the students who had not been chosen looked at me with fallen faces amid an unspoken tension.
“All right, now that the match with Cha Jun-hyeon is over, the next one, come forward.”
“...”
“No one?”
“...”
“Hm... No one, is that it? Then...”
Gulp—!
The students’ gazes were filled with the expectation that this might somehow pass without incident because no one was willing to fight the teacher standing before them.
However, I paid no mind to their looks and glanced at the roster on the podium before speaking.
“From now on, I’ll call names in the order listed on the attendance sheet. Whoever is called, come to the front.”
“!!! T-this can’t be...”
As I watched their hopeless expressions, as though there was no way to escape, I spoke a single sentence.
“The only way this class ends is if every one of you comes out and fights me.”
“Just what is this? Why are there so many Zero Class students today? What happened to all of you?”
The teacher in charge of Ares Academy’s infirmary stared in shock at the students who had come there groaning after being beaten by me.
“Sir! Treat me first. Every inch of my body hurts.”
“No, what in the world happened? Haa~! I was planning to take it easy until retirement, but...”
Not one or two, but around twenty students had entered the infirmary at once.
He looked at them with an absurd expression and opened his mouth.
“What happened? Did you all get into a fight?”
“Well, Teacher Baek Seon-woo that bastard... No, I mean Teacher Baek Seon-woo was giving us instruction...”
“!!! What? Teacher Baek Seon-woo?”
“Yes, while we were in class with Teacher Baek Seon-woo...”
“No, how rough was that class... More importantly, is Teacher Baek all right? He didn’t get hurt or anything, did he?”
“Hurt? That man?”
“Sir! You only say that because you don’t know... That man’s completely insane! Ah, he told us not to speak casually... Anyway, that teacher isn’t in his right mind!”
“What are you talking about? What do you mean, he isn’t in his right mind?”
“That man... No, Teacher Baek Seon-woo fought us in the sparring ring and beat every one of us.”
“!!! What? Teacher Baek beat all of you? I-is that true?”
“Why would we all come here to the infirmary together if we were crazy?”
‘W-what the hell is going on? From what I know, Teacher Baek’s physical condition improved after returning to work, but even so, he defeated every student in Zero Class? Does that make any sense?’
It was a situation he simply could not believe.
The school nurse, who was nearing retirement, let out a dumbfounded laugh.
“Heh. To think I would get to see such an interesting sight so late in my life.”
Abel Guild Guildmaster’s Office.
“G-grandfather! What brings you here all of a sudden? I told you to rest some more...”
“Thanks to my granddaughter, I feel refreshed. I cannot stay cooped up in the house, can I? Heh-heh—!”
“I still think it would be better for you to get some more rest...”
“This old man only stays healthy when he works. Hahaha—!”
Seo Do-gyeom raised both arms as though showing his granddaughter that he was still strong.
Then, after checking his healthy body, which had recovered from Mana Addiction, he smiled and spoke to Seo Ha-yoon.
“What was the name of the young man who freed me from Mana Addiction? Baek Seon-woo, was it?”
“That’s right, Grandfather.”
“Hmm... Baek Seon-woo... Baek Seon-woo...”
“Why do you ask?”
Seo Do-gyeom, the Guildmaster of Abel Guild, repeatedly mulled over the name of the young man who had saved him when there had been no way to treat his Mana Addiction and he had nearly died.
Then, as though he had made up his mind about something, he looked at his granddaughter and spoke.
“Ha-yoon, where is that young man? I heard he’s a teacher at Ares Academy.”
“What? Young man? Teacher? You mean Mr. Baek Seon-woo?”
“That’s right. I should meet him in person and see him with my own eyes.”
As though he had already made up his mind, Seo Do-gyeom rose from his seat and called for Seok Jin-young, his right-hand man and bodyguard.
[Yes, this is Seok Jin-young.]
“Team Leader Seok. You went to Ares Academy last time, didn’t you?”
[That is correct, Guildmaster.]
“If there is nothing urgent on the schedule, accompany me to Ares Academy in ten days.”
[Ares Academy?]
“That is right.”
[... Understood. I will prepare everything according to the schedule you desire, Guildmaster.]
“Hm... While Team Leader Seok prepares, I suppose I should prepare something as well. Heh-heh—!”
Seo Do-gyeom rose from his seat with a bright expression, as though he were going to meet someone he had missed after a long time.
His granddaughter, Seo Ha-yoon, looked at him with some concern and opened her mouth.
“You’re going out to Ares Academy?”
“Yes. I want to see the face of that young man named Baek Seon-woo. He is the benefactor who saved my life, so shouldn’t I at least thank him in person?”
“That’s true, but Ares Academy has ties to Helios Guild...”
There had recently been a small clash with Helios Guild while protecting Baek Seon-woo.
Seo Ha-yoon looked at her grandfather with a worried expression, but Seo Do-gyeom smiled as though telling her not to worry.
“Do not worry. Not even Helios Guild would be able to lay a hand on this old man. Heh-heh—!”
“B-but... Then I’ll come with you.”
“You want to come with me too, Ha-yoon?”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Seo Do-gyeom looked momentarily surprised by her words.
However, he soon understood the concern of his beloved granddaughter. He stroked her head with a pleased expression.
“Very well. Since things have turned out this way, shall this old man go out for a stroll with his granddaughter? Heh-heh—! Prepare with Team Leader Seok.”
“Yes, I understand!”
Only after receiving her grandfather’s permission did Seo Ha-yoon look relieved and leave through the door.
Once his granddaughter had left, Seo Do-gyeom looked into a mirror, straightened his clothes, and spoke.
“Baek Seon-woo... He found something that even my capable granddaughter could not find. He is quite an impressive fellow. I should meet him in person and speak with him. Depending on how things go, I will make him one of mine.”
Ares Academy’s Grand Auditorium.
Students from every class, from A-Class to Zero Class, had gathered for a joint lesson.
Before class began, they chatted with their friends about various things.
“Yaaawn—! I’m so sleepy I could die. Why do we even have to take this class?”
“Hey! Should we just skip it? We can’t leave this auditorium once it starts anyway.”
“Yeah! When have we ever attended class? Let’s hang out somewhere else for two hours, then go eat.”
“If we do that, Baek Seon-woo will beat us all to death.”
“!!! T-that’s true.”
A week had passed since Zero Class had received a proper lesson from Baek Seon-woo.
As promised, they showed absolute obedience(?) to his words and were forcibly attending classes they had once skipped as routinely as eating meals.
“Damn it, how did things end up like this? At this time, I should be sleeping comfortably.”
“Seriously. Ever since Baek Seon-woo came here, everything’s been messed up—!”
“Hey! Watch what you say. Baek Seon-woo might show up behind you.”
“Hey! Does that make any sense? This is a joint class where students from every class gather. There’s no way Baek Seon-woo, who has nothing to do with this subject, would show up.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“Fuck, as expected of delinquent pieces of trash. You’re making so much noise before class even starts.”
“!!! What? What did you just say?”
“Trash. Why are you doing something you never do? You’re getting in the way of elite students like us preparing for class. Either get out of the auditorium right now, or shut your mouths and sit quietly.”
“Yeah, just get out already~! Do you really think you’d understand this class when you guys don’t have any real skill? Zero Class is nothing but blockhead trash, isn’t it? Heh-heh.”
“!!! Blockheads? Trash? You fucking A-Class bastards—!”
Cha Jun-hyeon glared at the A-Class students mocking Zero Class, looking furious.
However, one of them merely spoke in a mocking tone.
“Why? Did I say anything wrong? Look at this bastard’s expression. Want to fight us?”
“There’s no reason I can’t fight you. I’ve been in a foul mood lately, so this worked out well! You A-Class bastards have always acted so high and mighty just because you’re elites. Today, I’ll teach you a proper lesson!”
“Idiot~! Do you think you can teach us a lesson with your skill? It’s dirty even touching trash like you before class, so get lost already! Understand?”
“Y-you bastard—!”
Already in a foul mood after getting beaten senseless recently, Cha Jun-hyeon could no longer hold back when they provoked him.
He hardened part of his body like rock and threw a punch at the student who had started the fight.
“Isn’t class about to start? What are you doing here?”
“!!! B-Baek Seon-woo—! No, T-Teacher.”
Caught in the act, Cha Jun-hyeon stopped what he was doing and looked utterly flustered.
I let out a sigh as I looked at him.
“What is going on here? You know that using your ability at the Academy is forbidden except in official sparring matches, don’t you?”
“... W-well, that bastard...”
Cha Jun-hyeon looked at a loss, caught between his bitter resentment toward A-Class and his fear of Baek Seon-woo.
As though comforting him, I lightly patted his shoulder before approaching the A-Class student who had picked the fight.
“What is your name?”
“... Seong Ji-hoon.”
“Seong Ji-hoon... You are a student who entered A-Class this time?”
“That is correct.”
Unable to openly disregard me because I was a teacher, Seong Ji-hoon answered while looking down on me due to the rumors he had heard about Baek Seon-woo.
‘Even though he is an elite, a faint red aura is leaking from him. He has not become a Villain, but he certainly has a rotten attitude.’
“Did you just call the Zero Class students delinquent blockhead trash?”
“Well, you see...”
“The class you belong to can change at any time, depending on the circumstances. And the people who can judge such things are teachers, not students like you.”
“...”
“One of my students made a mistake, and you are from another class, so I’ll let this pass. Otherwise, you would have been beaten senseless by me already.”
“!!! What? What did you say?”
“You should be grateful that I did not beat the living shit out of you right now.”