I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

December 9th.

33 days until the memorial ceremony.

“Alright, let’s begin the final ranking battle.”

Jayden’s voice, amplified by magic, reverberated throughout the training hall.

“Challengers, please come forward.”

Over a dozen students, from first to third-year, stepped forward.

“Yes, let’s start with the lowest-ranked student, Kang Seok-ho. Kang Seok-ho and Kim Jun-pyo, please come forward.”

I glanced at the tablet in Jayden’s hand.

[17th Kang Seok-ho (1st year): Slow but steady growth.]

[16th Kim Jun-pyo (2nd year): Upper-ranked due to strength enhancement ability (could be a top contender if he had quickness or other mid-high abilities).]

A brief evaluation was written alongside the rankings.

“Professor Kang Hanna, please take over.”

“Yes, sir!”

Professor Kang Hanna, acting as the referee, continued the ranking battle in Jayden’s place.

Jayden walked over and sat next to me.

“I thought the Vice-Professor would be here, but I didn’t expect you to come yourself.”

“I’ve taken care of everything, so it’s time for me to do my duty as the person in charge.”

“Haha, the students are already praising you just by having Vice-Professor Claire here. Isn’t that right, Professor Cheon Ji-ho?”

Professor Cheon Ji-ho, sitting a seat away, turned his head towards us with a start.

“Yes, that’s right. The students are definitely growing, even if the rate varies a little, every time Vice-Professor Claire observes them.”

“Professor Cheon Ji-ho is right. Every time Vice-Professor Claire hits them with the wooden sword, a bad habit is corrected, and they push their magic power to the limit to avoid getting hit as much, which has significantly increased their magic power operation speed.”

-Kim Jun-pyo wins!!

Even without amplifying her voice, Professor Kang Hanna’s voice was clear from where we were.

“Hmm… Although he lost, Kang Seok-ho has grown remarkably compared to two months ago.”

Professor Cheon Ji-ho stood up unsteadily and looked down at Kang Seok-ho, who was shaking hands with the upperclassman.

“At first, he couldn’t even do partial transformation properly, but now he can convert only the parts that will be hit into steel before the attack lands. Moreover, he can increase the weight by converting his arms and hands into steel during attacks, or decrease the weight after his opponent gets used to it, creating an off-beat rhythm in his attacks, making his combat style quite flexible.”

It was a detailed explanation.

“You’ve been watching closely, I see.”

“Haha… I’ve been observing not only Kang Seok-ho but also the other students. After all, the position you gave me is quite important…”

He awkwardly laughed and scratched his head with his remaining arm.

“To be honest, I feel uncomfortable because I haven’t done much for the students…”

The guy glanced at me.

“Professor Baek said that sharing my experiences with the students would be enough, but seeing how hard they are working, I feel guilty for taking up their time. It feels like I’m wasting it.”

Professor Cheon Ji-ho gave me a look, hoping that I would replace him with another professor.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll create the position for you, and you just need to fulfill your role there.”

“Hmm… I’ll do my best.”

“Yes, you should.”

“…”

A small question appeared in the guy’s eyes, but he nodded, and the situation was resolved.

-Na Joo-hee! And Nam Seo-hee! Come forward!!

The red and black figures stepped onto the stage.

‘3rd and 4th place, huh.’

If things had gone according to the original flow, Na Joo-hee would have maintained her 2nd place ranking.

However, with the existence of Baek Hana, Yoon Iseul dropped to 2nd place, and with Nam Seo-hee’s aggressive transformation, Na Joo-hee’s ranking naturally dropped.

‘Not bad.’

After losing to Baek Hana, Na Joo-hee didn’t give up but instead moved forward and continued to grow.

Although I didn’t intend her to befriend Hana out of pure kindness, I decided to let it be as I didn’t sense any ill intentions, which I believed would benefit Baek Hana in various ways.

‘Even if that weren’t the case, Nam Seo-hee would take care of it, so I don’t need to worry.’

“Cough, cough, Na Joo-hee has been training really hard for today.”

“You’ve been observing her, I see.”

“Haha… Since she uses the same fire magic as me, I naturally paid more attention to her.”

I glanced at the two of them on stage.

‘Na Joo-hee has a slight advantage in magic power.’

In reality, unless it’s a special case like Claire or Baek Hana, it’s almost impossible for an enhancement-type ability to surpass an innate-type ability in terms of magic power.

“Cough, Nam Seo-hee has also been training without rest.”

“Even with the same training, there are differences in growth rates, aren’t there?”

“It seems that Nam Seo-hee’s growth rate is higher, considering she has maintained her 3rd place ranking until now.”

“Hoo…”

“Cough…”

The two of them, old enough to know better, were bickering.

“Both of you, shut up.”

“Yes, sir…”

“Sorry…”

They quickly lowered their eyes and turned their heads to look at the stage below.

-Begin!!

And as if on cue, Professor Kang Hanna announced the start of the ranking battle.

As Professor Kang Hanna stepped back, the two of them quickly sprang into action.

Whoosh!!

The moment the battle began, Na Joo-hee’s body was enveloped in flames as she manifested elemental fire.

Fzzzzzzzzz!!

A streak of blue light flew towards Na Joo-hee.

-Creeeeak?!

Na Joo-hee, half-engulfed in flames like a fire spirit, rolled on the ground and narrowly avoided the blue light. But just before she stood up, Nam Seo-hee, following the trajectory, jumped towards her and tackled her.

-You crazy bitch…!!

As Na Joo-hee’s magic circuit expanded, flames burst out.

-What are you talking about, loser?

Fzzzzzzzzz!!

-Kyaaaak?!

Nam Seo-hee’s fist, imbued with blue lightning, struck Na Joo-hee’s face.

Although Na Joo-hee was in elemental fire form, which made her immune to physical attacks, the lightning in Nam Seo-hee’s hand still dealt a significant blow.

-Stop! Nam Seo-hee wins!!

As Professor Kang Hanna declared the winner, Nam Seo-hee slowly stepped off Na Joo-hee.

Her hair and uniform were slightly singed, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Is it okay for a swordsman to throw their sword?”

“In a real battle, there’s no time to worry about such things. Winning is all that matters.”

Professor Cheon Ji-ho took Nam Seo-hee’s side but couldn’t look Jayden in the eye, feeling embarrassed.

“I know that Nam Seo-hee has thrown her sword before. This isn’t a matter of Na Joo-hee’s lack of skill, but rather your fault for not properly informing her opponent of their strategy.”

“I’m sorry.”

“To be in such a state when the opponent is already known…”

“Ugh…”

The guy’s shoulders, which had been straight, slumped noticeably.

“I seem to have overestimated you.”

“I’ll, I’ll do better.”

“You should.”

I glared at Jayden for a moment before turning my gaze back to the stage below.

-Yoon Iseul! Baek Hana! Come forward!!

The black and white figures stepped onto the stage.

I handed the tablet to Jayden.

“Send them in.”

“Now…?”

“There won’t be any changes in the rankings. Just send them in. And send me the list of participants by email when it’s ready.”

“Ah, yes. The list will be distributed by tomorrow afternoon.”

-Begin!!

Even before Professor Kang Hanna had stepped off the stage, a pure white beast crossed it.

Although a beat slower than Baek Hana’s movements, Yoon Iseul also spread her shadow widely. This allowed her to grab the feet of her opponent while also intercepting any airborne enemies.

“Wow…!! This is incredible…!! It’s not a speed that a student can possibly achieve!! Could it be that she wasn’t going all out until now?!”

Professor Cheon Ji-ho stood up from his seat, amazed by Baek Hana’s speed.

‘…I shouldn’t have come.’

Just before the previous match, Nam Seo-hee had thrown a sword at a speed twice as fast as the one currently circling around Yoon Iseul, who was now like a beast hunting its prey.

Baek Hana, who had been using only a fraction of her magic power until now, was now utilizing it to its full potential.

Kwagagagagak──!!

“Ugh?!”

“Y-Yes, sir?!”

Both Professor Cheon Ji-ho and Jayden were startled and stood up from their seats.

The floor, made of superalloy, flipped over and flew towards Yoon Iseul.

Pabababak─!!

Countless shadow spears shot out from the shadow beneath the floor, piercing the flying wall.

Kagagagagak!!

And from the protruding spears, more spears emerged, and from those, even more spears, quickly covering the entire stage.

However, Baek Hana was nowhere to be found.

“It’s over.”

A small portion of the floor was still floating in the air.

Right in front of it, a pure white beast appeared.

Paaang──!!

The beast, having hunted its prey, forcefully pushed the floating debris, creating a loud cracking sound. A cloud of large and small dust particles rose from where Yoon Iseul had been standing.

“Let them rest for a day, and gather them here again the day after tomorrow.”

“Yes? Ah, yes. I understand…”

In the midst of the dust.

I watched Baek Hana, who was on top of Yoon Iseul with sharp claws at her throat, for a moment before standing up.

.
.
.
“You don’t look well.”

“Ah, Professor Jayden.”

Professor Cheon Ji-ho, who had approached Jayden without notice, slightly bowed his head with a bitter smile.

“I’m more nervous because I can’t imagine what kind of plan Professor Baek has in mind.”

“Haha, you don’t need to worry too much, no matter what it is. He may look cold, but he takes good care of those under his wing.”

“I see.”

Although it was unclear if they were on good terms, Professor Cheon Ji-ho nodded his head at Jayden’s words, as he seemed to have a somewhat friendly relationship with Baek Woo-jin.

“Let’s get ready soon. He’ll be here soon.”

Jayden checked his wristwatch and returned to his seat, straightening out the relaxed students.

“Cough, everyone gather!”

Professor Cheon Ji-ho also sprinkled a bit of tension on the students who had become a little relaxed after a day of rest.

Clack.

Professor Cheon Ji-ho turned his head at the pleasant sound of high heels, having been observing the lined-up students.

A senior official in a black coat and suit appeared.

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes. Everyone is here, not a single person is missing.”

Baek Woo-jin nodded once.

Clack─!!

Then, he snapped his fingers towards the stage.

Professor Cheon Ji-ho blinked for a moment at this incomprehensible action, but soon after, he couldn’t help but widen his eyes at the change that occurred.

Whoosh──!!

A blue light burst out in the center of the stage, and something that should never have been there appeared.

“Oh… It’s an artificial gate.”

Jayden approached, slightly stuttering.

“Cheon Ji-ho.”

“Y-Yes, sir?”

Professor Cheon Ji-ho, who had been momentarily stunned by the sudden appearance of the gate, quickly regained his composure and replied.

“If you do your part, you’ll be able to lead the students out within a month.”

“What?”

“Go in.”

“No, w-wait, I need an explana-aahh?!”

Professor Cheon Ji-ho was lifted into the air and thrown into the gate.

Baek Woo-jin turned to the students, whose faces were tense with fear, and said,

“Go in. Unless you want to land on your face.”

“Hiiik…”

Most of the students flinched and shuddered.

Baek Hana and Nam Seo-hee stepped forward first.

Without hesitation, they entered the gate.

“Eeek…”

Na Joo-hee, slightly angry, followed them into the gate.

Yoon Iseul went in next, and the other students followed one by one.

“Wow, a whole month… Whatever you’ve prepared, it seems like it’ll be tough… Huh?”

Jayden stared at the shimmering gate, but suddenly turned his head at the sound of footsteps on the floor.

“Th-The, Professor Baek…?”

Baek Woo-jin said to Jayden, who was swallowing his dry saliva.

“Isn’t this the place you liked?”

“No, th-that, I, a month is a bit… I have a lot of work… Aahh?!”

Jayden was swallowed by the blue light and disappeared.

“Professor Kang Hanna.”

“Y-Yes, sir!!!”

Professor Kang Hanna, who was very tense, quickly ran to stand in front of Baek Woo-jin.
“Along with the other professors, pack the necessary items for the students as well.”

“Yes!! I’ll double and triple-check and prepare everything!!!”

“Dismissed.”

“Yes! Dismissed!!!”

Professor Kang Hanna quickly turned around.

The other professors, who had received her intense gaze, bowed briefly to Baek Woo-jin and quickly left the training hall.

“I’ll leave the rest to you.”

A small ripple appeared in the empty space, and Claire, with her elegant blonde hair neatly tied up, appeared.

“Yes. Be careful.”

“Yes.”

Baek Woo-jin turned and entered the gate.

At his waist was a familiar small bag.