I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

Early Sunday morning.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the spacious laboratory.

Jayden, a middle-aged man with flowing blond hair, paced in his laboratory, repeatedly checking the time on his wrist.

“If he’s going to arrive by evening, he should be contacting me soon,” Jayden muttered to himself. The previous evening, at Baek Woo-jin’s instruction, Jayden had contacted his mentor after nearly five years. He relayed everything Baek Woo-jin had told him, word for word.

His mentor, upon hearing about the owner of the unidentifiable barrier, immediately agreed to come without further questions.

Now, time had passed, and Jayden expected a call from his mentor, considering the time it would take to use the teleport portal at the Japanese Magic Association and go through the necessary procedures to enter Korea.

‘…The creator of the barrier himself.’

The thought of anyone else making such a claim would have elicited a scathing response, but coming from his mentor, it felt oddly believable.

More than anything, his mentor was a person whom the Chairman, who judged people solely on their abilities and not their power, had entrusted with equal authority.

Of course, during their first meeting, he had momentarily forgotten this fact and displayed a bit of an excessive attitude.

“Ahem.”

Jayden coughed softly to dispel the heat rising to his face as he recalled that incident.

-Riiing!

“Jayden Martel speaking.”

-I’m leaving now.

“Understood. And as I mentioned yesterday, you must not come alone.”

-I’ll bring some useful guys with me, so just come out and greet me.

Click.

Jayden furrowed his brows at his mentor’s abrupt manner of ending the call. Just as he was about to contact Baek Woo-jin to inform him of his mentor’s departure, a sharp alarm sounded from the ceiling.

“……Could it be?”

Jayden swallowed nervously as an ominous feeling washed over him. The alarm stopped, and an announcement followed.

-A space distortion phenomenon has occurred in front of the checkpoint. All combat-oriented professors currently in the Academy, please proceed to the checkpoint immediately.

-Once again…

“Mentor!!!”

Jayden stifled a scream, his teeth clenched, as he rushed out of the laboratory.

Focusing his magic power into his legs, Jayden moved with the speed of a well-trained enhanced awakened one, swiftly crossing the Academy grounds and arriving at the checkpoint in no time.

-Is that Ian McKellen?!
-It’s really Robert!
-Who’s that kid? Is he an apprentice?

Outside the checkpoint, the atmosphere was abuzz with excitement, contrary to the loud alarm that had just sounded. Jayden, feeling flustered by the commotion, wiped his face and stepped outside the barrier, creating a path by pushing back the students who had gathered out of curiosity.

“Stop! Everyone, step back!”

He used his released magic power to nudge the students aside, creating a path for himself.

The upperclassmen, familiar with Jayden’s usual demeanor, quickly snapped out of their excitement and made way, allowing Jayden to approach the center of the commotion.

“Ah, Professor…”

“I apologize.”

Jayden lightly apologized to the guard team leader, who was standing rigidly, unsure of what to do. He then turned his attention to where the guard had been looking.

There stood two middle-aged men with distinct Western features, one with a neat uniform and a tall stature, and a boy who seemed to have just shed his youthful appearance.

Jayden glared at the boy, who was staring at him intently, and said to the guard team leader, “He’s my guest. I’ll take him from here.”

**

Sean Connery, Jayden’s mentor and an awakened one with an ‘Analysis’ ability.

Sean sat in the sofa, the seat of honor, and said, “You brat, I came as soon as I could because you asked me to hurry. What’s with the attitude?”

“How can I not be upset?! You’re old enough to be more dignified! How dare you open a portal in front of another country’s Academy, let alone one filled with students?!” Jayden exclaimed, his face flushed with anger.

“So what? It’s just a portal. What’s the big deal?” Sean replied nonchalantly.

“It’s a big deal! You obviously drained every drop of magic power from those awakened ones you lured out under the pretext of research!” Jayden retorted.

His mentor, Sean, responded with a bored expression, “I just gave those moldy guys a chance to get some sun after being cooped up in their labs.”

“Sun? They were drawing magic circles underground!” Jayden argued.

Sean scratched his ear and changed the subject. “So, when can I meet this person you mentioned?”

“……Haa. I’ll contact him now. Please wait.” Jayden left the laboratory with his smartphone and returned within a minute.

“So, when can I meet him?” Sean asked.

“He’s sending someone. He said if you follow that person’s instructions, you’ll get a chance to meet him…” Jayden replied.

“Hahaha.” Sean, Jayden’s mentor, let out a hearty laugh and stroked his smooth chin as if he were grooming a well-groomed beard.

“My apprentice.”

“Yes.”

A blue light shone in the boy’s eyes.

“If it’s not a big deal, I’ll rip out your core.”

It was a clear threat, but Jayden responded with a very indifferent expression.

“You’re the one who went crazy over the mention of a barrier, and now you’re threatening me?” Jayden said.

“……”

“……”

At Jayden’s response, Sean and the two middle-aged men who had accompanied him looked at Sean with slightly disappointed eyes.

Sean, now the center of attention from three pairs of eyes, cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Hmm, my memory isn’t what it used to be.”

**

-Look, it’s really Ian McKellen!!
-Wow, Professor Jayden has some serious connections.
-Wasn’t Robert also here?

The Academy was still abuzz with excitement from the recent alarm.

“Hello!”

“Greetings!”

Students who had been enjoying the sudden gossip break greeted Claire as she walked by, but she ignored them and quietly passed by.

It was usual for Claire not to acknowledge greetings, so the students resumed their interrupted conversation.

However, Claire was a little different from her usual self as she walked.

-Be careful.

The man who had seen her off at the entrance of the mansion kept appearing in her mind.

His unexpected farewell had left her feeling flustered, and she couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t let her guard down, as if she might make that unfamiliar expression again at any moment.

“Ahem!!”

Claire coughed lightly to dispel the excited feeling, making sure no one was around.

-Show it to him and use it as much as you want.

Before leaving the mansion, he had handed her the storage-type artifact, saying, “Show it to him and use it as much as you want.”

She had no idea what was inside or who was waiting for her at her destination.

The old Claire would never have tolerated such a situation where she had no information.

As a daughter of Bwair, she was supposed to be the most sensitive to information. Yet here she was, moving solely on the basis of her trust in that person.

-Someone special to me…

“Ahem!! Cough!”

Claire was startled by the sudden memory and released a slight amount of magic power to dispel the inappropriate body temperature.

She didn’t want to show her flustered self to anyone other than that person.

Ding-

In the research building, a little distance away from the main building, the elevator stopped at the top floor, and Claire stepped out.

[Jayden Martel]

A large sign caught her eye. Without knocking, she opened the door and walked in.

“Hmm?”

“Executioner?”

Claire scanned the faces of those gathered on the sofa.

‘Ian McKellen, Robert, Jayden. And…’

The boy-like figure sitting in the most honored seat exuded a strange atmosphere, and although Claire didn’t recognize his face, the quality of magic power he possessed seemed vaguely familiar.

‘As expected of Professor…’

Claire turned away from the boy and looked at the two middle-aged men sitting on either side. Once again, she marveled at Baek Woo-jin’s greatness.

One was the only awakened one who had awakened the ability to manipulate time, and the other was the ‘former’ chief investigator of the International Awakened Criminal Investigation Organization.

“Hahaha, so it turns out that the executioner was just a messenger boy.”

“That’s right, Ashton. You’re still young.”

Claire ignored the remarks of Ian and Robert, who were familiar to her, and approached the group. She opened the pouch at her waist and reached inside.

A pitch-black darkness that revealed nothing.

She reached into the darkness and pulled out something that was lying in the vast space.

Huaaaah!

A beautiful blue light, not too dazzling, flowed from Claire’s left hand.

The translucent blue light. A crystal the size of a slightly smaller than an adult’s head.

Everyone in the room was captivated by the crystal that had suddenly appeared.

An unknown crystal filled with unfamiliar magic power that could not be hidden.

It was undoubtedly a ‘Gate’s Core’.

“What is this?!”

“Wow!”

“How is this a crystal…?”

Jayden, Ian, and Robert exclaimed in astonishment, their eyes fixed on the crystal in Claire’s hand.

Claire, as surprised and confused as the three men, quickly regained her composure and returned the crystal to the artifact.

“Hmm…”

“What did I just see?”

“Hehe…”

The two middle-aged men, Ian and Robert, looked at Sean, who was sitting in the seat of honor, with slightly disappointed eyes.