I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

-That will restrict your magic.

Jayden, standing next to Baek Woo-jin, handed out black bracelets.

As soon as they put them on, an unknown sense of constriction overwhelmed them.

-These are specially designed suits of armor that will shatter after sustaining a certain amount of damage.

The jet-black armor looked incredibly stylish.

They would be fighting while wearing these suits.

-If your armor breaks, you lose. However, there’s no need to inform them that your magic is restricted. In real combat, you wouldn’t reveal your weaknesses to your opponents.

Baek Woo-jin’s next words immediately caught the attention of the first-year professors who had been invited to this astonishing space.

-We’ll provide a special bonus for each student. It will be a substantial amount, so you can look forward to it.

Special bonus.

In other words, a bonus!!

‘It’s a bit awkward that those two are on the same team……’

Kang Hanna smiled and lowered the visor she had raised.

She had revealed her face only to intimidate the students, and now that she had achieved her goal, it was time to ravenously devour the feast before her.

Hwuuuk―!!

Kang Hanna leaped forward, charging at the four students.

She felt no shame in ambushing students who were much younger than her.

‘Bonus!!’

Determined to move into a new house next year, she was about to throw a punch when―

“Kek?!

Im Gyeongsu, who had been standing with his shield up, suddenly stumbled backward, and a pure white beast rushed forward.

The black gauntlet and the black glove collided.

――!!

The clash of magic and magic created a deafening boom that shook the surrounding air.

‘……She’s a real monster.’

Kang Hanna scowled as she faced Baek Hana, who was unfazed by their colliding fists. Even with their magic restricted, they were by no means weaker than the first-year students.

However, as soon as Kang Hanna clashed fists with Baek Hana, she instinctively knew something was wrong.

Hwuuk―!!

“Keuk……?!”

Without a moment to adjust her stance, Kang Hanna dodged Baek Hana’s incoming kick and created some distance. But―

“Shit……!!”

Kwaang―!!

Baek Hana closed the distance in an instant and threw a punch, which Kang Hanna barely blocked with her crossed arms. The impact sent her tumbling across the floor.

“This bitch……!!”

Kang Hanna rolled with the momentum and quickly got back to her feet. She glared at Baek Hana, who was now right in front of her, and manifested her ability.

Kagagagak―!!

Cracks formed on the floor, and Kang Hanna disappeared. Baek Hana, who had been charging forward, was sent flying backward.

“Kuaaak……!!”

“Hana?!”

Lee Nayoung frantically rummaged through her bag as she watched Baek Hana stumble and stop in front of Im Gyeongsu.

“I, I……”

“Don’t move.”

Na Joo-hee grabbed Im Gyeongsu’s shoulder as he tried to approach the unsteady Baek Hana.

“……It won’t make a difference if you or I step in. Our best option is to stay put and protect her.”

Perhaps if it had been their first encounter, but after seeing Kang Hanna’s movements, which were too fast to follow, they knew better.

“Hana, take this, this……!”

“Im Gyeongsu. Give it to her.”

At Na Joo-hee’s words, Im Gyeongsu handed the potion that Lee Nayoung was holding out to Baek Hana.

Baek Hana quietly took it, uncorked it, and downed the contents in one go.

Kang Hanna, who had been observing the whole exchange with her arms crossed, clicked her tongue softly.

‘……This is a bit unsightly.’

She was an enhancement-type, not an ability-type, and yet she had to manifest her ability against a student. If the other professors found out, she would become a laughingstock.

‘No, that’s not it. Anyone else would have done the same.’

Baek Hana had been a top candidate for the top rank, and it turned out that she had been hiding her strength. It was like a scenario straight out of a novel.

When they first clashed fists, Kang Hanna had felt a tingling sensation in her magic-infused hand, indicating that Baek Hana had been concealing her magic.

At least third-year level.

And that was assuming she was an ability-type. If she were an enhancement-type or transformation-type, she would likely overwhelm even the graduating students.

‘So, this is justified.’

With their magic restricted, they were at most second-year level, so it was only natural to manifest their abilities to compensate.

However, Kang Hanna still had a tiny bit of self-awareness as a professor, so she thought hard about how to minimize the unsightliness of the situation. She concluded that there was only one option.

‘I’ll subdue them without causing too much harm.’

Now that she had manifested her ability, she would use it to finish the fight as cleanly as possible. If she still appeared to be struggling even with her ability, that would be truly unsightly.

‘But how can I do that without looking ugly……?’

When she had manifested her ability, she could tell that Baek Hana’s eyes were following her movements. As evidence, right before her foot struck Baek Hana’s abdomen, she had gathered magic around the area to defend against the attack.

Not only did Baek Hana have an abundance of magic, but her control over it was also top-notch. It was questionable whether she was truly a first-year student.

“It seems like you’ve recovered enough, so let’s continue.”

If it hadn’t been for the bonus on the line, she would have just pounced on them without giving them time to recover. But as a professor, she had a tiny shred of dignity left, so she gave them a chance to prepare.

“Thank, you……”

“Uh, ahem! Yes.”

Baek Hana’s sincere gratitude made Kang Hanna’s conscience twinge, and she thought she should treat her to something delicious later.

“Here I come.”

Kang Hanna put force into her legs, and the ground beneath her feet cracked.

She sprinted forward, not directly toward Baek Hana, but instead circled around the other students, who were huddled together like frightened herbivores.

‘Creepy……’

Unlike the other students, who couldn’t keep up with her at all, Baek Hana’s eyes followed her precisely as she ran past.

‘I guess it won’t be that easy.’

If it were just a matter of brute force, it would be fine, but her goal was to subdue the students without causing them harm, so she decided to employ another tactic.

Wuuwung.

Magic gathered in Kang Hanna’s hand.

‘Good.’

Just as Baek Hana’s eyes fixed on her right hand, where the magic was gathering, Kang Hanna changed direction and lunged at Baek Hana. She extended her clenched right hand and―

Paaat―!!

“Aahk?!

“Kyaaak……!!”

“Waaahh!!”

The intense light overwhelmed the students.

Kang Hanna slowed down as she confirmed that Baek Hana’s eyelids had closed. She stopped next to Baek Hana and―

‘Exploiting weaknesses is never a cheap move.’

Kang Hanna’s hand firmly gripped Baek Hana’s tail, which was hanging limply.

“Good. Now―”

――!!

A blow to the head caused her stance to crumble.

Kwaang―!!

A follow-up strike hit her abdomen, and Kang Hanna tumbled across the floor.

“Damn it……”

The excruciating pain made her clench her teeth, and she barely managed to swallow the curse that had reached her tongue.

‘I clearly grabbed her tail, but she still hit me without hesitation?’

It was understandable that the flash of light didn’t affect her, but it was quite puzzling that she remained unfazed even when her tail was grabbed.

‘So, yesterday’s final match……’

Kang Hanna gritted her teeth as she met Baek Hana’s gaze, who was looking down at her with her eyes wide open. She tried to get up, but―

“……?”

It felt like she was sinking into a swamp as her body gradually sank into the floor.

“W-What is this?!”

The solid floor turned soft and gooey, swallowing her body. Kang Hanna panicked and flailed, and her eyes accidentally landed on her abdomen.

Where the sleek black steel should have been, there was now a gaping hole.

“Ah, no!!”

Kang Hanna finally realized that the last blow from Baek Hana had shattered her armor. And now, she was being sucked into the floor because she had lost and was being removed from the game.

“This is invalid!! This is invalid, I tell you! Hey!!”

Kang Hanna shouted, and Baek Hana flinched, averting her gaze slightly.

At Baek Hana’s reaction, Kang Hanna’s mouth, hidden behind the visor, dropped open.

“Of course!! In the test, I―”

Kaang―!!

An empty potion bottle flew and hit Kang Hanna’s helmet.

“……?”

“……”

Kang Hanna was momentarily speechless due to the absurdity of the situation. Baek Hana took advantage of the fact that the three of them hadn’t recovered their sight yet and quickly approached Kang Hanna. Then―

“……I’m sorry.”

Baek Hana stepped on Kang Hanna’s helmet with her foot.

Kuurururuk―!!

Perhaps it was due to the effect of the potion, but―

“You, you moth――!!”

Kang Hanna tried to shout something, but her head sank into the floor before the rest of her body, and soon, she was completely swallowed up by the floor and disappeared.

“What do we do now……”

After Kang Hanna’s disappearance, the four students groaned in pain for a while in the spacious room.