I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

The door to the senior sparring hall was firmly shut.

“Why me…?”

“Why? You seem to have a close relationship with Professor Baek.”

“Relationship? Me? Are you senile?”

Kang Hanna, who had once been under the care of Professor Hwang Min-ho, now a senior, gaped at him in disbelief.

“Jayden, shouldn’t Professor Cheon Ji-ho be the next in line to enter? Why would they send a lowly errand boy like me?”

“Haha, our Hanna has grown up and become so smart.”

Hwang Min-ho smiled like a kindly old man, then clenched his right hand, which was covered in small scars.

“Argh, I’ll show you! I’ll just faint right here!”

“Haha.”

Hwang Min-ho shook his head as he watched Hanna dramatically flop onto the ground.

“You little rascal…”

“I’ll show you!”

Hanna had won a large sum in the ranking match, and now, aside from a few specific individuals, nothing seemed to faze her.

“Tsk, tsk. Open the door.”

At Hwang Min-ho’s command, the other professors opened the previously closed sparring hall door.

Hanna, who had been lying on the ground with her eyes closed, cautiously opened them a slit.

“Waaaah!”

No, she opened them wide.

“A fighter like me wouldn’t faint.”

“Eek!”

Before she could react, Hwang Min-ho grabbed her ankle and threw her into the air, sending her flying through the open doorway.

Thud!

Hanna managed to land on her feet, barely maintaining her balance.

“Yikes…”

Hanna was so shocked and angry that she almost let out a string of curses, but she managed to swallow them back down.

The door to the sparring hall was already shut tight, and more importantly, there was someone inside whom she couldn’t afford to show her weakness to.

‘This crazy old man…’

Hanna vowed to get her revenge on Hwang Min-ho as she slowly turned around.

She swallowed hard, her throat dry.

A massive blue crackling gate loomed before her.

Standing in front of it, as if guarding it, was Claire Bean Assen.

‘Ugh, she’s like a statue.’

Her skin was so fair it was almost translucent, and her eyes were as cold as ice.

Her sharp nose and cherry-red lips added to her allure.

“Huff, huff, huff…”

Hanna had to use her cultivation technique to calm herself before she could take a step forward.

“What’s going on?”

As soon as she stepped down from the audience seats, she felt a piercing gaze that seemed to contain the coldness of winter.

“Umm… do you know when the people inside will be coming out?”

Her voice trembled involuntarily.

Was she nervous and scared?

Not scared, no.

Just nervous.

And…

‘She’s even more beautiful up close…’

She was so beautiful.

That was the reason.

From a distance, she hadn’t noticed it, but standing right in front of her, there was something about her that made Hanna’s body tingle all over. It was a sensual beauty that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. That’s why she couldn’t look her in the eye.

“They’ll be out before midnight.”

“Oh… I see.”

How could she, just a mere professor, argue with the famous Executor of the Church of Amusement?

All she could do was nod her head vigorously.

‘But it’ll be a problem if they really come out right before midnight.’

Following Baek Woo-jin’s instructions, she had packed the luggage for thirty students, as well as for Professors Jayden and Cheon Ji-ho.

However, there was a small problem.

The opening ceremony was in two days.

If they wanted to make it in time, they would have to board the plane the next morning.

If they were just planning to arrive in time for the ceremony, they could leave in the afternoon, but that would definitely affect the students’ condition.

‘They’ll be broadcast worldwide, so our students can’t look shabby.’

Moreover, while they had packed the communal items like potions and temporary weapons perfectly, they hadn’t touched the students’ personal belongings, like clothes and other private items, as it was a matter of privacy.

In other words, if the students wanted to get some rest, they needed to leave before sunset.

That way, they could have some personal time and get a good night’s sleep.

‘The upperclassmen already know the schedule, so we can just explain it to our little darlings on the plane.’

Fortunately, the Academy had purchased a private jet specifically for events like this.

Thanks to this, they didn’t have to rush, although they still didn’t have much time to spare.

‘They’re going to complain so much at the Hwaram.’

Hwaram Academy was ranked outside the top 10 globally, but it was the second oldest and most prestigious Awakened academy in the country, after Arena Academy.

They also had a small private jet, but if each participating academy used their own jet, the airport would be in chaos. So, for events like this, they always traveled together on the Arena Academy’s jet.

Hanna discreetly rolled her eyes and glanced at Clair, who stood like a statue.

‘What can they do if they complain?’

They had the famous Executor of the Church of Amusement with them.

‘If they have a problem, they should be better than us.’

As Hanna finished her thoughts, she politely bowed to Clair.

Rumble!

A heavy noise and intense light burst from the previously quiet rift.

It was a sign that those who had entered were returning.

“Step back.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hanna and Clair moved from the stage to the audience seats.

Whoosh!

A blinding light erupted, strong enough to blind an ordinary person.

“Wow…”

Hanna couldn’t help but be amazed.

As the intense light faded, the rift that had been there before was gone. In its place stood the students who had entered the rift a month ago, along with the two professors.

‘Why do their eyes look like that?’

The students glared with eyes like venomous snakes ready to strike.

‘Our little darling… always had fierce eyes.’

After checking on Baek Hana and the other seemingly normal students, Hanna’s gaze naturally turned to the two professors.

“Ugh…”

Jayden and Cheon Ji-ho.

Hanna was shocked as she finally got a good look at their haggard appearance.

Unlike the students, who seemed relatively normal despite their slightly crazed eyes, the two professors looked like they had just returned from the brink of death, their faces gaunt and weary.

“Pack your personal belongings and gather in the parking lot by 8 AM tomorrow…”

Jayden’s voice was weak, clearly exhausted.

“Ma…”

“Get out of the way!”

The students didn’t wait for Jayden to finish speaking. They sprinted forward with crazed eyes.

‘What the hell happened in there?’

The stage was suddenly empty.

Hanna glanced at Clair, who was standing beside her, and cautiously stepped down to approach the two professors.

“Are you okay?”

“Do I look okay?”

Cheon Ji-ho, who always used polite language regardless of age or cultivation level, furrowed his brow in response.

“N-no.”

Hanna unconsciously stood at attention and swallowed hard.

The furrow on Cheon Ji-ho’s brow smoothed out.

“Sorry. Is there anything urgent you need to know?”

“Huh? N-no, nothing. No, sir.”

“Then I’ll head in first…”

Cheon Ji-ho let out a deep sigh and left.

Hanna cautiously rolled her eyes to look up at Jayden.

His face was so exhausted that even a zombie would mistake him for one of their own.

“Umm…”

“Don’t ask anything.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jayden passed by Hanna and nodded slightly to Clair, who was standing on the audience seats, before leaving.

“Umm…”

“You should go too.”

“S-sorry.”

Hanna mumbled the first greeting that came to mind and quickly followed after Jayden.

After everyone had left.

A figure appeared on the empty stage like a mirage.

Clair leaped and landed gracefully in front of Baek Woo-jin.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Well… I guess it was hard work.”

Baek Woo-jin handed over the storage-type artifact he had been carrying at his waist and thought.

-Does it really save?

-Once you know how to save, the rest is easy!

-Stop standing there like an idiot and start!

After determining the new order among themselves, Jayden and Cheon Ji-ho had learned that the save method was real, and the students’ actions proceeded as expected.

They fearlessly faced the enemy’s attacks in pursuit of high-quality food, and if they couldn’t win, they willingly offered their bodies as food to take the enemy’s life.

In reality, even if their lives were at stake, they wouldn’t have acted so recklessly. But here, they performed these actions hundreds of times without hesitation.

Even though their craving for food was intense, the pain of having their hearts pierced or limbs cut off was no different from reality.

In other words, the more they challenged themselves, the more their spirits wore down.

At some point, fear would set in, and the madness would fade, allowing them to regain their sanity and continue with a more efficient strategy… This was Baek Woo-jin’s expected scenario.

-Idiot!

-Hahahaha!

-Surrender to the Queen!

However, Baek Hana’s existence created a variable.

The students were driven not only by their craving for food but also by Baek Hana’s smile and the desire to earn her favor, even if it was just a little.

So, they challenged the summoned creatures without rest.

The process was slightly different, but the result was still favorable for Baek Hana, so it was a satisfactory outcome.

If only that damn uninvited guest hadn’t interfered several times.

“Professor?”

“…”

At Clair’s call, Baek Woo-jin snapped out of his thoughts and took her hand.

“What about the other students?”

“They all decided to come together.”

“I see.”

“Yes. And separately, we have a private…”

Clair couldn’t finish her sentence.

The warm and happy sensation she felt on her lips, which she hadn’t experienced in a long time, stopped her words.

“Let’s go back to the mansion.”

“Y-yes.”