Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Group Project (2)

Monday morning, kicking off a new week.

I arrived in good spirits only to find four emails waiting.

─Please give feedback. / An Seri

─This is Baek Seolhwa from the Sword Department. Requesting evaluation. / Baek Seolhwa

─This is Group D leader Oh Jaehak. / Oh Jaehak

─Feedback request / Song Seokhwan

"Florian kids are really diligent."

I'd told them to film their training sessions and submit them for feedback, but I hadn't expected them this soon.

I'd figured An Seri and Baek Seolhwa might send theirs, but Oh Jaehak─and even Song Seokhwan─had mailed too.

Seeing such eager students boosted my own motivation.

This had to mean my lectures were more interesting than I'd thought, right?

"Let's see...... Group D first."

I was the type to save the best for last, even with food.

Starting with the ones I expected least from.

The footage had been filmed at Florian's training grounds.

High-quality traps and combat golems were deployed there, making it an ideal practice venue.

─Don't panic! Maintain formation!

─The tank needs to step forward at this timing......

Mm, hmm.

Active communication─that was a pass.

─Damn it, dodge!

─Over here!

But there was too much unnecessary chatter.

Communication was better than none, but in urgent situations, it'd be wise to hold back words that didn't need to be said.

─Scatter from the rear in order. Got it?

─Okay!

─Hit them with ranged attacks from here!

And the content was terrible.

Why scatter here? That just exposed the mages unnecessarily.

Plus they were overworking the mages.

At this rate, there'd be no spells left when they actually mattered.

I'd had near-zero expectations from the start, but this exceeded even those.

After watching to the end and compiling all the issues and improvements, the notes filled two pages of A4.

Next, Baek Seolhwa's group.

I wasn't expecting much here either, but surely better than this?

Click─

─......

─......

Fuck, this one was even worse.

At least Oh Jaehak had given orders; Baek Seolhwa kept her mouth clamped shut the entire time.

Generally, the party leader set the tone. So the quiet atmosphere was only natural.

Without question, it was the worst of the lot.

"Total disaster here too......"

Three full pages of A4 for the improvement notes.

Next, An Seri's group.

This one should at least be decent compared to the first two.

Hitting play, a lively stream of commands filled my ears.

─Don't widen the gap! If the front line pulls away, the rear gets exposed!

─Leader, I want to just mow them all down.

─Hold on. We're going for a slow, focused breakthrough.

I'd seen An Seri whining before and figured she couldn't properly control the party, but the chain of command was surprisingly well-established.

A taught student was indeed different. Her ability to accurately read the situation and command accordingly put the quality on another level.

At this rate, there wouldn't be much to critique.

"Last is Song Seokhwan."

Song Seokhwan.

His personality was garbage, but his specs alone surpassed An Seri's.

If An Seri was a leader, he was a boss.

He lorded over the party from above with domineering authority, commanding his members like personal limbs.

─The ones in the back─don't let them slip.

─What are you doing? Open your damn eyes and watch!

─Good. Flank and push up!

As expected, the party I'd been most excited about delivered.

Their overall completion was the highest by far.

"The problem is those other two groups...... seriously, the balance is way off."

I'd need to step in and help a bit.

I sent An Seri and Song Seokhwan reply emails with my feedback, then added a note to Baek Seolhwa's and Oh Jaehak's replies telling them to come to my office.

***

"Welcome. Take a seat wherever."

"Y-Yes......"

"......"

Their lecture times must have overlapped, because Baek Seolhwa and Oh Jaehak arrived at my office together.

Baek Seolhwa looked exactly like she did in the game.

Fierce eyes and a stiff expression, a uniform so short it nearly showed her underwear, and a silver piercing on her tongue.

The textbook intimidating older girl straight out of a manga.

In the game her performance wasn't exactly top-tier, but her provocative appearance had made her extremely popular.

Oh Jaehak─sorry, but this was the first time I'd noticed him in my course.

He'd entered with a decent entrance exam ranking, but evidently not talented enough to be a named character.

"I've called you here to deliver the feedback you requested."

I made coffee and served it to the two of them.

Oh Jaehak stared blankly before taking a sip. He grimaced once, then set the cup down.

Baek Seolhwa didn't even glance at the coffee.

I'd put some effort into brewing it, so the reaction stung a little.

"Let's start with this."

On the split-screen monitor, both training videos played side by side.

Oh Jaehak's group and Baek Seolhwa's group.

Neither showed it overtly, but satisfaction peeked through. Probably a sentiment along the lines of "we weren't that bad, were we?"

Time to shatter that complacency.

"That's enough. Now I'll show you the other two groups' footage."

An Seri's group and Song Seokhwan's group.

Watching the playback, both students were stunned.

"That's enough. What are your thoughts?"

The overall party level was similar, so the difference between them and those two came down to one thing.

The team leader's command.

That alone had produced a gap on a completely different level.

Oh Jaehak seemed deeply shaken; Baek Seolhwa didn't show it, but anxiety was palpable.

"......They fight well."

"I'll be blunt. It's a difference in command."

No need to sugarcoat it. I stated the facts.

Both wore bitter expressions, but I pressed on without hesitation.

"Party hunting works like this. A strong individual? Important, of course. But a control tower that commands the entire team can fill a far bigger role."

"......So you're saying my leadership is lacking."

"Yes."

Harsh words, but growth began with acknowledging what you lacked.

You couldn't fix a problem you refused to face.

"Here's an assignment. Using the feedback you've received as reference, watch the other three groups' footage and write up feedback. Broadening your perspective is important. You can work alone or with your group members. However, outside help is strictly prohibited."

***

"Haah...... why did I accept the team leader role?"

Baek Seolhwa was still in the reading room late into the evening, watching footage.

She was exhausted.

She'd have been less tired running laps for the same amount of time. Studying─something she wasn't remotely close with─was making her body ache.

Still, sheer stubbornness kept her glued to her seat.

She was forcing herself to focus on the assignment when someone approached.

"Excuse me, the reading room is closing soon, so...... Eek!"

It was a library staff member.

The moment their eyes met Baek Seolhwa's, they recoiled in fright and backed away.

It had been like this since she was little.

Her fierce eyes and rigid expression meant she was always misunderstood as being angry, even when she was doing nothing.

When she'd tried to force a smile, they said it was even scarier, so she'd given up.

Rather than making futile efforts to clear up misunderstandings, she decided to just leave.

"Sigh, again......"

Why did it always turn out like this?

She'd tried following trends to change her look─styling herself fashionably, getting a piercing. It only made people say she was scarier.

So instead of making friends in her department or classes, she was always alone.

I want to change too, but I don't know how.

"Ah, forget it."

When her mind was a mess, moving was the best cure.

It always cleared out the noise.

Her usual training ground, her usual spot. She grabbed a bokken and hammered a training dummy.

CRASH─!

An impact too loud to have come from a wooden sword rang out.

The dummy deployed its defenses against the strike, but they crumbled pathetically. A few more slashes, and the dummy fell apart.

That helped with the stress, at least.

She was cheerfully toweling off sweat when she sensed a presence behind her.

"Your sword's rougher than usual today. Something happen?"

"......Mind your own business."

Park Seohu.

The only person at Florian whom Baek Seolhwa could call an acquaintance.

The reason: Park Seohu was the only one who didn't avoid her. Baek Seolhwa had never actively approached anyone, but she'd never pushed away someone who came to her, either.

"A seasoned swordswoman putting emotion into her blade─that's unusual."

"I said mind your own business."

That said, they weren't exactly comfortable with each other.

Ranked first on the entrance exam. Unlike Baek Seolhwa, he was well-liked, socially skilled, and handsome to boot.

Every time she looked at him, envy and jealousy made her not want to face him.

But Baek Seolhwa didn't know how to push people away.

"Want a sparring partner?"

"......Get ready."

Clueless idiot. If only he'd just leave.

Park Seohu grinned and picked up a training bokken.

"Count of three, then we start."

"Not going to warm up?"

"Just came from training."

Since it'd come to this, she wanted to thrash him soundly and send him on his way.

One.

Her win rate against Park Seohu in their spars was roughly fifty-fifty.

Two.

Neither had ever gone all out. If they had, then probably......

Three!

CRASH─!

The bokkens collided, and an explosive sound erupted.

Absolutely not a sound that should come from two wooden swords clashing.

This was─Aura.

"In a hurry today? You're already bringing out Aura?"

"I want to finish fast so I can go eat."

"Hmm, is that so?"

Bwoong─

A sound like a massive iron beam slicing through air.

The Aura─an enormous concentration of mana─could no longer be called a mere sword. Wielded with first-rate swordsmanship by a seasoned warrior, every slash became a lethal blow.

"Hey, hey. Easy."

Park Seohu's skill in receiving those strikes was equally extraordinary. With concise yet disciplined movements, he parried every one of Baek Seolhwa's slashes.

As if mocking her vow to end it quickly, the spar dragged on.

Park Seohu played defensive but mixed in counterattacks. He never went for a killing blow, though.

"......So annoying."

You just want to keep playing, is that it?

But you won't get your way.

"I don't have time to waste on you."

Wooom!

Mana surged throughout Baek Seolhwa's body.

Blue sword energy condensed, then turned white─and a massive white blade of energy took the form of a tiger and launched forward.

"Ah, this one's dange─"

CRASH─!

Park Seohu raised his bokken to block, but he couldn't withstand the colossal shockwave. His sword snapped.

Park Seohu wore a chagrined expression.

"Haha, I lose."

"Move. I'm leaving."

"That was fun. Let's spar again sometime."

Baek Seolhwa walked away, ignoring the cheerfully smiling Park Seohu.

A man who'd been watching clicked his tongue.

"Pathetic. Do I have to watch my student get beaten up by that girl?"

Sword Saint Jo Seongung.

Park Seohu's Advisor, and a former S-rank Hero known as Florian's strongest.

"I lost. Sorry."

"Bullshit. You think I don't know you're throwing fights to impress a girl? She'll never like you for that. She'll despise it."

"I didn't throw it though......"

"Don't talk back. Do I not know you?"

Park Seohu scratched the back of his head, then asked his master.

"By the way, Professor, do you know about a course called Dungeon Research and Practicum?"

"What's that? Don't go getting interested in weird courses."

"It's not weird. It's the one Seolhwa takes, and apparently An Seri and Song Seokhwan are in it too."

"What? That's a complete shitshow, isn't it? If the second, third, and fourth-ranked entrance examinees are all together, getting an A+ would be brutal."

"The course uses Absolute Evaluation."

"Ahhh."

The mention of Song Seokhwan triggered something in Jo Seongung's memory.

He'd heard that the little brat had gotten beaten up during a lecture recently, and Song Jihyeok had come storming in. Even the fearless Sword Saint found Bisang's Guild Master a troublesome opponent.

Could that professor be the one teaching the Dungeon whatever course?

"Teaching a course like that would definitely be entertaining."

"Right? It sounds fun─should I ask if I can join? That lineup's incomplete without the top ranker."

"Don't. You'll die young."

The man was crazy enough to have picked a fight with Bisang of all people.

There was no way he was a normal human being. Best not to get involved.

This boy was the real genius destined to surpass Jo Seongung himself.

"Stop messing around and do what you're told. Have you finished your ten thousand vertical and horizontal cuts for today?"

"Professor, Seolhwa hit my arm, so......"

"Shut up! Get started!"

There was no need to push him down a treacherous path.

He had the talent to become the greatest Hero even on a well-paved road.