Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Omen (2)

Baek Seolhwa gazed at me blankly.

The shock of me replicating her swordsmanship must have been considerable.

I was surprised myself—so how much more stunned must she be?

"Professor......"

In that instant, I caught myself.

I'd been so focused on the match itself that I hadn't considered Baek Seolhwa's feelings.

Isn't that exactly the kind of thing people call a cheap move in games—copying your opponent's own technique to beat them?

There was no way Baek Seolhwa's pride in her swordsmanship was less than a mere gamer's ego.

I'd have nothing to say if she felt she'd been humiliated.

Just as I was about to apologize, Baek Seolhwa spoke first.

"Wow, that really caught me off guard."

Unable to make sense of it, I kept my mouth shut. Baek Seolhwa went on.

"You copied my swordsmanship on purpose, didn't you? Because you wanted to teach me something."

It seemed she wasn't angry, as I'd feared. Just mildly surprised.

I played along with the mood.

"More or less."

"That's my Professor for you."

In the game's story, Baek Seolhwa sparred with Park Seohu not long after enrollment.

It was an unavoidable forced event for the player.

If the player picked Park Seohu, the scenario kept running until Park Seohu won. Fortunately, since you were controlling the strongest Playable Character, the NPC Baek Seolhwa was no formidable opponent.

But if the player picked Baek Seolhwa, the difficulty became hell.

The stat gap was so overwhelming that two hits put you on the floor, while you needed twenty to finish him.

Thankfully, this spar wasn't designed to be won—losing had no effect on progression.

But letting it go was never in my nature.

Korean gamers and their one defining trait: if it's not meant to be beaten, it must be beaten.

I'd retried until I wanted to die, and when I finally shaved off Park Seohu's last sliver of health, it force-transitioned to a cutscene. The devastation I felt in that moment was indescribable.

At least the cutscene didn't continue the fight as played, so it ended rather anticlimactically.

After a single clash of blades, both recognized that the other was beyond their ability to defeat.

—This man... he's incredibly strong......

Baek Seolhwa wrote a lengthy inner monologue about how overwhelmingly strong the man before her was and how hopelessly lacking she was.

Park Seohu... well.

In his monologue, he'd praised Baek Seolhwa for wielding a fairly impressive sword—yet from the second exchange onward, he'd fought with only his left hand. For the record, Park Seohu was right-handed.

On top of that, he'd never once used Aura in their second spar.

Park Seohu was such a good-natured, earnest person that as long as the opponent wasn't a villain, not once had the narrative painted him in a negative light.

—Is he looking down on me?

That became the catalyst for Baek Seolhwa's conspicuously cold attitude toward Park Seohu.

It wasn't just the gap in ability that stung—it was the fact that he'd used only his left hand that had wounded her pride. She quickly realized he bore no ill will, but she still disliked him.

Perhaps because she saw me as a mentor rather than a rival, losing to me didn't seem to dampen her spirits.

Quite the opposite—Baek Seolhwa spoke with excitement.

"Professor, you said you're here to practice swordsmanship, right?"

"What about it?"

"Then how about we hang out going forward? I'll give you the time of your life."

Baek Seolhwa tossed out that phrasing without a second thought—the kind that could easily be misread.

"...You mean you want to spar with me regularly?"

Baek Seolhwa tilted her head, seemingly oblivious to any double meaning.

I considered correcting her but decided against it—I'd be the one overreacting.

"When I have the time, sure."

"Hehee."

Baek Seolhwa answered with a bright smile.

Come to think of it, I recalled An Seri complaining about one of her teammates.

She'd said she'd humored Nam Hyeju with one fight on the first day to establish discipline, and ever since, the girl had been glued to her, demanding sparring matches.

So she'd told her she'd fight her once per exam if she did well. Since they'd earned an A+, she'd probably oblige this time.

"I've been struggling a bit since there's been nobody worth sparring with."

"You have Park Seohu."

"I don't want to spar with him. He always holds back when he fights me, so I can't fight him seriously either... It's just like that."

"I see."

Having no one to spar with was another way of saying the other students weren't on her level.

It was quite the arrogant statement, but Baek Seolhwa had earned the right to say it.

Third in the class.

Numbers don't lie.

Baek Seolhwa said quietly.

"...Thank you."

"Nothing to thank me for."

"You're going out of your way for my sake. Even though I don't have any talent......"

Baek Seolhwa suddenly crouched down and started putting herself down.

I wondered if it was lingering fallout from me saying she wasn't a genius, but it didn't feel that way. She was being completely sincere.

"Park Seohu gets one-on-one lessons with you, doesn't he? When I saw that, I was a little envious. No professor has ever come to me like this."

"It's not common for a freshman to have an Advisor."

"...Seo Dayun's been bragging about getting private lessons from you, though?"

I was itching to correct the misunderstanding.

Contrary to Baek Seolhwa's assumption, every professor in the Sword Department was eyeing the Advisor position for her—they were all just watching each other's moves.

Why not Park Seohu?

Some crazy strong old man had already claimed him, so nobody dared touch it.

If word got out that I was personally coaching Baek Seolhwa, there might be professors who'd come charging at me with fire in their eyes.

Still, I wasn't a sword specialist, and I was only sparring with her occasionally—so I hoped they wouldn't read too much into it.

Baek Seolhwa dusted herself off, stood up, and picked up her wooden sword again.

"Then... I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise."

The sparring resumed.

I'd won the first round by catching her off guard, but after several more exchanges, my losses only mounted.

Even though I'd been braced for it from the start, it still stung a little.

—Hah, haah.

We clashed swords fiercely, sweat pouring from both of us.

In the end, it was a productive sparring session in every way.

Baek Seolhwa asked, still catching her breath.

"Professor, you held back a little, didn't you? Be honest."

She seemed to think I'd gone easy on her to some degree.

It was both flattering and bewildering that she had such rose-tinted glasses for me.

"That was my full effort. I swear on my honor."

"Ah......!"

Baek Seolhwa seemed delighted at having beaten her own teacher, letting out a gasp tinged with elation.

If I'd been a proper swordsman, it would've been a bitter joy—but I was a beginner who'd only just picked up a blade, so I could wholeheartedly share in my student's happiness.

That said, my gamer's competitive spirit was ablaze, and I resolved to beat her soon.

The sparring was over, and calling it here would've been fine—but it lacked flair.

I decided to play the mentor's role, at least a little.

"Your swordsmanship looks at first glance like a variant of shifting-blade or phantom-blade styles, but the true root is the swift sword. Am I right?"

"As expected from you, Professor. Most people can't tell just from watching a few rounds. Then again, you replicated my sword on sight......"

Sorry to betray her expectations, but I hadn't deduced it—I'd just read it in the game's setting files.

"It was only mimicry. I understand the principles, but I couldn't replicate them fully."

In truth, only a handful of people could master Baek Seolhwa's sword style.

The difficulty was one thing, but it placed immense strain on the joints—someone with average flexibility couldn't even attempt to imitate it.

An ordinary person would've shattered their joints after one or two attempts. Even my body, granted the perks of a created character, couldn't sustain it for long.

"It could put a lot of strain on your body if you're not careful... but for you, Seolhwa, it shouldn't be a problem."

Baek Seolhwa's eyes widened, as though my words were unexpected.

Most other professors who'd observed her swordsmanship had recommended she change styles, warning it would damage her body.

When I'd played the game, I'd assumed that was foreshadowing—but nothing ever came of it by the end. I'd confirmed as much in the lore encyclopedia through the Teachings of Seshet, so I was sure.

"Really?"

Baek Seolhwa had always been reluctant to abandon the swordsmanship she was so attached to.

That made my words resonate with her all the more.

"Have I ever been wrong?"

"No."

That was the end of the carrot.

Now for the stick... or rather, feedback.

"That said, there are a few issues."

"Issues?"

I demonstrated in person, mimicking one of Baek Seolhwa's stances.

A feinted thrust forward, spinning into a horizontal slash. Fairly clean execution.

She wouldn't know what I was getting at yet.

"Watch carefully from here."

I performed the technique again.

This time, I omitted the spin and wrenched only my body into the slashing motion directly. Faster, but my joints ached.

"What seems different?"

"The second attack was a bit faster."

"Right. Correct."

Baek Seolhwa considered for a moment, then said,

"But that motion is essential. My father called it the connecting motion. He said it eases the burden on the body."

She was about half right.

Twisting the body violently with a rigid male frame was no easy feat.

But with a supple female body, it was a different story.

"Your body is flexible enough. You'll be fine."

No matter how much Baek Seolhwa trusted me, her expression said she wasn't convinced on this one.

Fair enough—I wouldn't have believed it either.

Swordsmanship wasn't even my specialty, and I'd only observed her technique for a few hours.

But it wasn't a lie.

I was simply reciting what I remembered from the game, so there was virtually no chance I was wrong.

In the original timeline, Baek Seolhwa would have reached an epiphany around the midpoint and refined her swordsmanship on her own—but a small historical deviation like this should be fine.

Baek Seolhwa gave a reluctant nod.

"I'll trust you. Because you're my Professor."

Getting a positive answer was genuinely touching. It meant Baek Seolhwa trusted me that much.

I'd honestly thought rejection was more likely.

"Moving on......"

I shared a few more areas for improvement with Baek Seolhwa.

There were others beyond these, but they involved high-level techniques I couldn't physically demonstrate, so I let them go.

As the brief lesson neared its end, someone approached us.

"Seolhwa? In the middle of training?"

He called Baek Seolhwa's name with easy familiarity.

At this point in time, there was exactly one male student who addressed her that way.

This was my first time meeting him face-to-face, but he was all too familiar from the game.

Some called him the valedictorian.

Some called him a genius.

Some called him the greatest Hero.

Some called him this game's protagonist.

The man who would stand at the vanguard to defend humanity in the near future.

The Sword Saint, Park Seohu.

His student-era self stood before me now.

"Park Seohu?"

Baek Seolhwa didn't seem pleased by his appearance and shot him a mild glare.

Park Seohu wore an amiable smile and brushed it off.

"Is the person beside you... a senior?"

"He's a professor."

"Oh, my apologies."

Once Baek Seolhwa corrected the misunderstanding, Park Seohu apologized politely.

Supremely talented and well-mannered to boot.

In every regard, he was impossible to dislike.

I introduced myself briefly.

"I'm Cha Eunwoo. And you're Park Seohu?"

My knowing his name wasn't strange in the slightest. If anything, not knowing Park Seohu's name at Florian would've been stranger.

"Ah, Professor Cha Eunwoo... I've heard a lot about you."

That caught me off guard.

Objectively speaking, I was just a brand-new professor fresh out of appointment. Who was going around talking about me?

I looked at Baek Seolhwa, but she vigorously shook her head.

Park Seohu answered my unspoken question himself.

"My master told me about you."

"By 'master,' you mean Professor Jo Seongung?"

"You know my master?"

"Only by reputation."

Park Seohu seemed rather intrigued that I knew of his master.

What an absurd question.

The man had been ranked fourth in Korea during his active days. Who wouldn't know him? Even a spy would know Jo Seongung's name.

It was far more surprising that Jo Seongung knew about me.

What reason would someone that distinguished have to pay attention to a nobody like me? When I pressed, Park Seohu relayed what he knew.

"It's nothing major... just that you're a remarkable person, but dangerous? That's about all I know."

"Professor Jo certainly has sharp eyes. Our Professor really is remarkable."

When I received the compliment, Baek Seolhwa puffed up with pride.

I wasn't sure if it qualified as a compliment. What had I done to earn the label "dangerous"?

I was mulling over what possible connection I might have with the man when a shout erupted from behind us.

"Seohu, you bastard! What are you doing here again?"

"Ack! It's my master......"

The Sword Saint, Jo Seongung.

He'd come looking for his disciple.