“I thought you came to talk, but now I see you came to fight.”

“No, no!”

Kim Byung-soo turned around and shouted, “You, bastards! Are you crazy!”

The mercenary hunters awkwardly looked away.

According to the message, the strongest hunter was A-rank.

One A-rank and five B-ranks.

If the situation turned bad, they might have thought about intimidating me.

But with Kim So-mi here, that wouldn't work.

Well, they might have known about Kim So-mi’s injury and didn’t know she had recovered, so they might have considered the worst-case scenario if things went wrong.

Before Kim Byung-soo could continue, he stared at the sword I pulled out.

“Why? I got a very expensive item by chance, and I’m worried it might get dull, so I pull it out from time to time to check. I think you’re misunderstanding something. Don’t you know I’m just a professor? What could I do with this?”

“Ah, haha! Right! That’s right! It's not me, my staff might misunderstand, so it's better if you put it away.”

“If you want.”

I put the sword back into my inventory.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“It’s a bit awkward to talk standing outside, so can we go inside and talk?”

“Sure. But your staff should stay outside. Only the council member should come in. My house is small.”

“Ah...”

Kim Byung-soo hesitated, unable to decide right away.

“I’ve heard about your son. You must be very worried. It’s a time of mourning, but seeing you come all the way here, I thought it was important, but I guess not. Despite my appearance, I’m quite a busy person. If you have nothing to say, just go back.”

“No, no!”

Kim Byung-soo quickly turned around and said.

“You stay here.”

He followed me into the house with a half-scared face.

“I’ll stay here. Talk.”

Kim So-mi placed a folding chair and sat there saying, “I’ll be here.”Her legs crossed and arms crossed gave her a charismatic vibe.

As I guided Kim Byung-soo to the living room, he looked around the house.

“Whew~ You’ve done a great job. When I retire, I’m going to live in a quiet place like this. I’ll ask for a lot of advice from you as a senior then. Hahaha.”

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Anything is fine. My throat is dry.”

I brought Kim Byung-soo a can of beer.

I opened mine with a ‘fuss’ sound and said,

“My taste is rather common. If I knew the council member was coming, I should have bought some good wine in advance.”

“Ah, what are you saying? I used to drink canned beers often before becoming a council member. It’s nice to remember the good old days!”

He opened the can and pretended to take a sip, then frowned.

It seemed the noble gentleman couldn’t stomach the ordinary beer.

“Alright, let’s start the conversation?”

“I’ve been thinking, Professor. I... what do you think about returning to the front lines?”

“Returning? Are you saying to return as a professor?”

“Yes, I recently heard by chance that you had inquired about setting up an academy. I clapped my hands when I heard that! You're too young to retire yet! You're also very capable.”

“Hmm...”

When I showed a troubled expression, Kim Byung-soo quickly continued.

“I’ve looked up to you all this time. Who in Korea, no, who in the world could dare compare themselves to you, Professor? It’s a tragedy for Korea, no, for all mankind that you’re not returning to the front lines! You’re wasting your abilities, Professor!”

“You know the situation well. Nobody wants me to return. I even heard that it’s difficult to establish an academy in reality.”

“Nuh-uh! That was just a matter of procedures and conditions, the reality is completely different. Didn’t it come to light recently? That incident that brought great disgrace to your reputation was actually committed by my son.”

Kim Byung-soo got up from the couch with a very serious expression.Surprisingly, he knelt in front of me.

“That’s why I’m here. I couldn’t stand it, my heart wasn’t at peace without apologizing to you, Professor. If I knew it was my son who did it, I would have put him in jail long ago and compensated for your injustice. But, hic!”

He covered his face with his hands.

Tears flowed out from between his thick knuckles.

“My son is no longer in this world. I, Kim Byung-soo! I understand your feelings better than anyone. I too suffered a lot from rumours, political and economic damage, and most of all, mental damage. I’m wearing the clothes of a politician, so I will never be free from those rumours. But you’re different, Professor! You need to restore your honour and use your precious abilities for the good of the world!”

I was amazed inwardly.

‘He’s a natural politician.’

Leaving right and wrong aside, winning people over with words is one of the qualities of a politician.

Kim Byung-soo's acting skills were exceptional.

The problem was that this was all lies, and he was a man with a black heart to his core.

“I understand what you’re saying. So, what can you do for me, Council member?”

Kim Byung-soo, who had stopped crying as if by magic, sat back on the couch and said,

“Listen! I have a great plan for you, Professor!”

He talked for a long time, but the gist was that he would establish a new academy centred around me and make me the headmaster and the most powerful person.

He would be the chairman, but in reality, he would not interfere at all, and everything would be arranged for me.

Currently, Alpha Academy is the most powerful, but with the chairman’s death and the controversy, it’s hard for them to regain their former glory, so we can also consider absorbing and merging them.

He replaced this whole thing being a fantasy plan by listing his assets and connections.

“I see. I understand.”

I nodded for now.

“So, Council member, you’re trying to cover up the crisis you’re facing because of your son being a pervert by using a new plan that uses me. If the media shows you apologizing with tears and hugging us, you’ll be able to get out of the political crisis you’re facing, besides your son’s problem. Wow, Council member, you’re really smart~”

“Ah, haha... I’m grateful for your recognition, Professor.”

“But what to do? I have no intention of returning to active duty.”

“Of course! Even though you’ve become famous for your amazing teaching abilities, you don’t have to directly teach students on the front lines. Kim So-mi, the hunter outside, didn’t have any related experience, but she became the headmaster of Alpha Academy, right? Think of it as a similar position but with much more power and a much higher salary.”

Kim Byung-soo seemed to think that I was completely on board, laughing out loud, “Hahaha!”

“This won’t do.”

But I got up with a cold face.

“Let’s think it over carefully.”

I pulled out the sword from my inventory.

“Why do you keep taking out such a dangerous thing...”

“Who’s trying to help who?”

“Ah, well, I would sacrifice my life for you, Professor...”

“You said it yourself. You said you have a lot of political, economic, and emotional wounds. There are two types of people in a desperate situation. First, those who can overcome it, and second, those who absolutely cannot.”

“Are you thinking I’m the second type...?”

“Aren’t you?”

“No!”

Kim Byung-soo clenched his fist and stood up.

“I, Kim Byung-soo! I’ve faced many trials, but I’ve never failed to overcome them! I’m going to make my words to you come true, I will risk my life! Just believe me!”

Pak!

My sword fell.

Kim Byung-soo’s neck was severed and rolled on the floor.

The incident at the academy made me distrust people.

Even putting that aside, I didn’t like the likes of Kim Byung-soo.

So, his words were just to use me.

Right now, he might seem like he's willing to give me anything in his urgency, but he'll change his mind like flipping a coin when the situation changes.

From the beginning, Kim Byung-soo was one of those who conspired to get rid of me at the academy.

Where would his money and connections be connected?

Those who were once enemies might stab me in the back again anytime.

‘I’m not the type to get help from someone like you.’

I already have three S-rank classes.

I didn’t need help from someone like Kim Byung-soo.

My goal from the start was to eliminate those who played with me.

The door swung open and Kim So-mi peeked inside.

“What’s going on?”

Her gaze went to the dead Kim Byung-soo.

“Aahh~”

She closed the door again without saying anything. For a moment, there was a commotion outside.

Kim So-mi came back in and stretched her shoulders.

“You’ve definitely gotten stronger. Thanks, Hyun-ho.”

“What are you talking about? We need to move the bodies. Can you help?”

“Of course, that’s what we have to do.”

. . .

Alpha Academy

The atmosphere here was in a state of suspension.

The fact that the students were collectively unwell was somehow kept hidden from the outside world, but it seemed like a matter of time.

If Alpha Academy collapses, many things will collapse at once.

Those who had grand plans centred around this place hoped that this storm would pass.

[That freak, if he wasn’t dead, I would have killed him with my own hands!]

[So horrible, seriously! I was so disgusted by those pictures and videos that I even changed my phone!]

[But it’s not Professor Han Hyun-ho who did it...?]

[The professor and the chairman didn’t get along. There were rumours that he was framed.]

[Then what happens?]

[Professor, will he come back...?]

[How could he? There wasn’t just that. This happened too.]

[Eun-hee, do you really think the professor did all that?]

[I don’t know. I’m tired. I’m going to sleep. Yeon-seo, you sleep well too~]

Kim Yeon-seo sighed and looked at the ceiling. She suddenly imagined a familiar face.

As far as she knew, Han Hyun-ho was not someone who would do anything strange.

Of course, he was arrogant, self-centred, and unpredictable, but he wasn’t the type to do bad things, you know?

‘He was good at teaching too…’

Her skills had improved significantly after being taught by him. It was a different kind of instruction than she had ever received. She thought that if she grew up like this and graduated, her life would be smooth sailing…

‘What the hell is he thinking?’

Why did this academy chase that professor away?

If it was simply because the chairman disliked him as Cha Eun-hee said, she hoped everything would be settled peacefully.

She wished that he… would come back.

. . .

“Will trees grow here?”

Kim So-mi asked as we moved the bodies of Kim Byung-soo and his henchmen into the dungeon together.

“I think so.”

It felt like the trees sprouting from the corpses had grown taller even though it wasn’t that long ago.

Well, the fruits haven’t ripened yet.

It wasn’t that difficult to move the bodies because there was a car Kim Byung-soo had come in with.

We decided to discard the cars in the dungeon as well.

“There are so many dead people, but it’s still quiet.”

“It’s not just a simple murder case. They must have been competing with each other.”

“It’s ridiculous. To end up like this just for messing with the wrong person.”

“It’s the punishment for taking the world lightly.”

As evening fell, the materials I had ordered online started arriving one after another.

“You ordered a lot. Are you going to sell it in the black market?”

“Yeah, if you need anything, just tell me. I’ll make it for you.”

“Thank you.”

There was nothing I could do about the materials that took time to ship.

But even just looking at what was delivered right now, I felt full.

Happiness overflowing?It was different from when I only had the ‘Artisan’ class.I was overflowing with motivation.

“Haah, this is what it was like.”

“Oh, my, why couldn’t I do this easy thing before?”

“Is it really true that you were showing off with such insignificant skills?”

I was muttering things like that without realizing it, trying to design, assemble, and repeat.

I was definitely lacking prior knowledge in this field that I had never been interested in, so I had a laptop next to me and searched for things.

The things I learned were that people with far lower skills than me were being treated incredibly well and living luxuriously.

Especially the self-conscious designers’ SNS was unbearable to look at.

‘Hunter equipment and weapons are fashionable too.’

I’m the type who puts on the clothes I see first thing in the morning. To me, fashion, meaning dressing well, was a story from another world. But that sense of style was overflowing. Of course, it was more of a technical realm rather than a fashion sense applicable to daily life.

“Huu!”

I realized five hours had passed by in a blink of an eye.

As I became aware of it, a delicious smell seeped into my nose.

Kim So-mi was preparing dinner.

“Are you done? I didn’t bother you because you seemed so focused.”

“How’s this?”

What I made was a dagger.

It wasn’t that I intentionally wanted to make this, but I had only these materials left.

Actually, there was no need to ask Kim So-mi.

[S+ Rank Dagger]: Durability and mana output surpass S-rank. A dagger made by a top artisan.