Chapter 38 Awakening (3)
Orations.
The words spoken by a Rune Holder when using their ultimate skill.
It is one of the conditions to use the ultimate skill, and for my skill, [Sky-Shattering Heaven Sword], it requires the command ‘Explode’.
However, when I first used it with limited proficiency, the skill was cast without uttering the command.
Nevertheless, in most cases, the Holder speaks the command when using their ultimate skill.
Burn up.
That was undoubtedly the command for the ultimate skill of Kang Juyeon’s [Unquenchable Flame]… the command for [Inferno].
This ultimate skill can only be acquired around the middle of the extreme, but Kang Juyeon was already proficient enough to use the skill along with the command.
“That, that aaargh…!!”
The crazed Ha Do-kwon was completely incinerated by [Inferno].
Even in a country with considerable fire resistance, such high-level magic would have been hard to withstand easily. If he did something stupid, he could die right there.
“Professor Lee Cheol-ho! Water magic!”
“I’m already prepared!”
As if representing such thoughts, the magic professor who had retreated earlier regained composure and cast water magic on Ha Do-kwon.
After all, Ha Do-kwon was an important figure who needed to be interrogated.
I looked at the professors holding their weapons in a haphazard manner.
Including the supervisor, there were a total of five professors.
The professors in charge of overseeing the safety of the practical duel evaluation at the end of this semester were notably careless and lacking in skill.
Despite Ha Do-kwon’s abilities being amplified by two-fold due to the potion, they couldn’t even stop a single Ha Do-kwon collectively, which didn’t make any sense.
‘Did villains intervene in this too?’
Such thoughts couldn’t help but come to mind naturally.
Originally, in the original story, the incident of the motivation for Holder’s murder during the end-of-semester evaluation was only mentioned briefly.
As a result, it wasn’t clear what actions the supervisors and professors in the room took or how they dealt with the aftermath of the incident.
It was just revealed that Ha Do-kwon belonged to <Villain> clan and that it was a plot to shake the academy.
That’s why I started to suspect the professors’ responses little by little.
Since <Villain> clans had infiltrated the academy, there would be more than one spy.
“…Are you okay?”
Kang Juyeon asked in a low voice.
Both I and Kim Chae-eun were in a bad state due to the incident.
If it weren’t for her help, we would have been seriously injured by the unexpected variable.
I nodded slightly and replied, “I’m okay. Thanks to you, I survived.”
“No, it’s not like that.”
Kang Juyeon’s ultimate skill was seen for the first time today.
Considering the considerable preparation time required for [Inferno], it seemed like she had prepared since I used [Declaration of Domination] and descended.
Otherwise, the timing would have been difficult to match precisely.
Moreover, she had never shown the skill anywhere after acquiring it.
It was amazing and also heartwarming that Kang Juyeon revealed such a skill to save me.
Perhaps this is the camaraderie that builds up while adventuring together in dungeons.
Soon, Park Jin-woo and Moon Ga-eun came down as well…
They were looking at us with worried expressions.
“Hey, Do Jae-hyun! What the hell is that guy? What’s going on…”
“Keep it down. It’s hurting my ears.”
“Huh? Oh, sorry.”
“Good job with the sword. Take it.”
I handed the sword back to Park Jin-woo and then turned my gaze to Ha Do-kwon and the professors.
Ha Do-kwon, who had completely lost consciousness, was now being subdued and escorted away… the professors were still handling things in a confused manner.
‘There’s definitely something strange.’
The average grade of the professors, including Holder grades, was between B and A.
Even if Ha Do-kwon was a spy for <Villain> clan and became incredibly strong by the potion, there was no reason five professors couldn’t stop him.
I had some suspicions about the professors’ excessively frustrated demeanor.
‘I should talk to Professor Tak Won-ho about this.’
If there’s a professor I trust in this academy, it’s Professor Tak Won-ho and Professor Kim Myeong-hyun.
Moreover, Professor Tak Won-ho is one of the administrators of the academy, so he would be able to give a clear answer about this.
And…
[You have won the duel! Due to your high contribution in the duel, your victory is acknowledged. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of your opponent’s runes. Please choose the rune to replicate.]
The judgment on victory contribution was generous again this time.
What on earth is the criteria?
-Another student almost died. What has the academy been doing…
-The incompetence of the academy’s professors. How much longer do we have to endure it?
-After the appearance of the monster, now a rampaging Holder. Is it the work of <Villain> clan?
-A-grade Holder Jang Yu-hwan says, “The academy is just a place for getting graduation certificates.”
“Damn it!”
An elderly man dressed in a suit roughly threw his phone.
His name was Tak Yun-jae.
He was the head of the prestigious Tak family, a renowned swordsmanship clan, and also the chairman of the foundation that fully operated the Seoul Holder Academy.
Yun-jae was not in a good mood yesterday or today.
Newspapers, TV, the internet. All the mass media outlets were filled with stories about the academy.
And, of course, the direction was… overwhelmingly negative.
In front of several people gathered around a table.
Yun-jae gave off a sharp gaze and spoke.
“Do I have to see these damn articles?”
“No, Father.”
His eldest son, Tak Won-hyuk, quickly lowered his head and replied.
He had frequently seen his father in such a state before.
Won-hyuk was the person who knew best how to calm his father’s anger in such urgent moments.
Anyway, no matter what was said.
If he roughly agreed with his intention and lowered his head, it would be over.
“You said it well. Then tell me what is not.”
“Yes?”
But this time, the situation was different.
Yun-jae was angry to the core.
“How the hell does the academy operate so poorly that I can even hear that the professors are incompetent?!”
Whether a monster appeared in the academy or an attempted murder incident happened, or <Villain> intervened…
Such gossip didn’t matter to Yun-jae.
His focus was solely on his honor.
Any mismanagement or mistakes in the academy that would tarnish his reputation.
That was the only thing that Yun-jae was intensely concerned about.
Won-hyuk lowered his head again.
This time, he completely misjudged the timing.
“…I apologize.”
“Damn apologies! All you know is how to say sorry like a pathetic loser.”
It seemed like his anger wouldn’t be easily subside.
Watching him, Yun-jae’s second son stepped forward.
Tak Won-sang stepped forward with one foot.
“Father, may I say something?”
“Oh, sure. Won-sang. Go ahead and speak. What should I do to stop seeing these damn articles?”
Won-sang spoke politely, holding his hands together.
“Yes. As you know, unlike the golden age the Seoul Holder Academy had in the past, we don’t have many professors with high skills now. We only have ten A-grade Holder professors, and even they pale in comparison to the A-grade Holders of successful clans.”
“Hmm…”
“The reason is simple. It’s more profitable for the professors to go into dungeons or fields as members of clans and earn money directly, rather than receiving salaries as professors at the academy.”
Yun-jae asked with a somewhat puzzled expression, “But hasn’t the academy been running well until now?”
“That was possible because there haven’t been any significant incidents at the academy. Some small issues came up, but they were at a noise level. However, with the recent incident of the monster’s appearance and the attempted murder incident, or if the <Villain> clan was involved, we need to investigate… Anyway, through a series of events, the issue of the lack of manpower has surfaced.”
Won-sang’s words were reasonable.
In the current Holder community where you can easily make money with abilities, being a professor at the academy is not a preferred occupation.
The pay is low, and teaching Holder is far from easy.
So those who take on the professor role are mostly educators with strong convictions and exceptional enthusiasm or Holders who are not skilled enough to join a mid-grade or higher clan.
Yun-jae shook his head and stroked his chin.
“So what should we do then?”
“In the end, it’s about support. We need to drastically increase the salaries of the professors to recruit high-quality talent. If you entrust me with additional funds, I and the academy personnel will take responsibility and raise the level of the professors.”
“Hmm…”
The person overseeing the academy, and in charge of personnel, was Won-sang.
He was offering an alternative to Yun-jae, asking him to entrust the budget to him.
Yun-jae hesitated for a moment, then turned his head slightly.
“……”
Even though he was the youngest, Won-ho had exceptional swordsmanship skills compared to his brothers and was a promising candidate for the successor of the family.
As the operator of the academy and a Holder who also took on the role of a professor, Won-ho had been silent all along.
“Won-ho, what do you think?”
In response to the question suddenly directed at him.
After hesitating for a moment, Won-ho replied.
“I also agree with what Won-sang said.”
“Are you saying to drastically increase the budget for personnel?”
“Yes. However, the direction is a bit different.”
“Direction?”
Won-ho nodded.
“Yes. We need to recruit definite experts, not just mediocre Holders. We need to bring in strong and famous Holders.”
“Hmm…?”
Strong and famous Holders?
Yun-jae’s expression was mixed with curiosity at the unusual words.
With a confident look, Won-ho continued.
“I believe we should pour all the additional funds into recruiting S-grade Holders who currently have no clan. And among them, we should focus on recruiting someone like the Holder Yu Eun-seol, who belongs to the assassin lineage and has the least manpower.”
One of the five S-grade Holders.
A famous person in the Holder community, someone who can fill the void in the assassin lineage, which the personnel currently lack.
Holder Yu Eun-seol.
Won-ho was advocating for her recruitment.
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