Kang Cheol-Min watched the woman standing still on the stairs.
She was not heading to the bathroom, as she had been seen exchanging farewells with another professor sitting next to her.
It was clear from her body language that she was about to leave, saying, “See you next time.”
At first, Kang Cheol-Min thought about letting her go.
But...
‘...No matter how I think about it, this feels ungrateful.’
Who is he?
He’s one of the few S-rank Hunters in Korea, one of the elite few.
He had specially taken time out of his schedule to come to the academy and give a lecture.
And now, she’s going to leave without listening to the whole thing?
Kang Cheol-Min quietly schemed in his mind.
‘She needs to be taught a lesson.’
He feigned calmness and spoke.
“Let’s have a Q&A session! I’ll give the first question to this young lady. It’s not often you get the chance to ask an S-rank Hunter directly, so go ahead! Hahaha!”
All eyes in the auditorium turned toward Si-Hyun.
They alternated between glancing at Kang Cheol-Min and her.
The Cheongrim Guild staff among the key figures exchanged sympathetic glances with Si-Hyun.
‘Here we go again with Kang Cheol-Min.’
‘Tsk, tsk, we shouldn’t provoke him.’
Kang Cheol-Min’s arrogant personality was well-known within the guild.
Those who had often been on the receiving end of his antics could instantly tell from his expression what he was up to.
It was a look of wanting to reprimand someone.
They lowered their heads, hoping the sparks wouldn’t fly toward them.
‘...What should I do?’
Si-Hyun stood still, momentarily pondering.
Kang Cheol-Min’s intentions were obvious.
The question was whether to play along with his provocation.
...Si-Hyun didn’t take long to decide. She walked back down the stairs.
Her mind raced as she quickly came up with a number of questions.
‘I was going to let it slide...’
But now, it seemed better to make him fall into his own trap.
There was no mercy.
“Come on up!”
Kang Cheol-Min gestured for Si-Hyun to join him on stage.
Si-Hyun walked up confidently, taking the microphone from the moderator.
Kang Cheol-Min folded his arms and watched her, relaxed.
When Si-Hyun approached, he tilted his head slightly, looking down at her with an air of superiority.
Compared to his imposing build, Si-Hyun appeared almost like a small animal standing before a predator.
“Go ahead, feel free to ask your question.”
The moment he caught her in his gaze, he was ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.
He was already imagining her struggling as he grilled her with questions.
Si-Hyun held the microphone close to her mouth.
All eyes in the auditorium were now on her.
From now on, their exchange would be broadcast live to everyone in the room.
“...Hello, I’m Jeong Si-Hyun, the professor in charge of Monsterology.”
“Aha, so you’re the professor.”
As Si-Hyun introduced herself to the audience, Kang Cheol-Min let out a quiet laugh.
A woman who didn’t even understand the value of this special lecture was a professor? It was just laughable.
“You said to ask anything, so I’ll start with this. What do you think are the essential guidelines for high-level undead-themed dungeons?”
“Hmmm...”
Si-Hyun asked her question, and Kang Cheol-Min stroked his chin as he thought for a moment.
He recalled a recent experience when he had been part of the secondary team during the Double Dungeon raid.
“It’s basic knowledge. You need to watch out for monster resurrection, position yourself carefully so that pain-immune monsters don’t charge into the backline, and focus on protecting your team. Surely, someone of your caliber knows this already, right?”
“Of course. I’m just confirming it. You’re saying the key is to control the distance between allies, rather than just charging into battle?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Kang Cheol-Min nodded confidently.
The audience seemed to agree with his explanation, and many leaned in to listen closely.
Si-Hyun looked up at Kang Cheol-Min’s confident face.
She had led the conversation in the direction she wanted, and it was going exactly as planned.
She smoothly moved to the next question.
“Assuming there’s a support-class Hunter in the party, what do you think is the most ideal way to fight?”
“Well, it depends on the monster you’re facing. Ideally, the tank minimizes damage, while the supporter focuses on the damage dealers.”
“Oh, I see. That’s a very S-rank Tanker’s way of thinking!”
Si-Hyun lightly tapped her wrist with the hand holding the microphone, praising him.
Kang Cheol-Min, who had been preparing to corner her, unknowingly smiled.
‘I like her attitude.’
Even Kang Cheol-Min, despite his arrogance, couldn’t help but be charmed by her compliment.
But just then, Si-Hyun unexpectedly made a sharp turn.
“Then, why didn’t you do that in the Double Dungeon? Was there a special reason?”
“...What?”
Kang Cheol-Min looked confused, not understanding the question.
“I heard from someone in the raid team. You were shouting, ‘Everyone, follow me!’ and focusing on breaking through the monsters.”
“Hmm! I was just trying to maintain the momentum.”
“Doesn’t that contradict the Tanker virtue of silence?”
“.......”
Si-Hyun continued to bombard him with questions.
“I saw photos taken after the raid, and your equipment was all battered and wrecked. Looks like it was a pretty intense fight. Wasn’t it? You must’ve had a tough time.”
“.......”
Her words were sarcastic, but her tone almost seemed like she was comforting him, which only further riled Kang Cheol-Min.
But he couldn’t respond.
He had realized too late that he had fallen into Si-Hyun’s trap.
When Kang Cheol-Min fell silent, Si-Hyun took the microphone away from her mouth.
She whispered softly.
“Seems like you’re really following your virtues now.”
A light jab.
This remark was only meant for Kang Cheol-Min’s ears.
He gritted his teeth and glared at her.
Of course, Si-Hyun was not the type to be pressured by such glares.
She calmly held the microphone close to her mouth again.
“My questions are finished for now! I sincerely thank Hunter Kang Cheol-Min for answering them so thoroughly.”
Clap, clap, clap—
The applause that followed was even louder than when Kang Cheol-Min had entered the stage.
The students, who had harbored dissatisfaction with Kang Cheol-Min for some time, clapped vigorously, and even those who had no particular feelings toward him joined in the applause.
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Si-Hyun smirked as she cast a glance at Kang Cheol-Min.
‘...Who told you to grab someone who was trying to leave?’
Having successfully attacked him, Si-Hyun handed the microphone back to the moderator and left the auditorium with a victorious stride.
She savored the feeling of being the winner.
After the special lecture ended.
Inside the academy auditorium, where a short break was declared.
The participants of the lecture showed different reactions.
“Wow, Professor Jeong Si-Hyun is really impressive with her words.”
“I always thought the talk about her charisma in the academy community was just hype, but it wasn’t.”
“Plus, her looks! Did you see Kang Cheol-Min’s smile when she praised him?”
“Oh, that? It was hilarious.”
The students giggled and laughed.
Areum, who was sitting nearby, overheard their conversation and grinned while holding her smartphone.
Meanwhile, the professors sitting in the front row exchanged quiet words.
“Wow, Si-Hyun really speaks well.”
“Definitely someone the president will be eyeing closely.”
The president, who had not always been friendly with Cheongrim, quietly conversed with Professor Park.
“Such attitude toward an invited guest...”
“Exactly. Isn’t that a bit disrespectful?”
Professors who had been on good terms with Cheongrim expressed their discontent toward Si-Hyun.
In the end, the situation that had unexpectedly unfolded today had firmly established Si-Hyun’s image among the students and faculty.
Simultaneously, through key figures, rumors began to spread.
‘A beautiful woman who’s not intimidated even in front of an S-rank Hunter.’
Little by little, Si-Hyun’s name began to spread, albeit subtly.
After the special lecture.
Si-Hyun diligently continued with her busy schedule.
She graded the Monsterology midterm exams, recorded the grades, and kept up with the weekly lectures.
In her spare time, she completed a mini Orc model and displayed it in the professor’s office.
She balanced both work and hobbies, living each day with purpose.
Soon, Friday morning came.
As always, Si-Hyun finished her early morning prayer and checked her last task for the week.
‘Today’s the day for the Dawn Guild training tour.’
It was just a tour, so she didn’t expect much to happen.
She planned to wrap it up smoothly and rest on the weekend.