I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

Crackle, crack.

The bright red flames, fueled by the dry firewood, dispelled the darkness of the night.

“Jane.”
“Hmm?”

Jane Moore, who was dozing off while sitting on a roughly cut log, wiped her mouth and quickly lifted her head.

Her appearance was far from what one would expect from the world’s best, or now the second most promising student.

“Don’t doze off like that, just go inside and sleep.”
“But then you’ll be bored.”
“It’s not particularly fun with you either.”
“That’s too much…”

Ssssssssss.

A shadow slowly emerged from the tent behind Jane Moore and opened the tightly closed zipper of the tent entrance.

“I’ll take the night shift, and you can take the day shift. So, go inside and sleep.”
“Okay… Good night…”

Jane Moore bowed to Yoon Iseul and crawled into the tent.

Tap.

The shadow closed the tent entrance and returned to its original place.

Crackle, crack!

Yoon Iseul, now alone, watched the crackling campfire and moved her shadow. The shadow, which had spread out like a vine, wrapped around the thermos below, opened the lid, and poured a cup of strong black coffee into the cup for its owner.

As Yoon Iseul sipped the coffee, which had a slight bitterness and the sourness of red fruits, she thought,

‘This is very suspicious.’

From the moment she passed through the gate and fell into the forest, she hadn’t seen a single trace of monsters, not even when she met her cute juniors or when she left the cave to find a new shelter.

It was possible that the monsters’ actions were so stealthy that they left no traces, or that the traces were too small to notice.

However, Yoon Iseul, who viewed herself very objectively, didn’t think either was the case.

It was impossible for her to not notice the monsters that inhabited the 5-stage gate, unless she was seriously injured and her consciousness was fading.

Rattle.

As Yoon Iseul poured more coffee into the empty cup, she became certain.

‘There are no monsters.’

And a new question arose.

‘Then, what is this three-day test for?’

The test was to stabilize the area and guard the base camp for three days.

‘Guard the base camp for three days, but there are no monsters.’

Jingle.

Yoon Iseul slightly lifted the silver necklace around her neck.

‘If this breaks, you’re eliminated.’

The newly added rule seemed to be intended to make the participants keep an eye on each other, but it didn’t make sense for them to fight each other. Unless they were fools, they wouldn’t waste their energy fighting each other when they could simply work together.

While interpersonal relationships might play a role, Yoon Iseul didn’t think there were any students at Arena Academy who were so lacking in judgment that they wouldn’t understand this.

So, the only remaining assumption was that there was a separate group of attackers.

And it was easy to guess who these attackers were. They were the seven students who originally took the Gateology class, including Baek Hana.

It was a test that even included the graduating class, but the attackers were just first-year students who had barely shed their freshman status.

‘…Or so I thought.’

Yoon Iseul felt sorry for the other five, but Jane Moore, who was sleeping in the tent, didn’t even need to step in. It wouldn’t be difficult for her to neutralize them all on her own.

However, the situation changed if Baek Hana and Nam Seo-hee were included.

Baek Hana was a monster with no weaknesses, and Nam Seo-hee was a mental-type magic user with very poor compatibility. Fortunately, she still lacked experience, so it wasn’t difficult to face her, but she wasn’t an opponent that could be easily defeated either.

To be honest, Yoon Iseul didn’t think she and Jane Moore together could defeat Baek Hana.

If it were a battle in a confined space, she might have sought a way to win by targeting the outside or using some other strategy…

“The location is too disadvantageous.”

The tall trees that had grown densely were a wall, but they also obstructed her vision.

Most importantly, her conditions were too unfavorable.

If someone was determined to destroy the base camp, there was no way she could stop them.

“…I guess he never intended to accept additional students.”

I thought something was strange when they asked us to bring a signed waiver stating that we would be responsible for any loss of life during the exam. Ahn Hyundo may not be a proper chairman, but no one can deny that he cares deeply for his students. So, when I first heard that he approved this exam, I thought he must have been blackmailed, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“Well, at least the scenery is nice, so that’s good.”

Yoon Iseul, who could have been angry, instead looked more relaxed and looked up at the night sky. She didn’t know when she would have the opportunity to relax and enjoy nature like this in the gate again, so she decided to enjoy the experience.

Whoosh…

Yoon Iseul, who had been spending time drinking warm coffee and eating biscuits, when she felt a slight vibration through the shadows she had spread out. She put down the things in her hand and turned her head towards the direction of the vibration.

“Hana?”

Rustle.

A small sound came from the tall trees, and something fell softly to the ground.

Flap, flap.

Baek Hana, who had landed a short distance away from Yoon Iseul, shook her ears and removed the leaves that had stuck to her.

“So, you knew.”
“Well, I am your senior by one year, after all.”
“Oh… I didn’t mean it in that way.”

Baek Hana’s sharp eyes, which had been cold, softened. She was always gentle with those she was close to.

“Do you want to sit for a while?”
“Umm, I…”

Baek Hana, who had been looking troubled, twiddled her fingers. This was completely opposite to when she had given Edyn a bruise on her left eye.

“Haha, it’s okay.”

Clack.

A dark shadow climbed up Yoon Iseul’s body and removed the silver necklace, then brought it to Baek Hana.

“Do you want to sit for a while?”
“If it’s just for a moment…”

Baek Hana took the necklace and sat next to Yoon Iseul.

“Is hunting the participating students the goal that Professor Baek gave you?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”

Baek Hana glanced at Yoon Iseul, worried that she might be offended, but Yoon Iseul was not offended at all. Instead, she was feeling a sense of pleasure as her guess had been correct.

“It’s late, do you want to sleep here?”
“What? No, no. I have to move quickly…”
“That’s a shame.”

Ssssssssss.

The zipper of the tent opened, and the shadow slithered inside. After a while, it came out with another silver necklace hanging from it.

“Here.”
“Thank you…”

Baek Hana, looking dazed, took the second silver necklace and put it in her small pocket.

“Then you should go quickly.”
“Yes, I will…”

Baek Hana, who was wondering if she should just leave like this, stood up and spoke cautiously.

“I don’t have to eliminate everyone, so… I’ll return the necklace to you if I don’t need it anymore.”
“So, there’s a quota?”
“Yes, it’s a bit high, but there is one.”

Yoon Iseul’s sharp eyes and lips softened into a gentle curve.

“Does Hana have to do it herself?”
“No, just reach the number.”
“I see. Hana?”

Baek Hana, who was about to leave, turned around.

“Do you want to join the student council?”
“The student council?”
“Yes. We need to select new members for this year’s guidance team, and I think you would be a good fit.”
“Umm…”

Baek Hana’s beautiful blue eyes shook slightly at the sudden suggestion.

“You don’t have to answer right now. I’ll explain it to you in more detail when we get out of here.”
“Okay…”

Baek Hana bowed slightly and disappeared into the darkness.

Swoosh.

Yoon Iseul was alone again, filling the thermos lid with coffee, when—

“Sniffle… Iseul, if you’re coming in, please close the door. It’s too cold.”

Jane Moore, wearing pajamas, sniffed and poked her head out from behind the blackout curtain.

“I was going to wake you up anyway. Good that you woke up.”
“Hmm?”

Jane Moore tilted her head at Yoon Iseul, who was smiling like a villain.

“Jane.”
“Yes?”

Yoon Iseul, with a red nose from the cold, asked Jane Moore in a low voice.

“Have you ever heard of hide-and-seek?”