I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

Click.

-Ah…

A familiar voice mixed with an unfamiliar sound woke me from my nap.

I opened my eyes and saw the ceiling of the bedroom.

I turned my head toward the sound and saw Claire, her cheeks and ears flushed red, maintaining a stoic expression.

I asked her, hiding my hands behind my back, “What time is it?”

“……It’s 7 o’clock.”

Her voice was slightly shaky, but I didn’t mind.

Whatever she did, I knew she wouldn’t do anything harmful to me.

From the moment I first met her eight years ago until now, I had never sensed any ill will from Claire.

-Peep-peep.

“……”

I tilted my head slightly to the side, and there, on my stomach, was the little rascal who was supposed to be in the basket, curled up and fast asleep.

She was so light that I couldn’t feel any weight at all, even though I could see her with my own eyes.

“Hmm. She has an unique sleeping habit.”

“A sleeping habit?”

I had no idea how she ended up on my stomach instead of in the basket.

Or maybe children instinctively wanted to sleep on an adult’s stomach?

Baek Hana used to sleep on my stomach when she slept next to me, and now this little rascal had climbed onto my stomach and fallen asleep without my permission.

I checked if she had drooled, but fortunately, unlike Baek Hana, who needed a pacifier, the little rascal was just sleeping quietly.

“Claire.”

“Yes.”

“……Move her.”

“You can sleep for another hour.”

“……Move her.”

“Hmm, yes.”

Claire coughed lightly, put the smartphone she had been holding in her pocket, and carefully wrapped her hands around the little rascal.

I got up, and the little rascal returned to her basket.

“Did you eat breakfast?”

“I had a light breakfast.”

“I see.”

“Yes.”

We had a brief conversation and left the bedroom for the study.

I pulled out a chair and sat down, and Claire, standing in front of the desk, asked, “Are you hungry or thirsty?”

“……Coffee.”

I don’t know why.

Suddenly, I thought of the coffee that Baek Hana used to make for me every morning.

“Please make me a cup of coffee. Instant is fine.”

“Yes, sir.”

Claire turned her back to me and quietly left the study.

‘What an unpredictable body.’

Usually, I wouldn’t have craved it, but for some reason, I suddenly wanted it today.

I couldn’t pinpoint the cause, but I assumed it was due to the physical strain from yesterday’s events.

Other than that, there were no other changes in my body.

As I leaned back in the chair, checking my body, Claire returned with a steaming cup.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

I took a sip, and the familiar taste of instant coffee spread in my mouth.

“So.”

I put down the cup and asked her, “I’d like to hear your answer to the proposal I put on hold yesterday.”

Yesterday, I had asked her to stay in the house until the little rascal, who was currently sleeping in the basket, had learned some basic manners to prevent her from tearing open coffee sticks and breaking honey jars, and she had asked for a day to think about it.

“If it doesn’t inconvenience you, I’d like to stay here for a few days.”

Unlike yesterday, when she had hesitated, her answer was firm.

I nodded and said, “You can use my bedroom. I don’t need sleep, so it’s fine.”

Although I needed proper rest to recover, I had passed the stage where I would feel sluggish from a few days without sleep, so a few days without sleep wouldn’t be a problem.

“I… I will.”

“If you have any luggage, move it today. And if there’s anything you find difficult to eat or that causes an adverse reaction, please let me know.”

“No.”

After that, Claire and I chatted briefly.

Clack, Claire picked up the empty cup, and I got up from my chair.

We quietly left the study and walked down the hallway.

I continued toward the foyer, intending to leave, while Claire briefly stopped by the kitchen to put down the cup.

As I took off my slippers and put on my coat, Claire joined me in the foyer.

“You didn’t need to see me off.”

“No, it’s fine. And I’ve taken care of the matters you asked about yesterday. I’ve also set Priestess Lee Yesol as the person in charge, so feel free to treat her as you please.”

“Thanks again.”

“You’re welcome.”

As I changed into my shoes, I glanced at Claire, who was standing next to me.

“Professor…”

“Speak.”

I turned slightly, and I could see a hint of worry in her eyes, which had been expressionless until now.

“I think it would be better if I accompanied you…”

It was true that my body felt more sluggish than usual due to yesterday’s events, but that wasn’t a reason for her to worry.

The body was just a vessel for the soul, a tool to aid in one’s activities.

What’s more, even if a part of my body was cut off, as long as I could still manipulate magic power, and as long as I could manipulate magic power, humans were no match for me.

However, I swallowed all those thoughts and answered Claire, who was looking at me with worry, “I’d rather come home to a clean house today.”

“Hmm, if that’s what you wish…”

Claire coughed lightly, her fist pressed against her lips, and she blushed shyly.

Of course, it would be more convenient if she came with me, but today, I needed to act separately.

I didn’t know who would cause trouble in the gate yet, but whoever it was, the moment they saw Claire accompanying me, they would likely change their mind. And that wasn’t the result I wanted.

I wanted to find out who the culprit was and who was behind them, not prevent the incident.

“Then, I’ll be back.”

“Take care.”

I left the mansion with Claire’s farewell ringing in my ears.

**

“Tsk, no matter how great he is, the professor should come early and take care of the students.”

Yoon Do Sik glanced at the clock, which was approaching 9 a.m., and clicked his tongue. He then turned his gaze to the three priests dressed in white robes and armor.

‘At least he kept his promise.’

He had hired the most influential priests of Bwiar, the most powerful deity.

I had been worried that he might bring some mediocre people, but now I felt relieved.

But that was that, and…

Yoon Do Sik frowned at the sight of more than 60 students.

‘The appropriate number is 30, but what’s he thinking with this many people?’

With his own students, the number would reach 100.

While they could take turns entering and exiting the gate in shifts, it would be a tight fit, and Yoon Do Sik had no intention of doing that with his students.

He wanted them to stick together and thoroughly investigate the gate’s ecosystem, observe the quality of the materials, and study the monsters. Dividing the time like this was unacceptable.

‘If he really insists on this, I’ll never deal with him again.’

As Yoon Do Sik frowned and thought this, the students, who had been whispering among themselves, suddenly fell silent as if on cue.

At the change in the students’ behavior, Yoon Do Sik looked up.

“Ahh!”

Yoon Do Sik took a few steps back in surprise as Baek Woo-jin appeared beside him without a sound.

Baek Woo-jin paid no attention to Yoon Do Sik and continued walking, and Lee Yesol, who had been standing a distance away, approached with two Paladins and stopped in front of Baek Woo-jin.

“You’re here.”

“Sorry for the sudden visit.”

“Not at all. It’s good to breathe the air of a gate once in a while. Besides, it’s still early in the semester, so everyone was free.”

The students watched this exchange with wide eyes.

Priests were only allowed to bow to their superiors and the statues of the deities they served. Yet, Lee Yesol had just bowed to Baek Woo-jin.

Baek Woo-jin ignored the students’ gazes and took out a piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to Lee Yesol.

“Please divide the students according to this list and load them onto the buses.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lee Yesol took the paper with both hands and, along with the Paladins, headed toward the group of students.

Yoon Do Sik, who had been standing a distance away, approached and asked, “Hey.”

“What?”

Yoon Do Sik coughed lightly and continued, his voice sounding surprisingly pleasant despite his indifferent tone.

“If you’ve done a prior investigation, you should know that this many people won’t fit comfortably in the gate’s environment.”

“Don’t worry. There’s more than enough room.”

“……?”

Yoon Do Sik blinked at Baek Woo-jin’s answer. He asked again, “Has the gate changed somehow? If so, that would be very inconvenient.”

“It’s the same environment with the blue moss growing. There’s no inconvenience, so divide your students as well.”

“What?”

Baek Woo-jin took out another piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Yoon Do Sik.

“……Why did you make this?”

Yoon Do Sik frowned as he took the paper, which listed his students’ names in pairs.

“Divide your students according to this list and load them onto the buses. There’s no harm in doing so, so just do it.”

“……”

Yoon Do Sik glared at Baek Woo-jin, but Baek Woo-jin simply ignored him and said, “Hurry up. Glaring at me won’t change anything.”

“Damn it.”

Yoon Do Sik mumbled, ‘How can someone with that face be in their forties? The world is so unfair…’ as he moved toward the gate.

Soon, Lee Yesol returned.

“All students are seated.”

Baek Woo-jin nodded and, along with Lee Yesol, boarded the bus.

Thanks to Kim Seong Won handling all the procedures, the four buses carrying the students quickly arrived at their destination.

After going through the formalities at the checkpoint in the restricted zone, they headed toward the assigned gate.

The students were calm, as they had all been to restricted zones a few times while attending specialized schools.

Baek Woo-jin stopped in front of the gate guarded by the same civil servant he had seen yesterday and turned to face the students.

“The monster inhabiting this gate is a moss turtle. It’s a non-aggressive type, so as long as you don’t provoke it, there won’t be any combat.”

Unlike the students from the Department of Alchemy, who already knew about the gate’s environment, Baek Woo-jin’s students relaxed as they had not received any information.

If they encountered a moss turtle, they could easily handle it with the equipment they had been provided.

“You will enter the gate in one-minute intervals, one team at a time, and two students from the Department of Alchemy will join each team. Your task is simple. All you need to do is protect the students from the Department of Alchemy until the end of today’s class. When the class is over, we will have a session to prove the content of the last lecture.”

Baek Woo-jin turned away and took another step toward the gate, continuing, “However, since it’s a rare practical session, I’d like to make a somewhat motivating proposal.”

He turned his head slightly and continued, “If you reach the core of the gate on your own before the class ends, I will give you full marks for Tuesday’s assignment. However, it will only be recognized if you get the proper consent of the students from the Department of Alchemy whom you team up with, so make sure to negotiate appropriately.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Baek Woo-jin stepped into the gate.

Lee Yesol, who had been standing by, stepped forward with a smile and addressed the students.

“Team 1, please come forward.”

Eight students from the Department of Basic Gate Studies and two from the Department of Alchemy stepped forward.

“Hold hands tightly and enter.”

The students looked confused but didn’t ask any questions, and they entered the gate holding hands.

One by one, the teams entered the gate, and in the middle, two Paladins mixed in with the students.

When all the students had entered, Lee Yesol said to Yoon Do Sik, “You may enter now.”

“Are you not going in, Priest?”

“I will.”

Lee Yesol didn’t answer, merely smiling and repeating the same words. Yoon Do Sik coughed awkwardly and began to move.

‘Why on earth would he bring 100 people to a first-stage gate…’

Yoon Do Sik clicked his tongue silently as he looked at the relatively small gate.

He knew what was inside, so he was sure the students wouldn’t fit.

He turned to leave, intending to ask what was going on, when—

“……?”

A blue wall.

Where there should have been an exit leading outside, there was now a dead end.