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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Basic Understanding of Monsters (1)
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"...So. That b— no, that woman swung an axe!? At Jin Yu-ha?"
When I told Shin Se-hee what had happened the day before, she asked back with a look of utter disbelief.
"Yeah."
I nodded.
"Honestly, there are so many ways to commit suicide. How dare she…"
Shin Se-hee muttered something under her breath in an eerie voice.
"Hmm?"
"It's nothing. So, the tasks you want done are about the rumors and dealing with that woman. Right?"
"Not tasks, but a request."
She fell silent for a moment, as if speechless.
"Ah, anyway! So, how far do you want me to go with that woman…? Expulsion from the academy? Or make her walk around as if she were a dead mouse?"
I let out a small laugh at Shin Se-hee's question.
"Do whatever you want."
"...What?"
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"I told you. Our party members and me. Other than that, I won't care what you do."
"But…"
"And it won't make me disappointed in you, or change my feelings."
"...Is that really true?"
Shin Se-hee asked cautiously.
I nodded.
If I hadn't accepted her from the start, it would be different. But since I'd made Shin Se-hee an ally, I had to trust her. That meant embracing even her darker nature.
Trying to force her to change her nature would be counterproductive. It was better this way than to suppress her forcefully only for her to cause a massive incident later.
'And for anyone not in our party, well.'
It's selfish to say, but for some reason, I never really felt attached to characters I didn't personally choose.
"…"
Shin Se-hee stared intently at me, biting her lower lip.
'Why is she acting like that? I don't think I said anything particularly strange.'
I tilted my head, looking at her.
Then, a thought suddenly struck me, and I added.
"Oh, right. If you ever want to bring someone into our party later, I'll tell you first. Exclude them too, of course."
Haaah—
Shin Se-hee closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh.
Then, a faint smile played on her lips.
"Yes, I understand. Heh heh, to think Jin Yu-ha's first request would be something like this."
"Is it too much trouble?"
"Not at all. This is as easy as pie, you know?"
"...That sounds a bit difficult?"
"I just need to have my secretary feed it to me."
Ah. That uncle who looked like the epitome of a corporate worker.
He had a terribly tired expression when I saw him last time.
Shin Se-hee toyed with her lips, as if anticipating something.
This was her habit when she started formulating a plan.
She was probably running a simulation in her head of how to deal with that 'golden sun' guy.
'Alright, so that takes care of that side of things.'
Creak—
The back door opened, and Kang Do-hee finally appeared.
The classroom was already almost full of cadets.
She quickly looked around for an empty seat and went to sit down.
With all the students seated, they waited for the class to begin.
'It's the first class now.'
I felt my heart pound.
This was a scene that hadn't appeared in Velvet Sra.
A class.
It couldn't be helped.
No matter how voluminous a bishojo game was, it couldn't implement hours-long classes one by one within the game.
Therefore, I knew by heart which classes raised which stats and which classes were helpful for which characters, but I had no idea what was actually taught and learned at the academy. I could only vaguely guess that they would learn combat skills for fighting monsters.
'It really hits home at times like these.'
That this world wasn't just a mobile game, but another world that truly existed.
And just like with Instructor Baek Seol-hee's training, there must be things to gain from the classes beyond just raising stats.
I adjusted my posture, feeling a mix of excitement and tension.
Soon.
The front door of the classroom opened.
Rumble— Rumble— Rumble—
A woman appeared, accompanied by the sound of something heavy being dragged.
It was a middle-aged woman with a hunched posture and round glasses.
And something massive was loaded onto the handcart she was pulling.
It was shaped like a cubical box.
It was covered with a black cloth, so its contents couldn't be seen.
Doubt filled the eyes of the cadets waiting for class.
"...Grrrroooaaarrr—."
At that moment, a rough guttural sound, not human, emanated from inside the cloth.
'...A monster?'
Everyone sitting in the classroom tensed up at the sound, their expressions hardening.
"Oh?"
Beside me, Shin Se-hee tilted her head.
"Uh, hello… I'm… Instructor Yu Mira, in charge of Basic Monster Under, Understanding."
The instructor who had come to teach spoke in a creeping, slurred voice.
"Uhm, fir, first of all… I'll proceed with the class immediately…"
Flap—
She pulled back the black cloth that had been covering it.
And what was revealed.
Its size wasn't very large compared to the iron cage it was confined in.
But its appearance was so horrific it looked like something out of a nightmare.
Its disgustingly swollen muscles and patches of melted skin pulsed like a heart.
It looked as if a human had been dipped in strong acid, then pulled out and given extra limbs.
Six pairs of eyes rolled in different directions on its face, and a long tongue flicked incessantly from its mouth.
'I don't remember a monster like this…'
Could it be a new monster not updated in the game?
I stared at it intently, then.
Suddenly, my eyes widened.
* * *
"Grrrk…"
The monster the instructor dragged in rolled its bulging eyes and let out a guttural growl that sounded like phlegm bubbling.
Ugh—
Students with weak stomachs retched, their gagging sounds echoing throughout the classroom, disgusted by its hideous appearance.
"Ugh… Gross…"
Lee Yu-ri could fully empathize with their feelings.
Even she, who had a strong stomach and resistance to gross things, felt this way.
So how must the other cadets feel?
Even she couldn't help but make a disgusted face at the monster that had just appeared before them.
She knew this class was 'Basic Understanding of Monsters'.
But she never imagined they would bring a real monster into the classroom for it.
And a monster that looked quite dangerous, at that.
'Even if Velvet Academy's philosophy is practical application…'
Wasn't this a bit too reckless?
'Still, there's no way they wouldn't have proper safety measures in place.'
After all, this was Velvet Academy.
It was as she waited for the class to continue.
"Uh, uhm… So, that is…"
As students glared at her from various places, seemingly urging her to start the class, the instructor scratched her head, fidgeting nervously.
"Uhm, fir, first of all…"
She abruptly.
Clank—
Unlocked the padlock.
"Eh?"
A bewildered sound escaped Lee Yu-ri's lips.
But the instructor went a step further.
Creak—
She flung open the cage door.
"Crazy."
Lee Yu-ri's eyes widened, and she swore out loud.
"Grrrk—?"
With the door open, the monster confined within the cage raised its head.
It looked bewildered as the iron bars that blocked its path were gone.
The creature soon.
Dragged its body out of the cage.
"It, it came out…?"
"What the hell."
"They let a monster loose in class…"
"Is this what Velvet Academy classes are like?"
"Hey, hey. D-don't be scared. Th-they wouldn't have just let it loose without thinking, right? This is Velvet Academy, after all."
The murmuring grew louder, but perhaps it was born of their trust in the world's best academy. Even though the students' faces were stiff with tension, no one moved.
Suddenly, the monster stood up straight.
Then it turned its head, looking around at the students who were looking down at it.
Every time it turned its head,
Grind, grind—
Grind, grind—
A spine-chilling sound could be heard.
"Grrrk—?"
Then, the monster fixed its gaze on a girl sitting in the middle.
Its six eyes stared directly at her.
"Eek—!!!"
The girl shuddered and let out a scream.
CRASH—!!!!
It happened in an instant.
Sharp claws extended from its four hands.
The creature lunged forward.
"Kyaaaaaaaaah—!!!!!!"
The monster charged towards the female cadet.
'Crazy, what kind of class is this!!!'
Lee Yu-ri frantically pulled out her shield from her back and channeled her magic.
She drew a dagger from the holder on her thigh.
Clang—!
A clear clang of metal echoed across the classroom.
Flinch.
The monster, which had been heading towards the female cadet, stopped.
Lee Yu-ri poured even more magic into it and struck her shield with the dagger.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Grrrk—?"
Its head turned towards Lee Yu-ri.
Lee Yu-ri stepped onto a desk, gripping her shield, and lowered her body.
Hiss—
Hiss—
The monster, provoked, hissed and breathed heavily.
CRASH—!!!
"Kyaaaaaah—!!"
The monster smashed the desk and lunged forward, reaching out to Lee Yu-ri.
And the moment the shield and claws collided.
BOOOOOOM—!!!!!
A massive explosion echoed through the classroom.
The shock that coursed through her entire body left Lee Yu-ri feeling dizzy.
"…Ugh!"
'A-rank? S-rank?'
This monster was on a completely different level from any other monster she had encountered.
It was enough to make her instinctively think that if this creature truly went wild, everyone here might be annihilated.
Lee Yu-ri gritted her teeth and stood her ground, but.
Her arms trembled uncontrollably from the overwhelming force.
Scree…ech—.
The monster's sharp claws pushed the shield back, gradually getting closer to her.
"…Damn, what a bullshit class!!!!!!!"
Just before the monster's claws touched her face.
"That's enough, Instructor."
Jin Yu-ha's calm voice was heard from afar.
When Lee Yu-ri looked forward.
Jin Yu-ha had somehow moved forward and held a sword to the slurred instructor's throat.
The sword's chilling blue blade reflected a glint of light against the instructor's throat.
Jin Yu-ha spoke with an expressionless face.
"Unless you want to kill this monster right now."
Jin Yu-ha pressed the sword closer to the frozen instructor's throat.
'What…!?'
Lee Yu-ri looked at the grotesque monster in front of her with a startled expression.
Then.
"…Oh my."
A languid exclamation slipped out of the grotesque monster's mouth, which had been flicking its tongue in front of her.
"They said there were many excellent students among this batch…"
The monster chortled.
"You got me there."
Then it turned its head towards Jin Yu-ha and said.
"Don't kill that one. It's quite expensive."