#98: Professor Strict’s Strategy Class (1) — Starborn Cheat Character

[Gonis Hunter Academy]

As the main stage and background where the characters of ‘GAL’ thrive, it’s touted as the pinnacle of all academies.

Therefore, the quality of the lessons was considerably good compared to other places.

Various reasons made this possible.

A large-scale library that had systematically accumulated and organized information over a long period.

The top-notch textbooks, written by alumni who graduated from here, each detailing their own know-how.

Among other things.

But if you were to pinpoint the biggest reason, it would undoubtedly be the level of the professors currently employed.

They were all experts who had researched their fields for a long time and had accumulated a wealth of experience.

Of course, to be honest, it was only within the confines of the that they were the best.
There were hunters far superior to professors.

No, there were many.

But you must know this.

They were people who would never become professors.

As Peng Jin-ah once said, being a professor is a very ambiguous job.

You earn less money while having to maintain a sense of duty and morality, and if anything goes wrong, you have to take responsibility.

Someone might say.
In return, isn’t there high social prestige?

Regrettably, this wasn’t the case either.

Instead, spending that time discovering a few more ‘undiscovered’ dungeons as a hunter would get your name in the news more.

In the end, both those who want to do it.
And those who wanted to hire were both ambiguous and struggling…
But it was a position that had to be filled for the sake of the budding dreamers.

In fact, it wasn’t always like this from the beginning.

The government, understanding the importance of ‘education’ better than anyone, implemented policies such as tax reductions and priority distribution of C~B grade elixirs.

Since it guaranteed benefits that were hard to resolve with money alone, everyone initially wanted to become a professor.

Even if they only selected elites with practical experience and high levels of skill, there would have been no problem filling the Academy professor positions.

The real problem arose after that.

There were power struggles among professors and other various issues that couldn’t be ignored.

The biggest issue was limited to the early awakened society.
It was due to the frequently occurring small-to-medium scale .
The lurking in the shadows of the world, biding their time and watching for opportunities.

In truth, weren’t that difficult of an existence.

The fact that ‘Demonic Energy’ was a powerful force and thus a strong presence was true, but since ‘Magi’ itself was so easily detectable, it wasn’t suitable for something like the commonly mentioned terrorism.

The real problem was the .
Villains merely had twisted minds and walked the path of evil.

They were indistinguishable from ordinary .

To begin with, not all hunters had good morals, so how could one distinguish them?

would infiltrate organizations, rot them from within, and collude with .
It wasn’t uncommon for professors to die here and there.

There were many academies in South Korea until now, but the decisive reason why only [Gonis Hunter Academy] stood tall in the end was also because of this.

“That’s why strategy techniques have developed.”

A stern-looking female professor adjusted her sharp triangular glasses and continued speaking.

“Originally, ‘Command’ developed to efficiently deal with monsters. In fact, early strategies were created to face typical monsters.”

The commonly known five-person system called positions.

1~2 main tanks.
1~2 main dealers, sub-dealers.
1~2 supporters, and healers, were also established at this time.

“But as time went by, the situation changed significantly. For hunters, dealing with other humans, namely , became more challenging than dealing with low-intelligence monsters. Naturally, strategies diverged into monster-type and human-type strategies.”

“Especially, our academy focuses on studying how to deal with enemies when the emergency bell rings. The reason is due to the characteristics of . are able to handle the ‘Demonic Energy’ from another world through a contract with devils. Demonic energy itself is not inherently evil. Originally, the term ‘Demonic Energy’ was arbitrarily defined by the church. In terms of power, it is a pure resource not much different from holy power.”

The problem lay in the influence of ‘Demonic Energy’.

“It is such pure and powerful strength that the rationality of the awakened cannot withstand it. Eventually, they often succumb to the destructive impulse called desire. In this process, there is a change in power that is commonly described as demonic or evil. Therefore, it is fundamentally impossible for to fight strategically.”

More precisely, it was impossible for them to fight efficiently in a group.

They would end up attacking each other and self-destructing.

“That is why are terrifying. They have taken measures to hide the manifestation of ‘Demonic Energy’ as much as possible through various substances unknown to us. Consequently, they often take on the role of commanders. The result of this is the birth of <Demon, Villain> hybrid clans. The most representative of these is the ‘Abyss’ clan that you all know.”

《Abyss》.
Commonly referred to as the dark organizations of the other world.

There were many trivial ones as well.

《Kalasutra》, 《Niflheim》, 《Tartarus》.
These three were the most representative.

“Among them, the one to be most cautious of is [Tartarus].”

The undisputed strongest dark clan.

In terms of scale, it was in no way inferior to the [Four Great Clans].

“The reason they have gained such infamy is that they succeeded in annihilating the [Faded Ones] group several decades ago.”

[Faded Ones].
A group composed solely of those who had retired after active service on the front lines.

It was said that all of them had the power to transform their ‘Inner Flame’ into a sword.

All of them, someday, would become the leader and incarnation of the ‘Demons’ that would descend upon this world.

They were the ones who vowed to sacrifice themselves to defeat the ‘Demon King’.

“I don’t know much about this flame either, but I’ve heard it’s a power that can cause significant damage regardless of whether it’s to demons or villains. That’s why it was targeted first. Eventually, they faced annihilation. Some survivors are said to have made it, but essentially, their legacy has ended. Truly a tragic event.”

This incident left a strong impression on all the demons and villains of the underworld.

In fact, it solidified their status as a de facto recognized leader.

“As a professor, it’s truly lamentable… When an attack happens, it’s inevitable that our response will be delayed. Everyone knows how difficult it is to fend off those who come with a determined aim.”

However, we are not helpless punching bags.

“We have prepared various devices to counter the attackers.”

[Magical Detectors] densely embedded in the outer walls of the building.

[Artifacts] that allow contact with professors in case of emergency.

[Holy Spells], which, when infused with mana, automatically deploy a holy protective barrier using the power of pre-installed relics.

Various preparations had been made.

“The biggest one among them is that we successfully negotiated with the .”

The was arrogant.
This was a well-known fact.

Beings that detest and reject those who do not possess divinity.

Even this had become somewhat gentler over time.
Originally, it was said that they persecuted and tortured.

But regardless of how it came to be, the power they possessed had indeed become a major deterrent and had brought benefits to the world.

“ leave a lingering stench of demonic energy wherever they rampage. Their power voraciously devours life, tainting it with evil. Essentially, it turns the land into a barren wasteland where no one can survive.”

If the Order had not periodically conducted ‘pilgrimages’ to purify these wastelands, South Korea would have long turned into a land of death.

“Particularly, <Demons, Villains> were most vicious in targeting ‘food supplies.’ By infiltrating large-scale agricultural facilities and causing havoc, most plants and animals would become unusable. This was a major cause of more deaths from starvation than from monster attacks in the early awakening era.”

That’s why the was so important.

They perfectly purified these plants and animals, allowing future generations to continue living.

In reality, the current majority of the agricultural and fishery markets heavily relied on the ’s cooperation.

Therefore, the fact that all these circumstances combined to increase the ’s influence, making the government wary, was somewhat inevitable.

“…I digressed for a moment. In any case, our academy has established cooperation with the . And thus, the was born.”

A circle (club) composed entirely of nuns imbued with holy power.

Well, it was called a Circle.
In fact, it was the strongest circle, even capable of opposing the professors.

“The exclusivity of the will be something you continue to feel while attending here. They are the kind who won’t even converse if one lacks divinity, even if they are a professor. However, they are crusaders who have vowed to sacrifice their lives against invading enemies. Please do not reject their helping hand.”

Lastly…

Through future classes, learn strategies to protect yourself.

“This is why I teach classes. Now, I will begin teaching ‘Strategy’. Everyone, please open your textbooks to page two.”

A truly beneficial education.

However, unfortunately, the majority of the cadets only saw it as a repetition of boring content.

As proof, they were all unknowingly nodding off.

The Professor known for being strict.

And Professor Strict’s class.

[The Composition of Strategy and Command System] was notorious even among first-year students.

The reason was that it didn’t just cover orientation but was conducted in full right from the first class.

The content was dull and uninteresting, so the majority showed signs of dislike.

Except for two people.

Only Yu Seha and Ma Hana were listening intently with shining eyes.

“…You two. Why are you so excited?”

Moon Bora, who was taking notes, asked curiously.

“Hmm. It’s my first time attending a class, so it’s fun… I didn’t know there was such history…”
“Me too, me too! Wow… so this is what school life feels like.”

Moon Bora quietly spoke to Yu Seha, who was enjoying herself with sparkling eyes.

“…Yu Seha. Is this the first time you’ve attended a class or gone to school?”
“Yeah! I’ve never attended before!”
“……”

Moon Bora’s expression grew complicated at the nonchalant reply.

What kind of story could it be…?

It wasn’t a long contemplation.

‘…Orphan.’

From what she heard, Yu Seha’s parents had died in the .

Attending school would have been a luxury for someone left alone so suddenly.

While Moon Bora smiled bitterly out of pity.

Ju Na-young, sitting beside her, also had a complicated and subtle expression.

In fact, nothing was registering in Ju Na-young’s ears and eyes right now.

Her mind was complex and dizzy.
Only one thing came to mind.
The scene where Moon Bora handed a handkerchief to Yu Seha.

‘…Why?’

I gave that to Yu Seha…
Why is Moon Bora…
Returning it?

Thinking about returning it implied one premise.

‘…You lent it?’

Why did you lend it?
Why?
I gave it to you to use.

‘…And…’

Ju Na-young glanced at Moon Bora.

The blue light that had been bothering her from earlier.

She twitched her lips at the subtle jewel gleaming on her nape.

It was clearly a beautifully crafted necklace.
Someone seemed to have placed it around her neck, treasuring it dearly.
It wasn’t hard to guess who might have given it to her.

‘…’

Silently, she stared at the necklace.

Something unknown wrapped around Ju Na-young’s pupils.

A lingering echo, like a strange desire.

Soon, she shuddered inwardly and shook her head.

‘There must have been a reason.’

It was at that moment she couldn’t focus on the lesson.

Thud. With the sound of chalk being placed down, a sharp voice resounded.

“There, Cadet Ju Na-young.”
“…Yes?”

Ju Na-young involuntarily responded.

“You haven’t been paying attention to my class since earlier… Can I take that to mean you already know everything about that I just explained?”

“Ah, um… well.”