I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy - Chapter 29

Ahn Hyundo.

A first-generation enhancement-type awakener, he was a skilled fighter who had ranked 50th in the world during his active years.

He is currently the principal of Arena Academy.

“Hmm.”

He sat in a plain chair in a small room, looking at a small letter.

‘Baek Woo-jin…’

He had returned to the academy earlier than expected with the artifact that was supposed to be the prize, and was greeted by two very surprising reports.

One report was about the academy’s barrier stopping its operation, and the other was about a black-rated professor.

The reports were written by different people, but after reading both, Ahn Hyundo contacted Kim Sung-won, who had submitted the second report.

He was able to hear in detail about the events that had taken place while he was away.

A young man wearing a black ring registered to the academy.

The man’s name was Baek Woo-jin, and he was also responsible for the cessation of the barrier’s operation, according to the first report.

Of course, he hadn’t heard it directly from the man himself, but all the circumstances of that day pointed in that direction, so Ahn Hyundo accepted it as fact.

The professor, who had not shown himself since the academy was founded, had officially appeared for the first time in exactly 20 years.

“Am I going senile or something?”

He looked to be in his mid-thirties, but Ahn Hyundo was actually approaching his sixtieth birthday.

He read the letter again.

『I am writing this letter for my future self.
At some point, I may not even remember writing this letter.
But don’t doubt it. I, Ahn Hyundo, wrote this.
As proof, I will write down some embarrassing secrets that only I would know.
At the age of 31, in the 9th stage of the Frigid Snowfield, I met Julia Grace and had my first…』

Ahn Hyundo quickly skimmed past the unnecessary parts and moved his eyes down.

『This proves that I am indeed Ahn Hyundo.
So you must believe my words unconditionally.
It is unknown when this being will begin its activities.
Perhaps it will remain dormant until I return to dust.
But if a black-rated professor appears, do not go against them.
This being helped greatly in the establishment of Arena Academy, and it is a dangerous existence that humans cannot afford to offend.
I, the writer of this letter, do not believe in any gods, but I do not know if the reader of this letter does.
Remember this: The gods are distant, but this being is very close.』

“Well, well.”

The handwriting and the unnecessary details in the middle confirmed that it was indeed a letter he had written. The problem was that he had no memory of writing such a letter.

Ahn Hyundo read the letter a few more times before carefully folding it and putting it back in his pocket.

“I did follow the warning, though…”

A black-rated professor.

On paper, they were one rank below him, but they had the same authority as the principal.

That was why the incidents during the entrance exam had been quietly swept under the rug.

-Ding.

A clear sound came from his smart watch, indicating that everyone who was supposed to be in the meeting room had arrived.

The freshman orientation was in just two days.

Ahn Hyundo had called this meeting to introduce the newly reorganized faculty and a very special professor who had caused all these changes.

“At least he’s not completely inflexible.”

He left the principal’s office to meet the man of the hour.

**

[Conference Room 1]

A space large enough to accommodate all the faculty and staff of the academy’s main building.

Since it was meant for everyone, not just a select few, the room was designed more like a classroom than a conference room.

The air in the conference room, filled to the brim with people, was heavy.

Of course, some level of courtesy was expected given the venue, but the silence in the room, devoid of even the slightest chatter, was unprecedented since the academy’s founding.

Thirteen professors had been abruptly dismissed from their positions, and their places had been taken by young instructors and associate professors.

The changes didn’t stop there.

Some administrative staff members had also been quietly replaced, and the reason was the same: they had been lining their pockets.

This led to a few speculations among the staff.

Either someone had crossed a line, or the principal had decided to take action.

Because of this, the faculty members in the conference room were afraid that they might be implicated or that they might have unknowingly done something wrong.

Of course, not everyone felt this way.

A prime example was Kim Sung-won, the chief financial officer, who sat in the front row.

Unlike the others, who were tense, he was half-asleep with his eyes half-closed, and next to him, Choi Minshik, the chief academic officer, watched him with a bemused expression.

Choi Minshik had also met Baek Woo-jin on the day of the entrance exam, thanks to Kim Sung-won, so he wasn’t as nervous about this meeting. He had already felt all the pressure and burden he needed to feel that day.

-The principal has arrived.

A voice came through the ceiling speakers, and soon after, the door to the conference room opened.

“I apologize for calling you all here during such a busy time with the start of the semester and the freshman orientation.”

Ahn Hyundo had his hair neatly combed up, and his large eyes and gentle features gave him a soft overall impression.

There were some fine wrinkles on his skin, but he showed no signs of aging, and his body was muscular and tall.

He climbed up to the podium in the conference room.

“Since we’re all busy, I’ll keep this short and sweet so we can wrap this up quickly.”

His voice, without any amplification, resonated clearly throughout the conference room.

“I think everyone is aware that some faculty members have been dismissed and replaced by young newcomers.”

Ahn Hyundo scanned the faces of the new professors who were huddled together in the corner.

“Don’t go looking for trouble, or you might get your ass kicked.”

He was trying to lighten the mood with a joke, but the professors couldn’t take it as a joke.

After all, if they were kicked by Ahn Hyundo, who was still as fit as he was in his active years, they might end up paralyzed.

“And you young folks, don’t get cocky out there. Be humble.”

The new professors in the corner nodded quickly.

“And finally, I’d like to introduce one more professor, Baek Woo-jin.”

Ahn Hyundo scanned the room but couldn’t find the new face.

“Is Professor Baek Woo-jin here? I heard he was attend–”

Click.

The clear sound of shoe heels, brief but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Ahn Hyundo’s eyes widened slightly.

A man who had been invisible just moments ago had appeared with that single sound.

Ahn Hyundo wasn’t the only one who was surprised.

Choi Minshik, who had been sitting next to the dozing Kim Sung-won, was also startled.

This was because Baek Woo-jin had stood up right next to him.

Click. Click.

Baek Woo-jin walked up to the podium with a steady, rhythmic sound.

“Professor Baek Woo-jin?”
“…?”

Baek Woo-jin nodded slightly instead of answering.

Ahn Hyundo didn’t find his attitude rude at all.

In fact, he felt goosebumps all over his body.

A man whose presence was so faint that even when you looked at him, you couldn’t sense it.

No, according to the letter, he wasn’t a man, but some other being.

He had untidy hair and wore large glasses that made him look a bit comical, but despite his appearance, he exuded a heavy, intimidating aura that made it difficult to approach him.

Ahn Hyundo looked back at the faculty members and continued,

“Most of you probably know that there are three colors of rings: brown, sky blue, and gray. But there’s actually one more color.”

He pointed to Baek Woo-jin’s left hand.

“This black ring that Professor Baek Woo-jin is wearing. Yes, there is a black rating in our academy. This rating has existed since the academy was founded, and until now, only a handful of people knew about it. So, you must be curious about this.”

Ahn Hyundo pointed to himself with his right thumb and said,

“Black is just one level below me, but it has the same authority as mine.”

The usually quiet conference room suddenly became noisy.

A rating with the same authority as the principal meant that this person could make decisions and influence everything from personnel matters to budgets.

It was as if they suddenly had two principals.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in the second row raised his hand, and on his finger was a gray ring.

Gray was higher than sky blue.

It was the ring given to special lecturers brought in by the principal from the outside.

“I’m sorry, but I won’t be taking any more questions…”

Ahn Hyundo was about to say that he wouldn’t be taking any questions, but he closed his mouth when Baek Woo-jin, who was standing next to him, raised his hand slightly.

Baek Woo-jin opened his mouth to address the man who had raised his hand.

“Go ahead.”

‘Wow…’

Ahn Hyundo, who was standing right next to him, was impressed.

It was a truly captivating voice, even to another man.

The other professors in the room had similar thoughts, and some of the female staff members even blushed.

“I have a question for the principal.”

The man who had raised his hand was Jaiden Martel, a former combat magician and the current lecturer for destructive fire magic.

Ahn Hyundo nodded to Jaiden, indicating that he could ask his question.

“Can we also strive for that ring?”
“Hmm.”

At Jaiden’s question, Ahn Hyundo didn’t answer right away but glanced at Baek Woo-jin, who was standing next to him.

He had originally planned to end the meeting without taking any questions, but since the person in question had agreed to answer, he left the response to him as well.

As expected, Baek Woo-jin nodded and said,

“This is Arena Academy. So, I will also follow the academy’s rules.”

Every year, the professors, excluding the principal, participated in the ring-grabbing contest to prove that they were worthy of such treatment.

Baek Woo-jin had just told them that he would also be participating in the contest.

But Baek Woo-jin didn’t stop there.

“However, waiting until next year would be too boring. If anyone here thinks they can take this ring from me, challenge me during the summer festival.”

The summer festival was an event that couldn’t be missed at Arena Academy.

Lower-level students could challenge upper-level students, and the upper-level students had to accept the challenge on the condition that the lower-level students will do one thing in return.

Usually, it was for entertainment, like making the loser dance or sing, but there were also cases where it was used for more serious purposes.

Since the priests of the god of amusement witnessed the event, whatever was agreed upon during the event match had to be kept.

So, it was not uncommon for upper-level students to demand something unreasonable to deter challengers.

Baek Woo-jin was telling the professors here that he would accept their challenges during the event match.

“Are there any more questions?”
“…No.”

Jaiden lowered his hand and closed his mouth, and Baek Woo-jin turned to Ahn Hyundo and asked,

“If there’s nothing else, let’s wrap this up.”
“Well, then, I’ll see you at the orientation.”

Baek Woo-jin didn’t respond and quietly walked down from the podium, opening the door and leaving the conference room.

“Well, thank you all for gathering for this trivial matter. You may all return to your duties.”

Ahn Hyundo awkwardly laughed and dismissed the faculty, and the staff began to leave the conference room one by one.

At that moment, Kim Sung-won, who had been pretending to sleep with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and licked his lips, muttering softly,

“Summer festival… event match… This could be a money-making opportunity…”
“You greedy bastard.”

Choi Minshik, who was sitting next to him, clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“What are you gonna do about it? I don’t have any hair left to pull out, so I might as well make some money.”

Kim Sung-won shrugged and stood up, and Choi Minshik also stood up and slowly started to leave the conference room.

“So, how do you plan to make money?”
“What else? Gambling, of course.”
“You pathetic man.”

Choi Minshik clicked his tongue and shook his head, then quietly brought his mouth close to Kim Sung-won’s ear and whispered,

“…Are you taking investors?”

Choi Min-shik had a full head of hair, and Kim Sung-won once again felt the unfairness of the world.