I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

The conference room fell silent.
“Th-that…”
Cheon Ji-ho cautiously spoke up, pointing to his long, dangling right sleeve.
“Just now, did you… call my name?”
It was clear from his face that he was thinking something along the lines of, ‘Is this a prank to make fun of the new guy?’
“I heard you.”
“No, I…”
Even though I nodded in response to his question, he kept blinking and showing me his empty sleeve.
“Professor Baek.”
I turned my head to look at Lee Hyuk.
He was looking at me with wide eyes, but for a different reason than Cheon Ji-ho.
I gestured with my chin, indicating that he could speak if he had something to say, and his closed mouth opened again.
“I’m not disregarding Professor Cheon Ji-ho, but even objectively speaking, wouldn’t it be more appropriate for me to take charge of the education supervision?”
“What’s the reason?”
“Well…”
Lee Hyuk glanced at Cheon Ji-ho’s empty right sleeve.
“In terms of experience and skill, and just those two factors alone, wouldn’t it be enough?”
“That’s right.”
“…”
When I nodded in agreement, Lee Hyuk looked at me with slightly surprised eyes and blinked.
“As you said, in terms of experience and skill, and almost every other aspect, Cheon Ji-ho is inferior to you, Lee Hyuk. You’re superior.”
“Then why…?”
“It’s simple. No matter how strong and superior you are, teaching is a separate field.”
I turned my head, and Cheon Ji-ho flinched, gripping the empty sleeve with his remaining hand.
“Lee Hyuk, you are indeed strong and experienced. But you’re too exceptional. You’re one of those so-called geniuses.”
“Ahem, well… I’m not sure about the ‘genius’ part…”
The man, who had been stunned, reacted to the specific word ‘genius’ and coughed awkwardly.
“I talked to a few graduates who participated in the Exhibition, and they all said the same thing. They said you’re not good at teaching.”
“Hmm… May I ask in what areas I was lacking?”
He seemed to be in a slightly better mood than before, perhaps because I had called him a genius.
“They all praised your advice on swordsmanship.”
“Hmm.”
“But they said you weren’t helpful at all when it came to ability manifestation and magic power manipulation.”
“That…”
“They said things like, ‘Why can’t you do something so simple? Just do it with your feelings. Trust your instincts.'”
“Ahem…”
Lee Hyuk coughed, a different kind of cough from before, and subtly averted his gaze from me.
“I sought you out as the supervisor after getting advice from other professors, but the students must have felt a certain way when they received such an answer from you.”
“I have nothing to say.”
He still wasn’t looking at me.
“P-Professor, may I speak?”
Cheon Ji-ho, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, asked for permission to speak.
I nodded once, and he placed his hand, which had been gripping his sleeve, on the table and began to speak.
“W-well, as you can see, I have a missing arm that I used to use primarily, so I have limitations in correcting students’ postures and such. And unlike Professor Lee Hyuk, my knowledge in areas other than swordsmanship is shallow.”
“That’s why we’re selecting an education supervisor.”
At my response, he looked even more perplexed and continued.
“Then, couldn’t I take on one of the education supervisor positions?”
“Cheon Ji-ho.”
“Y-yes, Professor.”
His tension was evident on his face.
I looked at the faces of the other professors sitting around the table, starting with Jayden and Lee Hyuk on either side of me.
“I have one request of you.”
“What is it?”
Flap.
“Huh…?”
As his empty sleeve suddenly moved on its own, Cheon Ji-ho quickly grabbed it with his remaining arm.
“I want you to share your unique experiences with the students.”
“Experiences…”
He looked at his empty sleeve.
His right arm, cleanly severed.
In a situation where everyone had given up, he didn’t give up in the face of a creature beyond his level and managed to preserve his life by sacrificing his right arm.
“All of you here have experienced hardships and felt your lives threatened in the gates. But none of you have been as close to death as you, Cheon Ji-ho.”
“I’ve never been in a situation that dire.”
“Indeed, while you’ve faced hardships, none of you have been in a situation where your lives were truly threatened.”
Lee Hyuk and Jayden murmured in response.
“Share with the students what you felt and thought during that time, and what you thought after surviving. Even if you give the same advice, it will be more impactful coming from you, who has experienced it firsthand.”
Of course, I’m not just asking him to share his experiences as the supervisor. If that were the case, I could simply gather the selected students and have Cheon Ji-ho talk to them.
The reason I’m putting Cheon Ji-ho in the supervisor position is that he actually has a talent for teaching.
As he claims, there are limitations to his ability to spar with students or correct their postures. However, he has the ability to perfectly complement the areas where Lee Hyuk was lacking.
First of all, the magic power circuits of the Enhancement Users and Ability Users are structurally different.
If the Awakened of both groups could handle magic power in the same way, there would be no need for two separate supervisor positions, and Jayden would have been appointed to a single, unified position.
And the swordsmanship department itself would not have developed as much as it has.
Before even classifying them into categories like swordsmanship and martial arts, the strength of an Awakened lies primarily in the total amount of magic power they possess and secondarily in their magic power sensitivity.
It’s only natural that the one who can distribute and use the same amount of magic power more efficiently is stronger.
Strictly speaking, Lee Hyuk is indeed superior in terms of sensitivity.
The crucial point is whether they can explain the methods of utilization in a way that students can understand, beyond just a simple explanation.
Lee Hyuk falls into the latter category, while Cheon Ji-ho falls into the former. That’s why I’m putting Cheon Ji-ho in the supervisor position.
“Let me tell you in advance, if you want to refuse, bring me someone who meets my standards. If that’s impossible, you don’t have the right to refuse.”
“Hmm…”
At my firm response, Cheon Ji-ho looked at Lee Hyuk with pleading eyes, seeking his help.
“I agree.”
“Huh?!”
But when Lee Hyuk gave up his position so easily, Cheon Ji-ho’s eyes widened in surprise, and he soon sighed heavily.
“I’m not sure if I can do it well, but I’ll do my best.”
“Good. Then.”
I turned my head and looked at the door of the conference room.
Knock, knock, knock.
As soon as my gaze landed on the door, a neat knocking sound echoed through the conference room.
“Come in.”
The door handle turned silently, and Claire, who had brought my luggage and the crystal back to the mansion, entered the conference room.
‘She changed.’
When she was observing the students, she was wearing bright-colored casual clothes, but now, she was dressed in the same black suit as me.
“I’ve gathered you all here, but this is the end of our discussion. Consider it as compensation for forcing me into this position.”
I looked at Kang Hanna, sitting at the end, her eyes sparkling, and continued.
“Except for Lee Hyuk and Kang Hanna, the rest of you may leave.”
“Can I go too?”
“If you refuse, I’ll throw you out.”
Whoosh!!
I used my magic power to open the window of the conference room, and a warm breeze blew in, brushing past everyone’s cheeks.
“I’ll go and make the recommendation list right away. Ha, ha…”
Professor Jayden quickly stood up, bowed slightly, and left the conference room, and the other professors followed suit, one by one, after him.
“Kang Hanna.”
“Yes, yes?!”
She stood up from her seat and assumed an attention stance, just because I called her name.
“Come and sit next to me.”
“Oh… Yes, yes, sir!!”
While Kang Hanna moved to Professor Jayden’s seat, Claire quietly came to stand behind me.
“I kept you here because I have a separate task for you.”
“What is it?”
Swish.
Claire took out some photos from her pocket and spread them on the table.
“Two for personnel, one for administration, three for planning, and one for academics.”
“Are these staff members?”
Lee Hyuk asked me, seeking confirmation.
“Just skim through them for now. I’ll send you detailed information later.”
“Hmm.”
He stared intently at the seven faces.
“Lee Hyuk.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“After we leave, discreetly return to the Academy without the others.”
“…”
A small crease formed on his forehead as he looked through the photos.
“Because of these people?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“I’ll look through the materials you send to find out the reason.”
“Will you follow my orders?”
“Answer me one thing first.”
Lee Hyuk asked me with the most serious expression he had shown so far.
“Does Professor Jayden know about this?”
“Didn’t you see me kick him out earlier?”
“He could be acting.”
I could easily guess what answer he was seeking.
“I don’t know. I don’t plan to tell him either.”
“May I ask why? It seems like Professor Jayden is very loyal to you, Professor Baek.”
Fwoosh!!
The photos on the table caught fire and turned to ashes in an instant.
I blew the remnants on the table out the window I had opened earlier and replied.
“He’s in a very talkative state right now.”
“A talkative state?”
“Decide whether you’ll do it or not.”
“What if I refuse?”
“The director will do it instead.”
“…”
He widened his eyes.
Then, he slightly raised the corners of his mouth and spoke.
“I’ll do it.”
I hadn’t even mentioned what I was going to ask him to do yet, but he had already agreed.
‘The Enhancement Users.’
They are indeed easy to handle.