[Trantor - Helga ]


    [Proofreader - Starfall ]


    Chapter 15


    The first day of the new semester for the Masterss had finally arrived.


    The recent Phantom Thief incident had be a major issue across the entire academy. It was shocking enough that the thief turned out to be the famous Phantom Thief, but what was even more surprising was the fact that the person who had solved the case was Professor D.


    "I heard that even the Military Association had a hard time finding the thief. How did he do it?"


    "And I heard he tore apart Argonia''s one-point radiation with his bare hands."


    "I heard he just blocked it with one finger."


    "No, I heard he just blew a puff of air and the mes parted..."


    Rumors bred rumors, and the rumors swept through the academy like an avnche.


    By now, a strange shift in perception had begun among the students.


    "Professor D... Maybe he''s an amazing person?"


    "Well, they say that geniuses and crazy people are only a thin line apart, right?"


    Professor D''s image gradually shifted from "a psychopath who does all sorts of crazy things" to "a genius that ordinary people can''t understand."


    As a result, some students began to think this:


    "Come to think of it, aren''t all the subjects in the Masterss graded on a rtive curve? Wouldn''t it be better to join a ss with fewer students?"


    It seemed like a clever idea to aim for a high score in a ss taught by a potentially genius but unpopr professor.


    Those who signed up for the Deconstructionist Department ss thought they had made a very witty decision that would outsmart everyone else.


    However, there were two major problems with that judgment.


    The first was that many more people had the same idea.


    The second was the fact that there was an unexpected person among those people.


    "...Why is the Sword Saint sitting there?"


    The students stared at Seo Su-kyung in the middle of the ssroom as if she were a ghost.


    The four major main courses in the Masterss.


    Why on earth had the ace of the Emission  Department, one of those four, appeared in this extremely minor ss?


    "Maybe she has the same goal as us? To easily get points in a minor ss?"


    "Come on, what does Seo Su-kyung need? She could be at the top of any of the four major departments."


    Those in the lower rankings, who had been filtered out of the major departments, couldn''t fathom the mind of a genius like Seo Su-kyung.


    However, that wasn''t the biggest problem. Even if she took first ce in the ss, they could still get a pretty high score bying in second.


    ''I doubt she''ll lose to us lower-ranked students.''


    This was themon sentiment among them, who considered themselves to be rtively goodpared to the others in this ss.


    That was until the moment the ssroom door opened.


    Creak-


    "Huh?"


    Everyone''s attention focused on the door as it opened.


    A familiar blond face appeared.


    The moment they saw that exotic, tanned face, the students felt like denying reality just as much as when they saw Seo Su-kyung.


    "It''s Arche?"


    "No way, is she taking the Deconstructionist Department ss too?"


    "Damn it, this semester is screwed..."


    The appearance of Gianluca Arche, a special student of the Summoning Department and ranked 7th overall, made the already cold atmosphere in the ssroom even more freezing.


    However, it wasn''t just the lower-ranked students who were dumbfounded by this situation.


    Seo Su-kyung and Arche, who had discovered each other''s presence, flinched at the same time when their eyes met.


    "...Why are you here? The Summoning Department ss is on the other side."


    "...You''re telling me. The Emission Department ss is in a different building."


    A cold aura passed between the two of them.


    The students, well aware of the long-standing animosity between the two, felt like the few seconds of silence stretched into an hour.


    “Ugh... why do I feel like I can''t breathe?"


    "Why do these two have to meet here of all ces..."


    "Someone, please, get me an oxygen mask..."


    While both were members of the student council, the concept of friendship was sociologically impossible among the top-ranking members of the student council in the Masterss, which was like a jungle where the strong preyed on the weak.


    And yet, Arche deliberately sat next to Seo Su-kyung, right in the middle of the ssroom. It wasn''t out of some sweet reason like wanting to sit next to a familiar face.


    It was a clear expression of her intention to not even feel the need to distance herself.


    That she didn''t care about her existence at all.


    Provoked by Arche''s provocative choice of seat, Seo Su-kyung''s lips curled slowly.


    “Are you sure you want to do this? This ss is pretty difficult. It''s very different from the Summoning Department, where all you need is perception.”


    Seo Su-kyung''s remark, delivered with a sneer, was as sharp as her swordsmanship.


    But her opponent was no pushover either.


    “You should be more worried about yourself. You''re not used to theoretical sses like this, are you? After all, the Emission Department is just about using your body, not your brain."


    The students in the ssroom were dumbfounded by the high-level verbal battle, as intense as their rankings.


    Was this what it meant to verbally beat someone up?


    "Hmm... a department where you just use your body, huh?"


    Seo Su-kyung muttered, her eyes downcast. A me was already beginning to ignite in her gaze.


    "It''s true that the Emission Department does use their bodies a lot. That''s why your library staff wouldn''t have been killed by that thief if they were from the Emission Department."


    "...What are you talking about?"


    "I''m talking about your senior librarian who died at the hands of the thief. If she had been from the Emission Department, she wouldn''t have been killed by a mere thief. And neither would you have been yed by a thief for months."


    Bang-!


    Arche jumped up from her seat so quickly that her chair fell over. She barely managed to suppress her anger and said with difficulty, "...You''d better take that back."


    "Oh really? I think it''s pretty good as it is. What would be better?"


    Seo Su-kyung giggled mischievously as she watched Arche''s fists tremble.


    The situation was on the verge of exploding.


    The students in the ssroom felt like they were suffocating from the intense tension between the two. They wished someone would just take them out of this suffocating situation.


    Creak-!


    And then, miraculously, the ssroom door opened. The sight of Professor D entering, his ck coat pping behind him, was like an angel to the students.


    “Professor D...!”


    Seo Su-kyung felt a shiver run down her spine when her eyes met Professor D''s.


    His gaze was different from before.


    Then, Professor D spoke.


    "You all seem to be in high spirits. But I''d appreciate it if you focused more on the ss than on making friends."


    "...Sorry."


    Reprimanded in a sharp voice, Seo Su-kyung and Arche took a deep breath and sat back down.


    Professor D red at the two of them and walked to the lectern. He was carrying arge wheelbarrow with an evenrger boulder on it.


    The students had no idea what he was going to do with that rock.


    "What is he going to do with that...?"


    "That looks really heavy, doesn''t it? How is he carrying it?"


    "He doesn''t seem that strong..."


    The students were surprised by Professor D''s unusual first impression, but in fact, this was nothing special. It was simply because viins had slightly higher stats than humans.


    Standing at the lectern, Professor D addressed everyone.


    "I''m Do Jin-hak, your new professor for the Deconstructionist Department. I''m sure you''ve all heard of me, so I won''t bother with a detailed introduction.


    There was no response from the ssroom. The students simply stared at Professor D with somewhat nervous eyes.


    Professor D smirked and said, "Is my question too difficult? Well, let''s try something easier. You there."


    He pointed at one of the students.


    "Why are you taking this ss?"


    "Me, sir?"


    "Yes, you. What do you think the Deconstructionist Department is about?"


    "Uh, well, I mean..."


    "That''s enough, minus one point."


    The student''s mouth gaped open as if he had been struck by lightning at the word ''minus''. But Professor D was already looking for his next target.


    "You, next to him. What do you think the Deconstructionist Department is about?"


    The next student to be called involuntarily hupped.


    "Hic, I, I think it''s about studying the weaknesses of viins..."


    "Enough, minus one point. Next, why did youe here to learn about the Deconstructionist Department?"


    "I, I wanted to learn how to fight viins more efficiently on the battlefield..."


    "That''s enough. Minus one point."


    Points were being deducted rapidly as soon as the ss started.


    The students'' hearts pounded like drums. In this academy where rankings were determined by a single point difference and could change their lives, Professor D''s words sounded like a judge''s guilty verdict.


    He clicked his tongue briefly and began to speak.


    "People envy me, saying that I''ll be teaching amazing students in the Masterss. But I''m shocked at how incredibly amazing you all are. How can you sit here without knowing why you''re here? Are you really students of this academy?"


    The students could only hang their heads in shame at Professor D''s sarcastic tone. They couldn''t possibly admit their intention of getting easy points in an unpopr ss.


    "I just took three points from those idiots."


    Professor D pointed at the three students who had just failed to answer his questions.


    "If anyone here can answer my question correctly, you can take their three points. Of course, if any of you are capable of that..."


    "It''s about deconstructing all objects and concepts to understand their essence."


    Before Professor D could finish his sentence, Arche raised her hand and spoke.


    "By doing so, you can discover the true nature of viins, which is something you can''t see from the perspective of other departments. That''s what I understand the Deconstructionist Department to be."


    Everyone in the ssroom, including Seo Su-kyung, looked at Arche as if she was the only one who belonged there.


    Seo Su-kyung, who was sitting right next to her, clicked her tongue, feeling like she had been beaten to the punch.


    "That''s a decent answer. Plus one and a half points."


    Arche raised an eyebrow at Professor D, who spoke with an indifferent expression.


    "Why one and a half points?"


    "Because it''s half right and half wrong. The purpose of the Deconstructionist Department is to understand the essence of the world. Discovering the weaknesses and true nature of viins is just a secondary aspect."


    Professor D turned his gaze away from Arche, who looked puzzled, and walked towards the wheelbarrow.


    He ced his hand on therge rock and said, "This thing in front of you is what we call a rock. People usually associate it with concepts like hardness, solidity, or worthless minerals."


    The students began to focus intensely on Professor D''s words, like cosmic dust being sucked into a ck hole. Strangely, they couldn''t think of anything else while listening to him.


    "But what would other species call it? For example, microscopic organisms that are invisible to our eyes. To them, this could be a. Or maybe some of them think of it as a universe, Caesar."


    Professor D snapped his fingers, and a hologram of the rock appeared on the lectern. The rock hologram grewrger andrger until it filled the entire ssroom.


    "Wow... what is this...?"


    The students looked around the interior of the rock, as if they had be tiny microorganisms.


    The inside of the rock was filled with countless particles connected to each other, and countless microorganisms were moving around inside it.


    "What you''re seeing now is a hologram of the inside of this rock. I created it to show you the next part."


    Professor D raised a hammer and struck the rock. The entire ssroom was illuminated with a sh of light as the world inside the rock surged violently.


    At the same time, some of the particles within the rock shattered, and Professor D continued his exnation.


    "From a microorganism''s perspective, this rock isn''t a solid stone, but a collection of particles that make up a vast world. And within it, there are weak points that can be easily destroyed with a gentle tap of a hammer."


    Arche couldn''t help but gasp. Professor D''s lecture, which so vividly visualized such an abstract concept, was truly impressive.


    However, Seo Su-kyung had a different opinion.


    "But we''re not microorganisms," she asked cynically, while everyone else in the ssroom was marveling at Professor D''s exnation.


    "I understand what you''re trying to say. Even the hardest rock has its vulnerabilities, but how can humans find them?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Having already read various papers and materials on the Deconstructionist Department, she wasn''t particrly surprised by Professor D''s lecture. She was more interested in practical spells than these abstract theories.


    Do Jin-hak smirked at her and replied, "Thank you for answering my question for me. That''s exactly what I''m going to teach you."


    Professor D chanted a spell, and a blue sma shot out from his fingertips, enveloping the rock.


    Instantly, a clear X mark appeared on the upper left side of the rock.


    Professor D struck that spot with all his might.


    CRASH-!


    The rock shattered into pieces with a much louder sound than before.


    The students were speechless as they watched the rock crumble with a single blow.


    "This spell is called ''X-Mark''. It''s a spell that uses ether to scan the internal structure of an object like an X-ray. It''s the most basic spell of the Deconstructionist Department and what you''ll be learning this semester."


    In reality, he had only learned the spell the day before, but of course, the students didn''t know that. They were simply excited by the power of the spell.


    Seo Su-kyung''s eyes sparkled as if they were about to light up.


    "So, before we start learning the spell, let me ask you again. Who can tell me why the Deconstructionist Department is necessary?"


    Seo Su-kyung raised her hand faster than anyone else.


    "Because human perception has clear limitations. Humans can only perceive about 5% of the universe through their senses, so we''re bound to have many biases, aren''t we?"


    Seo Su-kyung perfectly recited the contents of the papers she had read beforehand.


    Professor D nodded slowly.


    "And so?"


    "So, we need to discard all our preconceptions and expand our human perception as much as possible. By doing so, we might be able to find new ways to change the long-standing pattern of battles against viins. Isn''t that the reason for the existence of the Deconstructionist Department?"


    The students gasped at her fluent exnation. They whispered among themselves, saying that Arche''s exnation had seemed weak inparison.


    ''I can''t let this country bumpkin beat me.''


    Seo Su-kyung nced at Arche with a triumphant expression.


    ‘And the audacity of someone ranked 7th trying to form a rivalry with me. That''s just crossing the line.’


    Professor D smiled and said, "Very good. That''s an amazing answer."


    Seo Su-kyung nodded, satisfied. "Thank you."


    "You''re wee. It was sarcastic. It was an incredibly stupid answer."


    "...What?"


    Seo Su-kyung thought she must have misheard. She had never been called stupid in her life.


    But the shocked expressions of the students around her told her that she hadn''t.


    Professor D said in a cold voice, "As you said, this department is a ce where we discard all fixed notions to see the true nature of the world. Yet, you''re reciting the same old, outdated information I taught my previous sses word for word. I don''t know where you heard it, but..."


    "!!!"


    Seo Su-kyung''s heart sank. She hadn''t realized that studying the lecture materials so thoroughly would backfire like this.


    "From now on, when youe to my ss, leave all your preconceived notions at the door. As a penalty for that, I''ll give you minus three points."


    "Three, three points?"


    The students murmured even louder at the unexpectedlyrge deduction. Even for Seo Su-kyung, who was ranked 5th, minus three points on the first day was a fatal blow.


    "Now, let''s start learning the spell. To engrave the spell, you must first discard all the fixed notions that humans have..."


    Ignoring Seo Su-kyung, who was too shocked to speak, Professor D continued his lecture.


    The students couldn''t take their eyes off Seo Su-kyung, who was sitting silently in her seat.


    "Wow, this is the first time I''ve seen the Sword Saint get scolded like this in ss."


    "I know, right? The professor is even scarier than I thought..."


    "It feels kind of good, doesn''t it? She always acted so high and mighty..."


    They whispered softly, but their words were loud enough for Arche to hear.


    Arche quietly watched Seo Su-kyung, who was sitting next to her, trying to suppress her anger.


    Her fists were trembling, as if she was trying with all her might to control her rage.


    [Trantor - Helga ]


    [Proofreader - Starfall ]