Chapter 272 – Epilogue (5)

I felt a sense of déjà vu.

But I figured it was nothing.

“Hey, don’t our desks seem a little strange?”

“Yeah. They feel smaller.”

Min Ah-yeong, the class president of Class A.

She pressed her lips together as she listened to her classmates.

They all seemed to sense something was different, but they didn’t know why.

“Why is it so hard to button my uniform? Did it shrink?”

No.

The clothes hadn’t shrunk; their bodies had grown.

In just two weeks.

In two weeks, the students’ bodies had bulked up.

Boys and girls alike, their shoulders had broadened, and their faces had taken on a more chiseled look.

“Hey, Prez, did the teacher say he was gonna destroy our lower bodies today?”

“Yeah…”

The eyes of the students, who were beginning to get used to their homeroom teacher’s methods, no longer held any innocence.

Like mages learning dark magic, a corruption had taken root—one of abusing their own bodies to gain strength.

The class president looked at her hands.

Her soft palms were gone. In their place were the hands of a warrior.

*Is this really okay?*

The class president agonized, feeling the innocence inside her begin to warp. A man shattered her thoughts as he stepped up to the teacher’s podium.

“Attention! Bow to the teacher.”

Hearing the students’ spirited, low-octave responses, the class president’s pupils trembled.

As she stood, her classmates seemed like strangers.

“Did you all sleep well last night?”

Teacher Hyunbin said with a benevolent smile, looking at the students.

“I couldn’t sleep because last night’s training was so tough.”

“That’s right, I’m sleepy.”

Teacher Hyunbin smiled and replied to the students’ comments.

“You all know that today’s training session is open for parents to observe, right?”

At Teacher Hyunbin’s words, the class president tensed up.

What would the parents think, seeing them train while kicking up dust?

She thought that if things went wrong, their new homeroom teacher might get fired.

*I’m not sure if that would be a good thing or a bad thing…*

The class president was confused.

“Until now, you were less than insects. Bugs that had just hatched from their eggs, too weak to even gnaw on a leaf. But after two weeks of intense training, you’ve become splendid insects.”

His words were harsh, delivered with a kind and gentle smile.

“Aren’t you happy?”

“Y-Yes, we’re happy!”

The students were shedding their youth and maturing.

“Now, you will become chrysalises. You must accumulate a lot of energy to lay the foundation for your growth. You can sleep all you want when you’re dead.”

The students listened intently to Teacher Hyunbin.

Only Hong Jae-yeong, ranked second in the class, felt the corners of his mouth twitch with the urge to rebel, but he held it back, thanks to a recent “loving sparring session.”

The pain was fine. What he strangely feared was how memories of his first love surfaced every time he was hit, so he didn’t want to fight back.

“Let’s show everyone what splendid insects you’ve become.”

“Yes!”

When Teacher Hyunbin flashed a bright, toothy smile, the students shouted in unison.

“Hey, hey, does this mean we can go all out today?”

“I’m scared. Of my own muscles.”

The class president started to feel afraid of the students flexing their biceps.

“It’s the season of full-body paralysis, so let’s study hard today!”

“Hey, Teacher. It’s not ‘full-body paralysis,’ it’s ‘the sky is high and horses are fat.’”

“Pfft, how embarrassing for you.”

Teacher Hyunbin smiled nonchalantly at the whispering, laughing students.

“No, I meant full-body paralysis.”

“…”

A brief silence fell over the classroom at Teacher Hyunbin’s words.

“Hahaha, let’s get screwed today, too.”

***

Jae-yeon, have I ever told you this before? This new homeroom teacher is absolute trash, I’m telling you. You know how tough the kid is, right? But he’s plastering himself with pain relief patches every day like they’re underwear.

Can you please go and put that teacher, or whatever punk he is, in his place? I can’t believe some pervert waltzed in and is messing with the kids’ grades.

Hwang Jae-yeon, once the undisputed number one ranked hunter in the country, also known as Yeomje, stepped out of his car.

“Team Leader Hwang. Don’t forget you have to go to the Gunpo City Hall gate raid in an hour.”

“It won’t even take an hour, so stop whining.”

With that, Yeomje Hwang Jae-yeon walked through the gates of Raon Academy.

“How may I… Are you Hunter Yeomje Hwang Jae-yeon? What brings you to our school…!”

“I’m here for the open class for parents.”

“Oh my goodness. That’s right, that’s right. Lord Yeomje’s nephew is in this year’s class. The training building is over there on the right.”

The guard on duty at the gate recognized Yeomje and responded with a wide smile.

Although he had recently lost the number one spot to Kim Tae-yang of the Hanul Guild, Yeomje’s reputation was immense, having been the undisputed top hunter from the second generation to the third.

“Let’s see what kind of guy this is.”

His sister might be a bit overprotective, but this was Yeomje’s only nephew.

Moreover, the fact that his nephew admired him, became a hunter, and sought to follow in his footsteps wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

Blood doesn’t lie; even his trait was the same—flames.

His nephew, Hwang Jae-hoon, was already a highly anticipated prospect, even earning the title of the “Next Yeomje.”

A talent with a guaranteed future.

Even if he weren’t his nephew, his pride as a professional hunter—not just as an uncle—wouldn’t allow such an outstanding talent to be ruined by a strange teacher who knew nothing about hunters.

Yeomje opened the door to the training room where the first-year Class A students were.

“Hoo, hoo!”

“Huup! Huup!”

The sounds of the students’ intense weightlifting filled the air.

“These are students?”

For a moment, Yeomje wondered if he had come to the wrong place.

The figures training, huddled together like a flock of pigeons, were too large and solid to be called students.

*Pow! Pa-pow!*

On one side, a student was hitting a punching bag. What didn’t make sense was that the punching bag was blocking the attacks with a shield and counterattacking with a beam.

It looked dangerous, but the students were training nonchalantly as if it were routine.

There were fifteen parents currently observing the training. They watched as the students, wearing military packs, went through grueling training that drew blood and pushed their muscles to the limit.

“Honey, isn’t that a bit too much?”

“That’s how it is in the army.”

This wasn’t the army. No, even the army didn’t train like this.

If there was a hell, this was it.

“This teacher is insane. Is he confusing hunters with special forces?”

Yeomje located the man who appeared to be the teacher. Then he saw his own nephew being put through the wringer.

“Aigoo, you’re doing great. How about lifting one more?”

“Grr… Yes, sir.”

His face full of discontent, the nephew, Hwang Jae-hoon, locked eyes with Yeomje Hwang Jae-yeon as he silently lifted the weights.

*Uncle, I’m so screwed.*

It was as if he could hear his nephew’s pitiful voice.

“Huh? It’s Yeomje!”

“Huh???”

“He really came?”

The students recognized Yeomje Hwang Jae-yeon, stopped their training, and stared.

A professional hunter. It was only natural for the cadets to be captivated by the appearance of such a famous one.

Seeing Yeomje draw everyone’s attention, his nephew Hwang Jae-hoon cheered inwardly. He had even uncharacteristically boasted to the other kids, all for this day.

He was sure his uncle would point out how wrong this training was.

Yeomje strode forward arrogantly.

Towards the guy—he couldn’t tell if he was a teacher or a thug—who was treating the kids so harshly.

As a professional hunter, no, as the *best* hunter, he felt a sense of displeasure.

Some nobody who knew nothing was sweet-talking these kids and acting like an emperor.

This went beyond family ties; as a symbol for all hunters, he couldn’t let it stand.

*Let’s get a good look at your face.*

Yeomje came face to face with the teacher. But his face was strangely familiar.

He didn’t seem to be someone who had been active as a hunter, yet the sense of familiarity was puzzling.

As Yeomje entered the training area, an unknown tension gripped everyone when he faced the homeroom teacher, the tyrant who wielded absolute power in the classroom.

The atmosphere was menacing, as if Yeomje, who was notorious for his foul temper, was about to fight the teacher.

“Sir.”

“…!”

“We’re in the middle of training. You can’t come in here.”

The students tensed. It was a hair-trigger situation. They even felt a little sorry for their teacher, speaking so stiffly to Yeomje, who had clearly come looking for a fight.

“A spar.”

The word “spar” escaped Yeomje’s lips.

*It’s going according to plan.*

The teacher was a sparring fanatic. He acted tough against teenagers like them, but could he really spar with Yeomje, one of the strongest hunters?

More than seeing the teacher get beaten to a pulp, they wanted to see him tuck his tail and run.

“Just one…”

Yeomje’s characteristically arrogant and decisive tone strangely faltered at the end.

“Let’s spar. It’s part of the training. Are you in? Ah, it would be good for a pro hunter to give a demonstration.”

The students were amazed to see their teacher take such a strong stance. It was just like their recklessly bold teacher.

Who was the great Yeomje?

He was a man who would knock down even an active hunter on the spot if something displeased him.

Han So-yul, one of the top three, watched with interest as she handed out chicken breast popcorn to the kids.

“I was just curious.”

“Ah, I see.”

Question marks appeared above the students’ heads.

The great Yeomje… backed down?

The situation was incomprehensible.

“Is he holding back because he’s a teacher?”

Thinking this, Hwang Jae-hoon kept drawing his thumb across his neck, signaling that his uncle didn’t need to worry about him. That he could take the teacher out.

But something was strange about Yeomje.

His trembling eyes were avoiding the teacher’s gaze.

*Why is this guy here?*

Yeomje felt cold sweat drenching his back.

No one had noticed. No, even he hadn’t recognized him at first.

He had gone from a muscular, bear-like figure to a slender one, so his appearance was completely different.

“Excuse me, Teacher. The kids are struggling; do they really have to lift those logs?”

One parent asked worriedly. Spurred by the mother’s question, others voiced their opinions.

“Do hunters normally train like this? Shouldn’t they be, you know, developing their abilities?”

“I agree. I understand training the body, but these days, aren’t fights mostly skill-based anyway?”

The teacher turned his gaze toward the protesting parents.

“Let me ask you all one thing.”

“…?”

“Everyone here probably studied so hard during your school days that you barely slept.”

“I never studied…”

The teacher continued speaking.

“Why did you work so hard? To get into a good college, get a good job, and do what you wanted to do. You needed the training called ‘studying’ to achieve your dreams.”

“But…”

“Training is hard.”

Seeing the parents’ reactions, the students who had put down their logs hoisted them back onto their shoulders.

“It’s true that it hurts to get hit while sparring. But what happens if you get hit by a monster? You die. Your body becomes one that can no longer dream. The individual collapses, the family collapses, and soon, society collapses.”

A student in a cast lingered behind the teacher, trying to get his parents’ attention, but everyone’s eyes were already fixed on one spot.

“I will teach your children to be strong hunters, people who can always return alive. That is why I showed you today’s training.”

“Thank you. We didn’t understand…”

Students with casts on their legs, arms, or necks tried to signal to their parents that this wasn’t right.

But it was already over.

Teacher Hyunbin, receiving applause from the parents, turned to the students and smiled.

*There’s nowhere left for you to run.*

The teacher’s expression seemed to say.

*The atmosphere is strange.*

Hwang Jae-hoon, the nephew, looked anxiously at his uncle, his expression growing impatient as he watched the parents’ moved faces.

His uncle started to run for the exit.

His uncle tried to open the training room door. But it wouldn’t open.

Outsiders wouldn’t know, but the students did.

Once that door closed, it could only be opened with a fingerprint scan.

“Aigoo, where are you going, Hunter Hwang Jae-yeon?”

Teacher Hyunbin approached Yeomje Hwang Jae-yeon, a bright smile on his face.

“It would be helpful for the students to meet a famous pro hunter. Why don’t you stay and help with the training for a bit?”

“You, Lee Hyun…”

An earthquake started in Yeomje’s pupils.