I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

…Thud. …Thud. …Thud.

The dull, blunt sound echoed at perfectly equal intervals.

Park Mi-na, lying flat on the floor with her head bowed, felt her breathing become more labored with each ‘thud’ as her heartbeat quickened. And she was certain.

‘My choice was right…’

Just sitting in a chair and looking down at her, his presence was so overwhelming that even moving a finger was a struggle.

Crawling on the floor was not only to show that she understood her place but also because if she hadn’t, she would have embarrassingly lost her footing and collapsed on the floor as soon as she entered the room.

“You’ve come to beg for your life…”

His voice, which everyone agreed was enchanting regardless of gender, was not a wrong evaluation, just insufficient.

But Park Mi-na, whose breath was constricted by the intangible energy, had no luxury to think such thoughts.

The voice that rang clearly through her labored breathing was only frightening.

“Know that whatever information you have is of no value to me.”

His high-pressure, even oppressive, demeanor made Park Mi-na bite her lip until it bled.

One of the cards she had hoped would save her life had just become useless.

“You only get one chance.”

Squeak.

“Cough, cough, hack…”

As the pressure around her neck suddenly loosened, Park Mi-na coughed, taking in the air she desperately needed. After a few heaves, she spoke.

“Please accept this…”

Park Mi-na quickly separated the pocket bag from her robe and held it out. Keeping her head bowed, she opened the bag with her hands and took out its contents.

A smooth black sphere, slightly smaller than her fist.

Park Mi-na held it up with both hands as if presenting it to Baek Woo-jin and spoke.

“This is a Mashintan, a bomb designed to explode when a certain amount of magic power is injected. It has the power to easily break through a High-Ranker’s shield, and its range is not narrow, covering a 30-meter radius around the sphere.”

A solidified form of despair, created by the worshippers of the Four Evil Gods.

“I permit you to raise your head.”
“Thank you…”

Park Mi-na stood up and knelt, never forgetting to keep her gaze on the floor.

“Is that all the Mashintan you have?”
“That’s all we were allocated.”

Swoosh.

As the Mashintan she held in her hand tried to float upwards, Park Mi-na quickly released her grip. The Mashintan and pocket bag she had taken out floated up and hovered in the air for a moment.

“It’s certainly a valuable item, but it’s not enough to save your life.”
“May I continue speaking?”
“I permit it.”
“Thank you…”

Park Mi-na had just been granted permission to raise her head, but she bowed her head to Baek Woo-jin again.

“I belong to the Heukcheon, a group that worships Amosis, one of the Four Evil Gods, and I hold a mid-level position within Heukcheon.”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Park Mi-na banged her forehead on the floor as hard as she could.

“If you spare my life, I will be your loyal dog.”
“You’re confidently declaring that you’ll bite your master.”

Gulp—

When she first came here, she was confident she would survive. After all, she had a lot of valuable information.

But all she felt from the person in front of her was a terrifying killing intent, a desire to burst her heart and snap her neck at any moment.

That was all.

If the first card she had played wasn’t the Mashintan, she would have been dead on the floor, cold and lifeless, by now.

“A dog that bites its master once will bite again and again.”
“So, pull out its teeth and claws and put a firm leash on it.”
“A dog that wants to live won’t stay calm with a leash on, even if it’s been granted its life.”
“At least, while my life is guaranteed, I will be loyal.”

Park Mi-na carefully raised her head, and the blood from her torn forehead mixed with the floor, creating an unpleasant sound.

“I will continuously prove that I’m worth keeping alive…”

Thud. Thud.

The blood droplets, a deep crimson, fell from her forehead, down her nose and chin.

Park Mi-na stared at the pool of her own blood on the floor, waiting for the person in front of her to speak.

“Have you ever killed a human?”
“No, sir.”

Killing, bloodlust, blood, the smell of blood.

In the light, those who were awakened and belonged to the temple were sensitive to these things. The children raised to infiltrate had to grow up without a drop of blood on their hands, even though they worshipped the Evil Gods.

“What happened to the original owner of that face?”
“According to the data I read, she died in a 5th-stage breach. She came from a poor family with two younger siblings, who are now in middle school. I guess she joined as a porter to buy them gifts for their school entrance.”

Although it was just a guess, Park Mi-na didn’t consider that part much. The point of the question was whether she had experience killing humans and if she had personally disposed of the original owner of this face.

Click-clack—

The sound of clear footsteps mixed with the sound of blood droplets falling into a small pool on the floor.

Click-clack— Click-clack—

The sound gradually grew closer.

Instinctively, Park Mi-na lay flat on the floor again as the shadow on the floor loomed.

“Don’t resist.”
“Yes, sir.”

At the same time, Baek Woo-jin’s hand landed on Park Mi-na’s head.

“Ugh…”

A foreign energy seeped through the point of contact, quickly invading her magic circuits and gathering around her heart.

“Ahh, ouch…”

And then came the terrible pain.

The pain felt like her heart was being ripped open and her heart was being torn out with a sharp blade. Park Mi-na’s body began to tremble.

A few minutes later.

“Haa, haa…”

Her face was dirty with tears and snot.

Even though she was freed from the terrible pain, Park Mi-na couldn’t regain her composure, drooling from her open mouth.

But only for a moment.

Squeak!

“Haaak?!”

Park Mi-na’s eyes widened as her heart felt like it was being crushed.

“Ugh, phew…”

Unable to bear the pain, Park Mi-na collapsed onto the floor, dirtying it with her own blood.

“You can’t even handle having a leash put on you.”
“I, I’m sorry…”

Park Mi-na’s spine chilled at the dry, emotionless tone, and she trembled, struggling to straighten up.

“I’ve marked your heart. If you harbor any disrespectful feelings towards me, it will explode right there.”
“Ahh.”

A terrible mark had been imprinted on her heart, capable of destroying it at any moment, but Park Mi-na didn’t harbor any resentment.

Instead, she felt euphoric at having survived.

The aftereffects of the terrible pain she had felt earlier vividly reminded her that she was alive.

“Thank you for giving me a chance… Master…”

The sense of liberation from temporary death, even if only for a moment, caused Park Mi-na’s feelings for him to stir in her chest.

“I will definitely prove my worth.”

Smack.

Park Mi-na kissed the tip of Baek Woo-jin’s shoe.

Squeak!

“Ugh…”

At the same time, her heart was squeezed tightly, and Park Mi-na clutched her chest, trembling.

“There won’t be a second chance. Don’t touch me without permission.”
“Cough, cough… I, I’m sorry…”

Park Mi-na quickly bowed her head to Baek Woo-jin’s shoe, barely freed from the terrible pain.

Click-clack— Click-clack—

As the footsteps gradually moved away, Park Mi-na felt a little disappointed.

The certainty that she wouldn’t die right now had erased her fear.

Plop.

Park Mi-na carefully raised her head and saw the pocket bag she had offered him drop beside her.

“If you don’t have that, you’ll be useless to me today.”
“…”

Until the plan was executed, she would be safe, but if the Mashintan didn’t explode, it would only be a matter of time before she was branded a traitor.

“Maintain your relationship with them until I contact you.”
“I will repay your consideration, Master.”

Park Mi-na reattached the blood-stained pocket bag to her waist.

“I won’t even bother to take care of your wounds and bloodstains.”
“Of course, Master.”

She had a hiding place for a change of clothes and potions, so today’s events would remain unknown to anyone.

“Get out.”
“I will withdraw.”

Park Mi-na carefully stood up, covered her face with her robe, and slowly backed out of the control room.

“Haa…”

Outside, Park Mi-na’s heart was still pounding, and she trembled, unable to calm down.

‘Big, warm hands…’

Although it was just contact to put a leash on her, it felt euphoric to Park Mi-na.

‘I must prove my worth…’

Even if it was just to feel that euphoria again. Swoosh.

The color of Park Mi-na, wrapped in her robe, gradually faded, and soon her figure disappeared like a mirage.