NOVEL WEB Chapter 7
Currently, it’s me versus the professor.
Right now, I looked like a typical drunkard, staggering around with a broken soju bottle in my right hand.
On the other hand, the professor slightly hunched his big frame and held his hands out awkwardly, as if trying to grab something.
It felt like watching a fighter who specializes in grappling.
I kept staggering.
Hoping my current state would lead the professor to let his guard down even a little.
…
Honestly, I’m a bit tipsy.
I should have just downed the whole thing instead of wasting it.
“Can you really start like that?”
“There’s… ugh… no problem.”
F*ck.
It’s coming up again.
The professor looked like he was feeling a deep sense of doubt about having to fight with an idiot like me.
Then he seemed to give up on thinking and continued speaking.
“Ha… then let’s begin.”
“But Professor.”
“What?”
I glanced around before speaking again to the professor.
“Isn’t it dangerous for the students watching?”
“I never thought I’d hear that from you… how interesting.”
Unlike your head, I have common sense, you dog.
You gutless, brainless punk.
A true trifecta of incompetence.
At that moment, a youthful voice came from the back of the classroom.
“Professor, I can take care of that.”
“Okay, that was Hyeji, right? I’d appreciate it.”
“Yes~! Understood.”
A girl sitting down stood up in response to the professor’s words.
She had red straight hair slightly tousled in front, and reptilian golden eyes.
She seemed so excited, smiling as she walked to the front with a small black cube in hand.
Then she threw that object between me and the professor, saying:
“Activating~!”
“Alright.”
At that moment, a translucent white barrier surrounded the professor and me.
The professor shot a look at the girl, as if asking her to explain, and she immediately started her explanation.
“We found this method more useful because it traps just the two parties involved rather than shielding everyone.”
“As long as it doesn’t harm the people around us, that’ll do. Thanks, Hyeji.”
“Yes~ Have a great time~!”
A great time?
Are you nuts?
What kind of great time do you expect with this baldy?
Baldi_Attacking_In_Classroom.MP4.
Just thinking about it gives me chills.
“I’ll let you attack first.”
“It’s unethical for the professor to take the first strike.”
“Stop talking and just come at me already!!”
As I slowly approached the professor, I thought about how to attack.
Taking careful steps, I started to formulate my plan.
“First, I’ll jab at the abdomen and then react fluidly.”
Just a few steps away from the professor, I suddenly accelerated.
With my left foot planted hard, I lunged forward, extending my retracted right arm to thrust.
No.
I was planning to stab.
That was before the black number above the professor’s head went up by one.
Regression.
Are you lacking confidence, you bald punk?
You’re regressing against a student here?
Just before I could extend my poised right hand, I desperately started moving my head.
“Let’s assume I’ve experienced my jab.”
“The position of my hand has remained ambiguous, which means I could grab it.”
“I need to change my action.”
Especially, I hated that the moment the number went up, he was grinning like a fool.
Suddenly, this is absurd, f*ck.
You’ve even regressed, you little sh*t.
I hurriedly revised my plan to use the broken soju bottle for a belly strike.
Instead, I tossed the bottle from my right hand and pulled my right foot back.
Then, with all my might, I kicked the bottle at the professor’s face.
Bang!!!!!!!
Thanks to the strong kick, the bottle shattered, sending glass shards flying everywhere.
Most of them were aimed at the professor’s face.
“Huh?!!!”
For the first time, horror began to replace the smile on the professor’s face.
At the same time, the red number above his head went up by one.
Didn’t see that coming, did ya, bald man?
Now that it’s broken, isn’t it wonderful?
Caught off guard, the professor desperately used his arms to shield against the incoming shards.
Unfortunately for him and fortunately for me, he momentarily stepped back by the length of one foot.
Taking advantage of that, I planted my back foot on the ground and prepared for my next move.
At the same time, memories of Ryu Kang-hyuk’s teachings began to bubble up in my mind.
– “Even if you’re a hunter, you’re still fundamentally human.”
– “The techniques to fight against people are what you should learn first.”
– “Unless you’re truly monster-level, no matter how strong, the laws of human anatomy apply.”
I had just one step to get to the professor.
One small step back with my right foot.
That step wouldn’t be a huge variable.
But for me, it was plenty of a variable.
I lifted my left foot and sent a whip-like kick towards the professor’s left knee.
– “For example, if you apply force in the direction of bending the joint? Then that’ll bend it.”
Thwack!!!
The sound of my kick proved that I had landed a solid hit.
Of course, I wasn’t aiming to cause damage with the strike.
I had previously assumed his body would be sturdy since I had already shattered a soju bottle just by hitting it on his head.
I aimed for something else.
The impact unexpectedly bent the professor’s knee due to the sudden force.
And that bend was enough to destabilize his center of gravity.
As soon as I saw that, I retracted my left foot back to its original position.
At the same time, my left arm grabbed the fabric of the professor’s right elbow.
All of this flowed seamlessly, as if flowing water.
And flowing water must never stop.
My right arm slipped underneath the professor’s, contacting firmly at his elbow.
It looked like two hooks snagged onto each other.
– “If the opponent’s center of gravity wobbles? Strike then.”
I instantly positioned my left foot between the professor’s legs and turned my body the other way.
Finally, I put force into my legs and pulled his arm, pushing him down with all my might.
Crash!!!!!!!
The loud noise echoed, proportional to the professor’s mass.
But it wasn’t over yet.
Once more, I recalled what I had learned.
– “Aren’t hunters invincible? Who’s the idiot that claims that?”
– “If they can’t breathe, they die, and certain vulnerable areas can sustain permanent damage if struck. It’s real.”
– “Even a body that doesn’t get pierced by a knife can be knocked out by a blow to the jaw.”
I immediately pressed my right knee against his neck and pulled his eyelids up with my left hand, forcing him to remain open.
– “For instance, the eyes are indeed existing.”
– “Watch out, some sh*t trained in their groin, too.”
F*ck, why am I randomly thinking of that last line?
In my right hand, I held the chopsticks I had hidden in my sleeve and prepared to thrust them forward.
Just before the chopsticks could pierce his pupil, I finally stopped my hand.
This entire process went by in just a matter of seconds.
“Huff… puff… Professor… this should be… a hold, right?”
“…That… is correct.”
Since his throat was restricted, the professor barely managed to reply in a small voice.
I didn’t feel that great towards the professor, so I applied more pressure, but he kept tapping my knee with his palm to signal a tap.
Tch.
That’s a shame.
When will I get to hit someone like this again?
In the end, I pressed down a few more times before clearly expressing my disappointment and withdrew my hands from his throat.
After he caught a few breaths, the professor spoke while still lying down.
“Phew… you really subdued me well.”
“Huff… huff… thank you…”
But I was starting to feel pretty f*cked.
“This, iron grade, might be worth expecting. By the way, can you tell me what your ability is?”
“… Huh… huff… about that…”
Ah.
I can’t hold this back.
“Yeah, yeah. Take your time. So what ability do you have?”
“Gweweweweweweck”
The human body is both weak and strong.
Even in extreme situations, humans adapt to survive.
At the same time, it’s also human to create a catastrophic outcome with just a bottle of soju.
While the alcohol I poured into my stomach was still sloshing around, I was moving vigorously.
In a way, it feels natural to vomit.
The problem is that it’s on the professor’s face.
But since it was on an empty stomach, it wasn’t pancakes but just a murky liquid that poured down like a rain shower.
Not the worst but still not great, the professor had tears forming at the corners of his eyes from the liquid not coming from my mouth.
… I’m sorry, Professor.
*
I unleashed a waterfall of soju and stomach acid all over the professor’s face.
The speed of that waterfall was neither fast nor slow, but the rate at which the professor’s face turned to despair was faster than anything.
Once the flow ended, the professor slowly stood up and lumbered out of the classroom.
And even after the next class time had come, the professor still hadn’t returned.
He said he was on duty for both the first and second periods, but is this a break?
Thank you, students.
As soon as I thought that, the door opened, and the professor walked in, now in different clothes.
Let me remind you, I’m sitting right in the front row.
I had no choice.
If you let the back fill up, then that’s the rule of the land.
But damn, are they too close together?
What the hell is with people sitting two to a seat?
Meanwhile, the professor came right in front of me and made eye contact.
“Alright. I still haven’t introduced myself to you. I am Kang Pilyong.”
“Hello, Professor Kang Pilyong. My name is Kim Shinwoo.”
“Right. Umm… let’s skip the unfortunate incident.”
“Did I just throw up?”
Tears were starting to well up in the professor’s eyes again.
“Don’t say that. It reminds me of the time a monster threw up on me 20 years ago.”
“I’m the second one.”
“Anyway, watching you subdue was really impressive. Did you happen to use any ability?”
“Uhm, I don’t have one.”
An immediate silence filled the room.
The professor’s eyes began to reflect various emotions.
Confusion. Doubt. Turmoil. Humiliation. And more.
The professor gave me a look drowning in all these mixed feelings and continuously glared at me.
“?”
“?”
“?… Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously. I’m betting everything.”
“Hold on a second.”
Professor Pilyong stepped outside, making a call on his phone.
After about 15 minutes, he returned with a strange black sphere-shaped device that had flickering LED lights.
Professor Pilyong held the device up high and began to explain.
“Students! Please look this way. This is a device we call the Ability Scanner. The government has recommended that ability users voluntarily report and register their abilities, but it hasn’t been happening too often. So our research students put their hearts into creating this. It’s still in the prototype stage, but it can scan most existing abilities.”
…The only scanner I know is a cat of doom.
This novel is doomed!
This place is now ruled by Kyaru!
“I’ll show you a demonstration, so please focus on it.”
The professor set the scanner on the podium and placed his hands on the top.
At first, I didn’t notice, but upon closer examination, there were slight grooves on the top of the scanner for hands to rest.
As soon as the professor’s hands were placed there, the LED colors on the scanner began to shift dynamically.
After about 15 seconds, when it was complete, a brief voice output followed.
「Scanning complete」
「You have an ice ability.」
「You can freeze substances in contact with your arms and legs.」
“See? Just like the scanner said, I have an ice ability. The description is accurate, and as this device develops, it will provide even more precise readings.”
Damn it, I won because I didn’t use my ability.
If I did, it’s likely I would’ve lost.
If I got caught right away and frozen, I would’ve had a hard time.
I thought about the scanner intently.
But that moment, a forgotten fact resurfaced.
………
F*ck.
That non-registered user is me, isn’t it?
I began to sweat coldly, but Professor Pilyong kept insisting I use the scanner.
“So, Shinwoo, would you place your hand on it?”
“…But I’m an ability-less guy; do I really have to?”
“What if you have an ability you don’t know of? Just give it a try.”
“Be honest. You don’t want to say you lost to an ability-less person, right?”
“…… Hurry up, brat.”
I heard that academy students are required to register their abilities, and violating this rule usually results in expulsion.
In serious cases, it could lead to imprisonment with a red mark.
This is truly f*cked.
Eventually, I resigned to my fate and placed my hand on the scanner.
I hoped for nothing to happen, but my heart was almost half resigned.
Goodbye, my beautiful academy life.
The LED colors changed dramatically, but my mood sank inversely.
After the same 15 seconds, when the scanning ended, a short voice output followed.
「Scanning complete」
「You have no abilities.」
「You are an ability-less person.」
???
????????
I was so shocked I couldn’t even speak.
Professor Pilyong, however, forced my hand back on the scanner.
「Scanning complete」
「You have no abilities.」
「You are an ability-less person.」
Seemingly unwilling to accept that result, the professor was gripping my hand tightly.
But the outcome didn’t change.
「Scanning complete」
「You have no abilities.」
「You are ability-less. Ability-less person.」
No way, you little sh*t.
Say it one more time.
Suddenly, I heard murmurs from the students around.
“Isn’t that a scam? How can someone be ability-less?”
“But the professor’s one was recognized.”
“What if the professor’s was pre-registered with fingerprint recognition to fool us?”
“Wow, did the professor scam research funds with this? What a jerk.”
The professor’s face began to slowly rot.
Students continued to murmur, showing no signs of stopping.
“Hey, why don’t you put your hand on as well? Won’t it show you as ability-less?”
“If I was ability-less, I’d kill myself. Don’t say dumb stuff.”
“Sorry. If I was born as an ability-less person, I’d probably kill myself for a beautiful world.”
…I’ll remember those two punks later.
I’m really going to mess them up.
The students’ gazes kept growing louder and louder, but the professor managed to maintain a smile.
He just looked a bit dead inside.
Moreover, contrary to the smiling face, veins began popping out on his forehead.
“Everyone! This device is still a prototype and will take time before it’s commercialized. The results today will serve as a platform for a brighter tomorrow. I’ll present this again next time. That will be all for today’s class. Thank you.”
Just before Professor Pilyong was about to leave, I grabbed him.
“Ah, Professor!”
“What is it, Shinwoo?”
“Do you remember the condition you set for me earlier?”
“The tardiness exemption, right? Yes. Today, you haven’t been tardy at all.”
As he finished that, he hurriedly attempted to leave, but I grabbed him again.
“Oh, not just that.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you’d cover for anything I did during all classes today.”
“Oh, really? Yes. I’ll take responsibility for whatever you do today.”
Even though the busy Professor Pilyong hurried, I questioned him again to make sure.
“In front of all these students, you made that promise, right?”
“Yes. I swear it!”
Then he dashed out of the classroom.
In the distance, I could vaguely hear the sound of “Research Student!!!”
Today, Professor Pilyong’s research students will probably spend the night crying again.
Being a research student?
You sure have a talent for expressing your desire to commit suicide!
*
“So… are you telling me that this is all due to Professor Kang Pilyong? Is that right?”
A strict-looking professor in her 30s, wearing glasses and sporting braided green hair, gritted her teeth.
Of course, I was feeling very calm despite, whatever her issue was.
Please don’t glare at me like that.
You’ll start getting wrinkles on your face.
“Yes, that’s right. He said he’d take responsibility for everything. Cringe!”
I already heard he’d cover for this too.
I’d long given up on the back row seats.
It showed no sign of being empty, like a morning restroom.
In the end, I was in the front row, munching on snacks and instant noodles while drinking.
Having traded an old, lukewarm drink for a fresh one, I got a new pair of chopsticks for buying some snacks.
I grabbed hot water from the canteen and calmly headed back to class.
Even though there was a water cooler right in front of the classroom for the Gold-grade students, I felt a bit cautious due to the events of the morning.
The first class was from 09:00 to 10:15.
The second class was from 10:30 to 11:45.
The third class was from 12:00 to 13:15.
The second and third years could eat right after the second class.
But sadly, I had to wait until the end of the third class to eat.
However, I’d gotten permission already.
Since I hadn’t eaten breakfast, just downing soju was making me genuinely feel like I might die.
So at this moment, while everyone else was clutching their growling stomachs.
Only I was enjoying my meal.
Chugging cool soju and relishing the bitter flavor left on my nose, I slurped down hot instant noodles.
Then every other type of savory chips and sweet snacks I had prepared got devoured as well.
At some point, when I started tiring of the snacks, I’d break the chewy noodles with my teeth and take more sips of soju.
It was a delightfully infinite loop.
Ever had sex?
This is sex.
I decided it so.
While the rest of the students beside me were unable to endure this inhuman behavior, they were having fits.
The female professor conducting the class in front of me was suppressing her anger and forcing herself to continue the class.
I assumed Professor Pilyong probably would have to submit a complaint or worse.
Of course, I couldn’t care less.
Thanks to that, I’m enjoying my meal, Professor.
Should’ve won if you wanted to complain.