Episode 25

After dinner with the students, he returned home. I ate a lot because it was in my prime.

The food table came out a bit, but there was no problem. 60 million won was deposited as a reward for clearing the dungeon, so that was new blood.

“Anyway, it’s according to your personality.”

That amount was the reward for attacking the boss room, including Auto Fortune. The rest of the monsters were handled by the students, so the rest of the money was deposited into the students’ accounts.

It was indeed a Bae Seung-ju-like calculation method.

There was something else more important than that. When I manifested my ability, the metal plate built a shape on my hand like a 3D printer.

It was the blueprint for the ‘Soul of the Ancient God’.

“Why is it different?”

However, this is a bit different from the structure I was used to. It was more detailed and had more parts than those made by Villain and Puppeteer.

“Perhaps···?”

I immediately built a dummy based on this blueprint. Because they didn’t prepare the ingredients separately, mana drained like the ebb tide.

After suffering from a bit of exhaustion, there was a new me in front of me. It was a pile of clones imitating me.

“Five.”

“Is it a success?”

I asked at the elasticity of the clone. The boy smiled, looking very satisfied.

“Is this amazing? Well, after all, the ability to awaken cannot be duplicated.”

“Remember?”

“It is clear.”

“As expected…”

“Puppeteer wasn’t perfectly manufactured like we were.”

As the clone said.

The puppeteer I defeated was a mechanical doll that had been cloned several times. Unlike me, I had to produce and learn it myself, so there was no way that my memory or contents were perfect.

In other words, the machine god’s soul I got from Puppeteer was a degraded version.

“If I couldn’t use my abilities, I would have thought I was an original.”

“It will be advantageous to secure an alibi.”

“right.”

I hardened my face as I saw the clone answering so brightly.

“Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

I had no desire to be like a puppeteer. The clone will be absorbed again by me when its use is over. However, from the point of view of the clone, it is no different from death.

“That sounds like an original. But haven’t we already died?”

The clone snorted at my concern. I could easily guess what was to come next.

All I have to do is think of what I would say if I were in the clone’s shoes.

“We are not wrong.”

“We are not wrong.”

My last words on the death row.

I laughed and absorbed the clone again. Well, the memories of the clones come along too.

It seems to be useful in many ways.

* * *

next day.

The academy morning began as usual with a faculty meeting.

“Everyone heard about it on the news, so you would know…”

Cha Dong-hyuk calmly floated his luck. Some teachers have already shaken their heads.

Among them was Seol Ga-eun, and she smiled and prepared to clap her hands.

“Teacher Kang Tae-min closed the dungeon alone. Thanks to that, the name of our noblesse academy has been widely known.”

“You’re so amazing, Master Taemin!”

Seol Ga-eun clapped her hands as if it were her own work. Thanks to her preparation in advance, the other teachers quickly clapped their hands.

“I was surprised to see the article.”

“Really, Taemin-sensei’s picture was hanging right there, so you don’t know how surprised I was.”

“But looking at the pictures, the real thing is much better.”

The teachers laughed and said one word at a time. Catherine glanced at Kang Tae-min with a complicated gaze and clapped her hands.

Unlike before, there was no hostility.

“no. It is fortunate that the students are safe.”

At Kang Tae-min’s modesty, Cha Dong-hyuk nodded. The corners of his mouth, which had always been his daily routine, were slightly curved.

“great. Then do your best today as well.”

When Cha Dong-hyuk broke the meeting, everyone stood up. Kang Tae-min wants to go back too.

“Sir Kang, can we talk for a moment.”

“all right.”

Cha Dong-hyuk took Kang Tae-min to the vice principal’s office. He poured out the tea, as if he had prepared it in advance.

“It is nothing serious.”

Cha Dong-hyuk took a sip of tea and continued.

“There has been a request from the parents of class 1 to replace the homeroom teacher.”

“Change in homeroom?”

“Yes, it seems that Mr. Cheon made some mistake…”

Cha Dong-hyuk clicked his tongue briefly. Kang Tae-min knew what the mistake was.

‘There’s no way he wouldn’t know the sympathy.’

Don’t you know that the homeroom teacher of class 1, Cha Dong-hyeok, is getting a little bit of money? It was clear that the academy didn’t know if he would get caught up in gossip if he mentioned it directly.

“But the person who wants me to come as homeroom teacher instead is Mr. Kang.”

“Me?”

“Yes, it seems like there are news articles about it.”

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Headquarters Bae Seung-ju’s commendation, remarkable growth in the anti-class competition, and even his performance in this strategy practice.

It is only natural that Kang Tae-min is more trustworthy than Cheon Ho-young, who can only accept money and not work properly.

“Unfortunately, I have no intention of changing classes. I am the only one who can control the special class.”

Kang Tae-min firmly refused. I was just getting the foundation, but I couldn’t leave it.

Cha Dong-hyuk looked at him for a moment and then nodded.

“I think so too. But I said it because I don’t think ignoring it as it is.”

“Yes, I would like you to decline the offer.”

Kang Tae-min drank the prepared tea at once and left the vice-principal’s room. Cha Dong-hyuk put away his empty glass and sat down in front of the computer.

It was to convey the intention of refusal to the parents of Class 1 through the administrative office.

‘Definitely the distribution is different.’

In fact, what the parents of Class 1 requested was not a homeroom replacement. All they wanted was a request for corrections to news articles.

It was a request to correct the fact that the special class was referred to as the top class in the article.

‘The Academy’s motto never changes.’

skill supremacy.

No matter how prominent the guilds were, they said they would take a seat, but they couldn’t change the foundation of the academy.

‘It’s meaningless if Mr. Kang doesn’t want to move it.’

Cha Dong-hyuk knew that the achievements of the special class were entirely thanks to Kang Tae-min. If Kang Tae-min was in charge of another class, that class would have been the top class.

‘You’ve changed so much. It’s hard to believe it’s the same person…’

So, the article will not change. This was for the honor and prestige of the academy, not the special class.

It was a law that civil servants did not want their jobs to be shaken.

* * *

afternoon after lunch.

Catherine was in the middle of her monster knowledge class.

“Because slime-type monsters basically have acidic bodily fluids…”

As usual, it was a fast-paced class. Most of the students were looking at the screen with slightly blank eyes.

In fact, it was because it was enough to refer to the materials posted on the homepage without listening to her lectures.

However, the eyes of the special class students at the front were clear. Catherine was well aware of the reason.

‘Kang Tae-min…’

It was because Kang Tae-min was sitting at the back of the auditorium. Catherine glanced at him, then buried her eyes in the material again.

‘Students from Class 1 also transferred, and even appeared in the news…’

It wasn’t just the students who thought otherwise. Catherine herself was lost in thought as she read the class material.

‘…Am I really wrong?’

Proof that Kang Tae-min is not as selfish as he thought is growing.

Kang Tae-min’s confident attitude and the eyes looking at him came to mind.

– Say it yourself. Will you listen to me, or will you just criticize me like that?

I couldn’t answer that right away.

I was taken aback by the yellow-haired student who had suddenly entered and left.

‘Criticism, did I just want to blame?’

The thoughts didn’t go any further. It was because I had read all of the material until the end.

Catherine took a deep breath and looked up.

“Today’s class ends here. Next time, we will take a paper test, so please study by referring to the learning materials.”

“Ahhhhh!”

“A test?”

“Uh…”

All over the place, students twisted their bodies and grumbled. Catherine began tidying up with a hard face.

‘I just follow the curriculum.’

Catherine left the auditorium. I saw students scattering in all directions.

The special class was no exception. Amidst the scattered people, her gaze stayed on one spot.

“Oh, teacher Gaeun!”

“hehehe, Soyul-ah, let’s go together. Teacher Taemin, thank you for your hard work!”

“Thank you every time.”

Seol Ga-eun, Min So-yul, and Kang Tae-min were laughing and talking.

Katherine stared blankly for a moment, then turned away. Before long, her steps were to a bench with no shade in the corner of the academy.

‘…Originally, I was there.’

He wasn’t Kang Tae-min now, but the one next to Kang Tae-min before he changed was himself.

Because of her impression of being a foreigner and difficult to approach, Catherine could not easily get along with other teachers. She was also not the type to approach someone readily, so she spent a lot of time alone.

At the academy, the space to be alone and quiet was limited. Like here, a place that others avoid.

It was because of that that Kang Tae-min and Catherine’s movements overlapped.

‘At that time, he was similar to me.’

It wasn’t that loners became friends. He was on this bench, and Kang Tae-min was on a bench a little farther away.

We didn’t even have a separate conversation, we were just in the same space.

But Catherine took comfort in the fact that she was not alone.

-it’s okay?

Then one day, Catherine had no choice but to talk to Kang Tae-min.

It was because, unlike usual, Kang Tae-min appeared soaked wet. It’s not true later, but he was bullied by the special class students.

-ah···!

At that time, Kang Tae-min was like a wounded herbivore. He couldn’t easily accept the handkerchief he had given him, and he couldn’t even look straight at her with anxious eyes.

-Go, thank you.

Still, he didn’t refuse the favor. Because of that, the two of them would talk from time to time.

– Teacher Catherine is nice.

-···No, everyone says it’s scary. Besides, I don’t have much of a horse…

– No, I know.

Kang Tae-min was strangely confident. If someone else said it, it felt like it was just a greeting, but his words were different.

-For lending me a handkerchief, that’s too much praise.

– It’s nice to see you smile.

However, Kang Tae-min did not speak in front of others. Catherine was well aware that it was a consideration for herself.

Catherine also knew that Kang Tae-min had difficulty being among people, so she did not force herself to bring him.

That’s how the two of them had their own space and their own time.

Catherine thought it was special. It was intimacy based on a sense of identity that was a little different from the love feelings between men and women.

Kang Tae-min thought so too.

‘But why···.’

So it was more painful.

Because Kang Tae-min left him and ran away.

Katherine stood up looking at the empty bench. There was no way Kang Tae-min would come back here.

‘Let’s finish with ….’

Catherine returned to the principal’s office. There are no classes left for today. However, I had to prepare the paper test questions.

Take a moment to focus on that.

The classroom door opened with a creak. I looked at it casually and it was Kang Taemin.

Katherine sighed and fixed her eyes on the monitor.

“Mr. Kang?”

Vice Principal Cha Dong-hyuk’s voice came from beyond the partition. What happened?

“I’m going to go outside for a while.”

“Working outside? Oh, it must be a home visit.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, okay. Bye.”

Cha Dong-hyuk obediently listened to Kang Tae-min’s request. Catherine carefully raised her eyes.

However, I could only see Kang Tae-min’s back. He left the office without giving Catherine a glance.

Catherine’s eyes trembled slightly. She took a deep breath and tapped the keyboard again.

* * *

“Here you go.”

Kang Tae-min checked the address written on the student record book again and rang the doorbell.

Waiting for the ding-dong sound to echo in the hallway, footsteps were heard from inside.

“who are you?”

The door opened with a slightly languid voice. A middle-aged woman with a skinny face opened the door with wide eyes.

“hello. I’m from Noblesse Academy…”

It was before Kang Tae-min reached out his ID card and concluded the conversation. Suddenly, her eyes turned fierce, and she frowned.

“I have nothing to talk about. Go back!”

“Isn’t Bae Dong-min a student?”

“Go back quickly!”

The door slammed shut with a nervous shout. Kang Tae-min clicked his tongue lightly and inserted his ID.

‘Also···.’

Taemin Kang turned around with a firm expression. The situation inside could be seen through the gap in the open door.

A man who appeared to be her husband was sitting on the sofa. Even with the back straight, the smartphone and even the TV are not turned on.

‘Did he use his ability even on his parents?’

The student he came to, named Bae Dong-min, was a person with mental abilities. I expected it, but actually seeing it made me feel complicated.

‘I’ll have to find it soon.’

I had to find a student within today.

Otherwise.

‘So that Catherine doesn’t die.’

Catherine Crawford.

she will die

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