I Possessed a Broken Academy Instructor

A ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍Superhuman.

A ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍“human” who possessed power greater than ordinary people, or strength that transcended human comprehension.

Yes, ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍at their core, they were still human.

If ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍their head exploded, they died.

If ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍their heart stopped, they died.

In ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍that sense, not only the cadets staring down the barrel of the gun, but even Ginnatio, who was watching from the side, understood it all too clearly.

‘He really fired with the intent to kill.’

‘If he'd lowered the muzzle just a little more......’

The outcome was obvious.

Their heads would have burst like smashed watermelons, and their ownerless bodies would have tumbled onto the ground.

It was unmistakable killing intent.

Yet Jin Crow, the one who had pulled the trigger, did not show the slightest change in expression. Even furrowing his brows as though the whole thing were merely bothersome, he spoke.

“All of you.

Get down.”

No further sound remained in the vast training hall.

The cadets who had been targeted turned deathly pale, stammering incoherently.

Only the original hundred cadets, who had at least seen a glimpse of his temperament before, quickly slammed their heads to the floor despite their confusion.

Meanwhile, Ginnatio looked at Jin Crow with a flushed face.

Then he froze.

‘......I'm going to die.’

His hazy mind, dulled by several sleepless nights, instantly cleared.

What lingered upon Jin Crow's pale face was revulsion.

His impeccably restrained Psionic energy saturated the surrounding space with a numbing pressure.

Even the researchers calibrating the Creatures at the back of the training hall unconsciously swallowed as they watched the unfolding scene.

As though awakening from hypnosis, Ginnatio's clouded mind snapped back to reality, and he finally saw Jin Crow's true nature.

Behind the bangs that hung like a veil over his eyes,

how utterly insignificant must the cadets reflected within those deep pupils appear?

‘Former child soldier. Twenty years of active service. Major.’

From recruit to major.

And not even in the regular military.

He had begun as a child soldier conscripted by a colonial governor's office.

How many battlefields had he crossed,

and how many had he killed,

to earn those rank insignia?

‘There have been even more incidents recently.’

The Atla Colony on Planet Lermal.

And Mercato, the capital planet of the Free Planetary Alliance.

An ordinary soldier would have required months of recuperation after completing missions like those.

Yet Jin Crow had received only a single week of leave before returning here to fulfill his duty as an instructor.

And how had they responded?

The cadets he had originally taught were different.

But the newly recruited cadets merely looked unimpressed.

Perhaps that was only natural.

To cadets whose minds had yet to mature,

the idea that a Superhuman would remain wary of mere space monsters probably sounded ridiculous.

‘......But to someone who has experienced the battlefield, that's both an insult and disrespect.’

Ginnatio himself had participated during the latter stages of the Galactic War.

Even now, those nightmares still visited him from time to time.

How could he ever forget?

It was better to die standing upon solid ground.

Once a warship exploded,

the thousands of lives inside all lost their light at once.

The proud Federation soldiers wearing military uniforms exploded, burning into charcoal.

Their bodies were torn apart.

Their lungs swelled from exposure to the vacuum.

Unable to breathe, their bodies were crushed beneath the pressure.

Then what about Jin Crow?

Spending twenty years on the battlefield meant he had experienced every horror war could possibly offer.

The fact that he had merely become worn down rather than completely broken only proved how immense and resilient his ego had been in the first place.

“......”

In the end, Ginnatio said nothing.

No.

More accurately,

he could not speak even if he wanted to.

Nor was he the only one.

At least within this training hall,

Jin Crow's presence alone seemed to occupy the entire space.

“......”

“......”

Even Dokgo Ran instinctively kept his mouth shut and cautiously observed the situation.

Nothing more needed to be said.

Meanwhile,

Jin Crow himself found the situation rather awkward.

‘......Damn it.’

Though he desperately maintained his expressionless face,

he could not help but seriously wonder how he was supposed to deal with the icy atmosphere surrounding him.

It was true that he had snapped.

How could he have possibly felt good after hearing those words?

But he had never intended to go this far.

‘I'm completely insane.’

For an instant,

it had felt as though something inside his head had snapped,

and his body had simply moved on its own.

Without any resistance.

As though he genuinely believed this was the right thing to do.

Only after regaining his senses did he fully realize exactly what he had done.

‘Disciplinary action is certain.’

If this had been combat training with proper safeguards,

he could at least have argued it was simply an intense training exercise.

But it wasn't.

Even as discipline,

it had gone far too far.

Even Ideale, who had recently become rather cooperative with him,

would never overlook something like this.

‘Think calmly, Jin Crow.’

There was no way to salvage the situation now.

Even if he tried,

it would never work.

In that case,

it was better to continue controlling the atmosphere as it was.

At the very least,

he could use it to weed people out.

It was then.

Perhaps they had finally recovered from the shock.

Or perhaps their anger and humiliation had overwhelmed their instinctive fear.

The male cadet who appeared to be the leader of the noisy group clenched his teeth, glared at Jin Crow, and shouted,

“This...! This clearly crosses the line!”

Everyone present agreed.

It had gone far beyond the bounds of discipline.

The cadets had every right to be furious.

“I'm filing a formal complaint! Just because you're an instructor doesn't mean you can do whatever you want!”

“T-That's right! Damn it! Who fires a gun at another person?!”

Once someone finally spoke up,

the others in his group immediately followed.

Even several of the cadets still lying on the floor nodded in agreement.

Then,

a quiet murmur drifted across their ears.

“Crossed the line.”

It was neither a question,

nor a declaration.

Merely a quiet remark,

spoken as though he were mulling the words over to himself.

Perhaps the leader found it absurd.

Or perhaps,

having already spoken,

he instinctively realized there was no turning back.

His bloodshot eyes burned as he shouted,

“You call this education?! I can't accept this!”

“Then the answer is simple.”

Jin Crow merely looked at them for a moment.

Then he spoke in a low voice devoid of any emotion.

“If you have neither enthusiasm for this lecture nor respect for it, then leave. I won't stop you.”

“......What do you mean?”

“The same applies to everyone else.”

He no longer paid the cadet any attention.

Instead,

he slowly swept his gaze over every cadet lying on the floor before speaking once more.

“If you still believe Creatures are nothing more than oversized space beasts and not a genuine threat, then you may leave this training hall immediately. I'll ensure that none of you suffer any disadvantage.”

His words were astonishingly concise.

Not a single cadet present failed to understand what they meant.

It was no different from saying,

“If you don't want to listen, then get out.”

It was an utterly humiliating treatment.

Yet if the cadets had known that far more humiliating methods—and ways of carrying them out—were currently flashing through Jin Crow's mind, only for him to forcibly suppress them,

they would have been horrified.

“Damn it!”

Unable to endure it any longer,

the first to leave were the cadets who had nearly been shot.

After them,

roughly half of the four hundred newly recruited cadets slowly stood and walked out while carefully reading the room.

“......Sigh.”

Naturally,

Ginnatio, who had stayed up night after night organizing the roster, could only sigh as he watched them leave.

Meanwhile,

Jin Crow looked at their departing backs and thought it was actually for the best.

‘Before long, anti-Creature warfare lectures will inevitably expand. If that's the case, it's better to educate only those cadets who possess at least some enthusiasm.’

Although it had not been his intention,

the result was not bad.

He was worried about the disciplinary action...

but what could he do?

Spilled water could never be gathered back up.

“Everyone.

Stand.”

At Jin Crow's command,

the remaining three hundred or so cadets slowly rose.

Without anyone telling them to,

they naturally filled the empty spaces and reformed their ranks.

Even the researchers calibrating the Training Dummy unconsciously let out impressed murmurs upon seeing how disciplined they had become.

Yet after briefly looking them over,

Jin Crow simply spoke in the same indifferent tone.

“The newly recruited cadets will observe only. The original hundred will begin squad training.”

He said nothing whatsoever about what had just happened.

It was indifference taken to the extreme.

Even more shocking, however,

was the reaction of the original hundred cadets.

“Squad One. Ready.”

Rather than dwelling upon what had just happened,

they seemed far more nervous about the upcoming training.

They immediately gathered into squads and stepped onto the training ground.

‘What is this?’

‘......I'd heard the rumors, but it's even more suffocating than I imagined.’

The newly assigned cadets could do nothing except stand aside and watch.

Naturally.

Even the harshest instructor had never done anything quite like what they had just witnessed.

Meanwhile,

Jin Crow and the original cadets wasted no time preparing for the exercise.

“Um... Instructor, the calibration has been completed......”

The researcher cautiously approached.

After Jin Crow gave a small nod,

Naomi, acting as the person in charge in Lillian's place, activated the Training Dummy hidden beneath a black cloth.

-Grrrrrrrr.

A short yet powerful growl filled the training hall.

The newly recruited cadets instinctively turned toward the heavy, terrifying roar they had never heard before.

Meanwhile,

the cadets of Squad One had already assumed their positions without hesitation.

“That's not a Pawn!”

“It's a Knight! Seol-ye!”

“Right!”

A female cadet with long black hair leaped forward, swinging the greatsword in her hands.

Immediately behind her,

a muscular brown-haired cadet drove his fist forward.

The moment they recognized it as a different Creature from the Pawn they had fought before,

they adapted without hesitation.

-Grrrrr.

The blades of the Martial Arts cadets struck the purple exoskeleton that resembled the heavy armor of a medieval knight.

Kagagagagakang!

The sound of blades violently clashing echoed throughout the arena.

The Knight then slammed its enormous, human-sized fist into the ground.

BOOOOOOM!

“Kgh!”

“Jason!”

The remaining two hundred cadets watched in stunned disbelief as a Martial Arts cadet, one who ranked near the top of his class, was sent flying through the air by a single punch.

Only then did they finally understand.

‘......That's a Creature?’

‘It looks even bigger than it did in the videos.’

Perhaps,

they had underestimated those monsters far more than they had realized.

Inside the observation room overlooking the training grounds,

Professor Lee Su-jong silently watched Jin Crow's lecture through the window while smoking one brown cigarette after another.

“......H-He actually fired a gun. He's a terrifying person.”

At Rico's words as she stood close beside him,

Lee Su-jong nodded.

Yet reflected within his deep eyes,

there was only Jin Crow.

‘Instructor Jin Crow.

A man whose past remains shrouded in mystery.’

Only recently, after the situation had become urgent, had the Ministry of National Defense begun cooperating.

He had requested Jin Crow's personnel records.

What he received, however,

was a personal file with almost everything blacked out.

Proof that Jin Crow's security clearance currently exceeded even his own.

Could that truly be a coincidence?

“Rico.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“The child standing beside the instructor. Do you remember her?”

“Uh... Yes. She was adorable.”

After pondering for a moment,

Rico seemed to realize what he was implying and added,

“Though... she didn't feel like one of our kind.”

“I see.”

Lee Su-jong could only nod.

If she truly had been one of their kind,

there was no way she herself would not have known.

“Let's go, Rico.”

“You're not going to watch any longer?”

Lee Su-jong was the sort of man who always saw his plans through to the end.

Questioning his decision,

Rico tilted her head.

He placed the documents he had been holding into his bag, rose from the sofa, adjusted the brown bowler hat resting on his head, and replied,

“There are too many variables. We should deal with the task directly before us first.”

“I see. Understood.”

Rico smiled brightly before following after him.

And at that very same moment—

BOOOOOOM!

Jin Crow glanced indifferently at the muscular male cadet embedded between the cracked floor of the training arena.

Checking the time,

he calmly spoke.

“Squad One.

Nine minutes and forty-two seconds.

Next.”

The expressions on the cadets' faces as they watched the arena...

could only become increasingly complicated.

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