[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Chapter 3
Subject: Welco, Professor Do Jin-hak.
Dear Professor Do,
First, thank you for applying to our academy’s Deconstructionist faculty position. After reviewing your resu and papers, the academy is very positive about your appointnt. As you know, Masterclass has a long and distinguished history... (continued)... It will be a great opportunity. Since we are already familiar with your background, the final interview will be a simple one-on-one in-depth interview. There's no need to be too burdened... (continued)... Anyway, we look forward to eting you. Please see the attached file for details. Let's et a month from now.
Sincerely,
Vice Principal Oh Ji-sung
Sent: January 30, 2034, 2:21 PM
* * *
In a room bathed in an almost blinding light, I sat at Do Jin-hak's desk and read the email.
As the email stated, Do Jin-hak was scheduled to interview for a professorship at Masterclass next month.
Of course, it wasn't Professor Do Jin-hak who would be going. It would be , the Blood Demon, disguised as him.
"...It seems more plausible than I thought."
I looked around at my reflection in the room's mirror. There was no trace of the villain, the Blood Demon, in the reflection; only Professor Do Jin-hak.
I was currently using the Blood Demon's basic spell, [Polymorph], to take on the appearance of Do Jin-hak.
The Blood Demon, while not a particularly strong fighter, specialized in deceiving people with illusions and transformations.
In the early stages, it was necessary to effectively use the Polymorph spell to absorb the blood of as many humans as possible.
[Bloodsucking: By consuming a target's blood, you can gain life force and obtain a portion of the target's essence. As your characteristics strengthen, you gain more life force and more essence.]
As the spell description stated, [Bloodsucking] was the most fundantal spell for the Blood Demon.
Unlike other villains who beca stronger through skill and experience, the Blood Demon beca stronger by feeding on the blood of living humans, and if it didn't consu blood regularly, it would gradually weaken and die.
It was a ga that was far too ticulous for my liking.
"That's probably why the Blood Demon has a spell like this."
In the world of Military Chronicle, the Polymorph spell was a high-level spell that only military personnel who had reached a high level in the Transformation Departnt could use.
The reason why the Blood Demon possessed such a high-level transformation spell from the beginning was simple: the legend of Dracula, who could transform into a bat or wolf.
Because the Blood Demon was based on Dracula, it also had many penalties.
"My abilities are debuffed in direct sunlight, garlic is poisonous to , and I suffocate near churches..."
There were many other penalties, but I was used to them because I had lived as a Blood Demon for so long.
The problem was how well I could maintain the disguise of Professor Do Jin-hak at Masterclass with these penalties.
"With only 5% of Do Jin-hak's essence, I'll be discovered quickly."
The essence obtained through the Bloodsucking spell included the target's knowledge and abilities.
Thanks to that, 5% of Professor Do Jin-hak's knowledge was now in my head, but that wasn't enough to pass the final interview, let alone teach or conduct research at Masterclass.
An academy filled with professors proficient in all sorts of magic and spells, as well as elite military cadets.
To avoid being discovered in such a place, I had to beco Professor Do Jin-hak himself.
"So I have to read all of these in the next month..."
I looked up at the hundreds of books that filled Do Jin-hak's study.
The shelves were filled with textbooks and papers whose titles I couldn't even begin to understand.
"...Are all of these related to the Deconstructionist Departnt?"
Although I had lived as a villain for a long ti, I knew little about the Deconstructionist Departnt.
It was such a minor departnt that I rarely encountered any military personnel from it on the battlefield.
"I know it's a departnt created to identify the weaknesses of villains, but... I don't know exactly what they teach. Do I have to read all of this to teach like Do Jin-hak?"
As I muttered to myself while looking at the bookshelves, an unexpected voice answered.
-Professor Do Jin-hak's Deconstructionist curriculum is divided into three levels: basic, general, and advanced. The most important textbooks are the 23 volus of 'What is Deconstruction?', including volus 1, 2, and 3.
The voice ca from the computer on the desk, belonging to Caesar, Do Jin-hak's AI assistant.
Given his arrogant personality, Do Jin-hak had a hard ti finding assistants, so he had personally coded and created Caesar.
Caesar, an AI with top-notch capabilities in the world of 'Military Chronicle', played a major role in Do Jin-hak's research.
‘So the AI recognizes completely as Do Jin-hak?’
It wasn't surprising, considering that my appearance, voice, and even DNA were 100% identical to Do Jin-hak's thanks to the Polymorph spell.
If that's the case, there was no reason not to use it.
"Caesar, I need a brief explanation of the Deconstructionist Departnt."
As if expecting my request, Caesar imdiately responded.
-The Deconstructionist Departnt aims to understand the true nature of the world and explores the essence of things with an unbiased perspective. In military studies, it's primarily used to identify the weaknesses of villains.
I nodded slowly as I listened to Caesar's explanation.
“It’s true that the military personnel from the Deconstructionist Departnt were always difficult to deal with...”
I recalled my experiences from previous playthroughs.
Co to think of it, this might be a good opportunity.
Since the setting suggests that the Deconstructionist Departnt is great at identifying weaknesses, it could be applied to military personnel as well.
“Caesar, what's the most recomnded introductory book for the Deconstructionist Departnt?”
-The recomnded introductory book for the Deconstructionist Departnt is 'Phenona and Objects: Their Prejudices', volus 1 and 2, used as the teaching material for the first lecture of Professor Do Jin-hak's 'What is Deconstruction?' series.
Phenona and Objects, Phenona and Objects...
Ah, there it is.
I easily found the book on the bookshelf arranged in alphabetical order. As I picked up the thick book and felt its weight, my eyes were t with a dense mass of tiny words.
[...Thus, the limitations of human perception of the world are clear. Humans' perception of the world through their senses is extrely limited, and it is rely a perception through physical and ntal ans. To free oneself from the errors of perception and achieve a synesthetic evolution of mind and body...(continued)...]
It was a combination of obscure words that seed difficult to understand at first glance.
As Caesar had said, the content was so abstract that it was hard to grasp.
And to think that this was just an introductory book...
“I understand why it’s called a minor departnt.”
Now I understood why there were so few military personnel from the Deconstructionist Departnt on the battlefield. Every book on that shelf looked like a huge mountain.
“...But I can climb a mountain, right?”
I steeled my resolve. After dying 137 tis, I couldn't give up on sothing like this.
I focused my mind and began to read the book slowly from the beginning. Luckily, I had one thing that those who had given up on the Deconstructionist Departnt didn’t have.
Beep-
[Reading a Deconstructionist book activates 5% of 'Do Jin-hak's Essence'.]
[You can now understand the content of the book more easily.]
It was the essence of Do Jin-hak that I had obtained through the Bloodsucking spell.
As I focused on the book, the dormant essence within began to react. Even though it was only 5%, it was a great help to now.
‘As expected of a scientist who is called a genius, even with only 5% of his essence, my comprehension has improved significantly.’
As the difficult content began to make sense, I concentrated even harder on reading.
The combination of words.
The connection between sentences.
The author's intention, feelings, and worries...
It was like slowly piecing together a puzzle. I imrsed myself in that sensation.
10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes... 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours.
Beep-
[You have begun to understand "Phenona and Objects: Their Prejudices".]
[Your understanding of the Deconstructionist Departnt has increased.]
[Your Deconstructionist skill has increased.]
[Having understood a 'Interdiate' level book, you sense a change in your intelligence.]
[Your intelligence has increased.]
"Phew... Good start."
I stretched and took a sip of water before focusing on the book again.
I had a month left.
As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I didn't know how long I would survive this ti, but I had to do everything I could.
I couldn't be trapped in this horrible world forever without any hope.
* * *
The Masterclass campus was built on the highest point of a deep mountain in the northern part of Gyeonggido, South Korea.
When the academy site was first selected, there was a reason.
There were studies that suggested that the energy of the mountains and rivers would be greatly beneficial to the students.
However, the real reason was simply because the land in that area was cheap.
"I should have realized it back then. This academy is obsessed with money."
Shin A-sol, an ace of the Defense Departnt and a mber of the student council, spat out the words with disgust.
"Even though Masterclass is outside the jurisdiction of the law, it's ridiculous to ask the student council to solve every incident that happens. We're not private detectives."
With her narrow eyes narrowed like a disgruntled cat, she was clearly dissatisfied.
If you were to list the differences between Masterclass and other educational institutions, it would fill dozens of A4 pages, but the most unique difference was that the academy was not subject to the law.
[The International Military Association recognizes Masterclass as an extraterritorial jurisdiction in order to foster an environnt for cultivating elite talents to lead the anti-villain front.]
This declaration, jointly issued by the Military Association and the governnt when Masterclass was established, clearly showed the academy’s status.
Because of this, Masterclass had to have a system in place to handle incidents that occurred within the academy itself.
Just like the student council today.
"Military personnel must learn to deal with any incident skillfully. That's the founder's philosophy of this academy."
Okamoto Daichi, another mber of the student council, replied while flipping through a report. Known as a genius of the Alchemy Departnt, he was much faster than others at reading reports.
At the front of the report was a large title: [Masterclass Campus Theft Incident].
Okamoto smiled, a mix of admiration and mockery.
"Is this the ninth ti? Whoever it is, they're amazing."
A series of thefts had been occurring on campus.
The thefts, which had started even before the new sester began, had caused a stir in the academy.
The stolen items ranged from expensive magic artifacts to miscellaneous items such as wallets, cell phones, designer bags, and clothes.
"How can anyone manage to apprehend the thief who's stolen so much from this academy without being caught?"
Okamoto exclaid in admiration.
However, Shin A-sol disagreed.
"They're a pain in the ass. We have enough to do without this."
Shin A-sol sighed heavily, her voice filled with annoyance.
But despite her complaints, she carefully read the report. It was her nature to always complete the tasks she was assigned.
After reading the report, Shin A-sol said,
"I think we have to assu that the perpetrator is soone inside the academy. It's the only explanation for soone stealing so much without being caught in this academy."
"So it's a cri for money? The stolen items are all quite valuable, aren't they?"
Okamoto offered his own deduction, but Shin A-sol shook her head imdiately.
"I don't think so. My gym clothes were also among the stolen items. I cherished those. I'll make sure to beat whoever that perverted bastard is to a pulp if I ever catch them."
But hearing that, Okamoto felt his theory was even more plausible.
"If they even stole your clothes, then it really must be for money, don't you think?"
"Why would you think that?"
"Well, if it's Shin A-sol's beloved gym clothes, it's probably the most valuable item among the stolen goods...Ahem, ahem."
Feeling a murderous glare, Okamoto quickly shut his mouth and pretended to cough.
Shin A-sol's right hand, usually resting on a shield designed to protect others, was now gripping it tightly.
Just then, soone knocked on the door and entered.
Okamoto, who had almost created a tense atmosphere with his words, was about to greet the person warmly but quickly scowled.
The short-haired female student who entered was Seo Su-kyung.
Known for her boyish appearance and exceptional swordsmanship, she was at the top of the Emission Departnt and also famous for being from one of the wealthiest families in the country.
The problem was that the Seo family, to which Seo Su-kyung belonged, and the Okamoto family had been bitter enemies for generations.
Because of a family feud that had been going on since the Japanese colonial period, sparks flew whenever the two t.
"Seo Su-kyung, co and sit down."
Shin A-sol quickly grabbed Seo Su-kyung, who was about to leave as soon as she saw Okamoto.
Seo Su-kyung looked at Shin A-sol with obvious displeasure.
"I told you not to call when that guy is around."
"It's not like I had a choice. What else can I do when these are the only mbers I have?"
Shin A-sol was actually complaining.
Although the student council was responsible for handling incidents on campus, it was rare for all the mbers to co together.
Everyone was too busy managing their own grades to care about trivial incidents like thefts. It was solely due to Shin A-sol's strong sense of responsibility that she was dealing with this matter.
Seo Su-kyung, who had known Shin A-sol for a long ti, was well aware of her personality.
Unable to ignore Shin A-sol, Seo Su-kyung sighed and reluctantly sat down.
"So, what's up?"
"It's about the theft. Haven't you heard?"
"What? Theft?"
Seo Su-kyung raised an eyebrow, looking at the report.
"Nine tis? That's impressive. To steal so much from this academy and not get caught? They're quite skilled."
"Oh, co on. You sound just like Okamoto."
Seo Su-kyung imdiately glared at her.
How dare she think the sa thing as that guy.
Okamoto was equally annoyed.
"Who's offended now? I'm the one who's displeased."
"Displeased? Why are you displeased just because you thought the sa thing as ? You should be flattered."
With a smug look on his face, Okamoto, who ranked fourth in the academy, looked at Seo Su-kyung.
Seo Su-kyung was boiling inside.
She wanted to smash that smug face of his into the concrete floor.
As rivals, the heirs of the two families were always just one rank apart.
Having been ranked fifth in the previous sester, Seo Su-kyung tried to maintain her composure and said calmly,
"...Anyway, count out of catching the thief. I don't have ti for that right now."
"What do you an? Is there sothing more important?"
"Haven't you heard? The Deconstructionist Departnt is being newly established at Masterclass."
Shin A-sol thought about it for a mont. She had vaguely heard that a new departnt was being established, but since it was an unpopular departnt, she had ignored it.
"Why does that matter? New departnts are starting and closing all the ti."
"This ti is different. Rumor has it that the new professor for the Deconstructionist Departnt is none other than Professor D."
When the na Professor D was ntioned, both Shin A-sol and Okamoto's expressions changed. Their faces turned serious.
"Professor D... isn't that the strange professor from Japan who's conducting chira research?"
"I heard he's a crazy psychopath who doesn't care if it's a villain or a person as long as he can experint on them..."
The rumors about Professor D, Do Jin-hak, were already famous among students overseas.
A mad scientist obsessed with experints.
A psychopath with an incredibly arrogant personality.
A terrifying hybrid of sociopathic and psychopathic tendencies...
There were various rumors about Professor D, and none of them were positive.
To bring such a dangerous person here of all people.
Shin A-sol spoke, unable to comprehend.
"Why bring soone like that as a new professor? What if sothing happens?"
"I don't know. Maybe the vice principal, who's obsessed with money, got paid off again?"
Seo Su-kyung shrugged, and Shin A-sol sighed.
With the academy already plagued by constant incidents, the arrival of a dangerous figure like Professor D was like pouring oil on a fire.
"...We have to stop this."
Shin A-sol made a firm decision. At this point, the theft case was no longer the main issue.
Masterclass, the world's premier military training institution.
She couldn't just sit idly by and let soone as dangerous as Professor D enter this academy.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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