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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Today was Priestess Mion’s individual instruction time.
The students studied independently while Teacher Mion went around to each student to check their understanding of the previous lesson.
In other words, private tutoring.
A cold sweat trickled down Jeong Yoo-shin’s forehead.
Teacher Mion was too close.
She had placed a chair next to his desk and was leaning forward, making it impossible to look anywhere but at her.
“Now, repeat after me and write it down in your notebook.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
“I like children.”
Mion’s breath tickled his ear.
“…”
“Shall I repeat it again?”
“…I like children.”
He felt like he had fallen into some kind of close-contact ASMR dictation brainwashing trap.
One wrong move, and he could end up in jail.
He focused all his attention on writing the characters in his notebook.
“Mr. Skar, your handwriting is quite neat.”
“Thank you.”
Mion tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her sweet fragrance filled his senses.
“The witch again said, ‘Children are tender and their flesh is soft, so they are the best food.’”
‘The level of this world’s fairy tales…’
It was a scene from a fairy tale about a woodcutter and an earth spirit, but it was a bit gruesome for children.
He repeated the line and wrote it down.
“Hmm? Mr. Skar, you made a mistake here. Please correct it.”
Mion leaned in closer and tapped her finger on the mistake in his notebook.
A shocking sight entered his vision.
“Ugh.”
Even her loose-fitting cleric robes couldn’t conceal her enormous breasts, which spilled over the desk like pudding.
It was poison for the eyes.
Incoming erection.
His penis made a firm declaration.
‘No!’
An erection in a classroom full of children?
He could already see prison bars.
And Mion’s look of disgust.
Which he kind of liked.
‘No! Snap out of it!’
He remembered the temple receptionist’s warning. Any “unfortunate incident,” and he would be expelled from the orphanage academy. He would lose his chance to learn for cheap. He had to avoid that at all costs.
“Mr. Skar?”
“Yes. I’ll correct it now.”
As he fumbled for his pen to correct the mistake…
His right arm brushed against Mion’s chest.
His strong arm squished her ample bosom and grazed her nipple barely concealed by her thin lace bra.
“Eep!”
Mion flinched and pulled back.
Disaster.
“Gah! I apologize!”
He immediately bowed his head and apologized.
“N-No. It’s my fault for getting too close. I apologize.”
Mion’s face turned as red as a tomato. She covered her chest with one hand, but it hardly concealed her H-cup breasts. It merely enhanced her allure instead.
“Teacher, help me too!”
“Yeah, teacher, why are you only helping that barbarian?”
The other children whined.
“Alright. Mr. Skar, please correct your mistake. I’ll check it after class.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
Mion stood up and left, her movements a bit stiff.
Jeong Yoo-shin started correcting his mistake.
But the soft feel of her breast lingered in his mind.
“Teacher? Please pay attention.”
“Huh? Oh… right. I’m sorry.”
“Teacher, there’s something pointy sticking out of your chest. Is it a bug…?”
‘Focus!’
He tried to ignore the conversation behind him.
‘Am I going to be expelled?’
Surely not.
He suppressed his anxiety and focused on his studies.
He read the fairy tale, copied the text, and memorized the vocabulary while feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Time passed and it was soon lunchtime.
“Alright, that’s all for today. Good work, everyone. I’ll check your homework tomorrow.”
“Yes, teacher! Thank you. Will you be teaching us tomorrow too?”
“He he. Perhaps?”
“Please come back tomorrow!”
“Shall I?”
Mion said in a slightly flirtatious voice, repeatedly tucking her hair behind her ear. Her neck was slightly flushed.
‘Did we just make eye contact?’
As she turned to look at the students, he thought she glanced at him for a moment.
But he couldn’t be sure as her eyes were half-closed.
“Let’s keep who your teacher will be tomorrow a surprise.”
“Aww.”
“Skar, please stay behind for a moment. Everyone else, off to lunch! Class dismissed!”
The students filed out of the classroom, leaving Jeong Yoo-shin and Mion alone inside.
“Hmm. You corrected your mistake. Excellent.”
“Thank you.”
“Are you… free now?”
“Not for long, I’m afraid.”
Mion looked surprised at his curt reply.
‘Sorry. I spent thirty silver coins on the Swordsman’s Guild.’
“Then… shall we talk while we walk?”
“Alright.”
He packed his writing utensils into his small bag. It was a gift from Dalmong to commemorate his enrollment in the orphanage academy, and it was decorated with a cute bear face.
He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked alongside Mion.
“Anne told me everything. About how you saved your party members.”
“I was lucky.”
It wasn’t a lie. He had struggled to survive himself back then.
“Still, it’s rare for a newbie explorer. And you even gave them silver coins. That’s a remarkable act of kindness, even if you were in the same party before.”
“It was just a few silver coins.”
He felt embarrassed by her unexpected praise.
“It’s a lot of money for a newbie explorer. I know. I was an explorer once.”
Mion’s expression turned serious.
‘She was an explorer?’
He hadn’t known that.
“You were an explorer?”
“Ahaha. Yes. A long time ago. Not anymore though.”
He decided not to pry further after seeing the wistful smile on her face.
“Anyway! Our temple has decided to offer you a special favor, kind Mr. Skar.”
“A favor?”
“Ta-da! You can use the Earth Mother Goddess’ confessional for only five copper coins!”
“The confessional?”
Confession?
Wasn’t that a religious practice where you confessed your sins through a wooden screen?
“Yes! What do you think? Great deal, right?”
“Do I look like someone with a lot of sins?”
He asked frankly.
Mion looked flustered and waved her hands. Her ample breasts jiggled along.
“No! That’s not what I meant. It’s called a confessional, but it’s really just a place to talk about things you can’t tell others. Things you’ve been keeping bottled up inside.”
“Is there really a need for that?”
“The labyrinth is a place where hearts are easily wounded. Alcohol, pleasure, and idle chatter aren’t enough to heal those kinds of wounds. Those methods can’t remove the thorns embedded in the soul.”
Her voice was filled with conviction.
Her half-closed eyes were now wide open again.
Jeong Yoo-shin stared into her golden eyes.
Late spring petals danced in the wind between them.
“Some people find solace in food and conversation.”
Jeong Yoo-shin said, thinking of Dalmong and his warm meals.
“…”
Mion looked at him with pity.
“Thank you, anyway. I’ll use it sometime. Can I really talk about anything in the confessional?”
Mion smiled faintly.
“Yes. Anything.”
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After his conversation with Mion, he stuffed himself with food at the temple dining hall and rushed to the Swordsman’s Guild.
“You’re late!”
The elf standing in the training ground looked furious.
“I apologize, Master.”
“Look at that relaxed expression. Did you have a date with a pretty lady?”
His pointed observation sent a chill down Jeong Yoo-shin’s spine.
“No, sir.”
“Liar. Look at that smug face. Your mind is already relaxed, so let’s loosen up your body. Forty laps around the training ground.”
“Yes, sir.”
He started running without complaint.
Ten laps.
Twenty laps.
Whenever his pace slowed even slightly, the elf’s taunts and shouts echoed.
“Is that all you’ve got? Your lower body is pathetic. Are you even a barbarian?! Run!!”
Thirty laps.
“Even a slug is faster than you. Keep your head up! Grit your teeth!”
Under the elf’s watchful gaze, he completed forty laps.
“Gasp… Cough…”
“Stop making those noises and grab your sword. Assume the stance I taught you yesterday.”
“Cough… Yes, sir.”
He grabbed his wooden training sword, his body drenched in sweat.
His hand trembled as he held the sword.
The ready stance.
“Here I come.”
The elf showed no mercy, attacking relentlessly.
As if yesterday had been just a warm-up, he unleashed a storm of sword strikes.
Jeong Yoo-shin was tossed around like a lone sailboat in a tempest.
But he didn’t capsize.
He gritted his teeth and endured. Blood trickled from his tightly clenched teeth.
He barely had time to breathe.
His cramping arm traced the basic sword forms he learned yesterday.
Downward strike.
Upward strike.
Horizontal strike.
And finally, a diagonal strike.
Clack!!
Their wooden swords clashed.
A test of strength.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s wooden sword trembled in his hand.
He could see the elf’s face through the gap between their swords.
The elf grinned.
“I heard you killed a Goblin Warrior. On your second labyrinth expedition, no less.”
“…Do you always investigate your students?”
“You learn things in this position whether you want to or not.”
‘He’s the guild master. This damn elf.’
The elf pushed forward, putting more force behind his sword.
Crack!!
Jeong Yoo-shin stumbled backward, raising a cloud of dust.
The elf’s next attack was too fast, even with his level up.
Crack!
A searing pain shot through his shoulder.
“Ugh.”
“Hurry up. We don’t have a lot of time.”
Like yesterday, a crowd gathered around them in a circle.
Crack!
His waist.
Crack!
His thigh.
Whack!
His neck.
He had been hit in all the wrong places.
“Ugh.”
He doubled over, gasping for air.
Saliva dribbled from his mouth.
“Guild master, isn’t that a bit much?”
A minotaur beast-person with a broken horn frowned.
It was excessively harsh for a beginner’s swordsmanship class.
“I can still go on.”
Jeong Yoo-shin said while using his wooden sword as a crutch to stand up.
“He says he’s fine.”
The elf shrugged as if it wasn’t his fault.
“…”
The minotaur beast-person crossed his arms and shook his head.
Jeong Yoo-shin gripped his wooden sword with both hands and raised it above his head.
The high guard.
The tip of his sword was pointed towards the darkening sky.
The elf smirked.
“The high guard? This newbie has some nerve.”
“Here I come.”
“Bring it on.”
The dance of swords between the elf and the human continued until nightfall.
Everyone else had gone home and the training ground was already empty.
The elf looked down at Jeong Yoo-shin who had collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
“That’s all for today. Don’t be late tomorrow.”
“Gasp… Yes, sir.”
“Good work.”
“Gasp… You too, Master… Cough…”
The elf left, leaving Jeong Yoo-shin alone in the training ground.
“Man, that was intense.”
He sat down and massaged his aching muscles. He didn’t want to repeat the experience of waking up with stiff muscles.
He replayed the training session in his mind.
‘I just got beaten up. And I received a lot of posture corrections.’
He had been told repeatedly that his lower body was weak.
‘Maybe I should do some squats.’
He added squats to his morning routine.
He stood up and left the training ground.
Dalmong greeted him as he returned to the inn.
“You look like you’ve been through a war.”
“It was worth every penny. The guild master gave me personal instruction.”
Dalmong’s eyes widened in surprise.
“That elf?”
“Yeah. Is he famous?”
“He’s the city’s official Sword Master. His name is Ashur Startree.”
“Sword Master?”
The Sword Master who could cut through anything with his sword aura?
Was this some kind of isekai cheat?
His heart pounded.
“Does the Sword Master emit light from his sword and slice through everything?”
“A Sword Master can cut through anything with even a rusty sword. And light from his sword? Are you talking about Aura Blade? You have that too.”
“What?”
“Sacred Weapon. That’s a type of Aura Blade. A low-level one, but still.”
“Huh.”
Dalmong stroked his chin for a moment.
“There are rumors that a legendary swordsman used it in the past, but they’re just rumors. Don’t rely too much on your imprint. Train diligently. That’s the fate of a frontliner.”
Seeing Jeong Yoo-shin’s dejected expression, Dalmong added,
“The title of Sword Master is only given to the strong. He’s not just any strong person though. He’s someone officially recognized by the Labyrinth City. Being taught by someone like that… it’s an opportunity you can’t buy even with a mountain of gold.”
“Yes. I’ll do my best.”
“And…”
Dalmong paused.
“Never mind. We’ll talk later. Get some rest.”
“Alright, Dalmong. Thank you for your concern.”
Dalmong sighed as he watched Jeong Yoo-shin go upstairs.
“The Sword Master… Skar, what are you getting yourself into?”
Dalmong’s sigh didn’t reach the second floor.
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T/N – I’ve noticed this for a while now, but the MC’s been pretty lucky with his encounters so far. The daughter of the beast-person alliance representative, a powerful Spirit Teacher and a high ranking member of the church, a former high-rank explorer, the Spirit Teacher’s master and a member of the city council, and now a Sword Master. He may not have any explicit cheat, but his luck is definitely that of a protagonist’s.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
Are bad boys her type?
Rather than luck, it’s just the natural consequences of his first encounter in this world. After that, people will just naturally be interested in him. Still, he is pretty lucky to have met a lot of good people so far.
He should have carried all the weapons and armors from the slave hunters and sold them though, he would not been mistaken for one if carried more than one set