Chapter 289: #Return of the Temporary Teacher Yu Il-Shin (1)

In the principal office of the Hunter Academy, where the best Hunters were born...

Mounted on the wall of the simply furnished office was the head of a vicious S-rank monster that once terrorized South Korea. There sat a man who’d single-handedly defeated the Minotaur, earning himself the nickname Cleaner—the South Korean legend, Choi Kang-San. Despite nearing the age of retirement, he was covered in strong muscles that hadn’t rusted at all.

The veteran soldier was in deep thought.

Who is this kid?

A young man in a tacky training suit had shown up out of nowhere, asking to be hired. Yet, the same man was now dozing off like a sick chicken. His disheveled, unkempt hair made him look like the neighborhood's jobless man.

Just a while back...

Knock knock!

A young lad appeared with a knock on the door.

“Hello, Hyungnim. It's been a while.”

“Who are you? You don't look like a student of the academy... Do you know me?”

“You might not know me, but I know you very well, Kang-San hyungnim.”

“

Keke!

Seeing how you’re addressing me as hyungnim, you have a great eye for judgment! Well, I do look quite youthful, if I do say so myself.”

“Well, you’re still easy. Here’s a gift for you. I chose something you’d like.” Yu Il-Shin handed over a black plastic bag.

The moment Choi Kang-San peered into the bag, his eyes shone with satisfaction. Due to his daughter’s nagging, he’d been deprived of all alcohol for a month!

“Oh! This is great! Jinro is the true soju! Jinro is the true soju! Come in! Hurry, before Eun-Ji sees you!”

And now...

Choi Kang-San raised a fist at the dozing Yu Il-Shin.

Bam!

He slammed the table so hard that Yu Il-Shin woke up, scrambling to sit up.

“

Ack!

You scared me! I almost had a heart attack, hyungnim!” Yu Il-Shin exclaimed.

Choi Kang-San suppressed the urge to beat that dumb-looking lad up.

He’s just a regular citizen...

“You said your name is Yu Il-Shin?”

“

Hoahm~

Yes, hyungnim.” Yu Il-Shin nodded.

“Okay,

so...

what kind of place did you think this academy is?! Randomly coming over and asking to be hired!”

“

Sheesh,

you did it before anyway.” Yu Il-Shin smiled cheekily and waved his hand.

Choi Kang-San never felt such a strong urge to throw hands before!

“Can’t you just open the back door for me, Hyungnim?” Yu Il-Shin stealthily pulled something out from his pocket. “If you do, I’ll give this to you too.”

Choi Kang-San snorted, thinking that it was another bottle of soju, until it left him stunned.

How did he pull that out?!

How on earth did Yu Il-Shin pull a meter-long bottle out of his tracksuit?! On top of that, there was a pair of cute angels engraved on the bottle, flying around flowers and collecting honey. Even Choi Kang-San’s untrained eyes could tell that the bottle was expensive.

He frowned. “What’s this? I don’t take bribes...”

Pop!

Yu Il-Shin popped the bottle, and a strong alcohol fragrance wafted in the air.

Choi Kang-San covered his mouth in shock.

H-how can this be!

He drooled nonstop like Pavlov's dog. As an alcohol lover, he could immediately tell that it was the best alcohol! A once in a lifetime opportunity!

“The fairies gathered honey and turned it into what I call the Fairy Honey Wine.”

Gulp!

The name alone sounded extremely fantastical right off the bat!

Sniffing the fragrance, Choi Kang-San could already picture the scene of fairies flying among a field of beautiful flowers, gathering every drop of honey from them. Of course, the part about fairies making the wine was probably just a tagline, but it was worth boasting about.

“A-alright! Let's give it a taste!”

He reached out, saliva pooling in his mouth, but Yu Il-Shin pulled the bottle back.

“So, am I hired?”

“

Aaargh!

”

Choi Kang-San's hand trembled like an alcoholic’s when he failed to grab the bottle. As much as he’d love to beat that lad and guzzle the entire bottle, he was still a righteous man. He wouldn’t stoop so low as to take advantage of an ordinary person.

Even so, he felt uncomfortable accepting the drink and hiring the man when a C-rank Awakener license was required for the job.

“But hiring you as a temporary teacher is just... Can't I help you find another post?”

“It's okay. I'm actually a Hermit.”

Hermit—the term used on individuals who had awakened, yet didn’t register for a license. In fact, Choi Kang-San used to be one. He had concealed his abilities until he’d to save his daughter.

“You're a Hermit?”

“That's right.”

Choi Kang-San thought that this lad had a screw loose. As a veteran Hunter, he’d encountered all sorts of people and situations, after all. However, it was his first time seeing a Hermit like Yu Il-Shin, whom he couldn’t sense anything from.

He’s just an all talk.

Still, that alcohol was the real deal. After pondering for a while, Choi Kang-San was struck with a great idea.

“Alright, I'll hire you.”

“Oh! Thank you, hyungnim!”

“But!” Choi Kang-San rolled up his sleeves and put his arm on the table. “Prove your strength to me. I’ll acknowledge the fact that you’re a Hermit if you beat me in arm wrestling.”

“Oh, really? Piece of cake!” Yu Il-Shin grinned happily, like it was the best news he’d heard all day.

Choi Kang-San was rendered speechless when Yu Il-Shin grabbed his arm. Compared to his own thick biceps, Yu Il-Shin’s arms were as thin as scrapers. What made him so sure he could beat a Reinforce-type Hunter?!

“If you lose, you'll have to hand me the alcohol and leave. Got it?”

“Okay.”

Hehe, what a fool.

Choi Kang-San smacked his lips and gave strength to his arm. He would defeat Yu Il-Shin in one swoop and finish the Fairy Honey Wine before his daughter returns!

W-what?

His eyes widened. No matter how much he tried, the arm wouldn't budge—it's as stable as a huge mountain!

“A-amazing!”

Despite his dumb look, this young lad had something up his sleeves! Still, Choi Kang-San had a reputation to keep! As if he could let an unknown guy he met for the first time look down on him!

“This time, it's for real!

Haaaa!

”

The top he wore slowly ripped apart as his muscles swelled, and his brass-colored, robust skin showed through.

“

Keuuugh!

”

Choi Kang-San turned red like lava, yet he still couldn’t move Yu Il-Shin’s arm.

“

Ugh.

My eyes.” Yu Il-Shin frowned because Choi Kang-San's muscles were sullying his eyes. “Skill Sharing, Eternal Seeker Il-Ho’s Super Strong Body.”

Crack! Craaack!

Choi Kang-San witnessed how Yu Il-Shin’s thin biceps swelled into strong, powerful muscles, as if a mountain was compressed into the size of a rock.

The next moment, Choi Kang-San's view was turned upside down.

Baaaaam!

“

Eeeek!

Mr. Principal!”

“

Huh?!

I-I'm fine!”

Shocked, the teachers rushed over. Choi Kang-San couldn’t register what had just happened. Soon, he noticed the shattered table and the ceiling fragments scattered across the ground around him. Lastly, he saw a hole in the ceiling. Such was the current state of his office.

Yu Il-Shin poked his head into the ceiling hole, smiling brightly at Choi Kang-San from above.

“Now, Hyungnim, keep your promise. While we're at it, can you repeat after me? Say: I believe in Yu Il-Shin.”

In Hunter Academy's high-school division, class 3-A...

“Hey, did you hear?”

“Huh? Hear what?”

“The principal has hired a new teacher and assigned them as our second homeroom teacher.”

“At this time? But all the dungeons and gates are closed, and the Hunter profession might die out in the future, too...”

“Maybe the academy is trying to do something about it?”

“Whatever! So, how does he look? Is he hot?”

News of their second homeroom teacher had spread among the affected class students.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhu looked at her table partner while eating her rice ball. “Mi-Ri, did something good happen?”

“

Hehehe

. I just have a hunch that something good is going to happen today. By the way, how did your career counseling go?”

Xu Zhu finished her riceball in two bites and replied, “Yeah, things at home are resolved, so I'll be going back to my hometown and work in the farms after graduating.”

“Oh my, it's great to hear that things at home have been resolved!”

“It's all thanks to Lin Xiaoming unni. She's really my benefactor.”

Just then, the classroom door opened, and their homeroom teacher, Mr. Lee Geun-Wook, brought a young man in a tracksuit into the class.

“Everyone, your attention please. This is Mr. Yu Il-Shin, who will be your second homeroom teacher from today onward. I'll leave them in your care, Mr. Yu. I need to clean up the mess at the principal's office.”

“Sure. Don't worry about us.”

The students’ reactions to Yu Il-Shin were mixed.

“What's with that tacky outfit? Is he a physical education teacher?”

“He seems quite good-looking but also slightly dumb...”

“Oh! It's Mr. Yu! It's me, Mi-Ri!”

“Huh? Mi-Ri, is this the teacher you were talking about?”

Yu Il-Shin stood at the teacher's podium and signaled the class to quiet down. “Now, now. Quiet down, please. There's something I want to say, but before that...”

He winked at the students, then reached a hand out. “Shall we have some chicken in celebration for our first class together? Of course, I'll be treating all of you.

Yay!

”

“Chicken! Awesome!”

“

Waaaah!

Mr. Yu is the best!”

Of course, cheers echoed like wildfire in the classroom.

...Clack!

However, the faint sound of bones, filled with a sense of foreboding, rang softly in the background.

***

“Uncle Bong, what are you doing?”

The small, cute girl with her hair tied into two pigtails stared at Choi Bong-Shik, who was humming a tune and scrubbing away.

“Ms. Seong-Yeon, can't you call me Steve Choi or oppa instead of Uncle Bong?”

Uncle Bong sounded like Uncle Boing, but...

“English names are hard. And Uncle Bong is too old! You're an uncle! Not oppa!”

Choi Bong-Shik clenched his fists tight as Seong-Yeon dropped straight facts.

This little brat!

“Destroy?(What are you trying to do? What's that hand doing?)” Sam-Shin stared intently at him with his glowing, red eyes.

Choi Bong-Shik caught himself and regained his politeness.

“I-I wanted to give her allowance!” He then pulled out his wallet and fished out a few bills, handing them to Seong-Yeon respectfully with both hands. “Please accept them, Ms. Seong-Yeon.”

“

Wow!

More allowance! Uncle Sam-Shin! I have a lot of money!

Yippee!

Let's go buy something delicious with it!”

“Destroy! Destroy!” Sam-Shin grew excited at the mention of delicious food.

Keugh! It's a waste, but as long as I can free myself from babysitting, this is nothing!

Yes, he’d take getting ripped off over this nightmare of a babysitting job any day!

“I have an important meeting to attend, so I need to leave. Both of you can play by yourselves, okay?”

“Okay, Uncle Bong! Good luck!”

“Destroy!”

The two kids waved their hands goodbye as Choi Bong-Shik left.

“Skill, Ruler of Space!”

Choi Bong-Shik dignifiedly teleported to the location of his meeting.

Swoosh!