Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Dream’s Boundary (1)

“As you all know, starting today, the corporate contact period and external request period are activated simultaneously.”

Early Monday morning. The Cradle’s outdoor training ground.

A young woman with a robust, healthy appearance, Professor Shin Jae-yu, stood on the podium, continuing her lecture with an energetic voice.

Though it was right after the morning calisthenics, hardly any students were exhausted to the point of collapsing or retching like on the first day.

T h i s wa s c opi ed f r o m ki ng m tl. or g
Even Yena could now complete the track without my help.

In a short period, it seemed the students had begun to adapt their bodies to the Cradle’s rigorous training.

“Your evaluation data has already been sent to the companies through internal channels. It’s up to each of you to contact them and sign contracts. The Cradle generally does not interfere in this process.”

The professor held a microphone to her mouth and continued.

“Before signing any contracts, make sure to thoroughly review the guidelines we’ve distributed. If you find yourself in an unfair contract, don’t hesitate to consult the Cradle’s legal office.”

Professor Shin went on explaining contract-related matters. Most of her advice was particularly beneficial for students from rural or less privileged backgrounds.
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Those from powerful families had their family brands or already designated sponsors.
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“Let’s wrap up the contract discussion here. Today, besides basic training, there’s a special class scheduled.”

With a light gesture, the professor signaled, and two assistant professors entered a storage room and brought out objects covered in cloth.
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The objects were slightly larger than a person’s chest and appeared quite heavy. Every step the assistants took made a metallic clinking sound.

The students watched the assistants with puzzled expressions. When the cloth was removed, the identity of the hidden objects was revealed.

“Huh…?”

“Is that…?”

The assistants were holding personal firearms, entirely covered in matte black, giving off a rather intimidating impression.

“These are PKL-3 assault rifles. Though their performance isn’t top-notch, they’re simple to maintain and cost-effective. Due to these traits, they’re widely used, from back-alley mutants to frontier rebels. In short, these are weapons you’ll encounter frequently.”

Indeed, I had seen them often. And it was becoming clearer what kind of lesson Professor Shin intended.

Professor Shin glanced around at the students and clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“Tsk, tsk. Some of you already look scared. Pathetic. That’s why I planned this special class.”

The students looked even more confused.
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“After the demonstration, you’ll have a better understanding of what you are. Watch carefully. Any student who looks away or shows fear will receive the heaviest penalty.”

With that, Professor Shin stepped off the podium and stood a distance away from the assistant holding the firearm. At her signal, the assistant aimed the rifle at her in a firing stance.

Soon, the loud noise of thousands of thunderbolts striking at once filled the outdoor training ground.

“Ahhh!”

“What the…!”

Despite the professor’s warning, some startled students covered their ears or screamed.

The aimed firearm unleashed a barrage of bullets at hundreds of rounds per minute. The close range ensured that every bullet hit the professor’s vital points.

But Professor Shin stood her ground, calm and confident.

Every time a bullet hit her, a blue light flickered around her body, bouncing the bullets away.

-Ting!

-Ting!

The training ground echoed with the sound of deflected bullets. Some bullets even reached the front row of students but were similarly deflected by a blue light.

Before long, the professor was obscured by a cloud of dust. When the rifle finally clicked empty, she dusted herself off and walked forward.

“Phew, you all look shocked, huh?”

Professor Shin smirked at the students’ dumbfounded faces.

“Does anyone know why I can stand here unharmed after being shot at? Yes, Seunghun?”

“It’s because of the development of the field, Professor.”

“Correct. I’ll add ten points to your score. Come to my office to collect them later.”

Other students who barely missed raising their hands looked disappointed. Points and penalties directly affected their rankings.

“When a mage inhales, particles from the surrounding air enter their internal reservoir. When they exhale, refined particles are expelled as waste outside the body. These waste particles form a temporary layer around the body before returning to the air.”

“We call this layered formation of waste particles a field. The formal name is the Kuiper Field, or Particle Sheath. Though not noticeable in daily life, this field strongly repels sudden kinetic energy. This is the main reason firearms have become secondary weapons.”

“However, the field isn’t exclusive to mages. Grade 2 and above beasts, dark mages, and demons also have fields developed under the same principle. Magic, which interferes with vessel particles, isn’t affected by the field. This is why mages are crucial for national defense. To deal with enemies that firearms can’t harm… whew.”

The professor took a sip of water before continuing.

“Anyway, when you take on external requests, you’ll mostly encounter ordinary criminals using firearms. Because of their inherent intimidation, young mages often fear these criminals more than magical beasts. But remember, you have an overwhelming advantage over them in all aspects. Even criminals using melee weapons can’t match a mage’s enhanced physical abilities.”

One part of her explanation particularly resonated with me.

“Therefore, it’s disgraceful for a mage to be defeated by an ordinary person. It should never happen, and if it does, I’ll personally ensure that student is expelled…”

“…”

Next to me, Yena hung her head in embarrassment, her ears turning as red as ripe strawberries.

I remembered our first meeting when I helped Yena as she was chased by thugs.

She had been too terrified to even think of using magic.

Yena seemed to remember too, glancing at me repeatedly, her eyes pleading.

T hi s was co pie d f r o m ki n g mt l . o r g
To preserve Yena’s pride, I decided to keep that incident a secret forever.

“Alright, that’s enough boring talk. To overcome such fears, you must experience them. Let’s see… Guk Jaeryong, step forward.”

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“Eek…”
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Guk Jaeryong’s squeal echoed through the training ground as the professor called him out.

***

“The external request period is already here… time flies…”

On the way back after the lecture, Yena sighed lightly, her voice uncertain.

“Will I be able to do well…? C-level requests are mostly about hunting magical beasts… ugh…”

Still terrified of magical beasts, Yena shivered.

“You’ll do fine. Have you received any offers from companies?”

“I got a few business cards, but honestly, I don’t even know where they’re from… hehe…”

Yena shook her head slightly. Despite her high ranking in the first exam, she seemed clueless about sponsorship contracts.

Coming from a rural background, she was inexperienced in these matters. I wasn’t much better, but I had picked up some knowledge from my seniors.

“Are you making a contract with your sponsor?”

T hi s w a s c op i e d f r om kin g m t l . o r g
“Yeah. There’s no reason to look elsewhere. Ugh.”

While descending the stairs, I suddenly felt dizzy and grabbed the wall for support. My vision spun before stabilizing.

“Hyun! What’s wrong? Are you sick…?”

“I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep well last night…”
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Yena looked at me with concern, insisting on taking me to the infirmary, but I managed to dissuade her.

In truth, I was far from fine. I hadn’t slept well for days and felt utterly exhausted.

I was facing a significant dilemma.

End of Chapter