Chapter 72: Chapter 72

Students began gathering one by one in the Introduction to Monster Studies lecture hall.

As they entered, many stopped in their tracks, their eyes fixed on an object placed on the podium.

A petite skeleton model.

It was a cute, deformed figurine Si-Hyun had prepared, inspired by Areum’s suggestion.

The kind of thing you’d expect to see in an animated show, charming and endearing in design.

However, the students’ reactions were far from warm.

“No way… are we going to practice with that again today?”

“It looks adorable, but I’ve been hit by those things before. It’s terrifying.”

“Getting attacked by something that cute is a horror story in itself.”

Most general education courses were notoriously boring, to the point of inducing drowsiness.

But Introduction to Monster Studies was different, delivering a fresh shock every lecture.

As a result, the students were on high alert, refusing to be deceived by the figurine’s cute appearance.

Si-Hyun quietly observed their reactions, a faint smile on her lips.

“Every single one of them has the same reaction.”

Their pure, innocent responses were endearing, a source of quiet amusement for her.

“It’s about time to start.”

Checking the time, Si-Hyun straightened up from where she had been leaning against the podium, smoothing out her clothes.

“Good afternoon, everyone.”

The students, hearing Si-Hyun’s clear and melodic voice for the first time in two weeks, greeted her warmly in return.

After nodding in acknowledgment, Si-Hyun adopted an apologetic expression and said,

“I’m sorry about the unexpected cancellation last week. I couldn’t inform you ahead of time due to unavoidable circumstances.”

She glanced around, gauging the students’ reactions, but none seemed particularly upset.

“To make it up to you, I’ve prepared a little gift. I’ll hand it out during roll call.”

The students’ eyes widened at the unexpected announcement.

“A little gift?”

It was unusual. While students might grumble about canceled classes, professors rarely responded by handing out gifts.

Typically, they just scheduled make-up lectures.

But here was Professor Jeong, offering something completely out of the ordinary.

“Gwon Jae-Woo.”

“Yes!”

As she called out names for roll, Si-Hyun personally handed out slim folders containing introduction cards.

The students eagerly responded, politely taking their folders.

Opening them to inspect the contents, their eyes grew even wider.

“A C-rank production-type Hunter introduction card?!”

“Wow, this stuff is so hard to get!”

“She even thought to prepare something like this. How thoughtful!”

The atmosphere in the lecture hall grew lively as students chatted excitedly.

Watching them, Si-Hyun felt their joy seep into her own mood, leaving her smiling.

“I’m glad I asked Section Chief Jang for help.”

Clapping her hands together sharply, she drew the students’ attention back to her.

Clap!

All eyes turned toward Si-Hyun.

“Let’s start the lecture now.”

In a calm voice, she began manipulating the device at the podium, marking the start of class.

“Today, we’ll be discussing undead monsters commonly found in low-tier dungeons.”

A prepared slideshow appeared on the screen, and the students placed their printed materials on their desks.

Not a single student had forgotten to bring their handouts.

“Before diving into the material, let’s start by looking at a recent article.”

She flipped to the next page of her presentation, displaying a news article about a recent event.

“A newly revealed A-rank double dungeon with an undead theme. It’s been causing quite a stir, hasn’t it? The excitement hasn’t died down yet.”

The students nodded.

It was an incident that had been covered widely—impossible to miss.

An extraordinary and shocking event.

The students, their curiosity piqued, began wondering.

“Why is she bringing this up?”

“Is she going to use it as an example for today’s lesson?”

Their interest in the lecture material deepened, and their focus sharpened.

“One day, if you rise through the ranks and become high-tier Hunters, you may face incidents like this yourselves. It’s not as distant from your lives as you might think.”

Si-Hyun made them realize the potential relevance of the incident to their own futures.

One by one, the students’ eyes widened as understanding dawned on them.

“Oh, I see! This isn’t just some random news—it’s relevant to us.”

“If I continue as a Hunter, I could experience something like this firsthand…”

Recognizing that this could be part of their own futures, the students became more motivated, seeing the practical value of the lecture.

“Good, they’re all focused now.”

Watching their shifting expressions closely, Si-Hyun continued the lecture.

“Do you all remember the goblins we studied last time? By now, you should be familiar with them. So, let’s begin today’s examples with goblin undead.”

She tied today’s lesson to previous material, making the new concepts more relatable to the students.

The characteristics of undead monsters.

Their ranks and classification tables.

The structure of the lecture wasn’t too different from before.

Yet, not a single student was nodding off or distracted.

This was a general education course scheduled right after lunch, a notoriously lethargic time, but the students were fully engaged.

The natural boost in motivation had significantly improved their focus.

“…Now then.”

Once the foundational explanations had been covered, Si-Hyun decided to test their understanding with a question.

“Would you consider undead monsters to be living creatures?”

“Huh?”

“Umm…”

The students were visibly flustered. It wasn’t a question they had anticipated.

Squinting, they began thinking deeply, trying to reason it out in their heads.

Si-Hyun smiled gently.

“We discussed whether monsters could be classified as living beings in a previous lecture, remember?”

The students nodded.

“Keep that discussion in mind as you think about it.”

She checked the time. The fifth lecture period was nearly over.

“Let’s pick up this discussion after the break.”

Creak— Click, click.

Leaving the students deep in thought, Si-Hyun exited the lecture hall, her low-heeled shoes clicking softly as she walked away.

For a moment, the students stared at the closed door she had left through.

Then, the room erupted into murmurs.

Students enthusiastically launched into a lively discussion.

What was supposed to be a break naturally morphed into an impromptu study session.

Nobody told them to, but everyone participated in the conversation as if it were the most natural thing to do.

Such was the magnetic pull of the Introduction to Monster Studies lecture.

“Isn’t it common to classify monsters as living organisms?”

“But undead are different, aren’t they?”

“Hmm… what does ‘undead’ actually mean again?”

“Hold on! I’ll look it up.”

The word undead was something they used casually in everyday life.

But none of the students could accurately define it off the top of their heads.

Without realizing it, the students began engaging in critical thinking.

What exactly is the undead?

They carefully analyzed, synthesized, and evaluated the information.

So engrossed were they in their discussion that they hardly noticed the passage of time.

Creak—

Before they knew it, the break was over, and Si-Hyun returned.

She glanced at the time and gave a soft smile as she looked around at her students.

The students met her gaze with eyes full of curiosity and anticipation.

“So, what’s the actual answer?”

“What will Professor Jeong say?”

“Was my guess right? I can’t wait to find out.”

Every single student was focused intently on their professor, ears perked and ready to catch her next words.

In her calm, gentle voice, Si-Hyun asked,

“Did you all think about it thoroughly? Did it spark a lot of questions?”

The students nodded enthusiastically.

“Before I reveal my answer, let’s hear your thoughts first.”@@novelbin@@

Si-Hyun encouraged active participation, and several students raised their hands confidently.

“Since they’re neither dead nor alive, shouldn’t they be classified as something entirely separate?”

“They’re corpses, so it’s hard to consider them living creatures, isn’t it?”

“Undead are just a trait—they’re not living beings!”

A variety of opinions spilled out.

Satisfied, Si-Hyun nodded, feeling a sense of pride in their thoughtful engagement.

“The answer is…”

She paused, building suspense.

“Finally, the mystery will be solved!”

The students leaned forward in their seats, fully focused on her.

Si-Hyun exaggeratedly shrugged her shoulders and said with a playful tone,

“You’re all correct.”

“What?!”

The unexpected response sent waves of surprise through the room.

As the students murmured in confusion, Si-Hyun gestured for them to settle down and began explaining gently.

“Undead isn’t a singular concept. It’s a broad category. In some cases, they’re magical lifeforms, while in others, they’re merely corpses or spirits controlled by mana. It all depends on the specific monster.”

The classification depended on perspective and categorization frameworks.

It wasn’t a groundbreaking answer—quite the opposite.

It was simple and foundational knowledge, fitting for a lecture titled Introduction to Monster Studies.

After all, this was a course designed for E- to D-rank students.

But the students had learned something valuable.

Because they had actively engaged with the question and invested their energy, the knowledge felt earned.

“Now, let’s move on to this.”

Si-Hyun walked over to the petite skeleton model at the front of the room.

In that instant, a palpable tension filled the lecture hall.

“No way… not again.”

“Here we go, just like last time…”

“Why even make it cute if it’s going to torment us?”

Si-Hyun observed their stiffened expressions, easily guessing their thoughts.

“Fufu…”

She let out a quiet chuckle, almost involuntarily.

It was amusing.

No, it was deeply entertaining.

Why is it so much fun when the students look so worried?

Suppressing her laughter, Si-Hyun relished the adorably flustered reactions of her students.