The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 185

After Sharon’s absurd remark, she fortunately calmed down.

Leaving aside the ridiculous promise I made with Sharon, my official life as a tutor had begun.

A tutor’s duties at Jerion Academy were similar to those of the student council.

Preparing supplies as instructed by professors.

Responding to incidents involving students.

Because of that, the work itself wasn’t particularly difficult.

However, I had severely underestimated the impact of Vicarun’s appearance.

In front of the tutor’s office entrance.

A pile of letters came into view.

Originally, it was a suggestion box meant for students to submit requests to the tutor’s office.

Somehow, that box had turned into my personal mailbox.

I only took the letters addressed to me and stepped inside.

The moment I did, the tutors who had been chattering inside abruptly fell silent.

It was only natural.

Just as admission to Jerion Academy wasn’t easy, becoming a tutor wasn’t simple either.

Each tutor had to pass an exam to earn their position.

There was a reason why seniority existed among them.

Especially becoming Professor Vaganon’s personal tutor was an incredibly difficult feat.

Though Vaganon might seem like a professor who lazed around drinking every day to the students, it was different for tutors.

Vaganon was the longest-serving professor at Jerion Academy.

Because of that, her connections could completely alter a tutor’s life.

And I, who had suddenly appeared, had swallowed up the position of Vaganon’s personal tutor—something all of them coveted.

Of course, they wouldn’t be happy about it.

So whenever I entered the tutor’s office, silence would follow.

I understood their feelings, so I didn’t pay it much mind and went about my work.

Professor Vaganon was the type to handle her own tasks thoroughly.

Though she drank every day, she was sharp when it came to work.

As her tutor, I didn’t have much to do beyond organizing documents.

‘Come to think of it, what should I tell Aisha?’

Aisha, who trained with me every morning.

In the midst of that, Hannon had abruptly left for the Kingdom of Phanish.

Aisha, who took pride in being my training partner, must have been bewildered.

‘Should I reveal my true identity?’

Perhaps because so many people already knew the truth, the idea of revealing it didn’t feel like a big deal anymore.

‘It just means there are many who understand me.’

Good things were good.

I’d casually mention it to Aisha next time.

I wanted to keep training with her in the mornings.

“Hey.”

Just then, one of the tutors called out to me.

Raising my gaze, I saw a tutor with a deeply scowling face.

Dark red hair tied in a ponytail and a sharp expression.

I remembered him as one of the senior tutors.

His name was Karan Sirel.

“Yes, Tutor Karan.”

As I responded, Karan pulled a chair in front of me and sat down.

“I’ve been applying to become Professor Vaganon’s personal tutor for ages, you know.”

A tutor’s future could change drastically if they had ties to Professor Vaganon.

So Karan had persistently applied for the position.

“But no matter what I did, I never got it.”

Karan slowly stroked his chin, eyeing me up and down.

“But now, I think I know what the problem was.”

He smirked as he spoke.

“If the professor’s taste is like this, what can I do? So, is life with Professor Vaganon enjoyable?”

My gaze locked onto Karan.

Yet, his smirk didn’t falter in the slightest.

He was blatantly mocking both me and Professor Vaganon.

Implying that the only reason she made me her personal tutor was because of my face.

Even at the insult toward the professor, the other tutors remained silent.

Karan was from House Sirel.

Though he was at the very bottom of the main family’s line, he was still a direct descendant.

Given the nature of the tutor position, most were commoners or low-ranking nobles.

Karan’s arrogance had been a long-standing issue, and the other tutors couldn’t stop him.

Karan’s eyes met mine directly.

“What? Vicarun, got anything to say? You’re not mad, are you? You stole my spot. You shouldn’t be mad. Vicarun.”

He deliberately omitted my title and repeated my name twice.

After the incident with the Third Princess, Vicarun had been expelled from the Niflheim Earldom.

Karan knew that well and was rubbing it in.

You’re no longer part of House Niflheim—now you’re no different from a commoner.

“Instead of being grateful that Her Highness the Third Princess was kind enough to pardon you, you’re stealing someone else’s position with just your face. The privileged always want more, don’t they?”

Karan glanced around as if seeking agreement.

The tutors reluctantly nodded.

Now I understood why none of them had approached me.

Karan must have threatened them to keep their distance from me.

I didn’t feel particularly angry at Karan’s actions.

The rage from earlier had vanished without a trace.

I had become immune to all criticism directed at me.

Unshakable against insults.

I did feel sorry for taking the position of Vaganon’s personal tutor from someone else.

For some, it could have been a life-changing opportunity.

It should have gone to someone who truly needed it.

But one thing was certain.

“Are you proud of being ugly?”

Even if I wouldn’t get angry, the proper response to insults was to return them in kind.

Memories of a life filled with endless criticism surfaced.

Compared to the genuine murderous intent I’d faced from Isabel, Karan’s insults were like a toddler’s tantrum.

Above all, there was a legitimate reason Karan hadn’t become Vaganon’s personal tutor.

And he had just demonstrated it himself.

Professor Vaganon has an impeccable eye for people.

Karan blinked at my response.

He clearly hadn’t expected such a rebuttal.

Slowly, his mouth fell open as he stared at me in disbelief.

“……Ha, you crazy bastard. Are you admitting you got the position just because of your face?”

“I’m just saying I’m better-looking than you.”

Unconsciously, my tone had shifted.

Karan seemed to notice, his eyebrows twitching in irritation.

He stood up abruptly, exuding intimidation.

“Oh, so now you’re running your mouth.”

“What? You were the one running your mouth first. And honestly, I don’t think it’s just about the face.”

I smirked, looking him up and down the same way he had done earlier.

Playing with appearances was my specialty.

Mimicking the most infuriating smirk wasn’t hard.

“……He’s good-looking.”

For some reason, a murmur came from outside.

Vicarun’s face was a cheat.

“You little—”

But it seemed to have struck a nerve with Karan.

In an instant, he reached out to grab my collar.

Naturally, I had no intention of letting him and dodged smoothly.

“Tsk.”

Karan didn’t stop there and lunged at me.

But I had trained through countless evasions in the past.

I’d even dodged attacks from the so-called “Lazy Genius” of Class B.

Karan, who had only become a tutor thanks to his family’s backing, couldn’t keep up with me.

It was unfortunate, but those with truly dazzling talent didn’t remain as tutors—they had already spread their wings and flown higher.

Staying as a tutor for long was proof of lacking ability.

“Your body’s gotten sluggish from being a tutor for too long. See, it’s not just about the face.”

“Damn it!”

The tutor’s office was now in disarray.

Papers flew everywhere, and chairs toppled over.

The tutors backed away, unsure what to do.

Amid the chaos, I stared at Karan with utter ease.

Meanwhile, Karan was panting heavily.

“You—you bastard.”

Then, red sparks crackled around Karan.

Red lightning magic.

The signature lightning magic of House Sirel.

Karan was a battle mage.

A mage who could wield both physical combat and magic.

“I won’t hold back now. You provoked me first.”

Unfortunately for him, he was a goldfish.

Karan lunged, wreathed in red lightning.

His speed was incomparably faster than before.

His fist, crackling with red lightning, shot toward my face.

If it landed, my face would be crushed.

That was likely Karan’s intention.

So I decided to play along.

I leaned forward, meeting his fist with my forehead.

The moment Karan’s eyes widened in shock—

CRACK! ZZZZZZT!

The lightning magic in Karan’s grasp exploded outward.

The tutors screamed, rolling on the floor.

But there was one more person rolling alongside them.

“AAAAAAAGH!”

Karan clutched his wrist, writhing on the ground.

His hand hung limply, as if the bones had shattered.

Watching him, I lightly rubbed my forehead.

My body was reinforced with Steel Flesh.

Moreover, after pushing my body to its limits with the Heavenly Dragon Transformation, its durability had increased even further.

Now, my body wouldn’t even be pierced without considerable force.

Karan’s right fist never stood a chance.

His red lightning magic coursed over my body.

Sorry, but using lightning against me is the dumbest thing you could do.

The red lightning was absorbed into Thunder Summoner and vanished.

Thunder Summoner even crackled happily before settling down.

Meanwhile, Karan’s fist was shattered, while I remained unharmed.

Now fully inhuman, I stepped toward Karan.

“Oops, my bad.”

“GAAAAAAH!”

I “accidentally” stepped on his broken right hand.

It’d heal quickly with holy magic anyway, so breaking it further didn’t matter.

‘Come to think of it…’

Lately, I’d been feeling increasingly distant from mercy and restraint.

Was this also the influence of the Bandages of the Veil?

Still stepping on Karan’s hand, I turned to another tutor.

“You’re from the Holy Studies department, right?”

“Ah, y-yes.”

She flinched at my cheerful tone.

“Can you fix this even if it’s more broken?”

“Huh? N-no. If it’s more, more than this, I can’t—”

“I see.”

I lifted my foot from Karan’s hand.

Karan trembled violently, cradling his wrist.

The pain must have been worse than he expected.

“Quit exaggerating.”

You’d have to lose an arm to know real pain.

At my sincere remark, the tutors stared at me blankly.

Their gazes were clearly looking at an abnormal being.

“Tutor Karan.”

I called out to Karan, who was still clutching his arm.

He looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.

“Let’s work together to make Jerion Academy even greater from now on.”

With that, I extended my right hand for a handshake.

Karan stared at me with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“What’s wrong? Not going to shake it?”

When I pressed further, Karan hesitantly reached out with his right hand.

His trembling hand met mine.

I shook his broken right hand firmly, then patted his shoulder.

“Good.”

Karan’s face turned deathly pale.

It looked like my tutor life was going to be fun.