The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 26

As the bell rang, the second session began.

Han Siha calmly gripped a slightly blunt knife. Since the bone fragments Solia had shattered were scattered all over the place, he needed to proceed carefully to minimize damage.

The Hellhound’s core was located inside its heart, so extracting the heart was the first priority.

“Let’s see…”

Solia swallowed nervously, focusing on Han Siha’s hand movements. She had been thoroughly frustrated in the previous session, especially with Han Siha constantly giving advice. It was infuriating. If he truly had a talent for dismantling cores, she might accept it, but if not…

‘I won’t let it slide.’

No doubt, he was just all talk. She decided to provoke him with a challenging tone, masking it as subtle defiance.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t do it like that.”

“I haven’t even started yet.”

“…”

Now it was beginning. Han Siha started by scraping off the fat on the surface with the blunt knife. In no time, the inside of the Hellhound, cluttered with ribs and muscles, began to be magically organized.

“Huh?”

Solia was greatly surprised. Everywhere Han Siha’s hands touched, the shape of the heart began to emerge.

He’s… better than I thought. No, much better.

What’s going on? How does he know how to do this?

His speed was too fast for someone who was supposedly doing this for the first time.

Now she understood why he had been so frustrated with her earlier.

Unlike the previous session where he only talked, Han Siha kept his mouth shut this time, focusing intently on the task.

Solia stopped provoking him and just watched his skillful hands in awe, still somewhat dazed.

“Phew…”

In that short time, he had nearly cleared the upper part. After a while, Han Siha looked up and asked Solia with a grin.

“How is it?”

“You’re… definitely good at this….”

Solia had no choice but to admit it. She mumbled quietly, her lips slightly pouting.

“You’re good.”

Why is he so good?

Knowing he’s handsome is one thing, but knowing he’s good at something too… It’s really annoying. It’s annoying, but he’s so good that she couldn’t even criticize him.

Solia bit her lips, watching Han Siha closely.

“Told you.”

Han Siha stretched, smiling as if he knew this was coming. It would have been better if he had just stopped there, but he suddenly said something completely unexpected.

“Oh, right.”

“Hmm?”

“Didn’t the professor say to try to preserve the magic circuits around the core as much as possible?”

What? Solia frowned again, practical thoughts coming to the forefront.

“That’s impossible.”

No one is that careful when dismantling a core. Even if it causes some damage, they usually just pour magic into it to resolve the issue. Of course, as students, our situation is a bit different. From an academic perspective, observing the magic circuits would be helpful, as Han Siha suggested. But that’s purely theoretical.

No, even if we try to be careful…

“How can you do that in 15 minutes?”

Solia shook her head, furrowing her brows. Clearly, he was just full of talk and bravado.

He had great dexterity, but it was obvious this was his first time dismantling a core.

He was probably saying something so absurd because he had never even seen it done before.

A task that couldn’t possibly be done in 15 minutes. A reckless suggestion, one that he was willing to take on without hesitation.

‘It’s impossible.’

Though she wanted to let him dig his own grave, they were a team. Solia, feeling frustrated, urged Han Siha.

“Just do what you’re supposed to! You’re doing well enough as it is!”

If the Hellhound’s core was in its heart, the magic flowed through its veins. So, to examine the Hellhound’s magic circuits, they had to preserve all the veins around the heart. Han Siha smirked as he looked up at Solia.

“Hey, trust me a bit. I’ll show you.”

* * *

I glanced at the clock. Ten minutes remained.

Thanks to the work Solia had done earlier, and the additional opportunity in the next turn, time wasn’t an issue. Solia, standing beside me, seemed extremely worried, though.

“Han Siha, I don’t think this is going to work.”

She had been nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other since a while ago. Instead of replying, I smiled and picked up the scissors.

Saving the magic circuits required a more delicate approach. That’s when this comes in handy. You just have to think of it as peeling back layers, one by one.

The veins are often attached right behind the muscles or, in many cases, connected directly to the heart, so if you make a mistake with the knife, you could easily sever them.

I had tried loosening up a bit earlier, and it seemed that my skills from the other world were somewhat applicable here too.

It’s not that different, after all.

I rolled up my sleeves and persistently dug beneath the muscles.

“Solia, want to take a look at this?”

I had a bit of leeway. Smiling, I called out to Solia.

“Can you see it here? The circuit.”

Since the Hellhound had only recently died, faint traces of blue magic remained in its veins.

At my serious explanation, Solia reluctantly nodded her head, as if she couldn’t help but agree. From what I observed earlier, although she lacked some experience, she definitely had a good sense for things.

A few words of advice now might help her in the future. After all, if my actions are going to have a butterfly effect, I’d prefer it to be a positive one.

A year from now, it will become popular to design magic circles based on the magic circuits of monsters. People will begin researching unique spells tailored to the characteristics of each monster through these circuits. Those who have already mastered this skill will reap substantial benefits.

So, it’s good to know this. Pay attention, got it?

“It’ll split into two paths here. You’re listening, right, Solia?”

“Yes.”

As a model student, Solia had likely memorized the magic circuits long ago. Her eyes sparkled as if she understood what I was saying.

“Then just find them as you know. As carefully as possible.”

It’s okay if it takes a little longer. Slowly, but accurately. My hands, seasoned with experience, picked up speed as I worked through the process.

Before I knew it, I had successfully isolated all the veins around the heart.

Alright. Now, I just need to remove it carefully…

“Success.”

I had explained things just in case Solia’s turn came next, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

“You can dismantle the core yourself now.”

I carefully placed the heart on the table with a grin, and Solia’s eyes widened.

“Did you… already finish it?”

“I told you to trust me.”

“But still, you… did all this by yourself?”

Solia stood there, unable to close her mouth, her expression filled with shock. Seeing that look made me feel even more proud.

Ah, as expected, Han Siha. You’re still not past your prime.

I looked down at the neatly separated result, smiling with satisfaction.

That’s when it happened.

Swoosh.

Someone placed a hand on my shoulder.

Are you that moved? I thought to myself. Even though she tries to hide it, Solia is still as simple as I remember.

I lifted my head with a smirk.

“You don’t have to pat me on the back or anything.”

But something felt off about that touch. Just as my body began to tense up, a lazy voice whispered in my ear.

“Did the student do all this?”

“What?”

Holy—! I nearly jumped out of my skin.

“Hahaha.”

Professor Ernst was looking down at me, laughing contentedly.

“Did you even restore the magic circuits?”

I almost frowned but managed to hold myself together. Seriously, who wouldn’t be startled with someone suddenly standing behind them, and it turns out to be a professor? I thought it was a scene straight out of a horror movie.

I reflexively put on a polite smile and nodded.

“Yes, Professor.”

“Very neat work.”

Professor Ernst stroked his chin, chuckling heartily. His face was clearly satisfied. This wasn’t the kind of result you’d expect from second-year students who were only fifteen.

“Ahh! What do we do?! The heart’s been punctured!”

Just hearing the chaos from the others gave it away. They must have tried to force it open with magic and ended up like that.

Professor Ernst frowned at the commotion.

“Why are those kids making such a mess?”

“Indeed, Professor. Humans should use tools, after all…”

Oh. I made eye contact with Solia.

She was the one working so hard to smash things apart earlier.

I gave her an awkward smile and a thumbs-up.

“Of course, as long as you have a good sense for it, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

Professor Ernst clicked his tongue at the other groups’ mess, then turned his attention back to me.

“How did you manage to do this so quickly? Have you dismantled cores many times before?”

Judging by his words, it seemed he had been observing our group closely from start to finish. He probably wouldn’t believe me if I said I’d never done it before, so I came up with a plausible excuse.

“I’ve watched it a few times, but this was my first time actually doing it.”

“I thought so.”

Professor Ernst nodded enthusiastically and patted my shoulder once more.

“But how are you so good at it?”

“All thanks to your teaching, Professor.”

“Haha, nonsense.”

“No, really, Professor.”

With his hands behind his back, Professor Ernst began speaking again.

“I’ve been watching your practice closely today, and I found it quite impressive.”

“Thank you.”

“And there’s something I’d like to suggest…”

The ever-present smile on Professor Ernst’s face made it hard to read his emotions, but his next words added a chilling effect.

“Would you be interested in conducting research in my lab?”

A cold shiver ran up my spine from my toes. I was just hoping to earn some extra credit, not get hit with this terrifying proposal.

“Pardon?”

This is bad.

This could mean… grad school.

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