WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Professor

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 3: The New Professor (2)

Forte froze in place.

He hadn’t even started his close-range assassination yet.

On top of that, there was no way the professor could have known there was a knife in his pocket.

So how did he figure it out?

That can’t be.

No, he must have guessed correctly by chance.

Slowly raising his head, Forte’s gaze met the professor’s. Beneath that curly black hair, pink eyes bore down on him—sharp, unreadable.

Eyes that felt like they could see right through him.

It had to be his imagination. He was just shaken because his assassination attempt had failed.

“I’m a professor, so I’m well aware of the school rules and the consequences you might have to face.”

Forte froze, staring at the professor silently. 

“But before I go on about some silly rules, isn’t there something you need to say to me first?”

Forte bit his lip.

This professor... his presence was different. Unlike any other he’d met before. 

“I apologize once again for my rash attempt at assassination.”

“Wrong answer.”

“Pardon...?”

“You still don’t understand what I’m saying.”

Grinding his teeth, Forte tried to stare the professor down.

But it felt as if an invisible weight was pressing down on him.

“You should apologize for lying.”

Forte clenched his jaw. 

He’s saying I lied? How in the world did he know that?

As Forte pondered on what to say, he realized his mistake. He had accidentally paused for too long, unintentionally revealing his thought process.

“...We are meeting for the first time.”

The professor’s cold gaze narrowed.

“And you’re already thinking of telling your second lie.”

Forte’s eyes widened.

* * *

The Assassin Department was isolated.

That was why its cadets always felt stifled.

Their present was filled with rigid discipline and repetitive training.

And their future? A lifetime spent in the shadows, never seeing the light. That suffocating fate weighed heavily on them.

So whenever something interesting happened, they latched onto it wholeheartedly.

First-year assassin cadets Hwaru and Dominic were no exception. They silently watched the scene unfold.

Hwaru narrowed her eyes.

Forte, who had been tense and defiant just moments ago, suddenly looked… hesitant. Sheepish.

The new professor’s expression remained perfectly calm, brimming with composure. And yet, something was terrifying about it.

It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

I wish he’d glance this way for a second…

As if on cue, the professor’s gaze flicked toward her.

“Oh?”

It was only for a moment. 

Hwaru blinked rapidly, her heart pounding. He had that air of a true assassin, the kind she had imagined in childhood.

“Looks like they’re talking…”

“Yeah.”

“Dominic, can you hear what the new professor’s saying…?”

“Hmm.”

Dominic adjusted his glasses. Among the cadets, he was known for his especially keen hearing.

“He’s telling Forte, ‘You didn’t forget the rules. You knew them and still pulled the trigger.’”

“Oh. Well, he’s not wrong…”

“He’s calling out Forte’s attitude, asking why he made such a sloppy attempt.”

“Huh? Even though Forte’s a genius at sniping…?”

“Also… He’s not criticizing his skill. He’s criticizing his attitude. He says the way Forte tried to run in with that knife was clumsy. His stance, expression, and even how he walked were all too stiff. He says he’s seen plenty of people like Forte who can’t keep their cool and that half of them ended up as corpses.”

“Whoa, that’s scary…”

“Still, unlike the other professors, he didn’t retaliate.”

“Oh? You’re right.”

No wonder something felt off.

Normally, a professor would retaliate to instill fear in the cadets and to prevent another assassination attempt. 

But this professor?

He was just verbally disciplining Forte. 

He must have incredible confidence in himself.

“Dominic, didn’t Assistant Adele say she didn’t know anything about this professor’s background?”

“She did.”

It was the first time Adele had no clue about a professor’s identity.

Back then, the cadets’ reactions generally fell into two groups:

Either they thought the school was recruiting random nobodies because no one else was left to hire...

Or they believed the department dean had prepared thoroughly this time, bringing in an unknown assassin as the new professor.

It might be the latter…

Dominic narrowed his eyes.

Some assassins preferred to step into the light these days, but that was a relatively new phenomenon.

Everyone knew that in the old ways of the underworld, the more secretive an assassin’s identity, the more dangerous they were considered.

Hwaru beamed, revealing her rabbit-like front teeth.

“This is awesome. Good thing I registered for his class!”

Dominic pushed up his glasses and nodded. “I’d have to agree.”

By then, the new professor’s verbal discipline had ended.

Forte was only released after his gun and jackknife had been confiscated and he’d received his penalty point.

Maybe that's why his expression seemed so grim when he came back.

“You idiot. That’s why we told you not to do it,” Hwaru chided.

“Forte, my friend. That was not on you. Your sniping was flawless. The professor was simply much stronger than we anticipated.”

“…Just shut up, Dominic.”

Forte’s lips twisted in frustration.

His own weakness, the scolding professor, friends trying to console him—it was all so painfully humiliating.

“You guys… do me one favor.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t tell anyone else about what happened today.”

“Why not?”

“Why do you think? Dammit! Because it’s embarrassing!”

With solemn faces, Hwaru and Dominic nodded.

“Sure, you can trust me!”

“Forte, my belt isn't the only tight thing on my portly body. My lips are equally tight, so there is no need to worry, my friend.”

Forte sighed. At least he trusted his friends.

⋮

Moments later…

"Hey, guys, something crazy happened today. Oh, right, Forte told me not to say anything… Hm? I really shouldn’t say, but oh well. Forte went up against the new professor and—"

“Listen carefully, everyone. You should all steel yourselves this time around. The new professor is quite something. Curious, huh? Hm, keep this between us, but…”

Needless to say, when Forte walked into the lecture hall, everyone’s gaze bore into him.

After scanning the room briefly, he noticed a girl whistling awkwardly and a chubby guy adjusting his glasses.

Forte closed his eyes for a moment.

“…Oh, fuck me.”

He could guess what had happened.

One hour before class, I was holed up in my office.

After babbling random nonsense at the cadet who had tried to kill me, confiscating his weapons, and disciplining him, I finally reached a safer location.

But even here, my heart wouldn’t stop pounding even in the office.

Damn it…

I had survived purely by luck.

I hadn’t done anything yet. I hadn’t even taught my first class. That was just the commute on my very first day, and it was already that dangerous.

Why in the world did I get dragged into this game world?

Of all things, it had to be this freaking assassin game. Worse still, I was stuck in godforsaken Hell Mode.

It was a relief to be alive, but I needed a plan to stay this way.

What could I do? Was there a way to leave this world? 

“Log out,” I muttered.

Nothing popped up. 

Was I stuck here, forced to keep living like this forever?

Let’s change mindsets. I don’t have much time before class starts.

I reminded myself of the “tools” now at my disposal.

First, there was the growth system.

I could earn growth currency by performing my duties as a professor—teaching classes, giving exams, and building relationships with cadets. 

And unlike playing as a cadet, I can also grow through doing research and writing papers.

I needed to explore all these options in detail later.

Meanwhile, in my vision,  I saw a setting option labeled:

< ⧉Tip Feature – ON / OFF (Warning: May provide unnecessary information.) >

Even if some information was unnecessary, I would prefer to have it rather than not. So, I turned it on.

< ⧉Tip feature is now activated. >

Right away, something else appeared in my vision.

⧉ Tip: Confiscated items lose their original ownership and can be stored in your inventory.

I checked the two items I’d taken from the student.

＊ Jackknife [Common] │ Confiscated

＊ Lever Action Rifle MT-15 [Magic] │ Confiscated

I was only just starting out, yet I already had to deal with Magic-grade weapons…

Such weapons weren’t supposed to show up this early in the game.

…That’s Hell Mode for you.

Still, I now had my hands on a good firearm.

Even if its base stats were a bit low, it had a special option: Automatic Close-Range Targeting.

As long as a target was within 10 meters, the gun could track and fire on its own at my command. 

That was quite good.

More importantly, it would sell well.

I may be a professor, but I had zero hika to my name.

This rifle was now mine, and I could do whatever I wanted with it.

The market price for this weapon had to be at least 70,000 hika, which meant about 7 million won or roughly $7,000 back in my world’s terms.

Gee, I wonder who the game wants to kill so badly that it would unleash a weapon like this…

I now understood why the statue had been obliterated earlier instead of merely pierced.

＊ Wind Jackknife has been stored in the inventory.

＊ Lever Action Rifle MT-15 has been stored in the inventory.

The inventory’s space was surprisingly large. Anything I stored disappeared right from my hand and reappeared instantly when retrieved. 

Quite convenient.

Wait, I shouldn’t be sitting here wasting time on this.

Turning back to my lecture materials, I reviewed everything for my upcoming class. I was deep in concentration, poring over the content, when—

Knock, knock.

I nearly jumped. 

Someone was at the office door.

Peeking at the mini-map, I saw a single person. But nothing was showing up in the text box.

I prepared to draw my gun as I spoke.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Adele, Professor,” came a voice from behind the door. 

“Come in.”

The ever-smiling teaching assistant stepped inside.

“How are you feeling on your first day, Professor?”

“Nothing special so far.”

“I was worried you had gotten assassinated already. I look forward to working with you.”

“…Likewise. By the way, how many professors have you assisted so far?”

“You are my first.”

“That’s surprising. I assumed you’d been through a few.”

Hadn’t she mentioned other professors in her mind earlier today?

Adele offered a wry smile.

“Well, I was originally an administrative assistant. Unfortunately, the previous teaching assistant got caught in the same explosion that killed Professor Rucandel. So I had no choice but to take over.”

“That’s truly regrettable.”

“It really is. The TA was so nice, too.”

“…I see. Well, I will start preparing for class.”

Once Adele left the office, I returned to studying my lesson plan.

By the time I finished reviewing it, she returned with perfect timing.

“Professor, it’s time for your class.”

I sat there silently for a moment.

The time had finally come.

I really didn’t want to go, but I had no choice.

Still, it wasn’t all doom and gloom.

The thing I had been waiting for finally arrived—a quest.

┃ Main Quest [First Day on the Job]

┃ Reward: Star Shards ×1,000 (Special DLC Purchase Bonus)

Star shards were a universal growth currency. They could improve anything from basic stats to abilities.

And considering how the game gifted me 1,000 shards right off the bat, maybe it wasn’t completely merciless even in Hell Mode. At least it wasn’t actively praying for my death.

Regardless, this was huge. Seriously huge.

Even if I survived today through sheer luck, I was sure I’d die in the upcoming days. But now…!

With 1,000 star shards, I actually had a chance…!

Assuming I made it past today. And that wasn’t going to be easy.

I paused as we reached the end of the hallway outside the lecture hall.

“What’s the matter, Professor?” Adele asked.

I said nothing.

On the minimap, a cluster of bright red dots hovered just beyond the door—almost ten students, all hostile. 

Glancing up, I spotted a chalkboard eraser perched above the door frame. At first glance, it looked like a silly prank.

＊ Guillotine Trap [High-grade]

…If it weren’t for the name revealing its true nature as a magical trap. 

It was meant to trick me into letting my guard down.

“Professor?” Adele pressed as I stood frozen.

Haa...

After a moment’s hesitation, I stepped forward.

For the next fifty minutes, any attempts on my life were fully legal.

Join our Discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/wetried