WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Professor

Translator: Touch

Editor: Grass

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 36: Who’s Better at Illusion Arts? (1)

When I didn’t have classes or other obligations, I usually exercised on machines or lifted weights in the training room. Sometimes, I even bouldered up the cliff wall behind the faculty building.

< [Stamina] +0.1 >

< Overall Combat Power: 132,659 → 132,661 (▲2) >

Today, I went out for a long-distance run for the first time in a while. Although I could do every other type of training at home or in the faculty building, for running, I had to borrow the cadets' track. It had a special [Growth] effect on users.

【 Moon Shadow Division, First-Year, Forte: Professor Dante… 】

Forte was running beside me when I inevitably fell behind first. Unsurprisingly.

My stamina was around the level of an athlete in real life, so I couldn’t keep up with these in-game monsters for long.

But that was fine. I had a reputation to fall back on.

【 Moon Shadow Division, First-Year, Forte: So even that monster can get tired... Just how heavy are the weights he’s wearing? 】

People around me would always misunderstand my actions and fill in the blanks themselves.

But something felt off today.

…What are they up to?

About twenty cadets were grouped up in the distance, whispering among themselves while staring at me. I carefully browsed my textbox and finally understood what was going on.

I spotted some keywords like “yesterday,” “forest to the west,” “pillar of light,” “rumor,” and “killed an intruder on school grounds.”

Those brats… Didn’t they say they’d keep it a secret?

In fact, Dominic had rambled on about how tight his lips were.

“Professor!”

Right on cue, as I was finishing up my exercise, Adele came running up to me. Apparently, word had spread throughout the entire Assassin Department that I had killed a Master-rated intruder.

“Is it true?! No wonder you came back so late yesterday!”

Adele looked like she was about to faint.

Since rumors had already started spreading, the academy must’ve decided it was better to blame an “intruder” than admit that a professor had turned out to be some kind of monster.

“It’s nothing worth fussing over.”

“That’s not true! You know how cautious Zone 0 is regarding intruders…!”

The Assassin Department was notoriously closed off. And while the isolation frustrated the inhabitants, it also made them hypersensitive about keeping “their space” safe against outsiders.

The Four Great Academies—which included Hiaka—frequently sent spies to one another’s Assassin Departments to steal information or treasures. Thus, intruders were regarded as hostile by everyone in Zone 0.

“What exactly happened yesterday?”

Adele asked, and I gave a short answer. But Forte, who was eavesdropping nearby, freaked out and chimed in.

“…Wait, Dominic and Hwaru were there too? Professor, I’m friends with those two, but they are notorious blabbermouths. You could park a truck in their giant gaping holes for mouths.”

So that’s how the news spread…

Thus, I was bombarded with attention wherever I went for the rest of the day.

“How strong are you exactly, Professor?”

“So the pillar of light to the west yesterday was you?”

Cadets and professors—anyone I ran into—asked all kinds of questions like:

“Who was the intruder?”

“How did you kill them?”

“You can use light magic, too?”

But I didn’t answer any of them.

“…It is a departmental secret. I am not authorized to discuss it.”

I simply said what I was allowed to. But that ended up being a mistake as well.

【 White Path Professor, Eugene: A departmental secret… So it must be true that the intruder was an assassin from outside. 】

【 Assassin Department, Fourth-Year, Aubrey: Since it’s Professor Dante we’re talking about… it must’ve been an assassin sent by an enemy nation! 】

The professors at least kept their assumptions grounded.

The cadets, though, came up with the wildest fantasies.

Yet I had no choice but to act like I knew nothing.

And needless to say, this kind of pointless fame only led to more problems.

Adele came snickering and spoke.

“Professor, check this out.”

It was a post on Assassin Town, the Assassin Department’s community forum.

——

< I finally get why everyone’s obsessed with Professor Dante >

Y’all know how professors are these days.

They’re all talk but no bite. Sure, they say stuff like “I’m an assassin,” “I’m a killer,” or whatnot. But in reality, they’re scared of getting attacked by cadets and hide away in their labs just to mooch off research funds.

But Dante? He’s a different breed.

Takes down cadet assassins.

Stops fights in the academy.

Busts proxy assassinations.

Kills a Master-rated assassin.

Kills an intruder.

And he tries to hide all of his achievements.

“450 upvotes. That’s a lot, you know?”

Unbelievable.

I was at a loss for words.

Why were they saying stuff like that? How embarrassing…

How was I supposed to look my fellow professors in the eye after this?

“Would you like to see the other ones too?”

“No.”

“Oh, come on. Have a look.”

Adele shoved the next post in my face.

< Wow, that other post wasn’t exaggerating LOL >

Cadet assassinations: Doesn’t retaliate.

Academy fights: Intervenes when other neutral profs don’t. Doesn’t explain how he resolved it.

Proxy assassinations: Doesn’t punish the kids who tried to kill him, saying they were victims of J**quin.

H*kon’s assassination: Kills him but acts like he didn’t.

Intruder assassination: Could raise his faculty evaluation score by revealing the truth, but refuses to.

What on earth is up with Professor Dante? He’s on another level LMAO

My God. How did I end up with this reputation?

“375 upvotes on this one.”

Everything was wildly misrepresented.

I didn’t retaliate against cadets because I couldn’t.

I didn’t punish the proxy assassins because I had no authority.

And Hakon… I couldn’t be bothered to explain myself anymore.

At this point, life might be easier if I just brainwashed myself into thinking I had killed him.

Hakon was a weakling.

…That’s what I needed to tell myself from now on.

Still, this kind of notoriety was dangerous.

Because more assassins would be incited to start targeting me.

[Are we allowed to audit Professor Dante’s lectures for the semester?]

Imma try going to his next lecture lol

ㄴ Wait, what? Can 2nd-years go too?

ㄴ No way lol. Hiaka has a strict year-based system for its classes

ㄴ Fuck, I’m so mad now

ㄴ I’m still a 1st-year, so I can go! Jackpot!

ㄴ (龍) Thx ♥

Wait, my course was open for auditing? I had no idea. No one had told me.

…I didn’t even create the course.

It was already registered and prepared when I first woke up in the game.

But then, something else caught my eye—the (龍) symbol on the forum.

“What’s that symbol for?” I asked.

“Assassin Town is anonymous, but (龍) means they’re a Black Dragon cadet,” Adele explained. “Looks like one of them is coming to audit your lecture.”

What a predicament.

I couldn’t tell which of them would want to attend my classes. My situation could get significantly worse depending on which Black Dragon cadet it was.

“Professor, time for your next class~”

I left my office and headed for the lecture room. The hallway outside was in chaos.

“Oh? It’s Professor Dante.”

“Whoa. He’s here…!”

Nearly a hundred cadets were crammed into the corridor. I had to shoulder my way through the crowd just to reach the entrance.

“...Auditors are allowed,” I announced, “but anyone disrupting the class will be removed immediately.”

I was hoping someone would make a scene so I could kick them all out. But the auditors sat in complete silence, listening intently as I began my lecture on Illusion Arts.

Thankfully, there were no assassination attempts. That was the only upside.

As I spoke from the podium, I scanned the room. My eyes landed on Elize, who beamed and waved the moment she caught my eye.

But then I noticed the cadet sitting next to her and figured out which Black Dragon cadet had posted the “Thx ♥” reply.

● Black Dragon Division, First-Year, Gray

It was Gray—the one who had witnessed the night I killed Toxin.

【 Black Dragon Division, First-Year, Gray: Let’s see just how good you really are at teaching… 】

Her presence made it feel like she might try to kill me. But I had no choice. I gritted my teeth and continued the lecture as usual.

“Whoa, he turned the room into space using Illusion Arts! I didn’t even know that was possible.”

“The zero gravity felt so real too… Man, these guys are lucky. They get to attend his lectures all the time.”

By the end of class, the cadets were whispering to one another, awestruck.

But Gray wore an unreadable expression.

【 Black Dragon Division, First-Year, Gray: …… 】

That evening, Adele came storming in, waving her crystal watch excitedly.

“Professor~ Have a look at this!”

Posts praising my class were flooding the forum.

…How troublesome.

I was stuck in a vicious cycle where the more I did, the more attention I drew.

* * *

But that wasn’t the end of the chaos.

Whenever there was buzz, a certain breed of leeches always showed up to cause more trouble:

Reporters from The Assassin Times:

As I pushed through the crowd after another lecture, a man in an administration staff uniform stepped in front of me and bowed.

“Nice to meet you, Professor. I am Tracy from The Assassin Times.”

The Assassin Times was a continental news agency that published articles for the assassin community first, then released them to the general public a month later.

“…What business does a journalist have with me?” I asked.

“Oh, just a quick interview. You’ve been making waves in the department lately. I was hoping you could spare a few minutes to answer some questions.”

Assassins and journalists—two professions that couldn’t be more contradictory. Assassins were all about concealment, while journalists thrived on exposure.

But The Assassin Times got away with it because of its particular style. 

They didn’t care about truth, ethics, or the public’s right to know.

All they cared about was entertainment.

Sensationalism. Gossip. Clickbait. Drama. Selling rumors dressed up as headlines. Picking soft targets. Stirring the pot.

That’s how the agency stayed in business. Half their articles were practically fiction.

“I decline.”

“Ah, please wait... P-Professor!”

I turned away. It was best not to engage with lunatics like him.

To my dismay, the reporter followed me relentlessly, peppering me with questions.

“Can you tell us something about the intruder?”

“...”

“May I ask why you’re declining the interview?”

“…”

“Is it because of the intruders? Will they target you again if you talk?”

“Or is it because the rumor about killing an intruder is false? Or maybe the intruder wasn’t even a threat, and the story’s been blown out of proportion? Some faculty think the department is spreading false rumors to build you up as a star. Any comments?”

I ignored every question, but the questions poured in endlessly.

“I see. So that’s how it is, huh?”

“You ignore me while I investigate the truth with everything I’ve got, trying to inform the public...”

“There are plenty like you these days. Journalists like me suffer in silence under the cold disdain of people like you...”

The interview seemed to be fizzling out.

Then the reporter’s demeanor suddenly shifted. He smiled maliciously as I continued walking.

“That’s fine. I, Tracy Forbetime, assistant manager at The Assassin Times, have six years of experience in the field, am an eleven-time winner of ‘Journalist of the Month,’ a nominee for the Pulichev Prize, and was voted 7th place out of 488 by our subscribers in the ‘Best Journalist of the Year’ poll. I am destined to become the greatest journalist in the world… This moment of scorn and hardship means nothing to me.”

What the hell is this lunatic muttering about?

“…I’ll show you.”

Show me what?

What was up with this guy?

Kaiser was brooding alone in the corner of a classroom when he overheard a few cadets talking.

“Professor Dante got interviewed by The Assassin Times.”

“Yo, really?”

Intrigued, Kaiser subscribed to the paper and opened the latest edition the moment class ended.

Then, he nearly had a heart attack.

– (Update) Professor Dante experiences a partial loss of speech following an intruder ambush.

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