Yi Han kept his emotions hidden.
Dealing with crazy professors wasn’t something new to him, so he wasn’t going to act like a rookie.
"It seems like if you have passion and love for alchemy, you can get good grades in this class," he said, though internally he thought, I’m never taking this class again after this.
"Ah, so you think so too?" Professor Thunderstep wiped his nose with a satisfied expression.
"Then listen up."
"But I haven’t attended other classes yet..."
"Ah, forget it. Just listen. No other class is going to be better than this one."
"No, I should at least try other classes..."
"No! You have to take this one!"
Yi Han was starting to feel like he’d made a mistake.
The other students around him were looking at him with envy.
-As expected of the Wodanaz family...
-Such incredible talent...
This is just making me more annoyed.
Professor Thunderstep glanced around and said, "Let’s end today’s lecture here. Unfortunately, the group that went elsewhere didn’t get to meet the boar."
"......"
"Professor... did you deliberately make us encounter the boar?" one of the students asked in a shocked voice.
It wasn’t just a boar—it was practically a monster.
If they were unlucky, they could’ve ended up with broken bones, ruptured organs, or even dead.
Thunderstep replied as if it were obvious.
"Did you think I’d just send you out to gather herbs? Of course, you need to face the situations you might encounter while doing so."
"Th-that’s..."
"Exactly. Hey, do you think the professor would’ve sent us out without any preparation? He was probably following us the whole time."
"Ah..."
When one student said that, everyone else nodded in agreement.
It made sense...
"Nope. Why would I follow you?" The dwarf professor looked at them as if they were saying something ridiculous.
"I came here because the boar collapsed."
"But... what if something serious had happened?!"
"Then it just means you don’t have the talent for alchemy."
"......"
"......"
Yi Han could almost hear the collective thoughts of the students around him.
This damn...!
"Whether you catch it, dodge it, run away, or hide, dealing with unexpected situations is the talent of an alchemist. Got it, you blockheads?"
"Yes!"
"Um... what about the Poisonous Herb? Do we not need that?" Yonell cautiously raised his hand and asked.
Thunderstep looked surprised.
"You found the Poisonous Herb?"
"Yes."
"Well, I’ll be. I didn’t think you’d actually find it. You pass too! Come here. You’re definitely taking this class."
"......"
Yonell was dragged over in a daze.
"Um, I didn’t find it alone. Nilia helped too."
"Really? You pass too! Come here!"
This time, Thunderstep pulled Nilia over.
Nilia looked unsure whether to be happy or not.
"And here’s Wodanaz..."
"You really have to take this class!"
"......"
Yi Han was half-resigned at this point.
Escaping was impossible now.
I’m screwed.
Even if he didn’t attend the class, being marked by the professor wouldn’t do him any good.
If he didn’t take it now, this dwarf professor might even track him down to other classrooms.
"... I’ll do my best to attend. Alchemy has always been my dream!"
"You brat...!"
Thunderstep grinned, having read Yi Han’s change in attitude.
Among the freshmen present, Yi Han was the most mentally mature.
Even though he clearly didn’t want to take the alchemy class, once he realized he couldn’t avoid it, he quickly accepted it and changed his attitude.
Nobles from prestigious families usually couldn’t hide their true feelings well.
They’d never had to suppress their emotions before, so they weren’t used to holding back like this.
In that regard, Yi Han was truly interesting.
"Don’t be too disappointed. There’s a privilege in taking the alchemy class."
Thunderstep decided to console Yi Han.
It was a tough world to find good disciples.
Just as students evaluated professors, professors also evaluated students.
If they found a student they liked, they had to hold onto them tightly, like Thunderstep was doing now.
But forcing them too much could backfire and make them run away.
The best approach was to offer a carrot.
"What kind of privilege?"
"I have a cabin near the forest. Normally, no one is allowed to approach it, but since you caught the boar and found the Poisonous Herb, I’ll let you access it freely for this semester."
"......??"
Yi Han was confused.
A privilege to visit the professor’s cabin?
Is this a privilege to clean, sort trash, or do slave labor?
"Ah, I didn’t explain enough."
Seeing Yi Han’s expression, Thunderstep realized what he was thinking and quickly added, "Do you know what the blockheads want most?"
"An easy class to get good grades?"
"... Are you really from the Wodanaz family? That’s not bad, but the correct answer is food. Right now, everyone’s just looking a bit pale, but in another week, they’ll be trying to eat each other."
"......"
Thunderstep’s words were convincing.
Over 80% of the students here were used to eating well and living comfortably.
If they were given only hard black bread and cold rice balls, of course, they’d suffer.
"But in my cabin, there’s meat and fish caught from the forest, as well as spices and vegetables from a secret place I know. Do you understand what that means?"
"...!"
Yi Han finally realized.
It was like a buffet pass!
"Professor!"
"You brat. You’re growing on me."
The two exchanged a firm handshake, sealing their newfound friendship.
After the class ended, while the other students moved on to their next lectures (some muttering, "I’m never taking this class again"), Yi Han stayed behind.
Yonell and Nilia asked, "Aren’t you coming?"
"I’m going to butcher the boar."
"......"
"......"
"Impressive!"
Thunderstep was the only one who praised him.
Among the freshmen, this was the first time he’d seen someone adapt so quickly.
"Professor, is this meat edible?"
"It’s just aggressive. There’s no problem eating it."
"I see. Could you lend me some equipment to butcher and smoke it?"
"You brat. Are you starting to like alchemy already?"
"Yes. I really love alchemy."
Having adapted to reality, Yi Han decided to embrace alchemy.
If the professor’s words are true, then waiting around isn’t an option.
Thinking about it, there were hints.
From the moment they enrolled, the headmaster had said, "The answer lies within this school, so find it," to the rule of not providing anything and prohibiting outings.
The freshmen had to find their own food and survive!
What kind of school is this...? But honestly, it’s not that surprising anymore.
In a school where people could die without anyone noticing, having to find your own food wasn’t that shocking.
Yi Han carried the boar to the stream.
It was better to bleed and gut it near water.
"I’ll help."
Yonell rolled up his sleeves and approached.
"Are you sure?"
"We’ll have to handle worse materials than this in the future. Just share some of the meat, okay?"
"......"
Yi Han could almost hear Yonell’s stomach growling.
Nilia, who was standing behind them, looked bewildered.
"Are you two really going to butcher it?!"
"Yeah."
"But... why at school..."
"Aren’t you hungry?"
"... Fine! I’ll help!"
Yi Han had learned hunting and butchering with Alarong, and Nilia was practically a professional.
Yonell had also practiced handling materials enough times to not be an amateur.
"Here’s the equipment. This should be enough."
Thunderstep brought over the necessary tools, his eyes filled with curiosity. Let’s see how you handle this.
Yi Han drew his dagger and began skinning the boar.
Scrape—
Not bad, huh?
Nilia was honestly surprised.
She hadn’t expected Yi Han, a noble from a great family, to be as skilled as her.
The three of them worked together to skin the boar, separate the meat, and hang it on branches.
Given its size, there was plenty of edible meat, but Yi Han didn’t discard the organs either.
I’ll make sausages out of the organs.
With no idea how long this hellish first year would last, it was better to stock up on as much food as possible.
"Are you going to smoke it?"
"Yes."
"Not bad...!"
Thunderstep was impressed.
They couldn’t just leave all this meat out.
Even if the weather was cool, it would eventually spoil.
But smoking the meat would preserve it much longer—a great method for the freshmen.
"Professor, can I use these logs?"
"W-wait."
When Yi Han reached for the logs stacked near the cabin, Thunderstep panicked.
Smoking wasn’t something you could do with just any wood.
The better the wood’s aroma, the better the result.
I’ve prepared high-quality applewood logs...
Yi Han, with his keen eye for quality, took them anyway.
Thunderstep could only sigh in regret.
"Nilia, is this enough?"
"More than enough. It’s overflowing."
Smoke billowed up, and the smell of meat sizzling filled the air.
The three of them worked hard, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.
Growl—
Yi Han turned his gaze.
It wasn’t Yonell or Nilia.
It was the dwarf professor.
"... Are you hungry?"
"Yeah. I’m feeling a bit peckish."
Yi Han stood up.
When a professor was hungry, it was natural for a student to act.
*There’s plenty of meat.
I should grill some.*
"Professor, could I have some bread and butter?"
"... Take what you need..."
Thunderstep grumbled, but since it was his meal too, he didn’t say anything more.
Yi Han placed the meat on the iron skillet.
He didn’t just throw it on—he seasoned it properly with salt and pepper.
Sizzle, sizzle—
"What are you doing?"
"Prepping it."
"?"
Thunderstep found Yi Han’s preparations oddly meticulous.
He could’ve just grilled it...
But Yi Han didn’t stop.
He scored the meat, oiled the skillet, and placed the meat on it.
The sound of sizzling and the aroma of cooking meat filled the air.
Yi Han also placed some vegetables he’d brought from the cabin on the skillet.
"Why are you stopping?!"
When Yi Han paused, Thunderstep panicked.
The meat wasn’t fully cooked yet.
"Adding butter makes it better."
"You’re not trying to say you don’t have talent for alchemy, are you?"
Thunderstep gave him a suspicious look, but he wasn’t about to let him off the hook.
"Try it first, then say that."
Once the meat was perfectly grilled, a decent meal was ready.
Pork steak, grilled vegetables, thick bread, and butter from the cabin.
It wasn’t freshly baked bread, but for freshmen who’d been eating only black bread, it was more than enough.
Chomp, chomp—
Suddenly, it was quiet.
All four of them were too busy eating to talk.
Thunderstep was eating the most.
He tore off a chunk of bread, stuffed a large piece of grilled pork in the middle, and ate it heartily.
Then he walked back to the cabin and brought out a jar of jam.
"......"
"......"
"... I’ll share a little, so stop looking at me like that, you blockheads."