Chapter 22 - 22. True Survival Training (1)
One can't always succeed. Sooner or later, everyone faces failure, and what really matters is how one overcomes it and rises again.
Two days had passed since the hiring scandal. Instead of dwelling on past events, I focused on planning my next attempt to get dismissed.
"Looking back now, I probably went overboard too many times, and that only made things worse."
I'd tried extreme measures, like trying to get fired for alleged racial discrimination, abandoning students on a mountain, and supporting the wrong imperial candidate to get demoted.
In my eagerness to be dismissed quickly, I'd acted out in extreme ways, and that might have been a mistake.
So this time, instead of concocting a strange plan, I decided to follow a more classic approach already familiar in the academy genre. There's a certain type of incident in these stories — one that usually leads to problems and complaints, the perfect setup for someone to get fired due to irresponsibility.
"I propose a large-scale mock survival training for all grades."
At the faculty meeting, I made this announcement confidently, capturing everyone's attention.
I'd been quiet until now, so my sudden proposal took everyone by surprise. The faces of the faculty members in the room showed confusion, trying to understand the meaning behind my unexpected suggestion.
After a few moments, one professor cautiously spoke up.
"What exactly do you mean by 'survival training'?"
"Just what it sounds like," I replied. "We'll toss the students out in the wilderness to test their survival skills. We can even release a few magical beasts to add a bit of tension."
An uncomfortable silence followed, thick enough to stifle the room.
Everyone exchanged glances, as if questioning whether they'd really heard me right. But without caring about the atmosphere, I continued my explanation, making sure to sound as thoughtless and irresponsible as possible.
"Sleeping on the ground, going hungry with nothing to eat — facing the harsh realities of life. Our students will grow stronger by experiencing such hardships firsthand."
The infamous phrase from Korea, "Suffering builds character," spilled effortlessly from my mouth. That casual statement earned me looks of horror from everyone present.
"Well, if you're worried about students not being able to handle emergencies, then training them ahead of time is actually quite sensible. Very much like you, Professor."
Only one person, the old professor who inexplicably held me in high regard, voiced agreement with my idea.
Even he, though, didn't seem entirely comfortable with my proposal. I could tell he was sweating nervously, unsure how to proceed.
"Yes, this jungle law approach is exactly right."
In these academy stories, survival training often takes place in the wild, where the protagonist, forewarned about the training schedule, secretly brings camping gear and food to gain an advantage.
It's a familiar trope, one that'd be missed if omitted, but if you think about it closely, it's riddled with problems.
"What if a student gets injured?" one professor asked. "No matter how hard we try, it's impossible to ensure the safety of every student."
Dropping students en masse into the wilderness leaves them vulnerable to unknown accidents, including physical injury and even psychological trauma.
"There will definitely be complaints," another professor said. "Most of our students come from noble families. None of them would welcome being told to live like beggars."
Of course, the students would hate this. They'd go days without proper sleep, food, or even clean bathroom facilities, enduring a grim lifestyle. It'd be odd if they didn't complain.
"And, honestly, what's the point of this training? Why do they need to be out there when we have such excellent facilities here?"
Besides, if the purpose is to teach survival skills, we could simply invite an expert to give a lecture. Karin, for instance, would surely be eager to come and share her mercenary experiences.
The Imperial Academy's students are highly capable, after all. They don't need to experience survival first-hand to understand it if it's explained well enough.
Yet, precisely because this plan was full of flaws, I remained adamant.
Here was the perfect chance to get berated by my fellow faculty for irresponsibility and by the students for forcing them to suffer through this grueling ordeal.
How could I let such an opportunity slip?
"Of course, I expected some complaints."
All these professors, who genuinely cared for their students, naturally opposed my plan. I'd anticipated this, so I had a solution prepared.
I looked toward Sion.
With eyes showing no trace of hesitation, I sent her a message filled with determination, silently asking her to trust me to handle this well.
And as expected, Sion smiled warmly.
"For our dear professor, of course I'll agree to this. We'll take measures to ensure safety, and we can plan for the training to start in about a week—"
"I'm sorry, but a week from now won't work."
I interrupted her gently. If Sion prepared everything too thoroughly, this would turn into more of a wilderness experience than actual survival training.
"No matter what, we must carry out the training today."
With Sion around, I didn't have to worry about any fatalities. The tighter the schedule, the better for me.
The less preparation that went into this training, the sloppier it'd be, and the more criticism I'd face for pushing it forward irresponsibly.
Of course, this sudden insistence might not make much sense, but here was where I could use my trump card again.
Eyes glistening with urgency, I conveyed my desperation to Sion. The normally resolute dragon appeared slightly shaken by my plea. She hesitated briefly before finally saying:
"If you're insisting on it, then there must be some profound purpose behind this proposal. Although it's a bit rushed, let's proceed with the survival training immediately!"
With a bright smile, she made the declaration. Her eyes sparkled with an intensity that was almost overwhelming, as though she was eagerly anticipating whatever scheme I was planning this time.
In fact, everyone except Sion and Professor Scott objected to my proposal, but that didn't matter.
When the great dragon decrees something, it happens.
The Imperial Academy's faculty, forever adapting to the whims of a curious dragon, had their work cut out for them once again.
"Well, everything's going perfectly this time."
For once, everything was going according to plan. It felt like the stars had never aligned for me so well.
Perhaps, this time, I might really have a chance.
Grinning from ear to ear, I set about preparing for the training.
Rain poured down steadily. Normally, I preferred sunny weather, but today was an exception.
"Even the weather's on my side."
The hastily arranged survival training was now underway, and the sudden rain had turned the ground into a swamp.
With every step, students' feet sank into the mud, their shoes filled with grime, and their socks were soaked and squishy. Dampness hung in the air, making the situation even more miserable.
Naturally, complaints broke out all around.
"We should've been warned about this training!"
"With this downpour, we can't see a thing. And we're supposed to survive out here, building shelters and hunting our own food?"
This was already satisfying, but as time went on, things continued to play into my hands.
We'd barely arrived on the deserted island, and the training hadn't even formally begun, yet problems were already cropping up.
A student got bitten by a snake, and another almost got lost wandering off alone.
Thankfully, both incidents were resolved quickly. But each issue only darkened the faces of the other professors further.
These were professors who deeply cared for their students. Watching their precious charges suffer due to one crazy professor's irrational antics was bound to make them seethe.
Finally, one professor couldn't take it anymore and shouted at me.
"Professor Lian! What on earth do you think you're doing?!"
Finally, it had come. The perfect moment to chip away at the absurdly inflated approval rating I'd amassed.
Suppressing the urge to smirk, I turned around with the most innocent expression I could muster, as though I had no idea why he was calling out to me.
Seeing my expression, devoid of any hint of remorse, only deepened the professor's scowl.
"Given your past achievements, I assumed there was some grand plan behind this. But at this point, you should acknowledge that you made a mistake!"
"Mistake? I'm not sure what you're talking about."
The unexpected commotion naturally drew everyone's attention to us, but I continued with an air of indifference.
"These students, who should be honing their skills within the academy's facilities, are wallowing in mud out here. Do you still refuse to admit your fault?!"
The young female professor was practically spitting with rage, and the tension around us escalated as everyone present held their breath.
Now was the perfect moment to drop the bombshell I'd prepared.
"I've only done what's best for my students."
With an unwavering voice, I calmly continued my explanation, sprinkling in irresponsible comments about how these privileged noble brats needed to experience real hardships to build character.
The students' faces turned sour upon hearing my nonsense. I expected an avalanche of complaints and was ready to be fired on the spot.
That's what should've happened.
But before I could continue, someone staggered toward us, gasping for breath. It was the academy's head of security, and his face was as pale as a sheet.
With a frantic voice, he shouted out news none of us had expected.
"The academy… It's been attacked! The academy has been bombed!"