Chapter 63: The Hero’s Teaching Method (Part 2)

I decided to teach Ji-eun swordsmanship.

The problem was how to teach.

“What should I do?”

I sat in front of my computer, lost in thought.

I had already made the promise, but how to actually teach remained a problem. Even after much deliberation, a good method didn’t come to mind. I had been pondering this all day since returning home.

‘Anyone can teach.’

The important thing is to teach well.

Since I decided to teach swordsmanship, I should do it properly. At the very least, I should help Ji-eun reach Diamond tier in her next promotion matches through my lessons.

‘So I can save face.’

After a while of contemplation,

I concluded that I needed to learn how other people teach. Wouldn’t studying others’ teaching methods give me some ideas?

‘I need to learn pedagogy.’

To fulfill the premise of teaching, I didn’t need to limit myself to swordsmanship. It might be a good idea to look into other fields, like tutoring for the suneung (college entrance exam) or coaching for sports.

‘First, I need to gather information related to that.’

I had plenty of time.

This wasn’t something I needed to rush.

‘It’s not like there’s a problem if she doesn’t learn swordsmanship right away. Ji-eun also asked me to teach her slowly and steadily.’

Ji-eun said she would reduce her Arfellium Saga playtime for a while to diversify her content. This meant she didn’t need to learn swordsmanship immediately for her Diamond promotion matches.

Ji-eun’s decision seemed to stem from my constant attempts at various content. She seemed stimulated by my actions.

‘Ji-eun has been doing more outdoor broadcasts lately.’

I guessed she was preparing to become a variety streamer. I thought it wasn’t a bad choice, since variety streamers tend to have the longest careers.

Didn’t she say so herself?

‘She said she needs to secure diverse content.’

Anyway.

My train of thought had been derailed by random thoughts, but the main point was that I needed to gain knowledge about teaching. And the easiest way to acquire such knowledge, as far as I knew, was only one.

“Let’s buy some books.”

Reading.

I quickly got dressed and headed to the bookstore.

Of course, with a dagger tucked away as always.

The bookstore was farther than I expected.

“I heard bookstores are going out of business these days. Guess it’s true.”

Well, who reads paper books these days?

Everyone reads ebooks or digital books.

Even if a book is only available in print, people usually borrow it from the library rather than buying it. Therefore, people only buy books from bookstores if they can’t get them any other way.

For example…

“Like workbooks.”

I looked around the bookstore and chuckled.

Just as I said, the most prominently displayed books were workbooks. They filled the shelves. Workbooks, study guides, and textbooks galore.

‘At this rate, it’s practically only middle and high school students who come to bookstores.’

Even before I fell into ‘that world,’ the most common sight in bookstores was students in uniform. Thinking about it, not much has changed.

With a strange sense of realization, I nodded and looked around the bookstore. And I discovered something new. I came to find books on teaching methods, but surprisingly, there were hardly any such books in sight. The closest I could find were parenting books.

“Hmm…”

I hummed and scratched my head.

My plan had hit a snag from the very beginning!

This was a big problem. I might not be able to teach Ji-eun properly. If I just haphazardly taught her swordsmanship without a methodology, she might lose interest!

Then my precious student won’t reach Diamond!

“I think I’ve finally lost it.”

I shook my head to clear the useless thoughts swirling in my mind. But that wouldn’t magically make the books appear.

I had no choice but to find an alternative.

‘Since I’m already here, I should find books that can be helpful as much as possible.’

With that thought in mind, I circled the bookstore.

Self-help books, math workbooks, mystery novels, and so on.

There were many interesting books, but nothing that seemed immediately helpful. Perhaps they simply didn’t exist.

The only thing I found were books related to swordsmanship.

Thanks to the popularity of Arfellium Saga, finding books on swordsmanship was very easy. They even had a special display stand dedicated to related books.

“Arfellium Saga is really popular.”

It seemed even more popular than that MOBA game that was trendy in the past. At least that MOBA game didn’t have enough related books to fill an entire shelf.

I approached the bookshelf and picked up a book to examine.

[Longsword Swordsmanship Master: 100 Days to Miracle]

“…”

I was speechless after checking the title.

‘100 days?’

Mastering swordsmanship in 100 days?

‘Just physical training would take 100 days.’

For a complete beginner, 100 days would be just enough time to barely learn the footwork. What kind of ‘master’ is this about?

‘Well, that’s how self-help books are.’

Still, it seemed worth reading. At the very least, I could learn how not to teach Ji-eun. I grabbed a basket and put [Longsword Swordsmanship Master: 100 Days to Miracle] inside.

After that, I continued browsing the swordsmanship section, selecting books that looked useful and putting them in the basket. Several books quickly piled up inside. Admittedly, there weren’t many decent ones. Maybe one out of every 20 books was worth considering.

I even found a strange book in the middle.

It was titled [World Ranking No. 1, Pro Gamer Choi Sangcheol’s Swordsmanship], but funnily enough, the author wasn’t Choi Sangcheol. Seeing a completely different name plastered there as the author, I burst out laughing.

“This is ridiculous.”

Did Choi Sangcheol even know this book existed? I highly doubted it.

“Heehee.”

It looked completely useless, but I put it in the basket. Purely out of curiosity.

As I was selecting books,

“…”

I felt someone’s gaze.

I glanced over in the direction of the gaze. A little boy holding a small robot toy in his right hand was standing in the distance. The child blinked, looking up at me.

“Hello.”

As I gave a slight bow, the boy approached me.

The child looked me up and down, then tilted his head.

“Are you a bad person?”

“Huh?”

A bad person? What is he talking about all of a sudden?

As I tilted my head, the child pointed at my waist. I glanced down. The fleece jacket I was wearing was slightly pulled back, revealing the handle of the dagger at my waist.

“That’s a knife.”

“Ah…”

Oh no. I subtly pulled my clothes down to hide the dagger.

‘I can’t be seen carrying this outside.’

I managed to get away with it at the Arfellium Korea branch by insisting it was a talisman, but I had to endure Ji-eun’s suspicious glances for days afterward.

‘People would think I’m crazy.’

A woman coming to a bookstore with a dagger. Good heavens.

As I hesitated, the child frowned.

“I learned to report bad people to the police.”

The child started saying scary things.

Calling the police right away. This cheeky little…

“Well, this is…”

How should I explain this?

I thought for a moment, then smiled at the child.

“This is a hero’s sword. You know heroes are good people, right?”

“Are you a hero?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

He believes that?

As I made a dumbfounded expression, the child smiled.

“Someone as pretty as you wouldn’t lie.”

“Pretty…”

Considering my original gender, it was a comment that made me feel complicated. But it was something I was getting used to.

‘Well, this is the body I have now.’

Perhaps because it was a compliment, I didn’t feel bad.

Or maybe it was because the child was cute.

As I smiled, the child smiled back.

“Jihoon, what are you doing there?”

A man who looked to be in his late 30s or early 40s appeared. Judging by their similar facial features, he seemed to be the child’s father. The man only looked at the child, who was called Jihoon, then suddenly looked up. He saw my face and his jaw dropped.

“Huh? Uh? Uhhh?”

He looked as if he had seen a ghost. Of course, his expression didn’t convey fear, but surprise and bewilderment.

‘Is it because of my appearance?’

It’s a bit uncomfortable for this man to be so shocked by my face.

Thinking so, I gave an awkward smile, and the man muttered,

“…Shihyun13?”

Excuse me?