The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 1
I was born dirt poor.
They say most people are born with at least a dirt spoon, but I didn’t even have that much—I had nothing.
‘How I envied those with a golden spoon.’
I would have settled for an ordinary family.
Every Children’s Day, I watched the other kids around me with such longing—I can’t describe it.
Gifts.
Toys.
Amusement parks.
Meals out with family.
All things I couldn’t even dream of.
My reality was a father lost to alcohol and gambling.
A mother suffering from a rare, incurable disease.
And creditors showing up at the door day after day.
I had no choice but to work whatever jobs I could find, before I was even old enough to understand what hardship meant.
‘When I grow up, I’ll be happy. I have to be.’
The one blessing was that though I’d been born with nothing, I had something like steel in my bones.
I worked every job that came my way.
College was never even on my radar.
While my peers studied for entrance exams, I bounced between part-time jobs. While they enjoyed their twenties, I earned money on construction sites and factory floors.
“Son, I’m sorry. I’m such a failure of a mother.”
When my mother said this as she lay dying, I shook my head.
To say I held no resentment toward my parents would be a lie.
Especially my father—his addiction to alcohol and gambling—I could never forgive him.
I’d wished a thousand times that I’d been born into a normal, well-off family instead.
But I believed my future depended on what I made of it.
“It’s all right. I’ll make myself happy later. I promise you.”
I wasn’t lying.
I had a goal.
‘Save money as fast as I can, retire early, and live a happy life.’
From childhood, I’d never enjoyed a single thing that others took for granted.
Late as it was.
I would claim compensation for all that suffering, even in my later years.
‘I’ll enjoy life beyond measure for everything I’ve endured.’
With that goal burning in me, I pushed myself relentlessly—and then the opportunity came.
A mid-level company CEO who’d taken a liking to me hired me as a sales representative.
Sales was like a calling for me.
“Sir, that’s a beautiful shot!”
“Haha, when I play golf with this deputy manager, the ball just seems to roll right in.”
“It’s an honor! Day or night, early morning—whenever you need me, just call!”
My refusal to shy away from any task, my perpetual readiness to defer, my willingness to sacrifice anything for success—all of it transformed me into a sales virtuoso.
Within three years of joining, I’d reached an eight-figure salary and became the company’s top sales representative.
The momentum never stopped.
I earned the title “Sales King.”
Of course, it wasn’t an easy road.
“Ugh, I could never do what that guy does.”
“Right? Where does he find the energy? No matter how important sales are, how far is he willing to go?”
The King of Yes-men.
That was the nickname people gave me after seeing how far I’d go in sales.
I didn’t mind.
Because I had my goal.
‘Do you think I grovel because I enjoy it? Once I hit my target, I’m retiring and playing for the rest of my life. Though… that’s still far off.’
I let out a sigh.
Retiring young to live a life of leisure sounded simple enough, but it was anything but.
I was making steady progress, but it still felt impossibly distant.
‘If only I’d been born with a golden spoon, I wouldn’t have to suffer like this.’
A bitter taste filled my mouth, but I shook my head quickly.
There was no point dwelling on such thoughts. Better to focus on pushing my sales figures higher.
I’d earned a vacation thanks to my top performance in the first half of the year, but I had no intention of relaxing.
‘My next client is a gaming company. I need to master their games.’
To supply goods to the game company, I mastered their game.
No sales representative would go to such lengths, but this was my style.
I’d do anything to boost sales figures.
‘The company forced me to take a refresh vacation, but to reach my goal as quickly as possible, I can’t just sit idle.’
I started a game called Hero Academy.
It was the hottest game the company had released in recent months.
‘Multiple protagonists growing into heroes at an academy? I don’t know much about games.’
The awkwardness didn’t last long.
I was soon absorbed into the game.
I’d spent my whole life grinding away and never indulged in entertainment like this, so it was genuinely captivating.
There was only one thing that bothered me.
‘Why are all the protagonists’ backstories so tragic?’
Stories of characters clawing their way up through suffering, burdened by sordid pasts.
It struck too close to home, and I didn’t care for it.
‘Rather, I prefer a character like this.’
I thought of one figure in the game.
—Ban Ecclesia.
The most hopeless extra in the entire game.
First, there was his talent.
An aspiring mage afflicted with Mana Insensitivity.
He could be called the game’s greatest dunce.
And he didn’t possess any grit to compensate.
He used his Mana Insensitivity as an excuse and had never made a genuine effort.
What about his personality, then?
A rotten, violent hooligan.
He’d caused so much trouble that there wasn’t a soul in the Empire—the game’s setting—who didn’t know his name.
‘But he’s still the son of a wealthy family.’
Ban was actually a legitimate heir of the Duke’s House.
A Diamond Spoon—beyond even a Golden Spoon!
The complete opposite of me, who had a Dirt Spoon.
‘I envy it, the Golden Spoon! If only I could become Ban, how wonderful that would be?’
It was in that moment of thought.
—You have cleared all major scenario routes in the game!
I tilted my head in mild surprise.
It seemed I’d been overly diligent trying to impress the client.
—The hidden scenario ‘Salvation of the World’ is now unlocked!
—Will you respond to the invitation event?
I nodded.
If I cleared the hidden scenario too, I could make an even better impression on the client.
‘Accept. But why is it an invitation event?’
It was the moment I tilted my head in puzzlement.
Something unexpected happened.
Burst!!!
Light exploded from the monitor.
‘What—what is this?’
—The ‘Salvation of the World’ scenario is beginning!
—Invited Savior! Please save this world with your power, I beseech you!
My consciousness grew dim amid incomprehensible messages.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, I was inside the Hero Academy game.
‘Does this make any sense?’
At first, I thought I was dreaming.
But I wasn’t.
After a week passed, I accepted reality.
However, there was a problem.
‘…Of all people, Ban Ecclesia?’
I had been possessed by the worst, most hopeless character among countless figures in the game!
‘…Wait, is that actually bad? Isn’t it rather good?’
I blinked.
As I’d said before, Ban was the absolute worst, most worthless character.
Worst personality, worst reputation, worst talent.
But there was one enormous advantage that offset all these shortcomings.
Ban possessed more than a Golden Spoon—he held a Diamond Spoon.
He was blood of the Duke’s House, after all.
‘I’ve got a Diamond Spoon! Far better than those protagonists who have to suffer endlessly!’
I thrust my arm up and cheered.
A life of grinding hardship? Not in the slightest did I miss it.
Over a week here, I’d come to understand: this too was perfectly real.
‘From now on, I’ll live sucking the sweetness out of this Diamond Spoon!’
Then I frowned.
‘What are these entries?’
I could view Ban’s traits like a game screen.

‘That one I already knew about.’

There were four question marks in the traits section.
They looked like latent traits.
‘What kind of traits are lying dormant?’
I was curious.
-Possession Privilege has been granted!
-Would you like to unlock the latent traits?
I nodded without much thought.
‘He’s trash anyway. The latent traits are probably garbage too.’
But then—
-The ‘Grand Master of Magic’ trait has been unlocked!
-You possess the makings of a supreme master of magic!
-You instinctively perceive the very essence of magic!
I went silent.
‘…What?’
That wasn’t all.
-The ‘Black Flame Dragon Charisma’ trait has been released!
-You possess a charisma like deep darkness and roaring flame!
-The ‘Boundless Versatility’ trait has been released!
-You demonstrate excellence across every field!
-The ‘Gambler’s Judgment’ trait has been granted!
-You judge success or failure, victory or defeat with perfect accuracy!
‘How can a trash character have latent traits this absurd?!’
I felt cold sweat prickling down my neck.
These traits were entirely unnecessary for living a life of ease and indulgence.
‘Why traits this overwhelming?’
Something felt wrong.
I recalled, belatedly, the messages I’d heard when I first possessed this body.
-Summoned Savior! Please use your power to save this world!
‘…Don’t tell me I’m supposed to save the world with these abilities?’
As cold sweat began to pour, a hologram message flashed before my eyes.
-Welcome, Possessed One!
-The ‘Salvation of the World’ scenario begins now!
-May heaven’s grace attend you through the trials and tribulations that lie ahead!
-Your first quest has been assigned!
-Please check the quest details!
The message blinked as if demanding I look.
I made a face of disgust.
‘…I don’t want to. Why me? Trials and tribulations? Go to hell.’
I’d done enough suffering in my last life.
This time around, I wanted no part of hardship whatsoever.
‘I didn’t even choose to enter this game. They forced me in here—and now they want me to save the world?’
The world would be saved by its designated protagonists anyway.
‘I’ll just hide quietly and coast through life.’
But the message didn’t disappear—it flashed insistently, demanding attention.
As if determined to force me into the quest no matter what.
-Please review the quest details!
-If you do not review the contents, the quest message will not disappear!
I furrowed my brow.
A dangerous instinct prickled at the back of my mind.
‘I shouldn’t open that message.’
The moment I did, it felt certain I’d be forced into the quest.
‘But what is this message? Magic? How do I get rid of it?’
The instant that thought crossed my mind, something previously invisible came into view.
Transparent lines composing the message itself.
‘A Spell Formula?’
I had no knowledge of magic.
I was just an ordinary person from modern Earth.
I didn’t know what kind of Spell Formula that was.
But.
‘…somehow I feel like I could dismantle it?’
I didn’t know why.
I simply knew it—instinctively.
Which part of that linear structure was most critical, and where it was most vulnerable.
‘How do I know this? Could it be—?’
-You possess the qualifications to become a Grand Master of Magic!
-You instinctively perceive the essence of magic!
It must have been because of the latent trait I’d awakened earlier—my Grand Master of Magic potential!
Following that instinct, I raised my hand and manipulated the infinitesimal speck of Mana dwelling within my body.
A light tap.
From barely a touch, something extraordinary happened.
-Crash!!
The letters of the message shattered like breaking glass!
‘Whoa.’
A new message appeared at once.
-Warning! Warning!! Forcibly removing an Oracle message violates the laws of the world! Do not breach Causality!
Whoosh!!
Messages blazed back into the air.
A completely different type of Spell Formula than before.
Far more robust, far more imposing.
Like an impregnable fortress.
Yet.
‘This one looks weaker, though?’
I touched the part that looked most flawed.
And then.
-Warning! Warn…!! … Crackle-pop.
With a strange noise, the quest message vanished.
-Breach of Causality… Breach of Causality….
I erased that glitching warning message too, repeating like a broken machine.
Complete silence fell.
‘…Did I just cause some kind of problem?’
Words like Oracle and Causality nagged at me with an ominous weight, but I shook my head.
‘I’m never going to suffer through hardship in this life.’
I made myself a promise.
‘From now on, I’m only coasting.’
And so.
my life of struggling to coast through began.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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