There was no weapon Kim Joohyuk could not wield.
While he favored some over others, his proficiency was absolute.
Why?
Because three centuries ago, he wasn't in a position to be picky.
The world Kim Joohyuk lived in back then was half-destroyed by monsters. It was an era where anything with an edge was treated as a weapon.
From scythes to trowels, if it could inflict a wound, it was a weapon. Living in such times meant inability was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Among them all, the Sword and the Dao were his most frequent companions.
[SHLICK!— Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!]
The students gaped.
It was inevitable.
The 120 monsters, a number that seemed impossible for a single student to handle, were dwindling the moment he stepped out gripping the Dao.
His Dao traced a lazy diagonal arc.
No mana. No speed. Compared to Yoo So-yeon's flashiness, it looked almost pathetic.
Yet, as if drawn in by a magnetic force, the surrounding monsters stumbled into his range and instantly had their necks severed, heads tumbling into the air.
Truly a grotesque sword technique.
It looked as though the weapon possessed its own gravitational pull... but in reality, the monsters were simply walking into the inevitable arc of his blade before they even realized they were moving.
However, the students watching safely from behind the barrier, and Kim Yi-gun who had lent the weapon, realized the truth.
What on earth... is that...!
The blade Kim Joohyuk held was merely a cheap, standard-issue iron Dao provided by Valhalla.
"...Crazy."
A blunt curse burst from Oh Se-hyuk's lips. Yoo So-yeon's eyes tracked Kim Joohyuk, refusing to blink.
But among them, the girl standing at the very edge, Choi Ah-rin.
"...."
She watched him with an expression that bordered on obsession.
Regardless of their scrutiny, Kim Joohyuk continued his train of thought while slitting the throats of the flocking monsters.
They looked decent at first glance, but fakes are fakes.
[Thwack!]
[82]
I definitely feel the liveliness, but the movements are too mechanical.
[Slaaash!]
[71]
Predictable movements. Easy targets.
The grotesque sword technique the students witnessed, the illusion of gravity, was merely Kim Joohyuk swinging the Dao exactly where the monsters were destined to be.
For Kim Joohyuk, the Dao he wielded now was nothing more than a tool for efficiency.
[52]
This pathetic body limits my martial arts. Exhausting.
[30]
I should begin martial arts training in earnest once I get to the dormitory.
[18]
I have to find that thing, too.
[Thwack!]
[0]
As the last Orc fell, its neck pierced by the Dao, the carpet of monster corpses vanished into digital dust. Kim Joohyuk turned his gaze to Kim Yi-gun.
"...."
Kim Yi-gun stood frozen, his mind blank.
Behind him, the students stared with equal intensity, but Kim Joohyuk smirked, unbothered.
"I'm heading to the Constellation's Room. You intend to keep your promise, don't you?"
He sheathed the Dao with a sharp click.
❋ ❋ ❋
"Since it was the first class, you must be tired. Return to the dormitory and rest."
4 PM.
As the class rose from their seats, Kim Joohyuk stretched, feigning fatigue.
Why is the class this long?
School was a foreign concept to him.
Three hundred years ago, education was a luxury for the wealthy. For those like him who drifted through the gutter, school didn't exist.
Technically, he had taken in disciples and taught them himself, but that was when he was the Master. Being on the receiving end felt... different.
I'll strip this place of its secrets and vanish. There is nothing else here for me.
For someone who had never attended school, the lectures were boring, save for a few scraps of intel.
...The content about Constellations wasn't bad.
Constellation.
Until now, Kim Joohyuk hadn't properly understood the term.
He only knew the word because 'Constellation's Room' had floated in a system window after his reincarnation.
There were no Constellations when I was alive, so whatever.
Far from Constellations, there hadn't been anything remotely divine.
Well, at least I know now.
Kim Joohyuk rose, mentally organizing the new data.
Constellation: A title for those who achieved Great Karma and ascended to godhood. Contract: Most Constellations bond with Contractors through Relics, granting special powers. Valhalla: This Korean academy possesses the third largest collection of Constellation Relics in the world.
This was the only value he extracted from the day.
The rest was noise. The so-called substitute hacks chattering about "basic weapon handling" or "practical monster killing" were barely worth listening to.
Right. First, I'll hit the dorms and start training this body properly.
"Excuse me."
Just as he was leaving the empty classroom, a voice stopped him.
"?"
Choi Ah-rin was standing there.
❋ ❋ ❋
Teacher's Lounge on the 1st floor of Valhalla Main Building.
"...You must have suffered a lot."
"Suffering? Hardly. I just made a fool of myself."
At Combat Instructor Lee Sang-cheol's words, Kim Yi-gun sighed and scratched his head.
"No, but common sense doesn't apply here. Is that guy really a high school student?"
As he vented his frustration recalling Kim Joohyuk's display, Lee Sang-cheol listened quietly.
"Well, to be honest... he is a bit fascinating for an ordinary student."
"It's beyond fascinating. I summoned 120 monsters in the Simulation Room to break their spirits. 120! But...."
"He killed them all? A high schooler who hasn't even faced a real monster yet?"
"I'm telling you!"
Kim Yi-gun looked ready to die of unfairness. Lee Sang-cheol stroked his chin.
"Certainly, Kim Joohyuk is an anomaly. At least based on the file I saw, he shouldn't have such physical specs."
"Were there no special notes?"
"It's worse than 'none.' The kid is an orphan."
"...An orphan?"
"Yes. From a high-risk zone orphanage, no less."
"Then... forgery?"
Lee Sang-cheol shook his head.
"Not that either."
"...Really?"
"Think about it. If he forged his way into Valhalla to achieve a specific goal, would he draw this much attention to himself?"
Kim Yi-gun paused.
"...You have a point."
If someone infiltrated Valhalla with a fake identity, making a scene on day one was the worst possible strategy.
"Besides, the background check is already cleared."
Kim Yi-gun accepted the logic. Since no red flags appeared during the check, the file was authentic.
"More importantly, Kim Joohyuk asked for access to the Constellation's Room?"
"Yes. That was the bet."
"Constellation's Room... He would gain access naturally after the first semester anyway. Well... since you made the promise... If I ask the Chairman, I think he might clear him for Basement Level 1."
"Thank you. Really."
"It's nothing special. Wanting early access to a standard facility isn't a difficult request. Though, I can't speak for Basement Level 5, the 'Total Restricted Area'."
—Besides, since I recruited you, I have to take responsibility.
Kim Yi-gun sighed in relief at Lee Sang-cheol's reassurance but soon looked exhausted again.
"Still, I'm worried about the coming year."
"Because of Kim Joohyuk?"
"That too. Plus, I have three children from the Five Great Families in my class. Controlling even one is overwhelming...."
"Don't stress too much. The exchange student from the Ventric Family is going to the class next door."
"...Ah. That sounds like torture."
Kim Yi-gun nodded in sympathy.
The Ventric Family.
This UK-based lineage was an ancient powerhouse, possessing a Guardian Constellation just like Korea's Five Great Families.
If that were all, neither Lee Sang-cheol nor Kim Yi-gun would have cared much.
The problem lay in the nature of their Guardian Constellation. The Ventric Family didn't just inhabit the UK; they practically owned it.
Perhaps because of that absolute power, the children of the Ventric Family, direct or collateral, were notoriously arrogant.
Arrogance that crossed the line.
"Is the student entering the next class Lokdil Ventric?"
"Hmm? You didn't even know a Ventric was coming a moment ago, yet you know the name. How?"
"Ah... I wondered if perhaps, but as expected...."
"Why?"
"That guy... the rumors aren't good. Doesn't Hyung-nim know?"
"I don't pay attention to gossip."
"Ah...."
"Though I do know he was sent here after causing an incident at a private academy in the UK. I don't know the specifics."
Kim Yi-gun pondered Lee Sang-cheol's words for a moment.
"Still, I should take comfort that a Ventric didn't land in my class."
Kim Yi-gun swallowed his next words and simply sighed, ending the conversation with a grumble.
And the next day.
"Kim Joohyuk, do you not desire power? If you swear fealty to me, I may deign to bestow a blessing upon you—"
"What is this dipshit spouting now?"
Kim Joohyuk encountered Lokdil Ventric.
(End of Chapter 5)
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