5 days later.
Early morning, Valhalla's physical training room.
"Huff... Huff..."
Kim Joohyuk looked down at Choi Ah-rin, who was sprawled out next to him after a full-sprint run, and chuckled.
"You said you did some training, so why do you look like you're about to die?"
At Kim Joohyuk's question, Choi Ah-rin looked up at him with resentful eyes.
"You... weirdo... ugh... huff... normally... people don't do this—"
"You sound like you're going to pass out, so breathe first, then talk."
Kim Joohyuk waved his hand dismissively and sat down.
Choi Ah-rin caught her breath for a while, then spoke with a strangely dissatisfied expression.
"You're the weird one. Normally, doing this much is hard."
"Normally? Isn't this basic if you want to fight monsters?"
Choi Ah-rin shook her head.
"You can just use mana."
"Aren't you relying too much on mana?"
"...?"
"Why do you look like you don't understand?"
Choi Ah-rin seemed to ponder something at his words, then tilted her head slightly.
"Isn't it natural?"
"How is that natural?"
"You can just use mana to receive power from the Constellations."
"..."
Kim Joohyuk unwittingly shut his mouth at her words, then nodded belatedly.
"Come to think of it, that's right."
Tilt.
"What is?"
At Choi Ah-rin's question, Kim Joohyuk waved his hand briefly. Recalling the common sense of this world through her words, he wore an incredulous expression.
To think relying on bastards called Constellations or whatever instead of building your own strength is considered natural in this world.
No matter how much he thought about it, Kim Joohyuk found the common sense of this world incredibly foolish.
Of course, since entering Valhalla, Kim Joohyuk had gained some information through academy classes and external media, so he knew why they relied on Constellations like this.
Fast growth...
Fast growth.
To be precise, it wasn't even growth; borrowing someone else's power was simply much more convenient. That was why people in this world neglected physical training and focused solely on raising their mana.
And as proof, the only people in this vast training room right now were Kim Joohyuk, Choi Ah-rin, and Oh Se-hyuk, who was quietly repeating bench presses in a corner.
That guy is smart in that regard.
Kim Joohyuk shifted his gaze to Oh Se-hyuk.
He was bench pressing a weight that looked filthy heavy at a glance.
When they first met, Oh Se-hyuk had been wrapped tight in arrogance. Kim Joohyuk remembered that well, so he expected him to cause trouble out of inferiority when they ended up in the same class. However, since being knocked down in one punch, Oh Se-hyuk hadn't shown any particular arrogance.
The only sight Kim Joohyuk saw of him was constantly exercising in the training hall.
Well, seeing as he has talent in his physical body to begin with, I guess that's why.
Even if it was due to talent, he looked much better than the guys forcing their mana up just to borrow power from those things called Constellations.
From Kim Joohyuk's perspective, this 'common sense' looked like nothing more than foolishness, people doing useless things just to wield power a little more comfortably and quickly.
If they do that, what will they do if those Constellation bastards don't lend them power?
That wasn't all.
What if a fight in a Labyrinth or Dungeon lasted for days and their mana ran out completely?
What if the Labyrinth or Dungeon had a mana block attached to it?
They're truly filthy vulnerable.
Thinking this, Kim Joohyuk clicked his tongue and suddenly looked at Choi Ah-rin.
"Hey."
"?"
"Why are you doing physical training?"
"...??"
She didn't speak, but Choi Ah-rin looked at him with an expression that asked, Are you seriously asking that?
However, when Kim Joohyuk just stared at her without saying anything, she eventually spoke.
"...Because you told me to?"
"Is that the only reason?"
At his question, Choi Ah-rin's eyes wavered as if flustered for a moment, but she soon nodded.
"Yeah. Since you said you'd teach me if I did this."
Kim Joohyuk nodded with a strange expression at her words, then spoke as if he understood.
"Anyway, that's it for today."
"...Aren't you going?"
"I'm going to do one more set. You want to join?"
"..."
Seeing Choi Ah-rin's eyes tremble at his words, he chuckled and waved his hand.
"It doesn't matter if you don't. Besides, shouldn't you be getting ready for school?"
Choi Ah-rin nodded with a somewhat relieved expression and left the gym, saying she'd see him a bit later.
"Huff— Huff—"
With that, Kim Joohyuk's physical training began.
[Shouldn't you be getting ready soon too?]
Running for quite a while, Kim Joohyuk answered the voice of Varche he heard.
It won't take long anyway, so I just need to do this and move.
As a result of spending the last few days with Varche, Kim Joohyuk could now converse with him just by projecting his thoughts rather than speaking aloud.
[Choi Ah-rin, was it? She certainly has an eye for things. To say such things after seeing your Dao.]
I also thought of teaching her a bit because that was fascinating. More than that, the more I hear about this place, the stranger it gets.
[What are you talking about?]
The Constellations. Just what are these bastards?
[I am technically a Constellation for now as well, but having been trapped for 300 years, I know nothing about Constellations.]
You're useless from one to ten.
Varche shrugged at Kim Joohyuk's bitter remark.
[That cannot be helped. I was in a situation akin to being stuck in solitary confinement for 300 years, so what do you expect?]
Why does your answer sound a bit cheeky?
[D-Det...?]
Varche immediately cowered when Kim Joohyuk showed a hint of irritation.
[...Ahem, anyway, if you take me to where the second condition is, something might come to mind. Don't you think?]
That's why I haven't smashed you yet.
Varche remained silent for a while at Kim Joohyuk's words, then changed the subject.
[Still, it is certainly strange. Has it already been 5 days since that incident?]
What incident?
[Those guys who messed with you.]
Ah, them?
[Honestly, I thought they would cause harm in some way, but surprisingly, there has been no word at all.]
Kim Joohyuk smirked, recalling 5 days ago.
I told you, didn't I? They can't do anything anyway.
Kim Joohyuk had never attended school, but 300 years ago, he had seen plenty of guys like that in the filthy and ugly industry.
Idiots who tried to trample on those weaker than themselves but couldn't move a muscle against the strong.
On top of that, the mindset of absolutely refusing to lose what they possessed.
At least in Kim Joohyuk's view, Reric was a guy who didn't deviate much from that human archetype.
Because if he says he got crushed by me, he has a lot to lose too.
Therefore, Kim Joohyuk was thinking more about what came after than about Reric himself.
What kind of guy is it?
It was safe to say there was no reason for Reric's gang and Kim Joohyuk to be entangled.
Yet, the fact that Reric deliberately came to pick a fight meant someone had incited him from behind.
...Who is it?
However, Kim Joohyuk couldn't easily pinpoint the guys who incited Reric.
...It's not just one or two guys who got cursed out by me.
More than two weeks had passed since entering Valhalla, so it had died down, but in the very beginning, so many people had come to Kim Joohyuk only to get cursed out and leave that he couldn't easily pinpoint anyone.
The best way would be to ask that thug...
Honestly, the guy who incited it was insolent, but it was annoying to go around digging for it, and more than anything, it was a waste of time, so Kim Joohyuk decided to just let it pass.
Well, if they're salty, they'll attack again.
❋ ❋ ❋
Virtual Combat Simulation Room.
She was one of Valhalla's senior instructors and the specialist in charge of the 'Labyrinth Monster' subject. 'Liliya' had a reputation as an incredibly strict instructor among the academy students.
Unlike other instructors who conducted tests with some leniency, she graded incredibly thoroughly and cut points without mercy.
Also, the bribes that some other instructors secretly accepted didn't work on her.
Anyway, although she was extremely thorough, because of that, she didn't hear very good evaluations from others. Liliya was currently looking at Kim Joohyuk standing in front of her with an incredulous expression.
The reason she was making such an expression.
It was precisely because of the pop quiz she had given last week.
"...Student Kim Joohyuk, did you really take this test seriously?"
"I did take it seriously."
"Even with this?"
Liliya thrust the test paper, covered in slash marks, in front of Kim Joohyuk.
And on top of that slashed-up test paper, a score was marked.
0 Points.
However, Kim Joohyuk looked at his test paper and spoke.
"Yes. I took it seriously."
Liliya shut her mouth with an incredulous expression at his words.
Honestly, no matter how thorough she was, it was only because this subject was incredibly important to the students. She hadn't demanded high scores on a surprise pop quiz.
In fact, the students' scores weren't good.
But even so, 0 points is...!
Liliya frowned as she read through Kim Joohyuk's test paper.
What is the most effective method to dispose of a Labyrinth Monster Stone Goblin?
( Stab it in the gut. )
You have discovered 8 Jungle Goblins charging at you in a straight Labyrinth. What is the correct action to take?
( Put a knife in the charging guys in one shot. )
"Ha!"
If slightly more normal answers had been written instead of things like this, Liliya wouldn't have bothered pointing it out. She planned to personally demonstrate the characteristics of the monsters on today's test and how to counter them.
Yes, if not for this.
"...Are you joking with me right now?"
Instructor Liliya spoke sharply.
Even seeing her white eyes frowning mercilessly, Kim Joohyuk answered calmly.
"I didn't joke."
"...Is stabbing it in the gut the most effective way to dispose of a Stone Goblin?"
"Yes. You can send it off in one shot."
"...A Stone Goblin's Anti-Magic Official Rank is B+. That means ordinary Sword Qi doesn't work. Yet you say you'll stab it in the gut?"
"Yes."
At Kim Joohyuk's answer, Liliya swept back her white bob cut as if dumbfounded and adjusted the remote control she was holding.
[Creak— Clack Clatter—!]
With that sound, a Stone Goblin was created.
After confirming the Stone Goblin, which had a height similar to an average adult male unlike the term 'Goblin', Liliya jerked her chin at Kim Joohyuk.
"Try it."
"Excuse me?"
"I said try it. If you can pull off everything written on this test paper, I will correct your score. Or can you not do it?"
At Liliya's words, Kim Joohyuk scratched his head and shrugged. He picked up a sword placed next to the simulation room and approached the Stone Goblin.
And watching that sight, she frowned.
Arrogant.
She had heard about Kim Joohyuk too.
The student who killed all 120 monsters Instructor Kim Yi-gun summoned to suppress the spirit, a student currently the subject of much talk among Valhalla instructors.
However, just because of that, she didn't think Kim Joohyuk would catch a Stone Goblin by stabbing it in the gut.
He might have caught 120 monsters because he was a natural genius, but killing a Stone Goblin by stabbing its stomach was practically nonsense.
It had Anti-Magic, and for Contractors wielding a Dao, attacks didn't work well unless they had mana above an A-rank Contractor. That was why Stone Goblins were usually disposed of with striking techniques.
She definitely thought so.
[Thwack!] [Screech!]
"It works, though?"
"...?"
Liliya wore a bewildered expression as she watched the Stone Goblin disappear with a hole in its stomach.
(End of Chapter 12)
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