I Think The Kids Are A Bit Strange? (2) - The Constellations Are My Disciples

"What...? Psycho?"

"If you talk to someone over ten times and then say 'never mind' just to piss them off, is that the behavior of a normal person, you psychopath?"

At Kim Joohyuk's rage-filled voice, Yoo So-yeon flinched with an 'Urgh' expression but soon opened her mouth as if refusing to lose.

"S-Still, I'm not a psycho!?"

"You are a psycho!"

"I'm not!"

"You are!"

"I'm not!!!"

"You are!!!"

"I'm not!!!"

Watching Yoo So-yeon stubbornly insist with her teeth gritted, Kim Joohyuk unwittingly began imagining himself pulling out the Chongeom stored in his embrace.

Whether man or woman, Kim Joohyuk treated everyone equally.

Should I just blow her head off? One shot could cure that mental illness instantly...!

Kim Joohyuk tapped his right hand, pondering momentarily, but soon sighed and waved his hand.

"Fine. I'll say you're not."

"It's not about saying I'm not, I'm really not!"

"Got it. So, your business is done now, right?"

"Huh? Ah, y-yeah."

Yoo So-yeon nodded with a bewildered expression.

"Then I'm going."

Kim Joohyuk waved his hand at her once and walked away quickly. Yoo So-yeon, who had been staring blankly, belatedly remembered her original purpose and tried to catch him, but...

"...Huh."

Kim Joohyuk had already disappeared down the hallway. Yoo So-yeon let out a hollow laugh.

Meanwhile, having returned to the dormitory, Kim Joohyuk immediately began preparations for martial arts cultivation—or to be precise, to accumulate mana.

Well, preparation just meant changing into a tracksuit since he might sweat a lot.

[Mana training?]

Yeah. Though it'll be different from the mana training kids do these days.

Kim Joohyuk frowned as he recalled how Contractors nowadays accumulated mana in their bodies, which he had learned in a previous class.

The peak of inefficiency.

He didn't know why, but all Contractors, including students, accumulated mana not through cultivation methods or effort, but by absorbing mana using a device called an 'Efficiency Enhancer' through a special space.

Of course, the modern method wasn't completely wrong.

Either way, accumulating mana through a device allowed one to store a large amount of mana in the body in a shorter time than practicing internal cultivation methods or other ways.

Considering this world was one that weirdly went all-in on mana just to lean on things called Constellations, it was understandable that mana cultivation had evolved in this way.

However, Kim Joohyuk knew just how inefficient this method, now established as common sense in this world, truly was.

Well, it might be good at the very beginning.

The cultivation methods Kim Joohyuk knew, or methods of increasing capacity by using mana to the limit, were certainly exhausting and took a tremendous amount of time, while gathering absurdly little mana in comparison.

In contrast, those absorbing mana through Efficiency Enhancers absorbed a tremendous amount in a short period.

Looking at just this, the Efficiency Enhancer side looked better to anyone, but that was strictly on the surface.

Even if they suck in atmospheric mana in such a short time, the quality is undeniably poor.

Yes, it might look like a lot right now.

At the moment of absorption.

However, mana absorbed like that couldn't be properly utilized no matter how much was taken into the body, and its efficiency was extremely low.

To put it more intuitively: a task that could be done with a single handful of mana gathered through cultivation would require pouring in a massive amount of mana gathered by an Efficiency Enhancer.

Well, it seems some families use both Efficiency Enhancers and family-inherited cultivation methods to gather mana, but...

The quality of mana might rise slightly, but it was over the moment they absorbed mana with an Efficiency Enhancer.

"Phew."

Therefore, Kim Joohyuk intended to accumulate mana through the cultivation method he knew from the past rather than absorbing it with an Efficiency Enhancer.

Well, honestly, it wasn't something grand enough to be called 'Martial Arts.'

What Kim Joohyuk knew was merely a type of breathing technique that every Hunter did 300 years ago, which he had modified in his own way.

"Huuu—"

Kim Joohyuk exhaled deeply and felt the mana in his body.

The mana he felt was more than at the very beginning, but compared to the past, it was a speck as small as dust.

However, even that small amount of mana was enough to perform the Microcosmic Orbit he knew. He began moving the mana with practiced ease.

The Microcosmic Orbit began.

And.

"...Look at this?"

Kim Joohyuk realized the performance this body possessed and smiled.

❋ ❋ ❋

In this world, there existed beings called Villains.

Villains.

Hearing the name, it sounded like a description for a humanoid monster, but this title was attached to humans, not monsters.

And not just ordinary Contractors, but Contractors who used their power to commit crimes.

The title attached to them was 'Villain.'

"Villains are basically often individuals, but there are also many groups. And the famous one among those groups is 'One Believer', known as an international criminal organization. Even among Constellations, they—"

The next day, during class.

While the history instructor was passionately talking about the topic 'What is a Villain?', Kim Joohyuk was lost in other thoughts.

Why on earth was such a good body ruined to that extent?

It was a thought about this body.

While training his physique, Kim Joohyuk realized his body wasn't at an incredible level, but it still had some talent.

However, when he handled mana yesterday, Kim Joohyuk realized this body had some talent in the mana aspect as well.

Of course, it wasn't a monstrous talent.

There was definitely talent for both physique and mana, but perhaps because he had both, he couldn't reach the level of a genius.

But for Kim Joohyuk, even that was something to be grateful for.

After all, he was one of those who had crawled up from somewhere in the lower ranks of mediocrity through sheer grit.

Anyway, leaving that aside, the part Kim Joohyuk felt suspicion about was the state of this body when he first entered it.

...Normally, if there's talent, it's not easy for a body to be ruined like that.

While mediocrity fails no matter how hard it tries, talent improves skill quickly with just a little movement simply by having it.

In short, having talent meant a person would display some level of power just by existing.

But how was this body?

It was a complete cripple.

Recalling the body that wasn't just average but completely broken when considered as a Contractor, he could conclude that something had happened before he reincarnated.

Well, that didn't mean Kim Joohyuk intended to dig into this body's past deeds.

I have a lot to do, and above all, it's annoying.

Around the time Kim Joohyuk began to fold his thoughts about this body.

[Tap tap—]

Kim Joohyuk turned his gaze at the feeling of someone lightly touching his arm.

"?"

Seeing a small note thrust toward him, he raised his gaze to look at Yoo So-yeon sitting next to him.

As if yesterday's matter wasn't over yet, she had moved her seat right next to him today. Recalling that she had been fidgeting for a while, he took the note she offered.

And the content of the unfolded note.

[Hey.]

...Is she really a psychopath?

Is this really worth answering? Kim Joohyuk thought this a dozen times, but eventually, he answered her using the mechanical pencil he hadn't used except for pop quizzes.

[What.]

Kim Joohyuk wrote 'What' right below 'Hey' and passed the note back.

From then on, she looked at the note, turning her head this way and that with a troubled expression. Only after a whopping 30 minutes passed did she pass the note back to him.

[Th-The Stone Goblin you caught in the last Labyrinth Monster class. How did you do that?]

Kim Joohyuk turned his gaze to Yoo So-yeon at the content written on the note.

He didn't know what exactly was embarrassing, but seeing her white skin flushed red, Kim Joohyuk chuckled incredulously. He thought for a moment, then wrote down an answer.

"Alright, we will end today's class here. Also, outing applications are available this weekend, so anyone who needs to go out, make sure to apply."

In the meantime, class ended.

Only when the instructor finished speaking and was about to leave did Kim Joohyuk neatly fold the note he wrote and pass it to Yoo So-yeon.

"!"

Yoo So-yeon snatched the letter Kim Joohyuk passed with the speed of light.

Watching her, Kim Joohyuk chuckled and spoke.

"Hey, don't open that here. Make sure to open it when you get to the dorm."

"...Why?"

"It's my trade secret. It'll be trouble if others find out. Got it?"

At Kim Joohyuk's question filled with mischievous laughter, Yoo So-yeon nodded, thinking Kim Joohyuk wasn't as bad a person as she thought.

However.

Exactly one hour later in the dormitory.

[Not telling]

"Aaaargh!! You son of a bitch!!"

Yoo So-yeon screamed.

❋ ❋ ❋

That afternoon, Physical Training Room.

Choi Ah-rin: (Emoticon of a cute rabbit crying)

Kim Joohyuk: Whywhywhywhywhywhyyy.

Choi Ah-rin: I don't think I can train tomorrow, I have to go out...

Kim Joohyuk: Grats.

Choi Ah-rin: ?

Kim Joohyuk: ?

Choi Ah-rin: ?

Kim Joohyuk: I said have a good trip.

Choi Ah-rin: (Emoticon of a rabbit laughing kya-kya)

Kim Joohyuk: I saw it so stop.

Only seeing the messages stop then did Kim Joohyuk put down his smartphone and drink the water in his tumbler.

I don't know why she keeps repeating the same thing until I answer.

As he stared blankly at the tumbler thinking that, Varche spoke to him.

[You are diligent.]

Thinking about not being able to train tomorrow, I should work hard now.

[Do you plan to do something else tomorrow?]

I'm going out for a bit.

[Ah, come to think of it, the instructor said you could go out.]

You never say anything, but I guess you're always watching?

[I am bored.]

Kim Joohyuk nodded at the reason that was both bored and accurate.

[So, why are you going out?]

At his question, Kim Joohyuk grinned and answered.

"To earn money."

(End of Chapter 15)

Chapter 15 - I Think The Kids Are A Bit Strange? (2)