Ch 175
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 175
I'm lying next to Luciel, rolling around together when the alarm goes off.
I take out my phone and see it's already 5 o'clock.
"I should get going now."
"Already?"
"What do you mean already? I've been here for over three hours. The other kids will be waking up soon, so I have to go."
"You're coming tomorrow too, right?"
"Of course. I'll stay longer tomorrow."
Tomorrow is Sunday, and I'm planning to go out with the excuse of going to the hospital, so I can stay longer than today.
"Got it. Don't forget the chocolate bars."
That damn chocolate bar, seriously.
Doesn't she ever get sick of it?
I tell her I understand and exit the portal, using Warp magic to return to the dormitory.
I check that everyone is sleeping well and lie down on my bed.
If I sleep now, I can get about two hours of sleep, but I'm not sleepy and I think it would be better to do Breathing exercises rather than sleep for just two hours.
Actually, I don't really need Breathing exercises either.
My sleep has decreased a lot as my level has risen.
I've also adjusted my sleep pattern to match lunchtime.
Lunchtime is one hour, and after eating, only about 20-30 minutes remain, but when I come to the dormitory and go to Luciel's world, I get at least 10 to 15 hours of free time.
I lie down thinking about various plans for the future, and the interview I saw during the day earlier comes to mind.
That last question was really unexpected.
***
Kang Shin-hyeok?
Why are they suddenly asking about a teacher?
Just as I was thinking it was strange, various memories began to surface.
[Shameless teacher Kang Shin-hyeok, did he cross the line that shouldn't be crossed with a student?]
[Illogical articles from the media without fact-checking. Teacher Kang Shin-hyeok is a true educator of this era.]
[Kang Shin-hyeok's disciple Kim Se-jin wins WHCU competition]
[Korea's first STB. Kang Shin-hyeok. Kim Dae-chan applies for STB]
[Korea's youngest S-rank hunter Kang Shin-hyeok]
[Kang Shin-hyeok's second disciple Seo Eunseo, WHCU winner]
[Korea's proud hunter Kang Shin-hyeok challenges Hell's Gate]
According to the memories that surfaced, he was quite an influential figure, but for some reason I have no memory of seeing him in the original work.
And Hell's Gate?
The true name of Hell's Gate is the Trial of Origin.
It's the portal that Kim Do-hyun challenges at the end of the original work to obtain the Stone of Origin.
The Stone of Origin, the only item that exists in this world where items don't exist.
It's a cheat item that grants any wish, and the novel ends with Kim Do-hyun challenging it to revive the heroines who died even though he won the fight against the Demon King.
Come to think of it, the last chapter said that a side story would be serialized later.
Of course, I didn't read the side story.
Hmm, so is Kang Shin-hyeok a character who appears in the side story?
No, then the timeline doesn't match.
What the hell is this?
"He's known for doing a lot of good work socially, including donations, and I've personally received a lot of help from him. Teacher Kang Shin-hyeok is the person I respect most in the world."
If the protagonist Kim Do-hyun says this much, he definitely can't be a character without significance, but why don't I remember him...
"Next."
I still didn't understand, but like Kim Do-hyun, I also packaged Kang Shin-hyeok well and talked about him as a great person.
Because he's the master of that Eunseo woman sitting in front of me who dumped me.
Just looking at his achievements alone, it's an undeniable fact that he's clearly an outstanding person.
"Next."
"Even as a man, I think he's really handsome, has a good personality, is kind, knows manners, and really cherishes and loves his students. I heard he was such an excellent and wonderful teacher."
It seems like the vice president is praising him because he knows Kang Shin-hyeok is his master, but isn't this too excessive?
"Not public opinion, but your thoughts..."
"Ah, yes. I haven't met him directly, but I've also personally received help. I understand that he supported my hospital bills when I was in a vegetative state. Personally, I think he's a perfect person. He's such a good person who could do more work, but it's so regrettable that he passed away at such a young age."
That bastard Min Chan-seong was also helped by him?
I think I need to investigate separately after the interview is over.
"Everyone speaks so well of him that I feel good too. Some of you might know, but most of our student council are from the swordsmanship club, and Teacher Kang taught us from our first year. Thank you."
The president is talking, and it seems he's also related to the president.
"Everyone did well, and the interview results will be individually notified to the phone numbers you wrote on your application forms. You may leave now."
I greeted them and came out.
That bastard Kim Do-hyun still doesn't give me a single glance and just passes by.
I applied to the student council to repair my relationship with him, but first I think I need to investigate that Kang Shin-hyeok guy.
I immediately returned to the dormitory and turned on my laptop.
I accessed the portal site and searched for Kang Shin-hyeok, and quite a lot of articles came up.
He's known to be dead now, but is it because he was the youngest S-rank hunter?
There are quite a lot of incidents besides what I remember.
A year ago, he even caught an executive from Antas Italy, not even Antas Korea.
No, what's this again?
He didn't just use swords but also used magic?
When I searched, Kang Shin-hyeok wasn't the first to use swords and magic simultaneously.
The one who published the theory was Bianca, the eldest daughter of the Conrad family, a member of the Ten Stars.
But even if Kang Shin-hyeok wasn't the first, both his swordsmanship and magic were apparently top-level.
Especially during school trip season, he solved terrorism by Antas Japan with magic and won the Magic Nobel Prize for developing Regeneration magic?
As far as I know, Regeneration magic is magic used by a fallen angel named Luciel that Kim Do-hyun meets in the Black Temple in his second year.
There's a scene where Luciel treats Kim Do-hyun, who lost his leg, with Regeneration magic.
How did this bastard manage this... Wait. Could this guy also have possessed someone like me?
Of course, there's a possibility that the real Kang Shin-hyeok developed it.
But it's not logically understandable for someone who wasn't originally a magician to create such magic in just a few months.
The more I investigate Kang Shin-hyeok, the more my suspicion turns into certainty.
The things Kang Shin-hyeok showed are at a level that can't be understood within common sense.
Kang Shin-hyeok started standing out after being appointed to the hunter school, so did he possess someone two years ago?
Of course, he was affiliated with Chase Guild, one of the top 10 guilds, before coming to the school, but he was doing solo activities and was dispatched to China rather than Europe or America, which means he wasn't that much of a notable talent.
Come to think of it, Kim Do-hyun said in the interview earlier that Kang Shin-hyeok helped him.
Now I understand why he rejected my help before.
If he was an S-rank hunter, he would have had considerable wealth, so paying off Kim Do-hyun's family debt and helping him wouldn't have been that difficult.
Kang Shin-hyeok is definitely a possessor like me.
If he wasn't a possessor, there's no way he would specifically help Kim Do-hyun, who he had no connection with, in middle school when he was in charge of high school.
He must have known that Kim Do-hyun was the protagonist.
One thing I don't understand is why the hell he challenged the Trial of Origin.
He made enormous money with WH Toto and owned a building worth hundreds of billions in Gangnam.
When his disciple Kim Se-jin inherited his estate after his death, the inheritance tax alone was over 150 billion, so he had tremendous wealth.
He had fame as the youngest S-rank hunter and a very good image.
He had all the conditions to live luxuriously, so why did he challenge the Trial of Origin...
Wait… could it be that?
In many fantasy novels I've read so far, the protagonists' ultimate goal is often to return to their original world.
They gain wealth and honor in the possessed world, but in the end, they often choose family, friends, and lovers from their original world.
Come to think of it, Kang Shin-hyeok had no lover.
Of course, there's Kim Se-jin, a disciple who inherited his estate, and there was a scandal before, but both strongly denied it and it was later revealed that Kim Dae-chan had pressured them.
Looking at Kang Shin-hyeok's photo, as Min Chan-seong praised earlier, his face is quite handsome.
There's no story that he was impotent, but it doesn't make sense for a man with money and ability not to date women.
Moreover, even if he initially played teacher to get the opportunities the protagonist gets, there was no need to continue being a teacher until the end.
If I were Kang Shin-hyeok, I would have quit being a teacher and enjoyed life by changing women every day of the week.
You can know a person's heart by their actions, and indeed, that bastard Kang Shin-hyeok seemed to have no attachment to this world and returning to the world he originally lived in was his top priority.
He might have lived well in his original world, or had a girlfriend he was dating... Ah! Maybe he was even married and had children.
With Kang Shin-hyeok's conditions, there would have been many women clinging to him, but he didn't date anyone.
If that were the case, it would make sense that he had no regrets.
Moreover, if he could return to his original world with the abilities he currently has by passing the Trial of Origin, he could make as much money as he wanted.
Right. There's no point staying here since the protagonist will take everything, there's Antas, and later even the Demon King will descend.
But unlike Kang Shin-hyeok, I have absolutely no intention of returning to the original world.
Because there's no one who would welcome me back.
Honestly, in the original world, I wasn't as handsome as Kang Shin-hyeok, but I wasn't that ugly either, and I exercised hard and dated many women.
But there was nothing like a relationship where we couldn't live without each other.
Even my last girlfriend, whom I dated for a year, immediately broke up with me when I told her I was going to the military.
Family?
Both my parents died in a traffic accident when I was in 9th grade, and I lived eating scraps at relatives' houses.
I thought it was fortunate that orphans were exempt from military service, but even that didn't apply to me.
My parents didn't pass away before I turned 13, so I had to take the physical examination without exception and got a Grade 1.
I entered university but it was a so-called crappy university and not an engineering major, so it had no prospects, and after going to the military, I was at a loss about what to do for a living.
But here, even if I'm a scoundrel, I'm the 3rd generation of a conglomerate.
Moreover, I know the original work.
Most importantly, Kang Shin-hyeok's choice was ultimately the wrong choice.
If that bastard Kang Shin-hyeok had challenged the Trial of Origin and succeeded, Hell's Gate should have disappeared, but Hell's Gate didn't disappear.
He must have died lonely without overcoming the Trial of Origin and without being able to return to his original world.
I packaged it well and spoke positively during the interview, but honestly, he's incredibly foolish.
I will never go back.
I'm a villain who gets disciplined by the protagonist, but I'll somehow overcome it and live well here, eating and living luxuriously.
***
"Chan-seong, did you get contacted?"
"Not yet. It hasn't come. What about you?"
"I haven't gotten it either... Did we both fail?"
The interview results from last Saturday were supposed to be individually notified by text on Monday.
"You said the interview went well. It's only lunchtime now, so they might not have sent it yet. Did Ji-hyeon get it?"
"No. Ji-hyeon also said she hasn't gotten it yet..."
I was about to say let's wait a little longer when Seong Ji-an puts her hand in her pocket and takes out her phone.
"Did you get contacted?"
"Yes! I passed."
Nam Ji-hyeon, who was in a different group a little away, approaches and brags that she also passed.
"Ji-an, did you also get contacted?"
"Yes."
"As expected, the seniors have good judgment. Chan-seong, looks like you completely failed?"
"..."
That bitch Nam Ji-hyeon is really more and more unlikeable the more I see her.
"Chan-seong, don't be too disappointed. They'll take more people in 2nd year, so let's do it together in 2nd year."
I also thought I did well in the interview.
Do-hyun obviously would have passed, and I wonder how Lee Ji-sung did. Looking at that guy by the window, he flinches while lying down and takes out his phone.
That bastard also seems to have passed.
Why only me...
"Hey, complete failure? You should have just stayed quiet to at least get average. Why did you even take the interview? You were going to fail anyway."
This bitch is really...adding fuel to the fire.
"Your crush Lee Ji-sung also seems to have passed? How nice... UGH!"
"Hey, I really told you that if you connect me with that trash one more time, you're dead, didn't I?"
She approaches and puts me in a headlock, and honestly, I could dodge it if I wanted to, but I just let her do it.
It would be strange if I, a magic student, dodged the attack of the most agile archery student ace.
It doesn't even hurt that much.
Even if I didn't make it, Lee Ji-sung did, so he'll handle it himself, but I'm a little disappointed.
Even if they don't know I'm Kang Shin-hyeok, I praised Kang Shin-hyeok so much in the interview, but they didn't pick me.
I was thinking that there's no point being nice to students when I felt a vibration in my pants pocket.
"Hey, wait a minute. I think I made it too."
Wondering if I made it too, I immediately took it out and checked.
What's this?
The texts that Ji-an and Nam Ji-hyeon showed said to come to the student council room after eating breakfast tomorrow, but somehow mine has different content.
[Come to the school rooftop by 6:30 after dinner today.]