Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Wastrel Son Kim Geon-ho (5)
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Kim Geon-ho was a piece of trash picked up from the Mountain Lords and showered with attention, only to be discarded once they realized he had no talent whatsoever.
He knew it himself, and since he was blatantly abandoned, his personality twisted into that of a wastrel son.
A mongrel not even worthy of being a fox under the tiger, treated like a mangy dog.
That was the infamy attached to Kim Geon-ho—a paradoxically concise summary that left minimal room for criticism.
Because the pup living in the tiger's den had always earned the label of "lowest" with its actions.
'Even wastrels have their grades.'
There were cases where they fulfilled their duties before rampaging without a care for prying eyes. But Kim Geon-ho was nothing like that.
'A dog that only barks at the weak.'
The lowliest scum who, from the bottom rung, dug up buried dirt just to spew insults.
Infinitely weak against the strong, brutal against the weak, a useless fool rotting away his days in booze and debauchery.
That's why he needed discipline, and the only method was to summon him personally and beat him bloody every time they met.
'No clue how he enrolled, but he must've pulled strings again.'
Whatever strings he pulled for this parachute drop into Hero Academy, it was time to show him hell. With that in mind, Lee Seung-jun planted himself in front of Kim Geon-ho, gang in tow. Normally, the mere sight would have the punk trembling, but today—for whatever reason—he wore a perfectly composed expression.
Had he forgotten who I was since we hadn't crossed paths after the social party? Feeling underestimated, Lee Seung-jun wasted no time.
"Well, if it isn't Mountain Lords mongrel Kim Geon-ho!"
Lee Seung-jun called out Kim Geon-ho's name loudly on purpose. Raising his voice in a spot where no one would wander was an indirect signal: no one's coming to save you.
'Now grovel and remember your place.'
Lucky bastard scooped up by the Mountain Lords, yet utterly useless. I despise you. Warped by inferiority and jealousy, Lee Seung-jun had no plans to let him off easy. He needed to snap at least one leg to soothe the itch inside.
"Uh, hey there, you retarded fuckers."
But what the hell? Far from cowering, Kim Geon-ho flashed a wide grin and fired back with curses.
'Has this fucker lost his mind?'
Did all the beatings finally snap his brain? Or had he gone so long without a thrashing that fear just evaporated? Where the hell do I even start re-educating this idiot?
'They say even a cornered rat bites the cat...'
But he was outnumbered from the jump, and their physical stats were leagues apart right now.
At the gang's center, such blatant disrespect couldn't stand. Lee Seung-jun lunged, grabbing Kim Geon-ho's collar to hoist him up.
"Huh?"
Thud.
No—he tried to. Lee Seung-jun's hand clamped futilely onto Kim Geon-ho's arm, immobilized. As Lee Seung-jun and his crew reeled from the shock, Kim Geon-ho's aggrieved rant poured out.
"Seung-jun-ah, I seriously remember all the times you beat the crap outta me, especially back in the day... Man, I've never run errands that hard in my life? You probably don't even recall... but I watched your back, fetched your smokes... condoms too... What else? Oh yeah, every time you called me a son of a bitch, I'd bark and come scampering. Just thinking about it wakes me up in a cold sweat..."
What nonsense is this? I never pushed him that far.
I'd planned to, sure—but more than half of what he was spouting were unrealized schemes. Sick of the bullshit, Lee Seung-jun opened his mouth to snap back.
Crack!
"Aaaargh!"
This time, Kim Geon-ho's fist flew first.
It nailed Lee Seung-jun's philtrum dead-on. His oversized knuckles shattered the nasal bone and split the upper lip wide open. Lee Seung-jun howled in agony, but Kim Geon-ho pressed on undeterred.
"I'm so pissed, you know that feeling? After a fight, you go, 'Damn, if I'd said this or handled it that way, it'd have turned out better.' If I just had one shot to redo it... thoughts like that."
But right now, it feels like I can make it happen—and damn, that feels good. With that, Kim Geon-ho waded into the gang's heart and cut loose.
Like a fox storming a henhouse. The beatdown was one-sided.
"Don't go blabbing that I beat you—no one'd believe it anyway."
Weakling trash mongrel, take your pick of slurs. Who'd buy that he came out on top? No one would, and pride alone would seal his lips. Advertise getting pummeled without landing a single clean hit? Lee Seung-jun wasn't that brain-dead.
Just sly in his bully ways—strong-arming the weak while kissing up to the strong, strutting in ill-fitting grandeur. The sort of trash that clumps around other trash like Kim Geon-ho, playing his bit part in the landfill.
'But damn, it feels good to unload.'
Each punch lifted a weight off my chest. So many grudges piled up, it felt like I'd thrashed him to death's door. As the son of a solid mid-tier corp, his body's probably tough. Brushing off pointless worries, I headed straight for the entrance ceremony hall.
"Hey, isn't that... him?"
"Yeah... whoa."
The whispers hit my ears the moment I stepped into the auditorium. Truth be told, only a tiny fraction were gossiping about me.
'Way too many bigger fish...'
It was obvious the Empire's crown prince Rastel Apael would eclipse a wastrel like Kim Geon-ho.
"It's Rastel."
"Whoa, never thought I'd see him here."
'Korean with a name like that...'
Weird setup. Some Westerner plants roots here, spawns Western names with Korean nationality—bizarre cultural mashup or whatever.
His actual roots? Hair's golden blonde, eyes to match. Exotic looks spitting flawless Korean—still trips me out every time.
On top of him, Siberia's rep Karan Max, the tone-deaf diva Airi Grashiel I'd just rescued, and more. Protagonist-and-side vibes screamed from a mile away.
Main cast and supports making flashy entrances. As expected, no Rags-to-Riches freshmen showed for the ceremony.
'Marren too—introverts are such a hassle.'
Blessed types who slot right into the plot without mugging for the spotlight at key events. Makes me jealous every damn time.
'Alright, any second now.'
First timeline, I lived academy-free, but intel never stopped flowing. Hunting escape hatches from this novel—or anything to dodge a trash death. All for nothing; ended up butchered by family anyway.
'Not this time.'
Every unyielding moment stacked up, handing me this golden shot.
The must-happen event on Hero Academy's opening day—a classic academy trope.
Rumble rumble rumble—BOOM! Crash!
The floor caved in suddenly, birthing a monster straight out of nowhere.
"Kyaaaaah!"
The screamer wasn't some injured freshman caught in the blast—it was the monster. Usual suspects? Grotesque, nightmarish, or ripped from internet memes.
But this one crawling from the pit? Human shape, acting scared witless—if not for the jumbled facial mush, you'd swear it was just a terrified joe.
"Help! Save me!"
"Kyaaaaah! Save me! Please!"
Launched by the collapse, it latched onto a toppled freshman's ankle, parroting human pleas.
Ceremony hadn't kicked off—no guards or profs on deck to smoke it. Unprecedented, so zero prep. Dozens of freshmen bought it right there, helpless.
'This kicked off the novel's real arc.'
Monsters weren't piggy banks anymore, dying pretty for human progress. You bleed too—this is your warning.
That's what this freak delivered: human guise, chomping promising kids like snacks. Freshmen dreaming big on day one? Straight to hell.
"Everyone, back off!"
But heroes aren't born—they're forged.
Even in the jaws of despair, fear-breakers emerge.
Rastel did. Airi did. Karan too.
'Marren's probably sensing the weird vibe and inbound...'
Essential poise for plot-drivers. Team up, slay the beast, prove the hype's real.
'If it'd gone canon.'
I edged toward the monster, drawing my dagger from inside my robes.
Glam lineup gains: wastrel Kim Geon-ho takes the stage.