But It Works, Doesn't It? (1)
Five days later.
Early morning in Valhalla's physical training room.
“Hah… hah…”
Kim Joo-hyuk watched Choi Ah-rin, who had collapsed beside him after sprinting at full speed, and smirked as he spoke.
“You said you were training, so why are you dying like this?”
At his question, Choi Ah-rin glared at him resentfully and gasped out an answer.
“You're the… weird one… hah… normally… people don't— ”
“Don't talk while you're about to pass out. Just breathe first.”
Kim Joo-hyuk waved her off lightly and sat down.
Choi Ah-rin caught her breath for a while before putting on a strangely dissatisfied expression.
“You're the weird one. Normally, no one trains like this.”
“What do you mean 'normally'? If you're going to fight monsters, isn't this the bare minimum?”
Choi Ah-rin shook her head at his words.
“You use mana.”
“Aren't you relying on mana too much?”
“...?”
“Why the hell are you looking at me like you don't get it?”
Choi Ah-rin seemed to ponder something for a moment, then tilted her head slightly and asked.
“Isn't that obvious?”
“How the fuck is that obvious?”
“You borrow power from the constellations using mana.”
“...”
Kim Joo-hyuk unwittingly shut his mouth at her words, then nodded as if it suddenly made sense.
“Yeah, come to think of it, that's right.”
Tilt.
“What?”
At Choi Ah-rin's question, Kim Joo-hyuk waved his hand dismissively. Her words reminded him once again of this world's common sense, and he made an incredulous face.
Instead of building their own strength, they just rely on these things called constellations like it's normal.
No matter how he thought about it, Kim Joo-hyuk found this world's common sense utterly foolish.
Of course, since entering Valhalla, he'd picked up some info from academy classes and outside media, so he knew why they depended on constellations like this.
Fast growth...
Fast growth.
To be precise, it wasn't even real growth—just borrowing someone else's power was way easier, so people in this world ignored physical training and focused solely on raising their mana.
And proof of that was right here: in this vast training room, there was only Kim Joo-hyuk, Choi Ah-rin, and Oh Se-hyeok quietly repeating bench presses in the corner.
That guy's smart in that regard.
Kim Joo-hyuk glanced over at Oh Se-hyeok.
He was bench-pressing a weight that looked ridiculously heavy.
Kim Joo-hyuk remembered him as a smug asshole from their first meeting, so when they ended up in the same class, he'd figured Oh Se-hyeok would start shit out of inferiority. But after getting knocked down in one hit, the guy hadn't acted arrogant at all.
All Kim Joo-hyuk ever saw was him working out in the training hall.
Well, looks like he's got natural talent in physical stuff anyway.
Even if it was talent, it still looked better than forcing mana output just to borrow power from constellations.
From Kim Joo-hyuk's perspective, this “common sense” was nothing but pointless bullshit for swinging power around a bit faster and easier.
What happens if those constellation bastards stop lending their power?
And that wasn't all.
What if a fight in a labyrinth or dungeon dragged on for days and your mana ran dry?
Or if the labyrinth or dungeon blocked mana in the first place?
They're fucking vulnerable as hell.
Kim Joo-hyuk clicked his tongue at the thought and turned to look at Choi Ah-rin.
“Hey.”
“?”
“Why are you even doing physical training?”
“...??”
Choi Ah-rin didn't say it out loud, but her face screamed, Are you seriously asking?
But when Kim Joo-hyuk just stared blankly without responding, she finally spoke.
“...Because you told me to?”
“That's the only reason?”
Her eyes shook in momentary panic at his question, but she nodded.
“Yeah. You said you'd teach me if I did this.”
Kim Joo-hyuk nodded with a strange expression, then spoke as if he'd gotten it.
“Alright, that's enough for today.”
“...Aren't you leaving?”
“Gonna do one more set. You wanna join?”
“...”
Seeing her eyes tremble at his words, he smirked and waved her off.
“Don't have to. Besides, shouldn't you get ready for school soon?”
At that, Choi Ah-rin nodded with visible relief, said “see you later,” and left the training hall.
“Hoo— hoo—”
With that, Kim Joo-hyuk began his own physical training.
[Shouldn't you be getting ready soon too?]
As he ran lap after lap, Barche's voice echoed in his head, and Kim Joo-hyuk replied.
It won't take long, so I'll finish this and go.
After spending days with Barche, Kim Joo-hyuk could now converse with him just by thinking, no words needed.
[That Choi Ah-rin girl? She's got a good eye. Saying that after seeing your way.]
I was surprised too, so I figured I'd teach her a bit. More importantly, this place just keeps getting weirder the more I learn.
[What do you mean?]
These constellations. What the fuck are they all?
[I am a constellation, technically, but after 300 years locked up, I know jack shit about them.]
You're useless from top to bottom.
Barche shrugged at Kim Joo-hyuk's grumbling.
[Can't help it. I was basically in solitary for 300 years—what did you expect?]
Your answers are kinda shitty.
[Sh... shitty...?]
Barche deflated immediately at Kim Joo-hyuk's irritation.
[...Ahem, anyway. If you take me to the second condition like it says, maybe something'll jog my memory, right?]
That's why I haven't smashed you yet.
Barche fell silent for a bit before changing the subject.
[Still, it's surprising. It's been five days since that incident already?]
Five days since what?
[Those punks who were mouthing off to you.]
Oh, them?
[I figured they'd cause some trouble one way or another, but nothing? Unexpected.]
Kim Joo-hyuk snorted and recalled five days ago as he answered.
I told you, they can't do shit.
He'd never gone to school, but in his 300 years navigating that filthy, ugly world, he'd seen plenty like them.
Trash who stomped on the weak but froze against the strong.
And they clung desperately to what little they had.
To Kim Joo-hyuk, Reric fit that profile perfectly.
If he admits I wrecked him, he'll lose too much himself.
That said, Kim Joo-hyuk was thinking more about what came after Reric.
Wonder who it is.
There was no reason for Reric's crew to tangle with him.
Yet Reric had picked a fight on purpose, which meant someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.
...Who could it be?
But Kim Joo-hyuk couldn't pinpoint who easily.
...Not like you're the first asshole I've chewed out.
It was past the two-week mark since enrolling in Valhalla, and the early parade of idiots who'd come complaining and left humiliated had faded, but there'd been too many to narrow it down.
Best would be to just ask that thug...
He was annoyed at whoever instigated it, but digging around was a hassle, and above all, a waste of time. So Kim Joo-hyuk decided to let it slide.
If they're pissed, they'll come at me again.
####
Virtual Combat Experience Room.
Lilya, one of Valhalla's senior instructors and the specialist for the “Labyrinth Monsters” course, had a reputation among students as incredibly strict.
Unlike other instructors who gave leeway on tests, she graded meticulously and docked points mercilessly.
Bribes that worked subtly on some others? Not a chance with her.
Anyway, thorough to a fault—and thus poorly rated by others—Lilya stared at Kim Joo-hyuk standing before her with an incredulous expression.
Why the face?
Last week's pop quiz.
“...Student Kim Joo-hyuk, did you actually take this test properly?”
“Yeah, I did it properly.”
“Even like this?”
Lilya shoved his test paper in his face, covered in red slashes.
And atop those slashes was his score.
Zero.
But Kim Joo-hyuk glanced at it and said,
“Yeah. I took it properly.”
Lilya shut her mouth, face still disbelieving.
Even she, strict as she was, knew this course was crucial, but she hadn't expected much from a surprise quiz.
The students' scores were all poor, after all.
But zero...!
Frowning, Lilya scanned the paper.
What's the most effective way to deal with a stone goblin in a labyrinth?
(Stab it in the gut.)
You spot eight jungle goblins charging straight at you in a linear labyrinth. What's the right move?
(One-shot each as they come.)
“Ha!”
If there'd been even slightly normal answers, she wouldn't have nitpicked—she planned to teach all the monsters from today's test, their traits, and countermeasures, even demonstrating personally.
Yes, if only.
“...Are you messing with me right now?”
Lilya snapped sharply.
Even as her white eyes narrowed fiercely, Kim Joo-hyuk replied calmly.
“Not messing around.”
“...Is stabbing a stone goblin in the gut the most effective way?”
“Yeah. One-shots it.”
“...Stone goblins have official B+ magic resistance. Normal sword aura doesn't work. And you're gonna gut-stab it?”
“Yes.”
Lilya swept back her short white hair in disbelief and fiddled with the remote.
Kruk— geruk geruk—!
A stone goblin materialized.
Unlike typical goblins, it stood as tall as an average adult male. Lilya glanced at it, then jerked her chin at Kim Joo-hyuk.
“Do it.”
“Pardon?”
“I said do it. If you can pull off everything on that paper, I'll fix your score. Or can't you?”
Kim Joo-hyuk scratched his head, shrugged, grabbed a sword from the rack nearby, and approached the stone goblin.
Watching him, she frowned.
Cocky little shit.
She'd heard about him.
The student who'd taken down all 120 monsters that Instructor Kim I-gun summoned to assert dominance—big talk among the instructors lately.
But that didn't mean she bought he'd kill a stone goblin with a gut stab.
120 monsters? Maybe he was a natural genius.
But stone goblins had magic resistance, and contractors who wielded the Way needed A-rank mana or higher for attacks to stick—hence blunt force was standard.
That's what she thought.
Puk! Kieeeek!
“Told you it works.”
“...?”
Lilya gaped as the stone goblin vanished with a hole in its gut.