Bets Aren't Something You Make Lightly (1)

To reiterate, Kim Joo-hyuk's personality wasn't exactly stellar compared to anyone else.

To be more precise, the world he'd lived through had forced even the kindest soul into a harsh life that stripped away any semblance of a good temperament.

But that didn't make him some utter piece of trash either.

He knew what needed protecting, after all.

In short, no matter how rough his personality, he wasn't some psycho who'd spit curses at a total stranger right off the bat.

Yeah, definitely not...

...And a ton more comments like that.

But if Kim Joo-hyuk saw these posts, he wouldn't bat an eye before firing back.

Those fuckers deserve every bit of it.

Right from the start, when he'd taken first place at Valhalla and stepped out of the hall, amid the swarming crowd, Kim Joo-hyuk had politely turned them down.

Loud enough for everyone to hear.

But who ignored his clear voice and hounded him relentlessly just because he was a student? The scouts.

So when the curses finally flew after holding back, that was not on him.

If anyone's at fault, it's the scouts.

Thanks to that, though...

[Welcome to Valhalla. This Valhalla has a storied history of 100 years—]

At the ongoing Valhalla entrance ceremony, Kim Joo-hyuk was drawing attention for all sorts of reasons.

But he didn't think he'd fucked up big time or anything.

'Grab it quick and bounce.'

He had zero intention of playing the diligent student life anyway.

What was there even to learn here?

He'd only come to Valhalla to check out that message about finding memories in a divine weapon—something that screamed connection to his reincarnation.

'Plus a few other things to confirm while I'm at it.'

So Kim Joo-hyuk didn't give a damn about outside gossip and casually ignored the stares swarming him.

And then.

[—With that, we conclude the entrance ceremony.]

Kim Joo-hyuk was officially a Valhalla student.

***

"Phew..."

Standing before Valhalla's famed virtual combat simulator, a man sighed as he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyed his new students.

Kim I-gun, once an executive in the Choi Jin Guild with solid name recognition, now Valhalla's combat instructor and teacher, let out a deep breath while scanning his assigned class.

'...What the hell is this lineup?'

He genuinely wanted to drag whoever made this class assignment back for a word—it was that absurd.

Sure, he knew Valhalla's assignments were fully randomized to prevent the five great families from meddling.

But even so, wasn't this a bit much?

'How the fuck did three kids from the five great families end up in my class?'

Kim I-gun scowled, double-checking his roster against the faces in front of him.

Right up front: Yoo So-yeon of the Yushin family. Next to her, Choi Ah-rin of the Choi Jin family. And in the middle, Oh Se-hyeok of the Oseon family, looking pissed as hell.

But what really cracked his mental armor?

'Kim Joo-hyuk, why the fuck is this guy here too?'

The center of all the recent hot controversy was staring him down from the back row.

'...I'm screwed.'

Glancing between the five-family heirs and Kim Joo-hyuk, Kim I-gun instinctively knew this year was doomed.

As a teacher, his job was to wrangle these kids and get them to the next grade in one piece.

But when the ones you gotta control are arrogant brats who buck every rule?

Teacher suffers, obviously.

'What to do...'

So Kim I-gun pondered his students for a moment.

Should he crush their spirits ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right off the bat?

Someone might scoff at "spirit-crushing" tactics, but at Valhalla, the homeroom teacher's grip on discipline was paramount.

Keep 'em in line under your thumb, and maybe—just maybe—you survive the year without migraines.

'Especially that one...'

Kim I-gun glanced up at Kim Joo-hyuk.

The mystery monster who'd blitzed first place in the entrance ceremony.

That alone wouldn't have him this tense, but after seeing the guy's post-ceremony antics? His gut screamed this kid would be a headache.

His conclusion?

'Gotta crush spirits.'

No matter how he sliced it, knocking these kids down a peg now seemed smartest.

That was why he'd summoned them to the virtual combat room instead of a classroom.

Decision made, he hit the prepped button.

Vwoooom—!

"Wh-what the!?"

Students panicked.

But Kim I-gun stayed cool, gripping his pre-drawn sword.

Kreeeeak!!

The moment he did, monsters spawned all around the virtual combat room.

Orcs, goblins, gremlins.

F- to C-rank, but the numbers were key.

'Exactly 120.'

He'd have summoned more if the system could handle it, but he stopped at another button press.

Krelek! Kreaaak!

Hyper-realistic despite being simulated, the monsters surged toward the students in the room's center the instant they spawned.

"Gaaah!"

Screams rang out.

But.

Thung! Thud thud thud!!

The horde slammed into a massive hemispherical barrier, blocked cold.

"Wh-what is this."

Students panicked, eyes darting fearfully.

Even the five-family kids looked rattled, scanning around in confusion.

Satisfied, Kim I-gun spoke.

"Kim Joo-hyuk. Step forward."

Kim Joo-hyuk blinked blankly for a sec, then walked up.

Kim I-gun eyed his calm face with clear distaste, then opened his mouth.

"Can you handle these monsters solo?"

"...The ones charging right now?"

"Yes."

Kim I-gun's face was grave, but inside? Smirking.

He knew full well no freshman could tackle this.

Even Valhalla's elite newbies were still newbies.

Not freaking out at this horde when most had barely seen real monsters? That'd be weirder.

So he waited confidently for the refusal—but Kim Joo-hyuk just gave him a weird look.

Silence hung.

Then.

Pfft.

'...He's laughing?'

Kim Joo-hyuk suddenly snickered at his expression, making Kim I-gun scowl.

"...Laughing in this situation? Guess you can handle 'em solo, then."

Kim Joo-hyuk kept smiling.

"Yup."

"Then do it."

"Barehanded?"

"...What?"

"Kinda weird, right? Never heard of hazing on day one like this. If you're making me do it outta nowhere, shouldn't you put something on the line too, teach?"

"You wanna bet?"

"Finally, someone who gets it. If I clear all those monsters, what're you offering?"

Kim I-gun stared in disbelief.

First place or not, he was just top freshman.

In contractor terms? Promising talent, sure—but still a raw student.

Irritation boiled over into a blatant sneer.

"Clear all 120 monsters here, and I'll grant any one thing I can with teacher privileges."

"Eh, kinda skimpy. But fine, deal."

"Hah, cocky much? You don't get it—these simulated monsters are identical to the real deal. Getting hit hurts just the same—"

"Got it, so lend me a weapon already."

"What?"

"How'm I supposed to fight barehanded? You aren't seriously saying fists only, right?"

Kim Joo-hyuk cut him off, bold as brass.

Kim I-gun scowled, wordlessly tossed him the sword, radiating annoyance as he glared.

All eyes on Kim Joo-hyuk.

Clack—

Monster heads started flying through the air.