Who the Hell Are You? (1)
Rockdil Ventrek.
He was a branch member of the great Ventrek family.
Yes, a branch member.
In truth, branch members excluded from the direct line didn't wield much power or influence in a normal family. But Rockdil—no, the Ventrek family's branches—held authority that rivaled even the direct line.
The reason? The Guardian Constellation protecting the Ventrek family.
Typically, the S-grade or higher Guardian Constellations safeguarding each family selected their contractors based on strict personal criteria, bestowing blessings and power only on those they deemed worthy.
In short, standard family Guardian Constellations chose who received their power themselves—and even then, they only formed full contracts if the candidate met their conditions, not just a mere blessing.
But the Ventrek family was different. Their constellation didn't choose contractors—the family members did. And the family's Guardian Constellation, Beak Mask, accepted their choices without complaint, granting blessings and contracts accordingly.
Thanks to this unique structure, the Ventrek family wielded immense power in England, and by extension, across Europe.
After all, for ordinary people outside the family who produced these heirs, securing a blessing or contract from an S-grade constellation was a massive advantage.
Even just a Ventrek blessing was no small thing. It beat contracting with some half-assed C- or D-grade constellation whose powers were weak anyway.
So, while not quite on the direct line's level, Ventrek branch members still commanded tremendous influence.
Rockdil's arrogance pierced the heavens. He believed there was nothing in this world beyond his grasp.
Of course, he'd recently been kicked out of the British academy after going overboard to get what he wanted, drawing the ire of the direct line. But that didn't matter.
'If they've cast me out, I'll rack up achievements and worm my way back in.'
Rockdil recalled the personality of the woman who'd exiled him.
She'd banished him to protect the family, but if he delivered results that benefited the family—and pleased her specifically—she'd call him back.
Yes, that's the kind of person she was.
And besides—
'I've already got what I wanted.'
Rockdil grinned slyly and glanced at the blonde woman standing behind him.
Even with her perpetually emotionless expression, her beauty was flawless—Yuria de Palis.
Gazing at her, Rockdil figured the effort was more than worth it.
Sure, her constant lack of emotion was annoying, but a bit of "training" would fix that in time.
With his signature sleazy smirk, he turned his attention to the paper in his hand.
"Kim Joo-hyuk, huh..."
Kim Joo-hyuk.
An orphan who'd crushed every heir from Korea's five great families to claim first place at Valhalla.
Rockdil had no idea how a damn orphan had beaten scions backed by S-grade constellation blessings, but it didn't matter to him.
'Perfect prey for padding my resume.'
To Rockdil, Kim Joo-hyuk was just a stepping stone—an achievement to get back in the family's good graces.
Would that alone convince her to reinstate him? Maybe not. But scouting Kim Joo-hyuk as a starting point? Solid move.
So, the moment Rockdil opened the door to the next class and spotted Kim Joo-hyuk, he spoke up.
"Nice to meet you, Kim Joo-hyuk."
"Who the hell are you?"
Kim Joo-hyuk scowled at him and spat the words.
Rockdil flinched for a split second but quickly composed himself.
'Typical uneducated orphan shit. Doesn't even know who I am or what the Ventrek family means.'
Sure enough, every other student in the class stared at Rockdil, recognizing him—and his family.
"I'm Rockdil of the Ventrek family."
"And?"
"..."
'...Fucking rude asshole.'
Rockdil gaped at Kim Joo-hyuk's blatant disdain, a mix of shock and fresh rage bubbling up. No one had ever dared speak to him like that—not since he'd started riding the Ventrek name.
But he held it in. Kim Joo-hyuk would hear his offer and bow eventually. He could "educate" the kid later.
'No way some orphan turns down my offer.'
Actually, it was a goddamn great deal for Kim Joo-hyuk.
Even at Valhalla, non-family students mostly contracted B- to D-grade constellations at best—and only if the constellations picked them.
The Ventreks? Accept, and you'd skip all that uncertainty for an S-grade blessing, guaranteed.
By Rockdil's standards, it was a no-lose proposition for an orphan like him. Confident, Rockdil opened his mouth—
"Kim Joo-hyuk, don't you want power? If you come under me, I'll grant you the blessing of our Ventrek—"
"What the fuck are you even babbling about, you retard?"
"...What?"
—and promptly froze.
No, it wasn't just Rockdil. Everyone who'd been watching—from the students to Yuria trailing silently behind—went stock-still, eyes wide.
Kim Joo-hyuk, oblivious to the atmosphere, kept going.
"You a retard or what? Can't you tell from how I'm talking?"
"What the hel—"
"I said I don't need it. I've been making it obvious I'm not interested, but you keep shoving it in my face. Attention whore?"
"You calling me an attention whore—"
"Not an attention whore? Then a retard?"
"Do you even know who you're talking to like—"
"Gotta be one or the other if you're yapping at me like this. Right?"
Rockdil just gaped, mouth flapping uselessly.
But soon enough, fury ignited as the insults sank in. He reared back to unleash a tirade—
"Rockdil Ventrek, class is starting. Return to your own room."
"You giving me orders—"
"This isn't the British academy. Ventrek or not, you're at Valhalla as an exchange student. You follow the instructors' orders."
—only for Combat Instructor Lee Sang-cheol, who'd entered for class, to shut him down cold. Rockdil and Yuria had no choice but to leave.
Day two of classes at Valhalla.
The next lesson kicked off right after lunch.
"So, the latte is... when that S-grade dungeon Nest popped up—"
Seeing everyone nodding off from food comas, Kim Joo-hyuk clicked his tongue and scratched his head.
'Fucking annoying.'
Truth was, Kim Joo-hyuk wasn't in the best mood today.
Three reasons, mainly. First: martial arts training.
He'd headed back to the dorm last night to finally get serious.
'This body's a total fucking wreck...'
Straight up, he hadn't been able to practice any martial arts.
Hell, he couldn't even circulate the mana in his body properly.
Why? The amount of mana in this body was pathetically low.
'If it was just low, fine. But...'
Weirdly, this body made circulating mana a nightmare.
'I can probably force it enough for today's stuff, at least.'
Separately, he just plain hated this body.
'And I could fix it if I found that.'
But the real mood-killer was reason two.
'These fuckers are so goddamn persistent.'
Not that he'd meant to, but Kim Joo-hyuk had dropped f-bombs on the reporters yesterday, sparking a shitstorm of controversy and making his stance crystal clear: he wasn't joining any group.
Yet despite the insults and his wiki page now plastered with scandals, the offers kept coming since morning.
Texts to his phone, proxies via instructors and students since outsiders couldn't enter Valhalla—it was hell when he was holed up in his room, struggling to move mana.
And reason three...
"Tell me."
"No."
"Tell me."
"No."
"Tell me."
"I said no."
"Tell me."
"..."
"Tell me."
"...Are you a actual psychopath?"
"Tell me."
...Choi Ah-rin, who'd been shadowing him since yesterday, repeating the same damn phrase like a broken robot.
If it were any other student, he'd have spilled every detail at a single word from her.
She was drop-dead gorgeous, after all. And her family was top-tier.
But to Kim Joo-hyuk, Choi Ah-rin—barging in demanding swordsmanship lessons out of nowhere—was nothing but a nuisance.
"Tell me."
"Is that all you can say?"
Exasperated, Kim Joo-hyuk snapped. Choi Ah-rin tilted her head, her long black hair sliding off her shoulder with a soft rustle.
"...Teach me, please?"
"..."
Kim Joo-hyuk seriously wondered if she was slow.
'...Did I go too easy on the cursing yesterday?'
He recalled yesterday: after rejecting her sudden sword lesson demands three times, he'd unloaded a barrage of swears.
'...Nah, that was plenty harsh.'
He knew damn well people hated getting cussed out. He'd figured she'd back off.
But nope.
"Teach me, please."
"No."
"Teach me, please."
"No."
"Teach me, please."
"..."
Choi Ah-rin kept at it, radio-static style, even sitting next to him in the empty seat beside him that morning.
"Teach me, please."
"..."
"Teach me, please."
"..."
"Teach me, please..."
Kim Joo-hyuk let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"Ten million won."
Tilt?
"Ten million won. One session only."
Choi Ah-rin's puzzled look finally shifted—
"!"
—to wide-eyed realization.
'Finally, some peace.'
Kim Joo-hyuk looked away. No matter how great her family, ten million wasn't pocket change. Even if she seemed a bit dim, no way she'd—
100,000,000 won
—drop ten million just like that. He'd misjudged.
"Will you teach me now...?"
Kim Joo-hyuk checked his phone at the sound of her voice, chuckling in disbelief.
100,000,000 won
"Nah, not teaching you~"
He said with a grin.