Chapter 3: New Instructor

As I walked out the main gate, my mind was filled with frustration.

‘Did I really access the intranet and steal someone’s information?’

No matter how I thought about it, it seemed absurd. I was frustrated, but there was no one to turn to. For the past few years, I had poured my life into the academy, so all my social connections were tied to Hellmund Academy.
I had lost all my contacts and acquaintances in an instant.

• Whoooosh

Suddenly, the calendar app on my phone activated. When I checked my phone, I saw the schedule I had written down.

[Schedule: My birthday. Even if I’m busy this year, don’t forget to have seaweed soup. If any students congratulate me or give me a gift, make a note so I can make sure to repay them later.]

‘Oh, today was my birthday…’
I forced a wry smile.
‘I thought I’d be receiving a lot of congratulations when I wrote this.’

• Ding Ding Ding
• Ding Ding Ding
• Ding Ding Ding

The phone, which had been silent, suddenly began ringing wildly. I checked my phone, and there were countless messages coming in.
Most of them were from ‘Anonymous’. But it was clear who sent them. After all, most people who knew my number were from Hellmund Academy.

[Die, trash.]
[You always seemed shady. As expected, physiognomy is science.]
[Pathetic bastard. Is it a hobby for men to peep?]
[I didn’t like you from the start. You acted like you were something special and always tried to teach others. Disgusting.]
[Pathetic and dirty.]
[Why were you born? You’re a waste of oxygen, you filthy bastard]
[As expected from an orphan, your behavior is a sight to see.]
[Just kill yourself.]

• Thud

I closed my phone.
It’s okay. After all, I was alone since I was reincarnated here.
Just think of it as a fleeting dream. The moments I was revered as an S-rank instructor at Hellmund Academy and the effort I put in—it’s all just a game now. It doesn’t matter.

• Shhh

I let go of the documents I was holding in my weakened state. As I picked up the papers scattered on the floor, I realized how pitiful my situation was.

“Hik…”
“Mom, that uncle is crying.”
“Shh. Be quiet, Minseong. That uncle seems to have been fired from his job. If you don’t study well later, you might end up like him. So, you need to study hard.”
“Okay!”

They probably thought I couldn’t hear them, but my [Enhanced Senses] skill was always active. Their conversation was clearly audible.
I cried bitterly and stared blankly at the sky.

“Ah… I wish everyone would just die.”

At that moment, a notification appeared.

• [The link to the heirs connected to the [Walk of Kings] skill has been disconnected for 10 minutes.]
• If the disconnection state continues, the former heirs will be subject to [Harsh Fate].

‘Ah… I forgot about this…’

• [Harsh Fate] activation wait time: 23 hours 49 minutes 53 seconds

To those who were boasting and the bastards who terrorized me with messages to kill myself—look forward to it. The pain you’ll experience will be a hundred times worse than mine.

[SSS] Walk of Kings
◎ You can designate and link your successors.
◎ Those linked as successors will receive explosive increases in their stats and growth rate.
◎ The extent of stat enhancement and growth rate increase is proportional to the skill holder’s ability.
◎ Number of linked successors: 521

The reason Hellmund Academy students experienced explosive growth is simple. It’s because of this skill. To be honest, while my theories and lectures did help their growth, I wouldn’t have achieved such rapid development without this SSS-grade skill.

The [Walk of Kings] skill can designate anyone—whether old, young, male, or female—as a ‘successor,’ amplifying their stats and accelerating their growth. Moreover, the degree of this enhancement is absurdly proportional to the skill holder’s own stats.

However, the [Walk of Kings] skill has a fatal flaw.

The first flaw is that the consent of the other person is required.

• Is it okay if I put a buff on you that helps your growth?
• Yes. I don’t mind if it only enhances my magical abilities.

Of course, it’s not necessary to agree to the specifics of the skill, just a general consent is enough. This part is not really a flaw but a limitation of passive buff skills used on allies.
The real issue is the second flaw.

If someone designated as a ‘successor’ by the [Walk of Kings] skill loses their status, they are subjected to [Harsh Fate].

[SSS] Harsh Fate
◎ Growth rate is significantly decreased.
◎ Luck stat is greatly reduced.
◎ Mana efficiency is greatly diminished.
◎ Total mana gradually decreases.
◎ Sometimes, significant misfortune occurs.
◎ All effects persist until the person is re-linked as a ‘successor.’

It’s truly terrible.
Most of my students were those enrolled in the magical classes at the academy. For such students, [Harsh Fate] was a debuff skill that could be quite despairing.

They would likely not realize they were affected by such a debuff and would gradually deteriorate. If I re-link them as ‘successors,’ they would return to their original state, but of course, I had no intention of doing that.

“Take care. Though it might be difficult.”

**

• Thud

I hailed a passing taxi and got in.

“Where to?”
“Just drive anywhere for now.”

I had no particular place to go or any pressing destinations. I had become unemployed overnight.

• Whoooosh

Suddenly, my phone started ringing.
‘It’s probably just more of those death threat messages.’

As I looked out the window, the vibration started again. Only then did I check my phone and see that it was a call, not a message. The screen displayed a familiar name.

[Yang Hangeul]

‘An old colleague from Hellmund Academy.’

Yang Hangeul was a fellow instructor when I first joined Hellmund Academy. He left for another academy after about two years, but he wasn’t a bad instructor, so I remember him well.

‘What’s this about?’

Despite remembering him, our friendship wasn’t close enough for him to contact me out of the blue like this.

‘Contacting me after all these years? Especially at a time like this?’

It seemed strange, but I answered the call anyway. I had nothing else to do.

“Hello?”
“Wow, you actually answered. This is Choi Juwon’s phone, right?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Hey, it’s Yang Hangeul. Remember me? We worked together as instructors at Hellmund Academy.”

He still insisted on being called ‘hyung’ just because he was two months older.

“Yes, I remember. What’s the reason for your call?”

“I heard the news. You got fired from Hellmund Academy today, right? I’ll buy you a drink since it’s been a while. Let’s meet up later tonight. I have something to discuss, so you have to come, okay?”

Though it felt uncomfortable that someone who wasn’t usually close suddenly acted so friendly, I wanted a drink, and since he mentioned he had something to talk about, I decided to go.

In the evening, when I arrived at the address Yang Hangeul had given, I found a large, upscale-looking bar.

‘It’s been ages since I’ve been to a bar.’

I hadn’t touched alcohol recently, worried it might affect the next day’s schedule. The students’ growth was due in part to the effects of the [Walk of Kings] skill, but the meticulously managed curriculum and effort I poured into their education also played a huge role.

‘I guess I can enjoy myself without worrying about the next day now.’

It was the moment when I truly felt the reality of being fired.

My bank account had more than enough money from before I started as an instructor, so I wasn’t worried about finances. Although I made a lot as an instructor, it wasn’t why I started in the first place.

“Hey, over here.”

Inside the bar, Yang Hangeul waved at me. Next to him was a pretty woman. As she looked at me, Yang Hangeul smiled and spoke.

“Ah~ this is a close friend of mine who wanted to see you. You’re famous for being an S-class instructor, right? The world’s best! An S-class instructor training real-world magic hunters, Choi Juwon!”

Yang Hangeul exaggeratedly spoke with a strange look, laughing. I started feeling uneasy from that moment.

‘That bastard… Could he have called me just to mock me?’

As I gave Yang Hangeul a displeased look, the woman next to him greeted me.

“Hello. I’m Seol Euna. I’ve heard a lot about you from Yang Hangeul. I’ve always wanted to meet you since you’re so famous, so it’s an honor to see you now.”

Looking at Seol Euna’s polite greeting, Yang Hangeul frowned in discontent.

“Hey, Seol Euna. You always call me by my full name, but why are you being so nice to him?”

“Yang Hangeul, I’m just here because you said you’d introduce me to Choi Juwon. So please don’t say anything strange.”

‘I see. Yang Hangeul seems to like Seol Euna, but it looks like she’s not interested in him.’

Then Seol Euna smiled and said, “Please, have a seat.”

The drinking began. As the evening progressed, Yang Hangeul became increasingly inebriated and started shouting.

“Hey, damn it. Do you know how much of a pain you were when I was working as an instructor at Hellmund Academy?”

Surprised by his sudden outburst, I looked at Yang Hangeul, who continued to raise his voice.

“Seriously. Whenever I spent time creating a curriculum, all those damn students flocked to you. What a shitty situation. Just because your marketing was good, you drew students regardless of your actual skill, right?”

I looked at Yang Hangeul incredulously and said, “What are you talking about? The reason more students attended my classes over yours was because of my superior teaching ability, not marketing.”

Yang Hangeul sneered.

“Bullshit. In terms of skill, I’m way above you. You were a mere hunter, but I worked at the Magic Tower. Real-world instructor? It’s laughable. You probably didn’t make it to the Magic Tower because you were just mediocre, didn’t you?”

That was incorrect. I had received countless scout offers from the Magic Tower. I was merely busy with quests and dungeons. Also, my memory was clear that Yang Hangeul had touched forbidden texts at the Magic Tower and was expelled within a year, then began working as an academy instructor.

I replied sternly, “Is your experience of working for a year at the Magic Tower also worth bragging about?”

• Thud

At that moment, Yang Hangeul slammed the table and stood up.

“Hey, watch your mouth, you damn bastard. I left voluntarily.”

Then he grinned and said, “Right, I left on my own. Unlike you, who got fired for sneaking around the intranet trying to steal students’ personal information.”

Yang Hangeul started to snicker. He then came closer and showed me his phone.

[Congratulations on being hired as an instructor at Hellmund Academy. Starting tomorrow, you will be the instructor for ‘Real-World Magic Studies’…]

Real-World Magic Studies. It was the subject I taught. It seemed they had hired him as a new instructor.

“Choi Juwon, do you see this? The real reason I came today was to show off. I’m taking your place. I’ll be the new instructor for Real-World Magic Studies, the position you held. Finally, Hellmund Academy recognized my excellence.”

“How’s that? Are you jealous? You used to act so high and mighty, but now you’re just like a mute with honey in your mouth. Say something.”

Unlike the rude Yang Hangeul, Seol Euna had done nothing wrong. She simply looked at Yang Hangeul with a disgusted expression.

I wanted to beat up Yang Hangeul immediately, but I thought it would be rude to Seol Euna, whom I had just met, so I restrained myself.

But then Yang Hangeul crossed the line.

“Ah, you stupid bastard~ Why the hell are you snooping around the intranet? I guess you don’t know what boundaries are, growing up without parents…”

• Crash

A glass I threw shattered right next to Yang Hangeul’s eye. I couldn’t tolerate his insulting remarks any longer.

“Are you out of your mind?!”

I stared at Yang Hangeul calmly and said, “You’re the crazy one, you idiot. Come out. I’m in a bad mood today, so let’s settle this.”