21
In Valhalla, there were dark mages who used dark magic to inflict curses on people. Their dark magic, called the disgraceful magics, usually engraved curses on others and absorbed their vitality.
In my old teacher’s heart was a curse that was similar to those.
I turned my head and asked Gi-Hoon, “As an aura user, let me ask you this. Do you seriously believe that his recovery time is only thirty-two weeks?”
“……..”
Gi-Hoon did not answer. No—he was unable to; I could see that from his face. He was not able to recognize what was actually happening.
“Maybe I have misjudged you and all of the Hunters in this world. As a ‘skill’ user, you guys will be able to use magic on Valhalla easily. But seriously, you don’t realize what’s happening here?”
I closed my eyes to keep my patience in check. It’s been a while since I felt like losing my temper, but I barely managed to keep my anger down now.
“I’m surprised. Aren’t you an S-rated Hunter? One of the strongest in Korea, if I got that correct. Yet, you still don’t realize the real problem. How pathetic.”
“…I’m really sorry, sir.”
I shook my head. It was not exactly his fault. It was that arrogant high schooler Hunter and his friends; they were the ones I should be accusing.
“I’m also surprised that no one is here to support him. Mr. Jung.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“Please explain everything to me so that I can understand. You know me, right? Am I making myself clear?”
Gi-Hoon froze. He understood what I was saying and what exactly the situation was. He opened his mouth.
“Park Jeong-Nam, he is a twelfth grader at Ga-On High School. His father is one of the powerful members of authority, and his mother is one of the most influential lawyers in this country.”
“So?”
“…People were afraid of their retaliation, so no one came to support the patient.”
That was it. The main reason why no one was here to visit this man. My teacher, Gu Kyeong-Hoi, was a man with a great personality. He was a much better person than those who were previously mentioned. A true educator, that was the perfect word to describe him.
He definitely had a lot of connections. More people, such as his colleagues or his former students, should have come to support him. However, they were suppressed by the power of authority. That was the only and most understandable explanation.
Gi-Hoon had just confirmed that my thoughts were correct.
“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have believed that doctors and Hunters are trustworthy people.”
“………”
“Thirty-two weeks? That’s funny. I can assure you that he will die within an hour. That’s how bad his state is right now.”
Gi-Hoon seemed not to understand my words. I felt that my disappointment was justified.
“That high schooler also has a unique ability like my brother. You did not realize that?”
His eyes widened. It was obvious that he did not know. I closed my eyes to think. Of course, I had every intention to live my life quietly. But they won’t let me do so.
I stepped forward and opened the firmly closed door of the hospital room. Gi-Hoon, with a surprised face, grabbed my shoulder to stop me.
“Take your hand off me, or I’ll teach you a lesson like last time.”
He quietly withdrew his hand. The doctors around us rushed to stop me. I ignored them and went inside the room to see my teacher.
I reached my hands for his heart and noticed that it was beating irregularly. It was clear to me now. The aura surrounding his heart was similar to the aura that Ho had used for his unique ability, but this one was more like my black aura. Well, of course not as powerful as mine, which had been called a power of the god.
“What are you doing here? This is a critical patient! Get out!”
I ignored the doctor’s words and gathered aura in my hand, turning it black. The black mist from my hand then headed to Mr. Gu’s heart and I felt the curse inside him start to disappear.
After a while, Mr. Gu was healing. Starting from the scars on his skin to his fractured bones, broken arms, and wounded organs, every injury he had was completely healed.
Not only the doctors, but also Gi-Hoon stared in surprise at the scene.
I ignored their reactions and sat down on a chair next to the bed. Mr. Gu managed to wake up from his severe and deadly injuries.
“Um…”
Without saying anything, I stared at my teacher.
He opened his eyes and observed his surroundings for a while. Then he caught sight of me and his eyes showed surprise as if he was asking for the reason behind my presence. I pointed out the cast he was wearing, then touched it with a hand covered by black aura, breaking them all.
Mr. Gu moved his arms and legs and touched his face with his own hands. I smiled, and he opened his mouth.
“…I have no excuse to offer.”
I held my teacher’s hand. It was I who had healed him. Even if the doctors were the ones who did his surgery, I had cured him completely. That was my duty, and he deserved this treatment.
“What’s wrong, sir? You were just beaten by high schoolers.”
“…Indeed. It’s a shame that this just happened.”
“That’s the reason why you should have regained your weight, sir. If you weighed like you did ten years ago, they wouldn’t have looked down on you.”
He laughed as if he had just heard something absurd. I didn’t exactly know what happened, but I could deduce it by his scars.
I laughed as well, to hide my emotions. I did that a lot, so it was a natural reaction.
“The Headmaster and your colleagues did not show up.”
“…They didn’t?”
“Yes. Knowing that, are you still going to continue teaching there?”
He asked for the reason behind my words, so I answered as clearly as I could. “You’ve heard of my life in Valhalla.”
“Yes, I heard that you were the strongest man there.”
We laughed out loud. He probably already caught my intentions, and that was why he sighed after his laughter.
“Don’t do it.”
I did not answer. Instead, I just observed him for a while. That wrinkled and righteous face; he definitely deserves much better than this. He must not be treated like this. He is a teacher who equally values every single student of his, treating them as if they were his family.
He had been there for me when I had to face a lot of difficulties in life. He was there to support me, and he encouraged me a lot. This man, who loved his students like his own children, definitely deserved respect.
“He did not know right from wrong. I am a teacher, and my duty is to guide my students. I’ll deal with this by myself.”
He was still the teacher I remember, and that was why I shook my head.
“I’m sure that you know my personality.”
“…….”
“But as I survived in Valhalla, I became even more rampant than before… Take a rest, and I’ll settle everything for you.”
That was all I had to say before I turned away and stepped out of the room. Doctors tried to stop me, but I ignored them.
It had been quite a while since I felt mad like this.
I walked fast. My destination was Ga-On High School. Jeong Gi-Hoon hurriedly followed after me, but we did not talk. I wouldn’t say anything about him following me, but if he interfered… I just hoped for his sake that he didn’t.
Pretty soon, I arrived at Ga-On High School.
***
Park Jeong-Nam believed that life was an easy game. Ever since he was a child, he had always had that mindset. His dad was one of the most powerful members of authority, and his mother was a lawyer. He believed that he had learned well from his parents. The world moved through power, and weak people were always influenced by the stronger ones’ actions. That was his motto and belief.
Though, as a young person, his ideals were much more childish. He believed that a strong person could do anything to a weak person without any consequence.
He tried to avoid doing anything illegal just because of the fact that it was bothersome to him. In other words, if something wasn’t a bother for him, then he would do anything he wanted.
Then, Park Jeong-Nam awakened his power.
‘Status Window.’
He whispered quietly. With a small ‘beep’ sound, a small hologram appeared in front of him.
Name: Park Jeong-Nam
Level: 3 (28%)
Title: Curse Specialist
Strength: 8
Stamina: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 11
Unique skill: Curse
Skill: Rush, Concentrate, Inventory
It was much shabbier than he wanted, but the important thing was that he had a unique skill. He was the new awakener with a unique skill. If he announced that to the public, he, along with the other ten unique skill holders, would easily be approved by officials.
To be honest, he really wanted to announce the news to the public, but his parents asked him not to. Both his dad and his mom were about to run for the elections. If they announced that their son was a unique skill holder, then it would heavily affect the results. That was why they told him to wait. Jeong-Nam nodded and just agreed with them.
He sent a signal to the girl sitting next to him. She was shivering, and she knew what that sign meant, ‘Let’s meet privately.’
She took out her smartphone and typed something on it. Jeong-Nam smirked. Who used smartphones nowadays? What a pathetic girl.
Meanwhile, a text popped up on the smartwatch he was wearing.
[ For how long… When will you remove my curse? ]
He laughed and replied.
[ As long as I want. You know that your parents’ lives depend on me. I’ll remove the curse when you let me touch your body. Don’t you think that’s a good deal? ]
Once again, he laughed cheerfully.
[ Be a good girl. You will save your parents and I’ll get what I want. ]
He continued to text her. It was thrilling and entertaining. He felt like the main protagonist of this thriller film, and the girl was the victim. He smiled and thought of the things he had planned to do to the girl.
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