Chapter 234 – Heavenly Class (3)

When the Heavenly Class was completely engulfed by the subdimensional space, Abel spoke urgently.

“W-wait a moment, professor. That part about dying twenty times a day in subspace… are you being literal?”

When Meain appeared, Abel had been so shocked he couldn’t even speak. The other students hadn’t reacted much differently.

Meain Poison was their homeroom teacher? Not a single hint had been given.

Who was Meain? A legendary figure who disappeared long before Abel was even born.

‘The teacher of the Seven Star Heroes.’

Being Media’s twin, Meain was the same age as the Seven. And yet, all of them recognized her as their master and accepted her guidance without question.

Being strong and knowing how to teach were two different skills. Of the two, Meain’s special talent was the latter. She had an innate ability to instruct. On top of that, she possessed overwhelming strength. That’s why the Seven Stars revered her as their mentor.

The master of the Seven Stars. And now, that great hero was the teacher of the Heavenly Class.

If the students from the Star Class found out, they’d probably faint. Chaos would erupt from the scramble to transfer in.

Apparently, it was Kang Geom-Ma who brought her in.

‘Where and how did he convince her?’

And that alone was shocking enough. But what came next blew it all out of the water.

‘Dying twenty times a day to strengthen the mind?’

Meain answered Abel’s question with a gentle smile.

“Actually, I initially thought of thirty. But that seemed a bit much, so I reduced it to twenty. Out of consideration! By the way, Abel, back in your grandfather’s time, it was thirty-five deaths a day.”

“Thirty… five…”

“But looking at all of you, I don’t think we’ll need to go that far. In fact, Sieg and Richard, members of the Seven Stars, had less talent than you do. That’s why I gave them a harsher regimen.”

Upon hearing that, Abel recalled asking his grandfather about his training—and getting a vague, evasive answer just remembering it gave him chills.

“Objection!”

Rachel jumped in. She looked better than Abel—still had some color in her face.

“Isn’t it kind of a loser mentality to just ‘accept death’? We knew what we were signing up for when we enrolled at Joaquin Academy, so I’m not against the idea of dying if we must, but just passively getting killed… no way!”

“S-she’s right.”

Speedweapon backed her up immediately.

“The… the greatest fear humans have is death. If someone is forced to experience it twenty times a day without resisting… they won’t grow stronger—they’ll break down completely…”

“Good observation, Rachel. And you too, Speedweapon.”

Once again, Meain praised them. Speedweapon froze for a moment.

“But I never said you had to accept death. I said get used to it.”

Meain smiled softly. The smile a teacher gives their pupils.

“What’s the point of taking hits without fighting back? Getting used to something is not the same as surrendering to it.”

Meain walked with firm steps to the center of the class.

“What I expect from you is the resolve to face death. An unshakable spirit against any enemy. Like a certain legendary Korean hero once said, ‘If you seek to live, you will die. But if you are ready to die, you will live.’”

She kept saying the word “death,” but her gaze was serious. She wasn’t speaking lightly.

“So resist with everything you have and then die. Clench your teeth until they break. Fight until you’re in shreds. Only then, can you die.”

“……”

“The lives of you all, the students of this academy, are priceless. You are the future heroes who will fight for humanity against the demons. Be proud. Some of you may have entered with the backing of your families, but in this Heavenly Class, no one fits that mold, right?”

Meain firmly reminded them of the pride and identity they were meant to hold.

“And if a life that precious, with such immense value, is used as fuel for experience—how far do you think you can go, with your unprecedented talent? To the level of the Seven Stars? No. I believe you can go even further.”

She raised one finger and pointed to the ceiling. Or maybe beyond it, toward the sky.

“The Seven Sins.”

“……!?”

“And there are seven of you. Perfect!”

Chloe, her eyes wide, asked,

“…But there are eight of us.”

Meain smiled sweetly.

“I know. But seven hundred years ago, there was also one who wasn’t counted.”

Then she tilted her chin toward a certain direction. The students turned to look.

“The hero who led the Sins.”

Everyone in the Heavenly Class looked at Kang Geom-Ma.

“Balor Joaquin.”

They looked at Kang Geom-Ma, not Leon—the Hero.

***

I was taken aback.

‘Why is everyone suddenly staring at me?’

Just as the senior mentioned the founding hero, everyone fixed their eyes on me as if it had been prearranged.

“……”

After a moment, she clapped her hands, breaking the silence. The gazes that had been focused on me dispersed and returned to her.

“Alright. Now that I’ve explained the purpose, shall we formally begin the class?”

“Yes……”

The voices were subdued. Except for a few like Leon, Rachel, and Chloe, the rest seemed on the verge of tears. Even if they understood the objective, the idea of dying twenty times wasn’t exactly appealing.

“Hmm… it seems you’re not very motivated.”

The senior stroked her chin thoughtfully. At that moment, a spark of inspiration lit up her mint-green eyes.

“How about this? As I mentioned, the goal of this class is to ‘remain calm in the face of impossible enemies.’ So, let’s change the direction of the class. We’ll engage in a life-or-death battle against an unbeatable enemy. That way, I can assess your mental resilience.”

She tried to persuade the students. The downcast gazes began to lift gradually.

“Who knows? If your level exceeds my expectations, we might reduce the daily deaths to ten, or even fewer. Honestly, even within a subspace, I don’t enjoy hurting you with my own hands.”

Upon hearing this, Speedweapon’s face lit up.

“By ‘unbeatable enemy,’ do you mean training magical beasts? Grade B+? Or Grade A?”

He asked in broken phrases. He preferred fighting a beast over being crushed by Meain. But she shook her head.

“No. In the Heavenly Class, the main enemies won’t be magical beasts, but demons. And you all know they’re much more dangerous than beasts, right?”

“Ah… yes.”

“You have to face an intelligent enemy. In life-or-death situations, what determines everything isn’t physical strength, but mental agility.”

With her clear explanation, the students nodded. They understood.

“But as you know, even at Joaquin Academy, we can’t use demons for training.”

Horntail shuddered. With a slight tremble, he glanced at me. The senior continued in a reassuring tone.

“Even if we could, it would violate the pact between humans and demons, so it’s prohibited. Here’s a question what can replace demons, isn’t a beast, but has intelligence?”

“Humans…”

Ryozo murmured. And the senior snapped her fingers with satisfaction.

“I knew you were smart! As a teacher, having students like you makes me happy. They give me topics to explain. Exactly. Even though we’re on opposite sides, humans are very similar to demons.”

“…Does that mean all of us should unite and fight against you, Professor Meain?”

In response to Ryozo’s question, she shrugged.

“I’d like to, but I can’t. Because a certain person has completely unbalanced power. Actually, you all have the advantage, and I’d be at a disadvantage.”

“……”

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, everyone looked at me again. It was too much attention for the first day, and it made me uncomfortable. Then she said,

“How about all of you fight against Kang Geom-Ma instead?”

…What?

“After all, the only one here with overwhelming presence is Kang Geom-Ma.”

So this was her plan from the beginning. I was internally impressed. There was no doubt she had planned everything.

“I’ll be clear. If all of you unite and manage to even injure Geom-Ma, I’ll reduce the number of daily deaths to five.”

She winked at me mischievously. Then she continued motivating the students.

“Moreover, the last one standing will receive personal training from Kang Geom-Ma. Even though you’re on the same level as students, he’s one of the Seven Stars, so he can be a tutor perfectly, don’t you think?”

A demonic temptation. The worst part was that the students were seriously considering the proposal.

Had they given in to the fear of death? No, it didn’t seem that way.

They were undoubtedly a golden generation. Brave and determined. What was reflected in their eyes wasn’t fear, but competitive spirit. They wanted to face me.

What bothered me a bit was that the girls, especially, had rather cold looks… I didn’t understand why.

‘Hah.’

I let out a silent laugh and changed my mind.

‘Maybe it’s a good opportunity to assess the level they’ve reached.’

The first year was almost over. I was also curious to see how much they had progressed.

‘Although accepting just like that doesn’t convince me.’

I didn’t want to play along with the senior as if nothing. After all, she owed me. I had the right to ask for something in return.

“Alright.”

I accepted her proposal.

“But in return, I want to make a proposal to you as well, Professor Meain.”

“Hmm? What proposal?”

She asked, tilting her head as if nothing. She was cunning, like a teacher trying to exploit her assistant.

“I’ll tell you that after class.”

I took out a sashimi from my coat. Enough time had been lost; it was time to start.

***

The moment the students sprang into action didn’t take long to arrive. It all began with Leon, who had remained silent until then. Without hesitation, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Then he gave an order to those behind him.

“Everyone, prepare your weapons.”

His eyes were cold and indifferent. Although several students didn’t like it, frowning, they all obeyed without protest. The fact that Kang Geom-Ma had unsheathed his sashimi was already a sufficient warning.

The first to step forward was Rachel.

“I’ll go first!”

With a shout, she charged at full speed. Rachel, heir to the warrior clan of the Mura family, let herself be dominated by adrenaline. Her brain contracted, her muscles expanded.

Bang!

In a single leap, she closed the distance. In the blink of an eye, she was already in front of Kang Geom-Ma. Gripping the end of her weapon, she launched an all-out thrust, as if pushing a billiard cue.

Swishhh!

The double-edged spear aimed directly at vital points. Unlike a sword, its blade split on both sides covered a wider area. And its reach was also greater.

Kang Geom-Ma watched her calmly while analyzing. The subspace didn’t restore damaged weapons. If he destroyed the spear, he’d have to pay for it. So he should only attack the wielder, Rachel.

With that in mind, Kang Geom-Ma bent his right elbow and, at the same time, slightly pulled back his shoulder.

Whoosh!

The blade grazed his armpit, cutting through empty air, and disappeared behind him. Kang Geom-Ma didn’t waste the moment. He lowered his elbow and caught the spear’s shaft. His inner muscle wrapped around it as if chaining it.

“Eh, huh…?”

Rachel tried to retrieve her weapon in a hurry. Cold sweat ran down her back. She didn’t even have time to regret having rushed. Kang Geom-Ma’s left shoulder moved.

A flash curved in the shape of a crescent moon. The trajectory of the knife flashed across Rachel’s retinas. The blade went straight to her throat, striking as if slashing.

Slash!

A jet of blood rose and splashed the ceiling.