Life is a bitch.
"Darling~"
Just when you think everything is going perfectly, it will throw a curveball at you.
And when you break down and are ready to give up, it will offer an olive branch.
Only to throw another curveball later.
The proof was Alex's current situation.
"Darling, why are you ignoring me?"
Alex looked down at the woman kneeling before him.
She had long white hair, blue eyes, and a beautiful face that almost looked unreal.
Her figure was balanced and elegant, like someone carved her out of a dream.
She held his hands and pressed her cheeks against his palms with a blissful smile.
Her eyes curved into crescents as she stared up at him.
"You are finally looking at me, darling~"
Calista von Stormrake.
The twin sister of protagonist of the game Battle Through the Nine Realms.
A major antagonist.
She carried the bloodline of Thor, the God of Thunder.
"Calista…"
"What is it, darling?"
Alex's throat felt dry.
He had the bloodline of Loki, the Trickster God.
For centuries, descendants of Thor and Loki had been enemies.
It wasn't strange for them to fight to the death, or plot assassinations against each other in the shadows.
"Can you stop kneeling?"
"Why~?"
'Because I feel like I am going crazy.'
Alex couldn't understand why he was in such a dangerous position.
Was it because he played that damned game?
Or was it because he lied to his friend about the bet?
That bastard—his friend—was a professional speedrunner, who excelled in completing games in record time.
Alex had used cheats in the game against him.
He did that to clear the game in the hell difficulty earlier than him, and win the bet.
Did he wake up inside the world of that cursed game because he cheated in the bet?
And inside the body of Loki's son of all people?
'Fuck.'
"Darling~"
Suddenly, her grip on his wrist tightened.
Her gaze grew sharper, and a flicker of lightning ran through her eyes.
"Why do I smell that bitch on darling?"
'Crazy woman. I washed twice, so how the hell can you still smell her on me?'
Alex's throat felt parched.
She leaned forward and pressed her face against his chest.
Her arms pulled on his shirt as she inhaled his scent.
"It's not just that bitch. I can smell other vixens on darling too."
Alex felt his head spin.
He prayed this was just a nightmare.
But life was a bitch.
"Dear?"
A sweet voice came from outside the dormitory room.
It was soft, pleasant, but carried poison hidden beneath the sweetness that would kill you the moment you let your guard down.
Alex froze on the spot.
The situation had just gone from bad to worse.
"Huh? Did I hear that bitch's voice?"
Calista turned her head toward the door.
"Calista, it was nothing—"
"Dear, I came as I promised," the voice called again. "Open the door. I need to help you with your night studies~"
Calista's eyes lost their warmth.
The crescent smile vanished, replaced with a cold and sharp glare.
She stood up slowly, and walked toward the door.
Alex closed his eyes.
'Why is all of this happening to me?'
It had all started one month ago.
…
One Month Ago
Alex clutched the papers in his hands.
"It's real. I'm reborn in the world of that damned game… and in Hell difficulty no less."
Three days had gone by since Alex woke up in this world.
The hope that this was all just a bad dream had shattered already.
"Why Hell difficulty of all things, damn it."
He looked outside the tall windows of the hall.
Rain poured down heavily.
The sky was gray and miserable.
Alex was sitting inside the audience hall, waiting for Odin Academy's initiation ceremony to end.
The rain confirmed it for him. This really was Hell difficulty.
If it had been Easy, Normal, or Hard difficulty, the skies would have been clear and sunny.
If it was Expert, the clouds would have been heavy and black, but there would be no rain.
But rain meant Hell difficulty. There was no mistake.
He lowered his eyes back to the papers in his hand.
Debt papers.
"People get cheats when they're reborn in fantasy worlds, and I got a seven hundred million debt."
In the game Battle Through the Nine Realms, Norse gods existed.
Demigods existed too, spread across all nine realms.
It was said that some humans born on Midgard (Earth), carried faint traces of divine blood.
When those traces awakened, the person would become a demigod.
And when that happened, the government would send them to Odin Academy—a place hidden from common populace.
Every demigod on Earth trained there.
Since awakening usually happened around age eighteen, there weren't problems with age gaps.
Everyone entered at the same time.
Alex leaned back in his seat and rubbed his forehead.
"I need money."
The game added one random debuff right from the start in the hell difficulty.
On top the debuff, monsters could get power boost at random intervals, bosses could show up anywhere without warning and their attack patterns would change, and even the storyline could change.
New monsters that didn't exist on other difficulties would make their appearance.
This unpredictability was what made Hell difficulty so terrifying.
"I guess my debt is the debuff I got."
Seven hundred million.
It was a crippling debt.
But compared to the other possible debuffs, Alex realized he got lucky.
Permanent sight loss, mana dissonance, or even a debuff that prevented EXP gain forever, those debuffs were much worse.
The debt could be repaid, even if it took time.
"It's like slow poison. Instead of killing me instantly, it'll crush me slowly."
The ceremony reached its end.
The principal stood at the stage.
Her voice was clear and carried across the wide hall.
"Now, you will face your first monthly ranking test."
The students quieted immediately.
She smiled faintly before continuing.
"Keep in mind that the facilities you can access here at Odin Academy depend on your rank.
"Rankings will be re-shuffled every three months. Since this is the first test, the ranking will be decided with a simple surprise test."
The principal's name was Jasmine.
She carried the bloodline of the All-Mother Frigg.
Even though she looked like she was in her late teens, Alex knew she had to be at least in her eighties.
Demigods lived longer, and the stronger they became, the longer they could extend their lives.
"The content of the test is simple. You will be randomized into teams of four and sent into the Forest of Nightmares.
"Each team must hunt a monster.
"The monster can be strong or weak. You just have to hunt one.
"The team that hunts a monster first will earn the first rank.
"Depending on each member's contribution, the top four spots will be distributed among them.
"The same process will apply to all other ranks," Principal Jasmine explained.
The atmosphere in the hall shifted instantly.
Some students grew tense.
Some whispered nervously to each other.
Others looked confident, with smug grins on their faces.
Many had been waiting for this chance to prove themselves.
"Don't worry," Jasmine said. "Professors will be watching you from hidden locations. They'll make sure you won't die.
"As for injuries, they will be healed after the test ends. Now, the teams will be decided."
At her words, another professor stepped onto the stage.
Alex recognized him.
He had the bloodline of Heimdall, the Guardian of the Rainbow Bridge.
The professor was tall, broad-shouldered, with calm gray eyes.
"My name is Professor Leif," he said.
He raised a hand and drew a glowing rune into the air.
The rune floated for a second before shooting upward.
It exploded into countless fragments, scattering across the hall.
Each fragment fell onto a student's head and formed a glowing number above them.
"Form up with others who share your number. They will be your team," Professor Leif said.
Alex tilted his head up.
[13]
"Yup. Very lucky," he muttered.
He looked around, searching for the others with the same number.
The first person he spotted was a girl with long golden hair that shimmered like silk.
Her green eyes were calm, and she stood with composed grace.
'If she's that calm, she's probably from a Legacy Clan,' Alex thought.
She walked toward him and gave a polite smile.
"I'm Sarah, descendant of Eir, the handmaiden of the All-Mother Frigg."
Alex nodded, opening his mouth to introduce himself.
But before he could speak, a boy walked over.
"Are you in my team?" the boy asked.
Alex turned. The boy looked about his age, with dark red hair and brown skin.
The number [13] glowed faintly above his head.
He didn't look confident.
His posture gave away his nerves.
"Yeah, looks like it," Alex replied.
"I'm Marcus. Uh, they said I'm the descendant of Vidar, the God who is prophesied to slay the Great Devourer Fenrir," the boy said quickly.
Before Marcus could say more, the last member of their team appeared.
Alex froze upon seeing her.
Long white hair like the night stars flowed down her back.
Her blue eyes carried a cold, detached glow.
She had a face too beautiful to be real, paired with a balanced, elegant figure.
Calista von Stormrake.
Alex's stomach dropped.
She was the twin sister of the main protagonist in game Battle Through the Nine Realms.
And she was one of the major antagonists of the game.
She carried the bloodline of Thor, the God of Thunder.
All descendants of Thor were mortal enemies of descendants of Loki.
Perhaps, it was because of the blood in their veins, they could never be friends.
'Of all people, she had to end up on my team.'
She stepped closer, her cold eyes landing on Alex for a moment before moving to the others.
"Calista," she said simply.
Marcus shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.
Selene, however, stayed calm, only nodding in greeting.
Alex gave a calm smile despite his thoughts.
"Alex, descendant of Loki."
'I am the son of Loki instead of a descendant, but let's keep my mouth shut. Mom nagged me thousands of times to keep that fact hidden.'
The moment the words left his mouth, the air grew heavier.
Sarah's polite expression didn't change, but her atmosphere shifted.
Marcus blinked in surprise.
Calista's blue eyes turned to him.
Her gaze became colder.
The faint spark of lightning inside them made her thoughts clear.
'She is not going to kill me just because I'm Loki's descendant, right?'
Around them, other students were gathering in their own groups, murmuring as they prepared for the trial.
Professor Leif scanned the crowd and gave a firm nod.
"Good. Now that everyone has their teams, we will begin the transfer."
He drew another rune, larger this time, and sent it into the air.
The space above the students shimmered, and an array began to form.
One by one, the teams were engulfed in light and vanished from the audience hall.
Alex felt his stomach drop as the world around him twisted.
The next moment, he stood in a dark forest.
The ground was wet from the same gloomy rain.
The smell of damp soil filled the air.
A glowing screen appeared before his eyes.
[A scenario has started.]
[Complete the first Ranking Test.]
[Reward: Depends on your rank.]
'Huh? What....'
Alex raised a brow.
This was straight out of the game.
'So I can get scenarios.'
He rubbed his chin.
If the system gave rewards like it did in games, then he had a real chance to survive Hell difficulty.
Of course, it wouldn't be enough to match up to the overpowered cheat of the protagonist, but every little benefit counted.
"H-how did you do that?"
Alex turned his head at Marcus's shaky voice.
Just moments earlier, Calista had raised her hand and drawn a rune in the air.
The rune glowed, dissolved, and then the air cracked open like glass.
From inside that crack, she pulled out a sword, and the crack healed instantly.
"Because we received training," Calista said flatly.
"Training? But we only came to the academy today," Marcus muttered.
His eyes darted between the blade and Calista's face.
She didn't bother explaining further.
She just looked at him, as if deciding whether he was even worth the effort of answering.
Sarah spoke up instead. "Marcus, some families have higher chances of giving birth to children who awaken as demigods.
"We call them Legacy Clans.
"Those clans train their children about runes and mana since childhood. That way, when they awaken at sixteen, they already know the basics.
"Lady Calista here and I both come from Legacy Clans," she explained.
Marcus nodded slowly, though his expression still looked confused.
His face almost seemed to ask, 'How could you train with mana if you weren't awakened before eighteen?'
Calista cut off any chance of more questions.
"We will start the hunt soon," she said. "But first, we need to gather provisions.
"This is the Forest of Nightmares.
"Even at the edge, monsters here are stronger than normal. We would need a few days before we can hunt anything. So, collecting something to eat is our first priority."
Alex's face darkened.
'Strong monsters shouldn't be at the edge… but this is Hell difficulty.'
He clenched his fists.
Unlike the easy to expert difficulty, a lot of characters could die in Hell Difficulty if the protagonist messed up.
Even now, it wouldn't be strange if a powerful monster wandered from the center of the forest and slaughtered students before the professors could act.
'No… think positively. This is a real world. The professors aren't just programs anymore. They'll make sure to protect us.'
The group began moving slowly through the wet forest.
Calista led, her eyes sharp.
Sarah walked beside Marcus, trying to ease his nerves.
"You don't need to be so tense. I know plenty of healing runes. And Lady Calista is skilled in combat. With the two of us here, we'll be fine."
Marcus nodded but still seemed unsure.
He glanced back at Alex with a puzzled look, like he wanted to ask why everyone was treating Alex like air.
Alex gave a wry smile.
He could already tell Calista and Sarah were ignoring him.
It wasn't surprising.
Most people either hated Loki or distrusted him.
And his descendants usually inherited his troublesome reputation, whether they deserved it or not.
To everyone else, Loki's children were liars and potential backstabbers.
'They must already be preparing themselves in case I betray them. Even though I'm innocent.'
The group moved deeper until Calista stopped suddenly.
She crouched near a large mushroom at the base of a tree.
The mushroom was about the size of a melon.
Its cap glowed faint green with faint spots like moving veins. Its stem was thick and pulsating, as if it was alive.
Calista pointed to it, then looked at Sarah.
Sarah bent closer, studied it, and nodded.
"This is a Green Vein Mushroom. It's very nutritious. If we divide it evenly, it should feed us for a whole day."
With Sarah's confirmation, Calista crouched lower, extending her hand to pluck it.
Alex's eyes widened.
'Wait… that's not Green Vein Mushroom.'
His heart raced.
"Don't touch that mushroom! That's a Blood Leech Mushroom!"
Calista ignored him.
Her fingers brushed the cap.
The mushroom twitched.
Then it suddenly latched onto her palm like a living leech.
Her eyes widened as a wave of weakness spread through her body.
She tried to pull away, but the mushroom clung tighter, almost fusing with her skin.
A sharp hiss escaped her lips.
She raised her sword but froze.
If she cut it, she'd cut her own arm.
"Lady Calista!" Sarah gasped.
Alex smirked inwardly.
'The plan worked!'
'Thor's descendants hate Loki's bloodline so much that if I tell her to not touch the mushroom, she'll definitely touch it. Like a reverse command.'
'She grabbed it as I wanted her to!'
Outwardly, he kept a serious face.
"That's Blood Leech Mushroom. It absorbs the lifeforce of anything it touches. Faintbloods like us won't last more than a few minutes."
Inside, Alex was nearly celebrating.
'This thing sells for a fortune!
'I need it for myself! For my debt!'
"S-should we call for the professor?" Marcus's voice shook.
"No," Calista said through clenched teeth.
Sparks of pain danced across her face.
"If we do that, we'll be disqualified and end up as the lowest-ranked students. I'll deal with this mushroom myself."
Lightning began to spark faintly around her arm.
But she hesitated, knowing her lightning would damage her own flesh along with the parasite.
She was only a Faintblood Demigod and had low control of her powers.
Alex's eyes flicked to Sarah.
"Can you use the Parasitic Healing Rune?"
"Huh? Yes, but… why?" Sarah asked.
The Parasitic Healing Rune he mentioned wasn't common.
It worked by taking lifeforce from one person and channeling it to heal another.
But the efficiency was low.
It could only heal minor wounds.
"Use it on me. Drain my lifeforce and feed it into that mushroom."
Everyone froze.
Alex continued calmly.
"The mushroom will switch hosts if it senses more lifeforce from me instead of what it's absorbing from Calista.
"And this mushroom only needs a bit more life force to fill itself, since it already fed on her.
"Once it's satisfied, it'll release me too," he said.
Sarah's eyes widened. "But—"
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. We don't have much time. Either Calista dies, or we forfeit. Just do it."
Sarah turned to Calista for confirmation.
But Calista wasn't looking at her.
She was staring at Alex, eyes frozen with shock.
The coldness in her face had vanished.
Her lips trembled.
"Why are you trying do here? I'm the descendant of the God of Thunder… and you're the descendant of the Goddess of Mischief."
"I don't see how our ancestors have anything to do with us helping each other. We are a team, and we should help each other."
It was the first excuse that came to his mind, but it was enough.
Sarah quickly drew glowing lines in the air.
The Parasitic Healing Rune broke into two forms.
One shot toward Alex, and the other to the mushroom.
Alex felt a sudden pull, like his veins were being drained.
The mushroom twitched and loosened from Calista's arm.
It quivered, then leapt onto Alex's hand with surprising swiftness.
The cold sting of its grip sank into his skin, and he felt his strength draining away.
He gritted his teeth and forced a calm smile.
"See? It's working."
Calista clutched her freed arm, staring at Alex with a mix of relief and confusion.
But there was also something else in her eyes, something she didn't understand herself.
Marcus looked pale.
He wasn't sure if Alex would survive this.
Alex, on the other hand, was calm.
He really wanted that mushroom.
That was why he helped Calista, even though it looked reckless.
If he could save her, then he'd have the right to keep the mushroom later.
Goodwill leverage!
'That thing can sell for fifty thousand credits.'
One-fourteenth of his debt could be repaid with this mushroom!
Maybe their team had been unlucky to stumble on such a dangerous mushroom monster this early, but to him, this was blessing in disguise.
As for the life force he was losing?
That didn't matter much.
'I know items that can restore life force. I'll just collect them later.'
Calista didn't move.
She kept staring at him.
All her life, she had been taught that Loki's descendants were twisted, selfish, and untrustworthy.
But now, everything she believed felt uncertain.
Sarah bit her lip.
Marcus clenched his fist, looking ready to move if Alex fell unconscious.
"…"
Calista glanced at Marcus and Sarah.
If Alex's explanation was true, then the safest way forward was for all of them to share the burden.
They were a team.
Each person could let the mushroom take a little life force, and none of them would be harmed too badly.
But nobody moved.
They stayed silent.
That was normal. Self-preservation always came first.
And yet…
Calista looked at Alex again.
A strange feeling stirred inside her chest.
Her nails dug into her palms hard enough to draw blood as she saw strands of Alex's hair turning white.
He was losing far too much life force at a rapid pace.
Alex's thoughts, however, were nothing like theirs.
'Hell yeah!'
'I'm too lucky!'
'This monster can absorb quite a life force… it's one of the stronger Blood Leech Mushroom.'
'If I can fill its stomach, I can sell it for seventy thousand instead of only fifty thousand.'
That would be one-tenth of his entire debt gone in one go!
...
Author's Note: This is a new work for WSA 2026. Hope you guys enjoy it! PS, add the novel to the library, and donate powerstones!