ch 231
Became a Swordmanship Instructor at the Academy
Chapter 231
There's a saying that unlucky people get rained on when they wash their car, and break their nose even when falling backward.
I think that saying is about people exactly like me.
How could things get this twisted, even when everything goes wrong...
I had warned about the terror attack that happened yesterday in advance.
Of course, unlike the original story I knew, the terror masterminds weren't Antas Korea but Antas Italy, but that's not what matters.
The vice principal ignored my warning, but I had a security team on standby and deployed them appropriately to save nearly a thousand people.
Even though I couldn't save everyone, I thought this level of achievement would be enough to restore my ruined image.
—Then we'll connect with reporter Choi Shin-yeong who's on the scene.
—I'm currently at Baekje Hotel where Kang Shin-hyeok Hunter's press conference is scheduled. Kang Shin-hyeok Hunter went missing after challenging Hell's Gate early this year and returned after about a year. Upon his return, he resolved the Hunter School terror incident by Antas Italy organization members that occurred yesterday...
But because of that bastard Kang Shin-hyeok appearing on TV right now, everything was ruined.
He perfectly resolved the terror attack by displaying impossible abilities.
The first was wide-area sleep magic.
Actually, sleep magic itself isn't that difficult a magic.
I can use it too, but there's no magician who uses sleep magic as area magic.
The range was also impossibly wide.
Not only the entire school, but also the joint response headquarters set up near the school and all living things in the nearby 30km area were put to sleep.
When Secretary Oh woke me up later and told me the terror situation had been resolved, I wondered what the hell was going on.
Even more incredibly, S-rank Hunters including our school's vice principal were gathered at the joint headquarters at the time, but without exception, everyone fell asleep.
Not only could they not respond, but no one even noticed that magic had been cast.
But what's even more ridiculous is something else.
The terrorists started with our high school dormitory and blew up various school facilities including the middle school main building and cafeteria.
I clearly saw the explosions with my own eyes and the scattered debris is still in my head, but when I came to my senses, the blown-up buildings existed in perfect condition.
How on earth... There's restoration magic among magics, but it wasn't at that level.
According to interviews with the police special forces and Hunters who entered the scene, even the furniture inside had been completely restored.
As if time had been rewound.
I'm curious, but honestly, none of this matters to me.
The sudden return and exploits of Kang Shin-hyeok buried all my achievements.
All the world's attention was focused on Kang Shin-hyeok.
TV, internet, SNS - my story doesn't appear anywhere.
Everything is Kang Shin-hyeok, Kang Shin-hyeok, Kang Shin-hyeok.
I didn't even receive proper thanks from the people I saved.
Rather than being grateful to me, they seem more grateful to Kang Shin-hyeok.
I admit that instantly suppressing the terror organization members, saving all the hostages without harm, and perfectly treating those rescued from the destroyed buildings was amazing.
But wasn't the terror attack happening in the first place because of Kang Shin-hyeok?
The terrorists carried out the attack to get revenge for some Antas Italy executive called Beneton or something, and it was Kang Shin-hyeok who caught that Antas executive and got her executed.
Of course, Antas is a criminal organization and it was justified action since they first harmed our school students, but not a single person, not even the families of victims from this terror attack, blames Kang Shin-hyeok.
"Hasn't the press conference started yet?"
Even Lee Ji-sung's mother, who usually has no interest in Hunter matters, is full of interest.
"I'll go in first."
"Aren't you going to watch the press conference?"
"I'll watch it in my room."
I feel like I'm going to die from frustration.
Honestly, it's not like I achieved nothing.
It's only been a day since the terror attack happened.
Since Kang Shin-hyeok himself was such a famous person who even went missing, my exploits will probably be mentioned later.
Even Lee Ji-sung's father, who always looked at me with displeasure after it was revealed that I had turned a classmate into a vegetable and covered it up with money, directly called me yesterday to praise me.
However, even if my exploits become known, the complete image laundering and great reversal I had envisioned seems difficult.
Kang Shin-hyeok...
Looking at that bastard's impossible abilities, he's definitely a possessor like me, but did that bastard have some grudge against me from a previous life?
From making it difficult for me to get close to Kim Do-hyun to this incident, everything interferes with me.
Did he do it intentionally?
No, that bastard wouldn't know I possessed someone, so it's not that.
The situation just happened to turn out this way.
Wait, come to think of it, Kang Shin-hyeok has done quite a few things, and if he continues to act as he pleases like this, the future will all get tangled up and disturbed. Doesn't that bastard think?
Don't tell me he doesn't care what happens to the future since he's already secured all the opportunities?
Maybe he's thinking of excluding Kim Do-hyun and becoming the hero himself.
What a selfish bastard.
The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get, so I was about to lie down on the bed when I felt vibration from my pants pocket.
I took it out and checked - it's Seong Ji-an.
Why did she contact me?
Before the fact that I had turned Min Chan-seong into a vegetable was revealed, we got along fairly well, but after that incident became known, she ignored me openly like the other kids.
I considered ignoring it, but I pressed the call button.
This kid is the class president, so she must have contacted me to convey something.
The blown-up school building was restored, but parents filed complaints saying they were anxious.
I heard they're redoing electrical work and such anyway, so we have temporary school closure until this weekend, but maybe that period got shortened?
Being at home instead of school makes me feel a bit less stressed, so I hope it's not that.
—Ji-sung, is it okay to talk?
"Yeah. What is it?"
—You rescued people together with Hunters during yesterday's accident, right?
Unexpected. I thought everyone's attention was completely focused on Kang Shin-hyeok right now.
To know about my exploits and call... I'm a bit moved by this.
"Right. I obtained intelligence that there would be terror during the festival. The vice principal wouldn't believe me, so I had no choice but to prepare alone..."
—Um... Ji-sung, more than that, did you happen to see Chan-seong while rescuing people?
...She contacted me because of Min Chan-seong.
Well, this kid has cherished Min Chan-seong terribly since I first saw her.
Though I heard Min Chan-seong kicked Seong Ji-an aside.
—Ji-sung?
"Ah, I was thinking. Chan-seong wasn't among the people I saved, I think. Wasn't he released after being taken hostage?"
—I asked the kids who were rescued after being taken hostage, but they said they didn't see Chan-seong. Chan-seong said he wasn't feeling well yesterday and was resting in the dormitory. Didn't you go to the dormitory side when you were rescuing people?
I didn't go to the dormitory because it was blown up at the time.
"When I was rescuing people, it was already in a blown-up state, so that side... But I think I heard there were quite a few people rescued later."
—Chan-seong's name isn't on the rescue list...
"What? If he's not on the rescue list..."
Is he dead...
He's the kid who's the cause of me becoming an unprecedented piece of trash and who even beat me up, but maybe because we were once close?
I feel strange.
Actually, I understand why he hit me.
It would be strange to leave alone someone who turned you into a vegetable and covered it up.
If I had been Min Chan-seong, I wouldn't have ended it with just what he did.
Of course, it was the past Lee Ji-sung who did that, not me, so from my perspective it's really unfair.
—It's not like that! He wasn't on the casualty list either!
She didn't even say he was dead directly, but she's shouting as if completely agitated, which is bewildering.
This kid really liked Min Chan-seong a lot.
"Maybe it hasn't been figured out yet? If he's not on the casualty list..."
—This morning's news said the response headquarters finished collecting victim bodies at dawn... Well, if you didn't see him... I understand.
She hangs up immediately without even listening to my answer.
I spoke hopefully out of pity, but if there's been no contact until this time, wouldn't there be no possibility of him being alive?
Of course, they said he wasn't found until the casualty body collection was finished, but it's probably because his body wasn't intact after being caught in the explosion.
People with families can at least have their relatives confirm, but that kid is an orphan...
My mouth tastes bitter.
***
I stretched once and drew the curtains.
Looking outside, I can see Seokchon Lake at a glance.
Nice view.
Actually, not just the view outside the window, but the bed and other facilities are really nice too.
I've been to many hotels so far, but this is the first time in a room like this.
I think it was called Presidential something since it's a room only used by people like presidents or state guests, and the price is incredibly 20 million won per night.
Well, I'm receiving it for free from the hotel thanks to the press conference.
While walking around looking here and there, the intercom rang and when I answered, they said Se-jin had arrived.
A little later, Se-jin entered the room, but huh?
She looks quite tired.
"Se-jin? What's wrong with you?"
The kid's face became completely haggard in one night.
"This is all because of you, Teacher."
"Huh?"
"Since last night, calls looking for you kept coming. Your acquaintances, the Blue House, even the CIA. Father and Mother even came to the house."
"Re... really?"
"Since this morning, so many reporters called the guild that work became impossible. Even though we said you'd hold a press conference today."
"Sorry. You're suffering so much because of me."
"If you're sorry, please buy a new phone first."
"I guess I should."
The phone I used when I was Min Chan-seong was incinerated at school yesterday, so I don't have a phone now.
Actually, buying a phone isn't the only thing - I really have a mountain of things to do.
I need to go to the district office to report my resurrection, get my property back, and visit the Hunter Management Bureau.
There are really many people I need to meet too.
But the schedule I set first was the press conference.
"How are you going to talk about it today? Yesterday my parents came and asked what happened."
"Really? What did you tell them?"
"Since I didn't know how you'd explain it, I said I also couldn't hear the full story because we were busy responding to the terror together after meeting yesterday, and that I heard you'd talk about it at today's press conference."
You covered well.
In the process of resolving yesterday's terror attack, I displayed abilities impossible even with this world's magic.
Even though everyone was asleep, it would all be captured on satellites or CCTV footage.
I had no intention of hiding it from the beginning.
Even aside from the abilities I showed yesterday, I suddenly appeared in Korea after going missing for nearly a year challenging Hell's Gate in America, so I need to explain.
Of course, I won't just explain simply.
"Teacher?"
"Ah, sorry. I was thinking for a moment."
I summarized the story I'll announce at today's press conference to Se-jin.
I really hate repeating the same story normally, but it's Se-jin, not just anyone.
"Tea... Teacher? What on earth does that mean?"
Our Se-jin looks completely shocked.
"It might be hard to believe, but it's literally that. I think it's about time, shall we go?"