Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Schooling the Academy President
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"Ha... I knew I'd end up back here."
Arriving at the front gates of Helmont Academy with my mask on. The situation had changed a lot since my first visit, but the buildings remained the same.
"I-it's... the Masked Instructor!"
As expected, no sooner had I arrived than the crowd started swarming.
"Whoa! What are you going to show us this time?"
"Do you have any plans in mind?"
"President Baek Juseok is top-tier among A-rank mages. Do you think you can win a duel without using external mana?"
A barrage of reporters' questions. But unlike before, I couldn't respond with my usual calm. I wasn't in my right mind.
And the reason I wasn't in my right mind? I spotted the girls watching me from afar.
'Fuck...'
Baek Hyunseo, Lee Haru, Yoon Seulgi, Kim Siyeon. Among my students, these were the ones I cherished the most.
Kim Siyeon waved toward the distant Masked Instructor and spoke up.
"Whoa, awesome. He really showed up. First time seeing him in person, and it's so cool."
Lee Haru chimed in at her words.
"Can't see his face because of the mask, but his presence is no joke. Then again, the guy who first discovered external mana usage wouldn't be ordinary."
Yoon Seulgi murmured.
"I-it's... so amazing... Is he really going to fight the president...?"
Baek Hyunseo, standing beside her with a stiff expression, spoke up.
"My father... he'll fight for real. He absolutely hates being looked down on... That Masked Instructor might be in serious trouble..."
Baek Hyunseo knew her father's personality well. Strong pride, couldn't tolerate being disrespected. If someone belittled him, he'd pour everything into revenge—no matter the cost. A cruel man.
Yet to his daughter Baek Hyunseo alone, that father had been warm. But that was in the past. Suddenly, a memory flashed in her mind—of an incident with President Baek Juseok.
The scene was the day she got caught using the intranet master key.
- "Shut your mouth. Just watch carefully from now on how things unfold. This is all your fault. If you breathe a word of nonsense, I'll really strike you from the family register. Live like a dead rat from here on out."
- Thud!
- "Ugh... hngh..."
Staring blankly at the closed door, she sobbed. Then, the door burst open again as President Baek Juseok stormed back into the house.
- "Baek Hyunseo, I forgot something I still needed to say. It's frustrating, but that bastard Choi Juwon might realize you're the only one who could use the sub-master key—that you were involved. He's a cunning, sly bastard. He might even figure that much out."
Baek Juseok leaned close and whispered in her ear.
- "Just in case, if you go to the academy tomorrow and that damn Choi Juwon questions you about the master key, act like you have no idea. If acting doesn't work, appeal to his emotions. Put your all into the performance. If it seems like he's onto you using it, say it wasn't intentional, a mistake, that you didn't want to. Do your best to fool him. To minimize risk if it comes out later, keep drilling it into your head: it wasn't on purpose. Got it?"
- "Y... yes, Father..."
- "Act normal. And make yourself look like a complete idiot to that bastard. If you play the part well, we might use his sympathy later."
- "And remember this. The moment you confess to using the intranet for that instructor's sake, I'll mobilize every connection I have to kill your precious Choi Juwon. If you behave, he'll get off with false accusations. But if you don't, you'll watch him turn into a corpse with your own eyes. So act straight. If you don't want to see him die."
Hearing her father's words, Baek Hyunseo kept repeating them to herself.
She hadn't wanted to do it. It wasn't intentional. She hadn't known it would blow up this big. Like when she was clueless about the intranet's gravity, she blanked her mind. And to act normal, she bought a cake and headed to the academy the next day.
As expected, Choi Juwon grilled her. He knew about the sub-master key's existence, so it was only natural he'd suspect her.
- "Hey... was it you...?"
- "W-what... what do you mean? M-me...?"
- "You don't have your phone, and you just got to the academy. How did you know what happened today?"
Facing Choi Juwon's interrogation, Baek Hyunseo denied it as her father instructed, but her slip-up gave her away immediately. Following his advice, she switched to acting. Like she'd accidentally touched the intranet master key but still had no clue how serious it was.
- "I-is... that such a big deal...?"
She trembled like an idiot, reacting as if it was just a careless mistake. And in her head, she repeated nonstop: She hadn't known it'd escalate like this. It was truly a mistake.
After that, she kept drilling it into herself. It was just a mistake. Nothing more. She acted and thought as her father said. But deep in her heart, guilt took firm root.
'I want to tell the truth... Confess I used the intranet, clear his false charges... I only wanted to monopolize Instructor Choi—no one wanted things to get this bad...'
Living day by day was torture, filled with regret. If she hadn't foolishly tried to monopolize Choi Juwon, Yang Hangil wouldn't be by her side now—Choi Juwon would. He'd care for her, even if giving failing grades. On her birthday, she wouldn't have been chased out pathetically; she'd have been celebrated by crowds.
'I'm sorry... I'm really sorry...'
She repeated it dozens, hundreds of times a day.
'If not for Father... I could clear your injustice... Take responsibility for what I did...'
To her now, her father was no different from shackles binding her.
The intranet incident was her own doing. But now that she wanted to confess and take responsibility, her father controlled her every move to protect his pride and reputation.
'Please... someone pull me from this hellish swamp of guilt...'
She only grew more broken with time.
Helmont Academy's Magic Duel Arena. Crowds had gathered—students, reporters, creators, guild members, and civilians. All come to watch my battle with Baek Juseok.
"Masked Instructor! Filming prep is all set!"
Jang Hyena called out brightly. Then Seol Euna spoke to me from the side.
"Masked Instructor. I prepared everything you mentioned last time. If anything goes wrong, we can execute the plan right away."
"Thanks. You brought plenty of people?"
"Half the guild."
"Good. That's plenty."
All preparations complete. I climbed onto the Magic Duel Arena and shouted.
"President Baek Juseok! This amateur fraud of an instructor has come to learn from you. Please don't run—come up at once!"
- Crunch...
Baek Juseok, waiting nearby, strode up onto the arena. He held a staff radiating an ominous aura—one he didn't usually carry.
I sneered.
"What's with the staff? Doesn't look ordinary. Scared of losing, so you commissioned a new weapon?"
I spoke casually, but the energy from the staff was unmistakably magi.
'That crazy bastard—is he really about to pull some insane stunt?'
I knew what that weapon was. At a glance, a high-grade magic staff. But the crystal orb atop it was part of a dark artifact that could unleash tremendous magi when its hidden function activated.
'Well, I expected as much anyway.'
Confident in his artifact, Baek Juseok spoke triumphantly.
"You'd best stop provoking me. You can't use external mana in this duel. My mastery is top-tier A-rank. Your chances of beating me are slim."
"Haha. I'm looking forward to it. Let's see just how mighty that vaunted A-rank mage power is."
I leaned in and whispered where others couldn't hear.
"Keep fucking around, you worm."
Baek Juseok's face flushed red as he shot back.
"Don't expect an easy death. I'll turn this arena into your grave."
I burst out laughing at his words, spun on my heel, and shouted to the crowd.
"Everyone, tired of waiting? No more delays—let's start the duel now. Watch closely as the renowned academy president faces off against this creator instructor nobody!"
Suddenly, the scoreboard lit up with numbers.
The moment the scoreboard hit zero, Baek Juseok chanted a spell.
- Zzzzt!
A massive bolt of lightning hurtled toward me in an instant.
'Hmm... Straight to A-rank magic, huh?'
- BOOM!
As expected, Stone shattered against the A-rank Lightning Cannon.
The onlookers began murmuring.
"Whoa... Not a renowned academy president for nothing... Casting A-rank magic that fast?"
"Not just that—the Masked Instructor really can't use anything above low-tier without external mana?"
"Yeah. Trying to block Lightning Cannon with Stone? Multiple Stones with external mana, maybe—but one alone? Ridiculous."
- Zzzzt!
The lightning bolt pierced Stone and slammed into me with a jolt.
"Grrgh..."
Seeing me in pain, Baek Juseok laughed heartily.
"An amateur fraud instructor picking a fight with the academy president? You chose the wrong opponent, didn't you? It was gonna come out anyway. Why provoke me like that?"
Baek Juseok thought: As expected, without external mana, the Masked Instructor's level was low, limited to basic spells. Confident of victory, he continued.
"No need for even S-rank on you. I overprepared."
Baek Juseok chanted again.
Another massive electric orb shot toward me.
At that moment, I stopped pretending to be in pain, looked at him with a smile, and began my counter-chant.
"Lightning Storm"
[S] Lightning Storm: Unleashes a storm of lightning at the opponent. Power scales with mana used by caster.
My [S] Lightning Storm rocketed toward Baek Juseok's [A] Lightning Cannon.
- Bang!
Lightning Storm pierced through Baek Juseok's Lightning Cannon in a flash.
"Wha...? Wha...? I-Ice..."
Baek Juseok panicked like an idiot, trying another spell, but it was too late.
- Vmmm!
Lightning Storm hurtled toward Baek Juseok at tremendous speed.