Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Arrest
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As soon as I released the limit, pure mana began surging wildly through my body.
Cancel is a cheat skill that forcibly dismantles spells, but only for magic I myself can cast. It's a spell usable only when Circle Opening releases the limit.
"If I use it wrong, I could end up in burnout, so I wasn't planning to use it..."
Circle Opening wields absurd power, but misuse comes with the risk of completely blocking mana usage for a period and temporarily dropping stats. In a situation where anything could happen anytime, anywhere, even temporary mana loss and stat reduction is a massive danger. Even without burnout, it burdens the body heavily, so I avoid using it unless necessary.
But right now, Seol Euna could die because of me. This wasn't the time to hold back.
I reached out toward Baek Juseok's [S] Hellfire.
-Shatter!
In that instant, a sound like a glass bottle breaking rang out, and the magic shattered into pieces.
"Wha...?"
Baek Juseok stared dumbly at his fragmented spell.
'Gotta end this quick. Can't maintain this state for long.'
-Whoosh
I swiftly used Teleport to close in on Baek Juseok.
"G-Get away from me!"
Baek Juseok unleashed [S] Blizzard.
-Rooooar
A raging storm whipped up in an instant.
-Crack!
But that spell shattered just as quickly.
"I-Impossible... L-Liar. Magic Cancel...?"
Baek Juseok kept firing off spells indiscriminately.
Hellfire, Lightning Storm and Cannon, and all sorts of other miscellaneous magic...
-Shatter!
But they were all spells I could use myself. Thus, spells I could Cancel.
-Step
-Step
-Step
I walked right up to Baek Juseok.
'Killing him here would just complicate things later.'
Baek Juseok needs to face proper punishment through the Magic Investigation Agency. No matter how insane his actions, he's still the president of a prestigious academy. Killing him in front of everyone watching would be absurd.
'Still, he deserves some pain.'
I placed my hand on Baek Juseok's body and began absorbing.
-Roooooooar
The demonic energy and mana enveloping Baek Juseok got sucked in all at once.
"Guhhh... What are you...?"
-Crack!
Baek Juseok tried to shake me off with a pained spell, but I Canceled them all.
"Release."
I raised my hand to the sky and released. The demonic energy and mana I'd drawn from Baek Juseok burst into the air and vanished in an instant.
"Absorb."
"Release."
I repeated the process several more times.
"Gaaah... St-Stop... P-Please..."
Before long, nearly all the mana cloaking Baek Juseok's body had been drained, and his frame visibly withered.
I whispered in Baek Juseok's ear, too quiet for anyone else to hear.
"Your demonic energy's all gone now, so your sanity should be back. You know better than anyone what happens next, right? You know connections won't save you after making this much of a mess."
Baek Juseok replied through a pained grimace.
"Y-Yeah... You used Meteor just like me. You won't escape punishment either."
"Nah. I was just trying to stop you, right? I've already got an image-recording artifact capturing everything. They'll see it as self-defense, me trying to save people."
-Grind
Baek Juseok glared at me, teeth clenched. Blood streamed from his eyes, a side effect of overusing demonic energy.
"I'll... kill you for sure. I'll make you pay for this humiliation. Don't get cocky. Someday, I'll..."
-Bang!
I blasted released mana at his head.
-Thud
Not dead, but badly hurt, Baek Juseok collapsed on the spot.
"M-Masked Instructor!"
Seol Euna rushed toward me from behind, her face streaked with tears.
"Why'd you pull such a reckless stunt?! Do you know how dangerous someone consumed by demonic energy is? You nearly died!"
"The one who nearly died was you, Miss Seol. Don't do that again. You almost caused a disaster. And in the end, I won, so it all worked out, didn't it?"
"That's true, but..."
Seol Euna trailed off and touched my face. Then she shouted around with a grave expression.
"Anyone who can use recovery magic, get over here now!"
Her frantic yelling puzzled me, so I touched my own face— it was covered in blood.
The recoil from Circle Opening had thrown my body into mana chaos. Blood poured from my eyes, nose, and mouth.
-Roooooooar
At Seol Euna's command, her guild mages gathered instantly and cast recovery magic on me all at once.
She leaned in close and whispered.
"What kind of magic did you use to end up like this...? Related to how you nullified Baek Juseok's spells earlier...?"
I nodded and explained.
"It's a high-recoil technique. Honestly, this level of damage is a miracle."
Just a brief use of Circle Opening, and my whole body screamed in agony, blood still flowing. My head spun, nausea rising on its own.
I checked my body over.
'Good, no permanent damage.'
This much injury would heal fully with a day's solid rest. Luckily, no burnout despite the physical toll.
-Crunch
Seol Euna bit her lip hard, mumbling glumly, clearly frustrated.
"I... back then and now, all I do is get helped... I thought I'd gotten pretty strong, but... still..."
Nothing much to say for comfort, so I just watched silently. In the distance, Jang Hyena came running up.
"Masked Instructor! Are you okay?!"
She saw my face and jumped, yelling.
"You okay? Can you breathe? See alright?"
Jang Hyena poked and prodded me worriedly.
'We're not even that close, but this feels weird.'
Fine, Seol Euna made sense—I'd saved her life before. But Jang Hyena was just a work partner; I hadn't expected this level of concern.
"Say something! You okay?!"
Seeing her yell like that, worry etched on her face, stirred an odd feeling.
'Guess she's just the caring type.'
I thought that and told Jang Hyena.
"I'm fine. More importantly, you still streaming? If this is going out live, viewer count must be insane."
Jang Hyena yelled in an angry voice.
"Who cares about viewers right now? I cut the broadcast ages ago and just recorded evidence footage to avoid misunderstandings. Can't have you getting unfairly punished."
'Huh... I recorded separately too, but no need to mention it.'
"Thanks."
As Jang Hyena opened her mouth to say more, men in black robes swarmed in.
"Secure the scene and detain the suspect."
Their robes bore the letters NPS.
'NPS showed up.'
NPS: The agency that deploys directly to every crime scene in the country. Composed of countless teams, they function like Earth's violent crime unit.
A high-ranking-looking man strode up to me and flashed his badge.
"Hello. I'm Kim Eunchán, team leader of NPS Team 1. Per reports, you're linked to this incident. Primary suspect is the collapsed Baek Juseok over there, secondary suspect is you. As a suspect, you're obligated to identify yourself, and failure to comply with our orders will..."
Just then, Seol Euna hurriedly explained from the side.
"N-No! He just protected people from Baek Juseok's rampage!"
He scowled and replied coldly.
"Do you have evidence? We judge solely by evidence."
Then Jang Hyena frantically showed Kim Eunchán her recording artifact.
"Unbelievable... Check for tampering."
At his order, an investigator pulled out a large artifact and scanned for magical alterations.
Afterward, Kim Eunchán bowed his head in apology.
"Sorry. You stopped what could have been countless casualties. Could you share your identity? We'll inform the nation and ensure you get proper compensation."
I refused, of course.
"I'm good. Don't want to reveal who I am."
He looked troubled, but I refused firmly.
"Understood... Thank you again. We'll take suspect Baek Juseok into custody now."
-Click
Academy students, crowds of onlookers, reporters—everyone watched as Baek Juseok was shackled with mana-sealing cuffs and arrested.
-Whish
Turning, I saw Baal Guild's leader arriving late after a support request, along with mages from various guilds and the Magic Tower, even Tower Lord Shin Yura—all staring right at me from the scene.
-Step
-Step
-Step
Magic Tower Lord Shin Yura approached me slowly. With a cold expression, she said.
"You... what the hell are you?"