Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Frame-Up Finally Revealed: The Downfall of President Baek Juseok
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"I want to rip the mouths off anyone who lies to me."
-ZZZAP ZZZAP ZZZAP
As I cast the spell, lightning coursed through the body of Valdena Guild's vice-leader, Han Sung-jun, charring him from head to toe. But I didn't stop there.
I sucked in plenty of his mana.
-KABOOM
I slammed his head into the ground.
After that, I turned to the Valdena Guild members. There were easily over thirty of them.
I looked at them and spoke in a low, voice.
"You fucking bastards. You're all criminals anyway, right?"
-KABOOM
"D-Damn it... Run!"
-WHOOOOSH
-PSSSH
"Gaaah!"
-CRUNCH
A ferocious blizzard laced with biting cold swept through them, accompanied by bolts of lightning and spears of ice. Every now and then, I'd teleport and smash their heads into the dirt, or absorb and release mana. In an instant, dozens of swordsmen turned into frozen corpses.
"Haa..."
After slaughtering the rest of the guild members, I approached Han Sung-jun, grabbed his head with my hand, and lifted him up.
"Urk..."
He let out a short groan of pain.
"Hey, you're Valdena Guild's vice-leader, right? Han Sung-jun."
"Y-Yes..."
He answered politely.
"You. Did you know your guildmate smashed the intranet master key?"
He nodded and replied.
"I gave the order myself. I told them it was key evidence, so hide it or destroy it however they saw fit. But if it got found out later, they'd die. That's probably why they smashed it."
It differed slightly from what I'd overheard in the cave, but it didn't matter. I'd already killed the guy who broke the intranet master key.
I concentrated mana in my hand to intimidate him and said,
"Han Sung-jun. The intranet master key got smashed because of you, and it's put me in a real bind."
"W-What do you mean...?"
"You know that guy Choi Juwon, the famous S-Rank Instructor at Helmont Academy?"
"Yes... I've seen a few articles about him. I don't know his face, but I've heard the name."
"That's me."
-Gulp
Han Sung-jun hiccuped in shock as he stared at me. I continued.
"That intranet master key your guild smashed to cover for President Baek Juseok? That was the only evidence to clear my name. You know he framed me, right? But you guys even broke both backup keys. So what the hell am I supposed to do now?"
"S-Sorry... I'm really sorry..."
-BAM
-Crunch
I smashed his head into the ground and kept talking.
"I've been thinking. About what I should do. And the answer's simple. If there's no physical evidence, a testimony will do."
"..."
"Han Sung-jun. Go turn yourself in at NPS. Say President Baek Juseok ordered the evidence tampering, that he used the intranet master key himself and faked the logs to frame me."
"I-If I do that, I might die..."
"Scared of retaliation from President Baek Juseok? That's funny. You not scared of the guy right in front of you?"
-Sizzle
I ground his face hard into the dirt, and he wailed in agony.
"Grrgh... Please... Isn't there another way? Just say it... Anything else..."
"Nope. None. I'm pissed, and I need my name cleared. Your guild destroyed the evidence that proved my innocence. So you're gonna step up and help me. Got it? Oh, and if you refuse, I'll shove an ice spear through your throat right now."
"..."
"It'd be better for you to get locked up in NPS anyway. Even President Baek Juseok can't kill you there. What do you think? Do what I say? Or die now?"
"I-I'll do as you say. Will you really let me live...?"
"Yeah. I'll let you go. But I'm not gonna just trust a worm like you."
"Condition: If Han Sung-jun violates any of the things I say from now on."
I set a vague condition first, then detailed it.
"Han Sung-jun. You must not tell anyone anything that could reveal my identity from what happened today. No retaliation against me either. And once I release you, head to NPS within five hours and turn yourself in. Tell them Baek Juseok used and manipulated the academy intranet master key to frame Choi Juwon, and to cover it up, he asked you to destroy the master key evidence."
Then I input the result.
"If [Condition] is violated: Immediate death."
-Hummm
I infused my mana first, but Han Sung-jun hesitated, not infusing his.
"Three seconds. If you don't infuse mana by then, you're dead. Do it."
At that moment, he squeezed his eyes shut and infused his mana.
I smirked and said,
"Just in case you're a dumbass who doesn't know this spell, it's SSS-grade. Don't try breaking it or violating the conditions. You'll drop dead. Got it?"
Han Sung-jun nodded through his tears. I smiled and told him,
"Do a good job from now on, yeah? I spared you for a reason."
-Step step
As I turned to leave, I looked back at Han Sung-jun.
"Oh, and clean up these bodies yourself before turning yourself in. If anyone asks, say you got ambushed by some mystery guild and it turned into this. The oath magic circle means you can't mention me anyway, so handle it well."
"Understood..."
I left him there, staring blankly at the ground with tears streaming down his face.
'Should've done it this way from the start. What would've taken months of bullshit got wrapped up in under an hour with raw power.'
With that thought, I wrapped myself in my [SS] Perfect Cloak of Stealth, slipped out of Baek Juseok's residence, and headed home.
-Beep beep
-Clank
Unlocking the door with its magic security system, I stepped inside, and a wave of exhaustion hit me. Was this really the right thing to do? Was there no other way?
'Don't think stupid thoughts.'
I shook my head. Then, for the first time in a while, I pulled out the phone I'd used back when I was an instructor at Helmont Academy under President Baek Juseok.
'They sure sent a shit-ton.'
I went to the all-messages tab and scrolled through them one by one.
[Die, trash.]
[You always looked shady. Guess physiognomy is real science.]
[Pathetic loser. Is peeping a hobby for all guys?]
[Never liked you from the start. Acting all high and mighty, always trying to teach everyone—disgusting. Serves you right.]
[Pathetic and filthy.]
[Why were you even born? Just wasting oxygen, you worm.]
[Figures, being an orphan and all. Your behavior's a spectacle.]
[Just kill yourself.]
[Retard. Helmont Academy's shame.]
[Fucking bastard.]
[Arrogant prick finally got what's coming.]
[What's wrong with dying? I'd kill myself from the shame.]
[Don't you dare show your face around here again, asshole.]
...
...
I read every single one without skipping. Not a single message was kind. Not one. I couldn't understand it. Not a soul believed me or cheered me on. How the hell did it come to this?
'Did I treat my students wrong? Or was my rep always shit? No.'
I was an S-Rank Instructor. To get there, one requirement was getting S grades from over 90% of students in the [Academic Achievement Satisfaction Evaluation] for six straight months.
In other words, for over six months, more than 90% of my 521 students consistently rated me S. So why wasn't there even one message from anyone supporting or believing me? If my evals were that good, at least one person should've bought my innocence claim.
'Fuck if I know. It's bullshit. These assholes are dead to me now. Don't give a shit.'
With that, I opened the web browser on my phone.
'News articles should be up by now.'
About ten hours had passed since I parted with Valdena vice-leader Han Sung-jun. If he'd turned himself in within five hours, between investigation and processing, reporters should've gotten wind and published by now.
-Flick
-Flick
I refreshed several times, but no articles appeared.
'Haa... Fucking hell. Guess Baek Juseok really bribed a ton of people.'
The [SSS] Oath Magic Circle was still active, so Han Sung-jun hadn't broken the conditions. He'd definitely turned himself in hours ago. Reporters at NPS should've gotten the scoop. But it seemed Baek Juseok's bribes had them holding back, hushing it up.
I switched to NA TUBE, which had less oversight. Right away, the top real-time trending video featured a familiar face.
'Jang Hyena. Even snagging real-time #1, huh.'
I checked the title and was floored.
Clicking the video showed Jang Hyena in a black suit, speaking.
"Hello, everyone. We've received a shocking tip at this hour. It's the testimony from Valdena Guild's vice-leader. According to Han Sung-jun, President Baek Juseok used the academy intranet master key for personal purposes and bribed multiple guilds with backroom deals to cover it up."
"In the process, President Baek Juseok framed Choi Juwon—the instructor known as S-Rank—for his own crimes, per Han Sung-jun's testimony. NPS plans to forcibly access and verify Helmont Academy's intranet before deciding."
"With the intranet master key destroyed, verification could take months, but given the evidence from the Valdena vice-leader, this testimony seems highly credible personally..."
Not knowing I was Choi Juwon, she'd probably uploaded it just to chase the buzz, but I felt deep gratitude.
'Gotta repay her later. Even if she didn't know it was for me.'
The spark Jang Hyena lit spread nationwide.
And that news spread like wildfire to Choi Juwon's former students at Helmont Academy.