Chapter 30: Academy without Choi Juwon [Regret]

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The news Jang Hyena shared through NATUBE spread nationwide. Naturally, the comment section of the video was in an uproar.

– What? Did President Baek Jooseok really use the academy’s intranet however he pleased?

ᄂ But is that even possible? Why would the president of such a prestigious academy do something like that?

ᄂ Then what about Valdena’s deputy guild leader’s testimony? It’s practically a confession made at the risk of his life.

ᄂ This is ambiguous. We’ll have to wait a few months until the intranet is forcibly opened to know for sure.

ᄂ You idiots, isn’t it basically confirmed even without looking? Why would anyone confess knowing they’d get caught?

• That instructor named Choi Juwon had it rough. I heard he resigned because of the false accusation.

ᄂ Wow, is he that guy who was in the news for making tens of billions in a year? Choi Juwon?

ᄂᄋ Yeah, that’s him. He was famous as an S-class instructor at Helmunt Academy.

– Hmm… for now, I’m staying neutral.

Public opinion was divided.

Some believed that the testimony given by the deputy guild leader, a man with such a title, couldn’t be a lie, while others questioned why Baek Jooseok, the president of a prestigious academy, would bother manipulating or using the intranet, which held students’ personal information.

However, most people at this point had already accepted it as a fact that he tampered with the intranet.

Still, there was one thing everyone agreed on:

[Once the intranet is opened, everything will be revealed.]

Ordinary people, who had no way of truly understanding the situation, were just enjoying the drama, munching on popcorn as they savored the unfolding chaos.

The morning after Jang Hyena’s video was uploaded, Helmunt Academy was in turmoil.

“What’s going on? Are they saying it wasn’t Instructor Choi Juwon, but the president who snooped through the intranet?”

“No way… Does that mean Instructor Choi Juwon is innocent…?”

“We don’t know yet. The intranet’s master key was destroyed, so it’s impossible to check. They said it could take at least a few months.”

At that moment, among the students, Lee Haru spoke up.

“There’s no way this is really a false accusation, right?… I… sent a harsh message to the instructor…”

The bustling atmosphere instantly fell silent.

Hearing Lee Haru’s words, Kim Siyeon nervously bit her nails and spoke up.

“I… I also sent a harsh message to the instructor… I really didn’t know…”

The students began confessing one by one.

“I told the instructor to die…”

“I said he was disgusting. I really thought he had snooped.”

Among them was a particularly anxious female student. Yoon Seulgi, with a trembling voice, said,

“I… I told the instructor that I was disappointed… but I did think there was a chance that the accusation was false… but… I still sent a hateful message…”

Lee Haru nodded, as if she understood the reason with a sad expression.

“Right after Instructor Choi Juwon left the academy, the president and the other instructors immediately yelled at us, saying that it was only right to thoroughly punish a cowardly instructor who would do such a thing as snooping on the intranet. They said it was necessary to set an example so no one else would be stupid enough to do something like that in the future.”

As soon as Choi Juwon left the front gates of the academy,

President Baek Jooseok, who had never liked him, along with fellow instructors who were jealous of Choi Juwon for attracting far more students and earning a lot of money,

as well as those who had been bribed by Baek Jooseok, all conspired to speak in unison to the students.

[A shameless instructor who steals students’ personal information deserves to be punished. However, since the honor of Helmunt Academy is at stake, we won’t report this to the magic investigation authorities. Therefore, we expect the students to take appropriate action voluntarily.]

One of the instructors then added,

“Surely, none of you, the students of this prestigious academy, would be foolish enough to be misled by sentimentality, failing to clearly perceive the situation, and end up believing nonsense about Instructor Choi Juwon being falsely accused, right? Remember, all communications you send are recorded in the intranet. We have no need for students who fail to act in the name of justice.”

After hearing those words, the students, swayed by the atmosphere, began sending anonymous messages filled with resentment and criticism to Choi Juwon, even those who were hesitant.

The first reason for sending the messages was [Group Mentality].

When one person starts something, others tend to follow. Various social experiments and nationally significant incidents have shown that such group mentality often takes hold.

A similar theory is [The Broken Windows Theory].

What do you think would happen if you placed trash in a clean street corner in a busy area?

Before half a day has passed, the corner that once had only a single piece of trash will begin to look like a dump.

As the trash piles up, people think:

‘It won’t matter if I throw one more piece. Others are doing it too.’

Some might even go further, mistaking it as:

‘This must be a place to throw trash.’

The students, swept up in the atmosphere, found it difficult to make rational judgments.

Even those who were hesitant ended up following the actions of their fellow students without thinking.

The second reason for sending the messages was the existence of the intranet, where everything is recorded.

Yoon Seulgi muttered tearfully.

“I… I didn’t want to curse. I wanted to believe. But… I was afraid of facing consequences later….”

Every message sent by the students is recorded on the Helmunt Academy intranet. In other words, it’s possible to check whether they criticized Choi Juwon or not.

Of course, accessing this information for personal use would lead to severe punishment, so it’s rare for anyone to actually view it, but the mere possibility of being [monitored] was enough to instill fear.

• “We don’t need foolish students who refuse to act for justice.”

A statement from one of the instructors. Those words instilled a deep fear in the students.

At the time, Yoon Seul-gi thought:

‘If I don’t take any action, I might be expelled from this place…’

Whether she believed in Choi Juwon or not was secondary. Helmunt Academy was so prestigious that once you left, it was nearly impossible to re-enter due to the long waiting list.

Not only Yoon Seul-gi but most of the students here had parents who were members of prestigious guilds.

Naturally, the expectations they received were equally high.

If they were expelled, who knew what their parents might do to them? The expectations their parents had when sending them to Helmunt Academy were enormous.

While this world had laws, the NPS (National Protection Services), and magic investigation agencies, power and money were still valued above all else.

A world where the strong prey on the weak. You could tell from the outrageous behavior of the leader of the Baal guild, Choi Seunghyun.

• “Who do you think you are to reject my offer, you f*cking bastard? Do you want to die?”

Choi Seunghyun, the leader of Baal, had used crude language and attempted to break Choi Juwon’s arm by channeling mana, even though it was their first meeting.

He didn’t seem afraid of the law.

The reason was that he possessed ‘strong power’ and ‘influence.’

Government agencies, the NPS, magic investigation units? If they all attacked him together, Choi Seunghyun would indeed suffer significant damage.

But the problem was that the reverse was also true.

Attacking the group Baal, made up of hundreds of A-rank and B-rank members, would mean the country would have to endure massive losses.

As a result, there was an unspoken rule between the state and Baal to not interfere with each other unless it was a serious matter.

In other words, if you have power and influence, you can solve most problems.

That’s why parents send their children who weren’t chosen as swordmasters to Helmunt Academy, paying huge fees to allow them to grow rapidly through dungeon access rights and various benefits.

At the time when Yoon Seul-gi sent the insulting message to Choi Juwon, she trembled as she thought:

‘What if I recklessly sent a message saying I believed in him or did nothing, only for that to be found out later and I get expelled…?’

Helmunt Academy was a place called prestigious, with many connections.

If word got out in the industry that you were expelled from here for an unsavory reason, you wouldn’t be able to enter any other academy.

Furthermore, not receiving the various benefits provided by the academy would mean an end to growth potential.

In a world where the strong prey on the weak, it was as good as a death sentence.

Yoon Seul-gi sobbed as she spoke.

“S-sniff… I… I cursed at the instructor without being certain, only thinking about my own safety.”

Kim Si-yeon looked at the crying Yoon Seul-gi and murmured.

“I sincerely doubted it. I hate myself so much… I truly liked the instructor, but I must have felt so betrayed in that moment. Why couldn’t I believe the instructor when he was crying out that it was all false?”

Kim Si-yeon recalled Choi Juwon’s desperate cries at the academy.

‘Guys, I really didn’t do anything like that. Why would I take your personal information and use it for anything? I have no interest in other people’s photos, conversations, or phone calls. You all know that’s not my personality. Please believe me, I’m begging you. This is unjust. It really is unjust.’

The academy fell silent.

-Tok tok

-Tok tok

-Tok tok

A girl walked up. She had yellow hair and a delicate figure. When Baek Hyunseo walked up the stairs, she flinched, startled by the crowd.

-Tap tap tap

Kim Si-yeon approached Baek Hyunseo quickly with an angry expression and spoke in a cold voice.

“Baek Hyunseo. You saw the video yesterday, right? There’s testimony that your dad framed the instructor. You really didn’t know anything about this?”

The crowd of students gathered behind them, staring at Baek Hyunseo with eyes filled with resentment and hatred.

-Shiver

Trembling in fear, Baek Hyunseo answered.

“I… I….”

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