Chapter 56: Meeting With Song Mina, A Former Student of helmund Academy

“Don’t you get it? Your life is screwed because of me.”

“Don’t be so upset. It’s your karma. Why pick a fight with a complete stranger, you quack?”

After I whispered, Shim Jihyuk started to rage.

“
! I’ll kill you… I’ll kill…”

-Gulp

A strange energy began to overflow from Shim Jihyuk’s agitated body.

‘It’s started.’

Magi reflux. He was already agitated from handling the Magi, and my words further fueled his frenzy, causing the Magi to surge uncontrollably.

Shim Jihyuk’s body swelled and deflated repeatedly with Magi.

-Cough-!

Shim Jihyuk coughed up a tremendous amount of blood, despite standing still.

“Wh… What is this…?”

Shim Jihyuk stared at the ground with empty eyes, bleeding profusely. I kindly explained,

“What is this? You foolishly pushed your Magi to the limit, and then you drew on even more of its power. Even with the Artifact’s help, there’s no way you could withstand it.”

“You… You were fine even after using more Magi!”

“That’s because I’m me.”

-Hoong

Shim Jihyuk flailed his mangled body, but his attacks didn’t reach me.

“Stop struggling, Shim Jihyuk. You’re going to die anyway.”

“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaak-!”

Shim Jihyuk screamed, and Magi began to surge within him once more, this time even more frantically.

‘Is he crazy?’

Shim Jihyuk was pushing his Magi to the absolute limit, drawing upon every ounce of his life force. This meant he intended to turn himself into a massive bomb. Having decided he was going to die anyway, he chose to overload the Magi, detonating his body and taking every living being in the vicinity with him.

“Don’t think you’ve won. Even if you’re strong, you’re still human. There’s no way you can withstand this.”

-Shhhhhhhhhhiiiiiing

The Magi’s energy surged in real-time, and the amount concentrated within Shim Jihyuk was truly immense.

People around us began to shout urgently.

“Everyone, brace yourselves! The entire area will be devastated!”

“Mages! Deploy defensive magic now! Pour all your energy into it! Otherwise, we’re all going to die here!”

Seeing the ominous amount of Magi, even those who had been waiting were now terrified.

While Shim Jihyuk was ranting, I detonated the Mana I had gathered.

-Kaaaaaaaaaaaaang-!

Using the recoil from the Emission that erupted behind me, I closed the distance to Shim Jihyuk in the blink of an eye. It was a speed beyond human reaction time.

Then, I used the Hellhound’s Fang in my hand to sever Shim Jihyuk’s neck.

-Slice

The speed was so great that Shim Jihyuk didn’t even realize he’d been attacked until the moment he was cut.

‘Wh… When? Did he move?’

The moment I attacked, Shim Jihyuk attempted to detonate the Magi using his body as the catalyst. But before he could even pull the trigger for the explosion, his head was severed.

-Thud

Shim Jihyuk, unaware of the cause of his death, vanished from the world.

-Ding

-[You have defeated the Magi-addicted Doctor.]

-[The Hellhound’s Fang’s experience has increased.]

-[Some abilities have been unlocked. Abilities can be awakened through emotions.]

‘Oh, right, there was this too.’

When I previously hunted a high-ranking monster in the Black Gate, I received a growth notification for the Hellhound’s Fang. Back then, it also said some abilities had been unlocked, and now it said the same thing again. That meant two abilities were currently unlocked.

‘What are they?’

The fact that the Hellhound’s Fang was a [Legendary] grade growth-type weapon made me quite excited.

‘Swordsmanship is definitely better than magic, after all.’

If one could use the swordsmanship-exclusive skill [Aura], swordsmanship would be superior to magic at the same skill level. Of course, I couldn’t use [Aura], so I hadn’t focused on swordsmanship. Besides, I thought magic was sufficient.

‘Come to think of it, can I use this now?’

[Death Knight’s Thought Orb]
A Thought Orb containing an ominous energy. Upon use, you can gradually acquire the swordsmanship possessed by the Death Knight in life.

When I fought with President Baek Jooseok on the broadcast, I entered an A-rank dungeon alone to prove my abilities and killed a Death Knight. This was the item it dropped. I’d been too busy to use it until now, but it suddenly came to mind.

-My lord, my body is already bound by dark magic, so I cannot wield a sword by your side. Am I but a wraith trapped in this dungeon? Though my body cannot escape this place, my will shall always acknowledge you as my lord and remain with you. This Thought Orb contains everything I am. Please, accept it.

‘The Death Knight was a “Sword Saint” who could use [Aura] in life. Does “gradually acquire” mean I can eventually reach the level of a Sword Saint?’

I shook my head.

‘Even if it’s a reward for completing a Hidden Quest, that can’t be true.’

As I was lost in thought, I heard someone’s voice beside me.

“Masked Instructor? Thank you so much.”

The person bowing was Kang Cheolguk, the broadcasting station’s head of security. He spoke to me respectfully,

“Thanks to you, everything was resolved. If Shim Jihyuk hadn’t been stopped, a much greater disaster could have occurred. Moreover, if you hadn’t stopped him by killing him at the last moment, there would have been an unbelievably large explosion.”

He bowed his head again in gratitude.

I asked Kang Cheolguk,

“Is the scene being handled?”

“Of course. I gave all the necessary orders before coming to you. We are currently assessing the damage.”

Suddenly worried, I asked,

“There won’t be any penalties for killing Shim Jihyuk, right?”

I was concerned, having killed someone in the middle of the city. Until now, I hadn’t killed anyone in a place where so many people could witness it, even if I’d done so in secret before.

Kang Cheolguk nodded at my question as if it were obvious.

“People were filming the situation. Shim Jihyuk’s body was a Magi bomb on the verge of exploding. There was no way to control him other than to kill him. It was entirely within the bounds of justifiable action. Besides, we’re all witnesses.”

I replied,

“I see. Then, may I leave now?”

“Of course. However, I would like to offer you a reward. Is there anything you need? If it’s monetary compensation, I can request any amount from my superiors. Perhaps, given your achievement, you might even receive a national commendation.”

“No, thank you. I don’t need any reward.”

I firmly refused. I had more than enough money. I also had a feeling that a reward from the government wouldn’t be particularly appealing.

Kang Cheolguk spoke to me with a hint of disappointment,

“You’re a righteous person. It’s not easy to help others without expecting anything in return…”

To be precise, I had taken revenge on Shim Jihyuk for acting like a
. Also, if I had left Shim Jihyuk alive, Jang Hyena, who had sent the tip-off for me, might have been in danger. Killing him was, in a way, a personal and convenient choice.

However, it was also true that many others had survived because of it. If I hadn’t come here, hundreds, if not thousands, of people, including Kang Cheolguk’s subordinates, would have died.

Uncomfortable with Kang Cheolguk’s admiring gaze, I turned around as if to leave.

Then, Kang Cheolguk said,

“Masked Instructor, if you ever need anything, please come find me. I will definitely repay the help you’ve given me. I was hesitant to step in, even though I almost lost a colleague before my eyes. But thanks to you, my colleagues are alive. I’ll repay this favor for the rest of my life.”

Just in case, I replied,

“I’ll keep that in mind if I need anything from you in the future.”

If I ever ran into trouble, having even one more person on my side would be beneficial. The head of security at a broadcasting station would likely have connections in various places and decent combat abilities.

It was highly likely that he couldn’t act this time because of the hostage. If there hadn’t been a hostage, he wouldn’t have been so helpless against Shim Jihyuk.

‘Haa… I’m tired.’

Seeing people rushing around cleaning up the aftermath, I suddenly felt a wave of fatigue.

Just then, someone shouted and approached the scene.

“We’re from Helmunt Academy’s advanced class! We’ve come to assist. Where’s the scene?!”

Helmunt Academy, the place I was expelled from. Most of the beginner class students, except for Baek Hyunseo, Lee Haru, Yoon Seulgi, Seo Yerin, and Kim Siyeon, were dead, but the rest of the advanced and intermediate classes were still alive.

After Shim Jihyuk’s rampage, the broadcasting station had sent out requests for assistance to various places, which apparently included Helmunt Academy students. The broadcasting station wasn’t too far from the academy.

‘They must have been desperate. It seems they sent requests for assistance everywhere.’

As I was thinking this, I suddenly saw a familiar face.

‘
, she came after all.’

The girl I saw in the distance. A monster with unparalleled skill at Helmunt Academy, the top student of the advanced class, and one of my most cherished disciples due to her exceptional talent.

I saw Song Mina.