Chapter 6: The Best Revenge

Rustle

After Yang Han-gil left, I stayed behind in the magic training hall to clean up. At that moment, the director approached me with a worried voice.

“Are… are you okay? I didn’t mean to overhear, but it sounded like you had some trouble…”

I smiled and replied.

“I’m fine.”

The director hesitated, standing awkwardly without saying anything further, so I nodded and smiled, letting him know it was okay to leave.

“I’ll take care of cleaning up here. I heard you have something important to attend to, so please, go ahead. I’ll send the repair costs for the training hall separately.”

“Oh no… you really don’t have to…”

“It’s fine.”

Once again, I quietly began cleaning up the training hall. Just as I was picking up some debris from the floor, I felt someone’s hand touch mine.

‘…?’

I turned to the side to find Seol Eun-ah smiling at me.

“Your magic skills are still as impressive as ever.”

Her words struck me as odd.

‘Still?’

It sounded as though she knew me. But I couldn’t recall ever meeting her.

Seol Eun-ah, seeing my puzzled expression, spoke as if she was disappointed.

“Do you really not remember me?”

“”

…

“Do you not recall the incident when a B-grade Gate suddenly transformed into a Black Gate, trapping three guilds inside?”

“I do remember.”

Inside the gate, there are dungeons, and the danger level of the dungeon is determined by the gate’s grade. The higher the gate’s grade, the more dangerous the dungeon inside.

But there’s another variable. It’s called a [Black Gate].

Although the cause is still unknown, on extremely rare occasions, a gate suddenly condenses with black energy, raising its grade by two or three levels, creating an absurd situation. In these cases, escape becomes impossible.

In other words, entering a C-grade gate and encountering an A~S-grade dungeon, only to have the gate itself become sealed, is a nightmare scenario known as the “Black Gate.”

‘Ah… now I remember. Back then, she didn’t have long hair like now, but a short bob.’

Something about her seemed vaguely familiar. She was one of the guild members who were trapped during that Black Gate incident in Korea.

For the record, I have a bit of a loophole that allows me to come and go freely through Black Gates. Of course, I can’t bring others with me, but I can at least get myself in and out.

Seol Eun-ah bowed her head and expressed her gratitude.

“Thanks to you, I survived back then. It was an A-grade dungeon that appeared because of the Black Gate, and we were all about to die. After all, there’s no way three guilds made up of C-grade mages and swordsmen could take down an A-grade dungeon boss. We were certain we’d die, but thanks to you, we all made it out alive.”

At least five years have passed since that time when I was actively working as a Hunter, driven by a misguided sense of justice that made me help others. After nearly dying in that Black Gate-created A-grade dungeon, I started living more selfishly, focusing on keeping myself safe rather than helping others.

I looked at Seol Eun-ah and said.

“You don’t need to thank me. I took the loot from the boss I killed, and I also gained several skills.”

“That’s only fair. You basically took down the boss on your own, didn’t you?”

‘Well, she’s not wrong.’

The guilds trapped in the gate had entered thinking it was just a C-grade gate, so their combat abilities weren’t anything exceptional. In reality, I ended up clearing the A-grade gate almost entirely on my own.

Seol Eun-ah took a step closer to me and said.

“I should’ve found you sooner to express my gratitude, but you always seemed so busy. Now, though, you seem to have some time.”

“Well… I do have more time these days.”

Seol Eun-ah’s expression hardened as she spoke.

“You were framed at Helmut Academy, weren’t you?”

Her words came out of nowhere, leaving me stunned. Seeing my reaction, she elaborated.

“I’ve already heard everything from my sources.”

“I heard that you were forced to resign and expelled from Helmut Academy because you were accused of using the intranet to steal students’ information and exploit it for personal gain. But honestly, I can’t believe it.”

“…Why can’t you believe it? Everyone else seems convinced I did it.”

Seol Eun-ah shook her head and replied.

“You, with so many skills, have no reason to use something as trivial as the intranet. With your skills and magic abilities, you could easily steal someone’s phone or personal information, right? Of course, I know you would never do that.”

“Also, someone capable of casting S-grade magic wouldn’t carelessly leave traces on the intranet. It’s obvious someone maliciously framed you.”

I remained silent, and Seol Eun-ah took my hand and spoke.

“Tell me what happened. Ever since you saved me from that Black Gate, I’ve been living with a single goal—to repay you. Thanks to that, even though I was only a C-grade hunter, I’m now the leader of a top guild.”

“If you were unfairly framed, I can help you. The reason I met you today through Yang Han-gil was to tell you this.”

Mentally exhausted, I needed someone to rely on. So, as if under a spell, I began recounting what had happened.

“…I don’t know all the details, but I’ll give you a rough explanation…”

When I finished explaining, she reacted with disbelief.

“That… that’s absurd… You’re saying your student did that?”

“Yes… it’s highly likely.”

Seol Eun-ah, enraged, shouted.

“You said the student’s name was Baek Hyun-seo, right? Why haven’t you torn that bitch apart yet? She deserves to be ripped to shreds! And those other students who sent you those death threats via text? They all deserve to die. From what I’ve heard, after everything you’ve done for them, they repay you with such vile acts.”

Seeing her genuinely angry for my sake, I felt a little relieved. It was strange to have someone get angry on my behalf. After all, up until now, everyone only tried to tear me down.

I spoke to Seol Eun-ah.

“There’s no need for me to kill them. They’ll wither away on their own. Like frogs in a pot of slowly boiling water, they’ll die without even realizing the water is heating up.”

“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”

I didn’t tell her about the [Harsh Fate] debuff that would soon affect my former students. There was no need to reveal all of my skills.

Seol Eun-ah looked at me with dissatisfaction.

“I don’t know what method you’re using, but if someone as skilled as you says they’ll suffer, I’m sure they will. But I don’t think that’s enough for proper revenge.”

Then, with a sly smile, she added.

“Do you know what I think the best revenge is?”

“The best revenge? …I’m not sure.”

“In my opinion, the best revenge is making them regret it deeply.”

She smiled and pointed to her phone.

“Yang Han-gil is about to start teaching soon, right? And he’s taking over the very students you used to teach.”

“Yes.”

“From what I’ve seen, his teaching methods are standard enough to be considered the norm at Helmont Academy. In other words, they’re nothing special. All those so-called elites use the same mana techniques.”

“So, what do you think about uploading lecture videos to a platform to coincide with Yang Han-gil’s classes?”

Surprised by her sudden suggestion, she continued.

“Before coming here, I looked into your lecture curriculum. It’s revolutionary, even beyond that—completely exceptional.”

“If you upload your lectures while Yang Han-gil is teaching, and your video views skyrocket, and your former students stumble upon them by chance, and if your methods turn out to be more efficient, what do you think will happen?”

I replied.

“Well… they’ll think Yang Han-gil is incompetent. If they realize the platform lectures are better, that is.”

She smiled and said,

“Exactly. Of course, since public opinion is against you right now, you’ll need to hide your face with a mask and disguise your voice. But once you’re cleared of all charges, reveal your identity.”

“By that time, you’ll already be famous. If even one of your students was secretly watching your lectures, they’ll be consumed with regret. They’ll realize they abandoned such a talented, innocent person.”

In summary, she was suggesting that I become a content creator, uploading lecture videos with a hidden identity, and then revealing myself once I gained enough recognition and cleared my name.

‘I’m not sure if it will work as planned, but… I don’t have anything else to do anyway.’

Honestly, I was confident in the lecture content. I knew in detail about mana and skill techniques that were not widely known. Thanks to this knowledge, I had earned the title of S-rank instructor, so this was essentially guaranteed content.

However, I still had doubts about whether my former students would actually watch the lecture videos if I uploaded them to a video platform.

“I’m confident about the lectures. But do you think the videos I upload will become popular enough for students from the prestigious Helmont Academy to watch them? I’ve never even edited a video before.”

Hearing this, Seol Eun-ah smiled widely.

“Don’t worry. You know NA Tube, right? The world-famous video platform? I know someone who runs an MCN and has helped creators on that platform reach over a million subscribers.”

“If I ask them, they’ll handle everything from editing to promotion and driving traffic. Of course, I’ll cover all the costs. Naturally, the profits from the videos will go to you. I’m just doing this to repay your kindness.”

“That feels a bit burdensome… Let’s discuss the profit-sharing later. I don’t really need money that much anyway.”

Honestly, at that time, I didn’t fully trust Seol Eun-ah’s words. After all, I couldn’t imagine “lectures” becoming a big hit on a video platform overflowing with sensational content like NA Tube.

“Alright, let me call the person who runs the MCN. Just a moment.”

She checked a few things and then started talking on the phone.

“Hello, Mr. B&H, how are you doing? I’m reaching out because I want to help grow a new creator. The content quality is guaranteed, and we’re going with a masked instructor concept. Please use all the promotional tools you have for an initial boost. It’d also be great if the MCN creators could share the video. I’ll pay whatever fee you want.”

After chatting for a while, she looked at me and smiled.

“Mr. Juwon, could you record a lecture video that will surprise people? I’ll take care of the editing and uploading, so don’t worry about that.”

“Um… I’ll give it a try.”

She handed me her phone.

“Please give me your number. You can send the video to this number.”

Back home, I stood in front of a white wall, talking to the camera for what felt like ages.

Beep
Recording completed.

‘Finally… it’s done.’

This time, I recorded a video on “Mana Techniques,” specifically covering ways to enhance “Destructive Power.” I was confident that most people wouldn’t know this information, but I still wasn’t sure if it would gain the popularity that Seol Eun-ah mentioned.

I sent her the one-hour-long video and texted her.

— Ms. Seol, I’ve completed the recording.

— I’ll check it now, Mr. Juwon.

About two hours later, she sent me a link.

— How do you like it?

I clicked the link and found that my NA Tube channel had been created. There was one video: the lecture I had recorded while wearing a mask.

When I checked, the hour-long video had been condensed into a ten-minute highlight reel.

The thumbnail had bold text that read, “Don’t waste your money on magic academy lectures!” and the title was clickbait: “Here’s why your magic has been weak all this time.”

— Uploaded it 10 minutes ago. 1,000 views.

‘What… I just uploaded it, so how does it have so many views?’

‘It’s been only 10 minutes. And this is my first video. But it’s already like this?’

A bit surprised, I thought, ‘This will probably die down,’ and went to sleep.

In the morning, I woke up to dozens of messages from Seol Eun-ah.

— Mr. Juwon, check the video! This is insane!

— Can you see the view and subscriber counts? Wow… I’ve never seen numbers explode like this before.

— You won’t pretend you don’t know me when you’re super famous, right? Promise? ㅎㅎ

‘What the… what’s going on?’

Half-asleep, I opened my phone and went to my channel.

‘Fuck… Is this for real?’

— Uploaded 7 hours ago. 1.7 million views.

Whether on Earth or in this game, I had never received this much attention before. My hands trembled as I nervously clicked on the comments.

— Wow… insane… Do you actually use magic like this?

— I tried it, and it actually works, LOL.

— This person is out of their mind. If you release this kind of stuff for free, what are other instructors supposed to do? It’s disgusting, seriously.

— Why are you leaving hate comments on someone doing good work, you $$$$?

— No, but if you give out this kind of thing for free, people in the same industry are going to starve!

— Not my problem. Let them starve to death.

— I came here after seeing Miyo’s shared video, and it’s amazing. Subscribing now.

— Same here, I came because of Miyo LOL.

— Miyo nuna, hnnng.

With the explosive reaction, I noticed comments mentioning subscribers, so I finally checked my channel.

‘This is crazy…’

Channel name: Masked Instructor
Subscribers: 201,000

Overnight, I had become an NA Tube star instructor.

‘This doesn’t make any sense…’

Just as I was chuckling in disbelief, a notification popped up.

Ding!

— 24 hours have passed since the [Path of the King] skill link was broken. The [Harsh Fate] debuff has been applied to 521 successors who lost their qualifications.

[SSS] Harsh Fate
◎Greatly decreases growth speed.
◎Greatly reduces the Luck stat.
◎Significantly lowers mana utilization.
◎Gradually decreases total mana.
◎Occasionally brings about significant misfortune.
◎All effects last until the successor link is restored.

Along with the 521 students who had been afflicted by the SSS-grade debuff, Yang Han-gil’s first class began.

“Nice to meet you. From now on, instead of Choi Juwon, I’ll be teaching you. I am Yang Han-gil, the world’s greatest magician.”