Chapter 23: Arrest

When I lifted the limit, pure mana began surging through my body.

[Circle Release: Limit Break] – The limit on your mana circle is lifted. You can now nullify the opponent’s magic using [Cancel]. Prolonged use of Limit Break can lead to burnout.

[SSS] Cancel – Forcefully cancels the magic being cast by the opponent. You cannot cancel magic that you are unable to cast. ※ Consumes mental power instead of mana. If your mental power falls below a certain level, burnout will occur.

• Burnout: Mana usage is temporarily prohibited. Overall stats will drop temporarily.

Cancel is an overpowered skill that allows you to forcibly dismantle magic as long as you can use that spell yourself.

It can only be used when the Circle Release has lifted the limit.

‘I avoided using this because improper usage can lead to burnout…’

Circle Release naturally holds incredible power, but improper use could completely block my ability to use mana for a while, and my stats would drop.

In situations where anything could happen, temporarily losing my ability to use mana and seeing a drop in stats is incredibly dangerous.

Additionally, even if burnout doesn’t occur, it puts a strain on the body, so I generally avoid using it.

But right now, Seol Euna might die because of me. This isn’t the time to hesitate.

I stretched my hand toward Baek Jooseok’s [S] Hellfire.

Clang

At that moment, it sounded like glass shattering, and the magic broke into pieces.

“Huh…?”

Baek Jooseok stared dumbfoundedly at his shattered magic.

‘I need to end this quickly. I can’t maintain this state for long.’

Whirr

I quickly teleported right in front of Baek Jooseok.

“Ge… Get away from me!”

Baek Jooseok cast [S] Blizzard.

Whoooosh

A storm raged violently.

Crash

But that spell also shattered instantly.

“This… this doesn’t make sense… Don’t lie to me. Magic Cancel…?”

Baek Jooseok desperately kept casting spells.

Hellfire, Lightning Storm, Cannon, and even other miscellaneous spells.

Clang

But they were all spells I could use as well, meaning I could cancel them.

Step

Step

Step

I walked toward Baek Jooseok.

‘If I kill him here, things could get unnecessarily complicated later.’

Baek Jooseok must go through the proper channels and be punished by the magic investigation agency.

No matter how insane his actions have been, he’s still the president of a prestigious academy.

Killing him in front of everyone would be an unthinkable act.

‘Still, I should make sure he suffers.’

I placed my hand on Baek Jooseok’s body and began to absorb.

Whoooosh

The demonic energy and mana surrounding Baek Jooseok started being sucked away instantly.

“Guhhhh… what are you…”

Crack

Baek Jooseok groaned in pain and tried to shake me off by casting magic, but I canceled all of it.

“Release.”

I raised my hand to the sky and released it.

The demonic energy and mana drawn from Baek Jooseok were discharged into the air and vanished in an instant.

“Absorb.”

“Release.”

I repeated the same process over and over again.

“Guhhh… st… stop it… pl… please…”

Before long, most of the mana enveloping Baek Jooseok had been extracted, and his body became visibly emaciated.

I whispered into his ear, ensuring no one could hear.

“Now that all the demonic energy is gone, you should have regained your senses. You know better than anyone what’s going to happen next, right? You’ve made too big of a mess to cover it up with your connections.”

In pain, Baek Jooseok responded.

“You… you used Meteor just like me. You won’t escape punishment either.”

“No, no. I was simply stopping you, wasn’t I? I’ve already recorded everything using an artifact. Everyone will see that I was acting in self-defense, trying to save people.”

Grit

Baek Jooseok ground his teeth and glared at me. Blood was streaming from his eyes, a side effect of using too much demonic energy.

“I’ll kill you… I’ll repay this humiliation. Don’t rejoice. One day, I’ll…”

Bam!

I discharged mana directly at Baek Jooseok’s head.

Thud

He didn’t die, but the severely injured Baek Jooseok collapsed on the spot.

“Mr… no, Masked Instructor!”

Seol Euna, who had been behind me, ran toward me. Her face was drenched in tears.

“Why did you do something so reckless! Don’t you know how dangerous someone consumed by demonic energy is? You almost died!”

“You’re the one who almost died, Ms. Seol Euna. Please don’t do that again. It was incredibly dangerous. And since I won, everything turned out fine, didn’t it?”

“Well, yes, but…”

Seol Euna trailed off, reaching out and touching my face. Then, with a serious expression, she shouted to the people around us.

“Everyone who can use healing magic, gather here immediately!”

Her yelling was so frantic that I touched my face and realized it was covered in blood.

The recoil from using Circle Liberation had caused the mana in my body to go haywire.

As a result, blood began streaming from my eyes, nose, and mouth.

Whoooosh

Following Seol Euna’s command, her guild’s mages quickly gathered and began casting healing magic on me.

She leaned in close and whispered.

“What kind of magic did you use to end up like this…? Does it have something to do with how you canceled Baek Jooseok’s spell earlier…?”

I nodded and replied.

“It’s a technique with severe recoil. Honestly, it’s a miracle I only took this much damage.”

Even though I had only used Circle Liberation for a brief moment, my entire body was in immense pain, and the blood kept flowing.

My head felt dizzy, and I was on the verge of throwing up.

I checked my body.

‘Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like anything’s permanently damaged.’

With this level of injury, a good day of rest should be enough for full recovery. Fortunately, despite the physical toll, there was no sign of burnout.

Grit

Seol Euna bit her lip in frustration, looking crestfallen as she muttered under her breath.

“I’ve only ever been on the receiving end of help, both then and now… I thought I had become stronger… but I’m still…”

I didn’t have any comforting words for her, so I just stood quietly. From a distance, I saw Jang Hyena running toward us.

“Masked Instructor! Are you okay?!”

When she saw my face, she jumped up in alarm and yelled.

“Are you alright? Can you breathe? Can you see properly?”

Jang Hyena examined me frantically, looking worried.

‘I didn’t think we were that close, but this feels… odd.’

It made sense for Seol Euna to be concerned since I had saved her life before, but I didn’t expect Jang Hyena—who was just a professional partner—to worry so much about me.

“Say something! Are you okay?”

Her outburst, filled with concern, made me feel something strange.

‘Well, I guess she’s just naturally a caring person.’

I thought as much and responded to Jang Hyena.

“I’m fine. But more importantly, is the broadcast still running? If this is being livestreamed, the viewer count must be through the roof.”

Jang Hyena shouted angrily.

“You think the viewer count matters right now? The broadcast was turned off a while ago. I just recorded everything as evidence so you won’t be wrongly punished later.”

‘Hmm… I recorded it separately as well, but there’s no need to mention that.’

“Thank you.”

Just as Jang Hyena was about to say something more, a group of men in black robes rushed over.

“Secure the scene and apprehend the suspects.”

The word ‘NPS’ was written on their robes.

‘Looks like the NPS showed up.’

The NPS, an agency that directly responds to all crime scenes in the country, plays a similar role to the serious crime division of the police on Earth, consisting of numerous teams.

A man who appeared to be of high rank walked towards me, showing his ID.

“Hello. I am Kim Eun-chan, the team leader of NPS Team 1. According to the report, it seems you are involved in this incident. The primary suspect is the fallen Chancellor Baek Jooseok over there, and the second suspect is you. As a suspect, you are obligated to disclose your identity. If you refuse to comply with our orders—”

At that moment, Seol Euna hurriedly intervened.

“N-No! This person only protected everyone from Baek Jooseok’s rampage!”

The man frowned and responded coldly.

“Do you have evidence? We only make judgments based on evidence.”

At that moment, Jang Hyena urgently showed the magical device she had used to record the event to Kim Eun-chan.

“This is absurd… Check if there’s any manipulation.”

Following his command, one of the investigators took out a large artifact and confirmed that there were no signs of tampering with the recording.

Afterward, Kim Eun-chan bowed his head and apologized.

“I apologize. It seems you prevented what could have been a mass casualty incident. Could you reveal your identity? We’ll inform the state to ensure you receive ample compensation.”

I refused without hesitation.

“No, thank you. I’d rather not reveal my identity.”

Although he looked troubled, I remained firm in my decision.

“There’s no choice then… Once again, I express my gratitude. We will now take Chancellor Baek Jooseok into custody.”

Clack

With mana-sealing cuffs on, Baek Jooseok was led away as the academy students, spectators, and reporters all watched.

Whoooosh

As I turned my head, I saw the guild master of Baal, who had arrived late after the support request.

Along with him were members of various guilds, wizards from the Magic Tower, and even the Tower Master Shin Yura herself.

A crowd of people were all staring at me.

Step
Step
Step

Shin Yura slowly approached me with a cold expression.

“Who... exactly are you?”