Chapter 27: Destruction of Evidence

Kang Seongho, the president of the Hunter Association, spoke to me.

“I’ve already contacted them. I’m not sure how they’ll handle it, though.”

“Even that is enough. Thank you.”

When I bowed my head in gratitude, Kang Seongho waved his hand.

“No, I should be the one thanking you. Cough!”

It seemed his body hadn’t fully recovered yet, as he spat out thin blood.

“Haah… I’m sorry. Even though the dark energy has left my body, I’m still not in the best condition.”

Kang Eun-byul looked at her father with worried eyes.

“Are you alright, Dad?… You’re not going to collapse again, are you?”

“I’m fine. After resting for a day or two, I’ll be fully recovered. Don’t worry too much.”

While father and daughter were talking, I asked Kang Seongho a question.

“By the way, who gave you the artifact? Anyone handing out an artifact with this much dark energy couldn’t be just an ordinary person.”

Kang Seongho responded, looking troubled.

“To be honest, I don’t remember very well. No matter how much I try to recall, all I remember is using the artifact and then collapsing. The rest is a blur. I suspect it might be due to a secrecy oath spell. The artifact also disappeared right after I used it.”

“Hmm… That’s quite a difficult situation.”

I knew of a similar spell, like the one tied to Yang Han-gil’s testicles and sperm.

[SSS] Oath Magic Circle: Allows the caster and the other party to divide their oath into [conditions] and [results].

Mutual consent is required, and once an oath is made here, no magic can break it.

When the [condition] is met, the [result] is forcibly executed.

For example, if they used an [SSS] Oath Magic Circle:

[Condition]: When the artifact is used
[Result]: All memories related to the artifact are erased.

If they both agreed to that, it would explain why the memory was lost.

Of course, I didn’t know why the president of the Hunter Association would accept such an idiotic condition, but since he claimed he couldn’t remember,

I couldn’t exactly question him for making such a foolish choice.

“It seems like a tough situation. But one thing’s for sure—the person who gave you that artifact was trying to assassinate you.”

“Yes… I agree with what you said. Once my body fully recovers, I plan to track down whoever did this. If they hold a grudge against me, they might target my daughter or other acquaintances too. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if that were the case.”

With a deep sigh, Kang Seongho continued.

“Actually, more than anyone else, I’m most worried about my daughter. Even though similar incidents have happened several times, I’ve never really worried about her safety until now. As long as she was inside this building, I thought she’d be perfectly safe. But after seeing that wall, I’m not so sure anymore.”

He pointed at the wall I had thoroughly smashed to pieces.

“Sorry about breaking the wall.”

Kang Seongho said to me, “No… I didn’t bring it up to blame you.

It’s just that, if a strong person like you were to become my enemy, with my condition like this, how could I possibly protect my daughter? In fact, in this state, I think it would be hard just to take care of myself.”

“Father, don’t worry about me! I’m a B-rank mage too!”

“That’s exactly the problem. There are so many people stronger than you in this world. Even I was taken down so easily—there’s no guarantee that something similar won’t happen to you.”

…

Looking downcast, Kang Eunbyeol glanced at me and spoke, “Um… Masked Instructor, I saw in a video once that you were recruiting disciples, right?”

At that moment, Kang Seongho’s face brightened, and he chimed in, “Oh, is that true?”

“Well, yes, that is true.”

“Would you consider taking my daughter as your disciple? Whatever you need, I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.”

Kang Eunbyeol also quietly murmured beside him, “If… if you accept me, I’ll work hard….”

I looked at Kang Eunbyeol silently.

‘Her magic level is at B-rank, which means she could grow quickly. Her father is the head of the Hunter Association, and she seems to have some useful connections around her… Taking her as a disciple wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.’

After finishing my thoughts, I looked at Kang Seongho and said, “Alright. Once I’ve gathered the rest of the disciples, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you so much! If you have any specific conditions, please let me know, and I’ll relay them through my secretary.”

“Well… If it’s not too much trouble, would you be able to get me the S-rank artifact, the Devil’s Mask? I’m willing to pay for it.”

“The Devil’s Mask… That only changes your appearance, and it only lets you change to one face, so it doesn’t seem all that useful… If you need something else, I’ll give it to you without charging you.”

“No, I can’t just take it without giving something in return, especially after receiving such a good artifact. As you can see, I wear a mask in my everyday life, and it draws too much attention. That’s the only reason I need it, so I’d appreciate it if you could help me find one.”

“Ah, I see. Understood. Once I get hold of the artifact, I’ll contact you through Eunbyeol. From now on, I’ll be counting on you to look after her.”

Kang Seongho bowed his head to me, and Kang Eunbyeol also gave a polite bow.

Finally, we exchanged phone numbers, and I bid them farewell.

“I’ll be off now.”

Kang Seongho asked, “Where are you headed, benefactor?”

“I’m going to watch as Baek Jooseok’s downfall unfolds.”

“I’m going to watch as Baek Jooseok’s downfall unfolds.”

“Hmm… It doesn’t seem like a simple relationship. To think that someone like him, so powerful, has made an enemy of someone as strong as you. I can’t help but feel sorry for him. May luck be with you.”

“Yes, thank you.”

– Step. Step.

I headed toward Baek Jooseok’s mansion.

I arrived at Baek Jooseok’s mansion after walking at a steady pace. Numerous investigators, dressed in robes with “NPS” written on them, were already busy moving around.

‘Oh, it looks like the NPS decided to take action after all. They said they weren’t sure how it would turn out, but they seem to be handling it well.’

Just then, someone stopped me.

“Sorry, but this area is restricted. Please turn back and go elsewhere.”

“Ah, understood.”

I moved a little further away, put on my mask, and pulled out an artifact.

[SS] Perfect Cloak of Invisibility ▶ This cloak perfectly hides the user’s presence through invisibility.

While active, it periodically consumes mana, and will not be detected by anything below A-rank detection.

The invisibility will be forcibly dispelled if the user attacks or is attacked.

– Ssssh.

I activated the invisibility and naturally passed by the agent who had stopped me earlier.

‘Hmm….’

Looking inside the mansion, I saw that while investigators were stationed throughout, the situation seemed relatively calm, as if it had already ended.

I overheard their conversation.

“Team Leader, we’ve searched this area as well, but nothing has come up.”

“Keep searching every nook and cranny. Check for any hidden spaces. The higher-ups said to make sure we don’t miss a single speck of dust.”

“Understood!”

– Thud thud thud thud.

Only the investigators were busily moving inside.

‘That’s strange. Why isn’t there a single person in the mansion?’

Originally, Baek Jooseok lived here with only Baek Hyunseo.

Baek Hyunseo is probably at the academy by now, so it makes sense that there’s no one here.

‘If it were a normal situation.’

However, Baek Jooseok is currently under arrest.

There’s no way that cunning bastard wouldn’t have anticipated a search of this scale.

I thought for sure he would’ve prepared someone to destroy evidence, but strangely, there was absolutely no one here.

‘Hmm…’

“Sage’s Eye.”

[Unique Skill] • Sage’s Eye ‘Allows you to perceive the flow of objects, living beings, or mana in more detail.

※ Information about legendary items cannot be identified.’

As I chanted the spell, it felt as though I could see through everything around me.

That’s when one particular spot caught my eye.

‘Wow, this crazy bastard.’

I saw a faint flow of mana in one place after activating Sage’s Eye. When I placed my hand there, an artifact activated, and I was instantly transported to an underground space.

– Whoosh.

It was nearly silent as I entered the tunnel in an instant.

Looking around, I saw a vast cavern.

‘Sage’s Eye, give me information about this space.’

– This space was created through the power of artifacts and magical barriers. Sounds and impacts from within do not escape to the outside.

※ Special note: This space is a combination of a magically constructed barrier used by dozens of wizards and a physically excavated area.

‘They really made something like this?’

At that moment, two men passed by me while I was still hidden.

“Ugh, f*ck, Baek Jooseok is seriously an idiot.”

“All you ever do is curse that guy every time you open your mouth.”

“How could I not? That f*cking guy kept ignoring us when we were telling him to build this underground space, but after that intranet incident, he lost his mind and demanded we build it immediately. Do you know how many people we had to bring in to finish this quickly? I nearly died back then.”

“Well, thanks to that, we’re now down here getting rid of evidence and making good use of it.”

“Yeah, that’s true. But seriously, are you sure it’s okay to destroy this stuff?”

In the man’s hands were two objects that I recognized well.

They were the artifacts Baek Jooseok always carried around — the master keys to Helmunt Academy’s intranet.
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Here is another story about being falsely accused by the same author of this novel. Please give it a read:

https://nhvnovels.com/novels/i-became-the-academys-overpowered-gunmage/