Chapter 54: Legal Sim Ji-hyeok true Education

“Get the hell out of here—!”

Shim Ji-hyeok raised his hand, conjuring magic to threaten the people around him.

The head of the security team at the broadcast station, Kang Cheol-guk, carefully examined the face of the girl Shim Ji-hyeok was holding hostage. He gasped inwardly.

‘Damn… of all people, it had to be her…’

Kang Cheol-guk immediately ordered his team via radio.

“We have singer Lee Hyun-ji as a hostage. We can’t escalate this situation recklessly.”

Lee Hyun-ji. A famous singer and TV personality, her influence on society is immense.

Every time she holds a concert, tickets for her 100,000-seat venue sell out instantly. Her fan club numbers nearly 20 million.

She is even ranked among the top 100 most influential people of the year by various magazines. There’s no need to explain further.

Kang Cheol-guk was now in a very difficult position. Just moments ago, when Shim Ji-hyeok had taken a male staff member as a hostage, he had considered taking action, even if it meant the hostage might get hurt.

But taking any drastic action with a hostage was always a last resort.

Now, though, the hostage wasn’t just anyone— it was the top celebrity Lee Hyun-ji. There was no way they could ignore or attack her.

‘If something happens to Lee Hyun-ji… the repercussions will be catastrophic. If Shim Ji-hyeok loses his mind and kills her… we’ll be in even more trouble.’

As Kang Cheol-guk was considering his options, Shim Ji-hyeok shouted again.

“If you don’t move, I’ll kill this woman right now.”

Shim Ji-hyeok raised his hand, his magic-infused blade aimed at Lee Hyun-ji’s neck.

“P-please… save me…”

Lee Hyun-ji began to tremble and cry.

‘Damn it…’

Kang Cheol-guk ordered the waiting hunters and mages.

“Everyone, fall back!”

The security team at the station withdrew immediately.

Then, Kang Cheol-guk whispered secretly to his subordinate next to him.

“Did we get a response from the national agency about the support request?”

His subordinate glanced at his phone and whispered back.

“They said it’s going to take some time. Most of the personnel are currently tied up with the Black Gate incident.”

“Damn it… of all times…”

The Black Gate incident had recently erupted, and many national agencies were investigating the scene.

The massive casualties from the incident had led to large-scale deployments of personnel to handle it. The broadcast station was far from the C-grade gate where the incident had occurred.

Even with mobile artifacts, it was unlikely that reinforcements would arrive anytime soon.

Thud, thud, thud

Shim Ji-hyeok stepped down from the stage and began walking toward the exit.

Clomp, clomp, clomp

The security personnel stood in a wide line on either side. Shim Ji-hyeok glanced at them, chuckling as though mocking them.

‘I can’t stop laughing.’

Shim Ji-hyeok was becoming more and more addicted to magic. People with strong desires tend to become more susceptible to magic and lose their sanity. Shim Ji-hyeok was already beyond the point of no return.

‘This is what it feels like to be a god.’

Over a hundred people, unable to even touch him, were backing off on both sides. He held a hostage, and his body surged with an endless source of power— magic overflowed from him.

Shim Ji-hyeok felt intoxicated by the sense of fulfillment, as though he could do anything. The irresistible pleasure. The emotion spreading quickly in him— the need for validation.

Superiority. That was the feeling eating away at Shim Ji-hyeok’s mind.

“Someone come out.”

Shim Ji-hyeok wanted to test his powers more. He wanted to use his overwhelming strength to prove that he was superior and others were inferior.

Shim Ji-hyeok, who had spent his life obsessed with the need for recognition, was becoming more and more twisted as he succumbed to magic’s influence.

“What… what is he trying to do?”

One of the security officers asked Kang Cheol-guk. But Kang Cheol-guk was also clueless about why Shim Ji-hyeok was acting this way.

Then, Shim Ji-hyeok shouted again.

“Someone come out! If you don’t, I’ll kill this woman right now!”

Crunch

Kang Cheol-guk suppressed the urge to kill Shim Ji-hyeok and instructed his team.

“I don’t know what he’s going to do, so I’ll go personally.”

As he spoke, Kang Cheol-guk attempted to approach Shim Ji-hyeok, but one of the security officers blocked his way.

“Shouldn’t you be commanding from the scene, Team Leader? I’ll go instead.”

“No, it’s too dangerous.”

Kang Cheol-guk, the head of security, tried to stop him. But Heo Seong-jin, a security officer, spoke with a determined expression.

“It’s fine. You have a family to take care of, don’t you?”

The mention of family made Kang Cheol-guk lower his head.

“I’m sorry… Please, go.”

Heo Seong-jin smiled and approached Shim Ji-hyeok. Just then, Kang Cheol-guk shouted from behind.

“Shim Ji-hyeok! We’ll send one person as you asked, but if you harm my team member, I’ll attack you regardless of the hostage.”

Shim Ji-hyeok chuckled in response.

“As long as you don’t kill her, right?”

Heo Seong-jin, now close to Shim Ji-hyeok, heard him speak.

“Try attacking me. I’ll just leave the hostage aside for a moment.”

-Whoooosh

Shim Ji-hyeok brought his palm toward Lee Hyun-ji, and a large bubble-like black sphere began to form.

A thin circular barrier made of magic surrounded Lee Hyun-ji from all sides.

-Bang!

-Bam!

-Bang!

“Please, save me!”

Trapped inside the ominous bubble, Lee Hyun-ji desperately pounded on the barrier, but it didn’t budge.
Shim Ji-hyeok glanced at Lee Hyun-ji before chanting a brief incantation.

-Swish

Sharp blades suddenly erupted from inside the bubble.

“Stay still, you filthy thing.”

Shim Ji-hyeok then turned to Heo Seong-jin.

“Attack me. If you land even one effective blow, I’ll release the hostage and surrender.”

Upon hearing this, Heo Seong-jin charged at Shim Ji-hyeok.

“Ahhhh!”

Shim Ji-hyeok smiled as he watched the rapidly approaching Heo Seong-jin.

“Slow. Too slow.”

Shim Ji-hyeok met Heo Seong-jin head-on, grabbing the man’s face and slamming it to the ground.

-KA-BOOM!

“Ughhh…”

Heo Seong-jin’s face slammed into the floor, and he groaned in pain. Shim Ji-hyeok began stomping on him repeatedly, laughing.

“You pathetic idiots. You’re so useless. I feel like vomiting just looking at weaklings like you.”

-Crack!

-Crack!

After stomping him several more times, Shim Ji-hyeok stood up, a satisfied expression on his face.

“Idiots who don’t even know their place. People like you who call me a quack or fraud, and those primitive fools who agreed with you, they’re all the same. After I kill Jang Hye-na, I’ll slice the necks of every last one of you.”

Shim Ji-hyeok’s cold laughter echoed through the room.

The hostage, Lee Hyun-ji, cried as she watched a man being mercilessly beaten right before her eyes.

“Please… please save me…”

The scene was descending into chaos when Choi Ju-won arrived.

Choi Ju-won surveyed the situation.

“What the hell is Shim Ji-hyeok doing?”

“Is he seriously terrorizing people just because he got some bad press?”

Unable to assess the situation, Choi Joo-won surveyed the area. At that moment, he overheard a conversation from the group facing off against Shim Ji-hyeok.

“Captain… Seongjin is in danger. We need to intervene now.”

“I know. But…”

• Crack
  
  Kang Cheol-guk was suppressing the urge to charge out immediately. If he attacked Shim Ji-hyeok, the latter would kill Lee Hyun-ji. He was at a crossroads, unable to act.Suddenly, a voice came from beside him.”What’s going on here? You seem to be in charge of security.”
  Startled,

  Kang Cheol-guk instinctively reacted and attacked at the sound of the voice.

• WhooshBut Choi Joo-won deftly dodged the attack and calmly replied.”Calm down. I’m not the enemy. I’m here to help you. And keep quiet. My presence will be exposed.”
  The man slowly looked up at Choi Joo-won’s face. The familiar mask. It was the Masked Instructor who had saved people during Baek Joo-seok’s city terror incident.

  “Are you… the Masked Instructor?”

  Currently, the video of Baek Joo-seok launching meteors over the city and having them vanish without a trace had spread like wildfire across various media, including NATUBE. Naturally, Kang Cheol-guk had seen the footage.

  Choi Joo-won spoke while maintaining eye contact with Kang Cheol-guk.

  “What’s happening? Why is Shim Ji-hyeok acting like this?”

  “… ”

  Kang Cheol-guk hesitated to answer, but the Masked Instructor spoke coldly.

  “If you don’t answer properly, I won’t help you. Can you really handle someone using a Dark Artifact and holding hostages?”

  Choi Joo-won’s firm words made Kang Cheol-guk realize there was no other option. He knew that if he stayed still, the situation would only worsen.

  Shim Ji-hyeok had accessed the broadcast station’s main data artifact and stolen information. How he gained

  access to it was still unclear, but he had taken specific data from inside.

  “What specific data are you referring to?”

  …

  Kang Cheol-guk went silent, and Choi Joo-won spoke quietly.

  “That person being beaten by Shim Ji-hyeok, he’s your colleague, right? And the woman next to him is a hostage. It looks like you can’t approach properly because of the hostage, but if things stay this way, both of them will die. But if I intervene, I can save both of them.”

  “Is that… possible?”

  “Yes. You must have seen the video from when I fought Baek Joo-seok. Or did you not watch it?”

  Of course, Kang Cheol-guk had seen it. The ridiculous scene of meteors falling and being obliterated.

  ‘The only way to save both the colleague and the hostage.’

  After deciding, he spoke.

  “There are traces of access to the broadcast station’s internal data, specifically the email information of the whistleblowers.”

  “Whistleblowers?”

  When Choi Joo-won asked, Kang Cheol-guk nodded.

  As soon as he heard this, Choi Joo-won could guess what was happening. The only reason Shim Ji-hyeok

  would do something so crazy to find the whistleblowers was simple.

  ‘I sent a rebuttal video through Jang Hye-na…’

  Shim Ji-hyeok, who had arrogantly claimed that the Black Gate would never be forcibly opened, had been embarrassed when the whistleblower video showing Choi Joo-won entering the Black Gate had been released.

  ‘Is he really doing all this just because of that? He’s crazier than I thought. Where did he get that Dark

  Artifact?’

  Choi Joo-won had many questions but decided to ask Shim Ji-hyeok directly.

  ‘That bastard not only badmouthed me on the broadcast but now he’s going after the whistleblower records. If I leave him alone, he’s probably going to target Jang Hye-na too. I can’t let that happen.’

  Turning to Kang Cheol-guk, I asked,

  “I’m going to subdue Shim Ji-hyeok now. Is it alright for me to intervene in this situation?”

Kang Cheol-guk lowered his head and whispered to me.

“Please… save them both. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility.”

Upon hearing those words, I dashed into the scene.

[Absorption]

I gathered the mana around me.

[Release]

• Fwoooosh
  I released the mana from the opposite side of my body, using the immense propulsion like a rocket launch, charging towards Shim Ji-hyeok.”Wh-what’s this! Who are you?!””I’m the one you called a fraud. You useless hack.”

  In an instant, Shim Ji-hyeok summoned magic energy into his hand.

  “Masked Instructor. So it was you. Come here, I’ll tear you apart.”

  Shim Ji-hyeok stopped beating up Heo Seong-jin and shouted at the Masked Instructor flying towards him.

  [Teleport]

• WhooshThe Masked Instructor, Choi Joo-won, moved through the air and coldly shouted.”You’re dead, you bastard. I’ll teach you a proper lesson.”

  [Gravity, Overlap]

• KRRRRRUMMMMUsing tremendous acceleration, the moment Choi Joo-won made contact with Shim Ji-hyeok—
• BOOOOOMA massive explosion echoed through the area.