Chapter 55: Accept Everything Sweetly, It is Your Karma

-Kwaaaaaang-!

Choi Juwon slammed Shim Jihyuk’s head into the ground. The impact was so strong; it sounded like a bomb exploding as the man was driven into the earth.

“Wha… What in the world…?”

Kang Cheolguk, the head of security for the broadcasting station, stared at the scene in disbelief.

Kang Cheolguk was the head of security for a major broadcasting station. As head of security, his position required him to quickly command his officers and handle situations whenever an incident occurred on site. He’d faced numerous unexpected situations.

Not only unexpected situations, but he’d also seen all sorts of strange individuals, from those wielding knives to those engaging in indiscriminate magic terrorism. However…

“Is this even possible…?”

Even Kang Cheolguk, with all his experience, couldn’t help but stare, dumbfounded, at the performance the Masked Instructor had just displayed.

‘Absorption, Emission, and Teleport.’

With just three spells, he approached Shim Jihyuk with blinding speed, landing a decisive blow before Shim Jihyuk could even react. Shim Jihyuk was currently controlling not only the hostage but also Magi. Any hesitation could have meant the hostage’s death.

But the Masked Instructor charged forward with absolute certainty. Watching him, Kang Cheolguk thought,

‘He was confident. Confident that he could attack the man faster than Shim Jihyuk could use his magic.’

-Kugugugugu

Just then, a tremor began to emanate from deep within the ground.

“Kraaaaaaaaa-!”

Shim Jihyuk screamed in pain, springing from the ground and flailing his arms wildly.

“You
little bastard, I’ll kill you!”

However, the Masked Instructor had already vanished.

“
-! How dare you do this to me! I’ll kill the hostage right now!”

The moment Shim Jihyuk uttered those words and clenched his hand to use magic…

“What are you doing?”

The Masked Instructor’s voice echoed from a distance.

-Whiik

Shim Jihyuk turned his head to see the Masked Instructor placing a hand on the Magi bubble imprisoning the hostage.

“This? I think I’ll use this now.”

Then, with a grin, the Masked Instructor chanted.

[Absorption]

-Hoooooowoooo

The Magi rapidly began to be sucked into Choi Juwon.

“Explode!”

Shim Jihyuk desperately shouted the trigger for his spell, but the magic wouldn’t activate. The Masked Instructor scoffed.

“I already absorbed it all, you bastard.”

-Hooong

“Kyaaaaaak-!”

The Magi bubble imprisoning Lee Hyunji completely disappeared. She began to fall from the air.

-Thud

Choi Juwon effortlessly caught her with one hand.

“Th… Thank you for saving me.”

Lee Hyunji stared blankly at the masked man.

Choi Juwon, paying her little attention, set her down beside him.

When the Masked Instructor remained silent, Lee Hyunji spoke again, still standing in place.

“I… I truly thank you.”

The Masked Instructor replied,

“You’re hindering the fight. I would appreciate it if you would move to the side.”

-Tat

And he charged towards Shim Jihyuk.

Lee Hyunji, rescued by Choi Juwon, thought,

‘Does… Does he not know who I am…?’

Lee Hyunji. She had a fan club of 20 million and was consistently ranked among the top 100 most influential people in the country. Her wealth and influence were beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. Even setting those aside, her appearance was exceptionally beautiful.

Most men would lose their minds and fawn over the mere chance of being associated with her.

‘He’s different.’

From the CEOs who offered blank checks and indecent proposals to those who swore undying love, even to the point of offering their lives, and the countless others who confessed their unrequited affections with unwavering devotion…

Lee Hyunji had never been deeply interested in men. From birth, everyone had always approached her, eager to get close. She never needed to be curious.

Lee Hyunji was the first and last love of countless men. But the feeling that always arose within her when men pursued her was the same:

[Tedious]

She already possessed everything she could want: wealth, love, beauty, influence. She lacked nothing. Therefore, she didn’t even bother with romance. There were plenty of other things in the world to enjoy, even without men.

To Lee Hyunji, all men were simply tedious. Relationships easily won, always attainable if she so desired. Thus, from birth, she had no interest in men, not having dated even once.

‘Who is this man?’

However, a type of person she had never encountered before in her life had just appeared.

The Masked Instructor. Although his face was hidden by a mask, judging by his appearance and behavior, he was undoubtedly a man.

That’s why Lee Hyunji was shocked.

A man had shown no interest in her.

‘He didn’t even try to take credit after saving my life…’

He casually absorbed dangerous Magi, rescued her, and then told her to move aside because she was in the way of the fight. He wasn’t boasting, nor was he pretending to be aloof. Lee Hyunji could tell. It was genuine indifference. A powerful curiosity washed over her.

‘…Just who is he…?’

Lee Hyunji stepped aside and watched the Masked Instructor.

-Tat

Choi Juwon charged at Shim Jihyuk, shouting,

“Now that your precious hostage is gone, what are you going to do? Can you handle it?”

Shim Jihyuk, gathering Magi in both hands, replied,

“Don’t talk
and come at me. Even without the hostage, I can easily handle someone like you. I’m controlling Magi. I’m different from an inferior being like you.”

Choi Juwon scoffed.

“That Magi? I’m controlling it too.”

-Shhhhhhhhik

Indeed, Magi from the Magi bubble he’d absorbed earlier was swirling around Choi Juwon’s hands. Seeing this, Shim Jihyuk glared at Choi Juwon, who was running towards him, with annoyance.

“Arrogant bastard. I despise people like you. I utterly despise those who are born with everything without putting in any effort. Everything must have been easy for you. External Mana, Circle Break, and even absorbing that absurd amount of Magi and still standing here perfectly fine. None of these are acts that can be considered human. It feels like all my knowledge, accumulated over nearly 20 years of research, is being completely negated.”

“It’s disgusting. Seeing someone like you, who has everything without any effort, makes me want to go insane. Insane with frustration! I’ve researched magic for 20 years without a single day off. Not a single day! Yet, I can’t even join the Magic Tower, while people like you bask in the spotlight and live shamelessly. You can’t even begin to understand how I feel.”

-Pause.

Choi Juwon, who was about to charge, stopped in his tracks. He shouted at Shim Jihyuk in an icy voice,

“What did you just say? That I was born with everything without any effort?”

Choi Juwon. He was transmigrated into the game he had been playing for years. Since his transmigration, not a single day had been easy. The air here was imbued with Mana, making every breath feel alien, unlike on Earth. He was completely cut off from his family, friends, and acquaintances back home, forced to survive utterly alone.

When he first arrived, he possessed nothing. Money, a home, even the most basic clothing – nothing was given to him for free. He rolled around like a dog in the slums, robbed others, was robbed, constantly injured, and faced death countless times before finally reaching his current state.

He could confidently say that if he hadn’t possessed prior knowledge of the game, he would have died within two days. Moreover, no one, even if transmigrated into this world, could have survived as tenaciously as he had.

After his initial transmigration, Choi Juwon’s average sleep time was two hours a day. The rest of the time was spent solely on survival and training. To survive in this
world.

-Crack

Choi Juwon gritted his teeth.

He was furious. Shim Jihyuk’s words, spoken as if he knew everything, were utterly disgusting.

‘After all this
I’ve gone through, I have nothing left. What exactly do I have?’

The betrayal of his trusted disciples. And the countless ill-fated relationships that stemmed from Baek Jooseok. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t slept peacefully for a single day since being expelled from Helmunt Academy. Not a single moment of peace.

-Hoooooowoooo

Suddenly, Magi began to overflow from Choi Juwon’s body.

-Hoong Hoong

The Magi rapidly swirled around him.

The moment the rotation stopped…

-Paaaaaaaaaang!

Magi erupted outward with tremendous speed.

“Cough!”

The mass of Magi pierced right through Shim Jihyuk’s abdomen.

-Urk!

Looking down coldly at Shim Jihyuk, who was coughing up blood, Choi Juwon said,

“If I had to give my power to someone in exchange for erasing all my memories, I’d gladly do it. What I was born with isn’t power or talent. It’s a
fate.”

Choi Juwon grinned and told Shim Jihyuk,

“There’s one good thing about becoming this strong. You know what it is?”

Naturally, Shim Jihyuk couldn’t answer, only flinching. Choi Juwon spoke to him in a chilling voice,

“I can beat the
out of guys like you, with your
victim complexes, as much as I want.”

He stepped closer to Shim Jihyuk and whispered,

“The tip-off email sent to the broadcasting station. You confirmed it with a Data Artifact, right? That it was sent by Jang Hyena.”

“Actually, I had her send it.”

To Shim Jihyuk, staring blankly at him, Choi Juwon said with a chilling smile,

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

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

Next Chapter