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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Best Revenge
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-Rustle
I stayed behind in the Magic Duel Arena after Yang Hangil left, tidying up the mess.
That's when the arena manager approached me, asking in a worried tone,
"Um... are you okay? I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it sounded like something bad happened..."
I smiled and replied,
"I'm fine."
The manager stood there awkwardly, at a loss for words, so I bowed with a smile and told her she could go.
"I'll handle the cleanup here. You seemed busy earlier—go take care of it. I'll send the repair bill for the arena separately."
"Oh, no, you don't have to do that..."
"I insist."
I went back to quietly cleaning up the arena. Just as I reached down to clear some debris from the floor, someone's hand brushed against mine.
'...?'
Turning to look, I saw Seol Euna smiling at me as she spoke.
"Your magic skills are still as impressive as ever."
There was something off about her words.
'Still?'
It was as if she knew me. But I had no memory of her.
Seol Euna tilted her head at my puzzled expression, sounding a bit hurt.
"You really don't remember me?"
"..."
"Do you not even remember that incident where a B-rank gate suddenly turned into a black gate, trapping three guilds inside?"
"I remember that."
Gates contain dungeons inside, and dungeons are ranked by gate level—the higher the gate rank, the more dangerous the dungeon.
But there's one unpredictable variable: the black gate.
No one knows the exact cause, but in extremely rare cases, black magic suddenly gathers in the gate, boosting its rank by 2 or 3 levels in an absurd twist. Worse, escape becomes impossible.
In other words, a "black gate" refers to the nightmare where you enter a C-rank gate, only to face an A- or S-rank dungeon—and then the gate seals shut, trapping you inside.
'Ah... now I remember. Her hair was short back then, not this long.'
She'd seemed vaguely familiar, and sure enough, she was one of the guild members trapped in that domestic black gate incident years ago.
For the record, I can freely enter and exit black gates using a little cheat method. I can't bring others in, but I can slip through myself just fine.
Seol Euna bowed her head to me, expressing her gratitude.
"We survived that day thanks to you. An A-rank dungeon popped up because of the black gate, and we all nearly died. Three guilds made up of nothing but C-rank mages and swordsmen? No way we could've taken down an A-rank boss. We thought we were done for, but you saved us all."
It was at least five years ago, back when I was still active as a hunter and briefly burned with pointless heroism, helping others out. After nearly dying in that A-rank dungeon created by the black gate, I ditched the useless sense of justice and focused on looking out for myself.
I looked at Seol Euna and said,
"No need to thank me. I took the items from that boss anyway, and I picked up a ton of skills on top of it."
"That's only fair. You basically soloed the boss."
'Well, not wrong.'
The guilds trapped in the gate were full of people who'd entered thinking it was just a C-rank, so their combat prowess wasn't anything special. I pretty much cleared the A-rank gate single-handedly.
Seol Euna stepped closer and said,
"I should've thanked you sooner, but you always seemed so busy. I didn't dare approach until now. But you look a bit more free these days."
"Yeah... I suppose I am."
Her expression hardened as she continued,
"You were framed at Helmont Academy, weren't you?"
Her words came out of nowhere. Staring blankly at her, she elaborated.
"I heard everything from my information sources."
"That you got forced out after using the academy intranet to steal and misuse student info. But I can't believe it."
"...Why not? Everyone's saying I did it."
Seol Euna shook her head firmly.
"Someone with as many skills as you has no reason to bother with the intranet. With your skills and magic, you could steal phones or personal data without breaking a sweat. Not that you'd ever do that, of course."
"And an S-rank mage who can spam high-level spells leaving a login trace on the intranet? Doesn't make sense. Someone clearly framed you with malicious intent."
"..."
As I stayed silent, she took my hand and said,
"Tell me what happened. Ever since you saved me from that black gate, I've lived solely to repay you. That's how a mere C-rank hunter like me ended up leading a major guild."
"If you've been wrongly framed, I can help however I can. That's why I used Yang Hangil as an excuse to meet you today."
I was mentally exhausted. I needed someone to lean on. Like I was entranced, I spilled everything that had happened.
"...I'm not entirely sure myself, but roughly speaking..."
When I finished explaining, she reacted in disbelief.
"That's... insane. One of your students did this?"
"Yeah... probably the most likely culprit."
Seol Euna shouted in fury,
"Her name was Baek Hyunseo, right? Why haven't you killed that bitch yet? She deserves to be torn apart! And your other students sent you death threats via text? They all deserve to die. After everything you've done for them, how could they pull that crap?"
Seeing her genuinely angry on my behalf eased my mind a little. It felt strange having someone rage for me—until now, everyone had only tried to tear me down.
I told Seol Euna,
"I don't need to kill them myself. They'll wither away on their own. Like frogs slowly boiling in a pot, unaware as the water heats up until it's too late."
"You're holding something back from me, aren't you?"
I hadn't told her about the [SSS] Harsh Fate debuff I'd soon inflict on my students. No reason to reveal all my skills.
Seol Euna eyed me unsatisfied and said,
"Whatever your plan is, someone as skilled as you wouldn't say that lightly. They'll suffer, no doubt. But I don't think that's enough revenge."
She grinned and continued,
"Do you know what I think is the best revenge?"
"The best revenge? No idea."
"Making your enemies regret it like crazy."
Seol Euna smiled, pointing to her phone.
"Yang Hangil's class is starting soon, right? Taking over your students directly."
"Yes."
"From what I've seen, his teaching style is the standard at Helmont Academy—mediocre. Nothing special. Self-proclaimed elites all use the same mana techniques anyway."
"So, how about uploading lectures on a video platform synced to Yang Hangil's schedule?"
Her sudden proposal caught me off guard, but she explained further.
"I checked out your curriculum before coming here. It's revolutionary—refreshingly unique."
"If your videos explode in views right as his classes start, and your students happen to watch... and if following your methods proves way more efficient, what do you think happens?"
I replied,
"They'd think Yang Hangil's incompetent. Especially if it feels worse than free videos online."
She laughed.
"Exactly. Sure, public opinion's against you now, so mask up and voice-modulate at first. Once you're cleared, reveal yourself."
"By then, you'll be famous. And if even one student who'd been following without knowing it's you realizes they ditched an innocent genius... they'll regret it forever."
In short, she wanted me to become a masked lecture creator. Hide my identity, drop groundbreaking content to build fame, then reveal myself after the frame-up clears—making everyone else rue the day.
'Not sure if it'll work as planned... but I don't have anything better to do.'
I was confident in the content. I knew advanced mana and skill techniques unknown to the masses—that's how I earned my S-rank instructor title. Guaranteed quality.
But would Helmont students actually watch my videos?
"I'm confident in the lectures, but can videos from a noob like me—who's never even edited—go viral enough for academy elites?"
Seol Euna grinned.
"Don't worry. You know NA TUBE, the global video platform? I know an MCN operator who's grown tons of million-sub creators there."
"If I ask, they'll handle editing, promotion, traffic—everything. I'll cover all costs. You keep the revenue. This is just me repaying a debt."
"That's a bit much... we'll talk revenue later. I don't desperately need money anyway."
Truth be told, I didn't fully trust her yet. Lectures on a platform full of sensational content? Seemed unlikely to blow up.
"I'll call that MCN head now. One sec."
She checked a few things, then started a call.
"Yes, Mr. B&H President? Hope you're well. Calling about growing a new creator. Top-tier content quality, masked instructor concept. Max out promo boosts early, share with your MCN creators for uploads. Compensation as you wish."
She talked for a while longer, then smiled at me.
"Juwon, shoot a shocking lecture video—anything that'll wow people—and send it over. I'll handle editing and upload."
"Alright... I'll give it a shot."
She handed me her phone.
"Your number? Send the video here."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Back home, I stood in front of a white wall, rambling into the camera for ages.
-Ding! -Recording complete.
'Phew... finally done.'
This video covered mana techniques—specifically boosting destructive power. Niche stuff most wouldn't know, but whether it'd go viral like she said... who knows.
I sent Seol Euna the hour-long footage and texted,
- Seol Euna: Footage received, Juwon.
Two hours later, she sent a link.
- Seol Euna: How's it look? Like it?
Clicking it opened my new NA TUBE channel. One video: my masked lecture.
They'd condensed the hour into a tight 10-minute essence.
Thumbnail screamed, "Skip Those Magic Academy Paid Lectures," title: "Why Your Magic's Been Weak All This Time." Pure clickbait.
-Uploaded 10 min ago. Views: 1,000
'What? Just uploaded, and already 1k views?'
'10 minutes in. First video ever. This fast?'
A bit shocked, but figuring it'd fizzle, I went to bed.
Morning brought dozens of texts from Seol Euna.
- Seol Euna: Juwon! Check the video NOW. It's exploding! - Views & subs visible? Whoa... never seen numbers like this. - Don't ghost me when you're mega-famous, okay? lol
'What the hell...'
Groggy, I checked my channel.
'Holy shit... this real?'
-Uploaded 7 hrs ago. Views: 1.7 million.
Never gotten this much attention, in my old life or this game. Hands trembling, I hit comments.
💬 Comments— User123Whoa... insane. Magic can be used like this?— TriedItTried it and it works lol wtf↳ ReplyFor real lol— HaterXCrazy person. Giving this away free? What about other instructors? Disgusting.— DefenderYWhy hate on someone doing good? Fuck off.— IndustryGuyDumping premium stuff free kills the industry, no?— MiyoFanCame from Miyo's share. Amazing. Subbed.↳ ReplyMe too from Miyo lol↳ ReplyMiyo <3
Mentions of subs in comments prompted me to check the channel.
'Holy...'
⚔ STATUS ⚔📺 Channel: Masked Instructor👥 Subscribers: 201,000
Overnight, I'd become an NA TUBE star instructor.
'No way...'
As I chuckled in disbelief, a joyful alert appeared.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙-Ding! [King's Path] skill link released 24 hours ago. [Harsh Fate] debuff applied to 521 'successors' stripped of qualification.[SSS] Harsh Fate◎ Growth rate greatly reduced. ◎ Luck stat greatly decreased. ◎ Mana utilization greatly reduced. ◎ Total mana gradually decreases. ◎ Major misfortunes occur occasionally. ◎ All effects persist until relinked as 'successor'.
Yang Hangil's first class began—with his 521 debuffed ex-students.
"Greetings. I'm Yang Hangil, the world's greatest mage here to teach you in place of Choi Juwon."