"Now, I will show you an example of the damage caused by villains."
Professor Ban Ji-hwan immediately played a video. A screen materialized behind him, and as he turned, he began his explanation.
The footage showed the following:
These were not novice students—they had experience fighting monsters and had seen the corpses of villains before. But the scenes in the footage were beyond anything they could endure. They had let their guard down, expecting a more relaxed class. No one imagined they’d be confronted with such graphic imagery without warning.
‘That is...’
Behind Professor Ban Ji-hwan, the footage continued to roll. A young boy with blue hair appeared on screen, screaming in agony as he underwent a live experiment.
"This footage shows the suffering of a child abducted by a villain."
[Aaaaaargh!]
The boy’s screams were filled with unbearable pain.
"The villain in the footage is So Kang-seok, an SSS-class villain confirmed dead several years ago. The child being experimented on was ten years old at the time."
A ten-year-old, subjected to cruel live experiments and unimaginable suffering.
The visuals, while horrific, didn’t depict severed limbs or open dissections. Yet, as mana awakeners, the students soon realized the full extent of the pain inflicted on the boy as Professor Ban Ji-hwan explained further.
"In this footage, So Kang-seok is forcibly injecting the boy with various types of mana, tearing his insides apart."
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“W-what... That’s insane.”
"What kind of sick bastard does that?"
"That’s beyond twisted. Is he even human?!"
As the explanation sunk in, the students lost their composure. Gasps and curses filled the room. The experiments depicted were truly inhumane.
If the mana injected into the boy’s body was incompatible, it would shred him from the inside, killing him instantly. Even if it was compatible, the repeated and relentless injections ensured death was inevitable. The pain inflicted by forcing multiple types of mana into someone was equivalent to being carved apart with countless blades.
The realization that such suffering was inflicted on a ten-year-old child was too much for the students to bear.
The boy, with blue hair and red eyes, was drenched in sweat, screaming in agony. His cries for death echoed through the footage as his fragile body writhed in torment. Yet, even death did not come to relieve him of his suffering.
“How could they...?”
“This is too much!”
Some female students broke into sobs, unable to endure what they saw. They knew this was footage from the past, but the sheer horror of a child enduring such pain was overwhelming.
Amid the shock, some students began to notice something disturbingly familiar about the boy in the footage.
‘Seo-jun-nim.’
‘Seo-jun oppa.’
Han Se-hee and Lee Ha-yeon’s delicate hands clenched into tight fists as they watched the video. They fought to suppress the tears threatening to spill.
The sight of Baek Seo-jun, at ten years old, suffering such torment, was an unbearable pain they could never grow used to.
The small boy, drenched in sweat, begged for death as his body appeared ready to succumb to shock. Yet, he couldn’t die. He could only endure the endless agony forced upon him.
Knowing this was their beloved husband’s past made their hearts ache as if they were being torn apart.
But they didn’t look away.
They had expected to face this scene again.
And they resolved never to turn away from the pain of someone they loved.
***
'That child in the video... could it be?'
Baek Seo-jin felt a pang of pity as he watched the young boy suffering in the video. But at the same time, a suspicion arose in his mind, and if that suspicion was correct, he thought, it was nothing less than what the boy deserved.
‘If that’s Baek Seo-jun...’
Though the child in the video seemed pitiful as he endured torment at the hands of a villain, if it was Baek Seo-jun, then it was karmic justice.
After all, Baek Seo-jun was a disgraceful person—a degenerate who had committed countless wrongs and brought only shame to their parents. It was no surprise he ended up in such a situation.
Still, Seo-jin had no intention of speaking publicly about Seo-jun’s grave misdeeds. He chose to honor his parents’ decision to cover up Seo-jun’s actions and shield him from the world.
‘Dad and Mom... to think they would protect someone like him. They’re just too kind.’
Seo-jin admired his parents’ goodness and noble character, traits he considered far beyond his own reach. Feeling immense pride in his parents, he resolved to emulate them and become a worthy son.
With that resolve, Seo-jin fixed his gaze on the boy in the video, who he believed to be Baek Seo-jun, committing the image to memory.
***
“Well done, teaching them like that.”
Professor Ban Ji-hwan’s lesson was, of course, something I had approved as the headmaster of Kangin Academy.
Although I was currently in the academy’s headmaster’s office, I could see the events in the classroom unfold as if they were happening right in front of me, thanks to my abilities.
“Hm, the headmaster’s office isn’t bad,” Ramisa mused. “Watching TV from here has a different charm.”
Ramisa lounged in satisfaction, her attention fixed on the TV installed within the spacious headmaster’s office.
The office served multiple purposes—not just as a workspace but also as a personal retreat. While my predecessor had decorated it to resemble a conglomerate chairman’s office, brimming with authority and grandeur, I had opted for a cozier, homier feel. Intimidation wasn’t something I cared to exude.
Standing beside me, Seomun Ye-jin clasped her hands together, radiating the poise of a graceful secretary as she spoke.
“Honey, isn’t it too soon to show them that footage?”
Her concern was valid. Including my past suffering in the lesson’s very first session seemed premature. Keen observers would recognize the boy in the footage bore a striking resemblance to Baek Seo-jin. And if they connected the dots to the SSS-class villain So Kang-seok, it wouldn’t take long for them to realize the truth about me.
Still, regardless of how Baek Seo-jin saw me, the Baekho Guild had long played the victim card, claiming to have “lost” me to a villain. They presented themselves as grieving parents, mourning a child stolen from them.
Baek Seo-jin’s warped perception of me stemmed from the memory-sealing and manipulation procedure he underwent when he was fifteen. His distorted perspective, combined with his relentless rationalizations, made him a prisoner of his own delusions. Yet, he wouldn’t openly criticize me—his blind idolization of our parents wouldn’t allow it. Instead, he would hide behind the pretense of respecting their wishes and remain silent.
“Are you worried he’ll become isolated?” I asked.
“Yes. Isn’t your revenge plan to let him experience ultimate happiness before dragging him down? This might make him a pariah too early.”
Her genuine desire to see Baek Seo-jin’s downfall was clear. She had always supported my quest for revenge, but today, her hatred for him seemed particularly heightened—likely because of his behavior earlier in the morning, which had left her disgusted.
‘I feel the same,’ I thought.
Could I forgive someone who dared to covet my wife? Baek Seo-jin wouldn’t get a quick or merciful end.
“My dear... unlike what you think, he won’t be isolated,” I reassured her.
“What do you mean?” Ye-jin looked puzzled. It was hard for her to believe that Baek Seo-jin, even after his morning antics, wouldn’t end up ostracized.
“He’s the top student, the heir of the Baekho Guild. There will always be those who gamble on the underdog, no matter how unlikely.”
Among the thousand handpicked students admitted to the academy, there would undoubtedly be such individuals—those who placed their bets on Baek Seo-jin despite the odds.
“Seo-jin has made a name for himself capturing countless villains. With his prestigious background and position as top student, people will rally to him. They’ll see him as a worthy investment.”
That was precisely what I wanted.
To watch him delude himself into thinking he was building an unshakable fortress, all while unaware of its crumbling foundations. His eventual collapse would be all the sweeter.
I didn’t pity those who chose to follow him, even after seeing his flaws. They were responsible for their own decisions.
Seomun Ye-jin seemed to understand my reasoning. She nodded in agreement. “That makes sense. The world is full of people who aren’t exactly rational.”
With that, she subtly leaned against me, her body brushing mine.
“Honey, aren’t you interested in a thrilling, secret moment with your beautiful secretary-wife?” she whispered, her voice playful yet alluring.
Perhaps relieved that her concerns about Baek Seo-jin were resolved, Ye-jin’s demeanor turned teasingly seductive as she pressed closer to me.
“Interested? How could I not be?”