Instant Kill, Time-Stop Spellcaster

Today, Kang Hyun went to work again.

“Ugh, I feel self-conscious. Maybe I should start wearing black clothes too.”

“I peeked into a clothing store as I passed by, but there wasn’t a single black outfit left. Must’ve sold out.”

Since when was Korea this united?

People are always fighting online.

The phantom himself feels self-conscious enough to cosplay as a phantom.

Well, I’m grateful, though.

They’re doing all that to blend me in with the crowd.

“Hey, Mister, you’re here?”

“…You’re dressed like that too?”

Mar was dressed in black.

An oversized black hoodie with snug black pants.

Even the rapier’s sheath at her waist was black.

But her legs were too thin for anyone to mistake her for a phantom.

“I’m not the only one, am I?”

Looking around, everyone in the office was dressed in black.

On the streets, it was about 70% black clothing. Here, everyone was in black.

“You know, you’re so naïve, old man! You’ve benefited the most from the phantom craze, so you should at least wear black.”

“…Should I go buy some?”

“Well, no one here can scold you. You’re the anomaly-detection specialist, after all.”

Kang Hyun’s anomaly detection had been as valuable to Seonghwa as the phantom.

In fact, they were one and the same.

“Isn’t there a black outfit at the academy? The one with the skull on it.”

“…No way.”

“Oh, right.”

That was the outfit worn by an S-rank Word Mage. Wearing that would be asking for trouble.

“By the way, Chae young was looking for you.”

“What now?”

“She seemed in a good mood this time.”

Kang Hyun went to Yoo Chae young’s office.

“Oh my, you came before I could even call. Sorry to make you run around.”

“It’s not far. Lower ranks should come to higher ranks.”

They headed to the guild’s treasure storage, not just a dusty storeroom.

“A gift has arrived.”

“A gift?”

“Urgent guilds sent it to thank you for anomaly detection.”

“Oh, where? Do I need to go today?”

“You already did.”

“Huh?”

Apparently, urgent cases had been intentionally delayed.

“Then they bribe the Professor to lobby for priority.”

“Seonghwa must’ve enjoyed that.”

“No way. I told them to lobby only you.”

“Really? You could’ve taken some.”

“What nerve would I have for that?”

Yoo Chae young was indeed resourceful.

“Here.”

Most of the items were gold or other valuables.

“How did they know I hoard gold?”

“Do you? I’ll take note. There should be some potions too. They’re not as meaningful as the ones during the Bright Incident, though.”

“Right. Of all this, only one is usable.”

He opened a box.

[Essence of a Low-Grade Natural Golem]

[Rare essence from naturally occurring golems. Raises durability by 1 if it’s E+ or lower.]

“Nice. I’ll take it.”

It looked like a small glass bead.

He swallowed it whole without chewing.

Ding!

[Durability increased! (E+ → D-)]

“…Don’t gulp down potions in front of others. It’s startling.”

“It’s just us.”

“Only one effective potion? That’s strange. There’s strength and agility potions that work up to E-rank too.”

“Those are already D-rank.”

“What?”

Yoo Chae young’s eyes widened.

“No way. Both were F-rank when you joined, right? Was the report wrong?”

“I trained hard.”

The growth was fast, admittedly.

Even the ‘Essence of a Low-Grade Natural Golem’ was close to ineffective.

He’d been hit by Park Cheol-woong and gained one point of durability.

I’ll keep the rest for now.

If refined properly, high-grade potions could be made.

Only with high-quality ingredients, of course.

That was potion expert Kyle’s wisdom.

“Keep that in mind when bringing potions. Strength D-, agility D, durability D-, stamina E+…”

“Wait! Don’t say your specs out loud like that! That’s sensitive information!”

“Just listen. I’ll outgrow it soon anyway. Magic D.”

Yoo Chae young looked stunned.

“Almost all D-rank…? But it hasn’t even been a month since you joined!”

“Don’t try to understand. Just accept it and adapt.”

“Even magic is D? Seonghwa was preparing E-rank potions…”

“Oh. That’s a waste.”

He rummaged through the bribe basket out of regret.

“Let’s see, this one’s also for strength… only effective for F-rank.”

It was a potion from the 26th-ranked Detain Guild.

Disappointing, but a gift’s a gift.

He’d give it to Aden.

“No thanks! I heard those potions are really bitter!”

“You idiot. Others can’t even get potions, you know!”

Having made money from entertainment instead of dungeons, he’d gotten spoiled.

“Well, if it’s powdered and mixed with water…”

“Who drinks potions like that!”

“Then how about chocolate coating…”

I’m going to lose it.

“Eat it, and I’ll give you three days off training.”

“Hand it over!”

“Not so fast. You’ll get sick eating it raw. I’ll help with the ritual, so follow me.”

“Oh, right.”

He made her take it anyway.

Even as a mage, durability was vital.

No matter how strong her magic is, it’s useless if she dies.

Now Mar was whining nearby.

“I’m jealous… I want potions too.”

“Is that something a mentor should say to a mentee?”

“I’ll be your apprentice and take potions too! No more mentoring!”

“Excuse me!? Absolutely not!”

“See? That’s the normal reaction.”

After the scuffle with Aden, the three headed to the guild cafeteria.

But all the conversations around their table were about phantom.

This is going to give me a complex.

“Hey, did you hear about the phantom?”

“Ugh.”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing. Tell me.”

Still, it was information I needed to know.

After all, I am the phantom.

At the very least, I should keep up with the government’s response.

“They designated the phantom as an S-rank villain.”

“Well, he did kill an S-rank.”

“Why are you so indifferent? It’s the birth of a new S-rank in Korea!”

Oh, right. New S-ranks are big news.

It was the same with the last S-rank sorcerer.

Guess I’m used to it since all the S-rank news is about me.

Most news just feels like background noise now.

“I heard it too. This is Korea’s first S-rank villain in history.”

“Apparently, there’s global attention too.”

“Why are other countries so interested? They have plenty of S-ranks.”

“But S-rank villains are rare worldwide.”

And S-rank villains always caused international chaos.

“…Really?”

This situation is escalating.

Damn, why did that idiot have to make the first move!

I’m feeling a little uneasy.

I checked the internet on my phone.

└ So the phantom was S-rank… what a legend.

└ The world’s only S-rank dark hero nation. I’m so proud.

└ Praising a criminal who halved our nation’s S-rank force? Pathetic.

└ He proved he’s S-rank and replenished it, right? Now we have three S-ranks, including the Word Mage.

└ But the phantom’s no laughing matter.

Villain rankings are based on the severity of their threat, not just power.

There had been four S-rank villains globally.

But the phantom was the only one with S-rank combat ability.

“Why’s that?”

“Because there’s no reason for it.”

S-ranks are supreme in every aspect.

Even just working as an awakened would bring immense wealth and fame.

Becoming a villain made them global targets.

That’s why the dark hero theory seemed plausible.

There was another reason for the dark hero theory.

“An evil villain using holy power? Unheard of!”

“Well… hmm…”

Technically, it wasn’t even the phantom’s power.

Kang Hyun held his tongue.

There were leaked photos of the phantom.

A holy sword piercing a building.

Sacred light descending in the night sky.

The phantom standing still beneath the glow.

Park Cheol-woong, collapsed and motionless on the ground.

That sight would send chills down anyone’s spine.

He truly looked like a divine judge.

That was a great shot of me.

Apparently, a photojournalist had been there.

Holy power is rare.

You don’t have to be religious to use it.

But evil people can’t.

“Doesn’t that mean being righteous isn’t enough? Holy power’s morality is based on self-belief, not societal rules.”

“That’s what makes it cooler! Even murder guilt doesn’t shake his firm belief!”

She’s totally obsessed.

Of course, there were concerns too.

└ If he’s so sure he’s right that he’ll commit mass murder, isn’t he just a psycho?

└ Oh, the troll brigade’s here?

└ Psychos are like Park Cheol-woong and Oh Hyuk-jun, who slaughtered civilians.

└ Is the collapsing troll department still paying you guys?

└ Kids these days are so easily swayed. Murder is never justified.

└ Fun fact: holy power users have a crime rate below 0.1%.

Criticism was drowned by overwhelming support.

After all, the recent dungeon anomaly was a massive disaster.

Too many people died.

And it wasn’t over yet.

But I was curious about something else.

“What about the government? Any response?”

Mar giggled.

“Oh, the government’s a mess. They backed off in just one day.”

The ever-present protestors hadn’t left.

They’d just turned into anti-phantom suppression protests.

Even so, the government was watching closely.

They desperately wanted to capture the phantom.

It was a matter of life and death for them.

But pushing further could ruin their political careers.

Then the nail in the coffin came.

Mar showed me her phone.

“Tada!”

“What’s this?”

SNS posts were rapidly updating.