Chapter 13: The Reality you want to deny

“Are you insulting the authority of the Tower right now?”

Nam Jin-seok declared himself as an official appraiser directly affiliated with the Tower.

This meant he was someone who ranked at the top in appraisal magic within the Tower.

It was only natural for people to find it absurd—or even dismiss it as a lie—that someone like Lee Hyun-seung, whom others labeled as a non-awakened individual, could bring such an influential figure.

However, the overwhelming energy of mana that filled the hall, dense and menacing, left no room for doubt about Nam Jin-seok’s affiliation with the Tower.

-Shiver, shiver

Sung Hyun-wook, who had been arrogantly pushing his face forward, began to tremble all over. Hastily, he looked over Nam Jin-seok’s attire.

Now that he inspected him more closely, although his clothes appeared ordinary, every piece of artifact he wore was absurdly expensive.

From rings to bracelets, even the belt—all of them were high-end equipment that boosted his mana stats.

Sung Hyun-wook thought to himself.

‘I’m screwed… This isn’t a lie. This mana I’m feeling, and those accessories he’s wearing… Is he really a direct magician of the Tower? Damn it… What kind of power does that bastard Lee Hyun-seung have to bring a direct appraisal mage from the Tower?’

Although appraisal mages aren’t usually known for combat prowess, a top-class mage from the Tower is still quite formidable in battle. Naturally, they couldn’t even be compared to academy students.

If Nam Jin-seok wished, he could crush someone like Sung Hyun-wook with ease.

Moreover, even apart from his combat abilities, an appraisal mage was highly valued due to the rarity of [Appraisal Magic] users with such a high skill level.

Mages who could accurately assess [subtle traces of mana] were priceless. Hence, Sung Hyun-wook was even more baffled.

‘… A direct appraisal mage from the Tower got involved in an academy stalking case?’

It was like sending an anti-terrorism special forces unit with dozens of helicopters to deal with a minor theft in an apartment. No, perhaps it was even more unimaginable than that.

‘This is no time to be thinking like this.’

Sung Hyun-wook quickly cowered like a bug.

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were affiliated with the Tower, and I spoke out of line. If I had known, I would never have said such rude things. Please… Please, I beg you to forgive my mistake…”

-Shiver, shiver

Even as he bowed his head, Sung Hyun-wook trembled uncontrollably.

Nam Jin-seok sighed briefly, then retracted his mana.

“Phew… I got a bit carried away. Please pretend you didn’t see my little outburst. Since you’re young and still an academy student, I’ll let it slide once. But there won’t be a second time.”

“Th… thank you.”

Sung Hyun-wook lowered his head repeatedly, groveling to Nam Jin-seok.

Nam Jin-seok looked at him and asked,

“What’s your name?”

“S… Sung Hyun-wook.”

“And your guild affiliation?”

“I don’t have a guild yet…”

“Then, do your parents run a guild?”

“It’s… Gauss Guild…”

“Sung Hyun-wook of Gauss Guild. I’ll remember that.”

“I’m truly sorry. Really sorry. My actions have nothing to do with Gauss Guild, so please don’t let this affect the guild. I’m sorry.”

A cold chill ran down Sung Hyun-wook’s spine, prompting him to apologize several more times.

Then, Nam Jin-seok put his hat back on.

Those who had been murmuring, doubting Lee Hyun-seung’s innocence, fell silent, left only blinking in astonishment.

It was only natural. If they ignored the opinion of a direct appraisal mage from the Tower, whose words would they believe?

Among the audience, Yoo Hee-yeon watched the scene with a bewildered gaze.

‘Was… I wrong?’

She couldn’t understand or accept the situation at hand.

Since she was young, Yoo Hee-yeon had been able to get anything she wanted, eat what she craved, and own whatever she desired. Her word was law.

The people around her always agreed with her, and her judgment always became the outcome.

‘No way. Could I really be wrong?’

Yoo Heeyeon was confused. It was the first time someone of authority had directly opposed her opinion. People always bowed down, fearful of the Artemis Guild’s influence; naturally, no one dared to contradict her.

‘So… was it really just a misunderstanding on my part? Did I accuse an innocent person without cause?’

Her stomach churned. She didn’t want to admit it—that her judgment had been wrong.

A sickening feeling welled up from within. It was as if a voice whispered in her ear:

• ‘Be honest, isn’t it because you were always second to Lee Hyunseung, who kept taking the top spot in the written exams? Didn’t you jump at the chance to accuse him, even without solid evidence?’

“No… no way! That’s not it!”

Though Yoo Heeyeon didn’t want to admit it, she couldn’t shake off one nagging question. Why did she target Lee Hyunseung with such flimsy evidence?

The answer lay in how she was perceived by the world.

[Perfect, the best, the top student.]

All these words were made for her. The Artemis Guild was the nation’s best guild, one that held the pinnacle of power, wealth, and influence. Yoo Hanbeom, the head of the guild, was her father, and naturally, Yoo Heeyeon had walked a royal path.

She had private tutoring, one-on-one lessons, hands-on training, and learned from countless instructors who filled her with unrivaled knowledge and combat skills.

She was raised to believe she was beyond reach, with an amount of money poured into her education that the average person wouldn’t earn in a hundred lifetimes.

[“Heeyeon, one day you’ll inherit the Artemis Guild. You must be perfect in everything. Remember, you must always be the best in everything you do. Understand?”]

Her father always had high expectations for her, and she had to meet them. Until she entered the academy, her father had been kind. Yoo Hanbeom had been proud of his daughter, who always held the top position in everything she did.

However, her royal path began to crumble after she entered the academy.

‘What…?’

Yoo Heeyeon stared blankly at her written exam report card.

• Written Exam, 1st place: Lee Hyunseung
• Written Exam, 2nd place: Yoo Heeyeon

The day the first written exam results came out, Yoo Heeyeon’s world fell apart. For the first time in her life, she had been dethroned from first place. And to make it worse, by someone who hadn’t even awakened.

• Tremble

With a trembling body, she went to tell her father about it.

“F-Father….”

“Heeyeon, isn’t today the day the results of your written exam come out? I don’t even need to ask; of course, you came in first. I’m so proud of you.”

“Well… actually….”

At her hesitant response, her father’s expression began to twist.

“What’s with that reaction? Don’t tell me….”

Step. Step. Step.

• Swipe

Yoo Hanbeom quickly approached her and snatched the report card from her hands.

He stared at it silently for a long time.

“How did this happen?”

“F-Father, you see….”

“Don’t even think about making excuses. No matter what excuse you make or what reason you give, second place is still second place. And as far as I’m concerned, second place is trash. Nobody remembers second place in this world.”

“Do you know how much I’ve invested in you, Yoo Hee-yeon? Do you understand the expectations society has for you? You were born with privileges that others can’t even dream of. Just being my daughter means you’ll live a life of luxury, enjoying everything this world has to offer. So, at the very least!”

Boom!

Yoo Han-beom yelled, launching a spell at the wall.

“At the very least… don’t you think you should be first place in something as trivial as an academy full of brats?”

“I… I’m sorry… but I was first in the practical exam…”

“Shut up!”

Rip!

Han-beom tore the grade report into pieces and whispered to her.

“You should never come second in any field. I don’t care what methods you use—do whatever it takes to be first. Even if it’s dirty or despicable, use your skills to take the top spot. Do you understand?”

She had tried her best, given it her all, but she still ended up in second place. She wanted to say it, but Yoo Hee-yeon, trembling at her father’s fierce demeanor she’d never seen before, could only respond obediently.

“…Yes. Next time, I’ll be first.”

Han-beom then patted her head with a gentle expression.

“Good. That’s what I expect from my daughter. Just make sure you don’t make such a disgraceful mistake again. I might truly lose my temper then.”

Beeeep

She thought she could hear a ringing in her ears.

Murmur
Murmur

The murmurs of the people around her felt like they were all directed at her, making her feel queasy.

She couldn’t deny it. Deep down, Yoo Hee-yeon thought:

[If only Lee Hyun-seung wasn’t here, I’d be first in the written exams.]

Lee Hyun-seung never missed a single question. To her, he felt like an insurmountable wall. And so, she secretly wished and hoped—for him to disappear, to vanish.

When evidence of his photo-taking was discovered on his phone, Yoo Hee-yeon saw it as an opportunity.

An opportunity to fulfill her father’s expectations and finally claim first place for herself.

That’s why she recklessly built a shaky tower of sand, using flimsy evidence to claim Lee Hyun-seung’s guilt, thinking it was her chance.

But that tower of sand was demolished in one wave by Nam Jin-seok.

Step
Step
Step

Lee Hyun-seung walked confidently forward, stopping right in front of her.

Glance

He looked down at her and spoke.

“I told you, didn’t I? I’m not the culprit.”

“There must be something you need to say to me.”

Lee Hyun-seung’s words, demanding an apology. He was giving her a chance to apologize. Yoo Hee-yeon knew exactly what he meant.

But Yoo Hee-yeon couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge her ugly, dirty self to the end. She didn’t want to admit her despicable inner self. She didn’t want to think that her own inadequacy had driven her to choose trampling on others. So, Yoo Hee-yeon chose to run away.

Grit

Eventually, Yoo Hee-yeon, trembling all over, stared blankly at the air with a broken gaze.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not my fault.’

Repeating these words to herself, she glared at Lee Hyun-seung and spoke.

“There’s nothing I need to say to you.”