Chapter 40: Crash, Incredible situation

“Go ahead, if you can.”

Yoo Hee-yeon summoned her mana fiercely, and Lee Hyun-seung, unwilling to be outdone, quickly channeled his

own mana into his firearm.

“You… really don’t think about the consequences, do you? Sure, the Blacksmiths’ Association might back you, but

you’re not relying solely on that, are you?”

Tak Woo-hyun. Officially, he had never openly declared his support for Lee Hyun-seung. However, it was easy to

deduce that they were on the same side, especially after Tak Woo-hyun had refused to sell weapons to Yoo Hee-yeon

and instead handed over custom-made weapons directly to Lee Hyun-seung.

No, that wasn’t all. Tak Woo-hyun rarely engraved the SIH+ logo on anything he made personally. Even with large-

scale weapon and item orders from the Artemis Guild, he usually delegated the production to other skilled

blacksmiths rather than crafting them himself. This move on his part was highly unusual and raised suspicions.

Unless he had some undisclosed connection with Lee Hyun-seung, it was unlikely he would extend such privileges to

a mere student.

Thus, while Yoo Hee-yeon didn’t know the full details, she was convinced that Lee Hyun-seung had somehow

succeeded in gaining Tak Woo-hyun’s loyalty. And she was right.

Seeing the glare in Yoo Hee-yeon’s eyes, Lee Hyun-seung responded.

“What makes you act so recklessly? Maybe Artemis Guild has your back for now, but you should know they could turn on you anytime.”

Watching Yoo Hee-yeon tremble with anger, Lee Hyun-seung smirked.

Yoo Han-beom, her father and the head of the Artemis Guild, valued blood relations, but he valued capability even more.

He believed that those who shared his blood or allied with him should be undeniably superior, always in a position of power over others.

‘Yoo Han-beom has never settled for second place in his life.’

Gifted with magical talent from a young age, he was regarded as a genius, achieving his first awakening as a Unique-

grade mage and now rumored to be aiming for Legendary-grade status. From his Academy entrance, he ranked first,

maintaining a lead in both practical and written scores with overwhelming margins.

The most astonishing part was that, right after graduating, he established his own guild. Using his talent for

discerning potential, he quickly recruited guild members, and within less than five years, his newly founded guild

rose to the top spot in the nation. This guild was none other than Artemis Guild.

‘A naturally gifted freak.’

Born with everything, yet plagued by an obsessive drive, he’s a psychopathic madman whose talent is as undeniable

as his madness. That’s Yoo Han-beom.

His strict standards weren’t limited to himself alone. While playing Broad Academy Online, whenever Yoo Hee-yeon

failed to rank first, his affection for her visibly diminished, to the point where he no longer granted her any special

privileges, even though she was his daughter.

‘In short, while Yoo Hee-yeon currently enjoys the protection of Artemis Guild, if Yoo Han-beom deems her useless,

she’ll be discarded without hesitation.’

As Yoo Hee-yeon is his daughter, his expectations for her are undoubtedly high. Unless she ranks first in both

practical and written tests, his disappointment will only grow. That was the point Lee Hyun-seung was making.

In response, Yoo Hee-yeon shouted back.

“How… how dare you talk like you know anything! What could a mere gunman like you possibly understand…?”

Her body quivering, she glared at Lee Hyun-seung, filled with murderous intent. Watching her reaction, he thought to himself.

‘Fortunately, it seems Yoo Han-beom’s personality matches the one from the game.’

Her extreme reaction confirmed his words had struck true. Yoo Hee-yeon was well aware—if she wasn’t the best, Yoo

Han-beom could discard her at any time.

Whoosh

Unable to contain her anger, Yoo Hee-yeon began gathering mana into her staff.

“You… nothing has gone right since I got involved with you… Because of you, I lost my rightful place as the top

student in the written exams… Nothing ever goes the way I want it to… It’s all because of you, the stalker. If you had

just stayed still, if you had done nothing, none of this would have happened. So don’t blame me.”

She glared at him, attempting to cast her magic. But in that moment…

• Thud

Choi Isul grabbed her staff, and the flow of mana that had been spilling out instantly quieted down.

“Yoo Hee-yeon, using magic on each other, other than during a duel, is prohibited within the academy.”

She had sensed the mana flow from Yoo Hee-yeon and Lee Hyun-seung just moments earlier. Realizing something

was wrong, she quickly rushed to F-class. Luckily, she was able to stop it before anything happened. If Yoo Hee-yeon

and Lee Hyun-seung had clashed, it would have caused a huge disturbance.

With her mana blocked, Yoo Hee-yeon looked at Choi Isul.

“I didn’t start it. He provoked me first.”

That was a ridiculous excuse. Just because someone provoked her didn’t mean she was allowed to strike first. If any

other student had said something like that, Choi Isul would have told them to shut up. But since it was Yoo Hee-

yeon, she responded as politely as possible.

“I’ll have a word with Lee Hyun-seung separately. So, please calm down.”

• Swoosh

Yoo Hee-yeon glared at Lee Hyun-seung one last time, then turned away, saying,

“You’re lucky. If my magic had gone off properly, you’d be crippled by now. Consider this a warning. If you ever act

like you know anything about the Artemis Guild or my father again, I’ll tear your mouth apart, so it’s better if you

just stay quiet.”

• Thud
• Thud
• Thud

With those words, Yoo Hee-yeon walked further away. Watching her go, Choi Isul thought,

‘She really believes her magic would have crippled Lee Hyun-seung?’

She couldn’t agree with that statement.

• Swoosh

Choi Isul looked at the gun Lee Hyun-seung was holding. The overwhelming mana still pouring out of it sent chills

down her spine.

If the gun had fired, it could have pierced through any magic. In fact, it might have been Yoo Hee-yeon who would

end up crippled.

• Swallow

‘He’s a monster. He wasn’t like this before.’

Choi Isul couldn’t help but marvel at Lee Hyun-seung, who had grown so rapidly since the last time they met.

However, despite her amazement, she felt worried.

‘I hope he’s not provoking Yoo Hee-yeon too much. She’s the daughter of the Artemis Guild leader, after all…’

As Choi Isul was thinking this, Lee Hyun-seung asked her,

“Should I follow you, President?”

“…I’ll have a word with Lee Hyun-seung separately. So, please calm down.”

When Lee Hyun-seung asked this, Choi Isul whispered so that no one else could hear.

“No, there’s no need for you to follow me. From what I can tell, it doesn’t seem like anyone provoked anyone else

first. And since no magic was actually used, there’s no reason to make this a bigger issue. We should just let it go.”

Choi Isul felt guilty about Lee Hyun-seung. After all, without solid evidence, she had unjustly suspended him based

on the accusations from Yoo Hee-yeon’s mother, Kim Hee-ra. Accusing him of being a stalker was far too much.

Giving punishment to a student without proper proof went against her educational principles.

For that reason, Choi Isul couldn’t help but feel a sense of favoritism toward Lee Hyun-seung, though she never intended to.

The guilt of being unable to properly fulfill her duties as an educator and wrongly punishing a student weighed

heavily on her, and she felt it more with each passing day.

In fact, looking at this situation, if she was trying to appease Artemis, it would have been better to punish Lee Hyun-

seung. However, Choi Isul couldn’t do that. She had a conscience.

At that moment, as Choi Isul was about to return to the principal’s office, she noticed something gleaming in the

distance.

• Swoosh

Weapons with the SIH+ logo were displayed. These were the weapons crafted by the most famous blacksmith, Tak

Woo-hyun. Weapons that every adventurer longed for. And dozens of F-class students were holding them.

“Wh-what… How did so many people end up with Tak Woo-hyun’s weapons?”

Choi Isul muttered in disbelief, but Lee Hyun-seung smiled and answered,

“I requested them.”

“Y-you requested? All these handmade weapons?”

It sounded impossible. Choi Isul herself had once requested weapons from Tak Woo-hyun, only to have her request

denied. But she couldn’t deny it. There, right before her eyes, were numerous SIH+ weapons.

“How… How did this happen…?”

She gazed helplessly at the weapons, her mind in a daze.