Chapter 53: Last Chance.

“I hate lies more than anything. So think carefully before you answer. Or I might really get angry.”

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Just by glaring at Yoo Hee-yeon, Yoo Han-beom’s cold aura spread to the

point where she could feel her knees tremble.

• gulp

Yoo Hee-yeon swallowed nervously. She began to hesitate.

What does he know… exactly how much? Should I tell him the truth…?

Her father’s words were filled with implied meaning.

• Why are you doing such things when you can’t even get first place in the academy?

The papers her father had thrown on the floor contained records of Yoo Hee-yeon’s misuse of Artemis Guild’s

authority. However, the papers were stacked, and it was hard to see the exact details. In this situation, there was no

way she could openly go through them. So Yoo Hee-yeon was left to think.

He knows I’m not a stalker, but he’s been pushing me despite that… He tried to have me fail in the F-class

representative selection… He tried to steal the weapons from the transaction… He bribed the referees to bring in

external artifacts… How much does he actually know…?

There were too many things that came to her mind just from a brief thought. She recalled her father’s reaction if she

told him the truth.

• I’m disappointed. The future leader of Artemis, doing such dirty deeds because of a lack of ability. I’ll kick you out of the family immediately…

Her father’s expected response echoed vividly in her ears. She knew well. Having been with her family all this time,

she understood that her father wouldn’t disown her over just one mistake. However, the anxiety remained.

Could he really disown me?

Would she lose everything she had enjoyed so far?

Would the strong protection of the Artemis Guild be taken away?

Would she face a punishment she couldn’t handle?

Nothing seemed out of the realm of possibility with Yoo Han-beom. He wasn’t someone who could be predicted easily.

Should I lie…?

She cast a quick glance at Yoo Han-beom. He stared back at her, his gaze unwavering.

It’s impossible to lie about everything, right…?

If she lied about everything, it would only make the situation worse. But it was already too overwhelming to tell the

truth. Too many wrong paths had already been taken. How could she explain all the disgusting, cowardly ways she

had tried to interfere, only to fail? Therefore, she decided that she would choose the lesser of two evils, not the worst

option.

• Thud!

Yoo Hee-yeon kneeled before her father.

“Father… I’m truly sorry.”

Yoo Han-beom was momentarily surprised by Yoo Hee-yeon’s unexpected reaction, but he quickly regained his

composure and asked.

“Unexpectedly, you admit it right away? Earlier, you seemed like you didn’t know anything, and I thought you’d deny

everything to the end. Good decision. If you had continued to lie, I wouldn’t have let you off the hook.”

Yoo Hee-yeon silently exhaled in relief. She decided that apologizing was the right move and continued pressing

forward.

“Father, please listen to the story of your pathetic daughter. I wanted to get first place in the academy and show off to

you. I wanted to prove that I, the daughter of the Artemis Guild Master, could take first place in all subjects, both

written and practical.”

“Is it worth it to get first place in the academy and open the Artemis artifact vault, bribe the referees, and buy off

fellow students to use them? I won’t criticize your methods any further. I’ve done many dirty things in my past as

well. It’s regrettable that you, my daughter, are acting just like I did, but since I did the same, I won’t scold you for it.

However…”

He stared at Yoo Hee-yeon with a look of disbelief.

“An academy. It’s an academy filled with rookies who have just awakened. You are going to step into society, explore

dungeons, and face monsters far scarier than people. Monsters that speak no language and possess overwhelming

strength, and crime organizations that are like cancer cells, lurking in the black market and labyrinths—like that

scumbag Hileon. Those bastards are always after what we have, wanting to crawl out into the light. But! What do you

think you’re doing, starting with an academy and acting out like this, lacking the necessary skills? How do you think

you’re going to survive in the future?”

• Kwahh-!

His lamenting voice echoed throughout the room, and the desk Yoo Han-beom slammed was split in two.

He took a moment to calm himself before speaking to Yoo Hee-yeon.

“If you lack ability, you should think about developing your abilities first. Shortcuts are to be used only when you’ve

put everything on the line, when it’s really your last resort, when there’s absolutely no other choice. Using shortcuts

just to take the easy way out won’t make you grow. If you can’t even take your first steps, how do you plan to run

later?”

“I absolutely loathe people who lack ability. And that goes for you, my daughter, as well. Don’t make me hate you.”

How pitiful, he thought. But, Yoo Han-beom felt this was his own karma. He had always been too busy to spend time

with Yoo Hee-yeon. Even finding an hour once a week was difficult, so he had entrusted all her education to Kim

Hee-ra and the nanny. If he hadn’t noticed his daughter straying off course earlier, it was the parents’ responsibility,

he thought, suppressing his anger as he spoke.

But after all, she was family. His only daughter, so he tried to understand her as best he could. What Yoo Han-beom

hated most were people without abilities. He treated such people the same as leeches. The anger that his daughter

had become like a leech filled him, and he felt suffocated by the thought that she might be repeating his past

mistakes.

Still, he thought, this was his responsibility too. He gritted his teeth and endured. One could tell just by looking at

Yoo Han-beom’s response. If the person involved in this incident were anyone other than his daughter, Yoo Hee-

yeon, she would have been immediately punished severely and kicked out.

But did Yoo Hee-yeon not understand his consideration? She sobbed and shouted.

“Father—!”

She looked into Yoo Han-beom’s eyes and shouted.

“Why are you doing this to me?! I only bullied one guy from F-Class at the academy. Yes, I did something disgraceful.

You must have investigated everything, but you want me to beat that scumbag Lee Hyun-seung? Do you know what

the Broad Academy’s written exam is like? There hasn’t been anyone who scored full marks for years. But Lee Hyun-

seung has never missed a perfect score since entering the academy. How am I supposed to beat him? How am I

supposed to win fairly? I tried! I tried so hard! I stayed up all night, bled from my nose, and gave it my all. But it still

didn’t work! And you blame me…!”

She spoke, tears streaming down her face.

“How am I supposed to do this… I just wanted to be acknowledged by you, Father…”

The daughter of the Artemis Guildmaster. Her position granted her everything the world had to offer, but there was

one thing that even such immense power could not provide.

Her father’s attention and love. And the recognition that came from him.

She wanted to be acknowledged. That was all. What she lacked more than anything was her father’s recognition.

To Yoo Hee-yeon, her father was both an object of fear and admiration.

“Sigh…”

Yoo Han-beom gazed at the tearful Yoo Hee-yeon and quietly spoke.

“Your method was wrong. I don’t know how desperate you were. But, you should’ve thought about how, just as you

were desperate, others might feel wronged, too.”

He pulled a document from the drawer and handed it to Yoo Hee-yeon.

“Lee Hyun-seung. A man of ability. To be honest, he’s someone we’d want to recruit to the Artemis Guild first and

foremost. Right now, he’s awakened as a gunmage and has gone a little off course with his brawling, but do you know

what his dream was?”

Years before Lee Hyun-seung entered the academy, there had been a real-time career aspiration survey on the

streets. The information gathered by the assistant guildmaster included Lee Hyun-seung’s answers to the survey.

-Q: What kind of job would you like to have when you grow up?

• A: I want to be a member of the Magic Tower.

-Q: Why do you think that?

• A: I enjoy learning. Just looking at magic studies makes me happy.

Yoo Hee-yeon trembled, holding the paper in her hands.

Seeing this, Yoo Han-beom spoke.

“Do you know why he was able to get a perfect score on the written exam? This guy had been voluntarily studying

magic long before he even entered the academy, because his dream was to join the Magic Tower. He didn’t have the

kind of talent you might think, nor any special ability. Back then, he was still an unawakened individual. He simply

worked himself to the bone.”

“But, as you know, if a student has been expelled from the academy, they can’t apply to the Magic Tower. Because of you, Lee Hyun-seung’s dream, which he had since he was young, has been shattered.”

After a moment, Yoo Han-beom handed Yoo Hee-yeon another piece of paper.

[Representative Selection Tournament Bracket]

• A Class vs F Class
• B Class vs C Class

“This is the result of your actions. If, in the upcoming representative selection tournament, Lee Hyun-seung’s F-

Class loses, you’ll be finishing the practical exam with a score no better than mid-high tier, due to the additional

penalty points. This is your last chance from me. Approach the class elimination match fairly. And win. If you do, I’ll

forgive your actions. It won’t be hard. There’s a significant difference in overall strength between A Class and F Class.

But…”

Yoo Han-beom looked down at Yoo Hee-yeon and said.

“If you lose again this time, I will reconsider the heir to the Artemis Guild.”

Creek…

Yoo Hee-yeon, hearing Yoo Han-beom’s words, muttered with venom in her eyes.

“That will never happen. This time, I will… I will win.”