Chapter 58: Upcoming Class Annihilation Battle

“Or what, are you scared?”

Han Seong-gil’s confident and direct manner left Yoo Hee-yeon with no choice but to be flustered. She wasn’t

unaware of what kind of person Han Seong-gil was. Even before, when she tried to buy him off with money, Han

Seong-gil rejected the offer.

• “So, you’re Han Seong-gil. I’ve heard you’re quite skilled in B-Class. There are plenty of people in the academy who are on my side. Why don’t you join us? It’s not difficult. I can assign tasks to you, and if anything goes wrong, just stand by me. Then, I’ll pay you handsomely.”
• “Ha, so you’re the famous Artemis Guild Leader’s daughter. I’m not someone who can be bought with money. You’ve misunderstood me.”

Even then, Han Seong-gil had given an uncompromising answer, but he let it go since the issue with Lee Hyun-seung

had taken priority and he didn’t consider her words particularly rude.

So, while she understood Han Seong-gil’s character to an extent, she never expected him to react this way. The idea

of facing off directly—was that even something she should consider?

Yoo Hee-yeon was the daughter of the Artemis Guild Leader. Defying her meant opposing Artemis itself, which no

ordinary person could imagine. Even outside the scope of the Artemis Guild, it was still an absurd idea.

Yoo Hee-yeon had never lost the top spot in practical exams at the Broad Academy. In terms of combat prowess, she

was quite superior. The massive amount of money Yoo Han-beom had spent was not without results.

• Creak

Yoo Hee-yeon glared at Han Seong-gil and said, “If you really want to be crushed that badly, then so be it.”

Just as Yoo Hee-yeon was about to use magic, Lee Hyun-seung stepped in between them.

“Enough?”

Lee Hyun-seung looked at Yoo Hee-yeon with a look of contempt.

“First, it was you, Yoo Hee-yeon, who provoked Han Seong-gil with all your talk about trash and so on. You insulted

him openly in front of others, then you act like you’re scared of retaliation now? Pathetic, to the point of disgust. Why

do you always act like this? You never think about other people’s feelings, and it’s always your emotions that come

first. Why do you think everyone should cater to you? It’s arrogance. The power of Artemis is far too much for you.”

However, Yoo Hee-yeon did not stop. She seemed to be even more agitated now.

• Whoooo

Mana gathered in her staff. Finally, Lee Hyun-seung shouted.

“Yoo Hee-yeon, your father—!”

Yoo Hee-yeon froze.

“I met your father recently. I didn’t talk to him for long, but if you keep acting like this, I’m sure he’ll be

disappointed. If news of this foolishness gets out to the Guild, you’ll have a problem too, don’t you think?”

The mention of her father made Yoo Hee-yeon narrow her eyes and murmur in response.

“Don’t speak like you know everything. It’s disgusting.”

As if agreeing with Lee Hyun-seung’s words, Yoo Hee-yeon dispersed the mana that had gathered in her staff.

Her father, Yoo Han-beom, was already disappointed in her. He had asked her to focus on proving her abilities and

achieve meaningful results in the upcoming class annihilation event, but if he learned that she was doing nothing but

bickering in the academy, he would likely look at her with even more disdain.

• Disappointing.
  “I never thought my daughter would be such a foolish person who can’t tell right from wrong. I clearly told you to focus on the practical exam. Why are you acting like this?”

Those words from her father echoed in her mind.

• Swoosh

Yoo Hee-yeon turned away and spoke without looking back.

“Lee Hyun-seung… You always speak as if I have everything. But do you even understand the

pressure I’m under?”

Lee Hyun-seung answered irritably.

“Do I really need to know that? Even if I did, does it make sense to frame someone innocent? Stop with your

sophistry. I just wanted to live a simple life. I wanted to study magic and join the Mage Tower. I didn’t want great

wealth, power, or anything extraordinary. I would’ve been happy just living humbly. But you’re the one who pushed

me to this point. Don’t play the victim now.”

Mage Tower.

Hearing that word, the conversation she had with her father resurfaced in her mind.

• “You know, if you have a record of being expelled from the academy, you can’t apply to the Mage Tower. Because of you, Lee Hyun-seung’s dream from childhood was shattered.”

Lee Hyun-seung had written in his career survey on the street that he wanted to study magic and become a part of

the Mage Tower. He loved learning, and studying magic made him happy.

She ruined that dream. She pressured him into being expelled, revoked his eligibility, and socially ostracized him. It

was an undeniable fact.

In a cold voice, she muttered.

“Even if you’re trampled, you can still dream, right? Unfairly.”

Lee Hyun-seung, pretending not to hear her, scowled, and she immediately turned and walked away.

As she left, Han Seong-gil tried to follow her, but Lee Hyun-seung coldly spoke.

“What do you think you’re going to do by following her? If your berserker trait kicks in, maybe. But in your normal

state, you’ll lose. And if you fight until your berserker trait activates, are you trying to turn the academy into a mess

again? If you’re going to work with me from now on, act with some common sense.”

After the conversation with Yu Hee-yeon, Lee Hyun-seung’s emotions flared up. He thought back to the days when

he was happy with the small things, enjoying life, and then to the days when he was wrongfully accused and mocked,

persecuted, and despised. Anger swelled inside him.

Lee Hyun-seung stayed silent for a moment before apologizing to Han Seong-gil.

“Sorry. I overreacted.”

But Han Seong-gil, not caring about the apology, asked casually.

“I thought you were doing crazy things all the time. I thought your dream was to become a pirate king or something,

but it’s actually pretty simple. Why do you want to join the Mage Tower?”

Normally, Han Seong-gil wouldn’t have cared much, but when he heard about the Mage Tower and magic, he

couldn’t help but ask. He, too, loved magic, even though he wielded a sword.

• “Seong-gil, this is a secret, but honestly, I think I would’ve preferred being a mage. I wanted to be part of the Mage Tower.”
• “If you want to go, just go. There are no job restrictions for the Mage Tower.”
• “To enter the Mage Tower as something other than a mage, you need to be at least unique-ranked. On the other hand, mages can apply starting from epic rank, so I can’t enter.”
• “Ha, who cares about the Mage Tower? You can just go to the labyrinth and kill monsters for a lot more money.”
• “It’s fun.”
• “What?”
• “I enjoy learning magic.”

Lost in his thoughts, Lee Hyun-seung smiled as he replied, his face finally showing happiness.

“I love magic. Using it is just so fascinating. Where I’m from, on Earth, this kind of thing doesn’t even exist…”

Then, he shook his head.

“Never mind. There’s no point talking about this. I can’t get into the Mage Tower anyway.”

Regardless of the truth behind the false accusations, his record of suspension prevented him from entering the Mage

Tower. It was the Mage Tower’s strict and ancient tradition. Anyone with a criminal record or a history of

misconduct was banned from the Mage Tower. It was a custom that upheld the sanctity of the Mage Tower.

Looking a little lonely, Lee Hyun-seung was addressed by Han Seong-gil.

“Let’s not talk today. There’s no need to hear it anymore.”

Lee Hyun-seung asked, startled.

“Why suddenly? Did I make a mistake?”

Lee Hyun-seung was about to explain how he could control the Berserker trait to Han Seong-gil. He had planned to

provide a reliable reason because just proving it with the manipulable false detection orb would obviously not be

enough to convince him. However, Han Seong-gil said he wouldn’t listen to such an explanation. From Lee Hyun-

seung’s perspective, it naturally seemed like a declaration of breaking their alliance.

But, contrary to his expectations, Han Seong-gil responded.

“I believe you. That you can control the Berserker trait. So, no need to elaborate.”

When Lee Hyun-seung looked at him with eyes full of confusion, Han Seong-gil answered.

“There’s no one who genuinely loves magic and lies well, you know.”

The image of Pung Geon-ho, shouting in the mage, came to mind.

• “You idiot! Go out and bring a mage! Do you want to see me die? If you’re thinking of running away by yourself, stop it. If you run away alone, I’ll curse you even after I die. Go get a mage who can use healing magic, even if you have to risk your life to bring them!”

Pung Geon-ho, who had scolded him with awkward words and even raised his voice in anger, seemed relieved when

Han Seong-gil left, as if happy about it. Lee Hyun-seung recalled the awkward lies he hadn’t noticed because he was

too flustered back then. Pung Geon-ho’s eyes always trembled when he lied, but when telling the truth, his eyes were

always warm.

For some reason, when Lee Hyun-seung talked about magic, his image seemed to overlap with Pung Geon-ho’s.

‘It’s uncomfortable.’

Han Seong-gil spoke.

“Anyway, I’ll do what you said tomorrow, so let me know when the plan is set. Since there will be prep time before

the class extermination battle starts tomorrow, you can tell me then.”

With those words, Han Seong-gil disappeared from sight.

The next morning, at Lee Hyun-seung’s house.

• Knock knock

The familiar sound of knocking on the door.

• Creak

Lee Hyun-seung opened the door and stepped outside.

As always, Jeong Eun-seo was standing there.

Instead of a greeting, she said something else.

“Finally, today. The class extermination battle.”

She spoke as if she were nervous, and Lee Hyun-seung responded.

“Why talk as if it’s all over? The class extermination battle is just the beginning.”

He had spent the night thinking and had made a plan. He had confirmed that Yoo Han-beom desired talented

individuals and had a high opinion of Lee Hyun-seung.

Seeing his reaction, a possibility emerged. Originally, the top priority was to clear his name and bring down Yoo Hee-

yeon. However, his thoughts had changed due to Yoo Hee-yeon, who wielded Artemis’ power as if it were her own,

and Kim Hee-ra, who had mocked him.

‘I’ll swallow them whole.’

Starting with the class extermination battle, he planned to take the Artemis Guild, her source of power, and

everything she held.