Chapter 79: Yoo Hee-yeon’s Tears

-BOOOOM-!

Yoo Hee-yeon instinctively closed her eyes as a deafening explosion echoed around her. She braced herself for death.

But strangely enough, there was no pain.

‘What’s going on?’

It’s said that if someone suffers a sudden, overwhelming injury, their body might not register the pain right away.

Yoo Hee-yeon wondered if she was experiencing just that.

-Srrrk-

With trembling hands, she decided to take a peek, preparing herself to see her broken body.

“This… how is this possible?”

Her body was perfectly intact. She hadn’t suffered any damage. In front of her, a torrent of mana surged, crackling

with immense energy.

“What the hell are you standing there for? Wanna die? If not, do something already, you useless parasite!”

In front of her was Lee Hyun-seung, trembling as he struggled to block Shin Jun-ho’s attack. His arms were shaking

violently from the impact.

-Tremble-

Right before Yoo Hee-yeon was hit, Lee Hyun-seung had dashed in and intercepted Shin Jun-ho’s attack with his

gun. Fortunately, his weapon hadn’t shattered. Most likely, it was thanks to the [Legendary-grade] durability

enhancement from his gunmaster skill.

‘Damn it… Why the hell am I doing this for her…?’

Lee Hyun-seung’s veins bulged as his entire body shook. His muscles screamed in agony from the strain of holding

back Shin Jun-ho’s monstrous strength. And to make matters worse, Shin Jun-ho was still pressing down on him,

trying to crush him into the ground with his sword.

-Grrrk-

With every ounce of strength, Shin Jun-ho pushed his blade down harder against Lee Hyun-seung’s gun and let out

an enraged roar.

“Lee Hyun-seung… Why… Why are you saving Yoo Hee-yeon?! You were ignored by her too! She treated you like

trash! So why… why are you protecting her!?”

Shin Jun-ho’s original target wasn’t Yoo Hee-yeon—it was Lee Hyun-seung.

But now, consumed by demonic energy, Shin Jun-ho’s rationality had crumbled. His actions were driven by instinct

and raw emotion.

He’d been belittled by Yoo Hee-yeon countless times, called a crippled mage for losing one arm. That humiliation

had festered inside him for years. Now, it erupted uncontrollably, causing him to focus his wrath on Yoo Hee-yeon

rather than Lee Hyun-seung.

-Cough-!

Lee Hyun-seung coughed up blood as he gripped his gun with both hands, struggling to hold Shin Jun-ho’s sword at

bay. It was as if he was determined to keep the madman from moving another inch.

“Lee Hyun-seung! Answer me! Why the hell are you protecting someone like her?!”

‘Damn it…’

Shin Jun-ho’s voice echoed with rage.

But Lee Hyun-seung hadn’t saved Yoo Hee-yeon out of kindness or concern for her well-being. His actions had

nothing to do with her.

He did it to survive.

Given the current situation, it was highly likely that the events inside the stage were being broadcast to the outside world.

Complex spells like teleportation wouldn’t work due to the interference from the demonic energy saturating the

stage, but simpler spells—like visual projection—could still function.

If that were the case, then imagine the scenario:

Lee Hyun-seung had used shock rounds and paralysis bullets on Yoo Hee-yeon, effectively throwing her to Shin Jun-

ho as bait to distract the monster.

If Yoo Hee-yeon were to die here…

‘Even if I make it out alive, I’m dead meat.’

Technically, Shin Jun-ho would be the one to kill her, but in reality, Lee Hyun-seung would bear the responsibility.

Yoo Han-beom, her father, and Kim Hee-ra, her aunt—both of them would be watching. Would they let him walk out

alive if he let Yoo Hee-yeon die?

‘Absolutely not.’

Even though Yoo Han-beom had been friendly toward him, there was a line no parent would let anyone cross—

watching their child die before their eyes.

No matter what mistakes Yoo Hee-yeon had made, blood was thicker than water.

And even if Yoo Han-beom somehow forgave him, there was still Kim Hee-ra.

‘That crazy woman won’t let it slide.’

She would come after him. She would mobilize all the power at her disposal, even if it cost her own life.

Unlike now, where she was holding back, she’d go all out to kill him.

The Artemis Guild was the most powerful force in the country, both financially and militarily.

If Kim Hee-ra came after him with both a personal grudge and a righteous cause for revenge…

‘There’s no one who’d protect me.’

In such a situation, having the justification for your actions was crucial.

‘Killing her here would be the dumbest move I could make.’

There were countless ways to ruin Yoo Hee-yeon’s life.

She was already on a path to self-destruction.

There was no need to rush it.

‘I’ll take full advantage of this opportunity and drain her to the bone.’

Rather than killing Yoo Hee-yeon, saving her now could bring far greater benefits. Lee Hyun-seung had already

calculated every move he would make from now on.

-Srrrk-

In a split second, Lee Hyun-seung decided to ignore Shin Jun-ho’s words and whistled.

-Wheeeet!-

Before arriving at this location, he had instructed Han Sung-gil to prepare for a surprise attack when given the signal.

-Tatatatata-!

At Lee Hyun-seung’s signal, Han Sung-gil began to sprint madly.

“D*mn it!”

Sensing Han Sung-gil’s energy from afar, Shin Jun-ho turned his body and raised his sword.

-Bang!-

Taking advantage of the moment, Lee Hyun-seung, now free to move his hands, fired a paralyzing bullet at Shin Jun-

ho’s ankle.

[The paralyzing bullet has hit the target. The affected target will temporarily be immobilized.]

[A strong demonic energy is detected in the target. The effectiveness of the paralyzing bullet is reduced.]

“10,000.”

While Shin Jun-ho hesitated for a moment, Han Sung-gil leaped into the air and left a deep scar on Shin Jun-ho’s chest.

-Slash!-

“Arghhhhh!”

Shin Jun-ho’s furious roar created a massive whirlwind around him.

-Whoooosh!-

The powerful wind blew Han Sung-gil, who was at the forefront, away.

Scanning his surroundings, Shin Jun-ho instinctively thought:

‘The real threat isn’t Han Sung-gil; it’s Lee Hyun-seung.’

Despite being merely a Gunmage, Lee Hyun-seung had not only blocked Shin Jun-ho’s attacks but also managed to

inflict significant damage, even with a basic magazine, on someone brimming with demonic energy. His instinct

screamed:

‘I must eliminate Lee Hyun-seung first. Who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve?’

-Boom.

-Thud.

-Kaboom!-

Abandoning Han Sung-gil, Shin Jun-ho charged directly at Lee Hyun-seung.

“You… you’re insane!”

Lee Hyun-seung, assuming Shin Jun-ho would chase Han Sung-gil, was caught off guard. He hastily raised his arm

to defend his face. However, he had already lost his balance due to the wind, hovering slightly above the ground.

-KABOOM!-

As soon as Shin Jun-ho’s punch landed, Lee Hyun-seung’s body flew dozens of meters away.

-Bam!-

-CRASH!-

-BOOOOM!-

Smashing through dozens of trees, Lee Hyun-seung tumbled to the ground, coughing up blood.

-Cough-!

As if unwilling to give him a moment’s rest, Shin Jun-ho rushed over, aiming a powerful stomp at Lee Hyun-seung’s head.

-BAM!-

However, Han Sung-gil, who had been blown away earlier, returned just in time to block Shin Jun-ho’s foot from

striking Lee Hyun-seung.

“Get out of my way!”

Shin Jun-ho roared, extending his left hand to attack Lee Hyun-seung’s heart once more.

-Clang!-

Han Sung-gil deflected his hand with his sword.

-Whoosh!-

In response, Shin Jun-ho spun in midair, releasing a massive cluster of demonic energy toward Lee Hyun-seung, its

trajectory unpredictable.

-Boom!-

The divided chunks of demonic energy spread out like cannonballs, converging on Lee Hyun-seung like homing missiles.

-Clang!-

-Clang! Clang!-

Han Seong-gil instinctively moved to block the attacks, but it was impossible to defend against all of them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In the end, he had to take several hits directly with his body.

Drip, drip, drip.

Blood began pouring out of his wounds uncontrollably.

Shin Jun-ho’s relentless attacks continued.

Clang!

Slash!

Clang! Clang!

Slash!

Despite his body becoming tattered and torn, Han Seong-gil took every one of Shin Jun-ho’s attacks without

concern. Strangely enough, the more he fought, the stronger Han Seong-gil seemed to become.

Shin Jun-ho yelled at him.

“Why…! Why the hell are you doing this?! Why the f*ck are you blocking me like this?!”

Swish.

Han Seong-gil didn’t respond. He simply raised his sword again. Even though he had full control over his body, it

wasn’t easy to face Shin Jun-ho, who wielded [Demonic Phantom], with a standard weapon.

Lee Hyun-seung was already on the verge of collapse, half-unconscious. Han Seong-gil swallowed hard as he glanced around.

‘The Spear of Longinus.’

His eyes locked onto Artemis’ spear, lying not far from where he stood. If he could grab that weapon while he was

still in a clear state of mind, he believed he had a fighting chance.

The moment Han Seong-gil began running toward the spear—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Shin Jun-ho also seemed to realize Han Seong-gil’s intention and started running toward the Spear of Longinus as well.

Thud, thud, thud!

Thump… Thump… Thump!

The two men dashed forward at full speed, like madmen.

Whoosh!

Both of them leaped toward the Spear of Longinus at nearly the same time.

Grab!

Han Seong-gil reached it first by a split second. He picked up the Spear of Longinus and spun it around, flashing a

chilling smile at Shin Jun-ho.

“Now, let’s fight again. You one-armed half-assed magician.”

Hack!

Lee Hyun-seung coughed up blood. His condition looked dire. He hadn’t been able to defend properly against Shin

Jun-ho’s unexpected attack and took a direct hit.

Yoo Hee-yeon walked toward the injured Lee Hyun-seung, her steps slow and deliberate.

When she finally stood in front of him, she looked down at his bloodied figure.

‘Why…?’

He was bleeding and clearly in pain. Even someone as seemingly invincible as Lee Hyun-seung was still human,

capable of feeling pain, fear, and suffering.

‘Why on earth…?’

She had believed she was going to die. Everyone she tried to bribe had abandoned her. The power and authority she

thought she held had betrayed her.

Yet, the man standing in front of her, the man she had tormented, framed, and ruined, was the one who saved her life.

Yoo Hee-yeon shouted at Lee Hyun-seung.

“Do you think I’ll be grateful to you for this? I didn’t need your help to survive! You didn’t have to risk your life to save me!”

Lee Hyun-seung groaned and replied in a strained voice.

“For f*ck’s sake… Shut up… It’s already bad enough, and now your voice is making me nauseous…”

He meant it. From the start, Lee Hyun-seung had saved her only because he had no choice. The situation had been so

desperate that he had to use Yoo Hee-yeon as bait. If it weren’t for Yoo Han-beom and Kim Hee-ra, he would never

have saved her. Why would he help the very person who had ruined his life?

But Yoo Hee-yeon, unaware of his true feelings, muttered to herself.

“Why… It doesn’t make any sense… You didn’t even take money from me… You weren’t promised any reward… So why…?”

It was the first time she had ever received kindness without expecting anything in return. She couldn’t comprehend

it. In her world, everything was transactional — work and payment, cause and effect.

Drip.

“Huh…?”

A small sound escaped her lips as a tiny stream of water ran down her cheek. She reached up and wiped her face,

realizing it was a tear.

For the first time, Yoo Hee-yeon was crying.