Chapter 34: Look forward to it, it starts now.

“What are you doing right now? Are you playing combat? Fair and square? You shouldn’t be using such words

since the moment you brought in external artifacts.”

Lee Hyun-seung pulled the trigger after finishing his statement.

• Bang!

The gun that was firmly attached to the man’s head fired off with a tremendous noise. At the same time, the man’s

figure became hazy and he was instantly knocked out.

• Swoosh

Lee Hyun-seung now turned to look at the remaining ones. The only ones left were a wizard and those who hadn’t

even properly awakened. The only one he needed to watch out for was the wizard.

Lee Hyun-seung spoke while looking at the wizard.

“You know there’s no chance you can win, right?”

The wizard, Bae Sang-soo, recalled his comrades who had just fallen earlier.

• Cough… Please… save me…

The pain felt inside the virtual stage was undeniably intense. They looked genuinely tormented.

‘The gun is definitely much stronger than I expected…’

In the virtual stage, sensitivity to pain is limited, allowing only a certain amount to be felt. If the total pain scale is

100, it would be adjusted to feel only about 30-40. However, the greater the pain experienced, the more it becomes

unbearable for a human to endure. Since Lee Hyun-seung’s firearm included [additional damage], the pain was

much greater and more persistent, instilling a sense of dread.

• Swoosh

Bae Sang-soo lowered the staff he was holding. Then, he raised his hand to signal his surrender. After seeing that, a

non-awakened man who had been a part of Bae Sang-soo’s team scolded him.

“W-What are you doing, Bae Sang-soo?”

It was clear that he was questioning why Bae Sang-soo was surrendering when he had received orders from Yoo Hee-yeon.

Lee Hyun-seung aimed his gun at the man.

• Bang!
• Bang!

The two bullets shot rapidly and hit the man directly. He screamed in agony.

“110, 110…”

So painful that he couldn’t even let out a proper scream. The remaining members looked on and all raised their

hands in surrender.

• Clatter

Just moments ago, all the forces that Yoo Hee-yeon had set up exited the virtual stage. Most had been forcibly

eliminated by Lee Hyun-seung’s gun, and about half had perished in the explosion caused by the collision of Shin

Yoo-seon’s fire magic and Lee Hyun-seung’s bullets. The rest had surrendered, so it was more than enough to call it a

complete victory.

In fact, aside from a little help from Gu Da-yoon, Lee Hyun-seung had accomplished all of this by himself. No matter

how you looked at it, he had single-handedly taken down dozens of people, even as an F-class.

“I really… really won against all of them…”

Gu Da-yoon, who was watching from the side, looked at Lee Hyun-seung with a shocked expression. Lee Hyun-seung

stood there, expressionless, as if this was just the expected outcome.

Lee Hyun-seung then turned to Gu Da-yoon’s group, as well as Kim Yu-ri and Jung Eun-seo.

“So, what will you all do now? It seems like we’re the only survivors left. Is there anyone who wants to fight me

because they want to be the representative of F-class?”

As Lee Hyun-seung asked this, everyone gulped and shook their heads. They were originally allies, so there was no

reason to fight. They all knew how desperately Lee Hyun-seung wanted to become the representative, and yet they

had chosen to cooperate with him, which was only natural.

Jung Eun-seo replied.

“I’ll surrender here. My goal was to help you, Hyun-seung, not to win here.”

Kim Yu-ri, who was beside her, chimed in.

“I’ll surrender too. I can’t even fight properly since I haven’t awakened.”

Although Jung Eun-seo and Kim Yu-ri had been working together, according to the rules of the F-class preliminaries,

they were technically opponents. Since only one could be the final victor, that was the reality. With their surrender,

all that remained was Gu Da-yoon’s group.

• Swoosh

As Lee Hyun-seung looked at Gu Da-yoon, demanding an answer, Gu Da-yoon raised his hand and replied.

“You think I would be crazy enough to fight you? I have no interest in being the class representative, so don’t worry

about that. Just make sure you don’t forget the promise you made to help me next time.”

Soon, as Gu Da-yoon and his group all raised their hands to indicate their surrender, everyone was transferred out of

the virtual stage.

And now, only Lee Hyun-seung remained.

The commentator shouted.

“This is unbelievable! The winner of this F-class representative selection is a gunman… an actual gunman! It’s

unprecedented for a profession other than swordsman or wizard to win in the Broad Academy representative

selection! Student Lee Hyun-seung has set a new record that will be remembered for ages!”

Listening to the commentator, Lee Hyun-seung thought to himself,

‘Of course, there have never been any winners other than wizards or swordsmen.’

Wizards and swordsmen are significantly favored professions in Broad Academy Online. Just awakening into either

of those two professions earns you praise, and everyone wants to be around you if your job rank is at least rare. As a

result, teams in the representative selection are usually formed around swordsmen or wizards, leaving the others to

act individually, creating an unreasonable structure where professions other than wizards or swordsmen cannot win.

But this time was completely different.

From wizards to Gu Da-yoon, who had awakened his hidden abilities, everyone flocked around Lee Hyun-seung, the gunman.

Despite having the profession of a gunman, Lee Hyun-seung showcased immense charisma and capability, stirring

up the class representative selection as if he were performing a one-man show.

The head of the Blacksmith Association, Tak Woo-hyun, started applauding in admiration as he watched.

“What incredible ability! Not only is he excellent as a blacksmith, but he’s also outstanding with firearms. If he

properly masters blacksmithing techniques and creates a gun suited for himself, he will surely soar even higher.

Am I wrong?”

Tak Woo-hyun spoke to his secretary as if he wanted others to hear. His intent was clear: he was claiming Lee Hyun-

seung for himself, signaling to any onlookers to stay away.

The secretary, who quickly grasped Tak Woo-hyun’s intent, nodded and replied.

“Lee Hyun-seung is undeniably a fitting candidate for a blacksmith. If he returns, I will prepare a detailed

proposal to offer him. Our Blacksmith Association can provide him with the best wings possible.”

Other stakeholders who had intended to scout Lee Hyun-seung after he exited the virtual environment all retreated

in response to Tak Woo-hyun’s words. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all capable blacksmiths nationwide

are under Tak Woo-hyun’s management. If he were to annoy him, they risked cutting off their supply chain to

blacksmiths who could produce cheap and excellent weapons. With this in mind, others were left with no choice but

to head toward other notable candidates.

Tak Woo-hyun crossed his burly arms with a satisfied smile, feeling content.

‘Lee Hyun-seung… If nurtured properly, he will become an incredible figure. The best blacksmith in the country.

No, perhaps he might even surpass me to become the number one blacksmith.’

The head of the Blacksmith Association, a unique-ranked blacksmith, had reached the pinnacle of his crafting skills

at the age of forty. Yet, he felt as though he was blocked by an invisible wall. With no one more skilled than himself,

there was nothing to learn from others, and his own development had hit a limit. In that situation, encountering Lee

Hyun-seung was like a timely rain in a drought.

‘First, I need to ask him how he uses those two slots. Oh, he probably won’t tell me… Hmmm… How can I get him to

reveal that secret?’

Tak Woo-hyun was filled with thoughts of recruiting Lee Hyun-seung as he pondered this.

As Lee Hyun-seung remained alone on the virtual stage, a person approached him. It was one of the commentators

from the F-class representative selection, coming to interview the winner.

“Lee Hyun-seung, do you have a moment for an interview?”

While it might be common for someone from A-class, it was rare for an interview request to come after the F-class

representative selection had concluded. With many celebrities closely watching this representative selection, they

likely felt the interview couldn’t be missed.

Lee Hyun-seung nodded. The commentator began asking various questions.

“How did you acquire such immense power…?”

“It looked like you were utilizing both blacksmith and gunman abilities, could it be that you…”

“Besides the dual awakening of two professions, do you have any unique traits…?”

Though they asked numerous questions, Lee Hyun-seung either smiled them off or naturally evaded the answers.

‘I’ve shown my abilities well enough; it’s better for those with sharp eyes to notice them first rather than me

boasting about them.’

Lee Hyun-seung had no interest in explaining how extraordinary his abilities were to those who would only

understand if he fed it to them. The ones who could recognize his worth and approach him were the truly capable

people.

The commentator, somewhat disappointed by Lee Hyun-seung’s lackluster responses, seemed to have an idea and,

with a gleam of excitement in his eyes, asked:

“Well then, can you answer this question?”

The commentator paused briefly before continuing.

“As the new F-class representative, you have gained the authority to designate an opponent for the class

annihilation battle. Which class will you choose to face?”

This was the question Lee Hyun-seung had been waiting for. He grinned and pointed at the screen as he spoke.

“A-class.”

The commentator, bewildered, asked again.

“Uh… I asked who you would designate as your opponent…”

In response, Lee Hyun-seung clarified his answer as if to confirm it.

“I will announce the target that our F-class has chosen here. I designate A-class, which has Yoo Hee-yeon.”

Lee Hyun-seung’s bold declaration sent shockwaves through the audience. If someone less capable had said this, it

would have been met with derision, but given Lee Hyun-seung’s remarkable display of abilities in the selection, the

reaction from the crowd was entirely different. People were filled with excitement.

— Wowwwww!!!

— That’s insane! The F-class representative has targeted A-class!

Suddenly, cheers erupted in the venue, engulfing it in excitement.

Lee Hyun-seung murmured to the screen, ensuring Yoo Hee-yeon could see.

“Get ready; it’s just the beginning.”