Chapter 55: Calm before the Storm, Increasing Power.

Countless crowds gathered at Broad Academy.

The Class Annihilation Battle was one of the traditional practical exams that had been held at Broad Academy for a

long time. The reason this exam was so famous was simple—it allowed one to check the full potential of the entire

elite Broad Academy at once.

For guilds that always wanted to recruit high-level newcomers, the Class Annihilation Battle was like a mine filled

with precious gems.

Even Broad Academy itself, hoping to showcase their students’ abilities to other organizations and institutions to

help with their futures, had made the Class Annihilation Battle open to outsiders.

Because of this, the Class Annihilation Battle had been a topic of discussion for years. But this year, the excitement

surrounding it was even more intense.

A female journalist shouted excitedly, “Hello everyone! I’m currently at Broad Academy. Tomorrow is the day of the

Class Annihilation Battle, and it seems the excitement is even greater this time because, as you may have heard, the

daughter of the Artemis Guild Master, Yoo Hee-yeon, will be participating!”

As the reporter’s words indicated, it was no exaggeration to say that the reason the Class Annihilation Battle was

receiving so much attention this year was because of Yoo Hee-yeon.

People were curious about what kind of person the daughter of Yoo Han-beom, the head of the overwhelmingly top-

ranked Artemis Guild, would be.

Although Yoo Hee-yeon had appeared in the media before, she had never been seen fighting or engaging in a battle

on air. Nonetheless, the public’s expectations for her were massive.

After all, she was the daughter of the Artemis Guild Leader. People expected her abilities to be extraordinary.

• Yoo Han-beom is a monster, so Yoo Hee-yeon must be something else. There’s even talk that class ranks are hereditary.
• Damn, I wish I were the daughter of a huge guild leader.

In various media outlets, including the internet and live broadcasts, speculations and comments about Yoo Hee-

yeon’s abilities were rampant. This was to be expected. Yoo Han-beom had never shown any disappointing qualities

to the public. His immense power was so overwhelming that calling him a monster wasn’t enough. Naturally, people

wondered just how skilled his daughter must be.

A girl with vast wealth, power, and an overwhelming ability, born to a Unique-grade wizard father—expectations for

her were sky-high.

• But isn’t this year’s Class Annihilation Battle going to be between Class A and Class F?
• Hmm? That’s not right. Up until now, it’s always been Class A against Class B.
• Apparently, the Class F representative chose Class A as their opponent in the battle, lol.
• Wow, haha, what a troll. Are they trying to get extra points?

Extra points. If a lower-ranked class defeats a higher-ranked class, they receive additional points in the practical

exam. For example, if Class F defeats Class B, they would earn a substantial amount of extra points. Conversely,

Class B would face a significant penalty if they lost the match. This was only natural, as it was a test where people

from different ranks were battling.

• Even if they’re aiming for extra points, this is excessive lol. How could Class F possibly defeat Class A?
• They must be crazy. I don’t know what they’re thinking, but Class A has Yoo Hee-yeon, the daughter of the Artemis Guild Master.
• Even if Class F loses, they won’t lose many practical points if they fight against Class A. They might be trying to reduce the penalties by choosing Class A to fight against, rather than losing to Class C or D. It seems like they’re just trying to minimize the damage, haha.

Lee Hyun-seung was checking people’s reactions in real-time from Broad Academy.

‘Well, it’s not unreasonable for them to think this way.’

Until now, there had never been a match between Class A and Class F. The only unfair match that remained in the

records was when Class B and Class F faced off. At that time, the Class F representative had been humiliated by the

Class B representative and, in an attempt at revenge, had chosen Class B as their opponent. However, the result had

been a crushing defeat.

At that time, Class F hadn’t been able to eliminate even a single member of Class B and had been thoroughly beaten.

‘But we’re different.’

At that time, it might have been different, but at least now, there are quite a few capable individuals among the F-

Class members. There were those who, due to not knowing how to use their powers or having certain flaws, were

unfairly placed in the F-class. In short, their raw strength wasn’t bad, but there were still some who ended up in F-

Class due to unfair circumstances.

Jeong Eon-seo, Kim Yu-ra, and Lee Hyun-seung—these three were definitely not people who should be in F-Class.

Still, despite all of this, it was true that the situation was unfavorable.

‘If it’s a one-on-one fight, it might be different, but this is a group fight.’

In the representative selection battle, there was no way of knowing what type of mission would come up. It could be

a match where they fought each other in teams, or perhaps a territorial conquest where they had to take control of a

specific area. However, regardless of the type of battle, F-Class would always be at a disadvantage.

Not everyone in F-Class had the same abilities as Lee Hyun-seung, and in contrast, A-Class had a generally higher

level of physical power.

But, not all news was bad.

“Damn it….”

There was a man muttering in frustration from the corner of the F-Class.

That man was Han Seong-gil, who had the characteristic of a Berserker.

After the rampage he caused at the academy, Han Seong-gil had received a fair punishment. Originally, he should

have received a punishment greater than suspension, but at Lee Hyun-seung’s request, his punishment was reduced

to just being demoted to F-Class, along with 100 hours of community service and a fine.

Furthermore, at Lee Hyun-seung’s active request, Han Seong-gil had even personally apologized to Ryu Nam-gi.

Although there might still be some lingering hostility between the two, on the surface, the matter had been resolved.

Han Seong-gil was made to apologize in front of the class. It was likely more out of fear of further punishment than

his own willingness, but still, it was a hundred times better than not apologizing at all.

The reason Lee Hyun-seung had guided Han Seong-gil to be demoted to F-Class was simple: to use him in the F-

Class massacre event.

‘He’s a useful guy.’

While Han Seong-gil was a madman who could go off at any moment, in terms of raw power, he was on par with A-

Class. If he could be properly convinced, he would not only be useful in this class massacre but also in future

operations as a valuable asset.

• Swoosh
  As expected, the F-Class members’ gazes towards Han Seong-gil were not kind.
  “Damn… I already apologized, but he’s still glaring at me.”
  Han Seong-gil shouted, as if his pride was wounded by being in the same space as F-Class. Ryu Nam-gi, who had been beaten by Han Seong-gil before, flinched at his words.
• Thud
• Thud
• Thud
  Lee Hyun-seung silently walked towards him.
• Swallow
  Han Seong-gil unconsciously swallowed as he heard Lee Hyun-seung’s footsteps.
  ‘Am I nervous…? Damn it….’
  Han Seong-gil was clearly nervous. The battle where he had used his Berserker characteristic and still been overwhelmingly defeated. He didn’t remember much of it, as he was out of his mind at the time, but his body retained the information.
• Shiver, shiver
  His body began to tremble uncontrollably. It was an instinctual reaction, one shared by all living creatures, a survival instinct kicking in.
• Swoosh
  When Lee Hyun-seung silently stared at Han Seong-gil, Han Seong-gil, in return, glared back and said,
  “You think I’m scared just because you’re staring at me? I’ve already apologized, so what the hell is this all about?”
  Despite his words, his hand was shaking slightly.

Lee Hyun-seung, observing this, thought to himself,

‘He already knows he can’t win against me.’

Han Seong-gil’s body had come to understand that he could not defeat Lee Hyun-seung. In that case, there was no

need to use force to press him further. People like Han Seong-gil would bite back if pushed too hard. While Lee

Hyun-seung had used a whip before, this time, it was time to offer a carrot instead.

• Swoosh
  Lee Hyun-seung whispered quietly into Han Seong-gil’s ear,
  “Hey, Han Seong-gil. You’ll be participating in this massacre with us. You got demoted because of some unpleasant events, but right now, you’re one of us. And since you’re joining, we’ve arranged it so that A-Class won’t raise any objections either.”

“If it’s that kind of thing, I don’t care. You want me to go out as an F-class member? Why should I?”

Han Seong-gil sneered, pride on full display, but Lee Hyun-seung made an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“If you perform well in this match, I’ll teach you how to control your Berserker trait.”

The Berserker trait. The more life-threatening the situation, the stronger it became in combat, but in the end, it was a

double-edged sword that caused uncontrollable madness, making it impossible to distinguish between allies and

enemies. Han Seong-gil had always thought of his trait as both a blessing and a curse. It granted him immense power

but forced him to attack even his own comrades indiscriminately.

“Stop talking nonsense. There’s no way something like that exists. Do you think I’m an idiot?”

Despite his trembling arm, Han Seong-gil continued to speak aggressively. This was a clear indication of his tough

personality. Even against someone who had almost killed him, he still spoke his mind. That was Han Seong-gil.

‘This bastard… he’s still speaking his mind even though he’s clearly scared.’

Lee Hyun-seung placed a transparent artifact resembling a crystal orb in front of Han Seong-gil.

The Lie Detection Orb. It would display whether a statement was true or false, not through coercion or threats, but

based on the speaker’s will. Although it wasn’t perfect—manipulation was still possible—it wasn’t suitable as

evidence in criminal cases. In stalking incidents, for example, it was useless. However, it was a good artifact for

everyday use. It functioned similarly to a lie detector.

Whoooosh

As mana flowed into the orb, Lee Hyun-seung muttered under his breath.

“I know how to stabilize your Berserker trait.”

Whoooooooosh

A faint vibration resonated from the orb, and soon a message appeared.

Truth

The Lie Detection Orb displayed the word “Truth,” causing Han Seong-gil to stare at Lee Hyun-seung in disbelief.

“What exactly is the method?”

‘He’s fallen for it.’

With this, Lee Hyun-seung now had a valuable piece for the F-class annihilation mission—Han Seong-gil, the wild

Berserker who could potentially turn the tide of the upcoming class battle.