Chapter 59: The Class Annihilation Battle has begun

Jeong Eun-seo and Lee Hyun-seung got into the car. Unlike usual, they were heading to the academy without much

conversation.

Jeong Eun-seo’s expression was full of tension.

“Hyun-seung, aren’t you nervous?”

Lee Hyun-seung, looking out the window, replied casually.

“Not really.”

Seeing his calm attitude, Jeong Eun-seo muttered, surprised.

“Even so, there’s such a big gap in power between our class and the A-Class members. Of course, our class has you,

Hyun-seung, but…”

• Swoosh

Lee Hyun-seung watched Jeong Eun-seo, who was calculating earnestly, seemingly trying to figure out how they could win.

In reality, winning the class annihilation battle wasn’t really necessary for Jeong Eun-seo. She already had the solid

backing of the Theor Guild, and whether she stood out or not in the match, her future was already decided with the

guild.

In fact, she had skipped class to search for her grandfather’s inheritance, and her grades were already terrible. She

didn’t care about such things anymore. In other words, the only reason Jeong Eun-seo was taking the class

annihilation battle seriously was because Lee Hyun-seung wanted to win. That was the only reason.

Seeing her deep in thought with her small frame and cute face, it suddenly reminded him of a puppy.

“Thanks.”

Lee Hyun-seung said, lightly tapping her on the head. Jeong Eun-seo blushed and stammered.

“Wh… why… are you doing that? So cheesy…”

“Just. It doesn’t really matter to you, does it? Something like the class annihilation battle.”

“Well… it does matter to me. That person, Yoo Hee-yeon, picked a fight with me, and… I’d rather win than lose. But

more than that… we need to win so that you’ll come with me to find my grandfather’s inheritance, right? And…”

She paused for a moment, then spoke in a quiet voice.

“…We’re friends, aren’t we? It’s only natural for friends to help each other.”

Cold and rational. The emotionless, heartless mage Jeong Eun-seo. This was a far cry from her character in the

Broad Academy Online original. It felt awkward, but she had been like this for a while now, so he let it pass.

‘What exactly is going to happen from now on?’

If Lee Hyun-seung didn’t intervene, Jeong Eun-seo would graduate from the Broad Academy smoothly and join the

Theor Guild. She would then start to rise within the guild, but over time, she would lose her humanity and fall into a

state of misanthropy. She would kill people like crushing ants, and would readily use others for her goals. It was a

future that seemed completely mismatched with the Jeong Eun-seo in front of him now.

Watching her clumsy side, unlike her character in the game, made him want to change things. He didn’t know why,

but he could see the tragic future that awaited her and the unfortunate events that would completely alter her

personality. The game didn’t explore that part properly, but staying by her side like this, he would eventually

understand the reason for it.

‘When that time comes, I’ll just have to help her.’

Jeong Eun-seo had a lot of people helping her. The mage from the magic tower, the weapons she used, and even the

money for her living expenses—all of it was supported by her.

“Are you listening to me? Ignoring me while I’m talking…!”

Jeong Eun-seo shouted in frustration, and Lee Hyun-seung smiled, looking out the window again.

For a battle, it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Thud
Thud
Thud

Once they arrived at the academy, Jeong Eun-seo and Lee Hyun-seung began to ascend the stairs.

Today was the day of the Class Annihilation Battle, and access for outsiders had been temporarily granted. As a

result, the academy’s interior was bustling with people. It wasn’t hard to guess that most of them had come to watch

the battle between Class A and Class F.

“Today, we’re at Broad Academy! Finally, the day has arrived for the much-anticipated representative selection

battle! Already, the attention of the crowd is intense! Our reporter is here to…”

From broadcasting stations to personal creators, guild scouts, and a variety of others, people had gathered at Broad Academy.

Most of them, over 90%, had probably come because of Yoo Hee-yeon. The daughter of Artemis Guild’s leader was

participating in her first Class Annihilation Battle. Until now, the practical exams had been private affairs,

inaccessible to outsiders. However, this time, the Class Annihilation Battle was an event that anyone could watch,

and as a result, it was a huge topic.

People were curious. As the daughter of the Artemis Guild leader, what kind of impressive display could she put on?

Yoo Hee-yeon, being an only child, was almost certain to inherit the Artemis Guild in the future. Naturally, people

were interested in her abilities—how strong she was, what kind of skills she possessed.

In other words, they had come to witness the future leader of Artemis Guild. Artemis alone wielded immense

influence, so her successor was of great interest to everyone.

“Hoo…”

As they arrived at the crowded location, Jeong Eun-seo felt her nerves begin to set in.

She asked Lee Hyun-seung, “Are you nervous?”

“Now that we’re here, I am a little. But it’s okay. We’ve got one unexpected advantage. The battle itself won’t put us

at a big disadvantage.”

Jeong Eun-seo, puzzled, looked at him.

Lee Hyun-seung pointed ahead with his hand.

• Swoosh

There, standing in front of them, was Han Seong-gil.

“That guy’s an epic-tier examiner with decent abilities. He also has the Berserker trait. I can control his Berserker

abilities, so he’s going to be a huge asset to us.”

Jeong Eun-seo looked at him, skeptical. “You can control the Berserker trait? I thought only people who are born

with it could use it…”

“Well, there’s a way to do it. I’ll show you in the Class Annihilation Battle later.”

Jeong Eun-seo was about to argue that it sounded impossible, but then she stopped.

‘He’s never said anything that wasn’t true.’

Whenever Lee Hyun-seung made a statement, he always backed it up. He never spoke carelessly. She trusted his words.

Han Seong-gil, who had been standing some distance away, now walked up to them and asked, “What do I need to do?”

“We haven’t received the battle theme yet, so I can’t make a detailed plan. But I’ve already divided the F-Class into

three teams.”

There were about 60 students in both Class A and Class F. Lee Hyun-seung had divided the F-Class members into

three teams.

The Class Annihilation Battle wasn’t just a simple all-out brawl. There were specific themes for each battle.

For example, the Annihilation Battle. In this battle, one team must be completely eliminated for the battle to end. It’s

a one-sided fight, and if this theme is chosen, the chances of winning are low. While there are ways to counter this,

it’s one of the least desirable themes.

Other than Annihilation Battles, there are the Escort Battles, where one team elects a king, and the other team must

protect or eliminate that king. If the king falls, the team loses.

Lastly, there’s the Occupation Battle. In this case, there are designated areas to be occupied, and the team that

captures all the points wins. While battles will still occur to capture the points, it’s a more manageable theme

compared to the others.

‘The Occupation Battle is more likely to happen.’

In the Broad Academy Online class elimination match, since a capture battle was taking place at this point, Lee

Hyun-seung thought there was a high probability that it would be a capture battle. However, due to his heavy

involvement in the situation, he also thought that the storyline might have changed, so he had devised multiple

plans.

If they were to lose in this class elimination battle, not only would the Artemis Guild be swallowed up, but various

plans would also be hindered.

“Everyone, gather here.”

Lee Hyun-seung began discussing group division and strategies with the F-Class members. Though there might be

some of Yoo Hee-yeon’s spies among them, it didn’t matter. After all, the capable ones had already been turned to his

side by handing them artifacts.

After listening to all the plans, Han Seong-gil spoke up.

“Not bad. If we organize 20 people per team for teams 1 through 3 and split into groups, we can handle anything—be

it elimination battles, capture battles, or support battles.”

As expected, Lee Hyun-seung would lead Team 1, Jeong Eun-seo would lead Team 2, and Han Seong-gil would lead Team 3.

“Let’s go.”

As the time arrived, everyone started heading to the location where the class elimination battle would take place.

This class elimination battle was uniquely being held in an artificially created void using magic.

Instructor Han spoke to them.

“Everyone, please step onto the platform and align your feet. Once the Headmaster sends mana into the area, you

will automatically be transported to the stage. You all have your bracelets on, right?”

The bracelets were safety devices for those participating in the practical exam. If a participant took excessive damage

or was judged to be incapacitated, the bracelet would automatically move their body out of the stage area.

Essentially, it was a safety mechanism.

Looking ahead, Lee Hyun-seung saw Yoo Hee-yeon and the A-Class members standing confidently on the opposite side.

Their chatter reached his ears from across the arena.

“Ugh… Do we really have to play this match? It’s obvious we’re going to wipe them out. Is it even worth facing off

with F-Class losers? It’s embarrassing.”

“Exactly. It’s not like we’re playing around. Just crush them and end it.”

The A-Class students, arrogantly confident, were speaking, and the spectators seemed to share the same sentiment.

• “Who do you think will win?”
• “Are you kidding? Obviously A-Class. It’s not a 1v1 duel, but a multi-way battle. How could F-Class possibly beat A-Class? It’s obvious. Don’t overthink it and just look for anyone useful from A-Class to recruit.”

Lee Hyun-seung silently observed their faces, committing them to memory. He was curious to see if they would still

have the same smug expressions after the battle ended.

• Whoosh

Everyone stepped onto the platform. A massive surge of energy began to emanate from below.

• Whoooosh!

In an instant, both A-Class and F-Class members were sucked into the void, and the announcer shouted.

“The class elimination match between A-Class and F-Class! It begins now—”

The class elimination battle had begun.