Chapter 73: Let’s get it right first

Yoo Hee-yeon’s tightly clenched fist began to bleed.

She couldn’t accept it. Lee Hyun-seung—someone who, until recently, had been at a significantly lower level than her

—had managed to block her core attack, Explosive Light.

To Yoo Hee-yeon, Explosive Light was just one of many techniques at her disposal. While she hadn’t used her full

strength, the problem was that Lee Hyun-seung appeared far too composed.

“What? Is that all you’ve got?”

Lee Hyun-seung sneered, taunting Yoo Hee-yeon as if this was all just a game. When she failed to respond, frozen in

place, Lee Hyun-seung dashed forward, shouting, “Jung Eun-seo, cover me!”

With those words, Lee Hyun-seung sprinted ahead, replacing his magazine mid-run. His anti-magic rounds were

only effective against spells—they couldn’t inflict physical damage. This was the natural course of action.

[Magic-enhanced rounds loaded.]

These magic-enhanced rounds infused bullets with a corrosive energy known as demonic aura. This aura not only

corroded anything it touched but also amplified pain, making it a source of terror for anyone who faced it.

Click!

After ensuring the magazine was securely loaded, Lee Hyun-seung crouched low to conceal the direction of his

barrel.

“Kill him now! Do something, anything!” Yoo Hee-yeon screamed.

Nine individuals stood with her, but none dared to step forward. Fear paralyzed them—they couldn’t determine

where Lee Hyun-seung’s gun was aimed.

Their hesitation was understandable. Lee Hyun-seung had already taken down four A-Class participants single-

handedly. He had even blocked Yoo Hee-yeon’s Explosive Light. Witnessing such feats left no one willing to face him

head-on.

“Damn cowards,” muttered Han Jae-gwang, a rogue who finally stepped forward, unable to bear the stalemate any

longer.

‘He’s just a gunslinger. His attacks are powerful, but as long as I don’t get hit, I’ll be fine. After all, he’s human too—a

blade to the throat will end him.’

Confident in his reasoning, Han Jae-gwang pulled out a small dagger from his belt.

Shing!

With a swift motion, he hurled the dagger at Lee Hyun-seung and reached into his pocket for another weapon.

‘If he fires his gun to deflect the dagger, I’ll finish him with a follow-up strike.’

He waited for the dagger to reach Lee Hyun-seung’s face. Lee Hyun-seung, adept with firearms and close-combat

techniques, was expected to either fire his gun or block with his bayonet. Han Jae-gwang prepared to exploit the

slightest opening.

However, to his shock, Lee Hyun-seung narrowly dodged the dagger by tilting his head, allowing it to graze his face.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Instead of hesitating, Lee Hyun-seung moved even faster, ignoring the potential injury. Han Jae-gwang panicked

and began throwing every weapon in his possession.

Bang!

Lee Hyun-seung fired a precise shot, hitting Han Jae-gwang’s hand mid-throw. In one fluid motion, he leaped above

Han Jae-gwang and brought his heel crashing down onto the rogue’s foot.

Crunch!

“Arghhh!”

As Han Jae-gwang screamed in pain, Lee Hyun-seung grabbed his head and delivered a powerful knee strike to his

face.

Thud! Thud!

The sound of bones cracking echoed as Lee Hyun-seung landed several more devastating blows.

[A-Class participant eliminated.]

The sheer brutality left the remaining nine A-Class members, including Yoo Hee-yeon, trembling. Lee Hyun-seung

capitalized on their fear and charged forward.

“Hyun-seung!” Jung Eun-seo shouted from behind.

A surge of mana enveloped Lee Hyun-seung.

[Temporary increase to movement speed and attack power.]

Jung Eun-seo had cast a support spell. There was no time to assess its specifics—every second counted.

“Everyone, charge at him at once! Staying back will only get you shot!” a swordsman barked, stepping forward with a

massive blade.

Behind him, a mage began casting a large-scale fire spell.

‘Damn it.’

The situation was escalating quickly. The remaining enemies were coordinating, forming a proper formation. It

wasn’t a good sign.

Even so, Lee Hyun-seung remained calm. The group was just nine people out of over forty A-Class participants. If he

could eliminate these nine, it would buy valuable time for his plan.

“Eun-seo, intercept any incoming spells!” Lee Hyun-seung commanded between heavy breaths. He had been moving

at breakneck speed, but there was no time to rest.

“Got it!”

After switching magazines again, Lee Hyun-seung extended his arm toward the sky. When he fired, a strange

shimmering substance scattered in the air.

[Shrapnel Rounds – Explodes mid-flight, scattering razor-sharp stone fragments.]

“Argh! Cover your eyes!” someone screamed.

The sharp fragments rained down at high speed, catching the group off guard. They hadn’t anticipated such a

devastating technique.

The rear-line mage quickly cast a wind spell to disperse the debris, but the delay gave Lee Hyun-seung enough time to act.

Closing the gap with the swordsman, Lee Hyun-seung drove the butt of his gun into the man’s chin.

Crack!

The swordsman coughed up blood as he crumpled to the ground. His towering build and robust defense couldn’t

withstand Lee Hyun-seung’s precision strikes.

“Arghhhh!”

The swordsman staggered but did not fall, holding his ground. His vision blurred, and his body refused to move, yet

he stood firm.

“This… time, it’s my turn…”

Just as he tried to attack:

-Bang!-

Lee Hyun-seung fired a shot directly into the swordsman’s heart.

-Thud!-

[A-Class participant has been eliminated.]

With the swordsman and thief eliminated, reaching the backline would not take much longer.

-Tatatatatat!-

Lee Hyun-seung dashed toward the retreating enemies.

-Bzzzzzzzt!

Suddenly, lightning began raining down from the sky.

“Jung Eun-seo!”

At Lee Hyun-seung’s call, Jung Eun-seo quickly created a massive magic shield above his head.

-Boom! Boom! Boom!

The magic shield absorbed every bolt of lightning falling from the sky.

“Ahh… ahh… get away… get away from me!”

The mage who had been carelessly firing spells from behind panicked.

-Slash!-

Lee Hyun-seung picked up a dagger dropped earlier by the thief and plunged it into the mage’s heart.

[A-Class participant has been eliminated.]

-Whoosh!-

In that moment, Yoo Hee-yeon’s magic attack came from behind.

‘It’s too late to dodge.’

Grabbing the body of the mage he had just eliminated, Lee Hyun-seung used it as a shield and charged forward.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

-Boom!-

Yoo Hee-yeon’s magic struck the mage’s body directly, dissipating its power.

[A-Class participant has been eliminated.]

Now, they were within striking distance. The closer the range, the deadlier firearms became. That was precisely why

Lee Hyun-seung had fought so desperately to close the gap.

-Creak!-

Lee Hyun-seung knelt quickly, reducing recoil and taking aim.

-Gasp!-

Holding his breath, he felt the air around him still.

[Focus]

In a state of heightened concentration, Lee Hyun-seung scanned Yoo Hee-yeon and the remaining five A-Class

members.

‘She’s insane.’

Yoo Hee-yeon had given up attacking entirely, focusing all her efforts on deploying advanced defensive magic around

herself. That left the remaining five members vulnerable.

-Bang!-

-Bang! Bang!-

-Tat! Tat! Bang!-

At less than ten meters, each shot found its mark. The five A-Class members fell one after another, bullets piercing

their hearts with perfect precision.

[A-Class participant has been eliminated.]

[A-Class participant has been eliminated.]

Now, only Yoo Hee-yeon remained.

Lee Hyun-seung charged toward her. Yoo Hee-yeon had hidden herself within a dark, spherical barrier.

“Ughhhhh!”

As Lee Hyun-seung swung his firearm at the barrier, it triggered an automatic counterattack.

Dark blades, resembling tendrils, began surging toward him like a storm.

[Dark Barrier] – Conceals its body within a black sphere with high defense. Automatically counterattacks enemies

who attack the sphere.

– Whizz!

As the tentacle flew toward him, Lee Hyun-seung barely tilted his body to avoid the attack.

– Boom!

– Clatter!

As before, when attacked, [Dark Barrier] countered immediately. However, Lee Hyun-seung had already analyzed all

of its patterns.

Swish!

Once again, he avoided the [Dark Barrier]’s counterattack, suffering only minor scratches.

– Bang!

– Boom!

Alternating between shooting and direct attacks, Lee Hyun-seung repeatedly struck the Dark Barrier until, finally—

Crack!

The black sphere began to fracture.

– Boom!

Under Lee Hyun-seung’s relentless assault, the sphere shattered completely.

“A… a… no way…”

Yoo Hee-yeon, trembling uncontrollably, attempted to use her magic.

– Clatter!

But from a distance, Jung Eun-seo immobilized Yoo Hee-yeon with chain-like mana.

“Let’s settle this with one hit.”

– Whoosh!

Now defenseless, Yoo Hee-yeon looked up as Lee Hyun-seung propelled himself into the air, using momentum to

bring his gun crashing down on her.

“Aaaahhhhhh!”

First, her foot—Yoo Hee-yeon’s foot was completely crushed.

– Whizz!

Using the recoil from his landing, Lee Hyun-seung spun around and delivered a heel kick to Yoo Hee-yeon’s face.

– Boom!

– Thud!

“Guh-ugh…!”

Yoo Hee-yeon clutched her crushed foot, wailing and crying in anguish. She had never been beaten like this before.

The fear she was experiencing was beyond imagination.

But Lee Hyun-seung wasn’t planning to stop there.

Watching Yoo Hee-yeon writhe in pain, Lee Hyun-seung coldly remarked, “Get up. Stop pretending.”

– Step. Step. Step.

Lee Hyun-seung walked toward Yoo Hee-yeon, who muttered incoherently, her expression vacant.

“Ti… time is up… you… too…”

– Whoosh!

From her staff, a red glow began to emanate.

‘Communication magic.’

The reason Yoo Hee-yeon had hidden herself with [Dark Barrier] was to conceal the fact that she had been using

communication magic to contact her allies elsewhere.

“I… I… won…” Yoo Hee-yeon pointed to the sky.

Looking up, a black mist began to spread, covering the entire area. The air turned dark, and a chilling fog enveloped

the surroundings.

In the sky, a massive, otherworldly white sphere appeared.

Lee Hyun-seung traced the source of the mana to a cliff, where dozens of A-class members were concentrating their

mana, pouring it into a single individual.

The missing A-class members had gathered their mana to cast an advanced spell.

“What… wait… what’s that?” Yoo Hee-yeon, staring blankly at the sky, seemed bewildered by the unexpected turn of

events.

Lee Hyun-seung turned away from her and muttered, “Damn it!”

He rushed toward Jung Eun-seo.

“Move! Jung Eun-seo!”

Frozen by the ominous and oppressive energy, Jung Eun-seo couldn’t move.

Lee Hyun-seung ran as fast as he could toward her.

Soon, a gigantic spear would emerge from the white sphere in the sky.

‘The Spear of Longinus.’

If struck, death would be a mercy compared to the sheer agony it would bring. It wasn’t just about elimination from

the match; the attack could break one’s mind entirely.

“Huff… huff…”

As he ran, countless thoughts crossed Lee Hyun-seung’s mind.

‘Where did I go wrong? How could they use that skill?’

The Spear of Longinus was forbidden magic, something no academy student should have access to.

But there was no time for doubts.

‘Should I abandon Jung Eun-seo? For the sake of winning, it’s more logical for her to sacrifice herself.’

Rationally, saving her wasn’t the right choice. Yet, his legs kept moving.

The image of Jung Eun-seo, bleeding and holding her ground at the control point, kept flashing in his mind.

– Rumble!

From the sphere, a colossal spear began to emerge.

– Whoosh!

Two spears shot out, hurtling toward Lee Hyun-seung and Jung Eun-seo.

– Whizz!

The spears spun violently as they approached, ready to pierce their targets.

– Thud!

Accompanied by a terrible sound, something was impaled by the spear.

Lee Hyun-seung shut his eyes.

‘What… what just happened?’

There was no pain.

The Spear of Longinus never missed its mark. If both spears had struck him, the agony would have been unbearable.

Lee Hyun-seung opened his eyes to find—

“Huff… huff…”

Ahead, a familiar man stood precariously, two massive spears lodged in his abdomen.

To prevent the spears from piercing through and hitting those behind him, he gripped them tightly with both hands.

Bloodshot red eyes glared out wildly.

Lee Hyun-seung recognized them.

“Damn it… leaving me in the corner while you hog all the attention… does that feel good?”

It was the mad berserker, Han Seong-gil.

Drenched in blood, he stood firm.