Chapter 76: Through Use

Han Seong-gil, having been struck by the Spear of Longinus, lost consciousness as he charged toward the A-Class

members.

Among the A-Class members, Shin Jun-ho, who had been mixed in with the group, shouted in an agitated state.

“F*ck… what the hell just happened…?!”

The Spear of Longinus. The Spear of Longinus, summoned with the power of [Ma-hwan] and the combined strength

of dozens of A-Class members, had struck Han Seong-gil like an ordinary sword, but it did not kill him. He didn’t

even have time to be surprised or think about the fact that Han Seong-gil had blocked an attack originally aimed at

Lee Hyun-seung.

It was impossible. This couldn’t happen. Even though only a small amount of power had been used, it was

unfathomable that the Spear of Longinus couldn’t kill a person.

“I… I’m… this weak…?”

Shin Jun-ho. He stared at his arm. His one and only arm. Because of that, even though he had awakened as an

[Epic]-rank magician, he couldn’t perform magic training at maximum efficiency. He had always had to work twice

as hard as others, and his progress was inevitably slower by the same margin.

In other words, he was weaker than typical [Epic] magicians. [Ma-hwan]’s power varied depending on the user’s

physical strength. Considering that, Shin Jun-ho couldn’t deny one undeniable truth.

[Insufficient Ability]

Even though he had used the overpowered artifact, Ma-hwan, his lack of ability prevented the Spear of Longinus

from reaching its intended target, Lee Hyun-seung. Moreover, it hadn’t even been able to kill Han Seong-gil, who

had taken the spear in his place.

• KWA-BOOM! –

Han Seong-gil charged in from a distance, smashing through the A-Class participants one by one as he went. Every

time he extended his hand, a person was thrown aside.

• KZSSSHH!

Every time Han Seong-gil swung his fist, bones were shattered, and people were forcibly teleported outside the stage.

Shin Jun-ho, watching him, bit his lip hard.

• KKRRRRR

‘Berserker…’

The Berserker trait. The more damage he took, the stronger he became. But the Berserker trait only reached its full

potential if the user’s body wasn’t too weak. In other words, Han Seong-gil had both the Berserker trait and superior

physical abilities.

‘Here I am, struggling and barely using Ma-hwan at its best, and that bastard… he was born with a strong body and

that ridiculous Berserker trait…?!’

It was frustrating. All the effort he had put in, all the achievements and everything he had built up, felt like they were

being invalidated.

“Shin Jun-ho! Get a grip! That bastard is coming this way!”

Park Tae-young, who was next to him, shook him urgently, but Shin Jun-ho didn’t move a muscle.

“Move, you crazy bastard! What are you going to do if you fail here? If you take down Lee Hyun-seung here, those

assholes from Hilleon said they’ll give you your arm back!”

• Startled.

As soon as he heard the words Hilleon and lost arm, Shin Jun-ho’s mind snapped back to attention.

‘Right. I still have hope.’

The arm that had never existed since birth. Hilleon had promised that if he completed this mission, they would use

their biotech to transplant a prosthetic arm that would function like a real human one. What if they didn’t keep their

promise? He stopped thinking about that long ago. After all, if he didn’t seize this opportunity now, he would forever

be left behind by people like Han Seong-gil or Lee Hyun-seung, who were born with talents.

As a magician with a lifetime disability, he would have to live despised and disregarded by others. Right now, he

wanted nothing more than to cling to anything, even a straw. It wasn’t that he trusted Hilleon, but that he had no

choice but to trust them. After all, without them, Shin Jun-ho would remain a magician with a disability for the rest

of his life, and he wouldn’t be able to escape that position.

-Creaking

‘I have to do this. It’s not about Han Seong-gil, that bastard. I need to somehow turn Lee Hyun-seung into a useless

idiot.’

What Hilleon had demanded was Lee Hyun-seung’s mental collapse. They wanted him to suffer enough mental

damage to cancel out the defensive magic effects applied on the stage and turn him into a vegetable. The Gungnir

spear had missed, but there was still a way.

-Swish

Shin Jun-ho looked at the mana orb. There was still some mana left from earlier, and it was active in the orb.

‘If I… eat this…’

For a moment, Shin Jun-ho recalled the conversation he had with the man who was presumed to be the team leader

of Hilleon, deep inside the cave.

The team leader had spoken to him.

“If you infuse strong mana into the mana orb, you can temporarily use alchemy. Of course, it will consume some of

your vitality, but don’t worry about that. You’re in no position to be picky.”

“…Understood. I already anticipated the loss of vitality. However, I trust you will keep your promise of giving me my

arm.”

“Of course. I swear on Hilleon’s honor. But if you don’t fulfill our request, there’s nothing we can do for you. You

need to make Lee Hyun-seung a vegetable. I want him to be mute after the match, unable to say a word. Do you

understand?”

“But… can I really do it?”

When Shin Jun-ho hesitated for a moment, the man spoke again.

“Don’t worry. With the mana orb, you’ll be able to use the Gungnir spear. With just that, Lee Hyun-seung will be a

useless idiot.”

“What if I manage to block Gungnir’s spear?”

“Block the Gungnir spear?”

The man laughed loudly and spoke to Shin Jun-ho.

“Haha! What nonsense! A mere academy student can’t block Gungnir’s spear. But, if by some chance, you manage to

block it, then swallow the mana orb. If you swallow the orb, you can temporarily become a demon. It’s dangerous,

but you’ll gain an absurd amount of power. It’ll feel like you’ve become a god.”

“Are there any… side effects…?”

The side effects of swallowing the mana orb were a concern. Most people who had swallowed it had died from the

strain, unable to withstand the power. But of course, the man didn’t mention this.

“There are side effects, but it won’t be life-threatening. As long as you carry out the mission properly, we’ll promise

to heal you.”

Inside the stage, Shin Jun-ho gazed at the mana orb. Without hesitation, he tossed it into his mouth.

-Gulp

As soon as he swallowed the mana orb, a strange energy began to emanate from his body.

-Bloated!

“11110000…”

His blood vessels began to expand, and his body became pale, as though bruised all over. His breath became erratic,

and his body started to alternately expand and contract.

-Bloated!

His body began to unnaturally swell and shrink repeatedly, until it eventually grew to about twice its original size.

-Kwoong!

He staggered for a moment, then gazed at his newly enlarged body. Dark mana was flowing throughout his body, and

he was overflowing with insane power.

-19-!

Swinging his arm at a nearby tree,

-Kwaaang!

The tree shattered into pieces in an instant.

The power rising within him. Shin Jun-ho felt a sense of exhilaration as if he could do anything.

From a distance, Lee Hyun-seung watched the scene.

‘Is that really a human?’

Shin Jun-ho, with his monstrous strength, was unrecognizable as a human. From his size to his appearance, he had

become something that could hardly be called human. He was a demon. No, it felt more appropriate to call him a

monster, even more so than a demon.

‘He swallowed the mana orb.’

When you eat the mana orb, you gain power, but in return, your body temporarily becomes closer to the form of a

monster. Most people, once the orb’s effects wear off, are unable to withstand the excessive power and collapse. Even

those who are lucky enough to survive will soon die, and if they are lucky, they will become a vegetable. Because of

this, the mana orb is known as an artifact that grants immense power, but it should never be used or consumed.

‘Stupid bastard.’

Shin Jun-ho was probably being used. It was obvious even without looking at the target from behind. There were

many distribution channels and networks intertwined, so others might not know, but Lee Hyun-seung knew. The

only crazy group handling mana orbs in Broad Academy Online was Hilleon, and everyone knew that fact.

‘Is it because of me?’

There were two possible reasons why Hilleon would do something like this. First, it could be to counter Yoo Hee-

yeon. Hilleon would tremble at the mention of the Artemis Guild. However, this possibility was not very realistic. If

they were really targeting Yoo Hee-yeon, it would be as if they were declaring war on the Artemis Guild.

That left only one remaining possibility.

‘Am I the target?’

It was clear that Hilleon was targeting him, even going so far as to turn Shin Jun-ho into a monster.

There was no notification of failure. If he was caught by that bastard now, he didn’t know for sure whether he would

die or what would happen. It could very well be a life-threatening situation.

‘I can’t win. There’s no chance. With this damn basic weapon, I could never kill that bastard.’

Just as Lee Hyun-seung was thinking seriously about how to deal with the situation.

-[The Vengeful Spirit Left by the First Knight] Item crafting complete.

-Swish

Lee Hyun-seung looked at the completed item.

Then, he looked at Yoo Hee-yeon, who was trembling beside him.

‘Maybe I can use her…’

He had no intention of cooperating. From now on, he would use her for survival. She might be in danger of losing her

life in the process.

‘That’s none of my business.’

Lee Hyun-seung walked toward Yoo Hee-yeon with slow, heavy steps.