Chapter 85: Reverse Thinking, Face to Face with Baek So-yoon

Except for the first elder, the second to fifth elders gathered in one place and began their meeting.

The second elder, Hwang Munhyeok, opened the conversation.

“How are we going to handle this? You all know that no matter how much we fight among ourselves, it’s impossible

to funnel 4 votes to one person, right?”

The third elder, Nam Taehwan, responded.

“There are only four of us here. Even if we funnel the votes, we can only give a maximum of 3 votes. That woman,

Baek Soyoon, is so unpredictable that we can’t rely on her vote.”

Then Hwang Munhyeok asked.

“How about bringing Lee Hyunseung in? If we bring him in, even without Baek Soyoon’s vote, we can make one of us

the successor with 4 votes.”

Upon hearing this, the third elder, Nam Taehwan, replied.

“Even if we bring Lee Hyunseung, who will be the successor? Who will we support?”

“Well…”

It was obvious that everyone gathered here would want to be the successor. The position of the successor of the

Artemis Guild held immense power. If Yoo Hanbeom were to die unexpectedly, the successor would take over as the

Guild Leader without any further processes and hold all the authority.

In fact, one might wonder whether the position of successor should be taken by the vice guild leader, but the vice

guild leader is merely a formal position and doesn’t wield as much influence as the elders, so he was excluded from

the successor selection process.

The third elder, Nam Taehwan, spoke.

“Honestly, don’t we all want to be the successor? There’s no one here who isn’t hungry for power. But that’s

something to think about later. The more important issue is bringing Lee Hyunseung into the Artemis Guild. To be

honest, I don’t feel comfortable with it.”

“Why don’t you feel comfortable?”

“Hwang Munhyeok, you know as well as I do that becoming an elder requires a tough process and a lot of

verification. But now you want to give that position to some kid still enrolled in the academy? Should I just sit back

and watch such madness?”

“Well… The Guild Leader did say they would only grant him the ‘voting rights’ as an elder, not other powers. That

means, most likely, it’s just a temporary honorary position with no real authority. The Guild Leader wouldn’t be

crazy enough to grant him the full elder position while he’s still a student.”

“I also think that, but it’s hard to say for sure. Anyway, I don’t like the idea of creating more competition. I don’t even

like the idea of giving a kid voting rights.”

“Ugh…”

The conversation returned to square one. The second elder, Hwang Munhyeok, thought to himself.

‘He’s saying this in a roundabout way, but he has other reasons.’

The third elder, Nam Taehwan, was reacting so strongly because he was wary of Lee Hyunseung. Until now, Yoo

Hanbeom had rarely given any “special privileges” to other people. He always assessed people based on their

abilities, and if someone was proven capable, they were rewarded accordingly. But this time, it was different. Why

was Yoo Hanbeom allowing Lee Hyunseung, who hadn’t been fully vetted, to intervene in such an important process

for selecting the successor?

It wasn’t something to think about lightly. Yoo Hanbeom was clearly giving Lee Hyunseung “special treatment.” If

someone like him truly joined the guild, it could have a significant impact on the succession process. That’s why the

third elder didn’t want Lee Hyunseung to be involved in the first place.

Hwang Munhyeok had no choice but to ask the remaining elders.

“What do the fourth and fifth elders think? Should we bring Lee Hyunseung in to increase our voting power, or

should we try to persuade Baek Soyoon?”

The fourth elder replied briefly.

“Do as you please. I don’t care.”

• Thud
• Thud

The fourth elder turned around in disinterest, followed silently by the fifth elder.

“I’m not particularly concerned. Do as you wish.”

Nam Taehwan, seemingly displeased with their indifference, muttered to himself.

“Have those old fools lost their minds? They used to crave power and wealth like crazy, but now they act like they’re

all calm and collected.”

Hwang Munhyeok pressed his temples as a headache crept up and said.

“We still can’t come to a conclusion. Let’s start by investigating Lee Hyunseung. Who knows, something might come

up.”

“Do as you want. That small fry doesn’t bother me.”

Broad Academy.

It had been several days since the class annihilation battle had ended. Yoo Heeyeon had stopped attending the

academy for a while but had recently returned.

She had been referred to the Disciplinary Committee for illegally bringing in an artifact during the class annihilation

battle and putting students in danger. However, since the main witness, Shin Junho, was still unconscious, no

definitive punishment could be issued against Yoo Heeyeon yet.

Nevertheless, even without Shin Junho’s testimony, the testimonies of those close to him, like Park Taeyoung, and

the circumstantial evidence had already painted a clear picture of Yoo Heeyeon’s criminal actions. As a result, even

before any actual punishment was handed down, everyone looked at Yoo Heeyeon with disdain, like she was

garbage.

“Isn’t it just creepy? Just to catch one person, she almost killed everyone else.”

“Hey… what if Yoo Hee-yeon hears you?”

“Let her hear it. She’s probably not going to get proper support from the guild anymore since she got kicked out of

the Artemis Guild’s heir position, right?”

The rumors about Yoo Hee-yeon spread quickly among the academy students. Yoo Hee-yeon, who had controlled

people through power and wealth, started to be mocked and despised as soon as she lost the strong backing of

Artemis. This atmosphere rapidly spread throughout the academy.

• Swish

Yoo Hee-yeon looked at her desk.

[Die]

[Trash]

[Wish you were dead]

[Serves you right ᄏᄏ Thought you were so great]

[Trash spot]

The desk was filled with chilling red paint graffiti.

• Swish

Yoo Hee-yeon silently pulled out the chair and sat down. It was something that could anger anyone, but her head

went blank.

‘Is this really happening to me…?’

Not long ago, these people were the type who would gladly eat dirt if told to. Their attitude changed so suddenly, and

now they didn’t hesitate to act maliciously. It was unfamiliar.

Rather than anger at their deep malice, fear grew stronger.

‘Is this really how I’m going to live for the rest of my life…?’

It was terrifying. If her father and mother completely abandoned her, all she would have left would be her own body.

She had made too many enemies over time. The dam of Artemis, which had protected her from these resentments,

broke. As soon as it did, the grudges flooded in like a tide. In the midst of that flood, Yoo Hee-yeon felt as if she

might suffocate from the overwhelming nausea.

“Ah….”

Only then did she realize what Lee Hyun-seung must have felt.

“Ughhhh…”

It felt like the world was collapsing. Her chest tightened with rising indignation, but there was no one to release this

pent-up frustration.

The future seemed bleak. She had no idea how to solve this, where to begin unraveling it, or how to prove her

innocence.

• Swish

All she could do was bury her head in the dirty desk and cry.

Not far from the front gate of the Broad Academy, Lee Hyun-seung had a proud expression as he gathered all the

scrap papers and neatly arranged them in one place.

Not long after, the elderly woman who usually collected scrap papers arrived.

“Oh dear… student… it’s been a while… I was worried something had happened…”

“I’m sorry. I’ve had a lot going on lately, and I didn’t pay attention. But from today, I’ll have time again, so I’ll help

you once more.”

“Oh no… you don’t have to do that because of this old lady. You don’t need to help when you’re busy… I’m already so

thankful for what you usually do, student…”

The elderly woman expressed her heartfelt gratitude, and Lee Hyun-seung, with a proud expression, gathered the

scrap paper and other materials onto the cart for her.

“Well then, take care.”

“Thank you… You like eggs, right? Next time, I’ll bring some eggs…”

To be honest, Lee Hyun-seung wasn’t that fond of eggs. But he smiled and replied.

“I’d be grateful if you did.”

Sometimes, you have to accept kindness. It can make the other person feel at ease as well.

• Swish

Lee Hyun-seung clapped his hands once and, as usual, was about to head into the academy’s main gate. At that

moment, a woman’s voice rang out.

“Oh my, the little one is doing a good deed. I’m into bad boys… I don’t like younger ones, and I don’t like nice guys,

but our little one is both? Not qualified to be my boyfriend.”

“Who are you?”

• Whoosh

Just as Lee Hyun-seung quickly turned around, sharp nails were thrust against his neck.

“Little one, if you move recklessly, you die.”

Lee Hyun-seung looked at the person’s face from his current position.

White hair, red eyes, short bobbed hair. Lee Hyun-seung recognized her.

‘First Elder Baek So-yoon… why is she here with me…?’

A cold sweat started to run down Lee Hyun-seung’s face.