Chapter 86: Baek So-yoon’s Test That Touched Her

“Kid, you know you’ll die if you move carelessly, right?”

Her silver hair shimmered softly as it swayed. Crimson eyes glowed faintly, and her appearance, which could easily be mistaken for that of a beautiful young girl, exuded an air of strangeness.

With such distinct features, Lee Hyun-seung immediately recognized who she was.

‘Baek So-yun…’

Baek So-yun, the first elder of the Artemis Guild. While not as overwhelmingly powerful as Yoo Han-beom, she still possessed immense strength. What made Baek So-yun terrifying was her overwhelming physical abilities.

Although a mage, Baek So-yun moved with the swiftness of a seasoned swordsman. She wielded dagger-type weapons as if they were extensions of her own body and fought with a recklessness that defied common sense, completely unbound by fear.

‘Why is she doing this to me?’

First, he needed to assess the situation.

-Drip.

The blade at his neck had already drawn a thin line of blood.

Lee Hyun-seung met Baek So-yun’s gaze.

‘No killing intent.’

That was the most crucial detail. To understand her intentions, he had to read her eyes. From his experience with her in Broad Academy Online, Baek So-yun’s emotions often surfaced clearly in her gaze.

‘She’s not here to kill me, is she…?’

For a brief moment, Lee Hyun-seung suspected that Kim Hee-ra had sent Baek So-yun to assassinate him. However, he quickly dismissed the thought.

Baek So-yun wasn’t someone who would obey Kim Hee-ra, nor was she as loyal as Yoo Han-beom. If she had intended to kill him, the blade would have already pierced his neck.

‘What’s her motive?’

Lee Hyun-seung had no knowledge of the internal workings of the Artemis Guild, nor was he aware of the elder vote that was currently underway. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t deduce why Baek So-yun had come to find him.

However, one thing was clear from her demeanor—she wasn’t acting out of malice.

Threatening someone with a blade to their neck without malice? It might sound absurd, but Baek So-yun was far from normal. Actions like this, which were undeniably threatening and highly inappropriate, didn’t even register in her mind as problematic. Even if they did, she wouldn’t care.

‘Stay calm.’

Although she wasn’t likely to kill him immediately, provoking her could lead to unpredictable consequences. Given her personality, it wouldn’t be surprising if she suddenly drove the blade into his neck. For Baek So-yun, “killing” didn’t require malicious intent.

-Slight movement.

Lee Hyun-seung hesitated, debating whether to pull the gun from his pocket. He ultimately relaxed his grip.

‘Now’s not the time.’

Even if he drew his gun, it wouldn’t be faster than the blade already at his neck. He needed to stay composed.

Suppressing his panic, Lee Hyun-seung responded in a calm voice. The reaction she needed to see wasn’t fear or begging for mercy. Baek So-yun despised groveling above all else.

“What’s your reason for coming to me? I don’t believe I’ve done anything to offend you.”

Lee Hyun-seung spoke with his hands in his pockets, signaling that he had no intention of fighting back. At the same time, his stance subtly conveyed that he wasn’t intimidated.

Baek So-yun, seemingly entertained by his reaction, reached out and lightly traced her finger along his face.

“You… do you know who I am? How can someone stay this calm with a blade to their neck? Do you have some hidden weapon or powerful connections?”

Her reaction was, in a way, expected. When faced with such a scenario, most people would either retaliate, tremble in fear, or scream for mercy.

If Lee Hyun-seung hadn’t known who she was, he might have tried to fight back or shown visible panic. But he had already encountered Baek So-yun countless times in the game and had a good grasp of her personality and behavioral patterns.

He took a slow, deep breath, steadying himself.

‘D*mn it… If she notices I’m panicking, she’ll kill me for sure.’

Baek So-yun despised groveling weaklings. She viewed such people as insects, killing them without hesitation or remorse. To her, taking their lives was as insignificant as squashing ants.

The key now was not to appear as one of those “insects” in her eyes.

Finally, Lee Hyun-seung gave his response to Baek So-yun.

“Who you are doesn’t matter to me. I also don’t have any impressive connections. I simply read the look in your eyes.”

“Read my eyes?”

Baek Soyoon twirled the blade in her hand, as though gesturing for a more detailed explanation.

“I can get a sense of someone’s mood or emotions by looking into their eyes. I didn’t sense any malice or killing intent in yours. So, you didn’t come here to kill me, did you?”

“Oh? Even with a blade to your neck, you don’t feel malice or killing intent? Kid, are you all there?”

“You didn’t plan to stab me, did you? If you really intended to kill me, I’d already be lying dead on the ground.”

“For someone speaking so humbly, you seem awfully confident. Are you saying you can gauge the difference in skill between us that clearly and not feel fear? Then, kid, what do you think the reason is for me holding this blade to your neck? If it’s not to kill you, then why?”

Baek Soyoon’s gaze sharpened with curiosity as she posed her question. Lee Hyun-seung hesitated briefly before answering.

“Is it… for fun?”

“Fun?”

“When people hunt animals, it’s not always for survival or out of malice. Sometimes, it’s simply for the thrill of the hunt. I figured you might be similar—that you’re just enjoying watching someone tremble and panic.”

‘What a crazy psychopath,’ Hyun-seung thought, but he kept his face neutral. What he needed now was to remain confident and intrigue her further.

Provoking her would be the worst move. The key was maintaining a careful balance.

“Heh…!”

Baek Soyoon covered her face with one hand, then spoke again.

“You’re an amusing kid. How do you come up with things like that? Well, you’re not wrong. I do find it thrilling to watch people quake in fear and despair. But you’re no fun—your reaction is completely dull.”

-Swish-

She ran the blade lightly along his neck again, murmuring to herself.

“Are you really saying you know nothing about me? No… if you did know me, you’d be terrified. It wouldn’t make sense for you to react like this. Hmm… puzzling. But intriguing. What’s your deal? If I killed you, would you just come back to life? Do you have multiple lives or something?”

-Slice-

She dragged the blade lightly across Hyun-seung’s chest, leaving a shallow cut.

-Blood dripped-

Hyun-seung suppressed his body’s instinct to flinch and held his ground with sheer determination.

Baek Soyoon inspected the wound, muttering as if fascinated.

“The blade goes in just fine, and there’s blood… How can someone like you exist?”

-Swish-

With her face mere inches from his, Baek Soyoon stared directly into Hyun-seung’s eyes. Her empty pupils locked onto his as she leaned closer, until their noses touched.

-Haa…-

Her breath reached him, carrying a sweet, enigmatic scent. Their lips were so close they nearly brushed, yet Baek Soyoon seemed unconcerned with proximity, focusing solely on his eyes.

For a moment, she remained silent, as though searching for something in his gaze. Finally, she murmured, “Are you… like me?”

‘What is she talking about?’

Hyun-seung didn’t react outwardly, maintaining his composed façade. He continued his act, showing no response.

-Swipe-

Baek Soyoon withdrew her blade and stepped back.

“To be honest, I was debating whether to scout you. If you’d been weak, I might’ve just killed you for fun. But… huh, I guess that’s not something I should say to your face, huh? Anyway, you’ve piqued my curiosity. Forget scouting; I think I want to get closer to you.”

Baek So-yoon flashed a shy smile before lifting her sword.

“…?”

Her action—standing there with a bashful expression, holding her sword as though offering flowers to a crush—was so out of place that it bordered on bizarre.

After pausing for a moment, she spoke to Lee Hyun-seung.

“You’d better pick up that gun.”

Swish.

As Lee Hyun-seung moved his hand toward his gun, Baek So-yoon continued.

“I hate younger guys and those who pretend to be nice. But I like people who are confident and fearless. That’s why I can’t figure out if I like you or not.”

Swish.

She brushed her hair back and added,

“But there’s one thing I know for sure. I absolutely despise people who are all bark and no bite—those who are utterly talentless but carry inflated egos.”

Baek So-yoon’s expression turned cold as she stared at Lee Hyun-seung.

“So, what kind of person are you, kid? Are you actually skilled enough to act so bold? Or are you just relying on connections or some hidden advantage? I suddenly can’t hold back my curiosity. Surely, you’re not putting on this bravado without the skills to back it up, are you? That would be disappointing… and you don’t want to disappoint me, right?”

Whoosh!

Spinning her dagger in her hand, she smirked and said,

“I’m going to aim this dagger right at your head. Oh, and don’t even think about dodging. Not that you could if you tried. But if you do try, I’ll make sure to hunt you down and kill you. You’ve got only one option—block it with that gun.”

Lee Hyun-seung swallowed hard and asked,

“What’s in it for me if I succeed?”

“I’ll let you live. Hmm, not enticing enough?”

She leaned forward slightly, tugging at her clothes in a deliberately provocative manner.

“If you manage to block it, I’ll make sure to… dote on you.”

Lee Hyun-seung’s expression hardened, but it wasn’t because of her behavior. He had stopped paying attention to her antics long ago. His mind was preoccupied with a single thought.

‘Can I block it?’

She had clearly announced her attack and even told him its trajectory. But none of that mattered. What mattered was how much power she would put into her throw.

Baek So-yoon was a senior executive in the Artemis Guild, recognized as the strongest guild in the country. If she used her full strength, he would die without a doubt.

Swish.

He had no way of knowing how much force she planned to use or what she considered a “pass.” But one thing was certain—if he failed to block this attack, he would die.

There was no choice. He had to act. He had to block this with everything he had.

Click!

Lee Hyun-seung pulled a magazine from his pocket and loaded it into his gun.

[Fire-attribute magazine has been equipped.]

‘If I show weakness, I’m dead. I need to maintain the same confident stance as before, or she’ll lose interest.’

Raising his gun, Lee Hyun-seung calmly took aim at Baek So-yoon.

“You’d better be careful. I’m not very good at holding back.”

At that, Baek So-yoon’s eyes curved into crescent moons, her smile growing wider.