Chapter 87: Curiosity and Attraction

First Elder Baek Soyeon. She was aiming for the successor position in the Artemis Guild. However, her desire to become the successor wasn’t driven by complicated power struggles or intricate political interests.

She simply sought higher positions because the higher she climbed, the fewer restrictions she faced, and the fewer people interfered with her actions. To be precise, her stance was that it would be good if she became the successor, but it wouldn’t matter much if she didn’t.

Her entry into the Artemis Guild wasn’t driven by any significant reason either.

In the past, while wandering around dungeons, she had encountered Yoo Han-beom. At the time, she was surviving through pillaging, and she attempted to rob him.

– “Pathetic. With such a wide gap in our levels, why would you even try?”

– “Just kill me. I’ve already lost anyway.”

– “No, killing you would be a waste. Instead, join me.”

Before she had properly mastered her powers, Yoo Han-beom had already reached near the pinnacle of his abilities,

and naturally, she was utterly defeated by him. Despite her ambush, Yoo Han-beom spared her life and brought her

into the Artemis Guild under the condition of her surrender. Yoo Han-beom had seen Baek Soyeon as an unrefined

gem, sensing her extraordinary potential for growth.

Yoo Han-beom was a man who would use anyone with value, even someone who had once tried to kill him.

“I didn’t expect you to join the guild so easily. I thought you’d refuse.”

The reason she agreed to join wasn’t because of the promise to spare her life—it was out of curiosity. She simply wanted to see what a guild run by someone as strong as Yoo Han-beom would look like.

‘How dull.’

The Artemis Guild was different from what Baek Soyeon had imagined. Occasionally, there were some intriguing

lunatics, but such interest quickly faded. Other than Yoo Han-beom, everyone in the guild was a coward. They

avoided fighting those stronger than themselves and only sought battles they could win with certainty. Even those

who didn’t start that way eventually succumbed as they gained more power and possessions, refusing to take

dangerous risks.

‘Boring.’

Baek Soyeon was growing tired of such a guild. Then, a boy who had caught Yoo Han-beom’s interest appeared.

‘Lee Hyun-seung?’

Yoo Han-beom began talking about Lee Hyun-seung from time to time. Baek Soyeon couldn’t contain her curiosity. Yoo Han-beom’s interest in Lee Hyun-seung seemed even more intense than when he had first taken an interest in her.

Baek Soyeon casually looked up information on Lee Hyun-seung.

‘Hmm… what’s so special about him that Yoo Han-beom is this interested?’

At first, it was mere curiosity. Just how strong could someone be for Yoo Han-beom to pay this much attention?

Baek Soyeon watched a recording of Lee Hyun-seung participating in the F-Class annihilation match. The video showed him in action.

“Hooh…”

Objectively, Lee Hyun-seung in the video was far weaker than Baek Soyeon. But there was something to consider.

‘He definitely has innate talent.’

It had been over six years since Baek Soyeon had awakened. In contrast, Lee Hyun-seung had been awakened for less than half a year. Judging by his movements in the video, his growth rate was extraordinary—”monstrous” would be the right word.

‘But he still looks too weak.’

Lee Hyun-seung’s abilities weren’t bad. In fact, they could be considered exceptional. Even Baek Soyeon admitted that if she were asked whether she could have grown that strong within six months of awakening, she wouldn’t be able to say yes with certainty.

The issue wasn’t his strength. It was his mindset. He seemed indifferent to those around him while secretly caring for them. He ruthlessly crushed his opponents but also showed mercy at times.

‘Interesting.’

Sometimes, he seemed like a cold-blooded psychopath, and other times, he appeared empathetic and caring, making it impossible to grasp his true nature.

‘He doesn’t seem to be swayed by power. He doesn’t care whether someone is stronger or weaker than him. He even seems indifferent to opponents using external artifacts or other underhanded tactics.’

It was hard to put into words, but Lee Hyun-seung’s behavior felt peculiar. Imagine a man who walks carefully to avoid stepping on ants but then casually snaps the neck of a rabbit in the forest and eats it raw out of hunger. Doesn’t it seem contradictory? That’s how Lee Hyun-seung appeared to Baek Soyeon.

How could someone brutally tear people apart with a gun, inflicting torturous pain without batting an eye, yet still show such a soft side in protecting his allies?

“You’re quite a funny person. You seem like you have a grudge, but you’re actually cool.”

He was a man who was a bit different from Yoo Han-beom, who used everyone as tools from the start. Ever since then, Baek So-yoon had become curious about Lee Hyun-seung.

“Lee Hyun-seung, was it…? Now I’m even more curious about him.”

In the midst of this, Yoo Han-beom said something shocking.

• “If you scout Lee Hyun-seung, I’ll grant him the status of an elder. With that, we’ll have six elders, and you should be able to get at least four votes.”

Her curiosity only grew stronger. What kind of man was he? What kind of special qualities did he have that Yoo Han-beom desperately wanted to recruit him? He even offered him the right to vote as an elder.

“Hmm… If I’m that curious, I should just find out myself.”

With a justified reason, Baek So-yoon, more interested in the man himself than the heir position, went to find Lee Hyun-seung.

At the Broad Academy, where Lee Hyun-seung could be found, he was helping an old lady pick up trash.

• “Sorry. I’ve been busy with all sorts of things recently, and I haven’t been able to help. But from today, I’ll make time and help you again.”

Baek So-yoon couldn’t help but laugh.

• “Pfft.”

“What on earth is he doing?”

Baek So-yoon had seen the battle between Class A and Class F. What had Lee Hyun-seung shown there? He had not only broken Yoo Hee-yeon’s legs, the daughter of the Artemis Guild Master, and mercilessly beat her, but also thrown Shin Jun-ho, who had turned into a mindless state, as bait. Later, he ruthlessly tore apart Shin Jun-ho’s body, shot bullets into people’s heads without hesitation… and yet, here he was doing this kind of charity work? It didn’t make any sense.

“Ah… I was going to watch him a little longer, but I can’t stand it anymore.”

She became more curious about Lee Hyun-seung’s thoughts and his principles behind his actions. Because of this, she decided to make an extreme move to test him.

• “Swish.”

She placed a knife against Lee Hyun-seung’s neck. Baek So-yoon was certain that he would get scared and fearful. After all, people with a lot of empathy and weak convictions tend to be fearful. Seeing him help the old lady earlier, she had thought that Lee Hyun-seung was probably a weak person. But her expectations were completely off.

• “Why did you come to find me? I don’t think I’ve wronged you in any way.”

His response was neither surprised, afraid, angry, nor full of killing intent. It was a calmness that was almost strange.

How could someone have that level of calmness in a situation where their life and death were hanging by a thread? There was no way someone like that existed in the world.

Unless he was a soulless sociopath.

Seeing his reaction, Baek So-yoon became even more eager to test him. So, after teasing him a bit, she made a proposal.

She would spare his life if he blocked just one attack.

Without refusing or offering excuses, Lee Hyun-seung immediately moved his hand to his gun.

“I might actually like him more than I thought.”

Watching his confident response, she honestly felt a liking for him. The confidence of a capable person exuded a sweet fragrance.

What she liked even more was his nonchalance.

“Ah…?”

He was completely indifferent to the situation, judging it and acting without a hint of panic, and it was enough to make her admire him. She could feel a slight electric charge flowing through her body.

“Please don’t be bluffing. I really hope you aren’t.”

Even those without abilities could bluff, after all. Baek So-yoon hated the type of men who lacked ability but were full of confidence and arrogance. Even if they truly believed they were superior, if they lacked the ability, it was just an overinflated sense of self-worth. Baek So-yoon was now curious if Lee Hyun-seung really had the abilities to match his confidence.

“Should I use about 20% of my power…? Would he die from that? But if he can block that much, he’ll fit into my ideal type. Hmm… I can’t help it.”

For an average person, someone who had just awakened less than six months ago would never be able to block an attack with 20% of Baek So-yoon’s power. But something about Lee Hyun-seung made her feel like he would be different.

“Sigh… What would I do if he dies? I’ve finally found someone interesting…”

She hadn’t intended to kill him, but if he were to die from not blocking the attack, it would be unfortunate, but it would also be beyond her control.

With that thought, Baek So-yoon smiled eerily and raised her dagger.

“Don’t die, little one.”

In that moment, mana started pouring out of Baek So-yoon’s body like crazy. The mana enveloped her dagger completely.

The end of the dagger, filled with ominous mana, was now pointed directly at Lee Hyun-seung’s forehead.