Chapter 9: Evidence of innocence, Back to the Academy

“He… Hileon… People call our group Hi… Hileon.”

As soon as Lee Hyunseung heard the name Hileon, he doubted his ears.

‘Why is Hileon messing with the Artemis Guild?’

Hileon, a group that controls the black market. They sell anything that makes money—artifacts, people, slaves, and various items.

They’ll do anything for money, even if it means dealing with garbage.

Their main targets are the powerless and poor. Of course, if there’s profit, they’ll even go after powerful guilds.

But even so, they wouldn’t be crazy enough to mess with the strongest guild in the country, the Artemis Guild.

No matter how firmly Hileon is rooted in the black market, they can’t crush Artemis. The power of the Artemis Guild is beyond imagination.

That’s why he couldn’t understand. If it’s revealed that Hileon touched Yoo Hee-yeon, it might lead to a war with Artemis. What reason did they have to take such a risk?

Lee Hyunseung asked.

“As far as I know, there has been no conflict between Hileon and the Artemis Guild. Why would you risk targeting Yoo Hee-yeon?”

“It… It might seem like there’s no problem on the surface, but recently, the Artemis Guild has been selling hallucinogenic potions in the black market at a low price. Because of that, we’re suffering massive losses…”

Hallucinogenic potions, similar to drugs on Earth. The moment you drink it, you start seeing hallucinations and feel extreme pleasure.

Naturally, it’s addictive, and the state has banned it. That’s why it’s sold at prices far beyond its production cost, making it one of the most overpriced items.

“Artemis is dealing with hallucinogenic potions?”

He couldn’t believe it. The Artemis Guild has many sources of income without needing to touch hallucinogenic potions.

Though he hated to admit it, the guild was involved in most of the country’s industries. They didn’t need to reach for hallucinogenic potions.

“I… I can’t say for sure. But we are suspicious… We’re only assuming it’s the Artemis Guild’s doing… We don’t have solid proof, so we just messed with Yoo Hee-yeon to send a mild warning. Just a message to behave and not do anything strange…”

In short, Hileon suspected that the Artemis Guild had interfered with their hallucinogenic potion business, and to warn them, they attacked Yoo Hee-yeon.

Without clear evidence, they didn’t confront them head-on but instead attacked the daughter subtly to instill caution.

‘This is a mess.’

Hileon and the Artemis Guild are both massive organizations beyond his reach. Even if he possessed two legendary classes, his job level was only 1.

Hileon and Artemis Guild are giants that have been operating underground and above ground for over ten years. The gap between them and him was like heaven and earth.

It was difficult to retaliate against either of them immediately. Of course, with time, things might change.

[Legendary Gunslinger]
[Legendary Blacksmith]

Extreme damage increase limited to firearms, and the infinite potential to craft any weapon as a blacksmith.

Although it was disappointing that he got the gunslinger class, getting the blacksmith class was like hitting the jackpot.

Given enough time to grow, he would be able to face Hileon and Artemis.

There were still countless hidden pieces he knew about.

After sorting out his thoughts, he pointed his gun at Yang Him-chan.

-Swish-

“Hi… Hiek… Wh-Why are you doing this? You promised to let me live…!”

-Bang!-

-Thud-

After the gunshot, Yang Him-chan fell limply.

Lee Hyunseung looked at Jung Eunseo beside him.

Her expression was surprisingly calm. Lee Hyunseung asked her.

“Aren’t you surprised that I just killed someone right in front of you?”

She looked at him with a curious expression.

“Hearing their conversation, they were the ones who committed a crime and tried to kill first, so what’s there to be shocked about?”

He finally smiled slightly as he looked at her.

‘That’s exactly how she is.’

When he first met her, she was flustered because she lost her compass artifact and seemed panicked.

But in reality, she was always this cold-blooded. A person who objectively assesses situations and acts rationally.

That was Jung Eunseo.

-If it’s justified, then killing them is fine.

That must be what she was thinking now.

Jung Eunseo spoke while looking at him.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but from what I heard, it seems you’re also a cadet at Broad Academy. It must be frustrating. Getting falsely accused for something you didn’t do.”

Jung Eunseo pointed at the people lying on the ground as she continued speaking.

“You should keep one of those guys alive to prove your innocence, right?”

“Haha.”

I let out a hollow laugh as I answered her.

“Let’s say I bring one of them back to the academy alive and make them confess the truth: that it wasn’t me but someone from Hilleon who did the stalking. What do you think would happen to me?”

“I’d die, obviously. Hilleon would never want this incident exposed since it could lead to a conflict with the Artemis Guild. If I went around spreading it, it’d be like inviting them to put my head on the chopping block. I don’t have the power to go against them yet. And if I let those guys live, they’d run back and tattle on me, so it’s best to finish them off here.”

Jung Eunseo looked at Lee Hyunseung with surprise and commented.

“I’ve been noticing this for a while, but you’re pretty rational. If it were me, I’d drag those guys back and try to prove my innocence, no matter what.”

Lee Hyunseung chuckled at her remark and replied.

“It’s not about being rational. It’s just that I don’t have the strength to go against them right now, so I’m staying quiet for the time being. Once I’ve gained enough power, I’ll tear them apart. If you understand, I’d appreciate it if you could keep quiet about this incident too. If word gets out, you might find yourself in trouble as well.”

Jung Eunseo nodded and then asked me another question.

“Now that I think about it, there’s something I’m curious about. Your bullets—how do they pierce through mana barriers? A gunslinger’s magic stat isn’t usually open, is it? And your weapon doesn’t seem to have any magical attributes either…”

Lee Hyunseung hesitated for a moment.

‘Jung Eunseo is the type who prefers to keep valuable and useful people as allies, so it’s better to be honest with her for now.’

He then spoke truthfully.

“I was lucky enough to awaken with a legendary-grade class. I’m a legendary gunslinger.”

“W-What?!”

Jung Eunseo nearly stumbled in shock. She steadied herself before questioning me again.

“A legendary class? Are you serious?”

Her reaction was understandable. There were only a few legendary-grade classes in the entire world.

Even unique-grade classes, just below legendary, were rare. Legendary classes were in a league of their own.

“Yes, it’s a legendary class. Though, being a gunslinger is a bit of a letdown.”

“Well… if it’s a legendary class, then it would make sense for it to pierce mana with ordinary bullets… I’ve heard that legendary classes come with extra damage effects on related weapons.”

Lee Hyunseung looked at Jung Eunseo, who seemed deep in thought with a serious expression, and spoke.

“For now, let’s just toss the bodies over to the monsters and get out of here. It’s getting late.”

Afterward, Jung Eunseo followed closely as Lee Hyunseung led the way out of the labyrinth.

Once they emerged, Jung Eunseo spoke in an impressed tone.

“How did you manage that? You didn’t use a compass or any artifact, but you still found the path so accurately. We walked for over an hour, and there were hundreds of forks, but you never took a wrong turn once…”

The maze-like structure of the labyrinth was far too complex for an average person to memorize.

It was vast, intricate, long, and challenging, which is why most people carried compasses.

The performance Lee Hyunseung showed was nothing short of superhuman. He answered.

“It’s thanks to the special effects of my legendary-grade class. I can just instinctively sense the right path.”

“Is there really such a skill? As expected of a legendary class…”

Of course, that’s all nonsense. There’s no such thing. It’s just that I’ve been playing this game for over ten years as a crazy veteran, so I’ve memorized everything.

No matter how complicated the path is, if you see it thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of times, you’ll remember it. Even the dumbest person would.

But I can’t tell her that, so I just made up an excuse. Besides, since she’s never met someone with a legendary-grade class, she wouldn’t know if I’m lying or not.

I looked at her, who seemed surprised, and spoke.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

-Tap

As I turned to leave for home, Jung Eunseo grabbed me.

“What is it?”

When I asked, she looked at me with a desperate expression and asked.

“Can you also find the path to the second floor of the labyrinth with the power of your legendary-class profession?”

“Yes.”

I confirmed. It would be strange to say I could find the way on the first floor but not on the second.

“In that case, could you help me? There’s somewhere I absolutely need to find…”

The legacy left by her grandfather that Jung Eunseo was searching for wasn’t simply on the second floor.

It’s in a hidden place on the second floor that her grandfather concealed.

That’s why she couldn’t find it even after searching for months with a compass. Although I knew exactly where this hidden place was, I firmly refused to help her.

“No.”

“What?”

Jung Eunseo looked at me, stunned, after hearing my firm response.

I drove the point home.

“I said no. I’ve already helped you once. And back then, you clearly promised compensation. I haven’t even received what you promised yet, so why should I trust you and help you again?”

If I’ve given assistance, I must receive compensation.

Right now, I’m not in a situation where I can afford to play around.

As expected, a panicked Jung Eunseo quickly responded.

“I’ll give you whatever you want. In case you don’t know, my parents run the Theor Guild. It’s a well-known high-ranking guild.”

Lee Hyunseung grinned as if he had been waiting for this.

“Then, I want you, no, the Theor Guild, to hire the most skilled appraisal mage you can.”

“Of course, that’s possible. May I ask what you’re planning to use them for?”

“I’m going to prove my innocence. I’m staying quiet now because confronting Hilleon directly might get me killed, but evidence is different. I plan to have my phone appraised. With high-level appraisal magic, they should at least be able to confirm there are no traces of my fingerprints on it. Even if they can’t reveal the real culprit, it should clear my name.”

Lee Hyunseung recalled the phone he found in his locker.

‘I haven’t touched it even once on purpose.’

If a high-ranking appraisal mage were to examine it, it would be clear. That phone has never had my fingerprints on it, proving that I never used it.

Jung Eunseo nodded and asked.

“When should I have the mage ready by?”

Lee Hyunseung answered.

“Have them ready by tomorrow morning. I’m going to the academy first thing tomorrow, accompanied by the best mage you’ll hire, to file my appeal. To prove my innocence.”

“Tomorrow morning? It’s already late….”

“Is it impossible?”

When I put on a disappointed expression, Jung Eunseo looked at me and responded.

“It’s possible. It’s going to be tight, but I’ll move as quickly as I can.”

Lee Hyunseung and Jung Eunseo exchanged contact numbers and discussed the general details before parting ways.

And then, the next morning arrived.