Chapter 92: Scream

Hilleon, Their Headquarters

“Guild Master, it seems we’ve encountered a troublesome situation.”

A man began to speak to Hilleon’s Guild Master, Bae Nam-gyu, with a nervous glance, shifting awkwardly. In truth,

calling Hilleon a guild was laughable—it was nothing more than a drug-peddling group. However, they believed

themselves to be a legitimate guild. It was a paradoxical desire to earn the same honor as other guilds while

committing heinous acts. Thus, they even adopted titles reminiscent of a proper guild.

Seated in his chair, Hilleon’s Guild Master, Bae Nam-gyu, scowled, his displeasure evident as he replied.

“Get to the point. I don’t want to hear unnecessary details.”

“…My apologies. To get straight to the point, the incident we orchestrated to undermine the Artemis Guild has become a problem.”

“…? You interfered with the Artemis Guild? I don’t recall being informed about this. Explain the situation.”

As Bae Nam-gyu spoke coldly, the man hurriedly began to explain.

“Thanks to your sharp foresight, we at Hilleon have been reaping significant profits by selling hallucinogenic potions

on the black market. However, the problem is that recently, the Artemis Guild has been observed selling

hallucinogenic potions of the same quality at a much lower price.”

–Bang!–

Bae Nam-gyu slammed his chair, shouting angrily.

“The Artemis Guild dares to interfere with our business? This is justification enough. Prepare for war. I’ll crush those who dare to act without honor.”

“Uh… the problem is…”

As Son Him-gyeol hesitated, Bae Nam-gyu shouted in frustration.

“If you hesitate one more time, I’ll kill you. Speak clearly.”

“My apologies. The problem is that we don’t have any evidence that the Artemis Guild is selling hallucinogenic potions on the black market.”

“Evidence?”

“…Judging by several indications, it’s almost certain that the Artemis Guild is distributing hallucinogenic potions.

However, we lack definitive proof. There’s no clear evidence tying them to such actions. Furthermore, we don’t even

know why a guild already making so much money would resort to such dealings. If we initiate a war without solid

proof, public opinion may turn against us, and those operating within the black market may refuse to aid us, thinking

we’ve picked a fight unnecessarily. That would be disastrous. So, instead of going to war, we decided to send a

warning message.”

“A warning?”

“Yes. By stalking Yoo Hee-yeon, the daughter of the Artemis Guild’s leader, we intended to indirectly convey that

we’re watching them. At the same time, to ensure we don’t reveal ourselves too blatantly, we planted evidence in the

desk of the most vulnerable non-Awakened student in her class.”

“To summarize, you stalked Yoo Hee-yeon to warn the Artemis Guild, and you framed an innocent classmate for it?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then what’s the problem? A mere non-Awakened nobody can’t do anything. They’ll simply suffer under the Artemis Guild’s questioning, pay for a crime they didn’t commit, and that’ll be the end of it. That’s the fate of the weak.”

“Well… the problem is… a mage from the Magic Tower has sent an official letter to the Emperor, requesting

permission to use the Mana Database to investigate the non-Awakened’s claim of innocence. Using the database,

they intend to analyze the ‘mana traces’ left on a cell phone. Unfortunately, the fingerprints of some of our

subordinates were left on the phone. If they conduct mana trace analysis, it’ll reveal that we’re the true culprits…”

–Creak–

Bae Nam-gyu gritted his teeth as he grabbed Son Him-gyeol by the neck, speaking menacingly.

“I’ve told you before—think before you act, and take responsibility for your actions with your life.”

“Keuk… Wa…wait…”

–Thud!–

Bae Nam-gyu threw him aside, causing Son Him-gyeol to roll painfully on the ground. Gasping for air, tears welling in his eyes, he trembled as he spoke.

“I-I’ll find a way to… handle this situation…”

“You’re stating the obvious. If you fail to clean this up, I’ll have every limb of yours torn apart and fed to monsters. Failure doesn’t end with death. You won’t even die peacefully. No, you’ll wish for death but won’t get it.”

“I… I understand…”

After leaving his confrontation with Hilleon’s Guild Master, Son Him-gyeol’s body trembled uncontrollably as he muttered to himself.

“I’m going to die… I’ll really die… I’ve never seen the Guild Master this angry before… He’s not bluffing. I’ll be torn apart and killed…”

He thought about what he needed to do to survive—how to stop the investigation from progressing further.

Finally, he turned to his subordinates and began to speak.

“Those with less prominent identities, equip a close-fitting mask artifact and follow me. Seize the evidence on their phones or, if necessary…”

“Kill Lee Hyun-seung, the involved party, to ensure no investigation progresses.”

Inside Broad Academy, Chae Jung-hoon spoke to Lee Hyun-seung.

“Lee Hyun-seung, as you might already know, our magical research institute is one of over ten institutions with access to the mana database. Moreover, as the director of this institution, my opinion takes top priority.”

At his words, Lee Hyun-seung responded calmly.

“Yes, I am aware.”

For Lee Hyun-seung, a seasoned veteran of Broad Academy Online, such information was second nature. The reason

he wasn’t surprised when he saw Chae Jung-hoon earlier wasn’t because he recognized his face from books, but

because he already knew all about him. As for why Chae Jung-hoon came all the way here, it was obvious. Without a

doubt, figures like Kim Hee-ra had likely requested that permission to use the mana database be denied. With that

thought, Lee Hyun-seung remained composed.

Chae Jung-hoon continued.

“If you already know, then this makes things easier. To be honest, I hold no ill will toward you. From what I’ve heard,

you’ve been wrongfully accused of being the culprit in the stalking case. However, granting permission to use the

mana database for such a matter puts us in a difficult position. Truthfully, using the mana database—which is

reserved for national emergencies or terrorist incidents—for something like this is quite perplexing.”

Lee Hyun-seung, unfazed, replied indifferently.

“What exactly are you trying to say? You seem to have something specific in mind.”

“Ahem…”

Clearing his throat, as if caught off guard, Chae Jung-hoon finally said what he had to say.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot grant permission for the use of the mana database.”

A seemingly plausible excuse. None of what Chae Jung-hoon said was technically incorrect. After all, the idea of using the mana database just to uncover the true culprit of an academy stalking case was absurd in itself. But the issue lay elsewhere.

‘Something’s off.’

Lee Hyun-seung was well-versed in the intricate relationships between the Mage Tower, Artemis, and the Emperor.

The current Emperor, Seo Dae-hyuk, maintained a close relationship with the Mage Tower to secure treatment for

his father, Seo Man-yong, and relied on Artemis for national operations. In other words, the Emperor could not

afford to lose either the Mage Tower or Artemis.

‘Would the Emperor really ignore this?’

The request for mana database access must have come through a public document sent by the Mage Tower mage

brought by Jung Eun-seo. In other words, the Mage Tower must have requested this from the Emperor—a rare

occurrence. The Emperor rejecting such a request? That didn’t add up.

‘No, the current Emperor would never do that.’

He treasured his father deeply and would not risk severing ties with the Mage Tower. The Emperor would have likely

hinted, even indirectly, for permission to be granted for mana database access. The fact that things had turned out

this way left only one possibility.

‘Kim Hee-ra. That woman must have bribed him.’

It was no secret that Kim Hee-ra was pouring money into various places. She had even made donations in

collaboration with Broad Academy and used them to blackmail the academy’s president in the past. It wasn’t hard to

deduce that she was using money to tie people down and manipulate them.

Lee Hyun-seung, having expected nothing from the beginning, said flatly to Chae Jung-hoon.

“You took money from Kim Hee-ra, didn’t you? It’s common knowledge that she supports the magical research institute. There’s no point in denying it, so why not be honest?”

At this, Chae Jung-hoon flared up, his face turning red.

“H-how dare you speak like that!”

Lee Hyun-seung stared directly at him and spoke with unwavering determination.

“Did I hit a nerve? You don’t know what I’ve been through. All I wanted was to study magic. That’s all. My dream was

to study magic and join the Mage Tower. But I was wrongfully accused, suspended, and now I’ve learned that those

with a record of suspension, even if exonerated later, can never enter the Mage Tower. It’s a tradition, apparently, so

what can I do? I’ve given up on the Mage Tower, but I can’t give up on magic.”

Chae Jung-hoon recalled the image of Lee Hyun-seung engrossed in a book on magic. The way he had looked at the book reminded Chae Jung-hoon of himself in his younger days.

“I was just an ordinary person, too. All I wanted was to study a subject I enjoyed and make a living from it. But everything fell apart. And now that I’m trying to untangle this mess, are you really saying that money—mere money—is more important than ruining someone’s life?”

Chae Jung-hoon remained silent. After a long pause, he spoke quietly.

“I’m sorry… but it’s not just about money… You’re still young, so you don’t understand. The absence of money is

unbearably cruel. It’s not just my suffering at stake. My team members—those who trusted and followed me—they

had to give up their own meals to buy research materials. I still vividly remember those times. We’re just people who

find joy in researching magic… Honestly, I truly apologize, but I hope you can understand that we had no other

choice.”

Biting his lip, he stared at the ground. Eventually, Lee Hyun-seung brushed past him without a word.

“Don’t regret it. I will use every means available to make you all submit. If you regret it later, it will be too late. I’ve made myself clear.”

Cha Jeong-hoon remained silent, his head bowed.

Just as Lee Hyun-seung was about to turn and leave—

BEEEEEP!

A loud alarm suddenly echoed through the Broad Academy.

[Emergency evacuation alert issued at Broad Academy. Unidentified individuals have infiltrated the Academy. Please stop all activities immediately and evacuate the premises. I repeat, evacuate the premises at once….]

Lee Hyun-seung stared blankly at the speaker broadcasting the announcement.

Then—

Tat-tat-tat!

“W-watch out!”

A dagger came flying from behind, aimed straight for Lee Hyun-seung’s head. But—

Smack!

Cha Jeong-hoon pushed Lee Hyun-seung aside. Instead—

Thunk!

The sharp dagger pierced Cha Jeong-hoon’s hand.

“AAAAAHHH!”

His scream echoed throughout the hall.

Step

Step

Step

From a distance, a masked man approached Lee Hyun-seung.

Chiik

He spoke into a communication artifact.

“Target has been located.”

Then, pulling out another dagger, he declared:

“Eliminating the target immediately.”