The First to Fall
As the barrier began to fracture with a sharp crack, Heo Cheol-hoon trapped inside thought to himself, 'Th-this can't be happening?'
It was bewildering. It was something that should never have been possible. After all, he had smuggled an artifact in from the outside. And not just any artifact—it was an Epic-grade piece that Yoo Heeyeon had given him personally.
Before the F-Class representative selection tournament began, Yoo Heeyeon had come looking for him.
“You’re… Heo Cheol-hoon, right? Life in F-Class must be quite the struggle.”
“Y-Yoo Heeyeon?”
“Why are you staring at me like that? It’s not as if this is the first time you’ve seen me.”
Yoo Heeyeon was a celebrity at Broad Academy. As the daughter of the Artemis Guild leader, she was someone impossible to not know. On top of that, she was the top practical skills student in her freshman year, and second in theoretical exams. Students who excelled in both magical knowledge and real combat prowess were extremely rare, and with her family background added to the mix, she was destined to become a massive figure.
That was why Heo Cheol-hoon knew exactly who she was. He thought to himself, 'How does someone like Yoo Heeyeon even know about me?'
It was a perfectly reasonable question. He was nothing more than a Rare-grade Thief. The Thief class wasn’t exactly a promising career path, and with the added demerit of being Rare-rank, he was just another forgettable student—one of the many average faces that existed in every academy. In contrast, Yoo Heeyeon stood at the very peak of the pyramid. The fact that someone like her had noticed him felt like an honor, and at the same time, like an opportunity.
'I don’t know why she came to me, but this is my chance.'
Yoo Heeyeon, the only child of the Artemis Guild leader. In time, the guild would be inherited by her, and she would become the head of an organization with the largest scale and military power in the nation. Further down the line, she would stand in a position so high that most people could never even dream of reaching her. If he could make her owe him a favor or fulfill a request for her, he might secure a fairly high position.
'Even if it’s not that high up, it doesn’t matter.'
As a Rare-grade Thief, his future held nothing but a thorny path. He might end up living as a criminal, and even if he could enter the Labyrinth, there was no guarantee his skills or attacks would work efficiently against monsters. After all, every Thief skill was designed to be more effective against people than monsters.
'Even if it’s just a low-level employee position at the Artemis Guild…'
That alone would be more than enough for Heo Cheol-hoon. Realizing that a golden opportunity had arrived, he quickly lowered his head toward Yoo Heeyeon.
“Of course I know who you are, Miss Yoo Heeyeon. May I ask why you’ve come to see me? Is there something you’d like me to do?”
“Oh? So you’re not completely clueless after all. Well, that’s obvious. If I didn’t have a job for you, I wouldn’t have bothered coming to find you, would I?”
“....”
Her tone was clearly looking down on him. By saying “a job for you” instead of a request, she had already clearly defined their relationship. Heo Cheol-hoon knew it too. But he couldn’t possibly point it out.
Yoo Heeyeon continued with a haughty expression.
“I’m going to give you an artifact. Take it with you into the representative selection.”
She slid a red gem artifact across to him. It glowed with an ominous light.
“What is this?”
When Heo Cheol-hoon asked, Yoo Heeyeon answered naturally.
“It’s a specially commissioned artifact I had a high-ranking mage create. Its power is slightly reduced, but you can bring it inside the virtual stage.”
“I thought external artifacts weren’t allowed inside the virtual stage…”
“I’ve already taken care of that, so don’t worry about it. Just take the artifact and do exactly one thing I tell you. Lee Hyunseung. Make sure that man doesn’t win this selection.”
“What? Then shouldn’t you have given me an attack artifact?”
“Ha?”
Yoo Heeyeon looked down at him with contempt.
“What difference would an offensive artifact make in the hands of a pathetic Thief like you? At least you’re quick on your feet, so I’m telling you to locate Lee Hyunseung. Watch his movements from a distance, and if you notice anything suspicious or any weaknesses, spread it around to everyone. If you get caught midway, use this artifact to hold out as long as possible, feed the others as much damaging information as you can, and then get yourself eliminated.”
A parrot that simply delivered information. That was how Yoo Heeyeon saw Heo Cheol-hoon. The barrier was a safety measure in case his identity was exposed and he couldn’t even speak before being taken out.
“…What if I refuse?”
For a brief moment, his pride flared. He knew better than anyone that being a Rare-grade Thief was nothing special. It was true that he wanted to seize an opportunity through Yoo Heeyeon. But being treated like a dog that simply sniffed out and delivered information was humiliating—almost painful. So for a second, he seriously considered refusing.
Yoo Heeyeon glared at him.
“Ha? Refuse? You don’t actually think you have that option, do you? Your parents’ guild is a subcontractor for our Artemis Guild. You’re not stupid enough to not understand what would happen if you act out, are you?”
He clenched his fist tightly.
'I have to do it anyway. I can’t refuse. And if things go well, I might even get a big reward out of it.'
Having decided to approach it that way, Heo Cheol-hoon spoke.
“Compensation… what about compensation? If I successfully complete the task, what will you give me?”
“I’ll pay you in money. More than you could ever need. Of course, only if you succeed.”
He had been hoping for even a low-level guild position, but if she was offering enough money to say it would be “more than he could ever need,” that wasn’t bad either. So he bowed his head and answered.
“Understood. I will definitely carry out the mission.”
Inside the virtual stage.
Crack!
The protective barrier Heo Cheol-hoon had created with the artifact was beginning to fracture.
“F-fuck… this shouldn’t be possible?”
It was the artifact Yoo Heeyeon had given him. She had clearly said it could easily block most magic or even bullets. That was why he had deliberately provoked his opponent.
You piece of shit! That shitty little gun can’t break it, I told you!
He hadn’t needed to provoke him. He could have stayed quiet. But he had judged that if he could force Lee Hyunseung to expend his entire magazine, it would create a very disadvantageous situation for him. So yes, there had been intent behind making him waste his ammo.
Crack!
But he had never imagined it would go this far.
Heo Cheol-hoon had assumed that after Lee Hyunseung used up about half his magazine, the barrier’s strength would make him give up and leave. Then he could have both depleted the ammo and delivered information—a perfect two-for-one that would torment Lee Hyunseung.
But the scene unfolding before his eyes was simply impossible to believe.
Craaaack!
The bullets from a mere basic pistol were splitting the protective barrier of an Epic-grade artifact.
“Fuck—! Stop—! Stop it, damn it—!”
Lee Hyunseung was firing like a madman. For now the barrier was still there, but the moment it broke, the muzzle was aimed at a position that would pierce straight through Heo Cheol-hoon’s head.
“You crazy bastard—! If this breaks, my skull gets blown open too—!”
Even though it was inside a virtual stage and he wouldn’t actually die, that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel pain. So it was only natural that he was this terrified.
Heo Cheol-hoon twisted his head desperately, but the space was too narrow for any meaningful evasion.
Craaaack!
More cracks spread across the barrier, and then—
Bang—!
Crash!
The barrier shattered completely.
Step. Step.
Lee Hyunseung walked toward Heo Cheol-hoon.
Scriiitch.
Heo Cheol-hoon didn’t even notice his pants scraping against the ground as he frantically scooted backward in a seated position.
“D-don’t… I surrender! I surrender! I… I didn’t have a choice!”
Lee Hyunseung looked down at him and said coldly, “Fuck off.”
Bang—!
“Aaaaaaaaagh—!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Thud.
Dozens of bullets poured into the already fallen opponent. Soon Heo Cheol-hoon’s body collapsed and vanished into ash.
“Everyone! Just now, the first dropout of the F-Class Representative Selection has occurred!”
In the representative selection viewing room.
Yoo Heeyeon, who had been watching the F-Class representative selection through her virtual glasses, couldn’t hide her shock.
“Th-this can’t be…”
She stared blankly at the screen, unable to close her mouth at the overwhelming display of power Lee Hyunseung had shown.
“I-it’s fine. There are still a few people I’ve recruited… They should be able to crush that rude bastard Lee Hyunseung.”
Grind.
She bit down on her nails while continuing to watch the situation through the virtual glasses.