Look Forward to It—It's Only the Beginning
Lee Hyunseung finished speaking and pulled the trigger.
The pistol pressed flush against the man’s head roared, spitting out a bullet. At the same time, the man’s figure blurred and he was instantly eliminated.
Lee Hyunseung slowly turned his gaze to those still left. Only one mage and a handful of people who hadn’t even properly awakened remained. The sole threat worth watching was the mage.
He looked straight at the mage and spoke in a cold voice.
“You already know you have no chance of winning, don’t you?”
Bae Sang-soo, the mage, recalled the fate of his comrades from moments earlier.
The screams of agony had been vivid even inside the virtual stage. They had looked like they were truly suffering.
The gun… is definitely far stronger than I imagined…
Inside the virtual stage, pain was capped. If the total possible pain was 100, the system dialed it down to around thirty or forty. Yet the greater the original agony, the harder it became to endure even that reduced amount. Lee Hyunseung’s firearm carried additional damage, which meant the pain that flooded in was both far more intense and far more persistent than normal. It was more than enough to plant terror in their hearts.
Bae Sang-soo quietly set down his staff. Then he raised both hands, signaling surrender.
One of the non-awakened men on his team glared at him.
“What the hell are you doing, Bae Sang-soo!”
The meaning was obvious: after receiving orders from Yoo Heeyeon, how could he give up so easily?
Lee Hyunseung immediately swung his pistol toward the man.
Two rapid shots slammed into the man. He crumpled, howling in pain.
“Ugh… ugh…”
The agony was so severe he couldn’t even form a proper scream. Seeing that, every last remaining member raised their hands in surrender.
The faction Yoo Heeyeon had planted inside the virtual stage was completely wiped out. Most had been forcibly eliminated by Lee Hyunseung’s bullets. Roughly half had died in the explosions created when Shin Yu-seon’s flames met his gunfire. The rest had surrendered. It was a flawless victory.
Moreover, aside from a bit of help from Gu Da-yoon, Lee Hyunseung had accomplished everything alone. Even though this was only F-class, he had single-handedly slaughtered dozens of opponents.
“He really… he really beat all of them…”
Gu Da-yoon, who had been watching from the side, stared at Lee Hyunseung with an expression of pure astonishment.
Lee Hyunseung, on the other hand, stood there with a perfectly calm face, as if the outcome had been obvious from the start.
He looked at Gu Da-yoon’s group, then at Kim Yuri and Jeong Eunseo.
“What will you do now? We seem to be the only survivors left. Is there anyone who wants to become the F-class representative badly enough to fight me?”
At his question, everyone swallowed hard and shook their heads. They had been allies from the beginning; there was no reason to fight. They all knew exactly how desperately he wanted the representative position, yet they had still chosen to stand with him. Their decision was only natural.
Jeong Eunseo answered first.
“I’ll surrender here. My goal was always to help you, Mr. Hyunseung. Winning was never the objective.”
Kim Yuri chimed in beside her.
“I’ll surrender too. I haven’t even properly awakened yet, so I can’t fight on my own anyway.”
Although Jeong Eunseo and Kim Yuri had worked together, the rules of the F-class selection made them clear enemies. Only one final victor could exist.
With both of them surrendering, only Gu Da-yoon’s group remained.
When Lee Hyunseung turned his gaze toward Gu Da-yoon as if demanding an answer, the young man raised his hand with a grin.
“Do you really think I’d be crazy enough to fight you? I never cared about being class representative in the first place, so don’t worry. Just make sure you don’t forget your promise to help me once later on.”
As soon as Gu Da-yoon and every member of his gang raised their hands in surrender, they were all transported out of the virtual stage. In the end, only Lee Hyunseung remained.
Listening to the commentator, Lee Hyunseung thought to himself, Of course there has never been a winner outside of mages and swordsmen.
In Broad Academy Online, mages and swordsmen were overwhelmingly favored professions. Simply awakening as one of the two was enough for people to praise you, especially if your grade was Rare or higher. Everyone wanted to team up with you. Naturally, teams in the representative selection formed around swordsmen and mages while everyone else operated alone. The result was an inherently unfair structure that prevented any other profession from ever winning.
This time, however, everything had been different. From the very beginning, people had gathered around Lee Hyunseung, the Gunner, including mages and even Gu Da-yoon, who had awakened a hidden ability.
Despite possessing the Gunner class, he had displayed overwhelming charisma and ability, dominating the entire class representative selection like a one-man show.
Tak Woohyun, president of the Blacksmith Association, watched the scene and began clapping in open admiration.
“What an absurd level of talent. His blacksmithing ability is already outstanding, yet his marksmanship is superb as well. At that level, if he simply hones his crafting skills, creates a pistol perfectly suited to himself, and uses it, he’ll grow wings and soar even higher. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Tak Woohyun spoke loudly enough for the people around him to hear. His intention was crystal clear: Lee Hyunseung was his. Mediocre nobodies should not dare interfere.
The secretary beside him immediately understood and nodded.
“Lee Hyunseung is indeed the perfect fit for our association. When we return, I will prepare a detailed offer for him. After all, our Blacksmith Association can give him better wings than anyone else.”
The other officials who had been waiting to scout Lee Hyunseung the moment he left the virtual environment began quietly retreating. It was no exaggeration to say that every capable blacksmith in the country operated under Tak Woohyun’s influence. Getting on his bad side could mean losing access to the entire supply network of skilled craftsmen who produced affordable, high-quality weapons.
With that realization, the others had no choice but to shift their attention toward the next most promising candidates.
Tak Woohyun crossed his thick arms and smiled with deep satisfaction.
Lee Hyunseung… if we nurture him properly, he will become a monster. The greatest blacksmith in the nation. No, perhaps the first blacksmith to ever surpass me.
As both president of the Blacksmith Association and a Unique-grade blacksmith, he had reached the peak of his craft in his forties, only to feel blocked by an invisible wall. There was no one better to learn from, and his own growth had hit its limit. Meeting Lee Hyunseung had felt like rain falling on parched ground.
When I meet him, the first thing I need to ask is how he uses those two slots. Of course, he probably won’t tell me easily… Hmm. How can I get him to reveal that secret…?
Tak Woohyun’s mind was already spinning with plans to recruit the young man.
A single person approached Lee Hyunseung, who now stood alone inside the virtual stage. It was one of the commentators who had been covering the F-class selection. They had come to interview the winner.
“Student Lee Hyunseung, would you be willing to do a short interview?”
Interview offers after an F-class selection were extremely rare. Only A-class winners usually received such attention. Clearly, the fact that so many influential figures had been watching this particular event meant they could not pass up the chance.
Lee Hyunseung nodded.
The commentator fired off a series of questions.
“Just how did you obtain such overwhelming power…”
“It appeared you were using both blacksmith and gunner professions at the same time…”
“Aside from dual awakening, do you possess any other special traits…”
Lee Hyunseung either laughed the questions off or skillfully dodged them.
I’ve already shown enough of my power. There’s no need to spell it out myself. It’s far better to let those with sharp eyes figure it out first.
He had zero interest in mediocre people who only understood his worth when it was spoon-fed to them. Only those who recognized his value on their own and approached him were truly competent.
The commentator looked slightly disappointed by the curt answers, but then his eyes brightened as if he had remembered something.
“Then… could you possibly answer this question?”
He paused dramatically before continuing.
“Having become the F-class representative, you have earned the right to designate an opponent for the Class Annihilation Match. Which class do you intend to choose?”
This was the question he had been waiting for. Lee Hyunseung smiled faintly and pointed at the giant screen with his hand.
“A-class.”
The commentator looked as if he had misheard.
“Um… I asked which opponent you would designate…”
Lee Hyunseung spoke again, this time with perfect clarity, driving the point home.
It was an outrageous declaration of war. Had it come from some nobody, the crowd would have laughed. But after the overwhelming display of power Lee Hyunseung had shown in the selection, the audience’s reaction was completely different.
They were filled with anticipation.
The arena erupted with thunderous cheers.
Lee Hyunseung stared at the giant screen and muttered softly, making sure Yoo Heeyeon would hear every word.
“Look forward to it. Because it’s only the beginning from here.”