Collision in an Unbelievable Situation
Yoo Heeyeon bared her teeth as she violently drew up her mana. Not to be outdone, Lee Hyunseung instantly began channeling mana into his firearm.
“You… really don’t think about the consequences at all, do you? No matter how much the Blacksmith Association has sided with you, you can’t possibly be relying on just that, right?”
Tak Woohyun. Officially, he had never declared or stated that he was on Lee Hyunseung’s side. But the fact that he had rejected Yoo Heeyeon’s attempt to buy weapons with money and delivered the custom-made weapon to Lee Hyunseung as originally promised was enough for anyone to infer that the two of them were aligned.
No, that wasn’t all. From the beginning, it was extremely rare for Tak Woohyun to personally craft something and engrave the SIH+ logo on it himself. Even the large-scale weapons and items commissioned by the Artemis Guild were usually handled by recruiting skilled blacksmiths to meet the volume rather than Tak Woohyun making them by hand. That made his recent actions all the more suspicious.
If there wasn’t some kind of secret connection with Lee Hyunseung, there was no way he would grant this level of special treatment to a mere student. That was why, even though Yoo Heeyeon still didn’t know the exact method, she had concluded that Lee Hyunseung had successfully recruited Tak Woohyun.
And she was exactly right.
Meeting her glaring eyes, Lee Hyunseung answered calmly.
Watching Yoo Heeyeon tremble, Lee Hyunseung gave a cold smile.
Yoo Heeyeon’s father and the leader of the Artemis Guild, Yoo Hanbeom. That man valued blood ties, but he valued ability far more. Anyone who carried his blood or formed an alliance with him had to be overwhelmingly superior and always stand above others. That was the kind of man he was.
After all, that bastard Yoo Hanbeom has never once settled for second place.
From a young age, Yoo Hanbeom had been born with magical talent and was called a genius. He had awakened as a Unique-grade mage on his first awakening and was now said to be aiming for Legendary grade. He had been the top student from the moment he entered the academy, and even at graduation, he had taken first place in both practical and theoretical exams by an overwhelming margin.
What was even more astonishing was that right after graduating, he founded his own guild. Using his exceptional eye for people, he began recruiting members, and the newly established guild claimed the title of the nation’s number one in less than five years. That guild was the Artemis Guild.
Talent-hoarding bastard.
Born with everything, a psychopath with what seemed like an obsessive-compulsive need to never slack off on effort, and a madman whose abilities were undeniably real. That was Yoo Hanbeom.
His strict standards didn’t apply only to himself. Back when Lee Hyunseung had been playing Broad Academy Online, Yoo Hanbeom’s favor toward Yoo Heeyeon had dropped every time she failed to take the top spot. Eventually, he had reached the point where he no longer gave his own daughter any special treatment or privileges.
In short, even though Yoo Heeyeon currently enjoys the protection of the Artemis Guild, the moment Yoo Hanbeom deems her useless, she could be discarded just like that.
Since she was his daughter, Yoo Hanbeom’s expectations for her would be enormous. So if she failed to take first in either practical or theoretical exams, his disappointment would only grow. That was exactly what Lee Hyunseung had pointed out.
Yoo Heeyeon screamed in response.
Her body shook violently as she glared at him, eyes filled with murderous intent.
Looking into those eyes, Lee Hyunseung thought to himself, Looks like Yoo Hanbeom’s personality is exactly the same as it was in the game. The fact that she was this agitated made it clear his words had struck home. Even Yoo Heeyeon knew it. She knew that if she wasn’t the best, Yoo Hanbeom could abandon her at any time.
—Whiiiiiish.
Unable to contain her rage, Yoo Heeyeon began gathering mana into her staff.
Her eyes blazed as she prepared to cast her spell.
But at that exact moment—
—Grab.
Choi Yi-seul seized her staff. The surging mana instantly fell silent.
“Miss Yoo Heeyeon. Using magic against another student inside the academy—outside of official duels—is strictly prohibited.”
She had sensed the unusual flow of mana between Yoo Heeyeon and Lee Hyunseung a short while ago and had rushed straight to the F-class area. Fortunately, she had managed to intervene before anything escalated. If the two of them had actually clashed, the repercussions would have been enormous.
“……”
Her mana blocked, Yoo Heeyeon stared at President Choi Yi-seul.
“I didn’t start it. He provoked me first.”
It was an absurd claim. Provocation did not justify throwing the first strike. Such behavior would never be tolerated. If any other student had said something like that, Choi Yi-seul would have told them to shut their nonsense. But because it was Yoo Heeyeon, she responded with as much courtesy as she could manage.
“I will speak with Mr. Lee Hyunseung separately. So for now, please calm your anger.”
—Whoosh.
Only then did Yoo Heeyeon turn to Lee Hyunseung with a look of pure irritation. As she spun on her heel to leave, she spat her final words.
—Thud. Thud. Thud.
With those words, Yoo Heeyeon walked away, growing more distant with every step.
Watching her leave, Choi Yi-seul thought, Her magic would have crippled him? She couldn’t agree with that statement at all.
—Slide.
Choi Yi-seul glanced at the gun in Lee Hyunseung’s hand. The overwhelming mana still radiating from it was both spine-chilling and brutal. If a bullet had been fired from that weapon, it would have pierced straight through most spells. If anyone was going to end up crippled, it might very well have been Yoo Heeyeon.
—Gulp.
He’s a monster. The last time I saw him, he definitely wasn’t this strong.
It hadn’t been that long since their last encounter, yet Lee Hyunseung was growing at an insane pace. Choi Yi-seul couldn’t help but feel awed as she watched him. At the same time, she couldn’t help but worry.
I’m concerned he might be provoking Yoo Heeyeon—the daughter of the Artemis Guild leader—too much…
Just as that thought crossed her mind, Lee Hyunseung asked her a question.
“Do I need to follow you to your office, President?”
Remembering what she had just said—I will speak with Mr. Lee Hyunseung separately—Choi Yi-seul answered in a voice quiet enough that no one else could hear.
“No, there’s no need for you to come with me. From what I can see, this doesn’t appear to be a case of one-sided provocation, and no magic was actually used. It would be best to let the matter end here without making it an issue.”
Choi Yi-seul felt indebted to Lee Hyunseung. Even though there had been no solid evidence yet, she had suspended him on the grounds that he might be a stalker because of the pressure from Yoo Heeyeon’s mother, Kim Heera. Punishing a student without clear proof went completely against her educational principles. That was why, without even realizing it, she had begun to show favoritism toward the student named Lee Hyunseung.
The guilt she felt toward a student who had suffered an unfair punishment because she had failed to act as a proper educator weighed on her more heavily than she had expected. She felt it in her bones every single day.
In truth, if she had been mindful of the Artemis Guild’s gaze in this incident, punishing only Lee Hyunseung would have been the appropriate course. But Choi Yi-seul couldn’t do that. She simply couldn’t. She still had a conscience, after all.
Just as she was about to return to the president’s office, she noticed weapons glinting in the distance.
—Whoosh.
Weapons engraved with the SIH+ logo. Weapons personally crafted by the nation’s most famous blacksmith, Tak Woohyun. The very weapons every adventurer dreamed of and coveted were being held by dozens of F-class students.
“H-how on earth did this happen? How did so many people end up with Mr. Tak Woohyun’s items…?”
When Choi Yi-seul muttered in disbelief, Lee Hyunseung smiled faintly and answered.
“I commissioned them.”
“You… commissioned them? All these custom weapons?”
It was unbelievable. After all, even President Choi Yi-seul had once tried to commission a weapon from Tak Woohyun only to be rejected. But she had no choice but to believe it. The countless SIH+ weapons were right there in front of her eyes.
“This… just how…?”
She stared at the weapons again and again, her eyes hollow with shock.