The Fallen Takju and Han Seonggil's Rampage
The gunshot cracked like thunder.
Last Bullet—a skill that expended every round in the magazine to unleash a momentary burst of explosive damage. Lee Hyunseung could only use it now because the weapon in his hand carried the Magic Power stat.
◈ A plain-looking pistol with no distinctive features.
◈ Currently loaded with 15 rounds.
◈ Raises Magic Power stat by 3.
Even a gunner without a shred of innate magic could activate skills thanks to items like this. Despite its unremarkable appearance, such weapons commanded a steep price. Without Jeong Eunseo’s help, he never would have obtained it.
Swoooosh—!
Watching the bullet streak forward at blinding speed, Lee Hyunseung felt a fresh wave of admiration. Definitely. Using a skill is on a completely different level from normal attacks.
Thanks to the passive of a Legendary Gunner, even basic shots carried extra damage and delivered respectable power. But the sheer destructive force of a skill was on another scale entirely.
A C-rank skill already hits this hard. If I unlock B-rank or A-rank skills, it’s going to be insane.
That was the exact moment Im Takju saw the firing motion. In a panic he yanked something knuckle-like from behind his back, slipped it onto his fist, and raised his hand. Despite the bullet’s terrifying velocity, he managed to meet it head-on with the knuckle guard.
I… I blocked it.
Im Takju was certain he had stopped the attack. After all, his knuckle was no low-grade weapon. He had even reinforced its durability with mana. No matter how powerful Hyunseung’s gun might be, a direct block from the front should have been enough.
That confidence lasted less than a second.
Kwaaaaaang—!
The instant the bullet struck the knuckle, it punched straight through. The round continued on, driving toward his hand.
Shuk—!
Whooooong—!
Before his mind could even process it, Im Takju’s survival instinct took over. He frantically gathered every scrap of mana he could into his hand. If his fist was pierced and the bullet reached his chest, he would die instantly. Desperate to live, he funneled every drop of mana in his body toward a single point.
Whoooooooong…
Pushuuuuk—!
Chaaaaak—!
But the bullet tore through even that wall of mana, piercing cleanly through his fist. Still, it did not continue into his body. The impact had altered its trajectory, sending it straight into the ceiling instead.
“Aaaaaaaaagh—! Aaaaah…!”
Im Takju had survived. Yet before relief could even register, an overwhelming agony flooded the ruined hand. Where the bullet had punched straight through, only a hollow void remained—filled now with nothing but pain.
Blood poured down his wrist in thick streams. His eyes began to roll back; he was on the verge of fainting. When humans experience extreme pain, they go into shock. Severe shock could even lead to death.
Lee Hyunseung stared at the man foaming at the mouth and thought, My mistake. I didn’t control the power properly.
It was only a C-rank skill. He had deliberately given the opponent enough time to react when he fired. He had assumed that a B-class fighter would never have his life threatened by something of this level. Clearly, that assumption had been wrong.
Im Takju collapsed, bleeding heavily onto the floor. The sight made Han Seonggil’s entire body tremble without him realizing it.
Am… am I actually scared?
He had never feared anyone in his life. He had always acted according to his convictions, seized whatever he desired. The sight of a strong opponent filled him with the urge to fight. If someone provoked him, he repaid them brutally. He had been a thoroughbred predator living by the law of the jungle—a lion or tiger that never feared being hunted.
He had always been the one doing the chasing.
Even Yoo Heeyeon, the daughter of the fearsome Artemis Guild Master, had never frightened him. He knew the guild’s authority better than anyone, but she rarely engaged in direct combat inside the academy. So he had arrogantly assumed he was the apex predator.
Move. Move. Move, damn it.
His normal personality would have had him charging at Lee Hyunseung right now, demanding a fight. Standing tall, settling the matter with his fists, and clearly proving his superiority—that was the Han Seonggil way.
Yet right now his legs had gone completely stiff.
This… this can’t be happening…
Im Takju might have played the role of a lackey, but he was by no means weak. A Rare-grade fighter. In terms of pure physical ability, he could hold his own against most swordsmen. He should have been overwhelmingly superior to any gunner in close quarters.
How… how the hell?
Yet Lee Hyunseung, a gunner, had read every movement Im Takju made in close combat. It was as if he already knew the pattern by heart—effortless, almost casual. And after creating distance, the skill he had fired so leisurely had punched straight through a mana barrier the fighter had desperately poured his full strength into.
A monster…
He had finally met one. Han Seonggil, who had ruled his tiny well thinking he was king, had just discovered he was nothing more than a frog inside it.
Only after accepting that truth could he finally lift his foot from the ground.
Step. Step.
Without realizing it, he began walking toward Lee Hyunseung one step at a time.
Eventually he stopped right in front of him.
Lee Hyunseung looked at him with clear annoyance. “What? You want to get your ass kicked too?”
If anyone else had spoken to him that way, he would have thrown a punch immediately. Strangely, the words coming from Lee Hyunseung didn’t offend him at all.
Han Seonggil glanced around. Every spotlight in the area was focused on Lee Hyunseung. It was as if the entire F-class room had been set up as a filming studio just for him. Everyone was watching Hyunseung. Even though he felt like a mere supporting character, the feeling wasn’t unpleasant.
Gulp.
As he calmly observed the situation, the fear gradually faded, replaced by rising excitement. Just how strong was this man? What kind of life had he lived? It wasn’t simply raw power. Even after nearly killing someone, he showed no fear. There was no hesitation when he pulled the trigger, and when he chose to retaliate, he did so without mercy. He wasn’t some lucky bastard who had stumbled into strength. He was someone born for this.
In an instant, Han Seonggil recognized that Lee Hyunseung was the same kind as him.
Thump. Thump.
The first person of his own kind he had ever met. At some point his heart had begun to race. Adrenaline surged through him. The fear vanished completely, replaced by pure ecstasy.
“You… look pretty strong. Let’s have a match.”
Han Seonggil’s eyes were slowly turning red.
The Berserker Trait has begun to awaken.
Strength surges. Sanity begins to slip.
***
Broad Academy President’s Office.
Choi Yi-seul sorted through documents and muttered to herself. “So Han Seonggil really did become the B-class representative.”
Her secretary, Cha Imho, answered from the side. “Yes. Several students hoped to take the position, but he was chosen without a representative selection match due to an overwhelming difference in votes.”
“Well… that result was only natural. In a war of annihilation, combat ability is valued above all else, so it makes sense to pick the strongest. A student of Han Seonggil’s caliber possesses more than enough strength to represent B-class. If only he didn’t have that limitation… he could have thrived in A-class as well.”
“Limitation?” Cha Imho asked, puzzled.
“Yes. This isn’t widely known, but Han Seonggil was apparently born with the Berserker trait. It grants an incredible drive to challenge strong opponents and grows stronger the more he fights—an incredible ability.”
“Then isn’t that a good thing? The fighting spirit overcomes human laziness, and growing stronger with every battle means constant improvement.”
“Hmm… if that were the only factor, it might have been. The problem is that he can’t control it.”
“Control?”
“Exactly.”
Choi Yi-seul created a single droplet of water with magic. “The Berserker trait sometimes causes him to lose his reason. When he feels the threat of death, instead of fear it floods him with excessive dopamine and adrenaline. In the worst cases, he can no longer distinguish friend from foe.”
The water droplet she had made shook violently, then burst with a pop.
“He gains immense power in a single moment, but in the end he ends up broken—just like this droplet. That’s why he remains in B-class instead of A-class. He can’t control his own strength, so he cannot advance.”
“Then… isn’t he dangerous? Shouldn’t we separate him from the other students and monitor him more closely…?”
“He is dangerous, but there shouldn’t be any problems. Very few students could actually push him to the brink of death in the first place. And if he does go berserk, this artifact will flash red.”
Choi Yi-seul looked at the artifact as she spoke. “I monitor this artifact at all times, so—”
At that exact moment.
Whooooong—!
As Choi Yi-seul was speaking, the artifact began glowing with a vivid red light—the signal that Han Seonggil’s Berserker trait had activated.
Kwaaang—!
Choi Yi-seul shot up from her chair and shouted at Cha Imho. “Gather every instructor right now—!”
Cha Imho looked around in shock. “W-why, President?!”
“Han Seonggil’s Berserker trait has triggered. We have to stop it. Once it fully activates, the students won’t be able to contain him!”
Her voice was urgent. “If we’re even a little late… someone could die.”