High Risk, High Return
BANG—!
The gunshot echoed across the arena. Yoo Heeyeon and the rest of the A-class members wore bewildered expressions, as if they were still processing whether they had actually heard a gunshot. Their reaction was perfectly natural. The only Gunner in F-class was Lee Hyunseung. For someone who specialized in long-range attacks to deliberately expose his position instead of staying hidden—it was an incomprehensible move.
Gritting her teeth, Yoo Heeyeon shouted.
Kang Junhyung, the messy-haired swordsman beside her, spoke up as he watched Yoo Heeyeon lose her composure.
"Yoo Heeyeon, calm down. No matter how urgent this is, we need to read the situation first. Don't forget—we're in the middle of a point-capture match. Occupying the bases should take priority over catching Lee Hyunseung."
Kang Junhyung tried to persuade her calmly. Even if they chased down and captured Lee Hyunseung right now, it wouldn't guarantee victory in this match. To win the Class Annihilation Match, they had to either eliminate every single F-class student or capture all six points. Rushing after one person in that situation was neither efficient nor rational.
But Yoo Heeyeon's judgment differed.
She shot Kang Junhyung a piercing glare, the kind that asked whether he dared defy her. Seeing her expression, Kang Junhyung shook his head inwardly.
I only spoke the truth, yet she looks at me like that.
He already knew her personality well. He had expected a similar reaction, but it was still lamentable how her response never deviated even slightly from his prediction.
"Mr. Kang Junhyung. Aren't you overthinking this? Our opponents are nothing but F-class. Whether they rush the capture points or set traps for us, the gap in power is overwhelming. What could they possibly do? Do you honestly believe a swarm of ants could harm a person?"
Her eyes were beginning to glaze over with madness. Once Yoo Heeyeon reached this state, no one could stop her. In the end, Kang Junhyung withdrew his opinion.
"...You're right. I misspoke."
Only after he admitted fault did Yoo Heeyeon speak again, as though she were bestowing a generous favor.
"If you're that worried, stay behind and guard the points yourself. Take some people and occupy points one through six."
The force she allocated for capturing all six points was only eighteen people. A mere three per point.
"That's not enough. If the F-class students group up..."
Kang Junhyung offered a reasonable counterpoint, but Yoo Heeyeon cut him off.
Kang Junhyung clenched his fist so tightly it creaked. If he hadn't, he would have screamed at her right then, calling her a foolish bitch. An idiotic commander who couldn't see the overall battle because she was blinded by emotion—he could only sigh at the fact that they were stuck with her.
"Understood."
Even though Yoo Heeyeon spoke formally and Kang Junhyung used casual speech, their hierarchy had nothing to do with honorifics. It was already set in stone. Her father was the leader of the Artemis Guild, after all. There was nothing to gain by earning their displeasure. The moment Artemis marked you as an enemy, not only you but everyone around you could suffer.
That was why people feared the Artemis Guild. They held both the power and the money to do whatever they wanted.
Kang Junhyung broke into a run toward the capture points. Once there, he quickly divided the eighteen people into six groups and shouted.
"Groups one through six, head to your assigned points! Our numbers are limited, so even though the enemy is F-class, do not let your guard down for a second. Especially watch out for Jeong Eunseo—she uses considerably high-level magic. She is the daughter of the Teore Guild leader. Her combat ability doesn't fall short of any A-class student, so give it everything you've got!"
Despite his warning to stay tense, the others only offered half-hearted replies with doubtful expressions. It was only natural. Why would anyone get nervous about dealing with F-class? Telling a fully grown adult to fight an underdeveloped child—there was no reason for the adult to feel any tension.
A-class viewed themselves as the adults and F-class as the children.
"Stop."
At Kang Junhyung's gesture, the group halted at once. Fifteen had already split off toward different points. Including himself, only three people remained in his immediate vicinity.
When he suddenly stopped, the mage beside him—Jeong Saeron—asked.
"What's wrong?"
Following Kang Junhyung's gaze, Jeong Saeron saw that F-class members had already reached the second capture point they were supposed to secure.
How? How are they this fast?
There had been a slight delay due to the argument with Yoo Heeyeon, but even accounting for that, the F-class students' speed was absurdly quick.
Don't tell me...
With a sinking feeling, he carefully studied the faces of the distant F-class members.
Jeong Eunseo.
The Epic-grade mage who possessed A-class level combat strength. She stood atop the capture point with her arms crossed, looking down at them. It was as if she were daring them to come and try.
"Prepare for battle."
Kang Junhyung and his companions readied themselves to fight the roughly twenty F-class students.
At the same time, near the first capture point that Lee Hyunseung was responsible for.
He was running in frantic circles around the area. Every time his feet pounded the ground—tap tap tap tap tap!—the bushes whipped violently behind him.
The reason Lee Hyunseung could move at such ridiculous speeds was simple.
[C] Gunner's Agile Steps
Temporarily increases movement speed while a firearm is equipped. The amount of increase depends on the user's current class grade and class level.
After his Gunner proficiency recently reached level 2, the mana consumption of his C-rank skills had decreased slightly. Thanks to that, Lee Hyunseung could handle his skills with far greater ease than before. On top of that, the additional effect granted by his Legendary-grade class allowed him to move faster than most swordsmen renowned for their physical prowess.
"Huff... huff..."
From far behind came the sound of people chasing him. Bushes parted. Voices shouted in the distance.
Lee Hyunseung pushed his legs even harder. He also reached into the small messenger bag that had been provided at the start of the stage—a convenient item with limited storage that could be worn tight against the body.
He pulled out the mana stones he had collected earlier. Stones prepared precisely for situations like this.
He brought one to his mouth and bit down hard.
Crunch!
Outside the arena, the spectators—including the Artemis Guild leader—watched the match intently.
Yoo Hanbeom thought to himself, To choose to eat that... truly insane.
Mana stones replenished a player's magical power the moment they were consumed, but they also came with side effects. Paralysis, headaches, decreased skill effectiveness—there were many. That was why no one, whether in real battles or exams, ever did something as crazy as biting into a mana stone even when their mana ran low. If a side effect like paralysis hit at the wrong moment, they would be unable to do anything and simply lose.
Bae Kiyoung, the vice guild leader of Artemis standing beside Yoo Hanbeom, clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, what a shame. It looks like he's eating mana stones because he's low on mana and still trying to use skills. But that won't last long. He's been lucky so far—no noticeable side effects yet—but the moment paralysis kicks in, he'll be caught immediately. Simply running away isn't a viable strategy."
Bae Kiyoung turned to Yoo Hanbeom.
"Guild Leader, I don't understand why you hold such a reckless kid in such high regard. From the start, he fired his gun into the sky and got chased, and now while being pursued he's doing something as foolish as eating mana stones. These are actions with far too much risk."
Yoo Hanbeom looked at him with a pitying gaze and spoke in a low voice.
"Do you think F-class can defeat A-class through normal means?"
"W-well, no, but..."
"Exactly. Since they can't win by fighting head-on, they have no choice but to take big risks. In any endeavor, where there is no risk, there is no return. If you cannot control the risk, you are simply an incompetent fool."
Yoo Hanbeom added one final line.
"But if you can completely control the risk, then the story changes."
Crunch!
Lee Hyunseung bit down on another mana stone.
At that moment—
Side effects from consuming a mana stone have begun restricting body movement.
The pursuers who had been closing in from behind were now nearly upon him.
In that instant, Lee Hyunseung aimed the muzzle of his pistol at his own chest and pulled the trigger.
"Wh... what...!"
The entire arena erupted into chaos.