Thorough Exploitation
The moment Han Seonggil, after taking the full brunt of the Spear of Longinus, lost consciousness and charged straight at the A-class participants, Shin Junho—who had been hiding among them—exploded with raw fury.
The Spear of Longinus has failed to kill its target.
“F-fuck… what the hell just happened?!”
The Spear of Longinus. A weapon summoned using the power of the Demonic Orb and the combined strength of dozens of A-class students. Yet it had only embedded itself in Han Seonggil like an ordinary spear, failing to finish him off.
There wasn’t even time to feel shock that Han Seonggil had blocked an attack originally meant for Lee Hyunseung. This was impossible. It simply couldn’t happen. Even if only a fraction of its full power had been used, the idea that the Spear of Longinus couldn’t kill a single person was absurd.
“Am… am I really… that weak…?”
Shin Junho stared down at his arm. The one arm he had been born with. Because of it, even after awakening as an Epic-grade mage, he could never train his magic at maximum efficiency. He had always been forced to work twice as hard as everyone else, and even then his results came twice as slowly. In other words, he was weaker than the average Epic mage.
The Demonic Orb’s power scaled with the user’s own strength. Given that premise, Shin Junho couldn’t deny one undeniable truth.
Insufficient ability.
Even after using that fraudulent artifact known as the Demonic Orb, his own lack of power had prevented the Spear of Longinus from reaching its intended target, Lee Hyunseung. Worse, it hadn’t even managed to kill Han Seonggil, who had taken the hit instead.
-KWAaaaaaaaang-!
Han Seonggil came barreling in from afar like a madman, smashing through the A-class participants one by one. Every time he reached out, another person was sent flying. Every time his fist swung, bones shattered with a sickening crunch and the victim was forcibly ejected from the stage.
Watching it all, Shin Junho bit down hard on his lip.
Berserker…
The Berserker trait. The more damage you took, the stronger you became. But if the user’s body was too weak, it would collapse before the trait could reach peak efficiency. Han Seonggil, however, had been born with both the trait and an overwhelmingly superior physique.
I kill myself training every single day, and even after swallowing that damn Demonic Orb I can only manage this much… but that bastard was born with a body like that and an insane trait like Berserker on top of it?
It was unfair. It felt like everything he had worked for—every effort, every achievement, every sacrifice—was being completely invalidated.
“Shin Junho! Snap out of it! That monster’s coming straight for us!”
Park Taeyong shook him desperately, but Shin Junho didn’t budge an inch.
“Move, you crazy bastard! If you get eliminated here, what the hell are you going to do? You have to take out Lee Hyunseung so those Hilleon bastards will make you a new arm like they promised!”
At the words Hilleon and lost arm, Shin Junho flinched. His eyes suddenly cleared.
That’s right. I still have hope.
An arm that had never existed from the day he was born. Hilleon had promised that if he completed this mission, they would use their biotechnology to give him a perfect prosthetic—one that would move exactly as he willed it. What if they broke their promise? He had stopped worrying about that long ago. If he didn’t seize this chance now, he would spend the rest of his life trailing behind people like Han Seonggil and Lee Hyunseung who had been born gifted. He would live out his days as a crippled mage, scorned and ignored by everyone.
He was ready to clutch at any straw he could find. It wasn’t that he trusted Hilleon. He simply had no other choice. Without them, he would remain a disabled mage forever, trapped in that miserable position.
I have to do it. Han Seonggil doesn’t matter. I need to turn Lee Hyunseung into a complete wreck no matter what.
What Hilleon demanded was Lee Hyunseung’s mental collapse. They wanted him inflicted with enough psychological damage to completely override the stage’s protective magic, reducing him to a broken shell of a human.
The Spear of Longinus had missed, but there was still a way.
Shin Junho slowly looked down at the Demonic Orb. It was still active, the mana he had poured into it earlier still lingering inside.
If I… if I swallow this…
For a brief moment, he recalled the conversation he had shared with the man presumed to be Hilleon’s team leader.
Deep inside the cave, the Hilleon team leader had spoken to him.
“If you pour a massive amount of mana into the Demonic Orb, you can temporarily use forbidden spells. Of course it will consume some of your life force, but don’t worry about that. It’s not like you’re in any position to be picky, right?”
“…Understood. I already anticipated the life force cost. Just make sure you keep your promise about giving me a new arm.”
“Of course. I swear on Hilleon’s honor. But if you fail to meet our demands, we won’t be able to do anything for you either. Make sure Lee Hyunseung becomes a complete wreck. Turn him into a mute who can’t even speak a single word after the match is over. Got it?”
“But… will I really be able to pull it off?”
When Shin Junho hesitated, the man laughed.
“Don’t worry. With the Demonic Orb, you can use the Spear of Longinus. That alone should be enough to turn him into a broken mess.”
“What if he blocks the Spear of Longinus?”
“Blocks it?” The man burst into roaring laughter. “Puhahaha—! Don’t talk nonsense. There’s no way some mere academy student could possibly block the Spear of Longinus. But if, by some miracle, he does… then swallow the Demonic Orb. Swallowing it will temporarily turn you into a demonic being. It comes with risks, but you’ll gain absurd power. You’ll feel like a god.”
“Are there… any side effects…?”
The man never mentioned that most people who swallowed the Demonic Orb died, unable to withstand its power.
“There are side effects, but nothing life-threatening. If you complete the mission properly, we’ll treat you. I promise.”
Back inside the stage, Shin Junho stared at the Demonic Orb for only a second before he tilted his head back and swallowed it without hesitation.
-Gulp.
The instant the orb went down, a bizarre energy began pouring out of his body.
-Bulge-!
“K-krrrrrrrrgh…”
His blood vessels swelled violently. His entire body turned deathly pale, as if covered in massive blue bruises. He could barely breathe. His body kept expanding and contracting over and over.
-Bulge-!
His frame grotesquely stretched and shrank repeatedly until, finally, Shin Junho’s body had grown nearly twice its original size.
-THUD-!
He staggered for a moment, then looked down at his transformed body. Demonic energy flowed across his skin. Insane power surged through every fiber of his being.
He swung an arm at a nearby tree.
-KWAaaaaaaaang-!
The tree exploded into splinters in an instant.
The rising power. The overwhelming sense that he could do anything. Shin Junho was drunk on pure ecstasy.
From far away, Lee Hyunseung watched the scene unfold.
Is that thing even human anymore?
Shin Junho’s monstrous strength, his massive new size, his grotesque appearance—he no longer looked like a person. He was a demonic being. No, the word monster felt far more appropriate.
He swallowed the Demonic Orb.
Eating the orb granted power, but it temporarily warped the body into something closer to a demonic creature. Most people collapsed under the strain once the effect ended. Even the rare few who survived usually died soon after. The luckiest ones became vegetables. That was why the Demonic Orb was known as an artifact that should never be used or consumed, no matter how much power it offered.
You stupid bastard.
Shin Junho was clearly being used. Lee Hyunseung didn’t need to see the puppet master to know who was pulling the strings. Most people wouldn’t recognize the web of distribution channels and cell organizations involved, but Lee Hyunseung knew. In Broad Academy Online, the only insane group that dealt with Demonic Orbs was Hilleon.
Is this because of me?
There were roughly two reasons he could think of for why Hilleon would go this far. The first possibility was that they were trying to keep Yoo Heeyeon in check. After all, they trembled with hatred at the mere mention of the Artemis Guild. But that theory didn’t hold much water. If they were truly targeting Yoo Heeyeon, it would mean they were willing to go to war with the Artemis Guild.
Which left only one remaining possibility.
Am I the target?
Hilleon was clearly after him. They had even turned Shin Junho into a monster to get to him.
The elimination message still hadn’t appeared. If he got hit by that thing in his current state, he had no idea whether he would actually die or what would happen. His life could genuinely be in danger.
I can’t win. There’s no chance. Not with this pathetic basic weapon. There’s no way I can kill that thing.
Lee Hyunseung’s expression grew grave as he desperately searched for a way to handle the situation.
Artifact:Grudge of the First Knight
Lee Hyunseung looked at the newly completed item, then glanced at Yoo Heeyeon, who was trembling beside him.
If I use that bitch, there might be a chance.
He had no intention of cooperating with her. From now on, he would use her thoroughly for his own survival. Even if her life ended up in danger during the process…
That has nothing to do with me.
Lee Hyunseung began walking toward Yoo Heeyeon with slow, deliberate steps.