Proven Innocence
BANG!
A chilling gunshot tore through the chamber.
The axe-wielding man, Pung Do-seok, lifted his weapon without concern to block the bullet Lee Hyunseung had fired. Watching it fly toward him, he could only snicker inwardly. 'Let's see if a pathetic gun like that can even scratch me.'
In Broad Academy Online, those who had awakened—people with meaningful classes—possessed class-specific effects or the basic mana granted to them. This allowed them to wield mana for all kinds of spells. And it wasn't limited to magic alone; they could use it for reinforcement as well.
Whoosh.
In an instant, Pung Do-seok concentrated mana into both the axe in his grip and his hand. His hand gained explosive speed while the axe itself became impossibly hard and durable. He was certain he could block any bullet with ease.
But his prediction missed by a mile.
Crunch.
"Huh...?"
The bullet didn't just pierce straight through his axe—it continued on and tore through his shoulder as well.
"Aaaaaaaaagh—!"
Clang.
Pung Do-seok dropped his axe and rolled across the floor, screaming in agony.
"Fuck! It hurts! It fucking hurts! Aaaargh!"
Tears poured down his face as he thrashed wildly. His shoulder blade had been completely shattered. He hadn't even been braced for the impact.
Foolishly, Pung Do-seok had believed his axe could stop the bullet. No, honestly, that was the rational assumption. In this world, a regular bullet punching through mana-reinforced steel was as absurd as trying to smash a boulder with an egg.
"You... you goddamn bastard!"
The swordsman behind him, Yang Him-chan, raised his blade and prepared to charge. But Jeong Eunseo standing beside him had no intention of allowing it.
Hummmmm.
Mana flowed from the staff in Jeong Eunseo's hands. She spoke to Yang Him-chan in a flat voice.
"Move and I'll attack. Stay right where you are."
"...."
Yang Him-chan tried to gauge the girl's power in a single glance. The staff she carried was clearly high-grade. The mana radiating from it was anything but ordinary.
Jeong Eunseo the Mage possessed an S-class magic specialization by anyone's measure. Her exact grade was difficult to pinpoint, but it was certainly Epic or higher.
'Fuck... Why the hell are monsters like these on the first floor of the Labyrinth?'
Yang Him-chan had no choice but to retreat.
BANG!
Another gunshot split the air.
"Grrrrrrghhhhh...."
Pung Do-seok continued rolling across the ground, howling in mindless pain.
Step. Step.
Lee Hyunseung walked forward until he stood directly over the man.
A strange feeling stirred inside him. He had just shot someone and inflicted a serious wound, yet he felt no fear, no trembling, no guilt—nothing at all. Was it because a gun attacked from a distance instead of stabbing like a blade? Because this was a world based on a game? Or was rage simply drowning out every other thought?
It didn't matter which.
With ice-cold eyes, Lee Hyunseung looked down at Pung Do-seok.
"Repeat exactly what you two were saying earlier. Something about stalking?"
"Grghhhh...."
Pung Do-seok could only sob in pain, unable to properly register the words.
Click!
The sound of a round being chambered made Pung Do-seok react on pure instinct. He scrambled across the floor like a desperate insect.
"P-please stop, please! It hurts too much... Stop, I beg you...!"
His mangled arm dragged uselessly behind him as he crawled like a worm, eyes wide with terror, begging for mercy.
Lee Hyunseung stared down with open contempt.
"Why? Earlier you were mocking me, calling me a worthless gunslinger, saying bullets were useless, treating me like trash. So why the sudden change of heart? You said you'd kill me, right? Go ahead. I'm standing right here."
"I... I didn't know... Please forgive me..."
His mouth offered apologies, but inside Pung Do-seok burned with resentment. The person pointing a pistol at him was unmistakably a gunslinger. Not only that, one using a basic weapon. How could a gunslinger who couldn't even wield mana possess this kind of power? How could anyone have predicted it?
'I don't know what he did to it, but that gun is definitely not ordinary.'
He suspected the pistol that looked like a standard sidearm was actually some powerful artifact. Otherwise the scene before him made no sense.
'If I can just get close and land one hit...'
Gunslingers were known to have terrible physical stats. That was obvious. As a long-range class, their bodies were weaker than other professions in nearly every way. So Pung Do-seok calculated that while the attack power was monstrous, the durability had to be low. If he could find a single opening, he could flip the situation.
"I-I'll talk... My voice... it's not working well... If you come closer..."
Curled up, he tried to lure Lee Hyunseung into striking range.
Lee Hyunseung stepped right up to him.
"The person who gave me the order was..."
The moment Lee Hyunseung was close enough, Pung Do-seok kicked off the ground and lunged.
"It was your mom who ordered me, you fucking piece of shit!"
BANG!
But Lee Hyunseung had been waiting. The bullet tore straight through the man's thigh.
"Ugh... grghk...."
The pain was so overwhelming Pung Do-seok couldn't even form words. His body shook violently.
"Sorry... t-that was... just a joke..."
"A joke? Don't make me laugh."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
After several more gunshots, Pung Do-seok's body finally went limp and stopped moving.
"Hiiiiiik...."
Yang Him-chan watched in horror, breath caught in his throat.
Lee Hyunseung turned and walked toward him.
"Hey. You look confused about the current situation. Let me explain it nicely. You said you stalked Yoo Heeyeon and planted her phone in a classmate's desk, right? Because of that, my life was ruined. That person is me."
"W-what are you saying...?"
Yang Him-chan trembled as he asked. Lee Hyunseung narrowed his eyes in irritation.
"Because of the phone you bastards hid in that drawer, I was branded a stalker, treated like vermin by my entire class, and my life was destroyed. That pathetic fucker is me, you goddamn bastard."
Yang Him-chan rubbed his hands together at Lee Hyunseung's feet.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know it would turn out like this. Please spare my life! I'll do anything, just let me live!"
Staring at Pung Do-seok's corpse, Yang Him-chan couldn't even consider resistance. He begged desperately for his life.
"Just answer one question. Why me? Out of all those people, why put the phone in my drawer? I've never done anything to deserve someone's grudge. No matter how I think about it, I can't understand. I can't even guess who would do something so vile or why."
"I-it wasn't targeted... We just shoved it into the first drawer we saw. Our boss said it didn't matter who, just pin the crime on someone..."
Lee Hyunseung suddenly burst into laughter. He laughed like a madman.
"So the reason I, who was just living quietly, became a complete wreck in a single moment... was just bad luck? Fuck..."
His hand gripping the gun shook with rage.
"Do you have any idea how hard I worked to live quietly in this worthless body? The humiliating things I did to build relationships with people, to score high on written exams? I even endured the pain of having my arm and legs torn off. And as if that wasn't enough, with a suspension on my record, whether my innocence is proven or not, I can never enter the Magic Tower. How are you going to make up for that?"
"I-I'll give you all my money..."
"Money? Did you just say money? How much could you possibly have? I've been treated like academy trash and my entire future is blocked off. How much money do you think can fix that?"
"I-I'm sorry..."
Click!
Lee Hyunseung chambered another round. Yang Him-chan shook uncontrollably.
"P-please calm down... We were ordered to do it! We had no choice!"
Lee Hyunseung pressed the barrel against Yang Him-chan's head.
"I understand you were ordered. That's why I'm asking which son of a bitch gave the order. Who do you work for? Answer."
Yang Him-chan swallowed hard.
"Hi... Hilleon... People call our organization... H-Hilleon."
It was the exact moment Jeong Eunseo—who would soon enroll in the academy and wield tremendous influence—witnessed Lee Hyunseung's innocence being proven right beside her.