Curiosity and Fascination
The First Elder of the Artemis Guild, Baek Soyun, had her sights set on the successor's seat. It wasn't because she craved power or the tangled web of influence that came with it. She simply knew that the higher she climbed, the fewer restrictions would bind her actions and the fewer people would dare interfere. If she became successor, all the better. If not, it couldn't be helped. That was her stance.
She hadn't joined the Artemis Guild for any grand reason either. In the past, while wandering through dungeons, she had crossed paths with Yoo Hanbeom. Living as a scavenger who survived by raiding others, she had attacked him to steal from him.
"Pathetic. Why attack when the gap between us is this obvious?"
"Kill me. I've lost anyway."
"No. It would be a waste to kill you. Come under my command instead."
Even before she had fully mastered her powers, Yoo Hanbeom had already reached near the pinnacle. Naturally, she was overwhelmingly defeated. He forgave her ambush and brought her into the Artemis Guild on the condition that she serve him. To him, Baek Soyun was an uncut gem with extraordinary growth potential. Yoo Hanbeom was the type to use anyone if they had value, even someone who had tried to kill him.
"You're joining the guild rather easily. I thought you'd refuse."
She had accepted not merely because he offered to spare her life. What truly drew her in was curiosity. What kind of place was a guild run by someone as powerful as Yoo Hanbeom?
'How boring.'
The Artemis Guild was nothing like she had imagined. Occasionally, a few madmen appeared and provided fleeting amusement, but even that quickly grew stale. Everyone here, except Yoo Hanbeom, was a coward. They avoided fighting those stronger than themselves and only picked battles they were certain to win. Even those who hadn't started that way grew more reluctant to take risks the more power and possessions they accumulated.
'Tedious.'
Baek Soyun was growing weary of the guild when a boy caught Yoo Hanbeom's attention.
'Lee Hyunseung?'
Yoo Hanbeom had begun mentioning him from time to time. Baek Soyun couldn't contain her curiosity. The interest Yoo Hanbeom showed in the boy seemed even greater than what he had displayed when he first noticed her.
She looked up some basic information on Lee Hyunseung.
'Hmm... What makes this man so special that Yoo Hanbeom is this interested?'
At first, it was simple curiosity. Just how strong must he be for Yoo Hanbeom to pay him this much attention? She watched footage of Lee Hyunseung's performance in the F-class Annihilation Match.
"Oh...?"
Objectively speaking, the Lee Hyunseung fighting in the video was still far weaker than her. But there was something to consider.
'He certainly has talent.'
More than six years had passed since Baek Soyun awakened. Lee Hyunseung, on the other hand, had awakened less than half a year ago. Judging by the movements shown in the footage, his growth rate could only be described as monstrous.
'Hmm... But he seems too soft.'
His abilities themselves weren't bad. In fact, they were quite exceptional. Even Baek Soyun couldn't confidently say she would have become that strong within six months if she had returned to her pre-awakening state. The problem wasn't his power. It was his heart. He seemed indifferent to those around him, yet he looked after them. He crushed his enemies without mercy, yet showed them compassion.
'Interesting.'
At times he seemed like a heartless psychopath, at others like someone overflowing with empathy. He was impossible to pin down. He didn't bow to power, didn't seem to care whether someone was stronger or weaker than him, and didn't appear bothered even when his opponents resorted to dirty tricks like external artifacts.
She couldn't put it into words, but something about Lee Hyunseung's behavior felt off. It was like watching a man who carefully avoided stepping on ants while walking down the street suddenly snap a rabbit's neck in the forest and eat it raw because he was hungry. Wasn't that jarring?
To Baek Soyun, Lee Hyunseung was exactly that kind of person. He could tear people apart with bullets and torture them by drilling holes into their bodies without blinking, yet turn around and protect his allies with that same cruelty. 'What a ridiculous man. He holds grudges, yet he's also cold about it.'
He was different from Yoo Hanbeom, who treated everyone as tools. From that moment on, Baek Soyun grew curious about Lee Hyunseung.
'Lee Hyunseung, was it...? I want to know more about him.'
Then Yoo Hanbeom made a shocking offer.
"If you bring Lee Hyunseung into the guild, I'll grant him the qualifications of an Elder as well. With six Elders in total, we should be able to secure at least four votes somehow."
Her curiosity intensified. What kind of man was he? What made him so special that Yoo Hanbeom was desperate enough to scout him by offering an Elder's voting rights?
'Hmm... If I'm curious, I might as well find out myself.'
With a proper excuse now in hand, Baek Soyun set out to meet him, driven more by her interest in Lee Hyunseung the person than by any desire for the successor's seat. When she visited Broad Academy to find him, she saw Lee Hyunseung helping an old woman collect scrap paper.
"I'm sorry. I've been busy with various things lately and haven't been able to help. Starting today, I'll have time again, so I'll assist you once more."
She found herself laughing without realizing it.
'Pfft.'
'What on earth is he doing?'
She had also watched the battle between A-class and F-class. What kind of person had Lee Hyunseung shown himself to be there? He had broken Yoo Heeyeon's foot, the daughter of the Artemis Guild Leader, and beaten her mercilessly. He had even used the demonized Shin Junho as bait, then later riddled his body with holes and shot people in the head without hesitation. And now he was doing volunteer work afterward? Did that even make sense?
'Ah... I wanted to observe him a little longer, but I can't hold back anymore.'
She wanted to know what he was thinking, what principles guided his actions. So she decided to give him a rather violent greeting.
Shing.
The moment they met, she pressed a blade to Lee Hyunseung's neck. She was certain he would be terrified. People with too much empathy and weak wills were usually cowards. Seeing him help the old woman earlier, she had assumed he must be soft as well.
But her expectations were wrong.
"Why did you come looking for me? I don't believe I've done anything to offend you."
His reaction was neither surprise, fear, terror, anger, nor killing intent. It was an eerie calmness. How could anyone remain so composed in a situation where life and death hung in the balance? Such a person shouldn't exist. Unless they were a sociopath with no emotions at all.
After seeing his response, she wanted to test him even more. So she teased him a little before making her offer. If he could block one attack, she would let him live. Lee Hyunseung didn't refuse or make excuses. He immediately moved his hand to his gun.
'I might like him more than I thought.'
His confident reaction was genuinely appealing. The confidence of the capable carried a sweet fragrance. Even better was his utter composure.
'Ah...'
Watching him assess the situation so calmly and act decisively even when death was a possibility made her want to applaud. A thrilling current began to run through her body.
'It isn't just bravado, is it? It had better not be.'
Even the incompetent could put on airs. The type Baek Soyun despised most were those who lacked ability yet were full of confidence, arrogance, and pretense. Even if they truly believed in their own greatness, without the power to back it up, it was nothing but an inflated ego.
She wondered if he possessed the ability to match his confidence.
'Should I use about twenty percent of my strength...? He'll probably die at that level. But he needs to handle at least that much to qualify as my type. Hmm... I suppose it can't be helped.'
An ordinary person, especially someone who had awakened less than six months ago, could never block an attack from Baek Soyun at twenty percent power. But she had a strange feeling that Lee Hyunseung might be different.
'Haah... What do I do if he dies? I finally found someone interesting after so long...'
She had never intended to kill him, but if he failed to block the attack and died, it would be unfortunate yet unavoidable. Thinking this, she smiled chillingly and raised her dagger.
'Don't die, kid.'
In that instant, an enormous amount of mana began pouring from Baek Soyun's hand, completely enveloping her dagger. The tip of the blade, now coated in ominous mana, was aimed directly at Lee Hyunseung's forehead.