Chapter 107: The Price of the Trade

“Why didn’t you just run away? I would have killed you more mercifully.”

Looking at Baek So-yoon, Lee Hyun-seung stared at her as if he couldn’t understand.

‘Why on earth is she here?’

It was normal not to understand. Just a few days ago, wasn’t she the crazy woman who almost killed someone under the guise of a test? Of course, Lee Hyun-seung knew well that Baek So-yoon’s way of thinking was very different from the average person, but that didn’t mean he could understand her actions.

• Ttok

• Ttok

Blood dripped steadily from Baek So-yoon’s arm. From the looks of it, it seemed she had forcefully broken through the barrier set up outside.

‘How did she break it?’

It was common knowledge that if they were entering the academy from Hilleon, they would have set up a barrier. It would have been intended to prevent interference and to conceal their actions from the outside. Unlike the usual weak barriers, this one must have been a powerful one.

‘Was it that strong?’

Lee Hyun-seung reconsidered Baek So-yoon’s power. She seemed much stronger than he initially thought. Wasn’t she weaker than this in the original game? He had thought so, but there were plenty of differences from the original story, so he decided not to think too much about it.

For reference, well-prepared barrier artifacts took a long time to cast, but their durability was incredibly strong. They took 3 to 5 hours to install, but once up, they were solid. The fact that Baek So-yoon could break such a barrier meant she was strong enough to do so.

• Gul-gguk

A dry swallow escaped him. It wasn’t just that Baek So-yoon was strong enough to break the barrier, but he was also wondering how she had figured out the situation so quickly. Excluding the time it took to break the barrier, it seemed like Baek So-yoon had learned of the event almost immediately after it started. How could that be? Perhaps it was a coincidence? Maybe Baek So-yoon was in the Broad Academy for some unrelated reason and happened to break the barrier by accident? No, that was impossible. Why would Baek So-yoon care about the Broad Academy? She didn’t even care when her own subordinates died. Would she really visit a completely unknown academy just by chance? No. It was impossible to believe. Unless, of course, she had been following him.

Baek So-yoon slowly, and with a low breath, spoke to Lee Hyun-seung.

“Hah… found you. What are you doing, wandering around like this?”

‘Shit… was I the target all along?’

His suspicion was confirmed by her words. She had been after him all along.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

Lee Hyun-seung asked, though he was afraid, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. She just smiled and answered.

“I’m not here to kill you. When I want something, I have to get it, no matter what.”

She then reached out and pointed at Son Him-gyeol. Son Him-gyeol, sensing her dangerous aura, couldn’t make the first move and instead watched her carefully, tense.

Regardless, Baek So-yoon completely turned her attention to Lee Hyun-seung and said.

“You’re in a tough spot because of that guy, right? From the looks of it, he’s not going to last long. Should I help you?”

She waited for Lee Hyun-seung’s answer, her face showing intrigue. Lee Hyun-seung, before answering, thought long and hard. How should he respond to her? What would be the right answer? After some contemplation, he finally answered.

“What’s the price?”

“Hoh… I thought someone like you would insist on not accepting help, but you’re not doing that, huh?”

He couldn’t seem weak. He couldn’t afford to seem like he was relying on her because he lacked ability. Baek So-yoon despised people who tried to cling to others, those who lacked confidence.

“It would be foolish not to use the tools at your disposal when you can.”

“Are you crazy?”

Had he gone too far with his bravado? Did mentioning ‘using’ annoy her? Her expression quickly soured.

But thankfully, her expression soon softened.

“If it had been someone else without power saying something like that, I would have killed them. But since you passed my test, a little confidence from you is fine. However, that doesn’t mean I’ll help you without a price. You figured out the price, right? I want you to do something for me. Then I’ll save you.”

Lee Hyun-seung slowly glanced around. The headmaster was probably out by now, trying to save the other students who had fallen, as he had told him to do.

Hileon, even if these bastards weren’t going around killing students, they must have inflicted life-threatening injuries. It’s a group full of lunatics, so torturing people for fun is probably something that happens without difficulty. If any of the F-class members, whom Lee Hyun-seung had worked so hard to nurture, were among the injured, it would be problematic. Because of this, Lee Hyun-seung quickly told the headmaster and instructors to move and treat the injured.

‘I finally created my own faction, I can’t afford to lose even one member carelessly.’

After the class purge, the F-class members had become completely Lee Hyun-seung’s people. He was treated like a hero who saved people from the sudden appearance of a monster in the F-class. At least within F-class, no one mocked or slandered Lee Hyun-seung anymore. Furthermore, their abilities had improved significantly. Kim Yu-ri had awakened as an epic-level mage, and several other members had become quite useful. There were many with high potential, so they would be even more helpful in the future.

‘The problem is my situation right now…’

He had let his guard down. Honestly, he didn’t expect Son Him-kyul to go crazy and even swallow the magic core. Who would risk their life just to kill a single academy student? It was hard to understand, but he had to admit his mistake. He had been arrogantly careless, and now the results were showing. And he couldn’t overcome this situation on his own. However, with Baek So-yun’s help, they might be able to turn things around. If they teamed up against Son Him-kyul, they could probably kill him. But the problem was the ‘price’. What would she demand in return for saving his life? He couldn’t even guess.

“What is the price? Is there anything I can give you?”

Baek So-yun already had money, power, and influence—everything. Therefore, Lee Hyun-seung couldn’t understand what she might want or need. Baek So-yun smiled and answered his question.

“Join the Artemis Guild. That’s the condition. In return, I’ll guarantee you a good position.”

“An academy student joining the Artemis Guild? And receiving a position as well? There would be a lot of backlash. Besides, it’s forbidden to work with a guild before graduation.”

“Just because it’s forbidden doesn’t mean it’s impossible, right? Killing people is a crime. It’s strictly forbidden. But look, you’ve killed dozens, right? There are always exceptions. And most importantly, I’m someone who can create exceptions. I’ll take care of the legal issues and any backlash from others. You just need to decide. If you refuse, I’ll just walk away without doing anything.”

“…”

He hadn’t been planning to join the Artemis Guild. However, there was no answer to this. Joining might be the best option for now.

‘No, maybe this is a good thing.’

Baek So-yun was offering to be his backer within the Artemis Guild. He had been planning to swallow up the entire Artemis Guild to take revenge on Yoo Hee-yeon and Kim Hee-ra. For them, the Artemis Guild was the source of power, the foundation of everything they had.

She was offering him a stepping stone for his revenge, even offering to save his life. He no longer had any reason to refuse.

“I’ll accept the condition.”

Without saying much, she gently touched Lee Hyun-seung’s face with her hand and muttered.

“Let’s get along from now on.”

She then started walking forward, heading toward Son Him-kyul’s direction. Lee Hyun-seung spoke from behind her.

“I’ll support you from behind if you fight in front. I still have plenty of bullets.”

But Baek So-yun shook her head and spoke.

“Is there a need to dirty our hands with two people just to kill a single bug?”

She wrapped her mana around one arm and cast a spell.

[Cursed Life]

As soon as she finished speaking, dark mana surged toward Son Him-kyul.

-BOOM-!

With the sound of something violently exploding, a massive mark appeared on Son Him-kyul’s body. He screamed and struggled.

“You damn b*tch… Yeah, it doesn’t matter if you’re an elder of the Artemis Guild or whatever, you’re going to die just like everyone else…!”

As he screamed and thrust his neck forward.

-CRACK-!

A massive sound of something being cut echoed through the area.