Chapter 108: The Calm Before the Storm

-Seoggeok-!

With a chilling sound, the man’s neck was lightly severed.

“Kehek… Kehek….”

Son Him-gyeol clutched his neck in agony. Baek So-yoon watched him with a smile, clearly enjoying the sight.

“I told you, didn’t I? Not to mess with me. Why didn’t you listen?”

Whoo-oom!

Son Him-gyeol swung his hand to strike Baek So-yoon, but she easily dodged. His face grew paler, and his movements began to slow.

[Curse of Life]

This was a curse-type spell used by Baek So-yoon. Once the curse hit the target, any subsequent damage would drain their life force rapidly. It was an overpowered magic, but the number of times it could be used in a lifetime was limited. While there was no immediate penalty, it was a magic that had to be used at the right moment, knowing that it couldn’t be used freely.

Baek So-yoon didn’t use it because she thought she would be at a disadvantage in this battle with the man in front of her. She had cast the curse simply as retaliation for Son Him-gyeol daring to harm someone she cared about, to make his death as painful as possible.

Swish

Baek So-yoon drew a dagger and lunged at Son Him-gyeol.

“You… b*stard…”

Despite the pain, Son Him-gyeol tried to defend himself with the tentacles behind him. Around twenty tentacles surged towards Baek So-yoon.

Seoggeok

Seoggeok

Without hesitation, Baek So-yoon severed the tentacles. As they were cut, they split, and the acidic liquid inside began to spill out.

Chiiiiiik

The acidic liquid splashed onto Baek So-yoon’s body, but she ignored it and continued to cut through the tentacles.

Ten, twenty, thirty, fifty. The tentacles kept splitting, but their division didn’t last long.

“Kkhh….”

The pain from the [Curse of Life] was too much for Son Him-gyeol. Each time a tentacle was severed, he suffered intense pain. With each cut, a huge portion of his life force drained away. By the time over a hundred tentacles had split, he was overwhelmed by shock and lost consciousness. Yet, Baek So-yoon didn’t stop swinging her sword.

Seoggeok!

The tentacles of the now unconscious man no longer split, and Baek So-yoon sliced through every one of them. Watching this, Lee Hyun-seung thought to himself.

“F*ck… Is she really breaking him down like this?”

Acidic liquid that melts human skin? She just took it head-on, and the splitting tentacles? She sliced through them like it was nothing, causing shock? If it had gone wrong, he could have been the one to suffer, dealing with immense pain and risk. But Baek So-yoon carried out the process with no tension, as if it were just another routine task.

Swish

She approached the fallen Son Him-gyeol and raised her dagger, severing his neck.

Seoggeok!

His head and body were separated. The tentacles on his back disappeared.

“Feels like there’s a foul energy coming off him.”

Baek So-yoon muttered to herself before piercing Son Him-gyeol’s abdomen with her hand. After a moment, she withdrew her hand, revealing a ‘Magic Core’ attached to it.

“Hmm….”

Baek So-yoon gazed at the core for a while before smiling and slipping it into her pocket. She then walked towards Lee Hyun-seung, her footsteps heavy.

“Didn’t we make a promise? You know what happens if you don’t keep it, right?”

Lee Hyun-seung nodded quietly, and with a satisfied look, she made her way out.

Thud

Lee Hyun-seung collapsed to the ground. Looking around, he saw the corpses of the invaders from Hilleon scattered across the floor, and the academy’s interior was drenched in blood, as if a war had taken place.

Tap-tap-tap-tap

The sound of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

“Hyun-seung, are you okay?!”

The academy’s president, the instructors, and even Jeong Eun-seo, startled by the tremendous vibrations and Baek So-yoon breaking through the barrier, rushed toward Lee Hyun-seung. Jeong Eun-seo must have insisted on coming, despite the warnings from others that it was too dangerous.

Swish

He had won. He had survived. The thought passed through his mind, and his tension began to melt away. Lee Hyun-seung collapsed onto the ground.

“Hyun-seung!”

Jeong Eun-seo hurriedly checked on Lee Hyun-seung’s condition. He was burning with fever, his whole body like a furnace. She was worried, wondering if he had been injured during the fight, or if this was the aftereffect of being hit by an enemy.

Whoo

Jeong Eun-seo used magic to assess his physical condition. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like there were any serious issues.

At that moment, the students who had been hiding also emerged. The president, the instructors, and the students—all of them were stunned at the scene before them.

One student quietly spoke.

“W-What is this…?”

Dozens of bodies were scattered around. There were even disturbing men, covered in tentacles, resembling monsters. It wasn’t just one or two of these grotesque beings; there were dozens lying lifeless. They were all part of the same group, and it seemed like Lee Hyun-seung had fought them all by himself.

“Y-You’re saying Hyun-seung killed all of them by himself…?”

When the numbered guild members from Hilleon first appeared, everyone inside the academy had fled in fear of their strength. Many were injured or had lost limbs while attempting to escape. The people there knew all too well how powerful the invaders were—brutal criminals with overwhelming power. Yet, the gunslinger had single-handedly wiped them all out.

“…”

Not only the students from F-class but also those from A-class were staring at Lee Hyun-seung. Among them was Yoo Hee-yeon, too.

‘Lee Hyun-seung… once again…’

Once again, he had sacrificed himself to protect others. It wasn’t a situation that required him to fight. Everyone had fled. Even if one more person had run, it wouldn’t have mattered. But he still picked up his gun and stepped into the battlefield—and won. If he hadn’t stopped them, the damage inside would have been catastrophic. Of course, Yoo Hee-yeon didn’t know that his original target had been Lee Hyun-seung, so she thought this way.

‘….’

Yoo Hee-yeon’s expression grew troubled, her face hardening.

Artemis Guild Headquarters.