Chapter 112: Yoo Hee-yeon’s mistake

As they entered deeper into the Artemis Guild, various luxurious decorations caught their eyes. It was as if the Broad Academy had been moved here. However, the scale of Artemis Guild was overwhelmingly larger.

• Step, step

• Step, step

As they walked a little further, countless Artemis Guild members glanced at Lee Hyun-seung as they passed by. This was only natural. A new face, seen for the first time today, was walking with the respected elder, Baek So-yoon, of the Artemis Guild.

Lee Hyun-seung didn’t particularly mind, though. After walking deeper into the building, they finally reached the office of Yu Han-beom, the Guild Master.

“Guild Master Yu Han-beom. A request for a meeting has come.”

Baek So-yoon spoke, and Yu Han-beom shouted from the other side of the door.

“I’m busy right now. Tell them to come back later.”

Yu Han-beom had been preoccupied with dealing with the aftermath of the terror incident at Broad Academy, along with considering how to respond to the Blacksmiths’ Association. He didn’t have the mental space to entertain a meeting request. There was no real desire or reason to accept it at that moment. But then…

“I will tell Lee Hyun-seung to come back later.”

Baek So-yoon responded, and Yu Han-beom spoke from behind the door.

“Wait, who came to see me?”

“It’s Lee Hyun-seung. As I mentioned before, he’s joining our Artemis Guild as an unofficial member starting today. He came to request a meeting, saying there was something he wanted to say. If you’re busy now, we can arrange it for later.”

“Tell him to come in.”

As soon as Yu Han-beom heard Lee Hyun-seung’s name, his curiosity overtook the stress of his work. Why had Lee Hyun-seung, who had previously declined his invitation, suddenly asked for a meeting?

• Creeeak

The door opened, and Baek So-yoon stood back, waiting. Lee Hyun-seung entered without hesitation.

• Bang!

The door slammed shut behind him. Lee Hyun-seung briefly surveyed the room. For the office of the Guild Master of Artemis, it was rather modest. It was spacious but not lavish. Piles of unsorted paperwork covered Yu Han-beom’s desk.

Among the documents, Lee Hyun-seung noticed several with words related to the Blacksmiths’ Association and the terror incident, which meant Yu Han-beom was still dealing with those problems.

As Lee Hyun-seung looked around, Yu Han-beom spoke.

“Last time, when I offered to scout you, you refused. What made you change your mind?”

Yu Han-beom immediately addressed what had been bothering him. Despite offering power, money, and fame, Lee Hyun-seung had refused to join. So why had he changed his mind, agreeing to join only after Baek So-yoon persuaded him? Baek So-yoon hadn’t provided any clear explanation on this, and Yu Han-beom hadn’t asked her directly, feeling it would be awkward. That’s why he decided to ask Lee Hyun-seung himself when they met.

“When the terror incident occurred at Broad Academy, during the battle, Elder Baek So-yoon saved my life in exchange for my agreement to join the Guild,” Lee Hyun-seung replied.

Yu Han-beom shook his head and spoke.

“Don’t lie. You’re telling me you joined the Guild just because of that?”

“If you don’t believe me, that’s fine, but that’s the truth. The ones who attacked Broad Academy were likely from Hilleon. And the one I fought with was probably a high-ranking member. If it weren’t for Elder Baek So-yoon’s help, I would’ve died. There was no reason or justification to refuse joining the Guild in exchange for saving my life. My life is important to me, too.”

“Hilleon… So you already know about it? Or did you just feel it instinctively during the fight?”

Yu Han-beom asked, his serious expression giving way to a smile as he spoke.

“Regardless of the reason, it’s a good thing. Now that I’m finally talking to you, I see that not only are you fearless in front of me, but you’re also extremely capable. And on top of that, you know how to handle the people around you. Honestly, from my perspective, I’ve wanted to force you into this Guild for some time now. I’m really grateful to Elder Baek So-yoon for this.”

Lee Hyun-seung neither denied nor confirmed his words.

After resolving his curiosity, Yu Han-beom asked another question.

“That aside, what was the reason for your meeting request? Do you have something you want to ask me?”

“Yes. There’s the conflict with the Blacksmiths’ Association, isn’t there?”

“How do you know about that?”

Yu Han-beom had been secretly involved in weapon smuggling, and when he was meeting with Tak Woo-hyeon, he made sure to be cautious to avoid any exposure. So, it surprised him that Lee Hyun-seung had learned about it so quickly.

Lee Hyun-seung thought for a moment.

‘Should I tell the truth?’

He had been in the next room when Yu Han-beom and Tak Woo-hyeon were talking and overheard their conversation. He knew that there was conflict between them.

‘No, it wouldn’t be a good idea to say it like that.’

Telling the truth was one thing, but using such an opportunity in a simple, straightforward way felt like a waste.

Lee Hyun-seung responded.

“I’ve had a connection with Tak Woo-hyeon for some time. He mentioned to me that Artemis Guild had some problems, so I quickly found out about it.”

“Tak Woo-hyeon, the head of the Blacksmiths’ Association? How did you develop a relationship with him?”

“During the class-wide battle at Broad Academy, he offered me a scouting opportunity to join the Blacksmiths’ Association. Of course, I refused at that time. But after that, we kept in touch, and I occasionally asked him to make some weapons. I’ve even received some custom-made weapons from him.”

“Ho… You actually received a custom weapon from Tak Woo-hyeon, the head of the Blacksmiths’ Association? You really think that’s possible?”

Tak Woo-hyeon was someone who was currently at odds with Yu Han-beom, but he had undeniable skill. People all over the country wanted weapons made by him. His hand-crafted weapons were not only high-performing but also exquisitely designed.

However, blacksmiths only had one production slot, and it took a long time to craft high-quality weapons. So, it was natural that you couldn’t just demand or pay for a weapon and expect to receive it. If it weren’t Lee Hyun-seung saying this, Yu Han-beom would have laughed and scolded him for making such a ridiculous claim.

“It’s difficult to go into specifics, but Tak Woo-hyeon and I have a cooperative relationship. I’ve requested around 40 weapons, and he kindly agreed. I distributed those weapons to F-class students who follow me. If you don’t believe me, you can verify it yourself.”

“Ha…”

Finally, Yu Han-beom sighed and expressed his amazement.

At that point, Lee Hyun-seung quickly spoke up before Yu Han-beom could ask any more unnecessary questions.

“Guild Master Yu Han-beom. Are you not thinking of forgiving Tak Woo-hyeon, the head blacksmith?”

Crack

Yu Han-beom glared at Lee Hyun-seung with intense eyes. He spoke coldly, unlike before.

“Tak Woo-hyeon, that man turned the mistake of a single guild member, Yoo Hee-yeon, into a fault of the entire Artemis Guild. Then, he used his influence to persuade blacksmiths nationwide to provide us with weapons of unreasonable prices and quality. In other words, he caused significant damage to the Artemis Guild using his influence. Do you know how much damage we’ve taken from this? Hundreds of millions? Billions? No. Just the losses alone have exceeded several hundred million. To get blacksmiths with influence over the guilds to craft weapons, it could cost astronomical amounts, and we might even leave for expeditions without proper weapons. All of this happened because of that one man, Tak Woo-hyeon. And now, what? Forgiveness?”

Yu Han-beom spoke coldly.

“When the Artemis Guild suffers damage, we retaliate accordingly. This situation was handled the same way.”

After hearing Yu Han-beom’s words, Lee Hyun-seung responded.

“But Yoo Hee-yeon is not just any guild member, is she?”

“What, are you implying that I should overlook this just because she’s my daughter? That’s not reasonable. I personally removed Yoo Hee-yeon from the position of heir. Do you think just because she’s my daughter, I’d give her special treatment? Do you believe it’s acceptable for one person, simply because she’s my daughter, to make blacksmiths all over the country hostile toward us?”

Lee Hyun-seung shook his head.

“No. Guild Master Yu Han-beom, you’re making a huge misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding? Where do you think I’m mistaken?”

“Yoo Hee-yeon was manipulating Tak Woo-hyeon when she was still in the position of heir.”

Flinch

Yu Han-beom looked at Lee Hyun-seung in shock.

“What are you saying? Tak Woo-hyeon clearly said this happened a few days ago.”

“No. I must have failed to explain it properly in the chaos. Yoo Hee-yeon was manipulating Tak Woo-hyeon before the class-wide battle. That is, when she was still in the position of heir.”

Once Lee Hyun-seung finished speaking, Yu Han-beom stared blankly into space for a moment. Then he asked:

“How do you know this…? Is this information certain?”

“It’s certain. Because I was there when Yoo Hee-yeon was manipulating Tak Woo-hyeon.”

Crack!

Yu Han-beom crushed the pen in his hand, the plastic shattering under his grip. He suppressed the fury bubbling inside him and spoke to Lee Hyun-seung.

“Can you… tell me more about that?”