Chapter 114: Yoo Hee-yeon’s Despair

“I called you here to inform you of your punishment.”

When Yoo Han-beom spoke, Yoo Hee-yeon responded in disbelief.

“Father, you… you’re calling me to notify me of a punishment? I’ve already been punished enough in solitary confinement before. Why again…?”

“Yoo Hee-yeon. How can you act so shamelessly?”

Yoo Han-beom scattered the documents that had been spread across the desk. These documents contained records of Yoo Hee-yeon’s past actions—how she had manipulated the Blacksmiths’ Association, the friction it caused with the Artemis Guild, and the potential damage estimated from it. Every detail was written in those papers.

“This… this is…”

Yoo Hee-yeon picked up the papers one by one. She could clearly see the words she had spoken, the responses the Hunter Association made because of it, and how much damage Artemis Guild had nearly suffered.

“Ah… Father, this is… I mean…”

Yoo Hee-yeon tried to offer an excuse, but there was no room for one. The entire sequence of events was laid out in detail.

“Yoo Hee-yeon, don’t even think about making excuses. I’ve reviewed this incident multiple times. You were so fixated on insulting Lee Hyun-seung right in front of you, wanting to show off your power and suppress him. In the process, you even tried to steal goods with money. How could you act like that knowing that Artemis Guild was about to set off on an expedition? I can’t understand it. Your foolish actions almost caused the Artemis Guild and blacksmiths across the country to turn against us.”

“I… I’m sorry, Father… I’ll take responsibility for this… no matter what…”

“…”

Yoo Hee-yeon lowered her head deeply and trembled. She had never seen her father’s face look this terrifying. It wasn’t just the anger in his expression that scared her.

It was disappointment.

In his eyes, there was a sense of contempt. And disappointment.

As she mumbled her apologies, Yoo Han-beom spoke again.

“Yoo Hee-yeon, do you know who solved the mess you caused?”

-Startled.

Yoo Hee-yeon was taken aback when she heard the word “solve.”

The documents clearly mentioned that Tak Woo-hyeon was furious, declaring that he would maintain an adversarial relationship with the Artemis Guild. But to think that this anger was extinguished in less than a week—was that even possible?

Yoo Han-beom sighed and continued.

“That person you despise, the one who made you feel inferior, Lee Hyun-seung. He solved this issue. Thanks to him talking to Tak Woo-hyeon, we were able to purchase weapons at a far cheaper price than before. Not only that, but they even promised to provide us with higher-quality weapons. On top of that, we were able to establish a friendly relationship with the Blacksmiths’ Association. In fact, thanks to this incident, we no longer have to worry about the supply of goods. In other words, Lee Hyun-seung turned the disaster you caused into an opportunity.”

“Lee… Lee Hyun-seung solved my mistake…?”

Yoo Hee-yeon couldn’t believe it as she listened. If this situation had continued, Yoo Hee-yeon would have become a traitor to the Artemis Guild.

The reason was simple. If the grudge with the Blacksmiths’ Association had not been resolved and had worsened, the Artemis Guild would have suffered astronomical losses during the expedition. Moreover, the members of Artemis Guild would never be able to get properly made weapons from blacksmiths across the country.

Everyone shares the desire to use high-quality weapons, especially when going into dungeons or combat. If everyone found out that Yoo Hee-yeon had caused the Artemis Guild to be treated unfairly by blacksmiths nationwide, she would never have gotten away with it.

But Lee Hyun-seung solved that problem.

‘Why… why is he… helping me…?’

Lee Hyun-seung. She couldn’t understand. Just recently, he saved her life. And now, he stepped up to solve the enormous mistake she had made, a mistake she created to mock him. Why would he do that? What was his gain?

It had been strange from the start. During the Class Destruction event, when the monsters were causing havoc, he could have just let her die. If he had, Yoo Hee-yeon would have been devoured by the monsters and met a horrific end.

If she had just ignored the situation, it would have been fine. If she had stayed out of it as a third party, Yoo Hee-yeon, who had already fallen from grace in the Guild, would have become the target of everyone’s resentment, and her already shattered authority would have been buried beyond repair.

However, Lee Hyun-seung risked his life to save Yoo Hee-yeon. He didn’t ignore her, but took a proactive role in resolving the situation.

‘He… helped me… there’s no way…?’

Yoo Hee-yeon was confused. She was the one who had branded him as a stalker. She had been the one to use every method possible to make his life difficult. She insulted him in front of many people, looked down on him, ignored him, and did everything she could to tear him down. Calling him a lowly gunman had been part of her daily routine. But why was he helping her now, even after everything she did to him?

“Father. Why would Lee Hyun-seung help me…? I… I’ve only been cruel to him… Why would he help me…?”

Not understanding the situation, Yoo Hee-yeon blurted out her confusion. As expected, Yoo Han-beom’s expression grew darker with each passing moment.

“This is not the time for you to be seeking answers to your curiosity. Thankfully, the situation has been resolved, but the Artemis Guild was on the brink of going to war with the Blacksmiths’ Association or at least having a major confrontation. Do you really not understand how critical this situation was for the Guild? How dangerous it was?”

• Bang!

Yoo Han-beom slammed his hand down on the desk in frustration. It seemed as though Yoo Hee-yeon couldn’t grasp the severity of the situation, nor understand the seriousness of her actions. Instead of apologizing or taking responsibility, she was asking why Lee Hyun-seung had helped her. He couldn’t forgive her, even though she was his daughter.

“Yoo Hee-yeon. The situation may have been resolved, but that doesn’t mean your actions toward Tak Woo-hyeon can just be forgotten. Even though Tak Woo-hyeon let it slide, the grudge against you won’t simply disappear. Go apologize to him. Apologize in a way that will make him believe it. If he demands you bow your head, do it. If he insults you, accept it humbly. You will bear the consequences of your actions that insulted his pride as a craftsman. And then, go and beg for his forgiveness. Go directly to Tak Woo-hyeon, beg for forgiveness, and tell him to punish you for your wrongs. I will make sure he punishes you as he sees fit. Of course, I will impose my own punishment as well.”

Yoo Han-beom wrote something on the documents as he spoke.

“Yoo Hee-yeon. From today, you will no longer be allowed to use your authority as the leader of the Artemis Guild. If you use your connection to me to exert any power, I will treat you as a stranger from that point on. Furthermore, I will demote you to the rank of a regular Guild member.”

Yoo Hee-yeon’s rank had already been lowered from heir to team leader. No matter what, they couldn’t demote someone who had held the position of heir in the Artemis Guild all the way down to the lowest rank. But this time, Yoo Han-beom took a drastic measure. Yoo Hee-yeon was now just an ordinary Guild member, even worse off than before.

“Father… How could you suddenly do this to me… I… I’ll be treated like trash by everyone. I… I already have a low rank as a team leader, but this… being a regular member is just too much… I’ll try harder, please… please…”

“You’re still more concerned with how others see you, even now. There’s no remorse for your actions.”

Yoo Han-beom yelled, and Yoo Hee-yeon began to cry as she spoke.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I’ll accept any punishment you give me. And… I’ll go and beg for forgiveness… please, please don’t be disappointed in me…”

“Disappointed, you say…?”

Yoo Han-beom replied to the crying girl.

“Yoo Hee-yeon. I no longer have any expectations of you. So, don’t worry. There will be no further disappointments.”

Yoo Hee-yeon, hearing those words, was stunned.

“I’m… sorry… really…”

“Leave.”

At Yoo Han-beom’s command, she murmured in a daze and slowly headed for the door.

From behind, the vice guild leader, Bae Gi-young, spoke.

“Guild Master… What will we do if Tak Woo-hyeon demands an excessively harsh punishment…?”

Yoo Han-beom answered firmly.

“Anyone who causes trouble must pay the price for their actions. If he wants a harsh punishment, I will gladly carry it out.”