Chapter 131: Unexpected Reaction

-Smack!-

The sound of Kim Heera slapping Yoo Hee-yeon echoed through the hall, and everyone immediately turned toward the direction of the noise.

But since Artemis Guild was full of all sorts of eccentric people, while some were shocked, others looked on with interest.

‘Damn it…’

Kim Heera had acted rashly because Yoo Hee-yeon had uttered something outrageous. As a result, she unintentionally drew excessive attention to herself. Not long ago, Yuhan-beom had warned her to behave, and now causing a scene at an official event like this would definitely not be seen in a good light.

Sure enough, Yuhan-beom’s expression was steadily hardening.

At that moment, Lee Hyun-seung broke the silence.

“Guildmaster Yuhan-beom is speaking. What do you think you’re doing, Madam Kim Heera?”

Now, all eyes turned to Lee Hyun-seung. This time, their reactions were unanimous—shock.

Though Kim Heera had stepped down from her position as the de facto administrator of Artemis Guild, she had until recently held nearly the same authority as Yuhan-beom himself.

And yet, Yuhan-beom had remained silent while Lee Hyun-seung, a newcomer, was openly reprimanding Kim Heera for her behavior. It was shocking, to say the least. Some looked at Lee Hyun-seung with concern, others clicked their tongues as if he were being arrogant, and a few turned to observe Yuhan-beom’s reaction.

The question was—how would Yuhan-beom respond?

Yuhan-beom only lowered his head in silence.

-Grit-

A rare sound of his teeth grinding could be heard.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the hall, Yoo Hee-yeon was focused on something very different from everyone else.

‘Why… why are you… once again…’

Her cheek still stung from the slap, but Yoo Hee-yeon didn’t have the presence of mind to even feel the pain. All of her attention was locked on Lee Hyun-seung.

Kim Heera.

Until recently, she had been one of the top predators in Artemis Guild, someone who could move the Elders with a word. Just one order from her was enough to ruin someone’s life. Within the guild, her authority was so overwhelming that no one dared to challenge her. Even though she’d been stripped of that power now, no one had dared question her behavior.

Yoo Hee-yeon had assumed that she would simply take the slap and move on. It was heartbreaking and humiliating to be slapped in front of thousands, but she had made a thoughtless remark, and more importantly, she knew better than to defy her mother. So, she had decided to endure it in silence.

But then—

Once again, Lee Hyun-seung reached out to her without hesitation.

‘Why… why are you helping me again…?’

She didn’t understand.

Lee Hyun-seung had always said he would drag her down to ruin. That he would take away everything she had. That she would pay the price for falsely accusing him.

That was what he said.

But his actions told a different story.

Aside from a few minor incidents, he had saved her life during the terrorist attack. He even covered up the massive mistake she had made with the Hunter Association. And now, in front of thousands, he stood up and raised his voice against Kim Heera, who still held considerable power.

– What do you think you’re doing?

‘In a situation where he could earn her hatred… why… why did you step up for me…?’

Yoo Hee-yeon, overwhelmed with confusion, finally thought to herself:

‘Was it… because I got slapped…?’

It was impossible not to misunderstand. The timing was just too perfect. The time before, the last time, and now—Lee Hyun-seung always reached out his hand at the most critical moment. At the moments she was most devastated, he would pretend not to care while still offering help.

If nothing had happened, she would have been branded a pathetic loser who couldn’t do anything after being slapped by her own mother. But now, everything had changed.

The moment Lee Hyun-seung pointed out Kim Heera’s behavior, the weird one became Kim Heera herself. A troublemaker who acted out in the middle of Yuhan-beom’s speech. Now the arrows of judgment were aimed at Kim Heera—all because of a single sentence from Lee Hyun-seung.

With just one line, Yoo Hee-yeon, who would have become the laughingstock of the day, was instead seen as the victim of Kim Heera’s outrageous outburst.

‘Even after I treated you so terribly… why do you keep…’

Lee Hyun-seung looked at Kim Heera and thought silently.

‘Kim Heera. What a stupid woman. Giving me such an opportunity from the start.’

He didn’t know why Kim Heera had slapped Yoo Hee-yeon, but to him, this was an incredible chance.

If Kim Heera had slapped Yoo Hee-yeon in a normal setting, he wouldn’t have intervened. Whether Yoo Hee-yeon got hit or not wasn’t his concern. But the reason he stepped in now was simple.

[Yuhan-beom was giving a speech, and Kim Heera interrupted it with a sudden outburst.]

Kim Heera had struck Yoo Hee-yeon so hard that it disrupted Yuhan-beom’s speech and drew everyone’s attention. That alone gave him justification.

Justification to reprimand Kim Heera—under the name of Guildmaster Yuhan-beom.

[Why are you causing a disturbance?]

That kind of question wouldn’t carry weight on its own. But add Yuhan-beom’s name to the sentence, and the meaning changed completely.

[Why are you causing a disturbance during Guildmaster Yuhan-beom’s speech?]

In Artemis Guild, Yuhan-beom was an absolute figure of power, revered like a god. Who would dare question a reprimand tied to his name?

By directly confronting her like this, Kim Heera would have no choice but to back down in front of the entire crowd.

This was a mind game Lee Hyun-seung could win flawlessly. And he wasn’t foolish enough to throw away such an easy, risk-free victory in front of thousands of people.

He looked again at Kim Heera, who was glancing around in confusion, and spoke once more.

“Madam Kim Heera. Guildmaster Yuhan-beom has not yet finished his remarks.”

“You… who do you think you are…!”

Kim Heera was about to say, Who do you think you are to speak to me like that? But then she glanced at the silent Yuhan-beom and swallowed her words.

—Whoosh—

A heavy aura of mana was beginning to spread around Yuhan-beom.

The fact that Yuhan-beom didn’t stop Lee Hyun-seung was proof enough that he, at the very least, agreed with what Lee Hyun-seung was doing.

It was only natural. How long had it been since he’d told her to behave herself, and now she’d slapped her daughter in front of thousands of people? There were limits to how foolish one could act.

—Grit…—

Kim Heera bit her nails and muttered under her breath.

“I… I didn’t mean for it to be like this…”

Admitting her mistake would mean accepting Lee Hyun-seung’s criticism in front of all the guild members. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to acknowledge it, but denying it would also be difficult—especially with Yuhan-beom’s reaction looming over her.

While she wavered in hesitation, unable to do anything—

Yuhan-beom looked at Kim Heera and opened his mouth.

“Why aren’t you answering properly when someone’s speaking to you? I’m curious too. My speech wasn’t over yet. So why did you pull that kind of stunt just now?”

“….”

Kim Heera stayed silent. She had no answer.

—Boom—!

Yuhan-beom slammed his staff hard into the ground, and a massive storm erupted around them.

“Kim Heera. This is an order from the guildmaster. Answer me. Why did you do something like that?”

From Yuhan-beom’s perspective, he could no longer back down. During his inauguration ceremony, with thousands of people in attendance, Kim Heera had suddenly slapped her own daughter. If he let this pass quietly, people would begin to question his authority. For someone like Yuhan-beom, who ruled through overwhelming power, this was the worst-case scenario. That’s why he was unleashing his mana like a madman to apply pressure.

Kim Heera trembled as she spoke.

“I… I’m sorry. I must have gone insane for a moment…”

—Whoooosh—!

As Yuhan-beom swung his staff, a massive ball of mana surged toward Kim Heera. It stopped right in front of her eyes.

—BANG—!

Although the spell itself was halted, the shockwave from it sent everyone nearby flying backward.

“Urgh…”

“Argh…”

Even those standing close by, including Kim Heera herself, had to expend a significant amount of mana just to stay on their feet. But no one dared scream or complain. Even a single cough would feel out of place at a time like this.

In the dead center of the hall, the ball of mana Yuhan-beom had released floated in the air.

He hadn’t even used a proper skill. He had merely released a portion of the mana he could control and moved it around. But the pressure it exerted was enough to overwhelm everyone in the hall.

‘Wow… what kind of monster is this guy…’

Not long ago, Yuhan-beom had sparred briefly with Lee Hyun-seung under the guise of a test. But now, seeing him like this, Lee Hyun-seung realized how much Yuhan-beom had been holding back back then.

—Whoooosh—!

Yuhan-beom dispersed the mana into the air and shouted sternly.

“This is a warning. Anyone who dares act like Kim Heera during an official event will be punished accordingly. As long as you do the work assigned to you, I don’t care what else you do. But know this—understand time and place. Don’t take action you can’t take responsibility for.”

All the guild members broke into a cold sweat and shouted in unison toward Yuhan-beom.

“Understood, Guildmaster!”

“Today’s inauguration ends here. Dismissed.”

At Yuhan-beom’s words, thousands of people immediately began to disperse. In the now-empty hall stood Yoo Hee-yeon, staring blankly at Lee Hyun-seung, along with the Five Elders. And then there was Kim Heera, who stood frozen, unable to move.

“Click.”

Yuhan-beom clicked his tongue as he looked at Kim Heera, casting a scornful gaze in her direction. She seemed like she was about to meet his eyes but then dropped her gaze.

Finally, Yuhan-beom turned his body and walked away. The direction he headed—was Lee Hyun-seung.

—Step
—Step
—Step

Yuhan-beom slowly walked until he stopped in front of Lee Hyun-seung and spoke.

“Let’s have a word. I have something to say about what just happened.”

‘Sh*t… did I overdo it?’

Lee Hyun-seung began to break into a cold sweat, caught off guard by Yuhan-beom’s unexpected reaction.