Chapter 133: The lower the superior

“What I want from you is related to these capsules.”

As Yuhanbeom began walking toward him, Lee Hyun-seung instinctively stepped back.

‘F*ck… What the hell are those people inside those capsules? Don’t tell me… he’s planning to stuff me in there too?’

Lee Hyun-seung, having completely misunderstood, became wary. Noticing this quickly, Yuhanbeom began explaining the situation.

“It seems there’s a bit of a misunderstanding. These capsules aren’t the result of some kind of human experimentation. Yes… I suppose it’s more accurate to call them [coffins].”

“Coffins… sir?”

“Yes. Coffins. The people in here are 102 individuals who committed insubordination—basically, a rebellion—within the Artemis Guild.”

“And why did you place those people in capsules…? If they were rebels, wouldn’t it be more than appropriate to burn their bodies and erase them completely?”

“Why preserve them in capsules… perhaps… it was just too hard to let them go. Once the bodies were dealt with too, it would’ve felt like they were really gone from this place.”

Lee Hyun-seung fell silent at the sorrowful expression on Yuhanbeom’s face. After a moment, he asked.

“What was the reason for the insubordination?”

The Artemis Guild’s internal uprising hadn’t been a major event in the original game. It was merely mentioned as a revolt that occurred when some dissatisfied guild members gathered and took action while Yuhanbeom was away.

‘I’m also personally curious.’

Though he sensed Yuhanbeom would eventually explain it without being asked, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

“The reason for the insubordination…”

Yuhanbeom let out a faint sigh and began to speak.

“The uprising happened… because I was foolish.”

“When I was founding and growing the Artemis Guild, I relied heavily on Kim Heera. In the beginning, I had to pour all of my time into getting stronger. I didn’t have the mental energy to manage the guild’s affairs or handle all the auxiliary work. So, I entrusted almost all operational authority to Kim Heera and essentially let her function as a core guild member. Back then, she was the only person I could trust. Over time, she began using the authority she gained—knowingly or unknowingly—to control the Artemis Guild. And after giving birth to my daughter, Yoo Hee-yeon, she went so far as to designate her as my successor. Honestly, I believed that succession should remain within the family, so I turned a blind eye to her actions.”

-Slide

Yuhanbeom stared blankly into space, collecting his breath for a moment before continuing.

“I shouldn’t have ignored it back then.”

In the past. Inside the office of the Artemis Guild Master.

The former Vice Guild Master, Choi Sung-jun, shouted at Yuhanbeom.

“Guild Master, this is absurd! You’re entrusting the successor position to a newborn baby?! I tried to understand Madam Kim Heera taking charge of the guild’s overall operations. I really did. But this? This is too much. Do you not realize how many of us have sacrificed and worked ourselves to the bone for the guild? At the very least… the successor should be chosen from among us—not handed over to a child who’s just been born!”

As the Artemis Guild expanded, the position of successor had always been left vacant. Because of that, many guild members held onto hope that they might one day inherit the role. Fueled by that dream, they gave their all for the guild. But when news broke that Yoo Hee-yeon—a newborn—had been named successor, Choi Sung-jun was furious.

Yuhanbeom looked at him and spoke.

“Choi Sung-jun. I believe I already explained this enough times. I granted Kim Heera the authority to manage the guild. Therefore, as the Vice Guild Master, you have no right to go against her decisions.”

“How could you… How could you do this to us?! You tell us to work like dogs, and we’ve done every filthy task without complaint. We believed we were competing with each other. That even if we could never become like you, we could at least stand beside you. For us, the successor’s position was proof of that possibility. And yet… you hand that role over… not even to one of us, but to a newborn, just because Madam Kim Heera said so?! How can such a crucial matter be decided by her alone?!”

-BOOM-!

Yuhanbeom grabbed Choi Sung-jun by the neck and coldly warned him.

“Choose your words more carefully. If you’re not careful, that kind of statement can be interpreted as rebellion. And rebellion within Artemis… is punished by immediate execution.”

“….”

-Smack-!

Choi Sung-jun slapped away the hand around his neck. Then he spoke.

“If you’re going to kill me, then go ahead. If the reward for working like a dog is death, then how can someone weaker than you even dare to object? Just do what you always do—use us like tools and discard us when you’re done. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

-Grit

Choi Sung-jun clenched his teeth and glared at Yuhanbeom. Then he added.

“The day you saved me… I thought of you as more than just my savior. I thought of you as a father. The successor’s seat isn’t just a trophy to me. It was… the closest place I could reach… to be near you. And you handed it over… just like that…”

At that time, some members of the Artemis Guild were orphans raised by Yuhanbeom himself.

He took in children who had nowhere to go, who had lost their families, and provided them with food, clothing, and shelter. If a child wished, they would begin training. Those who couldn’t endure were released at any time. But those who chose to continue and had the talent—he gave them everything.

Choi Sung-jun was one of those monsters created through this system. To him, Yuhanbeom was the one who showed him the world, who pulled him out of despair.

When tears began to fall from Choi Sung-jun’s eyes, Yuhanbeom turned his head and said:

“Leave.”

“You’ll regret this.”

-BOOM-!

The door closed, and Yoo Han-beom let out a heavy sigh.

“This is difficult… What the hell am I supposed to do…”

He had charged forward relentlessly, all in the name of growing the guild. As a result, the size of the guild had expanded rapidly, but now, managing all these conflicting opinions was unbearably difficult.

Others might have simply crushed the dissent with brute force and threats to never rise again, but Yoo Han-beom couldn’t bring himself to do that to Choi Sung-jun.

He still remembered the look in that kid’s eyes on the day he first picked him up.

– May I… call you father?

– No. I am not your father. Not biologically, nor emotionally.

– If you wish. Since the guild is everything to me, perhaps the title “Guild Master” would feel even closer than “father” in a way.

The poor child abandoned by his parents. The boy who endured cruel training while insisting he could do it—who swore to become someone like Yoo Han-beom. For that man, the position of “successor” was equivalent to earning a status equal to Yoo Han-beom’s own child. That’s why he had always longed to be the successor.

But now, that very position had been stolen—from him, by none other than the newly born Yoo Hee-yeon.

“Haa…”

Yoo Han-beom had a rough understanding of it all. He roughly grasped why Choi Sung-jun was so obsessed with the successor title, and how the unloved boy viewed him. That was exactly why his heart felt so uneasy.

– Shff.

– Shfff.

Yoo Han-beom reviewed various documents. These outlined the procedures required to annul the successor appointment and revert it to a vacant position.

‘After this dungeon expedition… I’ll seriously consider it. I didn’t think he’d feel this strongly… If I revoke an already appointed successor, my authority will take a hit, but…’

‘There’s no helping it… Maybe I’ve gone soft. In the past, I’d have just pushed through without a second thought.’

Though Yoo Han-beom saw people as tools, even he had some who were dear to him.

And Choi Sung-jun was one of them.

After organizing the documents, Yoo Han-beom left for the labyrinth. It was for a training session he had been preparing for a long time.

When Yoo Han-beom returned from the labyrinth, what greeted his eyes was the burning wreckage of the Artemis Guild.

“What… what is this…”

He stood dazed, staring at the outer perimeter of the guild. Then, a guild member ran up to him and shouted.

“Gi-Guild Master! You must flee! Choi Sung-jun and his faction have started a rebellion and they’re trying to kill your daughter—”

– Thwack!

A sharp blade flew through the air and pierced the man mid-sentence.

“Keugh…”

The guild member who had been reporting the situation collapsed before he could finish speaking.

Yoo Han-beom looked toward the direction the sword had come from.

There stood Choi Sung-jun.

Holding Yoo Hee-yeon—who could barely even speak—in his hands.

“Uwaaah… uwahhh!”

Choi Sung-jun looked down at Yoo Hee-yeon and said,

“Don’t cry. I’ll make it painless. This is all because of your mother and father.”

Yoo Han-beom spoke to Choi Sung-jun.

“Don’t do it. Yoo Hee-yeon is my daughter. If you stop now, I’ll forgive you. So, put her down.”

“No. I won’t stop. Wouldn’t that be too unfair? Some people are abandoned the moment they’re born, while others are born with everything, even taking away the only qualification I could ever have. This child… even without the successor title, she’s still your daughter. But when you try to take away even my one salvation… I can’t bear it.”

And then, Choi Sung-jun raised the sword high.

Looking down at Yoo Hee-yeon, he muttered,

“If you want to blame someone, blame your worthless, greedy mother.”

– Whish!

Just as the blade came down—

– Thwack!

– Drip.

– Drip… drip…

Yoo Han-beom had teleported in an instant and stopped the blade with his bare hand.

His blood began to drip onto Yoo Hee-yeon’s cheek.

With a chilling voice, Yoo Han-beom declared,

“From this moment on, Choi Sung-jun, and all those who sided with you, are hereby considered traitors.”

A tremendous surge of mana burst forth from Yoo Han-beom’s hand.

As icy mana engulfed the area, he added,

“You will all be executed on the spot.”