Chapter 4: An Academy Without Lee Hyun-seung [Emptiness]
by AfuhfuihgsBroad Academy assigns classes from A to F based on practical or written exam scores.
Class A is for the top students, while Class F is for those who are the least proficient.
After the incident of Lee Hyunseung’s stalking spread across the campus, the students in Class A openly criticized him, but students in Classes B, C, and D didn’t really take part in such insults.
In fact, Class F went so far as to treat Lee Hyunseung like a hero.
The reason was simple. It was because Yoo Heeyeon had accumulated a lot of bad karma due to her misdeeds.
Yoo Heeyeon, though she got along well with her fellow Class A students, would barely speak to anyone from Class B and below, often ignoring and looking down on them.
Her attitude was well known, and her reputation was notorious.
Because of that, instead of siding with Yoo Heeyeon, many people reveled in her misfortune, pleased that she’d been knocked down a peg.
Few people blamed Lee Hyunseung. However, the top predators of Class A, who benefited from Yoo Heeyeon’s favor, clung to her like bats, kissing up and putting Lee Hyunseung down.
The worst among them was Sung Hyunwook.
During the break, Sung Hyunwook spoke to Yoo Heeyeon.
“Don’t worry too much, Heeyeon. If that bastard tries stalking again, I’ll beat him up so bad he won’t know what hit him. I mean, the guy looks like he’d drop dead if you just poke him.”
Sung Hyunwook was interested in the guild that Yoo Heeyeon’s parents ran.
Artemis was the top guild in the country, with unparalleled power, wealth, and connections.
Even becoming a low-level member of Artemis practically guaranteed a bright future.
Though Sung Hyunwook’s own parents ran a high-ranking guild, it paled in comparison to Artemis.
That’s why Sung Hyunwook stuck to Yoo Heeyeon, flattering her endlessly. Someday, she might inherit Artemis, and when that day came, he could secure a key position for himself.
With a smug expression, Yoo Heeyeon responded.
“I don’t care about a man like that. If anything, all he had was a decent amount of knowledge.”
She laughed as she spoke.
Eventually, class started, and Teacher Jung Yujin addressed the students.
“Today, we’re going to learn about crafting techniques. Basic crafting skills can be used by anyone, but making complex or high-grade items requires the crafting skills of an awakened blacksmith. Particularly, blacksmiths of epic grade or higher are highly valued because…”
The teacher explained various things, and soon asked the class a question.
“That was a simple explanation. Any questions?”
Jung Yujin glanced around the room. But no one raised their hand to speak. Most of the Class A students seemed uninterested, as if they already knew everything and found the topic unimportant.
‘How can it feel so empty… just because that kid isn’t here?’
Lee Hyunseung had always watched every lesson intently, full of curiosity and the desire to learn.
Whenever asked if anyone had questions, he’d fire away with a bunch of them, sometimes even to the point of exhausting the other students.
Yet his questions were always intriguing and compelling.
- “Teacher, if you mix goblin fluid with slime mucus and solidify it, then set it on fire, it causes a strong explosion. Do you know why?”
Lee Hyunseung would always come to class with strange knowledge that no one else had, and often, it felt like he knew more than the teacher herself.
Because of that, Jung Yujin enjoyed their conversations. After all, she loved exploration and research.
‘What’s that kid doing now…?’
Despite being relatively young, Jung Yujin had never been in a relationship.
The reason was simple—there wasn’t anyone who matched her intellectual level. She liked mature, intelligent, and curious men, but none had ever caught her eye.
Now, however, she thought she understood. It only became clear after Lee Hyunseung disappeared.
Jung Yujin realized she might have been interested in Lee Hyunseung.
Since all academy students were adults, such feelings weren’t a problem. However, what startled Jung Yujin was that this was the first time in her life she’d felt this way.
It was the first time she’d missed someone so deeply or felt such a sense of loss when they were gone.
‘If only it weren’t for the Artemis Guild…’
She resented herself for having had to drive Lee Hyunseung away. She had no choice but to comply, powerless to speak up against them.
“Professor?”
Suddenly, a few students called out to her, pulling her back to reality after noticing she had stopped.
Taken aback, Jung Yoo-jin quickly regained her composure and resumed the lesson.
“Sorry, I got lost in thought. Let’s get back to class, shall we?”
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-seung was inside a labyrinth teeming with monsters.
The labyrinth had been explored up to the 12th floor, but no one knew just how deep it went.
The only certainty was that the deeper one went, the stronger the monsters became.
At the moment, Hyun-seung stood on the first floor of the labyrinth, at a dead end.
Sssssss
He began feeling along the walls.
“D*mn… This is the place.”
There was a secret area on the first floor that hadn’t been unlocked yet. Hyun-seung only knew about it because he was a veteran at Broad Academy.
Clack!
As his fingers traced the wall, something clicked, catching his attention.
“Found it. Just like in the game.”
He removed a small brick, revealing a magic circle etched inside.
Crack!
Without hesitation, Hyun-seung bit his finger.
Drip
He let his blood flow into the magic circle.
Fwoosh!
In an instant, the magic circle lit up, pulling him in.
Once inside, grand structures and a single well came into view.
The place where Hyun-seung had been pulled was a hidden spot on the first floor of the labyrinth, known as the Goddess’s Well.
He had come here for one purpose: to acquire a profession.
The Goddess’s Well was a place that allowed one to awaken and gain a profession.
‘In the game, the profession was determined by the offerings.’
When playing Broad Academy Online, cutting a lock of hair and offering it to the Goddess’s Well would grant an epic-tier profession.
Professions were ranked in the order of Common, Rare, Epic, Unique, and Legendary, making even an Epic rank highly desirable. However, Hyun-seung hesitated.
He knew something that no one else did.
The Goddess’s Well didn’t just accept hair as an offering. Any part of the user’s body could be used as a sacrifice. In fact, the bigger the offering, the higher the potential for a better profession.
For example, offering only hair would grant an epic-tier profession, but if one offered both hair and nails, there was a chance of obtaining a profession of a higher rank.
‘A well that gives you a profession based on how much you’re willing to sacrifice…’
However, the profession given was random.
Additionally, this hidden space on the first floor of the labyrinth would disappear once someone either offered a sacrifice to the well or left.
That’s why very few people knew about it. In fact, Hyun-seung was probably the only one aware of its existence since he always monopolized it right at the start of every game cycle.
Hyun-seung hesitated.
‘Equivalent exchange…’
The more one sacrificed, the greater the return.
The chance of obtaining a high-tier profession would increase.
But offerings had to be parts of one’s own body; offering parts from monsters or other people wouldn’t work.
Judging by the fact that hair alone could yield an epic profession, it was easy to predict that cutting off a finger or toe might result in an even better profession.
Gulp
‘Should I just take it easy and quit? As long as I don’t end up with a common-tier profession, even an epic one would be fine…’
There was a high probability of obtaining an epic-tier profession just by offering hair.
If he were to offer nails or cut off a finger or toe, he might get something even rarer.
But the thought of sacrificing parts of his body terrified him.
Once he left this place, any wounds he sustained would heal completely, even if he cut off an arm. But he didn’t have the courage.
‘D*mn it… Do I really need to go this far for revenge?’
The thought of cutting and mutilating his own body filled him with fear. He dreaded the pain.
Drip Drip
Water dripped steadily from the ceiling. Five hours passed. For five hours, Hyun-seung stood frozen, unable to do anything.
If he placed his body parts in the well or left the dungeon, the opportunity would be lost.
He couldn’t bring himself to leave, nor could he take action, standing there consumed by indecision.
‘Maybe I should just offer the hair and… leave with an epic-tier profession…’
Just then, his phone started ringing.
Riiing
It was an unknown number. Given the situation, Hyun-seung hung up immediately.
Riiing
But the phone rang again, this time from a different number.
Click
He rejected the call once more, but the ringing persisted.
Riiing
‘What the hell? Is this someone calling me from multiple phones?’
Sensing something odd, Hyun-seung finally decided to answer the call.
“Hello?”
“Hah… Why the hell aren’t you answering your phone, you f*cker?”
‘What the…?’
As soon as he answered, a sharp, angry voice from a woman he had never heard before hit his ears.
“Who is this?”
“Who am I? You’ve got some nerve asking that! After stalking our Hee-yeon, you have the audacity to play dumb?”
“…Do you know Yoo Hee-yeon?”
He asked in a puzzled voice. Then, a shocking revelation came through the receiver.
“Of course I know her, you piece of sh*t. Hee-yeon is my daughter.”
Shiver
As he listened to the woman’s words, Hyun-seung quietly stared at his arm.
‘Should I… cut it off and offer it?’
Suddenly, an overwhelming impulse surged through him.
Kim Hee wouldn’t know just how much her words were influencing Hyun-seung’s decision at that very moment.
To be continued…
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