Chapter 94: True Education

Broad Academy outskirts

Hilleon’s executive, Son Him-gyeol, was standing by outside, preparing for any potential situations.

• Ziiing

Behind them, a mana barrier was set up to prevent any external interference. The mana barrier was created using a

high-grade artifact found within Hilleon. Outside the Broad Academy, not only was it impossible to see what was

happening inside, but intrusion was also unfeasible. This was all part of the strategy to eliminate any external

factors.

At that moment, one of Son Him-gyeol’s subordinates asked him a question.

“Boss, are we really going to go through with this? If we’re not careful, we might provoke a war with Artemis…”

As the subordinate spoke anxiously, Son Him-gyeol recalled his conversation with the leader of Hilleon, Bae Nam-gyu.

• This… I’ll make sure to handle it, no matter what.
• If you fail, it’s not just the end. You won’t die peacefully. No, you’ll wish for death.

Recalling the conversation with Bae Nam-gyu, Son Him-gyeol felt a cold shiver run down his spine. His body trembled uncontrollably. The fear felt as if his limbs had gone numb.

If he didn’t handle this properly, Bae Nam-gyu would keep him alive to be tortured. He’d go through both physical

and mental agony to the point where he would beg for death, and eventually, his limbs would be torn apart, leaving

him to die. Son Him-gyeol knew how cruel Bae Nam-gyu could be. He never forgave those who caused him harm. He

had seen firsthand how those who betrayed or caused significant damage were punished.

• Brrr

Just thinking about it made his whole body tremble. He even considered fleeing, but it was impossible. Escaping from Bae Nam-gyu was simply out of the question. His only chance for survival was to resolve this situation.

“Failing to handle this means death anyway.”

At the moment, the possibility of a war with Artemis wasn’t his concern. It wasn’t his problem. He wasn’t worried about the future. The only thing that mattered was surviving now, even if it meant using every method at his disposal.

Then, Son Him-gyeol added,

“If I can resolve this well, maybe I can keep my life.”

He thought, killing just one academy student wasn’t a big deal. If he quickly killed that person and got out, Broad Academy wouldn’t go out of their way to investigate some mysterious group.

If he successfully killed Lee Hyun-seung, the person suspected of the stalking incidents would be dead, and there would be no need for detailed mana analysis. He wouldn’t have to worry about dying at Bae Nam-gyu’s hands.

• Crack

He gritted his teeth and muttered,

“Failure is not an option.”

Then,

A wireless signal was transmitted from one of Hilleon’s guild members.

• Target found.

Son Him-gyeol smiled coldly and responded quickly.

“Kill them immediately. Do whatever you want—tear them apart, I don’t care—just make sure they die.”

A reply came back.

• Will proceed with immediate execution.

Broad Academy was enormous in scale, and the internal space was vast. One of those vast areas…

Inside Broad Academy, Lee Hyun-seung coldly spoke,

“Those words will be your last.”

After saying that, Lee Hyun-seung checked the handgun he was carrying.

[Epic] Worn-out Pistol

▶ It is an ordinary worn-out pistol with no special features.

▶ A total of 15 rounds are loaded.

▶ It increases the Magic stat by 3.

An epic-grade pistol. Not bad. Unlike the unique-grade pistol he carried during the class annihilation event, this one

was epic, but it still had the magic stat boost. Additionally, after the class annihilation event, Lee Hyun-seung had

been quietly preparing various magazines and consumables, storing them in case of unexpected situations.

Lee Hyun-seung quickly pulled a white sphere from his pocket. He threw it on the ground.

Boom!

The sphere exploded instantly, spreading smoke in all directions. He could have used a smoke grenade to spread the

smoke, but Lee Hyun-seung didn’t do that. If he had, he would have temporarily lost the ability to use a magazine

with physical attack capabilities. Right now, he used a smoke sphere to conceal his position while the magical bullet

magazine was loaded in his gun. He aimed the pistol at the masked opponent.

The man muttered in disbelief.

“Is this what a mere academy student is trying to do? Do you think your attacks will even reach me?”

They didn’t know exactly what Lee Hyun-seung had done inside the stage. They had only been ordered to kill him

before his Mana-intensive analysis would expose them. Once Lee Hyun-seung was dead, the investigation would be

halted, and there would be no repercussions from Guild Master Hilleon. They assumed the job would go smoothly.

After all, how strong could a mere student be?

Bang!

However, with Lee Hyun-seung’s first attack, the masked man realized how arrogant he had been.

Crack!

“110,000…”

Lee Hyun-seung’s magical bullet pierced the man’s right arm. The skin around the entry wound was decaying, almost as if the flesh itself was rotting like a dying tree.

“What… is this…?”

The unimaginable power left him questioning if this was even possible for a marksman.

The man scanned his surroundings. He was checking if there were any other buffers supporting the marksman. But there was no one.

That meant Lee Hyun-seung was generating all of this power on his own.

‘That ominous energy… It’s indistinguishable from pure magic.’

Magic. A step above Mana, capable of melting and decaying everything it touches. It was a terrifying power, often possessed by monsters.

“What’s wrong? Did you get scared after just one hit?”

Inside the smoke-filled room, Lee Hyun-seung’s position was entirely hidden. But somehow, he knew exactly where the man was, and aimed his gun at the man’s torso.

Bang!

Whoosh!

The bullet Lee Hyun-seung fired flew straight toward the man. The man barely managed to turn his body, dodging the bullet. Or so he thought.

Drip…

This time, the bullet hit his left arm. After taking one hit, his response was delayed. His body felt sluggish, and he

began to feel as though his movements were becoming heavier. Was this the effect of magic corroding his body? He

didn’t know. But one thing was clear: if he took one more bullet, survival would be impossible.

He thought of it as hunting. Just hunting prey. But his perception was wrong. This was a battle. A fierce battle for survival. Lee Hyun-seung wasn’t the prey; he was the predator.

Zing!

Lee Hyun-seung observed the silhouette of the man through the smoke. He could clearly see the man’s face even in

the foggy interior. This was possible because Lee Hyun-seung had designed a thermal camera to attach to his face.

After several battles, he had wondered if there was a way to gain the upper hand without needing to rely solely on his

pistol. The combination of smoke spheres and the thermal camera had become his solution.

The thermal camera could detect the opponent’s body temperature, making it possible to pinpoint their location even in dense smoke. With this combination of tactics and his status as a marksman, he could conceal his position while always knowing the enemy’s location. It created a hugely advantageous battlefield.

Bang!

Shhh-

Upon hearing the gunshot, the man desperately ducked, hoping, praying that the bullet would miss. Fortunately, the bullet did indeed pass him by. But this wasn’t due to any skillful evasion.

The bullet was so fast that it arrived just as the sound of the shot was heard. It wasn’t an evasion based on skill. It was pure luck.

“Dammit… I never said I was this strong…!”

• Tremble

The man’s eyes shook as he looked at his decaying hand.

‘Where is he now… where is he attacking from…’

The man turned his head in fear. Every nerve in his body was on edge, and goosebumps rose all over him. He was

scared, terrified. He didn’t want to admit that he was feeling such emotions because of an academy student, but now

he had to accept that he was afraid.

“Damn you, gun-wielding bastard! Show yourself! Stop hiding cowardly and come out!”

But Lee Hyun-seung didn’t respond at all.

Thinking there was no chance of winning in a fight, the man tried to provoke him.

“Figures, you stalker bastard. Hiding behind like a coward. Even if we hadn’t caused this trouble, with your nature, I’m sure you’ve done something filthy before. So don’t act like you’re innocent.”

His opponent was a gun mage. He figured if he could provoke him into close combat, there was a chance for him. He provoked him, but then—

• Boom!

Suddenly, a loud cracking sound rang out from the smoke, and Lee Hyun-seung’s new model appeared before him.

“You idiot. I guess you’re young if you fall for such a pathetic taunt…”

The man began to speak as he immediately tried to crush Lee Hyun-seung’s face with his hand. He thought that if he killed the man, the provocation he’d just uttered would be forgotten, lost in memory. But then—

• Crack!

“Ugh…?”

The outstretched hand was precisely struck by Lee Hyun-seung’s pistol, knocking it off with a clean hit. At the same time, the hand fell off from his arm.

“Ugh…khaaaaagh!”

• Drip

The man screamed as blood poured from his severed arm. Lee Hyun-seung calmly walked toward him, staring down at the man as he spoke coldly.

“You came from Hilleon, didn’t you?”

“Y-You think I’d tell you something like that…?”

• Boom!

“Cough!”

Lee Hyun-seung grabbed the man’s face and slammed it into the ground, then spoke again.

“If you want to stay alive, you better talk straight.”

After a brief pause, Lee Hyun-seung added,

“Never mind. Talk when you’re ready.”

He nonchalantly aimed the gun at the man, who was now crawling on the ground.

“W-wait… what… what are you planning to do…?”

The man’s face was turning pale as he stared at Lee Hyun-seung.