Academy's Silver Gatekeeper

"I don’t accept this! I refuse to accept it! I’m not even incapacitated!"

"Vice President, calm down and take a look at your injuries. Your nose won’t stop bleeding."

"It's not over yet! My limbs are fine, so how the hell is this a loss?!"

If he was such a hotshot Gold, shouldn’t he at least have the dignity to accept defeat? Getting a double nosebleed—twice, no less—was more than enough proof that he lost.

Jung Yuhyeon tried to charge at me in a fit of rage. But Yoo Dasom, the Student Council Treasurer, had him in a tight grip, holding him back.

"Let go! Let me go, Yoo Dasom! I said, let go!"

"Calm down. If you keep this up, someone’s going to get seriously hurt."

"Damn it! Hey, Yoo Dasom! You hear me?!"

"Loud and clear. But I’m more scared of the President than I am of you. So…"

"Gah?!"

"Stay put, will you?"

At first glance, it looked like a back hug.

But a closer look? It was more like a chokehold.

The sight of a grown man struggling in the grip of a much smaller girl was absurd. Was Jung Yuhyeon just weak? Or was Yoo Dasom oddly strong?

- Activating The Third Eye 

◎ Yoo Dasom

The Angel of the Frontlines

◎ Details:

A person who prioritizes others over herself. Healing abilities increase the closer she gets to the Frontline. Possesses a steadfast spirit.

Yoo Dasom was a support-type Superhuman, specifically a healer—an incredibly rare one. But "Angel of the Frontlines"? And her healing got stronger the closer she was to the battlefield?

Wasn’t she someone who should be protected in the backline? Could she really afford to fight like this?

‘…Oh. Maybe that’s why she trained her physical abilities so much?’

That explained why Jung Yuhyeon was struggling so much.

A Weaponry-type like him, who relied on ambushing from the side or rear while allies distracted the enemy… Versus a support-type like her, who had to be at the frontlines to maximize her abilities.

Naturally, Yoo Dasom was far more likely to face monsters and villains head-on than Jung Yuhyeon. Between the two, it was obvious who had put more effort into physical conditioning.

"Grrr! President! This isn’t right! Cough! That guy’s an outsider! We’re the Academy’s Student Council! This is—ugh!"

Since he couldn’t escape by force, he was trying to talk his way out of it. But Kang Hana let out a deep sigh and stepped forward.

…Shaa—

Cold magic gathered in one of her hands.

"And that’s exactly why I’m letting you off with just this much, Jung Yuhyeon. If you were really part of the Student Council—if you were truly the Vice President—then instead of whining about the match, you’d know when to shut up."

She grabbed him by the collar and muttered in an eerily quiet voice. Her expression practically screamed, ‘Say one more word, and you’ll regret it.’

Even Jung Yuhyeon, who had been barking loudly just moments ago, had no choice but to back down.

"Go home. As I said, you’re on probation. Don’t show your face around the Student Council for a while."

"…Fine."

"Dasom, let him go."

"Got it, Unni. Oh, Vice President, your injuries—"

"Forget it. I’ll handle it myself."

His voice was weak as he walked past Yoo Dasom and Kang Hana. But the moment he passed by me, he shot me a venomous glare.

"You… I’ll make sure—"

"I said, leave."

Idiot. One word from Kang Hana, and he instantly shrank away like a whipped dog. He looked down on Bronzes and Silvers, but the moment he faced someone stronger, he turned into a sniveling coward.

How did someone like him even make it to Vice President? If he were just a department head, I’d understand, but Vice President?

‘…Something about this doesn’t sit right.’

People like him always vow revenge. And in my opinion, Jung Yuhyeon was definitely the type to hold a grudge.

As long as he saw me as beneath him, he would try to crush me. If he couldn’t beat me with skill, he’d resort to underhanded tactics. Maybe he’d even use political pressure.

Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be anything good for me.

"What an embarrassing display."

As I watched Jung Yuhyeon walk away, unease settled in my gut. Then, Kang Hana approached and gave me a slight nod.

"Let me properly introduce myself. I’m Kang Hana, Student Council President and a third-year at the Academy."

- Activating The Third Eye 

◎ Kang Hana

A Flame Within the Ice

◎ Details:

Controls the coldest magic, yet carries a passion hotter than fire. Magic power increases in lower temperatures. Magic weakens temporarily in excessively hot environments. Possesses a steadfast spirit.

Another one with a positive description, like Yoo Dasom.

Well, of course. If she weren’t a decent person, she wouldn’t have put Jung Yuhyeon in his place. If she were anything like him, I would’ve been the one being targeted instead.

"I want to apologize. If the Vice President said anything inappropriate, please understand that his views do not reflect the Student Council as a whole. His words were purely his own."

A clean and decisive disavowal. I could respect that. It was clear she wasn’t fond of Jung Yuhyeon either.

In that case… maybe I could vent just a little?

"That’s a relief. He did make a rather inappropriate comment that left a bad taste in my mouth."

"Inappropriate? What did he say…?"

"He told me I was ‘acting like someone without parents.’"

"…What?"

"Wait, what?"

Kang Hana and Yoo Dasom’s faces twisted in disbelief.

"It’s a real shame for an orphan to hear something like that, isn’t it?"

He knew I was an orphan and still made that remark. That realization left them at a complete loss for words.

Mocking someone who had lost their parents? At this point, cutting ties with him entirely would be more than justified.

"That bastard."

Kang Hana bit her lip in frustration, clearly seething.

From the looks of it, even within the Student Council, Jung Yuhyeon must have been relatively well-behaved. Otherwise, Kang Hana wouldn’t have been so blindsided by this.

I could practically hear the sound of his reputation crumbling.

"I sincerely apologize, Examiner. As Student Council President, I take full responsibility—"

"It’s fine. It annoyed me a bit, but beating him up helped me vent."

At my words, Yoo Dasom suddenly burst into laughter. Was she picturing him with that ridiculous double nosebleed?

"Wait, Examiner, are you injured?"

Following her gaze, I noticed blood soaking through my side.

It had only felt like a light scratch, but I guess the ambush was sharper than I thought.

Yoo Dasom pointed to my side, and when I looked down, I saw blood seeping through my clothes. I had only felt a mild sting and assumed it was a shallow cut. But as expected of an ambush specialist—his attacks had been sharper than I realized.

"Hold on, I’ll heal you right away."

Yoo Dasom stepped closer and placed her hand over the wound. A soft glow flickered, and in an instant, a burning sensation spread through my side. Before I could stop myself, a quiet groan escaped my lips.

"Ah—"

Yoo Dasom smiled.

"It might feel hot or a little painful, but that just means the healing is working well. Don’t worry."

"Amazing. So this is how wounds heal?"

"Wait… Have you never been treated by a support-type before?"

"Probably not. At least, not while I was fully conscious."

At my response, Yoo Dasom made a strange expression. I wasn’t sure why, but Kang Hana, standing beside her, had the same reaction.

Why were they acting like this? Was it such a big deal to have never received healing before?

"Wait, you’re serious? You’ve never been healed by a support-type?"

"Yeah."

"Lies! No way!"

I wasn’t lying. I had never once received healing from a support-type.

Maybe they were wondering if I had gotten treated after getting beaten down by the Elder.

But I had been unconscious the entire time, so I wouldn’t remember even if I had.@@novelbin@@

"With the way you fought in that duel, you must have spent time in real combat!"

"Dasom’s right. Honestly, we both thought you weren’t just a new Examiner. We figured you were originally a field operative who got injured and transferred to a desk job."

I had heard of cases like that before.

When field agents became too injured to continue combat roles, they were sometimes reassigned to administrative positions as compensation.

"But I’m a civil servant, you know?"

"Huh?"

"Oh… that’s true."

It wasn’t uncommon for an injured field agent to be reassigned within their own organization. But someone becoming a government employee without even taking the civil service exam? Impossible.

"Examiner, you really are something else! Could it be that you’re…"

"What?"

"You know, like those secret agents in movies! A hidden government weapon,

trained in the shadows and now pretending to be a normal person while carrying out classified missions!"

A secret government weapon? More like a government slave.

Or maybe the ultimate warrior doomed to battle an endless army of disgruntled citizens.

Beep—

"Unni, it’s time for the Student Council meeting."

"Already? I didn’t realize. Examiner, we’ll be heading out now. See you again soon."

"Sure. But you really don’t have to—"

"We do. We need to make sure the Vice President’s demotion is properly handled. I’ll personally ensure he gets dropped to Bronze."

At Kang Hana’s words, I cheered internally and clapped in my mind.

Welcome back, Jung Yuhyeon. It’s been a while since you breathed Bronze air, hasn’t it? You’ll be here for a long time, so get comfortable.

"…Something seems off, doesn’t it?"

On their way back to the Student Council office, Yoo Dasom spoke up. Kang Hana, walking silently beside her, gave a small nod.

"We didn’t see most of the fight because of the Vice President’s item… But that final move—that wasn’t something a regular Silver-rank Examiner should be capable of."

"Exactly. If he had reacted even a second later, his back would have been skewered."

Student Council Treasurer, Yoo Dasom—support-type, Gold rank. 

Student Council President, Kang Hana—magic-type, Platinum rank.

Both were stronger than Jung Yuhyeon, not weaker. Yet even to them, Baek Seojin’s movements had been extraordinary.

"Could he really be one of those?"

"One of what?"

"What I said earlier. A secret government-trained Superhuman.

Not for handling Gates or monsters, but specifically for dealing with villains."

"…That’s ridiculous."

Kang Hana dismissed it outright.

But she wasn’t entirely convinced.

‘Should I look into it?’

After all, her father was the Clan Master of Tower of Magic, one of South Korea’s top-ranking clans. A powerhouse filled with elite Superhuman. If she wanted, she could ask them to investigate.

‘…No. That would be way too rude. I shouldn’t.’

Shaking her head, Kang Hana continued walking, listening to Yoo Dasom’s chatter.

Still—she couldn’t deny it.

Baek Seojin was becoming more and more intriguing.