Academy's Silver Gatekeeper

Maybe it was the duel with Jung Yuhyeon, but exhaustion crashed over me.

Earlier, a ridiculous number of students had flooded in, and I hadn’t even gotten a break. Just when I had finally caught my breath, that incident happened.

Well, in the end, I had put an arrogant elitist in his place and kicked him down to Bronze. That was satisfying.

The problem was that now I had to keep doing evaluations, with no time to rest before the end of my shift.

‘That was tough.’

Now I could kind of see why that guy was drowning in his superiority complex.

The moment we clashed, I knew—Gold-rank was on another level. Stronger than Park Junwoo, stronger than those thug students, and even a step above Lee Hyunwoo.

His movements were precise and efficient. He knew how to utilize his items strategically. His strikes targeted only vital points—cold, calculated, and lethal.

He was still a student, but he could already be classified as a B-rank Superhuman.

Even with my Silver Gatekeeper trait and my Sole Examiner trait working at full efficiency, that duel had been anything but easy.

If it weren’t for my previous encounter with an Elder, it would have been much harder.

Ironically, getting beaten to a pulp by that monster ended up helping me.

The speed, the power, the sheer brutality. After surviving that, Jung Yuhyeon’s attacks felt manageable in comparison.

If I hadn’t had that experience, adapting to his combat style would have taken much longer.

‘Wait… why is it so quiet?’

Just earlier, students had been lining up in droves for evaluations. Now, not a single one was left.

At first, I thought classes were still ongoing, so I looked around the Academy.

Nope.

The hallways were packed with students, chatting away. Some were even getting their rank evaluations from assistant examiners.

I thought, Maybe there aren’t any more Silver candidates today?

But that wasn’t the case either.

I could see an assistant examiner conducting a Silver rank evaluation right now. At least five students were still waiting in line behind them.

Did they not realize I was available?

I went back to my seat and waited.

Nobody came.

Two students did approach—

But the moment they saw me, they blurted out, "Oh! Sorry! Wrong place!" and scurried off.

‘What the hell is going on?’

I sat there, waiting, dumbfounded.

Ten minutes passed.

Thirty minutes.

An hour.

Still, no one.

I checked the time.

Only thirty minutes left until I clocked out.

Normally, that would have had me celebrating.

No overtime, no late shifts—just a clean exit at the end of the day. That was the one good thing about this government-assigned post.

But today, for some reason, something felt… off.

"Examiner."

A small, hesitant voice.

But I had heard it enough times by now to recognize it instantly.

"Suhyeon."

Kim Suhyeon glanced around nervously before stepping closer.

Her Third Eye trait still showed the same as before—A Genius Consumed by Inferiority.

I hadn’t expected that to change overnight.

Still, I had held onto a tiny bit of hope.

"Where is everyone?"

Did she really have to point it out?

"Yeah. There were tons of students earlier, but now they’re all gone. No idea why."

"Actually… I think I might know the reason."

She hesitated.

I gave her a look that said, Go on.

"Well… I overheard some students saying that getting evaluated by you is…"

"That it’s what?"

"…A waste."

"A waste?"

What kind of nonsense was that?

"Yeah. They said that all the other examiners just pass students with minimal effort. But you’re so strict that nobody gets promoted, so they’d rather go to someone else."

I was at a complete loss for words.

I didn’t do anything wrong! I was just doing my job properly!

If they wanted to pass so easily, why even have a rank evaluation in the first place? Wasn’t the whole point to determine who was actually ready?!

"Are you sure they really said that? That they’d rather avoid me altogether?"

I grabbed Kim Suhyeon’s shoulders, pressing for answers.

Maybe she misheard. Maybe it was just a small group of students.

"No… I think most of them feel that way."

I groaned.

This was bad.

Even after conducting dozens of evaluations today, my Gatekeeper trait hadn’t registered a new advancement requirement.

I had assumed there would always be a steady stream of students coming in. There were plenty of Bronzes who needed to rank up to Silver, after all.

The Academy staff also conducted evaluations, but their priority was teaching,

so I had expected more than half of the students to come to me.

But now?

With them deliberately avoiding me, my own growth was at risk.

Lee Hyunwoo and Kim Suhyeon would keep progressing, sure. But what about me?

I had already faced Han Jiyoon, Ma Hakjun, Kang Minseong, Irina—And even that Elder, one of the most terrifying villains out there.

I had to keep growing stronger.

I had already done too much. Made too many enemies. There was no turning back.

Should I start going easy on them?

No.

That wasn’t an option.

The Gatekeeper trait was literally about blocking promotions. If I went against that, I would only be hurting myself in the long run.

‘At least I’ve got one guaranteed Bronze who has no choice but to take my evaluation.’

Jung Yuhyeon.

That bastard wasn’t passing anytime soon.

Making a joke like that in front of a Korean? That was beyond crossing the line.

"Wait! Hold on! Examiner, is that… is that blood?!"

Kim Suhyeon’s panicked voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I sighed and glanced down at my side.

Oh. Right.

Yoo Dasom had healed me, but my clothes were still covered in dried blood.

"You’re injured?! What happened?! Is it bad?! We need to get you to the infirmary—"

"It’s fine. I already got treated. Look."

To prove it, I pressed down hard on my side.

Kim Suhyeon gasped.

"Seriously, it’s healed. I just haven’t changed my clothes yet."

"But how did you get hurt?! Wait… did this happen during an evaluation?"

"Not exactly. I was sparring with a student, and—"

Damn. I shouldn’t have said that.

The moment I stopped talking, her eyes widened.

"A duel? With who? Who did this to you?"

"It’s really nothing. Just a small—"

"Tell me. Who was it?"

Somehow, Kim Suhyeon's voice was growing colder.

And was it just my imagination, or were her eyes… glimmering red?

‘Am I imagining things?’

I tried to brush it off.

I repeatedly reassured Kim Suhyeon that it was nothing. That she didn’t need to worry.

But unlike her usual self, she wouldn't drop it.

She insisted.

Who had done it? Who was responsible for my injury? She demanded an answer.

‘I can’t keep dodging this.’

I was already worried about her development.

And with the situation with Jung Yuhyeon, I figured it was best to be honest with her.

"The Student Council’s Vice President. I think his name was Jung Yuhyeon? I sparred with him."

"Jung Yuhyeon. The Vice President."

Even as I said it, I wondered if this was a mistake.

But there was no taking it back now.

What’s done is done.

"Why did you duel him?"

"There was a disagreement, and we couldn’t resolve it with words. So, we settled it with a match."

"And the result…?"

"What do you think? Suhyeon, do you think I won? Or do you think I lost?"

The Student Council, even at the lowest level, was at least Gold-ranked.

Not a newly promoted Silver, but a fully recognized Gold.

Yet, Kim Suhyeon didn’t hesitate for even a second.

"Examiner, you definitely won."

I wasn't her family. I wasn’t her lover. But she had unwavering confidence in me.

And that… was oddly comforting.

"So? Was I right?"

"Yeah. Obviously, I won."

"Of course!" she grinned.

I was about to tell her how I had beaten him, but then—

I slipped up.

"That bastard said I ‘looked like an orphan.’ So I—"

Damn it.

I shouldn’t have said that.

I had heard it from Kang Minseong.

Kim Suhyeon lost her mother when she was young.

Her mother had been a superhuman—a hero—who died fighting villains.

And now, here I was, casually mentioning that in front of her.

"What… what did you just say, Examiner?"

"'Looked like an orphan,'" she repeated, her voice chilling.

"Ah, well… you know… Since I don’t have parents, I guess he thought it was funny."

Kim Suhyeon’s eyes darkened.

No. Not just darkened.

They glowed.

A deep, burning red.

- Activating The Third Eye 

◎ Kim Suhyeon

A Genius Consumed by Inferiority

◎ Details

All abilities are temporarily reduced. Prolonged inferiority could result in permanent power loss. Improper development could lead to catastrophic consequences.

◎ Alert

A Seed has been Planted.

Seed Type - Wrath.

I screwed up.

I seriously, seriously screwed up.

***

Grit—

Jung Yuhyeon ground his teeth, stuffing tissues into his nose as he seethed.

He had been pacing angrily for a while now, barely able to contain himself.

Then, finally, he yanked out his phone.

"Hyung. No need for small talk. I need a favor."

His voice was sharp, his breath ragged.

"Take care of someone for me. I’ll pay."

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Jung Yuhyeon exhaled sharply.

"I'll give you a share of my stake. That should be enough, right? Just get rid of him completely."

"...No, I’m not saying you have to kill him."

"Break him. Cripple him. Bury him socially, make sure he can’t recover. Whatever works."

Another pause.

The voice on the other end said something that made Jung Yuhyeon's expression twist.

His lips curled into a sneer.

"...Fine. Frame him for something. Throw a girl at him, accuse him of assault, whatever."

"Just make sure he disappears from my sight."

"I'm serious. Take the deal, and I'll transfer the shares."

Click.

He ended the call and tossed his phone onto the couch.

Then, tilting his head back, he let out a slow, shuddering breath.

At first, he had thought about letting it slide.

But that bastard had humiliated him.

There was no walking away from this.

Lesser beings must be crushed.

That was the rule.

Understanding was weakness. Mercy was a joke. Sympathy was poison.

Crush them. Break them. Make them kneel.

His grandfather had told him that once.

And Jung Yuhyeon never forgot his lessons.

"Baek Seojin, Baek Seojin, Baek Seojin…."

That orphaned filth.

That miserable, pathetic nobody.

He had dared to challenge him?

He had dared to defy him?

No.

That bastard was going to learn what happens to people like him.

Jung Yuhyeon would make sure of it.

Yuyu: Some people just don't know when to rest 🤦