Academy's Silver Gatekeeper

Just like during yesterday’s exam, I posed the same question to Lee Hyunwoo again.

I asked what he would do if, as a Weaponry-type, he could no longer wield his sword. I asked if he would crumble just like other Weaponry-types who get knocked around when their weapons are taken away.

Maybe he hadn’t fully understood it yesterday, but by now, Lee Hyunwoo must have caught on that I was deliberately targeting his sword.

He isn’t just good at working hard. His combat instincts are remarkable. He can figure out the flow of a battle, along with his opponent’s intentions, all in a single glance. The guy is the main character, so he has talent plus hard work on top of that.

Now I wondered how this extraordinary student would read my intentions and respond…

Fwoosh—!

“Is he out of his mind?”

I never imagined he would respond this way. When I kept interfering with his sword wielding, he reversed the situation by throwing the sword itself.

That wasn’t a tiny dagger like the ones Jung Yuhyeon used. One swing of that thing could easily chop off a person’s arms or legs. Having such a weapon flying at you at high speed would scare anyone.

“Ugh!”

I barely dodged the sword, and I saw Lee Hyunwoo charging at me. I thought he would aim another body blow, or perhaps go for a strike like last time.

He suddenly ducked low and drove in even farther before I realized what he was doing.

“A takedown? Did he decide to grapple instead?”

Lee Hyunwoo was a dual-type in Weaponry and Martial Arts. Most of his fighting style seemed to revolve around strikes, so I assumed he would fight in-fighting or out-fighting. 

TN: Infighting: A close-range boxing style focused on short punches, pressure, and inside positioning. 

Outfighting: A long-range boxing style emphasizing jabs, movement, and distance control. Both are boxing terms. I think MC surprised because Hyunwoo decided to grapple instead.

“Haaaah!”

He grabbed my legs and pushed relentlessly.

If I got taken down, he would mount me for sure.

My mind briefly went blank. I had no idea how to escape. I couldn’t afford to lose here.

“No. Don’t panic. I just need a single solution.”

That realization cleared my head. I needed to figure out one way to break out of this situation.

“Hup!”

Right before Lee Hyunwoo could complete the takedown, I launched my body forward.

It was obvious that he hadn’t practiced grappling for very long. Otherwise, I never could have escaped that. It was a surprising attack I didn’t see coming, but it wasn’t fatally threatening.

“Ah… it almost worked.”

Lee Hyunwoo bit his lip with a regretful look on his face. Maybe that had been his secret trump card for today’s exam.

I targeted the weak point of a Weaponry-type, so he turned that idea against me. He didn’t just throw his weapon as an attack; by discarding a crucial piece of gear, he caught me off guard and created an opening.

He was still lacking in skill, so I managed to react in time. Later on, he would pull it off without leaving a gap.

“Is that your only trick?”

“No way. There’s more. You’d better watch yourself, Examiner.”

I just smiled at his words because I could see through it.

If he really had more up his sleeve, he wouldn’t be rolling his eyes, trying to figure out how to pick up his sword.

I showed him there was no chance by stepping on the weapon.

“Ah.”

He realized I had caught on that he was out of moves. Would he just surrender like other students did?

Or else…

“Fine, here goes nothing!”

Yes, that’s exactly what Lee Hyunwoo would do. That’s how a protagonist behaves.

I could see every move he had in store, so I only had to block them. He lunged forward with great energy, so I slipped past his punch and gave him a light uppercut to the chin. I aimed to subdue him gently, making sure not to hurt him.

Thunk—

“Guh.”

It must have landed pretty cleanly because he staggered and fell over. He was already cutting it close. He truly was something else for a student.

“Lee Hyunwoo, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I just went a little blank for a second. Don’t worry about it.”

I was reminded of how dangerous uppercuts can be.

Even hitting him softly was enough to knock him down.

“Wow, seriously… Examiner, how did you slip out of that takedown?”

“You tried to fully tackle me at the last moment, so I hurled my body forward. You’re still learning, so there was a gap. I escaped through that.”

“Right, I guess practicing for one day doesn’t cut it. I guess YouTube videos have their limits…”

Is this guy nuts? He expected to master a takedown in a single day of practice by just watching YouTube?

The more jaw-dropping fact was that he almost succeeded.

At the same level, or even at typical Silver rank, most would have been taken down without any chance to defend. If not for my trait, he might have mounted me.

“What a monster.”

He was using a sword a moment ago, then he tossed it aside. He fought with striking, then switched to grappling for a decisive takedown. He could destroy an opponent’s core any time. Realistically, other Awakeners would freak out if they saw a style like that.

Clap, clap, clap—

“That was quite impressive. Both of you are really amazing.”

A sudden voice made Lee Hyunwoo turn and scan the area with a “Huh?” I waved to the newcomer instead of following his lead.

“Welcome, Kang Hana. Should I call you Student Council President?”

“Use whatever you’re comfortable with. I don’t mind.”

She stepped closer and sized up Lee Hyunwoo at a glance. Her gaze was clearly one of assessment, from head to toe.

“…Excuse me, underclassman, what’s your name?”

“Huh? Ah, I’m Lee Hyunwoo.”

“Lee Hyunwoo. Good to meet you. I’m Kang Hana, 3rd year.”

She extended her hand, and he gave her a wary look before returning the handshake.

I recalled that in the original story, Kang Hana served as the damage-dealer in Lee Hyunwoo’s party.

She was an upper-level Mage-type, known for her immense talent in ice magic.

“That was a very memorable exam you just had. I can’t believe a Weaponry-type would use the sword as misdirection.”

It must have looked fascinating from her perspective. Usually, Weaponry-types guard their weapons at all costs, but Lee Hyunwoo had turned his sword into a trap, startling me and searching for an opening.

It was absurd, but also totally fresh.

“You’re a very promising underclassman. Work even harder. The more people like you, the quicker the monsters disappear, and the more villains we can wipe out.”

She ended the conversation with Lee Hyunwoo on that note. I could guess what she meant. She was telling him politely to excuse himself so she could talk to me alone.

Luckily, Lee Hyunwoo wasn’t the oblivious type.

“Then I’ll get going now, Examiner. I’ll challenge you again tomorrow.”

That works well for me and for him too. Part of me wanted to say we could do it again right now.

The Academy’s exam rules only allow one exam per day. That protects both the student and the examiner.

If I broke that rule, I’d be disciplined, followed by a massive scolding. They’d tell me not to treat government regulations lightly, and ask why I bothered being a civil servant if I was going to break rules like that.

“You’d better brace yourself, Examiner! I’ll be even tougher tomorrow!”

Lee Hyunwoo yelled as he left toward the main building.

He was still a Bronze right now, mocked for his single-minded hard work, but he would grow rapidly. Even without my No Pain No Gain Trait, that was his fate.

“Ahem.”

Kang Hana cleared her throat to get my attention.

“You’ve gone through a lot, haven’t you, Examiner? It must be tough dealing with someone like that.”

“Yeah. I was more surprised today than I was by yesterday’s match.”

I threw a subtle remark about the Student Council Vice President, Jung Yuhyeon, but she showed no reaction beyond agreeing it was understandable. She clearly held no fondness for him.

“I’m sorry if I startled you by stopping by so suddenly. I arrived a bit earlier, but you were in the middle of a really intense exam, and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

After saying that, she cleared her throat again, like she was about to discuss the real reason she came.

“As you know, I demoted the Vice President, Jung Yuhyeon, to Bronze. I told you I would take care of it.”

“I heard. I trusted in you, and you lived up to it, President.”

“Thanks, but I didn’t come here for compliments.”

She watched me carefully before continuing.

“Are you alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about Jung Yuhyeon. I heard that the condition was for him to retake the exam strictly under you. He can’t leave Bronze unless you approve him.”

“Couldn’t he just ignore that and ask someone else to do the exam?”

She shook her head.

“It’s the opposite. He’ll be aiming specifically to test under you, no matter what. He wants to win at all costs and absolutely crush you.”

“You seem certain.”

“Yes. We’ve been in the same grade and worked together in the Student Council, but I know he’s not a good person.”

It was a relief. I worried she might defend him, but the protagonist’s party is usually made up of people who have the right instincts.

“What do you know about him?”

“Only that he’s the Vice President, a Weaponry-type, currently Bronze, and in third year.”

“He’s also the third grandson of the Honorary Chairman of the Jinhan Group.”

That sounded annoying. He has a powerful backer. Jinhan Group was a decently sized corporate entity.

“His pride is so extreme that his values have become twisted. It’s basically a superiority complex.”

It felt like she had a Third Eye of her own, because her reading of his personality was spot on.

“He got beaten by someone he considered beneath him. He’s going to pay you back somehow. He’ll make certain that you’re the one proctoring him next time so he can tear you apart.”

“That sounds good to me. I laid down that condition on purpose.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

She asked me cautiously. When I didn’t respond right away, she hurried to add more.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not looking down on you, I’m just…”

“I know you’re worried, so there’s no need to be so flustered.”

“A… alright, then. Anyway, even though his personality stinks, he really does have skills. He was complacent in your first fight, or maybe he didn’t take it seriously enough. He’ll be different next time. He’ll get downright vicious.”

Nothing is more vicious than the Elder, though. I just nodded, signaling she didn’t need to worry.

“Examiner.”

She stared at me for a moment, looking strangely curious.

“You’re not… some special agent, right?”

I’m just a low-ranking civil servant on temporary dispatch.

TN: Well, our MC has a stronger backer hahaha.