Academy's Silver Gatekeeper

“Miss! Miss, are you alright?!”

Spurred by the bodyguards’ frantic shouts, Kim Suhyeon finally regained her senses. She’d been lying there in a daze, then suddenly sat bolt upright as if remembering something important.

“E-Examiner! Where’s the Examiner?!”

Her last memory was of him wrapping his arms around her. After that, she had no recollection—just an overwhelming impact and thunderous noise.

“Examiner… Examiner!”

Even though the bodyguards insisted she stay put, she broke free of their attempts to hold her back.

‘Could it be… because of me? Did something happen to him because of me?’

No way, that can’t be. He’s someone amazing. He’s definitely okay. …But what if he isn’t? If my worries are right…?

Is this yet another case of someone getting hurt—or worse—on my account? Someone leaving forever? No, she couldn’t bear the thought anymore. Please, no more. She just wanted it all to stop.

She swayed as she looked for Baek Seojin, who had vanished from sight—

“Look out!”

Almost at the same time as the other bodyguards’ warning, another fireball came hurtling toward them. Instantly, all the bodyguards around Kim Suhyeon jumped in front of her.

Boom—!

The blazing mass shattered, scattering embers and smoke in every direction. From within those flames and black haze, a figure emerged. Seeing it, Kim Suhyeon—and even the bodyguards—were taken aback.

“That was a close call.”

He was clutching the door of the very car they had been riding in, using it as a makeshift shield. How he’d managed to tear it off was unclear, but it was obvious the vehicle’s sturdy build was now being used to block magic attacks.

“Examiner! Are… are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m okay. How about you, Suhyeon—are you alright?”

At that, Kim Suhyeon nodded. She felt overwhelmingly grateful that even in a moment like this, he was worrying about her.

“Miss, you need to get out of here! If you follow the route behind us—”

“No, bodyguards, please don’t move.”

Taken aback by Baek Seojin’s abrupt order, Kim Suhyeon immediately fell still as well.

“What do you mean? Miss Kim’s safety is—”  

“If you try to escape into the crowd, what about the people there?”

Hearing that, the bodyguards glanced around and fell silent.

He was right: the only real escape route was into the crowd of civilians. But that would cause horrific collateral damage if the enemy decided to pursue them. Even if their priority was protecting their charge, they couldn’t bring themselves to endanger so many bystanders.

“It’s better if we hold our ground here.”

“But if something goes wrong—!”  

“Also, who’s to say there aren’t more villains hiding among the civilians?”

“Ah…”

“And can you truly guarantee you’ll be able to protect her in that chaos where you can’t even tell friend from foe?”

In response to that calm but pointed logic, the bodyguards finally complied. They formed up around Kim Suhyeon, watching for villains trying to break through.

“Aah…”

Only then did Kim Suhyeon fully register what was happening. Like the Academy attack before, villains were swarming again from all sides. She remembered how they’d indiscriminately hurt students and faculty, all while searching for her.

“A-ahh!! N-no… no!”

She felt the terror of the Elder returning in full force.

She didn’t know whether these were Elders or not. It didn’t matter. The nightmares from last time devoured her thoughts, every step turning her legs to jelly. The screams echoing around them stabbed at her psyche.

Even when the bodyguards tried to console her—saying it was okay, that there were plenty of people here to defend her—she wouldn’t calm down.

“Haahk! Hhk! Ugh…!”

She began to hyperventilate, her condition only worsening by the second.

“Suhyeon.”

A voice spoke from up ahead. She recognized it as Baek Seojin. When Kim Suhyeon lifted her gaze, he was calling out to her:

“Suhyeon?”  

“Y-yes… E-Examiner…!”  

“Don’t worry. Like last time, I’ll handle everything.”

“But…”

“Then think of this as just another test.”

“A test?”

She repeated the word questioningly, and Baek Seojin offered a small smile.

“Yeah. I’m the ‘Examiner,’ right? Where you’re standing behind me is the place you call ‘Silver,’ and I’m here to stop any ‘students’ who want to get there. Doesn’t that make you feel better? I mean, have you ever seen any student make it to Silver yet?”

“…No. Not one.”

“Exactly. Today won’t be any different.”

Boom—!

Another magic blast came crashing in, and once again, Baek Seojin blocked it head-on. He rolled his shoulders, preparing himself.

He had wondered why things had been so quiet lately.

He sure hadn’t expected to be working overtime here.

The moment he tried to head home, trouble found him—such was the fate of a low-ranking public servant.

He batted aside yet another fireball, scattering bright sparks. The battered car door in his grip proved its worth once more.

‘Are they targeting Kim Suhyeon again? That’s likely.’

He took a moment to survey the area.

Last time, the Elder showed up to abduct Kim Suhyeon personally. If it happened again, that might be the end, because neither Han Jiyoon nor Ma Hakjun was here to help hold them off.

‘Could I handle an Elder now…? Probably not.’

He imagined the outcomes. All of them ended in defeat. Right now, he’d barely manage an A-rank if he went all out.

So, he stayed alert, carefully checking for any sign of an Elder. Thankfully, he didn’t feel that terrifying, needle-like sensation from last time.

No, these guys—led by that one-eyed woman and the big man—were likely the strongest ones here. They were formidable, maybe B-rank or even A-rank, but at least they weren’t Elders.

‘It’s not ideal, but it’s a relief there’s no Elder involved.’

A-ranks aren’t pushovers. Still, they’re more manageable than Elders.

“That axe-wielding maniac again,” muttered the bodyguard leader, stepping forward. He, too, was no slouch, likely the top fighter among the guards.

“Please excuse me,” he said, addressing Baek Seojin. “I saw your news coverage. You must be quite skilled.”

“Nah, I’m just a public servant drowning in overwork.”

“You say that, but the way you use that door as a shield is no joke.”

“Desperation makes you creative,” Baek Seojin joked lightly.

“Anyway, I have one more request, even though we owe you so much.”

“You want me to stay here while you go after that one-eyed woman?”

The man nodded slowly.

“We just need you to hold out until reinforcements come. A few more minutes. Please.”

“An unexpected bit of overtime, huh? Not like you’re paying my salary,” he grumbled.

“We’ll repay this debt someday. I beg you.”

At his nod, the bodyguard leader smiled, shouting, “Hey, you crazy axe freak!” as he charged forward. Off in the distance, the one-eyed woman retorted, “What the—thought I killed you already? Damn musclehead?” Obviously they had a history.

‘Which leaves the rest of us to handle the smaller fry…’

The lesser villains advanced on Kim Suhyeon’s group, with that big, dark man in the lead. Baek Seojin eyed him warily.

Boom—

Again, the man conjured a massive fireball in his hand. He was definitely a magic-type user, yet from his physique, it was clear he was no fragile spellcaster.

“You should die.”

So, he was ignoring everything else, only focusing on finishing them off. Probably he intended to kill Kim Suhyeon now that kidnapping her was impossible. If it meant preventing her from becoming a future threat, he’d do it.

‘Not on my watch. She’s no longer fated to be that dreaded villain.’

She’d be a major ally in the coming catastrophe. They’d saved her from the Elder, so letting her fall to a B-rank baddie now would be insane.

“Don’t spout nonsense, you damn villain.”

He tried to taunt the man, but got no reaction. The big man clearly wasn’t interested in him, just in finishing off Kim Suhyeon.

No chance. The Gatekeeper was still here, with eyes wide open.

- Activating The Third Eye

◎ Silver Gatekeeper 

Trait conditions fulfilled

Trait is now activated  

◎ Overtime

Public servants are always overworked

When Gatekeeper conditions are met, an evaluation is possible even outside the designated location`

Thanks to the sub-trait “Overtime,” there were no more location constraints for the “evaluation.”

They dare ruin my precious off-hours? Fine. I’ll make them pay with a beating!

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