Academy's Silver Gatekeeper

Chapter 9

Sssss—

A man with a ghostly appearance emerged from the darkness. Seeing him, Hyun Sujin immediately stood up and approached.

Crunch—!

Black shadows writhed and grabbed the man by the collar.

"Hey, Kwak Hyuk. What the hell are you doing right now?" 

"…." 

"Are you kidding me? I was holding off Han Jiyoon, and our guys were keeping Ma Hakjun occupied. Your job was simple—just grab one damn kid and get out. Got it?"  

"…."  

"And yet, you failed. Seriously, do you think this is a joke? Huh?"

Hyun Sujin's anger was more than justified.

Two Elders had mobilized just to kidnap a single Academy student. She personally took on the greatest threat, S-rank superhuman Han Jiyoon. Meanwhile, their team had successfully pinned down the troublesome Ma Hakjun.

With all obstacles out of the way, failure should have been impossible. There was no one strong enough to stop Kwak Hyuk. Even if there was, he could have bulldozed through them. Failure shouldn't have been an option at all.

Crack—!

More black shadows surged, growing denser, as if they would engulf the man at any moment.

"…Hyun Sujin."

Yet, Kwak Hyuk neither gasped nor flinched in pain. He merely spoke her name in a calm, unaffected voice.

"I had my reasons."  

"…Ha!"

It was ridiculous. So ridiculous that she wanted to kill him on the spot. But he was an Elder, like herself. Fighting within their ranks was something to avoid.

Besides, if they truly fought, not even Hyun Sujin could guarantee victory. Their abilities were similar in level, and their compatibility favored him in combat.

"Alright. Let’s hear what kind of excuse the infamous 'Spear Phantom' has."

The black shadows quickly retreated behind Hyun Sujin. Kwak Hyuk scratched his throat before speaking slowly.

"A man stood in my way."  

"Of course, someone got in your way. A professor? Or maybe a security officer! Huuuh... Are you talking about that old man Ma Hakjun?"  

"No. Not him. Someone else."  

"Then who?"  

"He called himself an examiner."  

"An examiner?"  

"Yes."  

"So what? He got in your way. Then, so what?"

Hyun Sujin's frustration was reaching its peak. This mission was too important.

"He survived my spear. Twice."  

"…What?"

For a moment, she thought she had misheard him. The words coming out of his mouth were too shocking.

"You're joking."  

"I'm not."  

"I'm saying it's ridiculous. An examiner? Those government officers sent to the Academy? They're barely on par with the instructors there. And you're telling me one of those idiots survived your spear—twice?"  

"I'm just stating facts."  

"Be honest. Did you really go all out? Or were you just messing around?"

At her mocking tone, a strange glint flickered in Kwak Hyuk's eyes. That single change in his gaze was enough to shift the entire atmosphere.

"I have never once held back when wielding my spear."  

"…Fine. That was out of line. My bad."

Everyone had a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Since she knew her own, she could imagine how it felt to have his crossed. Raising both hands, Hyun Sujin offered an apology.

"Let's go over this again. I took care of Han Jiyoon. Our guys handled Ma Hakjun. You went to secure the target."  

"Correct."  

"Then this examiner blocked your way. You swung your spear like usual, sent him flying, and assumed he was dead?"  

"Exactly."  

"But then he got back up. And after you knocked him away again, he got up a second time?"

Kwak Hyuk nodded without hesitation.

"…Ha!"

Even thinking about it again, it sounded like utter nonsense. Yet coming from Kwak Hyuk, it wasn’t a lie.

There was no exaggeration or understatement. He only reported things exactly as they were. Hyun Sujin knew this about him, and it made her head throb.

‘This doesn’t make sense. Maybe if he’d just been stabbed, but to get hit by Kwak Hyuk’s spear shaft and survive? A normal superhuman's body should have been torn apart instantly. And yet, some examiner with no real combat experience survived not once, but twice?’

There was only one type of person who could withstand an Elder's direct attack.

‘An S-rank…’

Hyun Sujin's thoughts were racing.

He called himself an examiner.  

His rank and affiliation didn’t matter as much as the fact that he was a government employee.

‘No way… Did they actually go through with that experiment? Did they succeed and plant him as an examiner inside the Academy?’

It was no secret that villains had their eyes on the Academy. The only reason they hadn’t attacked in full force before was the Academy's powerful defenses and the villains’ own lack of cooperation. But the government might have prepared for such a scenario.

‘Those bastards… They actually carried out that cursed experiment!’

Clenching her teeth, a dark aura oozed from Hyun Sujin’s body. It was enough to make anyone watching shiver in fear. It was the usual reaction whenever someone touched on her sore spot.

"So what now?"  

"…What do you mean?"  

"Are we going after the Academy again? Or changing tactics for securing the target?"

At his question, Hyun Sujin flashed a bright smile and responded.

"Are you insane? Have you lost your mind?"

They'd already stirred up a hornet's nest. The Academy now knew their target was Kim Suhyeon. If they struck again, it would be like sticking their heads into a tiger's mouth.

"I heard 'that person' arrived at the Academy."  

"…."  

"Can you handle her? That crazy blonde?"

As soon as news of the Academy attack broke, the highest level of firepower was deployed.

Among South Korea's S-rank superhumans, she was undoubtedly the strongest. Even on a global scale, she ranked among the top-tier US-ranks. Even Elders found facing her head-on an unappealing prospect.

"Damn it. Why couldn’t her parents just stay in their own country instead of immigrating here?"

"She considers herself Korean."

"With that blonde hair and blue eyes? Yeah, right."

Irritated, Hyun Sujin scratched her head and bit her lip.

‘I need to investigate that examiner first. If, by any chance, he really did survive that experiment…’

There were only two possible outcomes—recruit him or eliminate him. Between the two, Hyun Sujin secretly hoped for the first option.

*

"Fortunately, there are no major injuries. No damage to bones or internal organs either. It's quite surprising how stable the patient's condition is. Hmm… I think you can be discharged in about three days."

Doctor, what do you mean? Discharge? Already? Why are you doing this to me? This isn’t fair! I got hit by an Elder!

I was hoping to stay in bed for about a month. I could get it classified as an on-duty injury. After all, I did fight back against the villains who invaded. It would make for a good story. A perfect opportunity to enjoy some legitimate paid sick leave…

"I heard you’re getting discharged. Since your body's in perfect condition, your assignment at the Academy as an examiner is still in place. Don’t complain to me. It’s an order from above, so just follow it quietly."

That’s what my old-fashioned boss said when he came to visit. I couldn’t tell if he came out of concern or just to stress me out.

Thanks to him, I was now worrying about going back to work just three days after being hospitalized.

‘But still… their reaction isn’t quite what I expected.’

I thought they’d at least ask about my survival. I had prepared a whole explanation in case they questioned my identity. But no one brought it up.

‘There are two possibilities. Either they're deliberately hiding information, or…’

Or they just assumed the Elder toyed with me like an insect and left.

Honestly, I figured most people would believe the latter. If I had heard about this, I’d probably think the Elder didn’t take me seriously either.

At least they seemed to acknowledge my efforts. The hospital room was a private one. I was worried about the bill, but they told me the Academy would cover everything. That was a relief. Now I could enjoy this spacious, comfortable room to my heart’s content.

"Let’s check the news."

I found the remote and turned on the TV.

As expected, every channel was reporting on the Academy attack.

[This tragedy resulted in numerous casualties….]

[The Ability Association announced they will use this incident as an opportunity to….]

[Academy President Ma Hakjun and Professor Han Jiyoon will be holding a press conference….]

Han Jiyoon and Ma Hakjun appeared on the screen, looking incredibly busy. I was a little disappointed they hadn’t visited me, but seeing them now, it was understandable. They were probably too swamped with reporters to think of anything else.

[Meanwhile, a joint funeral is being held for those who lost their lives protecting the students….]

Seeing the news made it all feel real.

At the time, I felt like I had no choice but to step up. But now that I think about it, what I did was pure insanity. It's a miracle I'm still alive.

‘Let’s think positively. I saved Kim Suhyeon, and I prevented a tragedy where over 500,000 people could have died.’

I didn’t do it for recognition or attention. I just did what a person should do. I only acted in a way that wouldn't make me ashamed of myself. That’s all.

…Still, I was hoping someone would tell me to rest a little longer. Three days is way too soon to return to work.

Knock, knock—

“U-uhm… Examiner Baek Seojin?”

A woman’s voice called out hesitantly from outside the door.

“This is Kim Suhyeon! I came to visit! Can I come in?”