Ch.112Clan Recruitment – 1

“Ice Piercing!”

Once again, a translucent ice spike cuts through the air, flying toward me.

The floor has already become an ice rink due to Hana Kang’s area magic.

If I move too much, I’ll lose my balance and fall.

She’s creating a situation most advantageous to herself before attacking my weak points.

This proves she didn’t reach Platinum rank on magical talent alone.

Her combat sense is clearly among the top tier among Academy students.

‘That doesn’t mean there’s no way to break through this.’

I stomp hard on the ground, shattering the ice floor beneath me.

I don’t need to break it all. Just enough space to support both feet is sufficient.

Once I’ve created enough space, I swing my sword once broadly forward.

Just once. It’s best to avoid any unnecessary attacks beyond that.

I only need to block what will hit my body, calculated precisely.

Crack!

As the ice shatters and falls to the ground, I charge forward.

Ice spikes I couldn’t deflect graze my arms and shoulders.

But thanks to my precise calculations, I avoid any actual injuries.

“Ice Wall!”

Is she determined not to give up ground easily?

Hana Kang immediately raises an ice wall, concealing herself.

As if telling me I should prepare for her next spell.

Someone else might slow their attack or switch to defense,

because their line of sight is momentarily blocked,

and they wouldn’t know when the mage hiding behind the wall might cast a spell.

‘Not a chance.’

I’ve long since figured out Hana Kang’s spell-casting patterns.

Though her magical talent is outstanding, she still needs preparation time.

And since she has to calculate her mana usage, she can’t finish incantations immediately.

I charge straight ahead and swing my right hand with all my might.

Crash!

The thick ice shatters into pieces, revealing Hana Kang standing behind it.

She seems to have just reached the final part of her incantation, as blue light is flowing out.

If I had been just one second slower, I might have been the one taking a hit.

Unfortunately for her, Hana Kang couldn’t make up that one second.

“Ugh.”

Hana Kang groans as my sword points at her neck.

She withdraws the spell she was casting and slowly raises both hands.

“I surrender, Arbiter. I’ve lost.”

“Good work, student Hana Kang.”

Clap, clap, clap—

Applause sounds from the side.

“Good work! Both the Arbiter and unnie!”

Dasom Yoo, who had her “assessment” before this, says.

This was literally an assessment, not a duel.

Dasom Yoo’s current Academy rank is Bronze, not Gold.

Despite everyone trying to dissuade her, she ultimately requested an assessment herself.

And the result was, predictably, a return to Bronze.

‘Her healing ability is excellent. And since she’s on the frontline, her mind is strong too. The problem is…’

The problem is, as expected, her slightly lacking crisis management skills.

Dasom Yoo’s characteristic is Angel of the Frontline.

A very strange trait where her healing ability increases the closer she is to the battlefield.

I can roughly guess how she developed such a characteristic.

Dasom Yoo isn’t simply someone who stays back and provides adequate healing.

She’s a genuine healer who prioritizes the wounded far above herself.

Because of that, she probably rushes to the frontline unconsciously whenever someone gets hurt.

This resulted in a characteristic that only I can see—one that neither she nor anyone else knows about.

‘On top of that, there’s a high probability she feels her healing works better when she’s at the front rather than the back, due to the overlapping effects of her characteristic.’

That’s why crisis management skills are essential for Dasom Yoo.

Being on the frontline rather than the rear means there’s always a possibility of disrupted cover.

In such situations, for the safety of both the wounded and herself,

her crisis management skills—in other words, her combat ability—must be above average.

If that aspect improves, I might immediately approve her advancement to Silver.

“Unnie. At this rate, shouldn’t you also come down to Bronze?”

“Sh-shut up!”

“You keep losing to the Arbiter every time you come here. At this rate, you should be in Bronze!”

Dasom Yoo giggles as she teases Hana Kang.

But honestly, I don’t see any particular shortcomings in Hana Kang.

In the beginning, there were slight areas for improvement, but those have almost disappeared recently. Her effort is clearly evident.

Not for nothing is she the daughter of the Mage Tower Clan Master.

Proving she’s not just a case of being born to good parents or being lucky.

Hana Kang has been working hard without me having to tell her to.

‘At this rate, Hana Kang will gain more from sparring with me than from the Bittersweet Triumph characteristic.’

The members of the task force I’m planning are coming together.

First, Hyunwoo Lee is definitely in, along with Hana Kang and Dasom Yoo.

Then adding one more person who will join in the second semester completes the original party.

And if possible, including Soohyun Kim is the current goal.

“Arbiter! Are you injured anywhere?”

“Huh? Oh, no, student Dasom Yoo. I’m fine.”

“You’re amazing. When the Ice Piercing attack came, you swung your sword just once and charged right in. I was so surprised that you went in despite there being many spells left.”

When Dasom Yoo says this, Hana Kang standing beside her continues.

“I felt the same way. Weren’t you scared? I still had more than half my spells left.”

“I was scared. But if I had swung my sword more, my speed would have inevitably slowed. And if that happened, wouldn’t student Hana Kang have prepared the next spell behind the wall?”

“Wow… you calculated that far ahead? That’s incredible.”

Dasom Yoo looks at me with an impressed expression.

Hana Kang seems no different, her admiration evident.

But to be honest, I wasn’t even scared.

The path of Hana Kang’s magic was so clearly visible to me.

I was confident that I could swing once and pass through the gap.

Rather than fear, I was filled only with the thought that I needed to break through quickly.

“Arbiter.”

At this moment, Dasom Yoo, who had been staring at me, smiles and speaks.

“Did you know? You’ve got a new nickname recently.”

“A nickname?”

“Yes. The students call you the Academy’s Gatekeeper.”

…I was surprised for a moment. I wondered if there was someone else besides me who could see characteristics.

I can’t be absolutely certain that’s not possible.

“Gatekeeper, you say. Me?”

“They say you absolutely prevent students from reaching Silver, while also protecting people by stopping villains. In many ways, they say you’re amazing at blocking things!”

“…Is that meant in a good way, or the opposite?”

Hana Kang tilts her head, expressing that she’s not sure herself.

I feel somewhat the same way, as I always feel sorry for holding students back from Silver.

Meanwhile, if someone says “You gatekeeper!” it sounds like an insult to anyone who hears it.

“Maybe both? Honestly, it’s true that you tie up the path to Silver and absolutely won’t let anyone through! Thanks to you, there’s a record number of Bronze-ranked students since the Academy was established!”

Wow. This feels like a life achievement.

I’ve set a new record for the Academy with my own hands!

“And one of those is student Dasom Yoo.”

“Don’t worry! I’m planning to advance soon! Just watch me! Yap yap!”

Dasom Yoo throws exaggerated punches in the air.

Though not as much as the Martial Arts Class, her movements are quite sharp.

“Arbiter. Um, I have something to tell you too.”

“Does student Hana Kang also want to go down to Bronze? You’re welcome anytime.”

“That’s not it! Well… you’re not a civil servant anymore, right?”

As Hana Kang says, I quit that job. Fuck being a civil servant!

Now I’m not the one receiving complaints, but the one making them!

I quit that long, shitty civil service life, telling my boss to eat shit at the same time!

“Now you don’t need to worry about what others think. So, my father would like to meet with you sometime.”

“The Mage Tower Clan Master?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The reason is, as expected, that?”

There’s only one reason a Clan Master would want to meet personally.

To recruit an ability user who hasn’t yet joined a clan.

‘Come to think of it, I thought it was strange. I’m no longer a civil servant, just someone employed by the Academy. Yet the number of contacts from clans has decreased compared to before.’

I suspect it’s because my value has skyrocketed.

Two combat engagements with The Elder, demonstrating overwhelming skill in battle.

Plus my connection to the Kang family and the trust of the Academy’s headmaster.

There were plenty of reasons why they might be hesitant to make casual offers.

“Perhaps, do you still have no interest? In joining a clan?”

“Hmm… well. To be honest, I haven’t given it much thought.”

“Ah… I see.”

I couldn’t help it. For me, the Academy was the gate, and the students were the monsters.

After developing the Gatekeeper characteristic, I achieved tremendous growth.

As a result, I’ve now reached a level where I can fight almost equally with The Elder.

However, I do feel like my growth has stalled recently.

Despite continuing to conduct assessments to reach the question mark in the required stats,

there’s been no change in either the characteristic or the numbers.

I don’t know the exact reason, but I’m currently predicting two possibilities.

One is that the students’ level is still insufficient to influence my characteristic.

The other is that the students’ level is fine, but I’ve grown too much.

‘Whatever the case, there’s no reason to resist change in this situation.’

I think I’ll ask Hakjun Ma first, then make a decision.

If there’s a condition that Academy employees can’t join clans,

it could be awkward for me, Hana Kang, and her father.

“Don’t be too disappointed, student Hana Kang.”

“Pardon?”

“Actually, I’ve been thinking deeply about clan-related matters lately. However, I need to consult with the headmaster first, and ensure it doesn’t interfere with my Academy duties.”

“As for that part, my father will coordinate it well! He already said so!”

When Hana Kang says it like that, I feel I can trust her.

I heard he visited me in the hospital several times when I was there.

“Then how about this evening?! He happens to be free today!”

“Today?”

“Yes!”

What’s this? Why is she so proactive? I looked at Dasom Yoo with a questioning glance, wondering if she knew something.

But Dasom Yoo just smiled slightly and shrugged her shoulders.