Ch.191End, Beginning Again – 1

Even the early years of adulthood, which seemed like they would never pass, went by incredibly quickly in retrospect.

And the two-month academy vacation was truly over in the blink of an eye.

Especially since I couldn’t even rest during those two months, being called here and there.

[A-rank gate occurrence near Chungcheong Province – Please stand by for support]

[S-rank monster appearance in waters near the West Sea – Emergency dispatch]

There were many more incidents than these, but I’ve summarized them as much as possible.

And of course, I was even busier with the other duties I was responsible for.

“Not yet! I can still do more! Hyaah!”

“Why don’t you get that flailing arm treated before continuing, Hyunwoo Lee.”

“Please be a little rougher with me, Sole Arbiter.”

“Are you sure you’re okay, Soohyun? You could really get hurt if we go any further.”

“I don’t care how much I get hurt as long as it’s by you, Sole Arbiter.”

“Seojin oppa. How low have the academy’s standards fallen these days? How can they not even handle this?”

“Isn’t it more unreasonable to ask students to do that, Rina?”

I also occasionally met with Hana Kang and Dasom Yoo to catch up.

Our team gathered several times for A-rank gate and dungeon raids.

I sat down with Hakjun Ma to discuss future situations over tea.

At one point, I even met with Minseong Kang who suggested we should get engaged.

Meanwhile, Rina’s parents were so quiet about it that I felt guilty.

Amidst all this busyness, the fruits of our efforts finally blossomed.

“Hyaaaap!!”

“Oh?”

It was a movement this student had never shown me before.

They had the sense for it, but neither their body nor magical power could keep up.

At the end of the vacation period, this student finally managed that split-second attack.

“Urgh!”

Of course, the attack didn’t even reach me and completely fell apart midway.

But the attempt was good, and they had clearly made a start.

These two points alone were enough. From the student’s perspective, they had overcome a “wall.”

It was like finding a path after wandering through fog.

I urged them not to give up in that fog and to move forward quickly.

And this student emerged from the fog before the others.

What remained was to race down the path that lay before them.

The long Bronze period was ending, and it was time to grow to the next level.

“Good work.”

“P-pardon?”

“It was close, barely passing by the skin of your teeth. But I can say you’ve passed.”

As the academy vacation was coming to an end, another student reached Silver.

Though still lacking in many ways and needing to continue working hard.

I wanted to acknowledge that they had at least stood at the real starting line once.

The unfortunate thing was that this student was both the first and the last.

The rest of the students couldn’t overcome that wall despite working hard throughout the vacation.

They put in the effort and didn’t lose their will, but they were still lacking.

If I were to promote them simply out of pity, it would be a loss for everyone.

For the students who are at the same level as them, and for those being promoted themselves.

This isn’t just a simple game. It’s a death match where you risk your life.

If you’re inadequate in battle, you don’t just lose.

You die, your comrades die, and everyone falls into tragedy.

So, regrettably, all the remaining students maintained their Bronze rank.

But there’s still hope. They did work hard for two whole months after all.

While others were resting or playing, they pushed themselves harder.

Perhaps someday, these efforts will shine through.

“I don’t know how vacation ended so quickly when I barely did anything.”

Dasom Yoo grumbles, face planted on the table.

According to her, group work was harder than Superpower work.

She even said she wanted to give up all the subsidiaries that were being handed down to her.

“But you said you learned a lot. That’s a good thing.”

Hana Kang pats Dasom Yoo’s shoulder to encourage her.

Hmm, but she herself has dark circles under her eyes from clan work?

If we’re talking about exhaustion, Hana Kang looks even worse than Dasom Yoo.

“How was it for you, Sole Arbiter?”

Unlike Soohyun and Rina whom I saw every day.

I didn’t get to meet Hana Kang or Dasom Yoo much due to their circumstances.

The last clan dungeon raid was about 2 or 3 weeks ago.

So they seem curious about my news, but there wasn’t much to tell.

“I went to the academy every day except weekends to check on the remaining students. And I sparred with Hyunwoo Lee every day. Then Soohyun would come in the evening for more sparring. If support requests came in, I’d go out. If an S-rank appeared, I’d rush out even in the middle of meals. Just repeating that.”

“Y-you really worked hard too, Sole Arbiter.”

The support requests and S-rank subjugations weren’t really hard work.

It was actually easier because I could go all out without worrying about serious injuries.

Sparring with Soohyun or Hyunwoo was much more difficult.

“Ah! That’s right. I heard you’ve been evaluating British students recently too!”

Dasom Yoo, who had been slumped over, suddenly sits up and exclaims.

As she said, I’ve been evaluating the British students who came with Emily for about a week.

There was no particular reason, I was just curious about their level.

“How were they?”

“Well, they certainly were carefully selected students as claimed. They were good.”

It was evidence that Britain was putting a lot of effort into the United Academy.

It’s understandable—after the S-rank’s death, Britain has been continuously pushed back.

They were desperate enough to set aside the pride of the British Empire and seek help everywhere.

In that situation, they wouldn’t want to fall behind at the United Academy too.

They would want to somehow regain their lost pride and take a leading position at the top.

So they clearly selected the aces among their domestic students.

‘Eight out of sixteen were good enough to pass an evaluation right away.’

Not just their current skills, but their growth potential and character as well.

Those eight were more than satisfactory. They’ll do well at the United Academy.

Looking at this, maybe the British Empire’s experience does count for something.

I wonder what kind of students other countries will send.

It would be great if all students entering the United Academy were like this.

Well, they probably won’t want to embarrass themselves either, so they’ll send proper candidates.

“Really? They must be impressive. For you to say that, Sole Arbiter. Hmm… then how do they compare to our team?”

“That’s obvious. Our team members are much better.”

We should compare what’s comparable. They’re just budding talents we’ve only recently started observing.

On the other hand, our team consists of talents I’ve been carefully nurturing for half a year.

Even Dasom Yoo, who had the slowest growth, has become so strong she can hardly be considered Support Class anymore.

Hana Kang has also become much better at utilizing her specialty, ice magic.

She can now dual-cast magic, doubling both her firepower and sustainability.

And the climax among team members was, of course, Soohyun and Hyunwoo.

First, Hyunwoo has both me and unexpectedly Rina attached to him.

He’s not without talent, and with two S-ranks around him, he couldn’t help but grow.

As a result, he’s now slightly ahead of Soohyun.

‘And as for Soohyun….’

Looking at results alone, Hyunwoo is currently a bit ahead.

Like a true protagonist, he’s growing insanely strong.

But looking at the process, Soohyun is more monstrous than Hyunwoo.

She doesn’t spar with S-ranks every day like Hyunwoo does.

If we count training time, she spends more time working alone than sparring.

Yet somehow, you can visibly see her getting stronger day by day.

“This is crazy. She’s a monster.”

That’s what Rina said once when watching Soohyun and me sparring.

When I asked if it was really that bad, Rina frowned deeply.

“Until recently, she was Bronze at the academy, between E-rank and D-rank by outside standards. But now she’s surpassed A-rank and is aiming for S-rank? Try telling that somewhere else. They’d call it nonsense.”

“Really? But if that’s the reason, there’s also Hyunwoo.”

“…You’re right. Not a monster, but monsters. Oppa, are they perhaps siblings… Ugh! Why are you hitting me?!”

“A stick is the remedy for nonsense.”

Anyway, our team is doing well. At the very least, they won’t die stupidly.

If we face the worst opponents, that might be different, but I don’t think there will be any major problems.

“It was truly a fulfilling vacation.”

Unlike the two women with exhausted expressions and visible fatigue.

Hyunwoo looked more peaceful and relaxed than ever before.

Ironically, he was probably the one who got beaten up the most.

Buzz—

Checking my phone at the vibration, I see Hakjun Ma’s name.

And below it was a simple message.

[Seojin Baek, Sole Arbiter. Come see me for a moment.]

What could it be? He rarely calls on weekends.

“…Excuse me?”

Did I just mishear something?

“I said I’d like you to select the students who will enter the United Academy.”

Hakjun Ma blinks as if wondering what the problem is.

Problem? Of course there’s a problem. Me having to do it? That’s the problem.

“But, Principal? The United Academy matter is still…”

“The main building is already complete, and more than half of the auxiliary buildings are up. Everything will be finished within a month at the latest. With support from various countries and not just heavy machinery but magic users all working on it, it would be stranger if it took years.”

I had forgotten. How this world’s reality is twisted.

With so much destruction and collapse, recovery happens just as quickly.

“Then, Principal. Is there an age restriction…?”

“None. The United Academy prioritizes ability over age. Looking at the atmosphere of each country, they seem to be sending only carefully selected individuals. Britain is doing that too, isn’t it?”

I nod, and Hakjun Ma clenches his fist as he continues.

“This is a world-class educational institution being built in our country. We can’t let it bring shame to our nation. That absolutely cannot happen. I don’t want to see that. You understand what I’m saying, right?”

I certainly do. Excessive nationalism is problematic, but a moderate amount is beneficial.

“I understand. I’ll select them carefully and send them to the United Academy.”

I’ve already filled four positions, and I need to think about the rest.