Ch.192End, Beginning Again – 2

As multiple students passed the Silver assessment, both advantages and disadvantages emerged.

First, the advantage is that the students are indeed pushing themselves.

Seeing the results of their continuous efforts, they’ve developed a sense of urgency.

They’ve gained proof that they too can succeed, giving them reason to push forward.

If they continue like this, they’ll become stronger, safer, and possibly more famous!

Conversely, the disadvantage is that upon reaching their goal, they’re starting to relax.

The assessment was so rigorous that everyone struggled significantly.

Naturally, achieving results causes their previous desperation and tension to fade away.

But earning Silver doesn’t mean it’s over.

What I’ve presented is merely the minimum contribution needed in this era of great upheaval.

Only by advancing further will they see the world they desire unfold.

‘I was actually worried I might need to move to being a Gold-grade examiner.’

Meanwhile, the incident Soohyun Kim and Rina Lee caused with the United Academy unexpectedly proved helpful.

Before explaining, there’s one point that needs clarification.

The United Academy has no personnel limit per country.

This means that if they have the skills, multiple students from one country can be admitted.

Unfortunately, countries with small populations or low-level superpower users have no choice.

In today’s world, survival takes precedence over fairness.

In a world where eliminating substandard candidates benefits everyone, cold judgment is necessary.

Anyway, why am I suddenly talking about this?

Having more students from your country in the United Academy signifies strength.

It becomes an objective measure of what’s commonly called “national pride.”

National pride—a universal drug in every country worldwide.

Unless it’s completely unreasonable, anyone who criticizes national pride is treated as a traitor.

Each country decided to use students for this national pride.

As both motivation and duty for their superpowered students.

Essentially saying, “Our country’s pride rests on your shoulders!”

‘Korea, with its strong national pride, can’t be left behind.’

Korea has already benefited from Rina, and recently from me as well.

In this situation, having few domestic students in the United Academy hosted in their own country?

Nothing could be more embarrassing. They must secure as many spots as possible.

As part of this effort, they promised exceptional treatment for United Academy graduates.

What were the benefits again? First, pension payments regardless of future rank.

Tax reductions at minimum, and possibly complete tax exemption at best?

Plus recognition as someone who elevated national prestige—how could anyone resist?

Clang!— Clang clang!—

“Hyaaaaaah!!”

“Hup!”

Thud!— Thump!—

“Lost again? Why not call it quits?”

“No! One more time!!”

As a result, most students began training frantically as soon as the new semester started.

Whether they wanted to be at the forefront of national glory and feel that honor.

Or they were aiming for the wealth that would follow—whatever their motivation.

“From my perspective, this will definitely work. National pride is always the right answer.”

Jiyoon Han once told me that.

She must have gained insight while serving as both clan master and professor.

And from my perspective too, it was quite an effective motivation.

Of course, while the motivation was good, their skills remained mediocre.

‘Let’s see. The students worth selecting are…’

From the first year, it seems only Soohyun Kim and Hyunwoo Lee make the cut.

Actually, having even one first-year qualify is remarkable.

Upper-class students naturally have advantages in experience and training.

Besides these two, it was difficult to find any notable talent.

Moving up to higher grades, several standouts became more apparent.

Starting with Hana Kang and Dasom Yoo, along with other students who showed impressive performance.

Most are proven talents who have already moved between Gold and Platinum grades.

‘If Yuhyun Jung hadn’t been such a twisted person, he would have been here too.’

That guy ruined his life with his Twisted Supremacist mindset.

And for whatever reason, that human garbage even planted a spy in the Academy.

Thanks to his nonsense, his family’s business was completely destroyed, and most family members imprisoned.

Meanwhile, an enraged Rina deliberately injured him.

Finally, Yuhyun Jung himself was recently arrested.

They say he was babbling about revenge until the moment of his capture, but that’s just nonsense.

At his level, he couldn’t touch me even if he were reborn.

‘And so that meaningless extra villain disappeared.’

After roughly organizing the personnel, I’m looking at about thirty students.

Now I need to help them prepare so there’s no room for criticism when they enter the United Academy.

Whenever something like this happens, competition between nations always occurs.

While I’m not particularly fond of national pride, I certainly don’t want to lose to other countries.

Since it’s come to this, we need to crush everyone and wave the Korean flag high.

“Oh my goodness, you kids! How do you expect to enter the United Academy, let alone survive in real combat?! Juniors, this senior’s heart is truly aching. Aching to death! No, I mean dying!”

Ah, right. One more reason students can’t help but work hard.

A new instructor appeared at the Academy for the new semester.

And this new instructor made other instructors look insignificant.

“Juniors? Who am I?”

“S-Senior Rina Lee!”

“That’s right. Rina. I’m the strongest in South Korea. From my perspective, all juniors are just chicks. But you know what? Even chicks have standards. In that sense, damn it! This is unacceptable!”

Boom!—

She merely swung her hand lightly as if frustrated.

The ground immediately cracked roughly, scattering dirt and dust everywhere.

No joke—if she had directed that at students, they would have been dismembered.

“Juniors. I absolutely cannot stand seeing my homeland, South Korea, fall behind other countries. Our beautiful three thousand ri of splendid mountains and rivers! The nation founded by Dangun, whose descendants include me! If you don’t work hard, if your level is low, you’ll die by my hand!”

Rina. I’ve told you many times that talking like that sounds strange, if no one else.

Our ancestor Dangun would have had black hair. Not blonde hair and blue eyes like you.

When someone like you claims to be Dangun’s descendant, everyone sees it as just a joke.

“…She’s really doing it. Even after all my warnings.”

Appearing from somewhere, Jiyoon Han mutters while biting her lip.

She had asked Rina to consider the students’ level, to encourage rather than intimidate them.

But Rina seemed to have forgotten those requests and was handling students like catching mice.

“Seojin, is that Rina really going to be okay?”

“I’m a bit worried too, but what can we do? The principal has already approved it.”

“I really don’t understand what the principal was thinking.”

“I think I know.”

Jiyoon responds with a “What?” to my statement.

“It’s because of the United Academy, isn’t it?”

“…Indeed, that must be the biggest reason?”

“Motivating students is obviously one reason, but considering everything else, that’s the main one.”

The United Academy is being established right here in Korea.

If Korea fails to send many students, it would be embarrassing and cause much criticism.

“…Still, I’m worried. I’ll go try to stop Rina.”

“Good luck.”

I swallowed the words “If she actually listened, she wouldn’t be Rina anymore.”

[“…Therefore, the Association would like Seojin Baek to join the United Academy.”]

Right after finishing the first day of the new semester, I received a call from the Association President.

As expected, it was about the examiner position at the soon-to-launch United Academy.

With people gathering from around the world, the internal environment will be chaotic.

Therefore, a strictly merit-based system must be established.

This prevents complaints about bias or unfair treatment.

“I actually anticipated this to some extent. I’ve been considering that position. However…”

[However?]

“If I go, what happens to the Bronze students here at the Academy? They’re still under my management.”

The solution is actually quite simple. Just quit this position.

But if that causes problems with my ability, it would be troublesome.

Would the “Academy” aspect of my Silver Gatekeeper ability apply to the United Academy as well?

If not, leaving here would be self-sabotage.

I might need to maintain my affiliation here while being dispatched there.

[I expected you to say that. If you’re concerned about the Academy, you could maintain examiner positions at both locations.]

“Would that be possible?”

[It’s not difficult. Actually, other countries don’t place much importance on the examiner position.]

Really? That’s fortunate. And they don’t value the examiner position?

From my perspective, this makes the situation even more favorable.

“How far has the United Academy’s construction progressed?”

[About 70 percent complete, I believe.]

“That’s incredibly fast. Almost excessively so.”

[Korea has always excelled at construction. With the world twisted and expanded as it is, we’ve become experts at damage recovery and rebuilding living spaces. Decisively, with support from countries worldwide, delays would be more surprising. We don’t want alternative opinions about the construction site to emerge.]

I had to nod at the Association President’s words.

After designating a location, delays would naturally make people want to change it.

[However, since only verified students will be coming, most might pass the assessment. Would that be acceptable?]

A very valid concern. I worried about that too.

But if that’s truly the case, it’s good news for me.

Having many students who can handle themselves is obviously beneficial.

“That’s fine. More than fine. But, Association President.”

The United Academy—an educational institution above all national academies, truly the most important one.

That means we can set standards higher, more stringent than before.

“Contrary to expectations, most might fail the assessment. Would that be acceptable?”