Ch.21You’re a Bronze. Forever – 4

Fatigue suddenly washes over me, perhaps due to the sparring match with Yuhyun Jung.

Earlier, students had crowded around so much that I had to continue evaluations without rest.

I was finally catching my breath during a brief break when that incident happened.

In the end, I did teach that Supremacist a lesson by knocking him down to Bronze.

The price was having to continue evaluations without any further breaks until closing time.

‘That was tough.’

I think I somewhat understand why that guy was caught up in that strange superiority complex.

I knew it the moment we clashed. Gold rank is on a completely different level.

He was a cut above not just Junwoo Park and those thugs, but even Hyunwoo Lee.

Clean movements without any wasted motion, combat sense that properly utilizes items.

Even the cold-bloodedness to target only the vital points needed to subdue an opponent.

Though still a student, he was certainly qualified to be classified as a B-rank ability user.

The Silver Gatekeeper trait, and the Sole Arbiter trait that allows me to perform at maximum efficiency.

Even with those two, it was by no means an easy match.

If I hadn’t had that friction with The Elder, that monster, it would have been even more difficult.

What I experienced with The Elder turned out to be unexpectedly helpful.

Speed, power, and brutality. When those came to mind, Yuhyun Jung’s abilities seemed manageable.

Without that experience, it would have taken much longer to adapt to his fighting style.

‘But wait… what’s going on? Why is it so quiet?’

There’s not a single rank evaluation applicant, though there were many just earlier.

I wondered if classes hadn’t ended yet, so I took a quick look around the Academy.

But even with a brief walk, I could see students everywhere engaged in conversations.

I even spotted some students receiving rank evaluations from teaching assistants.

I wondered if there were simply no more Silver rank evaluation applicants today.

But that wasn’t it either. Looking closer, I saw that the assistant over there was also conducting Silver rank evaluations.

With at least five more people waiting behind them, it’s clear there’s no shortage of applicants.

Did they misunderstand and think I wasn’t accepting evaluations because they hadn’t come my way yet?

With that thought, I returned to my post and waited, but no one came to request an evaluation.

To be precise, two students did approach my area.

But they just said, “Oh! Sorry! This isn’t the right place!” and turned away.

‘What on earth is going on? Why is everyone acting like this?’

I sat dazed at my post, waiting for applicants.

But even after 10 minutes, then 30 minutes, and nearly an hour, no one came.

I glanced at the time. Less than 30 minutes remained until closing time.

Normally, I should be shedding tears of joy.

During assignments like this, with no overtime and strictly on-time departures, I’d be justified in celebrating.

But today, for some reason, I felt distinctly uncomfortable.

“Evaluator.”

A tiny voice, barely audible.

But I recognized it immediately, having heard it several times before.

“Soohyun.”

Soohyun Kim, who had been looking around nervously, approaches me.

The trait that appears in my Third Eye remains unchanged: Inferiority-Driven Genius.

I didn’t expect it to change in just one day, but I had hoped it might.

“There are no students?”

She didn’t need to point out the obvious.

“Yeah. There were tons earlier, but they suddenly disappeared. I don’t understand why.”

“About that reason… I think I might know.”

She knows the reason? I looked at Soohyun, silently urging her to explain.

“Well, I overheard something earlier… about getting evaluated by Evaluator Seojin Baek…”

“By me. What about it?”

“They said it’s disadvantageous…”

“Disadvantageous?”

What nonsense is this? How could an evaluation be disadvantageous?

“Well, they said other evaluators are lenient and promote students easily. But you’re extremely strict and don’t promote anyone, so they’d rather be evaluated by other evaluators.”

I was left speechless at Soohyun’s explanation.

Wait, my only crime is that I did my job diligently?!

If evaluations are going to be done carelessly, why have them at all?

That defeats the whole purpose. Isn’t the point of an evaluation to screen candidates?

“Did the students really say that? That they won’t receive evaluations from me?”

I grabbed Soohyun’s shoulders and asked again.

Maybe I misheard, or perhaps it was just the opinion of a few students.

“Yes. It seems like most students are saying that.”

Good heavens. This shouldn’t be happening. At this rate, when will I ever reduce the waiting time?

Despite evaluating dozens of people today, no new requirement values were generated.

I had assumed that since there are many Bronze ranks who need to advance to Silver, they would keep coming.

The faculty also gets evaluated, but they can’t do many since they have their original duties.

So I thought more than half would inevitably come to me.

‘At least Hyunwoo Lee and Soohyun Kim’s growth aspects aren’t a problem. Right, those two are fine, but…’

The most important point. What about me? What am I, Seojin Baek, supposed to do?

While their growth is important, I need to grow just as much.

I’ve already been preempted too many times. Jiyoon Han, Hakjun Ma, Minseong Kang, Rina Lee.

Even by Hyuk Kwak, and The Elder, said to be the most fearsome among villains!

Now I have to be a gatekeeper even if I don’t want to.

I’ve done too much. I need to become stronger. That’s the only way to survive.

Should I start being more lenient now?

No, that’s also a problem. The Gatekeeper trait is fundamentally about blocking.

If I let people through despite that, it will surely come back to hurt me.

‘I guess the one good thing is that I’ve gained one fixed Bronze who will definitely be evaluated by me.’

Yuhyun Jung. I have absolutely no intention of promoting him to Silver.

To dare make parent-related insults in front of a Korean. He really crossed the line.

“W-wait. Just a moment, Evaluator. That, that thing.”

“Huh?”

“What is that? Is that… blood? That’s blood, isn’t it?!”

I sighed at Soohyun’s exclamation and looked down at my side.

Come to think of it, I received treatment from Dasom Yoo, but my clothes remained the same.

The red bloodstain had spread around the wound area.

“Are you injured?! How did this happen?! Are you badly hurt?! We should go to the infirmary…”

“No, no. Don’t worry. It’s already healed. Look.”

To prove it, I deliberately tapped my side firmly.

Soohyun let out a small scream, “Aaah!”

“Really, it’s fine. The blood is just on my clothes because I couldn’t change.”

“How did you get… Wait, did you get hurt during an evaluation?”

“No, not that. While sparring with a student…”

Oh no. I shouldn’t have said that. I quickly shut my mouth, but it seemed too late.

Soohyun was staring at me with wide eyes, as if asking why I stopped mid-sentence.

“Sparring? With whom? Who did you spar with that caused such an injury?”

“It’s really nothing. It was just a minor incident…”

“Please tell me, Evaluator. Who did this to you?”

Somehow, Soohyun’s voice seems to be growing colder.

And is that a red flicker in her eyes?

‘Am I imagining things?’

I told Soohyun several more times that it was nothing, that I was fine.

But unlike her usual self, she persisted to the end.

Who did it? Who caused the injury? She demanded answers.

‘This won’t do.’

Due to my concern for Soohyun and worries about future consequences from the sparring with Yuhyun Jung, I decided to just be honest.

“The student council vice president. I think his name was Yuhyun Jung? I sparred with him.”

“Yuhyun Jung. Student council vice president.”

Even after saying it, I wondered if this was really the right thing to do.

But water spilled cannot be gathered again.

Well, I don’t know anymore. Whatever happens, happens.

“Why did you suddenly spar with him?”

“We had a difference of opinion that couldn’t be resolved. So I suggested we settle it with a match.”

“And the result…”

“What do you think, Soohyun? Do you think I won, or lost?”

The student council means Gold rank at minimum.

And not just barely Gold, but solidly Gold.

“You definitely won, Evaluator.”

But Soohyun declared my victory without even 0.1 seconds of hesitation.

She’s neither family nor girlfriend, yet she took my side. I was truly grateful.

“Am I right?”

“Yes. Of course I won. That guy was making comments about not having parents, so I properly…”

Ah, damn. I made a mistake by being too direct.

I heard from Minseong Kang. Soohyun lost her mother when she was young.

She was an ability user who died in battle against villains.

I shouldn’t have brought this up in front of Soohyun.

“What do you… mean by that, Evaluator? Comments about… not having parents?”

“Ah. You see, I… don’t have parents. He seemed to know that and was using it against me.”

Soohyun’s eyes seem to be turning increasingly red.

Am I imagining it? Yes, it must be my imagination. How could a person’s eyes turn red…

– Activating The Third Eye.

◎ Soohyun Kim

: Inferiority-Driven Genius

◎ Detailed Information

: All abilities have temporarily decreased.

If unable to quickly escape from the inferiority complex, permanent ability loss may occur.

Improper awakening could lead to fatal consequences.

◎ Notification

: A seed has been planted.

: Planted seed – Anger

It seemed I had really messed up.

*

Grind—

Yuhyun Jung, grinding his teeth while stuffing tissues into his nose.

After fuming for a while, he roughly pulled out his phone.

“…Hey, bro. Cut to the chase, I need a favor. Take care of someone for me. I won’t ask for free. I’ll give you a small share. That works, right? I’ll give you some of my shares, so make him disappear completely. …No! You don’t necessarily have to kill him! Make him half-crippled or socially ruined! There are many ways!”

The harsh voice is answered by someone on the other end of the phone.

Hearing the response, Yuhyun Jung angrily continued.

“…Set him up with a woman and ruin him with sexual harassment charges, whatever works. Just get him out of my sight. I’m serious. I’ll really give you a share. Just thinking about that bastard drives me crazy. Yeah, got it.”

Thud—

Throwing down his phone, Yuhyun Jung tilted his head back and let out a long sigh.

He had intended to let it go, but that guy had really scratched at his core.

Now that it had come to this, he couldn’t possibly let it slide.

Subordinates who try to climb up must always be stomped down.

No need for dialogue. Understanding is a luxury. Sympathy is poison.

Step on them. Only then will they never climb up again and bow their heads.

Yuhyun Jung clearly remembered what his grandfather had said.

‘Seojin Baek, Seojin Baek, Seojin Baek…’

He thought he would make that parentless orphan deeply regret his actions.