Ch.36Luck Comes Unexpectedly – 4

“Huff! Huff!”

The last student being evaluated collapses to the ground, gasping for breath.

With this, the Silver evaluation for all the students who had gathered is now complete.

They’re all worse than Hyunwoo Lee. It would be an insult to even call them lesser versions of Hyunwoo.

I had expected this, but seeing it firsthand and experiencing it physically made it all the more real.

If I had to find something positive, two of them showed some potential.

Not because they appeared in the newspaper, or because they might have some connection to Rina Lee.

They were students with genuine skill who wanted to be properly tested by an evaluator who shows no favoritism.

To be thoroughly broken down and then grow properly from that experience.

“You worked hard. Unfortunately, it seems you’ve failed this promotion evaluation.”

“…Yes. It seems so.”

“Don’t be too discouraged. With effort, you can definitely improve. I hope to see you again next time.”

I meant it sincerely. This student genuinely has the will to do things properly.

I hope students like this don’t surrender to reality and choose the easy path.

Someday later, that decision could lead to fatal consequences.

“Good work.”

The Bronze-ranked student collects himself and leaves the evaluation hall.

Going to another evaluator wouldn’t change anything. I don’t stop him. No, I can’t stop him.

When the immediate reality is problematic, it’s an unavoidable choice before even considering the future.

Besides, to the students right now, I, The Silver Gatekeeper, am the worst villain.

They think I could be more lenient, since there are Gold promotion evaluations and even higher ones.

Staying at Bronze without advancing to Silver makes them subject to academic warnings.

So they can’t help but resent me for being so strict about the Silver promotion.

‘Honestly, I’d feel pretty guilty if someone asked me about it directly.’

Blocking Silver promotions is partly for my own reasons, I won’t deny that.

I need to survive too. It’s the only powerful weapon given to me.

But that’s not my only purpose or reason.

The way things are, I want the students who keep failing to overcome this and become stronger.

Being ridiculed for being Bronze, being looked down on for being Silver.

But then experiencing a situation where they lose to that very Bronze or Silver they mocked.

If that raises the overall level of Academy students, it’s a good thing.

Call it a self-serving rationalization if you want.

When the catastrophe begins soon, veterans and newcomers alike will be deployed equally and ground up.

I’d like more of those students to survive that process. This, absolutely, is not a rationalization.

But I shouldn’t let my heart soften. Since I’ve taken on the role of Gatekeeper, I should be even tougher.

This is for my sake and for theirs, so I should maintain my confidence.

“That was actually pretty decent.”

“Pardon?”

Was my muttering too loud? Soohyun Kim thinks I was talking to her and responds.

“I wasn’t talking to you, Soohyun. I meant the student just now, and the one before that.”

“Ah, I see…”

“They were working hard. Almost made me feel sorry.”

I have to defeat people who are trying their best.

I have to prevent those trying to overcome from succeeding.

There’s a reward of growth waiting for both me and them, but…

The bitterness is unavoidable. It’s not exactly a pleasant task.

“Arbiter Seojin Baek.”

Soohyun Kim, who had been silent for a while, suddenly raises her hand.

Just like a student in school saying “Me!” when wanting to answer a question.

“I’d like to take the promotion evaluation now.”

“Right now?”

“Yes. I also… I also want to be evaluated.”

It’s unexpected but not a bad idea. The sooner for Soohyun, the better.

Evaluations can only be done once a day, and the Bittersweet Triumph trait can only be used once a day.

Every day that passes is a loss. So doing it immediately is beneficial.

“Shall we start the evaluation right away then? There’s less than 30 minutes left in the lecture.”

Soohyun nods at my words and takes her position opposite me.

◎ Bittersweet Triumph

: Trait activated.

: Target – Soohyun Kim

I immediately activated the Bittersweet Triumph trait and observed Soohyun.

‘Her stance is better than I expected…’

Soohyun Kim is in the Weaponry Class. Bronze rank. I thought she would have an awkward stance.

But looking at her now, her stance is already above average.

I don’t see any obvious openings.

If I forced my way in, I might find some, but until then, it’s perfect.

The problem is that the evaluation isn’t just about stance.

“Soohyun.”

“…”

“Soohyun?”

She stands frozen, doing nothing.

This is an evaluation. A place to show your skills to the fullest.

But Soohyun is extremely tense, focusing only on my movements.

Wondering if she might be defense-oriented, I tried striking first.

Woong—

The sword in Soohyun’s hand is knocked away and sticks into the ground.

I stop attacking and stand still, and Soohyun doesn’t know what to do.

“I-I’m sorry, Arbiter. L-let me try again!”

But even with another chance, the result is the same.

She can’t even swing her sword halfway before dropping it.

Is she lacking strength in her hands? No, that’s not the issue.

There’s only one reason why Soohyun keeps getting pushed back weakly.

‘She has no confidence in what she’s trying to do.’

Her sword was clearly reacting to my attack, preparing to defend.

That means she knows where I’m going to attack and when.

Yet she fails because in that split second, she doesn’t trust herself.

That distrust becomes hesitation, and hesitation makes her body stiffen.

In the end, she can’t swing her sword properly, so it gets knocked away weakly.

This makes it impossible to properly evaluate her.

She doesn’t lack the skill to be evaluated, and it’s not that she lacks will.

I really didn’t expect her to have so little confidence in herself.

‘What should I do?’

Looking at Soohyun, who seems even more dejected than when we started, I fall into thought.

What method could I use to draw out Soohyun’s true abilities?

Encouragement? No, that won’t work. I can’t just keep encouraging her forever.

The evaluation itself is a form of combat. And in combat, encouragement alone isn’t enough.

The basics of combat involve harboring hostility and anger toward your opponent.

It’s about instilling the will to win at all costs.

“Soohyun.”

So I decided to try one approach.

“When was the last time you were really angry?”

“When I was… angry?”

“Yes. When you were truly furious about something.”

After thinking for a moment, Soohyun cautiously parts her lips.

“Yuhyun Jung…”

“What did you say?”

“When you got hurt because of Yuhyun Jung.”

I guess I asked a foolish question.

If I think about when the seed of anger was planted, the answer is obvious.

“Hmm, Soohyun. Then… try to think of me as Yuhyun Jung right now.”

“You, Arbiter? How? To me, you’re the Arbiter.”

She even shakes her head as if it’s absolutely impossible.

I think this is the first time I’ve seen Soohyun react so dramatically.

Thanks to that, I’m confident this method will work.

“Now, Soohyun. Close your eyes. Remember that day. The day when my clothes were covered in blood.”

“Blood…”

“That’s when Yuhyun Jung’s dagger sliced through my side. If it had been a little deeper, it might have damaged my internal organs. Then it wouldn’t have ended with just losing some blood.”

Yuhyun Jung, I’m sorry. Since you and I aren’t on good terms anyway, I’ll use you a bit.

“And he also said I showed signs of not having parents.”

Honestly, I debated at least 10 times whether I should say this.

But since I’ve started, I might as well go all the way…

Clang—!

Seeing Soohyun’s sword fly right up to me, I knew my strategy had worked.

‘But…’

But, Soohyun, why are your eyes glowing bright red like that?

“Yuhyun Jung.”

For a moment, I thought maybe I should stop now.

It’s hard to believe this is the same Soohyun who was hesitating to raise her sword against me just seconds ago.

Now her attacks are flying at me with barely a hair’s breadth between them, filled with rage.

Swoosh—

Woong—!

Damn. Are you really the same Soohyun who couldn’t even defend earlier?

Now you’re swinging your sword like you’re daring me to get hit?!

And it’s not just mindless slashing with crazed eyes.

Her eyes are indeed red with anger. She’s genuinely furious.

Yet amidst that, her attacks continue to come with incredible precision.

A diagonal slash from the front. Or so I thought, but it suddenly transforms into a thrust.

It’s a chillingly sharp attack. A smooth combination worthy of admiration.

I don’t recall even Hyunwoo Lee being able to transition attacks like this yet, and I wonder if this is real.

I can understand why villains targeted Soohyun Kim.

If she’s this powerful after just a brief awakening of anger, she must be far more formidable when brainwashed.

As if proving she’s not The Crimson Witch for nothing, Soohyun’s movements were truly incredible.

“Ugh.”

As I narrowly dodge her attack, she immediately follows up with a strike using the hilt of her sword.

If it had hit me directly, my face might have been torn or bones broken.

Each and every attack is incredibly vicious.

Chest, neck, stomach, and face. All places that could cause fatal injuries.

The tip of Soohyun’s sword was precisely targeting those areas.

It feels like I’m fighting a completely different person.

The one wielding the sword is Soohyun, but it doesn’t seem like her.

‘Her skill is good. Yes, it’s threatening, but…’

After some time, Soohyun’s breathing starts to become labored.

It would be unnatural if she were fine after unleashing such incredible rapid attacks.

“Haa, haa…”

Right on cue, the red glow in Soohyun’s eyes gradually fades away.

‘That concludes the evaluation.’

Her sword skills are on par with Hyunwoo Lee. But the stamina supporting it is the issue.

And she also needs time to control her mental state before entering combat.

Therefore, the result is, naturally, a promotion failure.

“Ouch!”

Before Soohyun could fully catch her breath, I closed the distance and lightly flicked her forehead.

With a yelp, she falls backward and stares at me blankly.

“Good job, Soohyun.”

“Arbiter…”

“Unfortunately, you’ve failed the promotion today. Your attacks were all good, but you exhausted yourself too quickly.”

Despite hearing about the promotion failure, Soohyun didn’t say anything.

She just looked at me, then suddenly jumped to her feet and…

“I-I’m sorry! Arbiter! I’m truly sorry!!”

“Huh? No, you did well! You did well, so why are you apologizing?”

“I’m sorry! I, I suddenly got angry without realizing it!”

It seems she was deeply troubled by the fact that she had swung her sword at me so vigorously.

I’m curious if any changes have occurred, though the probability is very low. Still, I check whenever possible.

– Activating The Third Eye.

◎ Soohyun Kim

: Inferiority-Driven Genius

◎ Detailed Information

: All abilities have temporarily decreased.

If she doesn’t quickly escape from her inferiority complex, permanent loss of abilities may occur.

Improper awakening could lead to fatal consequences.

◎ Seed List

: Anger, Admiration

Yes, as expected, apart from that seed thing, there’s no change…

◎ Notice

: Trait may change in the future.

Finally, it appeared.