Ch.40Special Evaluation, Not Grade Evaluation – 4

“Fuck! Why the hell do we have to take the Silver rank evaluation again?”

A male student throws down his sword in anger.

“Isn’t everyone pissed off? Huh? Did we use some trick? Or did we cheat? We escaped Bronze with our own skills. Even the examiners acknowledged that! Right?”

“That’s true.”

“Senior is right. Absolutely right.”

“Then why do we have to go through this!”

The students who were training nearby join in agreement.

Most of them had fallen from Silver to Bronze, so it was only natural.

“I can’t just take this lying down. Even if the Academy’s principal is that Hakjun Ma, this is unacceptable.”

“What are you going to do? Do you have a plan?”

“We make it public. We leak it to the media that the students are very negative about this. That it’s too unreasonable. If we do that, things might turn in our favor.”

Several students nod in agreement, saying it might work.

“I think we could add a bit more to that.”

“What do you mean?”

“A strange examiner suddenly appeared and started harassing students. Then he pulled some strings to convince the principal and forcibly demoted Silver rank students to Bronze.”

“That’s against school regulations. There was never an evaluation for demotion in the first place.”

“I’m disappointed in the principal too. A special evaluation out of nowhere? How could we not take issue with this?”

The murmuring grows louder. Almost everyone agreed that “we can’t just take this.”

But after one student’s next comment, everyone fell silent.

“Um, but you know, Seojin Baek isn’t just any examiner. He seems to have some connection with Rina Lee.”

“Oh…”

“Ah.”

A figure both admired and feared by aspiring superpower users.

The yellow madwoman who crushes anyone who crosses her like a villain.

She’s not called a madwoman for nothing, as she’s always doing crazy things.

“Actually, I was thinking, seniors. What if Rina Lee, dissatisfied with the students’ level, is using Seojin Baek to push us around?”

“…Shit, that’s entirely possible.”

“Then if we resist here…”

“It’s the same as going against that crazy woman.”

These were students who just moments ago were even looking down on Hakjun Ma.

But in front of the name Rina Lee, no one dared to step forward.

While Hakjun Ma is a decent old gentleman who knows his boundaries,

That Yellow Madwoman is someone who folds people while smiling.

“So what? Are we supposed to just stay in Bronze?”

“I hate that even more. How can we go back after finally escaping Bronze…”

They had believed that escaping Bronze would make everything okay.

No worries about academic probation, just learn moderately and graduate.

Once outside, at best they’d be reassigned as C-rank superpower users.

But C-rank superpower users have the most work to do.

Most monster appearances are lower-ranked, and most villains are at that level too.

Unless the world undergoes a major change, that situation will remain.

So, they wouldn’t have much trouble making a living.

What about stronger monsters and more dangerous villains?

Why worry about that? Those better than them would take care of it anyway.

Just as people have their proper place and duties,

These students thought they would live as C-rank superpower users until retirement.

And if they were lucky, they might become B-rank and gain some popularity.

“I got scolded so badly at home. They asked if I got demoted.”

“Why did you tell them? I just kept it a secret.”

“Me too. How could I tell them? They’d be furious if I said I might get academic probation.”

They want to express their dissatisfaction, but they’re too afraid of who’s behind it.

Yet accepting it feels too unfair to bear.

As the students were sighing and unable to focus on training,

“Students.”

From the entrance of the training ground, someone all students had seen at least once was approaching.

It was Seojin Baek, the Silver rank examiner.

“Ah, fuck.”

“Why is he here again? Looking for trouble?”

The students’ negative reaction was understandable.

After all, he was the one who pushed them into the hellhole called Bronze.

How could they greet him with smiles in such a situation?

“I’ve come to deliver some good news.”

What good news? Your very presence is bad news.

“First, we’ve decided to suspend academic probation for Bronze rank students.”

“…Huh?”

“What?!”

“Really?!”

With those words, the atmosphere among the students suddenly changed.

For them, the most urgent and terrible problem was ‘academic probation’.

That’s what they had been cursing and complaining about.

“Yes, everyone. I just spoke with the principal. We decided that penalizing Bronze rank students while reorganizing the ranks would be unfair, so academic probation will be suspended until the situation is resolved. So you don’t need to worry.”

“Woohoo…!”

“We’re saved, really saved.”

Seojin Baek observed the relieved students.

‘As expected, that was their biggest source of hostility.’

Even in regular universities, academic probation is terrifying.

Let alone in the Superpower Academy where one mistake could mean expulsion?

It’s understandable that they would foam at the mouth in protest.

“I hope this has eased your burden somewhat.”

“It has! Thank you so much, Examiner. Wow, we’re really saved.”

“Is the principal’s promise certain? We won’t suddenly get academic probation notices later, right?”

“How long is the suspension period? There’s no clear timeframe!”

Regarding the period, the principal and professors are still discussing it.

But the period won’t be short, and if academic probation is reinstated,

There will be a notice at least two weeks in advance, so there’s nothing to worry about.

When Seojin Baek said this, the students nodded.

“Excuse me, Examiner.”

But this wasn’t enough to quell all their dissatisfaction.

“We really appreciate your concern. Yes, it’s truly appreciated, but couldn’t things have just stayed as they were? Why are we suddenly being demoted to Bronze?”

“That’s right. We didn’t cheat, and we were evaluated by other examiners.”

Students who were still dissatisfied with the situation expressed their opinions.

They wanted at least some explanation they could understand.

“I understand your anger and frustration. Honestly, I expected to receive a lot of criticism. But despite that, there’s a reason why I’m doing this.”

For them, the most important thing is their immediate reality.

So Seojin Baek planned to overlay that reality with another.

“Recently, a friend of mine died.”

This is true. One of Seojin Baek’s friends was killed by a monster.

Not a close friend, just someone he’d seen in passing, but still.

“He was a C-rank superpower user. An ordinary user like many others. That day, he was living diligently but unfortunately encountered a dangerous C-rank monster and lost his life.”

“…I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you. Now, students, let me ask you something. Do you know which rank has the highest mortality rate among superpower users?”

One student raised his hand.

“C-rank.”

“Yes, that’s correct. Then, in Academy terms, which level is C-rank?”

“It’s Silver, but Examiner, there’s a flaw in that statement.”

Seojin Baek looked at the student as if asking him to explain.

“The high mortality rate among C-rank users is partly because there are so many C-rank users. It’s not simply because C-rank users are weak or lacking in skill.”

It was an important point. Naturally, with larger numbers come more casualties.

It would be wrong to misinterpret this as a deficiency in C-rank users’ abilities.

“Yes, I agree with that point. But if we say that, is the high mortality rate solely due to their large numbers? I don’t think that’s the whole story either.”

“Are you questioning the competence of C-rank users?”

“You keep trying to push it in that direction. That’s not what I’m trying to say.”

What do you want then? the student asks.

Very sharp. The students are looking at Seojin Baek with unfriendly eyes.

Seojin Baek sensed that this was the moment to make his move.

“I don’t want you students to meet the same fate as my friend.”

A forced smile. But with a slightly melancholic voice.

A deeply troubled expression completes the picture.

“I don’t want any of you to be among those casualties. Isn’t it too unfair? Just when you’re about to really get started, to lose your life so meaninglessly. If only he had been a little luckier, he might have survived. That’s why I’m taking on this villain role, to prevent such tragedies even a little bit.”

From the students’ perspective, at least he acknowledges he’s playing the villain.

“Students, frankly speaking, what do I gain from doing this? I only get cursed at and earn your hostility. I gain absolutely nothing from this.”

That’s a lie. He gains so much it’s problematic.

“That’s… true.”

“Yeah, come to think of it, this isn’t good for the Examiner either.”

But the students, not knowing this, can’t help but agree.

“I’ve heard that at the Academy, you can sweat instead of bleeding. That’s what I want to happen. Even if you’re all Silver, all C-rank, wouldn’t someone who has done more have an advantage?”

Why would I do this if there’s nothing in it for me?

It’s all for your own good. I’m saying this sincerely.

While no one will shed tears of emotion over these words,

The number of those openly resisting or harboring hostility will decrease significantly.

People are always weak to a good sob story.

“I’m not trying to make the path to Silver impenetrable. I just want to see you put in a little more effort than before. Just a tiny bit more. If you can assure me that you won’t suffer the same tragedy as my friend, that’s enough.”

At first, he was cursed at, hit, and faced complaints.

But as he gained experience, he developed the verbal skills to make even malicious complainants turn away feeling guilty.

That ability was now being lavishly deployed on these still-green students.