Ch.41Special Evaluation, Not Grade Evaluation – 5

“What on earth were you thinking, stepping into the spotlight like that?”

Jiyoon Han, who had secretly left the Academy due to circumstances from above, had returned.

As soon as she arrived, she went straight to find Hakjun Ma and immediately threw that question at him.

“You come here and suddenly say things I don’t understand, Professor Han.”

“Please stop doing that. I really can’t get used to it.”

Hakjun Ma lets out a light chuckle at Jiyoon Han’s reproach.

After offering her a seat, he slowly parted his lips.

“I merely did what I had to do as the Academy Director.”

“That’s exactly it—why suddenly now?”

Jiyoon Han pounds her chest in frustration.

“At this rate, what about the Academy lectures? We divided them by rank.”

“We’ll teach them again. Can’t professors who taught Silver rank not teach Bronze?”

“And what about practical training?”

“Bronze rank doesn’t have practical lectures, does it? Even Silver rank has very few. There shouldn’t be any problems.”

“You just don’t like how the ranking system feels like a caste system, right?”

The ranking among superpower users is extremely strict, to the point where people call it the “new caste system.”

Initially, it was simply to clearly distinguish the danger levels of missions and the battlefields each would handle.

Though it started for those reasons, it has now degenerated into a means of protecting the privileges of each rank.

And that caste system was being applied exactly the same way at the Academy.

What was simply meant to distinguish levels to provide education appropriate to students’ abilities

has now completely divided the students and made them fight each other.

“I know there’s a lot of talk about the ranking system. I understand. I know how serious it is. But this will cause tremendous confusion. Will the Silver rank students just sit quietly?”

“Of course they won’t. Even if some remain silent about their shortcomings, others won’t.”

“Exactly! They’ll definitely rebel in some way. And will it end there? They’ll say they can’t be the only ones affected and go after Gold rank, and then we’ll have another internal conflict.”

This kind of internal strife is one of the easiest conditions for villains to exploit.

If someone gets injured during training matches or suffers an even bigger accident during this time,

it would be impossible to tell if it was a simple accident or an elaborately planned terrorist attack.

“I also met with Arbiter Seojin Baek. I thought he would just make an example of a few Silver students to create an atmosphere of working harder, but he seems determined to demote all of them to Bronze.”

“That’s because I subtly pushed him to do so. Of course, he seemed to want it too.”

“Really?”

When Jiyoon Han questioned him, Hakjun Ma nodded.

This wasn’t a lie to cover for Seojin Baek. He was sincere.

“No, seriously…”

With a sigh, Jiyoon Han threw herself onto the chair.

Then she kept pressing her temples as if she had a headache.

“…I admit that the level of most students is disappointing. Honestly, I find it frustrating too.”

“It’s not just about their level, Jiyoon. It’s about their mindset.”

“Their mindset?”

“Yes. Most students now lack desperation. They’re all just trying to settle.”

They think that the difficult and challenging tasks will be handled by the more skilled superpower users anyway.

Since the world has stabilized, they believe it’s enough for them to just hunt some monsters

and occasionally drive away villain-level criminals.

“But that’s not necessarily bad, is it? They might be working hard to maintain stability.”

Hakjun Ma nodded in agreement with Jiyoon Han’s objection.

It’s not that settling is bad. That’s just an individual’s choice.

The problem lies elsewhere. If that settling mentality spreads openly…

“Instead of choosing to settle, when someone chooses to advance further, there’s talk among students that it’s pointless suffering, a foolish waste of effort. That shouldn’t be the case.”

“So you wanted to create a major upheaval in the current stagnant situation.”

The majority are Bronze and Silver ranks. Then a small number of Gold, and an extremely small number of ranks above that.

The situation where people just want to get their Academy diploma and make a decent living as superpower users.

That’s exactly what Hakjun Ma was worried about.

“A superpower user is not just an ordinary office worker. If that kind of mindset becomes prevalent, our world will collapse.”

After a moment of silence, Jiyoon Han let out a light sigh and spoke.

“Okay, fine. I understand. But you know this will make things extremely complicated, right? Starting with the faculty who conducted the Silver rank evaluations, and if it grows bigger, even the evaluations for higher ranks will all become problematic. Naturally, the professors involved will be in a difficult position too. Have you thought about how to deal with that?”

“I do have one method.”

Hakjun Ma smiled. At that, Jiyoon Han muttered, “Don’t tell me this old geezer…?”

“You’re planning to use Arbiter Seojin Baek?”

“Use? That sounds a bit strange. I’m asking for his help.”

“That’s the same thing! You’re going to show the students Seojin Baek’s true abilities.”

Until just a few years ago, he was someone who failed both Academy admission and field service exams.

After painful effort, he grew tremendously to reach his current position.

But he didn’t go into field service, nor did he join a clan.

Instead, he remained at the Academy as a Silver rank arbiter to demonstrate

that if you don’t settle and put in just a little more effort, you can go much further than where you started.

“The process will be difficult and painful, but change will eventually come. Just look at that student Hyunwoo Lee. Despite having sufficient skill, he deliberately stands before a huge wall to push himself further.”

“He’s a bit of an odd one. Do you think it’s easy to work that hard?”

Both Hakjun Ma and Jiyoon Han had been keeping an eye on Hyunwoo Lee for some time.

As past and present experts, they recognized a future powerhouse.

After scratching her cheek for a moment, Jiyoon Han slowly rose from her seat.

Having just returned, all sorts of issues had arisen, and she was about to become extremely busy.

And the cause was thanks to the emergence of a certain arbiter.

“Ah, did you find out what I asked about?”

“For now, yes.”

One of the reasons she had temporarily left the Academy was due to Hakjun Ma’s request.

Jiyoon Han handed him several documents she had been holding.

“I investigated quite deeply, but nothing came up.”

“I see… So he really is just a case of late awakening?”

As Hakjun Ma was about to fall into contemplation while tapping the table,

“But you know.”

Jiyoon Han, tilting her head, cautiously said.

“Something seems a bit strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“Usually when you dig, you can find at least faint traces of someone’s past, but his record is too clean. He might simply be an orphan caught up in the Gate incident, but there’s nothing except his name and ID number. It’s like…”

“As if someone deliberately erased it?”

“That’s just a possibility. It’s just that his record is too empty.”

Hakjun Ma sighed and looked at the documents Jiyoon Han had handed him.

“Ah, I’m definitely not trying to be suspicious. What I mean is…”

“I understand what you’re saying. Don’t worry. Neither I, nor that Minseong Kang, nor you and that Yellow Madwoman have felt anything particularly troubling from him.”

Jiyoon Han nodded, saying, “That’s true.”

– Seojin Baek –

That was the name written on the document, along with a photograph.

*

“Me too! I also want to take the special evaluation!”

Yes, you too!

“I’ll take it!”

And you too!

“I’ll challenge it, Arbiter.”

You as well! Everyone to Bronze!

“You all remember what the Director said, right? If you fail the evaluation, you automatically go back to Bronze. Filing an objection won’t help, so keep that in mind when you come.”

Today alone, more than thirty Silver rank students have been demoted to Bronze.

There are still well over a hundred Silver rank students at the Academy, so there’s nothing to worry about.

Plus, I remember there are still many students remaining in Bronze rank.

Isn’t this truly an inexhaustible well!

‘Hakjun Ma was clever.’

From the Silver students’ perspective, they can’t avoid taking the special evaluation.

If they don’t, the Bronze students will look down on them even more.

But couldn’t they just grit their teeth and not take it?

Would their former Silver friends who have already been demoted to Bronze just sit back and watch?

They’ll somehow make sure that even the Silver students who haven’t taken the special evaluation will end up taking it.

People simply cannot stand being the only ones at a disadvantage.

Seeing someone who was once at your level remain there while you’ve fallen? How could anyone let that slide?

On the other hand, the Bronze students have been inspired thanks to Hyunwoo Lee.

They’ve realized that with determined effort, there are things they can accomplish.

A Bronze defeating a Silver? It’s the first time this has happened since the Academy was established.

There are definitely those whose hearts have been moved by this.

And with those Bronze students as the core, they will burn with enthusiasm.

At a time when Silver students are being demoted to Bronze, if they can reversely become Silver, it’s a complete reversal!

‘Silver students will fight to reclaim the glory of being Silver. For Bronze students, it’s an opportunity to avenge what they’ve endured. Anyone with a brain will grit their teeth and charge in.’

Ripples have formed in what was once a calm lake at the Academy.

Moreover, Hakjun Ma secretly called me and even said this:

“I’ve informed the Academy that we’ll temporarily suspend the academic warnings for those who remain at Bronze rank. We can’t ruin this drastic measure for positive change at the Academy. And if anyone shows resistance to this situation, use my name. Tell them it’s something the Director asked for.”

A Director who lends his name when needed.

He’s much more of a gentleman than my department head who always tries to escape overtime.

We need more people like him in public office, oh the tragedy!

“Arbiter! I want to challenge the Silver rank evaluation!!”

Of course, no one knows how long these ripples will last.

It might just be a temporary, fleeting phenomenon.

Especially if no one passes and no one grows,

both my justification and Hakjun Ma’s reasons will become blurred and lose their power.

‘That’s why, Hyunwoo Lee and Soohyun Kim, I desperately need your help. And also those promising students from Bronze or Silver. Everyone, do your best!’

I’ve already set a goal: to have students who are Bronze in rank but can defeat Gold rank.

If that happens, I can bring in all the Gold students next.

Bronze like Silver, Bronze like Gold. How thrilling those words are.

That alone is already enough, but a new message appeared.

◎ Notification

: The waiting time for the required value has ended.

Yes, this is it. This is what I’ve been waiting for!