Ch.68The Gatekeeper Is – 3

When I first collided with him, I thought he was utterly pathetic.

I had already transcended human limitations by far.

No matter how desperately he charged at me, it was a wall he could never overcome.

Just as ants can do nothing against humans no matter how much they swarm.

Just look at the superpower users right in front of me for proof.

Until moments ago, they were fighting like some kind of heroes.

But now that I’ve appeared, they’re whimpering like dogs before a dog catcher.

Unless they were an S-class like Jiyoon Han, or a former powerhouse like Hakjun Ma.

It’s normal that they wouldn’t even dare to meet my eyes. That’s how it should be.

‘But this one.’

Clang—!

Blue flames scatter in all directions as sparks and magical energy fly.

With each collision, I feel a certainty through my fingertips and in my mind.

‘This one has potential.’

The man before me, Silver rank examiner, Seojin Baek.

I’m certain. This man will someday overcome the wall.

And someday he will stand before me as an equal.

Kwang—!

As Hyuk Kwak swings his spear violently, Seojin Baek slides backward.

Unlike himself, who hasn’t shed a single drop of sweat, Baek is covered in blood.

Even if he avoided combat and was left alone, he would collapse from blood loss.

But neither Seojin Baek nor Hyuk Kwak gave up the fight.

Spear and sword tangled in midair, spitting sparks once more.

“Kugh!”

Unlike the unscathed Hyuk Kwak, Seojin Baek lets out a painful groan.

One leg buckles, and he’s pushed to the brink of his other leg giving way too.

Hyuk Kwak looked at his opponent and tightened his grip on the spear.

This can’t be all you’ve got. Come on, bring out more. Come on, come on!

“…!”

Suddenly, a strange light flashed in Hyuk Kwak’s eyes.

Seojin Baek, who seemed to be losing the power struggle, abruptly changed his strategy.

While still blocking the spear, he aimed for a counter.

‘This crazy bastard.’

How dare he think he can withstand my spear? It was absurd.

A thought that even Sujin Hyun, a fellow Elder, and Jiyoon Han, whom he had clashed with many times, never had.

Block, or dodge, and occasionally get grazed—that’s all they ever managed.

If he knew the devastating impact of his spear, he wouldn’t dare.

And this man had definitely experienced his spear properly before.

Although he survived and recovered quickly, it was a full-force strike.

So he should know better than anyone what would happen if he faced it head-on.

If he were human, he should instinctively avoid such a situation.

‘Does this guy have no fear? No fear of death?’

His spear thrusting forward, and the sword coming in reverse.

If he continued without stopping, he could kill Seojin Baek.

He was certain. If he just thrust it in, everything would end.

‘But that’s a bit dangerous.’

His decision was quick, and his action even quicker.

The spear that was clearly driving inward suddenly struck outward.

A movement impossible to explain for ordinary superpower users.

It should be impossible. It defies physical laws.

But an Elder was a being who could make even that possible.

Thanks to this, Seojin Baek’s calculation, which had aimed for the perfect counter timing, was shattered.

He had to roll his body to regain his lost balance.

His already blood-soaked body now covered in dirt and dust looked even more pitiful.

“Haa, haa…”

After briefly staring at Seojin Baek, Hyuk Kwak closed the distance in an instant.

And before he could even react, he thrust his spear.

Shunk—!

“Kugh!”

Once again, a strange light flashed in Hyuk Kwak’s eyes.

He had clearly aimed for the heart, but it missed by a hair’s breadth.

It wasn’t his mistake. His opponent had twisted his body at the last moment to avoid it.

“Ha.”

An exclamation of astonishment escaped him involuntarily.

It was unbelievable enough that he had read his move, but to react as well?

He never imagined this man would be like this. He was incomparable to when they first met.

‘What on earth happened? Can someone get this strong in such a short time?’

As he pulled the spear from his chest, red blood gushed forward.

He had barely avoided the heart, but he was still seriously injured.

There wasn’t a single unharmed spot on him. It wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed right now.

But somehow, the man didn’t fall.

He still stood blocking Hyuk Kwak’s path, sword in hand.

A resolute will that he would never let him pass was palpable.

“…What are you, really?”

If at first he was annoyed that an insignificant person was blocking his way,

Now he was asking out of a different kind of bewilderment.

He was clearly much stronger. The opponent was so outmatched it was embarrassing to even discuss victory.

If he had used his magical power, the man would have been a corpse rolling on the ground long ago.

But at the same time, something was slowly raising its head deep in Hyuk Kwak’s heart.

A grating feeling. Something that kept irritating him strangely.

What was this? What was causing this unfamiliar sensation?

Before long, Hyuk Kwak realized what it was.

The identity of what had unknowingly emerged was ‘anxiety.’

‘At first, he couldn’t even react. But at some point, he started reacting, albeit late, and blocking, albeit weakly. Though stabbed, he somehow managed to avoid vital spots.’

This was the first time they had properly engaged. The previous time was just him toying with the man.

The examiner breathing heavily before him knew nothing about him.

When stabbed, one should be pierced; when struck, one should be hit; when meant to be killed, one should die.

Yet within those natural principles, his opponent was gradually responding.

He was growing in real-time. With each clash, he was taking it all in.

Remembering what he observed, imprinting it on his body, and preparing for the next encounter.

This anxiety was precisely because of that.

Today’s winner would definitely be himself, and his opponent could never win even if he died and came back.

But what about tomorrow? Or sometime later? Would it still be the case then?

‘No more.’

Yes, no more. One person who brought him humiliation was enough.

Kill him. Erase him. He couldn’t bear to taste that nightmare again.

He’d had enough fun. He’d played with him enough.

He wanted to erase that disgusting man quickly and forget the past.

Hiss—

Gray light gathered and swirled around Hyuk Kwak’s spear.

Witnessing this, the villains panicked and scattered.

Because they knew better than anyone what this man was about to do.

A damp, sticky aura of death formed at the spear’s tip.

Anything it touched would fall into an inescapable swamp of death.

Was this a technique? No, such a name didn’t suit it.

What Hyuk Kwak was showing now was solely a means for murder, nothing more.

Hatred concentrated to erase even the world just to kill a single person.

The essence of killing intent, condensed and condensed again because he couldn’t accept his own arrogance.

So it couldn’t be called a technique. It was just a murderer’s swing.

Woong—

The spear, imbued with dense death, rushed toward Seojin Baek.

It couldn’t be avoided. Literally, no one in the world could avoid death.

It was over. So just disappear. That madwoman alone was enough to make him miserable.

Finally reaching his target, about to unleash his killing intent.

Hyuk Kwak unconsciously muttered a name.

“…Minseong Kang?”

Why, why on earth? Despite it not being him, why did his wind blow?

Crack—

The answer to that question was given by Hyuk Kwak’s broken spear.

*

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it!’

At a tremendous speed that could outpace a car.

Jiyoon Han was running at full speed, biting her lip.

A terrible disaster in Sokcho, Gangwon Province.

Among the fallen was a colleague who had been close to Jiyoon Han.

He shouldn’t have died so senselessly; he was one of the best superpower users with no shortcomings.

It wasn’t a new dungeon, but a complete wipeout in a dungeon they had cleared several times before.

As she was rushing to Sokcho after hearing the news, another thunderbolt struck her.

“An ambush?”

“Yes! We just received word that all students who went out for field training have been attacked by a large-scale villain assault!”

“The damage? Is it serious? What’s the situation?”

“Fortunately, teams one through four are fine. But, but the problem is team five. A captured prisoner confessed that an Elder is after team five in Chungcheong Province!”

Jiyoon Han immediately changed her destination upon hearing this.

She felt sorry for her fallen colleague, but nothing could be done for the departed.

Now, the living came first. As a professor, the students were her priority.

‘Please, please!’

As she was advancing at full speed, Jiyoon Han suddenly gritted her teeth, sensing an aura that shouldn’t be felt.

She turned around. Right behind her, something dark and murky was following.

“Shit! I don’t have time to deal with you. Get lost!”

Jiyoon Han’s sword made a majestic sound as it delivered a strike.

The trajectory, delivered without mercy, cut the dark thing in half.

Then the remaining half increased its speed and approached Jiyoon Han.

“…”

The Elder, Sujin Hyun, who had previously clashed with Jiyoon Han at the Academy.

That was the identity of the shadow following her.

“You, until the end!”

“Jiyoon.”

To Jiyoon Han, who was revealing her killing intent, Sujin Hyun spoke quietly.

Only then did Jiyoon Han realize that Sujin Hyun had fully taken her attack.

She could have easily avoided it. At the very least, she could have minimized the damage.

“I don’t want to fight.”

“What?”

“I’m heading to the same place as you.”

Saying that, Sujin Hyun launched herself precisely toward where Jiyoon Han was heading.

Watching this, Jiyoon Han urgently followed behind her.

“What are you thinking?”

“Nothing special.”

“What?”

“I don’t have any particular thoughts.”

There was no further conversation. The two women focused solely on increasing their speed.

When these former comrades, current adversaries, arrived at their destination…

Saa…

A gust of wind lingered briefly before disappearing.

“…”

Below it, Elder Hyuk Kwak was blankly staring at his chest.

Red blood was gushing from the wound that had split open.