Ch.70The Gatekeeper Is – 5

My arms and legs feel like they’re about to break off. No, maybe they’re already broken.

They no longer respond to my commands. Even gritting my teeth doesn’t make them budge.

The thought fills me that I’ll die if I collapse here, but there’s nothing I can do.

This is it. Yes, this is exactly the moment that phrase was made for.

“Still… at least I succeeded.”

In that final moment, when Elder Hyuk Kwak’s spear was flying toward me,

I could clearly see the wind path that Minseong Kang had shown me.

I didn’t overthink it. I didn’t doubt it.

I simply moved my body according to the memory of that moment.

The technique Minseong Kang showed me was as simple as a gentle breeze. Yet it was powerful.

The swordsmanship Hyunwoo Lee displayed before me was both steadfast and fluid.

And Soohyun Kim’s sword was like a violent gale—fierce, intense, and brutal.

I captured all of that in one place.

In that moment, I knew instinctively. It couldn’t be more perfect.

I executed flawlessly what Minseong Kang, Hyunwoo Lee, and Soohyun Kim had shown me.

So perfectly that I felt satisfied even with death staring me in the face.

“You, you bastard…”

However, I couldn’t match the level he had reached. I couldn’t match the time he had invested.

Blood gushes from the X-shaped wound splitting across my chest.

Yet that Elder bastard is still approaching me, gripping his spear.

Filled with thick, persistent killing intent, determined to finish me off.

It wasn’t enough. The timing and flow were perfect, but

the depth and power weren’t sufficient to reach him.

‘Damn it. Can’t you just collapse already?’

When the protagonist suffers this much, the villain is supposed to fall.

Isn’t that the rule? Is it because I’m not Hyunwoo Lee?

Damn it. What a filthy world where only Hyunwoo Lee gets protagonist buffs!

I bit my lip until it bled, trying to get up.

My limbs felt like they were breaking, but I tried to summon strength somehow.

But my body, already pushed to its limits, refused to move any further.

It seems like more than just exhaustion. My entire body is in excruciating pain.

I suspect all my muscles and ligaments are damaged.

Just as he reached me and was about to grab my neck,

something flashed and ice flowers bloomed in all directions.

“H-here! Y-you bad person!”

Even national-level ability users with battle experience would freeze up.

Yet Hana Kang overcame that fear and managed to cast her magic.

Though it didn’t cause any damage, it was still remarkable.

Even as a Platinum rank, she’s still just a student.

But the situation isn’t good. This guy is literally in a state of madness right now.

His killing intent toward me could easily shift elsewhere.

And I could see the insanity swirling in his pupils.

“Run away! Run away, Student Hana Kang!”

I shouted with every last ounce of strength I had.

This is madness. It’s no different than throwing pebbles at a rabid dog.

But Hana Kang continued firing off spells.

As if trying to draw the Elder’s attention to herself.

As if trying to buy me time to recover, even a little.

The Elder slowly approaches Hana Kang.

This can’t happen. How could I have come this far only to lose now?

The evaluation isn’t over yet. Please, please just one more time…

“That’s enough.”

A chilling sensation runs down my spine.

I couldn’t even sense their presence, but another voice came from behind me.

A voice I’ve heard before, one that remains in my memory.

Yes. Sujin Hyun. Of all people, another Elder. Damn it.

I swallowed hard. I gripped the sword beside me so tightly it might break.

If I surprise attack now, could I inflict meaningful damage?

If she’s off guard, maybe I could…

“I said that’s enough. Do you really want me to kill you?”

The cold woman’s voice penetrates my mind.

A dark shadow taps the sword in my hand.

‘Damn it.’

I had to admit it. In this situation, there was nothing I could do.

Is this really the end? Like this, without being able to do anything…

“Are you alright, Seojin?”

I reflexively looked up at another voice.

A woman standing between the Elder and Hana Kang.

An S-class ability user. The only person who could handle everything in this situation.

“Professor Jiyoon Han.”

“Thank goodness.”

Jiyoon Han, saying this, points her sword at Hyuk Kwak.

“I’d like to kill you, but there are many people on my side, and many injuries on yours, so how about we both back off? There won’t be a second negotiation. If you refuse, we all die together.”

“Let’s all die together. Yes, that doesn’t sound bad.”

No, wait! Ms. Han! You can’t negotiate like that!

He’s already half-crazed—do you think he’ll back down with talk like that?

I was shocked by Jiyoon Han’s unexpected negotiation style.

Is this how S-class ability users navigate the world?

No wonder. Rina Lee, that woman, seemed out of her mind too.

“Hyuk Kwak.”

As I was waving my barely functioning arms trying to convey

‘What are you doing! We’ll all die! Don’t do this!’ to Jiyoon Han,

Sujin Hyun, standing behind me, continued in a monotone voice.

“Didn’t you want to finish things with that crazy woman?”

Crazy woman? Among villains, there’s only one who’d be called that.

Rina Lee. But why is Rina being mentioned at this timing?

“I guarantee, if you fight Jiyoon Han now, you’ll die. I don’t know how you ended up in such an embarrassing state, but your spear is broken, your bleeding won’t stop, and somehow you’ve lost your left arm.”

“Sujin Hyun.”

“If you’re asking if I’ll fight alongside you, why should I? I don’t feel like fighting today. I’ll just watch whether you die or not. Oh, if you manage to inflict a fatal wound on Jiyoon Han, I’ll finish her off.”

“What are you…”

“So, if you want to fight that crazy woman, let’s end this for today.”

Saying this, Sujin Hyun points at me.

“It’s embarrassing to wear the Elder title. To end up like that fighting someone like him. If it were me, I’d bite my tongue and die of shame, you idiot. But you don’t plan to do that, right? You want to fight the crazy woman, either kill her or die trying. So back off for now. I won’t try to persuade you any further.”

No, this is crazy. Make a proper persuasion! Why do you keep provoking him?

This way, that crazy water ghost won’t agree to stop, will he?

Inwardly, I was cursing both Jiyoon Han and Sujin Hyun for being so frustrating…

“Fine.”

…What the hell? Why are you persuaded by that?

“I’ll stop here.”

Hyuk Kwak turns around and passes by me and Sujin Hyun, holding his broken spear.

In that moment, his gaze fixes on me. It gives me chills.

This feeling is like when a senior colleague finally chases away a nasty complainant.

It’s like that moment when they say, “I’ll see you next time, you bastard.”

“I told you to know shame.”

Just as I tensed up, thinking Hyuk Kwak might say “I’ll kill you after all,”

Sujin Hyun, standing beside me, gently waved her shadow and issued a quiet warning.

“If you lay a hand on him, I’ll kill you myself to preserve the Elder’s honor.”

Never in my life have I been so grateful to an Elder.

And I realized that the rumors were true.

The rumor that Elders get along terribly with each other.

So bad that people said the rivalry between Elders and S-class ability users was better.

I used to think that was nonsense, but now I see it makes sense.

“I’m not that petty. You keep making me out to be some kind of weirdo.”

You ARE a weirdo. And extremely petty. I almost blurted this out.

If I had actually said it, Hyuk Kwak would probably have glared at me with gritted teeth.

“But I want to ask one thing, Sujin Hyun.”

“I told you to get lost. What is it?”

“I hope you’ll keep your word from earlier.”

What’s he talking about now?

Sujin Hyun seemed as confused as I was, muttering “What?”

“You said you would bite your tongue and die of shame if you lost to that guy.”

“So?”

“You speak as if you wouldn’t be defeated. But who can guarantee that later, not now, you won’t end up in the same state as me after fighting him?”

With those final words, Hyuk Kwak vanished in an instant.

‘That crazy bastard.’

What he just said was not only meant to provoke Sujin Hyun,

but also to ask her if she was okay with leaving a future problem behind.

Is he telling her to kill me instead? What the hell?

If you’re going to leave, just leave coolly. Why say such strange things?

And Sujin Hyun, don’t look at me with those weird eyes.

Why are you making me nervous? You’re not going to stab me with your shadow after acting cool, are you?

“Sujin Hyun.”

Sharing my thoughts, Jiyoon Han makes a cold expression.

A silent question: are you going to backstab us after cooperating?

“I’m not that kind of crazy bitch.”

Fortunately, Sujin Hyun just let out a cold laugh and stepped back.

“In return for cooperating today, stop tracking me. If you keep doing that, I might break my resolution not to fight today. We’ve avoided a funeral today, so please, sister.”

“I told you I’d kill you if you called me sister one more time.”

Despite Jiyoon Han’s fierce tone, Sujin Hyun just giggled.

Then she turned to look at the villains waiting cautiously behind her.

“If you understand the situation, get out of here quickly. Or if you want to continue, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”

The villains’ conclusion was, of course, a great escape.

One Elder had already fled, and the other had no intention of fighting.

In contrast, on the opposing side was an S-class ability user they couldn’t handle even if they died and came back to life.

Unless they were insane, they wouldn’t reject the opportunity Sujin Hyun had created.

“Oh, just so you know, don’t get your hopes up too much, Jiyoon.”

After all the villains disappeared, Sujin Hyun took a step back.

Then, just as when she appeared, she began turning into a dark shadow.

“I’m never coming back. So don’t hope for it. Until I die, I’ll forever be a bad woman.”

“I wasn’t expecting anything, traitor.”

At Jiyoon Han’s cold reply, the shadowy Sujin Hyun applauded.

That was the last of it. All the villains had left the scene.

It was the end of a practical training session filled with all kinds of incidents.