Ch.82A Time for Change – 1

“Hyunwoo Lee student. There’s something I’m curious about.”

“Yes, Arbiter.”

“Before I hear your answer, let me clarify something. The question I’m about to ask isn’t directed at you as Hyunwoo Lee. Think of it as a question for a student of the Academy.”

Suddenly, I became curious about what thoughts he might have.

I know he’s different from other students at the Academy.

Like a true “protagonist,” he focuses on effort, and more effort. He doesn’t really care about much else.

Nevertheless, that guy is still an Academy student after all.

What I want to hear now isn’t the opinion of Hyunwoo Lee, the training ghost.

Rather, I want the perspective of a Bronze-ranked student attending the Academy.

“How do you feel about this, Hyunwoo Lee? About me conducting such strict evaluations.”

“I personally think it’s a good thing…”

“I told you. I’m not asking Hyunwoo Lee the person, but you as a student.”

Hyunwoo is the only one I can ask such candid questions.

There’s also Soohyun Kim, but she would only say nice things to me, so she’s excluded.

Others like Hana Kang or Dasom Yoo are neither Bronze nor Silver, so they’re excluded too.

In contrast, Hyunwoo is someone who can view things relatively objectively.

Plus, he’s the protagonist with an upright heart, so I can trust him.

“Hmm.”

He seems to have realized exactly what kind of answer I’m looking for.

After a moment of silence, Hyunwoo contemplated something and then answered.

“It doesn’t bother me personally, but as a Bronze-ranked student, it’s definitely intimidating.”

“I thought as much.”

“You’re not asking students to defeat you, but rather to meet your standards even slightly, right?”

I nodded emphatically to confirm that he was correct.

It’s truly sad and unfortunate when students misunderstand this point.

This is already stated clearly in the evaluation regulations.

They don’t need to defeat the Arbiter standing before them.

Even if they lose, they just need to show something impressive.

What an Arbiter wants isn’t just immediate sharpness.

It’s also about hidden potential that could become sharper in the future.

“But Arbiter, even that might be burdensome for students.”

“If it’s burdensome, I suppose it’s because of my recent activities?”

“Yes. Fighting monsters and villains was already intimidating enough, but now you’ve fought The Elder. I don’t mind, but other students would find it overwhelming.”

How can anyone satisfy someone who survived a battle with The Elder?

Whatever they do might seem like mere child’s play to such an Arbiter.

While some students might ignite their fighting spirit more intensely like him,

Others might find their barely-kindled flames extinguished completely.

Hyunwoo answered my question sincerely, expressing this concern.

“I see.”

I understand. I had expected this.

They’re not even trying to reach Platinum rank, just Silver.

It must be frustrating to have some strange Arbiter conducting such strict evaluations.

If I were incompetent, they could at least try to break me down and curse me.

But after my battle with The Elder, everyone knows I’m no ordinary person.

From the students’ perspective, I’ve become an almost insurmountable obstacle.

“Arbiter, there is a solution.”

“Of course. It’s simple, really. Proof that you all can do it too. That would suffice.”

Whether it’s a Bronze student or an original Silver student.

I just need to pick someone and say, “You pass! Promotion successful!”

If I demonstrate that possibility, people’s mindsets will change immediately.

“But from what I can tell, you don’t seem like someone who would go easy on us.”

Hyunwoo had quite an accurate understanding of me.

Indeed, though he’s a bit peculiar, he is the protagonist after all.

“You must have a lot to consider. I wish I could be more helpful, but honestly, I’m just someone who enjoys these evaluations, so I don’t think I can offer any more useful advice.”

With those words, Hyunwoo said he needed to get back to swinging his sword before his sweat cooled.

He quickly turned and started sprinting madly toward the training ground.

At that level, “training ghost” seems more fitting than “effort genius.”

If someone doesn’t improve despite working that hard, they simply lack talent.

“Still, this is difficult…”

At first, I believed that proving my abilities would make everything work out.

But now that I’ve done so, I’m facing an even more troublesome situation.

“What more could someone like you want!”

“Even if it’s for the students’ sake, isn’t the hurdle too high!”

When confronted with such arguments, I have no response.

To prove that’s not the case, I ultimately need to promote some students to Silver.

“Arbiter. I’d like… to take the evaluation.”

Shortly after Hyunwoo disappeared toward the training ground,

A male student cautiously approached and requested an evaluation.

He’s a student who has come several times before. I remember he had decent skills.

And I felt that he was growing a little each time he took the evaluation.

So if asked whether I’ll promote him to Silver?

Well, he still has too many weaknesses to be promoted so easily.

“As always, just show me everything you’ve prepared.”

The Martial Arts Class male student nods and takes his stance.

After briefly gauging the situation, he closes the distance and aims for the outside of my torso.

Not a bad body blow. His magical power is quite neatly focused.

The speed is decent, and though I haven’t been hit, it seems powerful enough.

For a moment, I considered dodging.

It’s fast, but not so fast that I couldn’t avoid it. By my standards, it’s rather slow.

But instead, I chose to block his punch with my arm.

‘This is an evaluation. Rather than showing off my strength, I should make him feel that I’m assessing his skills.’

When his attack is blocked, he immediately extends his leg inward, targeting my knee.

Aiming for such a vulnerable joint shows good judgment.

But what if that very move exposes your weakness?

“Ugh.”

With a light tap to his Adam’s apple, the male student reflexively steps back.

He was so focused on his own attack that he failed to notice my counterattack.

“Your response is good. But before responding, you need to observe your opponent’s actions.”

“I’m sorry. I got too excited…”

“Let’s try again. From the beginning, again. Don’t get excited. Stay calm.”

I’ve slightly changed my approach. Previously, I would offer advice after completing the entire evaluation.

But from now on, I’ll provide feedback immediately after each exchange.

As if this isn’t an evaluation, but sparring for feedback.

“Huwup!”

Instead of starting with a punch like before, the male student begins with a high kick.

In his mind, he might have thought it was a good feint.

But it was already revealed by his different center of gravity.

‘Next time, I should tell him to pay attention to foot positioning as well.’

Next, the angle and speed of the incoming kick.

As I mentioned before, this student’s kicks are less refined compared to his punches.

His hand techniques are about average, but his kicks are below average.

More than half of the Martial Arts Class uses hand techniques, they say.

It’s much more comfortable than using feet, and easier to infuse with magical power.

This student probably trained mostly with punches and only recently started working on kicks.

“Kuk!”

Kwadang—!

As a result, even a slight touch could easily disrupt his core.

“I definitely need to train more on my kicks.”

“I, I thought so too. I was just trying it out… I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. Attempting such variations is very good.”

As the male student bowed and stepped back, a female student requested an evaluation next.

Students continued to come after that, most of whom were familiar faces.

Cases of students who diligently put in effort regardless of my fame or abilities.

They probably don’t have complaints about my presence here.

Rather, I think they keep coming because they see this as a good opportunity.

Those students will likely survive well during the coming period of great upheaval.

The sweat drops they shed now will substitute for the blood drops they might shed in the future.

Why not just train when that time comes in the near future, you ask?

‘Nonsense.’

The number of ability users will drastically decrease due to rampaging gates and strengthened monsters.

As a result, they’ll need to use current students, not just graduates.

In that situation, will there be time to leisurely train? Of course not.

Only those who have honed themselves in advance will survive to fight.

‘Should I have really pretended to be a prophet?’

A plan I considered before but abandoned because it made no sense.

But the fact that it keeps coming to mind shows how bad the upcoming situation will be.

“Um, hello, Arbiter.”

I turned my head at the voice calling me.

At first, I thought it was another Bronze or Silver-ranked student.

But when I saw her face, I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh?”

“You’re that student who was in our first squad before, right?”

“Yes. You remember me.”

A female student holding a sword nods with a smile.

She was part of Team 5’s first squad during the recent Academy field training.

Which means this female student is not Bronze or Silver, but Gold-ranked.

“What brings you here?”

“Um, about the Silver rank evaluation… Would I not be able to take it?”

After briefly considering what to say, I answered.

“No, you can’t.”

“Oh.”

“Because the student standing before me is already Gold-ranked.”

If I were an Academy professor, I might have handled this differently.

But right now, I’m here as a dispatched civil servant, not a professor.

The authority I’ve been granted is to evaluate up to Silver rank.

Conducting evaluations for higher-ranked students would clearly be overstepping my bounds.

Even if Hakjun Ma approved, it could become troublesome if someone else raised an issue.

“I see… it’s not possible. Well, in that case…”

“But hypothetically speaking.”

However, that doesn’t mean there’s absolutely no way.

“What if I said you weren’t good enough?”

“I’d have to do the same. Give up my current rank and go back to Bronze.”

“That’s not something to say so lightly.”

“True, but… I watched you evaluating the students earlier. It seemed like an evaluation, but also like you were showing them what to do in real situations, pointing out their current strengths and weaknesses.”

I nodded, and the female student continued.

“I also want to… gain something new.”

“I see. Then let’s do it, the evaluation.”

“What?”

“If you want an evaluation, you should get one.”

“But… you just said it wasn’t possible…?”

I did say that. And if this gets out, there will definitely be talk.

But this is precisely where I can benefit from my newfound fame.

The state assigns an A-rank ability user as a bodyguard.

What does this mean? It means I’m a special person of interest to the state.

This is how fame should be used. No matter what people say, those above will cover it up.