Ch.8Why Always Attack the Academy? – 3

I thought I would surely die. After all, I’m just a superpower user, and my opponent was an Elder.

But somehow, when I opened my eyes, I could still see the burning Academy.

My expectation that my limbs would be shattered was also wrong. Both arms and legs still moved.

◎ The Silver Gatekeeper

: Trait is currently active.

The reason I survived was probably because of this trait.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.

I know this all too well from being on the receiving end. A gatekeeper doesn’t let anyone pass through.

They grab your ankle and hang on, making sure you can’t get past no matter what.

After being forced to my knees 99 times that way, now I’m the gatekeeper.

“Urgh…”

A scream escapes as I try to stand up. My shoulder hurts like crazy, as if my arm has been dislocated.

In movies and dramas, people somehow manage to pop their shoulders back in…

Fuck. I can’t do it. It hurts too much. It’s impossible.

“What are you?”

As I barely manage to take a step, I see the Elder staring directly at me from ahead.

Seems he’s noticed that I’m not dead.

‘Couldn’t you just pretend you didn’t see me?’

The situation made me sigh, but at this point, I had nothing to lose.

My trait was still active, and somehow I had survived the Elder’s attack.

If the first time was possible, surely the second time would be too.

…Honestly, that’s just wishful thinking, but I had no other options.

“Me?”

So I decided to just go for it.

“I’m a Silver rank examiner.”

The Elder tilted his head at my answer, then approached with his spear.

He seemed to completely ignore the professors and students behind him, even Soohyun Kim.

He was slowly approaching with his gaze fixed solely on me.

I want to run away. I just want to preserve my life even now.

I’m scared, but more than that, I desperately don’t want to hurt anymore.

They say pain makes people cowardly, and it’s true.

I don’t want to hurt anymore. I feel like I’m dying already, how can I endure more?

The urge to kneel and beg for my life crossed my mind several times per second.

But whenever that temptation arose, this thought held me back:

What if I let that Elder pass by me to go about his business?

What would happen to Soohyun Kim, and what about the more than 500,000 innocent people who would later be sacrificed to her?

Knowing that, could I sleep soundly?

‘Fuck…’

If I hadn’t known, I would have pretended not to know. I would have run away with my eyes shut tight.

But knowing what would happen next, I simply couldn’t do that.

I’m not some crazy guy playing hero, nor am I some loser hiding my power.

Yet I know this is a fight I’m guaranteed to lose a hundred times out of a hundred.

“Interesting.”

With those words, the world seemed to turn black, then spin around me.

I didn’t even have time to feel pain. I couldn’t even recognize what state I was in.

“Gack! Kuh! Urgh!”

I can’t breathe properly. Every joint in my body feels like it’s breaking.

When I finally managed to look around, I realized I had been thrown into debris again, probably hit by the spear shaft.

I thought I was really going to die this time, but I survived again. It hurt, but somehow I endured.

Somehow, in the process, my dislocated arm had even popped back into place.

I didn’t know whether to call it good luck, but it was absurd enough to make me laugh.

“…What are you?”

The man approaching asks again. Unlike before, he seems slightly perplexed.

Understandably so. A mere superpower user surviving an Elder’s attacks twice.

If I were him, I’d be wondering what the hell I was too.

“Cough! You heard me earlier. Cough, cough. I’m an examiner.”

I survived the second time too. Despite feeling like I’m dying from pain, I strangely felt confident.

So I found myself unconsciously speaking in a provocative tone.

The Elder raised his spear again, then showed a contemplative expression.

He’s deliberating. He finds me interesting and wants to play with me more.

But he has a purpose for coming here, so he needs to accomplish that quickly.

‘I can’t let him go. If Soohyun Kim gets taken, it’s all for nothing.’

I forced my trembling legs to stand up.

I have to keep him here. I can’t let him pass.

Soohyun Kim, and 500,000 innocent people.

Gritting my teeth, I need to endure just once more. I must endure.

Especially since everything I’ve endured so far would be wasted otherwise.

“Hmm.”

At this moment, perhaps the Elder decided to focus on his mission rather than his curiosity.

He turned away from me and started heading toward where Soohyun Kim had fled.

I need to stop him. To stop him, I need to provoke him.

“Are you running away?”

Yes. If you hear that and still leave, you’re insane. Especially a monster like you.

At my words, the Elder turned back to face me.

Though his gaze alone made me feel like my body was being torn apart, I forced myself to endure.

If I back down now, everything I’ve done would be worse than doing nothing.

“What a shame.”

What’s a shame?

“I was going to take my time finding out who you are.”

Wooooo—!

An eerie howling sound began emanating from his spear.

If I get hit by that, I’ll die. Gatekeeper or not, I’ll really die.

I need to dodge, but damn it. My body won’t listen.

Whether frozen in fear or exhausted to my limit,

I couldn’t move a finger no matter how hard I tried.

I thought this was truly the end. If I died, I wondered what would happen next.

“Hyup!!”

At that moment, someone suddenly appeared in the air with a fierce battle cry.

KWAAANG—!

They took the Elder’s spear head-on.

Although the impact left them in terrible shape, I could immediately tell who it was.

There was only one white-haired old man who used a sword at the Academy.

“Are you alright?”

“H-Headmaster?”

“You’re no ordinary examiner, are you?”

Chuckling, Hakjun Ma pushed away the spear he had been blocking.

“…Ma Hakjun.”

“It’s been a while, Hyuk.”

“How did you escape?”

“Don’t underestimate this old man too much. Those youngsters could only hold me back briefly.”

Perhaps they had stationed people to deal with Hakjun Ma as well.

There were clearly signs of battle all over his body.

The fact that he managed to break through and come here was truly befitting of “Hakjun Ma.”

“I was disappointed I couldn’t kill you before leaving, but this works out.”

“Is that so? But what will you do? Even you can’t kill this old body in three minutes.”

“…”

“You’ve noticed, haven’t you? Reinforcements have arrived. And ‘that person’ is among them. They’ll be here in three minutes at most. What will you do?”

At the mention of “that person,” the Elder called Hyuk narrowed his eyes.

After contemplating briefly, he turned his head to look in the direction where Soohyun Kim had disappeared.

“This has become quite unfortunate. And.”

The Elder who had retracted his spear suddenly turned his gaze toward me.

“You. I’ll remember you.”

Whether it was admiration for blocking his path,

Or a determination to kill me for my provocation,

It didn’t seem like he meant it in a good way.

With those final words, the Elder vanished instantly.

Like a ghost that had come and gone, leaving no trace behind.

‘…He’s gone. He’s really gone.’

Unlike the original flow of events, the villains failed to kidnap Soohyun Kim.

Their plan to brainwash her and turn her into the Crimson Witch had been significantly disrupted.

Even if this wasn’t the end, we had overcome a major crisis for now.

“Haah.”

My body falls backward involuntarily. As the tension releases, everything before my eyes turns white.

Hakjun Ma seems to be saying something, but I can’t hear a thing.

I just want to sleep like this. Though my shift is far from over…

I’ve already worked overtime today, so this much should be okay, right?

◎ Number of blocks

: 10 (10/10)

◎ Required value reached

: Trait will be strengthened.

*

“Headmaster.”

Hakjun Ma, who was receiving treatment, turned his head.

“You’ve come, Professor Han.”

“Ugh. What’s that? Just call me comfortably.”

Jiyoon Han, who had sustained various minor injuries, approached and sat down beside him.

“What’s the damage report?”

“32 dead. 117 injured. Victims include students, faculty, and security personnel.”

“…Fuck.”

Jiyoon Han clenched her fist as she cursed.

32 people had lost their lives. Those precious, pitiful souls had departed from this world.

“But, isn’t it fortunate that it’s only this much?”

The superpower user treating Hakjun Ma cautiously spoke up.

Jiyoon Han was about to rebuke him for talking nonsense, but Hakjun Ma stopped her.

“I apologize if I offended you. But the higher-ups and the Association have similar reactions. They say that with two Elders present, having only two-digit casualties is truly fortunate.”

“Fortunate? Even one death is a tragedy. What nonsense are you talking about?”

Of course, Jiyoon Han understood. If the Elders had aimed for a massacre, she would have been the only survivor.

Even Hakjun Ma wouldn’t have been able to withstand it. He’s a hero of the past, and they are existing nightmares.

However, one Elder merely stalled for time, while the other focused on a different task.

The villains they brought along were also clearly just meant to buy time, given their mediocre abilities.

“Hyuk. No, the ‘Spear Wraith’ was after Soohyun Kim.”

“Yes. According to survivor testimonies, he was looking for Soohyun Kim. And that rotten woman Sujin Hyun was clearly trying to buy time.”

The granddaughter of Minseong Kang. An ability user with excellent lineage but lacking in personal talent.

That was the simple summary that defined Soohyun Kim.

Hakjun Ma stroked his chin, deep in thought.

‘What was their intention in trying to kidnap Soohyun?’

Perhaps it was a method to threaten or persuade Minseong Kang?

It’s not entirely impossible. Minseong Kang’s love for his children is well-known.

Moreover, Soohyun Kim is the only bloodline left by Minseong Kang’s daughter who died in battle.

His affection for her would be at least as strong as, if not stronger than, for his other grandchildren.

“Careful, on three. One, two, three.”

Paramedics transport a man away.

He’s not a student. Not a professor or security personnel either.

His identity is Seojin Baek. An examiner who was dispatched to the Academy today.

“…Jiyoon.”

“Yes.”

“That examiner, Seojin Baek.”

“I heard. He took the Spear Wraith’s attack twice.”

“Yes. And yet he survived. And he didn’t back down either.”

Even professors with extensive field experience couldn’t withstand it.

Hakjun Ma isn’t sure if even he could take two spear attacks head-on.

Yet, against such an Elder, Seojin Baek managed to buy time successfully.

If it weren’t for him, the worst-case scenario would have unfolded.

And until the very last moment, he showed no sign of backing down.

‘Seojin Baek. Seojin Baek.’

Both Hakjun Ma and Jiyoon Han.

They fell into deep thought as they watched Seojin Baek being transported to the hospital.