Ch.9Hospital Visit – 1

Sssss―

A man with the appearance of a water ghost emerges from the darkness.

Upon seeing him, Sujin Hyun immediately stood up and approached him.

Crack―!

The black shadow seemed to writhe before grabbing the man by the collar.

“Hey, Hyuk Kwak. What are you doing right now?”

“…”

“Are you joking? I was handling Jiyoon Han, and our people were holding down that old man Hakjun Ma. You had just one job. All you had to do was bring back one kid. Got it?”

“…”

“And you failed at that? Shit, are you seriously telling me this? Huh?”

Sujin Hyun’s anger was completely justified.

Two Elders had jumped in to kidnap just one Academy student.

She herself had restrained the most powerful enemy, the S-class ability user Jiyoon Han.

They had also immobilized Hakjun Ma, who was quite a troublesome force.

It should have been impossible for the remaining Elder, Hyuk Kwak, to fail his mission.

There was no one skilled enough to block his path. Even if there was, he should have been able to break through immediately.

From the beginning, “failure” shouldn’t have been a possibility.

Crack―!

More black shadows emerge, darker and denser.

They looked ready to devour the man with the water ghost appearance at any moment.

“…Sujin Hyun.”

Yet he neither breathed heavily nor winced in pain.

Hyuk Kwak simply called her name in an unaffected voice.

“I had my reasons.”

“…Ha!”

It was absurd. So absurd that she just wanted to kill him.

But her opponent was an Elder like herself. Avoiding internal conflicts was the rule.

And if they truly clashed, even Sujin Hyun would find it difficult to predict victory.

With their ability levels being similar, it would be an unfavorable matchup for her.

“…Fine. Let’s hear what these ‘reasons’ are from the famous ‘Spear Wraith.'”

The black shadows instantly disappeared behind Sujin Hyun.

Hyuk Kwak scratched his neck once before slowly speaking.

“A man blocked my path.”

“Of course someone blocked you. A professor or security personnel! Sigh… Are you talking about that old man Hakjun Ma?”

“No. Not him. Someone else.”

“Then who?”

“He said he was an examiner.”

“An examiner?”

“Yes.”

“So what? He blocked you. So what!”

Sujin Hyun was emanating an aura that suggested she would fight to the death if he was talking nonsense.

That’s how important this mission had been to her…

“He took two hits from my spear and survived.”

“…What?”

For a moment, she thought she had misheard.

The words from Hyuk Kwak’s mouth were that shocking.

“Nonsense.”

“It’s not nonsense.”

“I’m telling you it’s nonsense. An examiner? Examiners are just dispatched to the Academy. At best, they’re at the same level as Academy assistants. And you’re saying such an idiot took two hits from your spear?”

“I’m just stating facts.”

“Be honest. Did you really try? You didn’t hold back?”

At Sujin Hyun’s mockery, an eerie light flashed in Hyuk Kwak’s eyes before disappearing.

That single change was enough to shift the atmosphere.

“I have never once treated an opponent carelessly. Not since the moment I first held my spear.”

“…Alright. I crossed a line there. Sorry.”

Everyone has a “reverse scale” that shouldn’t be touched.

Because she had her own reverse scale, she knew exactly what emotions would arise if it was touched.

Sujin Hyun raised both hands and apologized to Hyuk Kwak.

“Let me recap. I handled Jiyoon Han, and our people took care of Hakjun Ma. And you went to secure the target.”

“That’s right.”

“But this examiner blocked your path. You swung your spear as usual, and the examiner who got hit was sent flying. You naturally assumed he’d be dead with his body blown apart?”

“Precisely.”

“But the man got up again. So you blasted him away, but he got up again?”

Hyuk Kwak nodded, confirming it was accurate.

“…Ha!”

Even thinking about it again, it was truly unbelievable nonsense.

It was nonsense, but coming from none other than Hyuk Kwak, it couldn’t be a lie.

No exaggeration, no downplaying. This man only spoke things as they were.

Knowing this all too well, Sujin Hyun’s head was throbbing.

‘Is that even possible? If he had just been pierced by the spear tip, maybe. But when a normal ability user is struck by his spear shaft, their body should explode. Yet a mere examiner withstood it twice? And then got up again to block his path?’

She could assert with certainty: that was impossible.

It was far beyond common sense. Even an A-class ability user couldn’t do that.

There was only one type of being in the world that could withstand an Elder’s attack head-on.

‘S-class….’

Sujin Hyun’s mind began racing.

He clearly said examiner. What grade or affiliation didn’t matter.

The important point now was that an examiner was a civil servant belonging to the state.

‘Could it be that they finally proceeded with that experiment and saw results? If they disguised someone created that way as a civil servant and placed him in the Academy?’

It’s a well-known fact that villains have been eyeing the Academy.

Until now, they couldn’t act because the forces deployed inside the Academy were powerful, and the villains couldn’t cooperate with each other. But there’s a possibility that the state had already been preparing.

‘These bastards, they finally… finally conducted that cursed experiment!’

Grind―!

A dark aura emanated from Sujin Hyun’s body as she gritted her teeth.

Something ominous that gave goosebumps just by looking at it.

It was the reaction that always occurred when her reverse scale was touched.

“What will you do now?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Will you target the Academy again? Or will you change the plan to secure the target?”

Sujin Hyun smiled sweetly at Hyuk Kwak’s question. Then she answered.

“Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind?”

They had already made a big move, expecting success.

The fact that Kim Soohyun was the target was already known to them.

And now they should attack again? That would be like sticking their head into a tiger’s open mouth.

“I heard ‘that one’ came to the Academy.”

“…”

“Can you handle her? That Yellow Madwoman?”

As soon as news of the Academy attack broke, the top forces were deployed.

Among South Korea’s S-class ability users, she was undoubtedly the strongest.

Even among the S-class individuals worldwide, she was at the top tier, a true powerhouse.

Even for an Elder, confronting her directly would be unsettling.

“It’s annoying. Why did her parents naturalize in this country instead of staying in their own?”

“She claims to be Korean.”

“With blonde hair and blue eyes? Yeah right.”

Sujin Hyun scratched her head irritably and bit her lip.

‘First, I need to investigate that examiner. If he really is a survivor of that experiment…’

The conclusion would be one of two: either recruit him or eliminate him.

Between those two cases, Sujin Hyun secretly hoped for the first.

*

“Fortunately, there are no serious injuries. No issues with bones or organs. It’s surprisingly stable, the patient’s condition. Hmm… I think you can be discharged in about three days.”

Doctor, what are you saying? Discharge? Already?

Why are you doing this to me? This isn’t right! I told you I was attacked by an Elder!

I was hoping to lie down for about a month. It could be processed as an injury during official duty.

Moreover, villains had invaded, and I had confronted them, so it looked good.

I thought I could legally leech a salary while in the hospital, but…

“I heard you’re being discharged. They say there’s nothing wrong with your body, so you’ll continue your assignment as an Academy examiner. Don’t complain to me. It’s a decision from above, so just do as you’re told quietly.”

That’s what my old-fashioned boss said when he came to visit.

I’m not sure if he came because he was worried or to stress me out.

Thanks to him, I found myself worrying about going back to work just three days after being hospitalized.

‘Besides, the reaction seems a bit underwhelming compared to what I imagined.’

I had expectations. I had blocked an Elder and survived his attacks.

I thought they might immediately ask about my identity, and I had prepared answers.

But no one even mentioned that aspect.

‘In that case, there are two possibilities. One is that they deliberately concealed information. Or…’

Or they just think the Elder was playing with me like an ant before giving up.

Honestly, more people would probably nod to the latter than the former.

If I had heard this news, I would have thought the Elder didn’t take his opponent seriously.

Still, they seemed to acknowledge my efforts, as I was given a private room.

The cost must be substantial. When I asked out of concern, they said the Academy was covering everything.

Thanks to that, I could use this comfortable and spacious space without worry.

“Let’s check the news outside.”

As soon as I turned on the TV with the remote, all kinds of news appeared.

As expected, they were intensively reporting on the Academy attack from a few days ago.

[This tragedy, which caused numerous casualties…]

[The Ability Association, in light of this incident…]

[Dean Hakjun Ma and Professor Jiyoon Han, through an official press conference…]

Through the screen, I could see Jiyoon Han and Dean Hakjun Ma looking extremely busy.

I was a bit disappointed they hadn’t visited me, but now I understood why.

They must still be incredibly busy dealing with reporters.

[Meanwhile, a joint funeral for those who lost their lives protecting students in this tragedy…]

Watching the news, it finally sinks in. What had I done?

At the time, I felt I had to step up, but looking back, it was truly a crazy act. It’s a miracle I didn’t die.

‘Let’s think positively. Yes. I saved Kim Soohyun, and prevented a tragedy where over 500,000 people could have died or been injured.’

I didn’t do it for social recognition or attention.

As a human being, I did what a human should do.

I acted in a way that wouldn’t prick my conscience. That’s all.

…Still, I would have liked to hear them say I should rest more. Going back to work in three days is too much.

Knock knock―

“Um, excuse me. Examiner Seojin Baek?”

A woman’s voice came from beyond the door along with the knocking sound.

“Um, I’m Kim Soohyun! I came to visit you! May I come in?”