Academy's Silver Gatekeeper

“This is bullshit! Why do we have to go through the Silver evaluation again?!”

A male student threw down his sword, letting his anger explode.

“Are you guys really not pissed off? Huh?! It’s not like we cheated, not like we rigged the test. We did everything legit to leave Bronze behind. The Examiners acknowledged it! Am I wrong?”

“That’s true.”

“He’s right, obviously.”

“Then why are we stuck in this crap?”

The other students training nearby chimed in. Most of them were Silvers who had been demoted to Bronze, so it was natural for them to get worked up.

“We can’t just stand around taking this. Sure, the Headmaster is Ma Hakjun, but this is still outrageous.”

“What do you want to do about it? Got any ideas?”

“Go public. Spread it to the media that we students strongly oppose it, that it’s way too unfair. That might get things leaning in our favor.”

Several people nodded as if that was promising.

“We can even embellish a bit, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“Something like: A strange new Examiner showed up and started harassing students. He pulled some strings to convince the Headmaster to forcibly demote all the Silvers to Bronze.”

“It violates the Academy’s own rules, you know. There was no existing process for demotion.”

“Honestly, I’m disappointed in the Headmaster too. Suddenly inventing a ‘Special Evaluation’? How could we refuse to take it?”

Voices of discontent grew louder: “We can’t just let this happen!” 

But then, one person spoke up, and everyone else fell silent:

“Uh, but… that Examiner Baek Seojin isn’t just any old Examiner. Word has it he’s got connections to Irina.”

“Oh…”

“Crap.”

Irina. For aspiring superhumans, she’s simultaneously a figure of admiration and terror. If you piss her off, she’ll crush you like a villain. The infamous “crazy blonde,” rumored to be absolutely unhinged. She didn’t get called ‘that crazy woman’ for nothing.

“I was wondering… maybe Ms. Irina is unhappy with our skill levels and she’s the one pushing from behind, using this Examiner as her front?”

“S-shit, that’s disturbingly plausible.”

“So if we fight back against this…?”

“It’s basically picking a fight with that maniac woman.”

They were all big talkers a moment ago, even acting like Ma Hakjun was no big deal. But the name Irina, shut them all down instantly.

Ma Hakjun might be a kindly old gentleman who still knows boundaries, but… that insane blonde will smash you with a smile on her face.

“So does that mean… we’re just stuck in Bronze forever?”

“That’d be even worse. We worked so hard just to get out of Bronze…”

They had believed that, once they escaped Bronze, all would be well. No more academic warnings, they could coast along, graduate comfortably. A typical C-rank assignment would be their limit after graduation, but that was enough to live on.

Sure, stronger monsters and more dangerous villains existed, but they’d let the truly talented folks handle that. As for them, they’d just keep the minor threats in check. In a stable world, that was enough for them. They didn’t care about pushing higher.

“How am I supposed to explain this at home? My folks already got mad, asking if I got demoted or something.”

“Why’d you tell them? I’m hiding it.”

“I am too. I can’t admit it. If my parents find out I could still get an academic warning, they’d freak out.”

They wanted to complain so badly, but the threat behind their enemy was terrifying. And they hated swallowing their pride to endure it. They all sighed, not really focusing on training.

“Hey, students.”

Then someone approached from the training hall entrance, someone every student recognized at once: The Silver-rank Examiner, Baek Seojin.

“Oh, hell no.”

“Why’s he here again? You here to pick a fight?”

Of course, none of them reacted kindly. He was the man who’d thrown them back into the hell pit called Bronze. How could they possibly welcome him with a smile?

“I’ve come to deliver some good news.”

‘Good news, my ass. Your presence is bad news all by itself.’

“For now, no one’s getting an academic warning just for being in Bronze.”

“…Huh?”

“What?!”

“Seriously?!”

The student crowd’s mood flipped in an instant. Their biggest, scariest problem was the dreaded academic warning. All their complaints and frustrations had revolved around that.

“Yes, everyone. I just spoke with the Headmaster. While we reorganize the ranking system, we decided penalizing you for being in Bronze would be unfair. So until everything settles, you can forget about academic warnings.”

“Wooooooo!”

“Yes! We’re saved!”

Baek Seojin silently watched them cheer in relief.

‘Sure enough, the academic warning issue caused the strongest hostility.’

Even in a normal college, an academic warning is terrifying. In a superhuman academy, where failing can get you expelled, it’s a nightmare. No wonder they reacted so fiercely.

“I hope this eases your burdens, even if just a bit.”

“It totally does! Thank you, Examiner! Holy crap, what a relief.”

“It’s definitely confirmed, right? The Headmaster won’t suddenly change his mind and slap warnings on us again, yeah?”

“How long is this suspension period? They didn’t say exactly, did they?”

He told them the professors and the Headmaster were still deciding. But it wouldn’t be a short suspension, and if they ever reinstated the warnings, it would be announced at least two weeks in advance—so there was no reason to worry.

The students nodded, seeming to accept that.

“Excuse me, Examiner.”

However, they still had some lingering resentment. It’s not that easy to wash away the frustration they’d built up.

“We do appreciate your concern—truly. But the bottom line is, why are we demoted back to Bronze? We didn’t cheat or anything. We got assessed by other Examiners and made it to Silver fair and square.”

“Exactly. It’s not like we scammed the results. We had a valid assessment from other Examiners.”

They still found the present situation unfair. They wanted an explanation.

“Of course, I understand your anger and annoyance. I knew from the start I’d be cursed at for doing this. But I have a reason for it.”

To them, what matters most is the reality in front of their eyes. Hence, Baek Seojin planned to layer a different reality on top of that.

“Not too long ago, one of my friends died in the line of duty.”

This was true. One of his acquaintances had indeed been killed by a monster. Not exactly a close friend, more like someone he’d occasionally greeted.

“He was a C-rank superhuman. An ordinary superhuman, just like everyone else. That day, he was just living his normal life—until he happened to meet a particularly dangerous C-rank monster and lost his life.”

“…I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you. Now, let me ask you something, everyone. Do you know which superhuman rank suffers the highest casualty rate right now?”

One student hesitantly raised a hand.

“C-rank.”

“That’s correct. Now, in Academy terms, that’s basically Silver. Right?”

“Yes, Examiner, but that statement is misleading.”

Baek Seojin gestured for him to continue.

“C-rank has the most casualties simply because there are more C-rankers than any other rank. We can’t say C-rankers died because they’re weak or unskilled.”

He had a point: more people at that rank naturally means more casualties in total. It would be wrong to twist that into “They all died because they lacked skill.”

“Yes, I agree. But do you really think the higher numbers alone explain why more people die? I don’t see it that way.”

“…You’re implying you doubt the competence of C-rank superhumans?”

“You keep twisting my words. That’s not what I’m trying to say.”

“Then what do you want?” The student, voice tense, stared him down. It was obvious these students didn’t have a favorable view of Baek Seojin right now. Sensing that he had to make a move, Baek Seojin went all in.

“I just don’t want any of you to share my friend’s fate.”

He forced a slight smile with a hint of sorrow in his voice. A somber expression for extra effect.

“I don’t want any of you to die a pointless death. Isn’t that tragic? You’re finally getting somewhere, yet you get taken out in some ridiculous way. If only you’d had a little more luck, maybe you’d have lived. So that’s why I’m playing the villain here—to do whatever I can to prevent that tragedy.”

At least they can see he knows he’s playing the bad guy.

“Everyone, let’s be honest. What do I stand to gain by doing this? I’m getting cursed at left and right. You all resent me. I get absolutely nothing out of it.”

A lie—he stood to gain a lot, but the students had no idea.

“Right… I guess so.”

“Yeah, come to think of it, there’s no benefit for the Examiner in this.”

“And at the Academy, they say you can shed sweat instead of blood. My hope is that you do just that. Even if you’re both Silver-level C-rank, the one who has put in the extra work, just a bit more, has a better chance to survive.”

‘I’m not doing this for my own gain. I’m doing it to help you. I really mean it.’

No one was going to break down crying with gratitude. But at least the number of people who hated him or might oppose him fiercely went down. Because, typically, people can be moved by even a little contrived drama.

“I don’t want to turn Silver promotions into an impenetrable fortress. I just want you to show a little more effort than before. As long as I can be sure you won’t meet the same fate as my friend, that’ll be enough.”

At first, I was cussed out, physically attacked, and hammered with complaints. But over time, as I got more experience, I developed the kind of persuasion that could even make nasty complainers feel a twinge of guilt and walk away. I was using that skill in full force on these relatively inexperienced students.

Yuyu: I don’t know where he’s going with this but… okay…

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