A New Trait - Part 1

I stepped out of that isolated place and into the very heart of the Academy. Kim Suhyun had lectures to attend as a student, and I needed to return to my duties as a dispatched civil servant.

“All right, Suhyun. This is where we…”

She began glancing around nervously. The moment we reached an area with people coming and going, Kim Suhyun’s behavior grew strange. Every time a student walked past, her anxious eyes darted across her surroundings. The slightest hint of someone approaching made her tense up and clench her fists.

I still remembered how she had looked when she visited me in the hospital. She had smiled brightly and chatted away as if she didn’t have a care in the world. But it seemed that side of her only appeared in front of me.

Seeing her like this now filled me with instinctive pity.

“Suhyun.”

Still glancing around. She reminded me of a black cat. No—a black meerkat on high alert.

“Suhyun?”

“Y-yes, Examiner.”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Was the memory of nearly being kidnapped by the Elders still haunting her? It wasn’t impossible. I had heard that several students were suffering from PTSD after the incident.

“N-no. I’m fine, Examiner.”

A lie. It was written all over her. The way she fidgeted with her hands, the eyes overflowing with anxiety—anyone would see through it.

“The villains won’t storm the place again. Security has been tightened even more since the last attack.”

“Yes. I know. That’s… that’s a relief.”

She called it a relief, yet her expression remained unchanged. This didn’t seem like simple fear of the Elders. It felt like something else entirely.

I followed her gaze. She showed no reaction to people in the distance, but the closer they came, the more agitated she grew. It was an odd response. Almost as if she didn’t want them approaching her…

Ah.

I finally understood why Kim Suhyun was reacting this way.

The legendary hero of the past, Kang Minsung. The greatest family in the weapon-based lineage that he had built. Kim Suhyun was his granddaughter. She was also a member of that prestigious house.

I might have been the only one who hadn’t known, but the other students surely did. Naturally, the odds were high that everyone was watching her with intense interest.

Whether that interest was well-meaning or carried darker intentions.

To Kim Suhyun, all of it must have become crushing stress and burden. Even that tattooed delinquent Park Junwoo had clearly been scheming to do something to her.

She thought she was worthless, yet countless people placed groundless expectations on her. And among them were a few rotten ones trying to use her for their own gain.

For someone already struggling with an inferiority complex, those things must have acted like poison.

People approaching her. People expecting things from her.

To Kim Suhyun, who saw herself as a failure, that pressure must have been more terrifying than any nightmare.

I need to look after her somehow…

Kang Minsung had said I seemed to have influenced her. Our meeting had been incredibly brief, but in that moment I had given her exactly what she had wanted.

Let me think. How did that friend say he overcame it?

The first step in overcoming an inferiority complex was acknowledging one’s own shortcomings. The hardest thing, and the most necessary.

A friend had told me that once.

“Those guys have it good.”

“Pardon?”

“The students here. It must be nice, entering the Academy and all.”

Kim Suhyun’s eyes showed interest at my words. Good. A solid start. It was unfortunate that I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to throw myself under the bus to make the point, but so be it.

“I failed the exam over and over. I thought everything would be fine once I awakened my ability. I figured I’d live well, just like everyone else. But that wasn’t how it worked. The situation actually got worse than when I was still a non-ability user.”

“Why…?”

“I received far worse treatment. ‘You awakened an ability and still can’t do anything? Then what’s the difference between you and a non-ability user?’ they’d say. Yet they’d still complain if I received any of the benefits reserved for ability users.”

Those who awakened abilities but couldn’t work in the field didn’t receive good treatment. They were seen as half-measures by ability users and called fake ability users by non-ability users.

“It was incredibly difficult. I thought I would lose my mind. This wasn’t the future I had imagined. The reality unfolding before me was nothing like what I had pictured. I thought I could become like everyone else.”

“…”

“I wandered in confusion for months without being able to adapt. Then one day my feet carried me to the Han River Bridge.”

Suddenly Kim Suhyun cried out “No!” and grabbed my hand. Anyone watching would have thought I was about to jump.

“When I got there, a thought suddenly hit me. Why do I have to be this miserable? I hadn’t committed any terrible sin. I hadn’t hurt anyone. I felt angry. I felt pathetic. And that was when, for the first time, I could see something clearly.”

I paused for a moment, glancing around the Academy once before turning back to Kim Suhyun.

“I decided to just live. Not by trying to become like them, but by living as myself. I’m not less than them, so it’s not miserable. I would acknowledge the truth and simply work hard.”

Kim Suhyun listened to my words in silence. She looked surprised. Both by the confession that I had carried a similar past and by the fact that I had openly shared something I would normally want to hide from everyone.

I didn’t expect her to realize anything from this single conversation. It would be enough if it created even a small ripple in a corner of her heart.

“…Examiner.”

“Yes, Suhyun?”

“Then… are you okay now?”

“I still get called half-baked and a fake ability user, but I’m living a decent life as a civil servant. I stopped looking at others and started looking at myself. After that I met Han Jiyun, got beaten half to death by an Elder… I’d say that’s not bad at all. At least that’s what I think.”

Kim Suhyun stared at me for a moment before turning her gaze forward again. She wasn’t nodding or smiling, but the thoughtful look on her face wasn’t bad. A tiny shift in perception could later blossom into a significant change.

“Oh dear. Suhyun, isn’t your lecture starting soon?”

“Ah. Yes, there isn’t much time left.”

“We can’t stand here any longer. Go on. You don’t want to be late.”

At my urging she nodded and took a few steps before stopping. She turned back toward me.

“…Thank you, Examiner. I’ll see you later.”

She looked slightly more stable than before. Feeling a quiet sense of relief, I nodded in return.

*

Academy lectures were largely divided into two types: theory and practical.

Theory followed the teaching method everyone was familiar with. And, as was always the case, it was the kind of class students took lightly only to suffer greatly for it. The definition and concepts of ability users. The ethics and morals one must possess. The characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of each ability. Proper situational response and things to avoid. Methods of identifying Gates and the protocols for dealing with monsters and villains.

They even say the hidden enemy of Academy graduation is theory.

The practical portion was divided into two again: training within the Academy and external ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠support. The latter mainly involved gaining real combat experience at Gates. If they were unlucky, they might even clash with villains during those outings.

Why did I, someone who wasn’t even an Academy student, know so much about the lectures? Because they were closely tied to my own work.

Students’ rank examinations were usually conducted during times without lectures. In other words, the more free periods there were, the more candidates gathered for examinations.

I didn’t expect there to be this many.

A rough count already put the number well over thirty. And this was with other faculty members helping out besides me.

I had heard that several professors had died or been injured during the recent villain attack. With empty lecture slots as a result, it seemed they were pushing the rank examinations forward.

They anticipated this and have staff helping, but still…

The new semester had only just begun, so there were many hoping to challenge the Silver rank. On the other hand, the faculty had their own duties and couldn’t focus solely on examinations. That was why the Measurement Department dispatched personnel—and why I was here.

There should have been more dispatched workers, but because of that damned challenge, everyone seemed busy trying to pass the responsibility onto others.

“Sigh.”

I let out a long breath and examined the students who had applied for rank examination.

Unlike last time, I didn’t see many with malicious ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠intentions. Most genuinely wanted to advance from Bronze to Silver.

That was fortunate. If more strange bastards had shown up, curses would have flown from my mouth before anything else.

“Examiner.”

The first examination subject assigned to me today was—

“Student Lee Hyunwoo.”

The protagonist. The master of effort who surpassed talent, Lee Hyunwoo.

“Is your body all right?”

To his worried question, I smiled and gave a rather miserable answer.

“The fact that I’m here at work should be answer enough.”

“…You’ve really been through a lot.”

Pity washed over Lee Hyunwoo’s face. Even from his perspective it must have looked absurd—coming straight to work after being discharged from the hospital. I wondered if I was imagining the inner cry of You absolutely must not become a civil servant! I sensed from him.

“You were incredible, Examiner.”

As I prepared for the examination, Lee Hyunwoo suddenly spoke up.

Incredible? Wondering what he meant, I stared at him blankly until he continued.

“The way you stood in front of that Elder.”

What? You saw that too? I thought only Kim Suhyun had witnessed it. And all I did was get beaten like a dog. What was so incredible about that? Thanks to my trait I couldn’t even run away.

“I want to possess that kind of courage too.”

Standing before an Elder wasn’t courage—it was recklessness. Even A-rank ability users couldn’t withstand them. I decided to stop him ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠before he said anything more embarrassing.

“Let’s begin. There are many students waiting behind you.”

Lee Hyunwoo was the protagonist. He was like a guaranteed first-prize lottery ticket. He might be Bronze now, but someday he would become an overwhelmingly powerful figure. That was a good thing. From my position, I desperately needed him to become that.

The Gates were running wild, monsters were increasing, and villains never missed an opportunity. The situation would only grow worse. At that time, Lee Hyunwoo would be absolutely necessary.

That’s why I absolutely cannot let him pass.

I could say one thing with complete confidence. Blocking Lee Hyunwoo’s promotion was absolutely not because I disliked the guy.