A New Trait - 2
The current Lee Hyunwoo belongs to the Weapon class among abilities. The sword he currently holds in his hand is undeniable proof of that. Later, through his relentless effort, he will also acquire the Martial Arts class. People refer to cases like his as Dual.
Dual. An extremely rare case where one possesses two or more classes. In this world, Dual is a privilege that only the strong can claim. Lee Hyunwoo will eventually reach the realm of Dual through endless effort. Of course, that only happens after the Gate rampage and the combined assault by the villains.
As always, Lee Hyunwoo gains enlightenment only after someone else's sacrifice. That may be the natural flow of a novel, but in the real world, it is far from desirable. If he is going to obtain it anyway, it would be better for him to gain it before anyone dies or gets hurt.
Therefore, starting today, Lee Hyunwoo is banned from promoting to Silver. Even if not forever, he needs to at least reach a level where he can push me.
Just reading it once gives me the feeling. This is, quite literally, a cheat trait. Blocking a promotion builds stacks, and when they finally promote, they grow stronger by that amount? And not just anyone—only the target I designate?
Thank you. I believe in you. Third Eye!
Hyunwoo, don't misunderstand. This is all for your own good. Your examiner is looking out for you.
Before the evaluation began, I designated Lee Hyunwoo as the target of Sweet After Bitter.
Sweet After Bitter: Trait activated.
Target: Lee Hyunwoo
"I'm going in, Examiner!"
Using the trait had unintentionally given him the first move. Immediately after, Lee Hyunwoo's sword came straight at me. It was far better than the other punks I had evaluated recently. A speed I would never have reacted to in the past.
Not anymore.
My body felt lighter than before. And stronger. I could see it. What movements Lee Hyunwoo would make next. How he would respond.
Shwaaak—!
After dodging the sword path once, I immediately closed the distance. Then I blocked the moment his sword tried to advance. No matter how skilled a swordsman, if their "swing" is interrupted, they lose their power. Having your attack read is a fatal mistake.
"Kuh!"
The outcome was already decided. Lee Hyunwoo would fail to promote today as well. What remained was how he would lose. What he would gain and take back with him.
I decided to slowly awaken Lee Hyunwoo's talent. For a guy who was still focused only on the sword, I would present the possibility of Dual.
What will you do, Hyunwoo, when the moment comes that you can't even use your sword?
I continued to target Lee Hyunwoo's "sword" intensively. Preventing him not only from swinging but even from properly holding it up. That was the weakness of the Weapon class. Losing your weapon reduces combat power. The advantage of using weapons came with a corresponding penalty.
Ma Hakjun and Kang Minsung covered it with overwhelming swordsmanship. Or as Duals.
Han Jiyun would be the same, and so would Irina. The Elders would have chosen the exact same method. And Lee Hyunwoo, too, needed to grasp the feeling of Dual as soon as possible.
Clang—!
Finally, the sword flew from Lee Hyunwoo's hand and embedded itself in the floor. Any other student would have immediately declared surrender. But Lee Hyunwoo was different. As the protagonist, his tenacity was extraordinary.
"Hup!"
He seemed to have aimed for the moment my body advanced from the attack. A precise body blow from Lee Hyunwoo came in from the right. As expected of a future powerhouse and future Dual, it was incredibly sharp.
"Kuhk!"
Unfortunately, my knee kick had already exploded into his chest first.
That one just now was a bit dangerous.
Even if he was a cheat character confirmed as Dual, this was a bit much. He was still only Bronze rank, yet his martial arts were already incredibly sharp. This guy, was he perhaps attending some dojo?
"Hah, hah…."
Lee Hyunwoo sprawled across the ground in a starfish position, breathing heavily. Though the exchange had been brief, he had moved at tremendous speed, and the strain on his stamina must have been considerable.
"I, I lost, Examiner. My defeat."
Sweet After Bitter: Trait is active.
Target's stack has increased by 1.
"Good work, Lee Hyunwoo. I hope you aren't too disappointed."
Right. He shouldn't be disappointed. He still had to fail promotion several more times. Since stacks would keep accumulating even if he failed, it wasn't a loss for Lee Hyunwoo either.
When I extended my hand to help him up, the guy grinned.
"Not at all. If anything, it only makes me want to work even harder! Next time, I'll definitely promote."
True to his nature as the master of effort that surpasses talent, he burned with enthusiasm. Whether it was the protagonist buff or just his original personality, it was fortunate that he wasn't disappointed or angry.
"Next student. Please step forward."
"Yes! Hello! I'm a second-year…."
After that, I took charge of evaluating students who were still stuck in Bronze. I examined them carefully, wondering if there might be any hidden gems. However, most of them possessed no particular uniqueness.
There won't be anyone else I can apply Sweet After Bitter to.
Leaving the regret behind, I faced the next student. As expected, I had no intention of letting these students pass easily either.
After blocking the promotion of ten students, the trait had been strengthened to a certain degree. Conversely, that meant passing students would likely harm the Gatekeeper trait. I intended to only send those who were qualified. It was unfortunate for students desperate to promote, but there was no malice. If anything, I felt that being stricter was better for them.
Most casualties among ability users occur at C-rank.
And C-rank was exactly equivalent to Silver by Academy standards. If they became even a little stronger here, things would be easier going forward. The chances of dying or getting injured while fighting monsters or battling villains would decrease.
So. You can't go, you lot.
I'm doing this all for your own good. Yeah. That's right.
*
"Alright. That concludes today's lecture."
The professor with a cast on his arm declared the end while organizing his textbook. In response, Kim Suhyun packed her books and writing utensils a little faster than usual. Normally, she would have been tense, glancing around nervously. Honestly, even now she wasn't completely free of tension. Just before the lecture started, several people had been whispering while looking at her.
She's Kang Minsung's granddaughter, yet she didn't achieve anything. Everyone else was fighting, but she just stood there doing nothing like a non-ability user. Is she really the cousin of Kang Dogyeong and Kang Jisu?
Bite—
Kim Suhyun bit her lip and tried to erase those words. But it wasn't an easy task. Being compared every time was exhausting.
Her grandfather, the great hero of the past. Her uncle, retired from active duty but still outstanding. And her cousins, who were already displaying exceptional talent as ability users. Each one of them was something that took Kim Suhyun's breath away.
Even the students saying those things were all better than her. She was still struggling in Bronze rank, while they had long since achieved Silver. I'm lacking. I'm lacking far too much. I'm a pathetic ability user.
Those thoughts kept raising their heads, driving Kim Suhyun mad.
Shake shake—
Just as Kim Suhyun was about to sink back into her own dark world once more, Baek Seojin's words from that morning surfaced in her mind.
I've acknowledged that I'm worse than others.
How could he do that? Examiner… I want to see you.
Without realizing it, her feet began to move. The place she was heading was the evaluation hall where rank assessments were taking place. She had heard that several lectures had been canceled or would be on break for a few weeks. That meant more people would be using their free time to take rank evaluations.
Isn't he having a hard time…?
Returning to work right after being discharged from the hospital was absurd. But Baek Seojin had just smiled and said it couldn't be helped. It seemed he had his own circumstances, so Kim Suhyun hadn't asked further. Fortunately, Kang Minsung had provided fatigue recovery potions, so she could only be grateful for that.
Step—
When she arrived at the evaluation hall, she saw that evaluations were in full swing. A student sweating profusely while desperately firing magic, and on the opposite side, the examiner slowly approaching while deflecting the spells.
Examiner Baek Seojin.
The evaluation result already seemed decided. The magic-class student was far too lacking. It took a long time just to complete one spell, and the accuracy was terrible. It would have been fine to end the evaluation long ago. But Baek Seojin didn't do that. He dragged out the time as much as possible, making the student use even one more spell.
"The examiner is really amazing. Isn't he tired? This is already the twelfth person."
At the voice coming from beside her, Kim Suhyun flinched and turned her head.
"Are you here to take the evaluation too?"
"…No."
"No? Hmm, well. Earlier I saw some kids going to the assistants. They said it's much easier to get evaluated by them. But even if they get Silver that way, they won't be able to grow beyond that anyway. It's better to get thoroughly beaten like me now and improve your skills a bit more."
Kim Suhyun slightly narrowed her eyes and looked at the name tag. Lee Hyunwoo. The name of the male student who had approached her was Lee Hyunwoo.
"…Did you lose to Examiner Baek Seojin?"
"Yeah. He wasn't even an opponent. He showed me exactly why I'm Bronze. He's no ordinary person."
At those words, Kim Suhyun's lips curved upward ever so slightly. Someone other than herself was also highly evaluating Baek Seojin. It wasn't bad. She even felt a sense of pride inside.
"If you're going to get evaluated, don't go to anyone else, go to Examiner Baek Seojin— Ah. You're not a senior, are you?"
At Lee Hyunwoo's question, Kim Suhyun shook her head.
"That's a relief. Oh, or are you already Silver rank or something?"
"…Bronze."
"Bronze? Thank goodness. We're comrades."
"Comrades?"
"Yeah. I'm Bronze too."
For a while—no, for quite a long time—it was a meeting of two Bronzes who couldn't even dream of Silver.