You're Stuck in Bronze. Forever.
I knew almost nothing about Jeong Yuhyeon, the student council vice president. All I had was that he was a stuck-up elitist and that his main weapon was ambush-style assassination gear. And since he was part of the student council, he had to be at least Gold rank. Maybe even Platinum by now. In the outside world, that would easily put him at B-rank, possibly even A-rank. The kind of talent that mid-tier clans would fight tooth and nail to recruit the moment he graduated. His ability was one thing, but his real combat experience would be on a completely different level from someone like Park Junwoo. Even the original protagonist, Lee Hyunwoo, probably hadn't caught up to Jeong Yuhyeon's level yet.
Rumor had it there was a saying around the Academy: Even a whole truckload of Bronze and Silver ranks wouldn't be worth trading for a single Gold. So maybe that was why he could strut around flaunting his superiority complex so openly.
“Examiner.”
I was loosening up my stiff body when Jeong Yuhyeon spoke.
“You said the condition was that if I lose, I drop to Bronze, right?”
When I nodded, the bastard flashed a grin. It was an incredibly punchable smile. The kind that made me want to slap him across the face.
“Then what if you lose, Examiner?”
“If Student Jeong Yuhyeon wants, we can just call the exam a draw, can't we?”
“No. I don't think that's enough.”
Then what the hell did he want?
“I want you to apologize, one by one, to every student who's failed their promotion so far.”
“…Apologize?”
“Yes. If you're really an examiner who claims to care about the students, that much should be easy, shouldn't it?”
So he wanted to crush some low-rank upstart who didn't know his place. Even if that upstart wasn't even an Academy student but an outsider. Seriously, how the hell did a guy like this become vice president? I knew every story needed at least one of these characters, but this was pushing it.
“Fine. Let's do that.”
“How refreshing. Your ability level is trash, but at least your personality…”
I'd heard enough of his garbage. I kicked off the ground and swung my fist without another word.
Thud—
“Ghk?!”
Jeong Yuhyeon staggered back, clutching his face. He still couldn't process what had just happened to him.
“What are you standing around for, Student Jeong Yuhyeon?”
You know the saying, right, Mr. Hotshot Vice President? First strike wins?
“Didn't the spar already start?”
When there was no referee, the moment two people who had agreed to spar stepped onto the field, it was considered to have begun. In other words, my match with Jeong Yuhyeon had started a long time ago.
“…”
Drip—
Looks like I landed it clean. I didn't expect his nose to bleed, though. And it was a double nosebleed at that. Seeing the guy who had been strutting around like he owned the place reduced to this was honestly hilarious.
“You… you son of a bitch!”
The surprise first hit must have really pissed him off. The fact that he was charging at me while spitting curses showed he'd dropped even the bare minimum of decorum.
Whoosh—!
Something flashed from both of Jeong Yuhyeon's wrists and flew toward me. I twisted my body on reflex, and a chill blade grazed past me. If I'd been even a fraction slower, two daggers would have been buried in my torso.
“I was going to go easy on you since you're just some pathetic third-rate ability user, but I guess that's not happening.”
What kind of cheesy third-rate villain line was that? Even the villains these days don't use lines that outdated.
He must have completely lost it after taking a solid hit from the person he'd been looking down on so hard.
“Hoo.”
I took a breath and watched as Jeong Yuhyeon pulled out two more daggers. The opponent in front of me wasn't some regular Bronze student like Lee Hyunwoo. Nor was he like Park Junwoo—someone with actual skill who had deliberately dropped his rank. This guy had already passed the rank exam and reached the impressive height of Gold.
And the trait given to me was Gatekeeper. More precisely, the Silver Gatekeeper.
Therefore, I shouldn't be able to use my power on Jeong Yuhyeon, who had already achieved Gold. That was how it should be.
Sole Exam Examiner: Trait is active.
Opponent has not received promotion from Baek Seojin.
Recognized as an examinee.
If it weren't for this trait, none of this would matter—whether Jeong Yuhyeon was Gold rank or a B-rank ability user. Right now, he was nothing more than a Bronze-rank examinee trying to reach Silver. Just like Lee Hyunwoo. Just like Park Junwoo.
I easily dodged the daggers that flew at my face again. They were fast. Definitely fast. But not fast enough that I couldn't avoid them. It felt like dodging a soccer ball kicked from far away. Something like that.
“You’re disgustingly good at dodging.”
Realizing that throwing daggers wasn't going to work, Jeong Yuhyeon rummaged through his coat. What he pulled out were two glass vials filled with sloshing black liquid.
Clink—
At first, I thought he was going to throw them at me. But Jeong Yuhyeon smashed the vials at his own feet instead. Right after, pitch-black smoke instantly swallowed my vision.
Shaaaa—!
What the hell is this?
If you mixed thick fog with black ink, it would probably look like this. I couldn't see anything. Not even an inch in front of me…
Behind.
I spun around immediately. Almost at the same moment, a burning pain shot through my side. When I touched it, thick red blood came away on my fingers. If I hadn't twisted at the last second, I might have taken a serious wound.
I looked toward where the dagger had come from, but of course there was nothing to see. Only the pitch-black smoke. The thick black fog showed no sign of dissipating.
Is it an item made from monster byproducts?
Considering Jeong Yuhyeon's trait, he was surprisingly well-prepared. Block the opponent's vision, then aim for a single fatal strike from the shadows. In a situation with no allies to draw aggro, this was how he fought. I didn't like the guy, but his combat sense was pretty decent. It clearly showed why he wasn't stuck at Gold for no reason.
But…
When I thought about it, I wasn't at an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position either. An ambush was supposed to be a one-shot strike against an opponent who knew nothing and had let their guard down. The best kind would deal damage so overwhelming that resistance was impossible. No matter how much he blocked my vision and kept looking for openings like this, there was no way he could pull off a perfect ambush now that I already knew an ambush was coming.
Whoosh—!
Behind me again. If it hit, it would definitely be a serious injury. A vicious attack. But this time, it didn't even graze me.
He's fast. Incomparably faster than Lee Hyunwoo or Park Junwoo. No wonder he's in the student council. But…
But compared to the Elder who had beaten the crap out of me not long ago, he was moving at a snail's pace. Even now, if I closed my eyes, I could still see the Elder's spear shaft flying in to crush me. I hadn't known where or how it was coming, but I remembered clearly the moment it sent me flying.
Thanks to that, dodging Jeong Yuhyeon's attacks had become much easier. This black smoke couldn't last forever either. Jeong Yuhyeon must have vaguely realized that dragging this out wouldn't do him any good. Since he was drowning in superiority complex, he'd probably try to settle the fight before then. If not, it would mean he couldn't take down his opponent even after attacking from the darkness. For someone whose specialty was ambush, there could be no greater humiliation.
Whoosh—! Swish—!
Once from behind, twice at my side, once at my thigh.
It looked random at first glance, but there was a pattern to the attacks. Jeong Yuhyeon probably thought I'd never figure it out even if I died and came back to life.
…Now.
The dagger flying toward my side again. He must have thought I'd dodge this one too, but not this time.
Grab—
“Ugh?!”
I snatched the wrist holding the dagger, and Jeong Yuhyeon's whole body was dragged along with it. He must have thought he was toying with me, a mere Silver-rank examiner. He must have believed he was completely in control. That was the look in his eyes.
Bullshit.
I slammed my fist into his face with all my strength. A little harder than when I broke Park Junwoo's ribs.
Crack—!
“Guhk!”
Jeong Yuhyeon rolled across the floor, clutching his nose. The nosebleed that had barely stopped started pouring out again. Right on cue, the black smoke he had spread began to fade.
“Khh… You… you fucking…”
Jeong Yuhyeon, still gripping his dagger, spat curses as he stood up. Other students would have admitted defeat and stepped back after this much. If they'd done everything they could and still couldn't make any meaningful impact, they would accept their own shortcomings and acknowledge their failure to promote.
Well, of course, before that could happen with Park Junwoo and a few other punks, I'd already beaten them half to death.
“Student Jeong Yuhyeon. Do you want to continue?”
I asked if he wanted to keep going while looking at the guy whose nose was still bleeding profusely. As an examiner, I felt like this was enough, but as a person, I wanted to keep going. I still hadn't properly settled the score for that mother insult earlier.
“Of course! You, I will definitely…”
“No. Examiner. Let's end it here.”
The moment Jeong Yuhyeon answered that he absolutely wouldn't back down and I was about to resume, a voice suddenly stopped my fist.
“Jeong Yuhyeon. You stop too.”
“What bastard… W-Wait, President?”
President? At Jeong Yuhyeon's mutter, I turned toward the source of the voice. A tall female student and another girl who was slightly shorter. I didn't know how long they'd been watching the spar, but it didn't look like they'd just arrived.
“Hello, Examiner Baek Seojin. Nice to meet you. I'm Student Council President Kang Hana.”
“Hello! I'm Student Council Treasurer Yu Dasom!”
First the vice president, now the president and treasurer had shown up. What the hell was going on? As I was thinking that, Jeong Yuhyeon shouted.
“President! What do you mean, stop?! I still…”
“That's enough, Jeong Yuhyeon. You're being incredibly pathetic right now.”
“What…”
“You're dragging the student council's name through the mud. This is your final warning. Shut your mouth.”
Kang Hana, the student council president, shut Jeong Yuhyeon up in an instant. She glared at him with sharp eyes before turning her gaze to me.
“It would be good if Examiner Baek Seojin could stop here as well.”
“The person in question says he can still fight, though?”
“Really? Jeong Yuhyeon. Do you really want to keep fighting?”
At Kang Hana's question, Jeong Yuhyeon bit his lip and lowered his tail. The confident attitude from earlier was gone, replaced by this obedient demeanor. Typical of the type who became meek in front of someone stronger and more capable than themselves.
“He says so, Examiner.”
“Then what about the condition I set?”
“Condition?”
It seemed even Kang Hana didn't know about that part. At my words, Jeong Yuhyeon shouted “Wait!” but it was too late, you idiot. I had to settle all accounts before leaving.
“Student Jeong Yuhyeon said that if he lost to me, he would be demoted to Bronze rank.”
“…Demotion?”
“Yes. He said it himself.”
Kang Hana stared at me for a moment before turning to Jeong Yuhyeon.
“Is that true?”
“P-President. So this is…”
“Is it true or not?”
Jeong Yuhyeon nodded. I thought he'd deny it with everything he had, so it was honestly surprising.
“Sigh.”
Kang Hana let out a deep sigh before speaking in a cold voice.
“Jeong Yuhyeon. You're suspended for the time being. Don't come to the student council. Stay quiet like a dead mouse.”
“President!”
“And I'll speak to the dean separately. I'll ask him to demote your rank to Bronze.”
“Kang Hana!!”
“That concludes this matter.”
Watching Kang Hana cut off Jeong Yuhyeon's words like a blade, I thought to myself: As expected, not just anyone could become student council president.