You're Headed for Bronze. Forever

The fatigue hit hard, probably because of the duel with Jeong Yuhyeon. Earlier, a flood of students had kept me from taking even a short break, and I'd been running evaluations nonstop. I'd barely caught my breath during the first real pause when everything went sideways. In the end, I'd knocked that arrogant elitist down to Bronze. It was a solid lesson, but the price was steep—no more rest until quitting time, just endless evaluations.

It was exhausting. I could almost understand why he'd fallen into that twisted superiority complex. The moment we clashed, it became obvious. Gold rank existed on a completely different level. His movements were clean and efficient, his combat sense sharp enough to use items at the right moments, and his strikes were coldly precise, always targeting vital points. Even as a student, he was easily B-rank material.

Despite the Silver Gatekeeper trait and the Sole Exam Examiner trait boosting my efficiency, the fight hadn't been easy. Without my earlier clash with that Elder monster, it would've been far worse. Getting hit by the Elder had actually helped. Speed, power, and sheer brutality—once those memories surfaced, Jeong Yuhyeon's attacks felt manageable. Without that experience, adapting to him would've taken much longer.

More importantly… what's going on? Why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is it so quiet?

Just moments ago the line of applicants had been long. Now there wasn't a single person waiting. I glanced around the Academy, wondering if classes were still in session, but students were everywhere, chatting in groups. Some were even getting evaluated by the assistants. Maybe there just weren't any Silver-rank applicants left today? No, that wasn't it either. The assistant nearby was clearly handling Silver-rank evaluations, and at least five more students waited behind the current examinee.

They weren't avoiding me, were they? I returned to my station and waited, but no one approached. Two students did wander close, only to spin around with a quick "Ah! Sorry, wrong place!" before hurrying off.

What the hell is happening? Why is everyone acting like this?

I sat there blankly, waiting for applicants. Ten minutes passed. Thirty. An hour. Still nothing. I checked the time. Less than thirty minutes until I could clock out. Normally that would have me grinning like an idiot—civil servant life meant no overtime, just clean exits. Today, though, the feeling was strangely sour.

"Examiner."

A tiny voice, barely audible, but one I'd heard enough times to recognize instantly.

"Suhyun."

Kim Suhyun looked around before walking over. The trait still showed in the Third Eye: Genius Trapped in Inferiority. I hadn't expected it to change in a single day, but I'd hoped anyway.

"There aren't any students around."

She didn't need to point that out.

"Yeah. There were tons earlier, but they all disappeared. I have no idea why."

"I… think I might know the reason."

I looked at her expectantly.

"I overheard something a little while ago. If you get evaluated by Examiner Baek Seojin…"

"By me. What about it?"

"It's a loss…"

"A loss?"

What was she talking about? How could an evaluation be a loss?

"The other examiners are lenient and promote people, but you're extremely strict. Since no one passes, everyone says it's better to go to a different examiner."

I had no words. All I'd done was take the job seriously. If they were going to half-ass evaluations, why bother with the process at all? The whole point was to filter people properly.

"They really said that? They won't take my exam?"

I grabbed her shoulders and pressed for confirmation. Maybe she'd misheard. Maybe it was just a few people.

"Yes. It seems like almost all the students feel that way."

This was bad. At this rate, how was I supposed to shorten the wait times? Even after evaluating dozens today, the required number hadn't increased. I'd assumed Bronze ranks were plentiful and Silver ranks would keep coming. The staff could evaluate too, but they had their own duties, so most applicants should have ended up with me. That plan was falling apart.

At least Lee Hyunwoo and Kim Suhyun's growth isn't an issue. Yeah, those two are fine, but…

The real problem was me. Baek Seojin. Their growth mattered, but I needed to grow just as much. I'd already drawn too much attention—from Han Jiyun, Ma Hakjun, Kang Minsung, Irina, and even that Elder, Kwak Hyuk. I couldn't stop being the Gatekeeper now. Too much had happened. I had to get stronger if I wanted to survive.

Should I start going easy on them? No. That would backfire. The Silver Gatekeeper trait itself blocked passage without permission. Letting people through would only hurt me in the long run.

At least one fixed Bronze applicant is guaranteed to keep coming to me.

Jeong Yuhyeon. There was no way I was promoting that guy. Daring to make a parentless comment right in front of a Korean—he'd crossed a line he shouldn't have.

"W-wait. Examiner, that… that thing."

"Huh?"

"What is that? Is that… blood? That's blood, right?!"

At her shout I sighed and glanced at my side. Yu Dasom had healed the wound, but I hadn't changed clothes. The red stain had spread across the fabric.

"You're hurt?! How did that happen?! Is it bad?! We need to get you to the infirmary right now…"

"It's fine, really. Don't worry. I'm already healed. Look."

I tapped the spot firmly to prove it. Kim Suhyun let out a small yelp.

"See? The wound's gone. The blood's just on the clothes because I couldn't change."

"How did you even… Did you get hurt during an evaluation?"

"Not exactly. I was sparring with a student and…"

Damn it. I shouldn't have said that. Too late now. Kim Suhyun's eyes had gone wide.

"Sparring? With who? Who did you fight to get an injury like that?"

"It's really nothing. Just a one-time thing…"

"Please tell me, Examiner. Who did that to you?"

Her voice was growing colder, and a red light seemed to flicker in her eyes. Must be my imagination.

I kept insisting it was nothing, but she wouldn't let it go. She demanded to know who had hurt me.

This isn't working.

I had some interest in her, and I was worried about what might happen later because of the duel with Jeong Yuhyeon. Better to be honest.

"The student council vice president. Jeong Yuhyeon, I think his name was. We sparred."

"Jeong Yuhyeon. The vice president."

Even after saying it, I wondered if it was the right call. The water was already spilled. Whatever happened next was out of my hands.

"Why did you suddenly decide to spar?"

"We had a disagreement we couldn't settle, so we agreed to settle it that way."

"And the result…?"

"What do you think? Suhyun, do you think I won or lost?"

Even the lowest-ranked student council member was Gold. Not some fresh Gold who was barely above Silver, but a solid Gold.

"You definitely won, Examiner."

Without a second of hesitation, she declared my victory. She wasn't family or a girlfriend, yet she took my side without question. It felt strangely touching.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yeah. Of course I won. He even had the nerve to say I was flaunting the fact that I don't have parents, so I made sure to…"

Shit. I'd said too much. Kang Minsung had told me Kim Suhyun lost her mother young. Her mother, an ability user, had died fighting villains. I shouldn't have brought up anything like that in front of her.

"What do you mean by that, Examiner? 'Don't have parents'…?"

"Ah, well… you know. I don't have parents either. He must've known and used it against me."

Her eyes were turning redder. Imagination. It had to be. How could someone's eyes actually turn red—

…Yeah. That had definitely struck a nerve.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

*

Grinding his teeth, Jeong Yuhyeon shoved tissues into his nose. After fuming for a long while, he snatched up his phone.

"…Hey, hyung. No small talk. I need a favor. Take care of someone for me. I won't ask for free. I'll give you a small share. That works, right? I'll hand over a bit of my stake, so just make him disappear completely. …No! You don't have to kill him! Just cripple him or bury him socially! Plenty of ways, aren't there?"

Someone on the other end replied. Jeong Yuhyeon grew angrier as he listened.

"…Attach a woman to him and frame him for sexual ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠harassment, whatever. Just get ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him out of my sight. I'm serious. I'll really transfer the stake. Thinking about that bastard makes me lose it. Yeah, got it."

Thud—

He tossed the phone aside and leaned his head back with a long sigh. He'd planned to let it slide, but the guy had scratched right where it hurt. Now there was no going back. If underlings tried to climb up, you had to stomp them down. No need for conversation. Understanding was a luxury. Sympathy was poison. Stomp them so they could never rise again and had to bow their heads. Jeong Yuhyeon remembered his grandfather's words clearly.

Baek Seojin, Baek Seojin, Baek Seojin…

He would make that parentless orphan understand exactly what happened when you stuck your neck out. This time, Jeong Yuhyeon would make sure he felt it deep in his bones.