The Silver Gatekeeper Awakens
Han Jiyun let out a long sigh and sank deep into her chair. An S-rank ability user and leader of one of the world’s top five clans—she held a position that rivaled even national presidents with just one of those titles. So why was someone like her working as an Academy professor?
The answer lay in a piece of intelligence that had arrived not long ago.
“The villains are moving in a way that doesn’t feel right.”
When ability users first appeared, the world had seen them as saviors who would fight for humanity. For a time, everyone had forgotten a simple truth: humans, once they possess power, inevitably want to wield it.
Monsters, the enemies of mankind, were still monsters. Aside from a few exceptions, they could never be mistaken for humans. Villains, however, were different. They were human. They were the same as everyone else. That was why the prevailing opinion had become that humanity’s worst enemy wasn’t monsters—it was villains.
“Especially this time. They say even the Elders are on the move.”
Damn it. Han Jiyun spat the words out like she was chewing glass. She never thought she would hear that name again. Former comrades who had fallen to their own desires and become traitors. If they hadn’t stabbed everyone in the back, things might have turned out better by now.
“You need to head over to the Academy. We have to apply pressure so those bastards don’t run wild out in the open.”
The Association President’s face, unusually tense, surfaced in her mind. She understood. Dealing with ordinary villains was already a headache—now the Elders were involved too. Even the Ability User Association couldn’t handle that level of threat. After all, the Elders were former S-rank ability users who had turned villain.
Vrrr—
At the vibration, she glanced at her phone. A single, terse message had arrived.
[Situation?]
Han Jiyun clicked her tongue and replied.
[Nothing yet. It’s quiet.]
[Don’t let your guard down.]
[When have I ever let my guard down? If you’re that worried, come here yourself.]
[Busy.]
That woman. Is that any way to talk to your senior? She wanted to call and give her a piece of her mind, but held back. She wasn’t the only one dispatched. The others were busy too. If the Elders were moving, simultaneous attacks were possible. There were other facilities just as important as the Academy that needed protection.
And at a time like this, the students are acting without a shred of responsibility.
How did things end up like this? Han Jiyun pressed her hands to her face. It hadn’t always been this way. It started when ability users became famous through broadcasts. Then they moved into commercials, dramas, and eventually took over internet streaming. At some point, being an ability user had become the ultimate career—a glittering future where you could make money and become famous.
Of course, not everyone held that mindset. The majority of students still admired ability users who fought for others and trained with a sense of duty, willing to risk their lives. They shed sweat knowing full well they could lose everything.
But even they would eventually realize the truth. No matter how many monsters they hunted or how many villains they fought, if they didn’t become famous, nothing would remain.
“This isn’t right…”
If you awakened an ability, you were supposed to carry responsibility. You weren’t supposed to be blinded by money and fame. Still, she couldn’t force her beliefs on others. That was a matter of individual judgment.
As she mulled over these thoughts, an unsettling idea suddenly struck her.
…Don’t tell me I’ve turned into an old fogey without realizing it?! I’m only in my mid-twenties!
Absolutely not. If she started getting called an old fogey at this age, it was over. Open-minded! Understanding! She wasn’t always right!
Knock knock—
“Clan Lord… ahem. Professor.”
The person who carefully opened the door and stepped inside was her assistant—an ability user from the clan disguised as a teaching assistant.
“That new examiner you were talking about earlier.”
“Examiner… Ah, Baek Seojin. What about him?”
“He just entered an evaluation a little while ago.”
“Already?”
Han Jiyun pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed. This was exactly why the Academy entrance exam needed personality and ethics sections. The students were desperate to show off their skills, but this was going too far. And yet they felt no hesitation. They caused trouble and left the cleanup to someone else. The students knew the world would side with them over some civil servant anyway.
If examiners were this weak, what use were they? It was already bad enough that awakening an ability gave extra points on the civil service exam—now the civil servant in question was barely qualified as an ability user? The media would swarm, reporters would go into a frenzy, and all kinds of rumors would spread. That was why everyone kept their mouths shut and quietly endured the current situation.
“Which brat is it this time?”
“Park Junwoo.”
Tap tap tap—
She immediately searched the interface. Park Junwoo, Park Junwoo…
Found him.
Park Junwoo. Close-combat type. Entered as C-rank. Had already received a Gold evaluation by Academy standards.
“…If he’s received a Gold evaluation, why is he taking a Silver exam?”
“You know how it is. Some deliberately skip evaluations or drop below the threshold on purpose. They’re exploiting the system. After all, they can always climb back up if they feel like it.”
“Kids these days…”
Gasp! She quickly covered her mouth. No old-fogey mindset!
“Anyway, Examiner Baek Seojin. He wasn’t seriously injured, was he?”
Han Jiyun spoke as if the examiner’s defeat was a foregone conclusion. It was a fight he couldn’t win. If he had awakened an ability, why would he have chosen to become a civil servant? Because there was a gap in talent. Awakening wasn’t the end. You needed the potential to grow that ability further.
Besides, these kids have real combat experience.
An ability user who had never been in the field was just a pretty decoration. A civil servant who had awakened an ability was exactly that. That was why they were looked down on. They weren’t ordinary people, but they weren’t field operatives either.
He seemed like a decent guy. Pretty handsome too. What a shame.
“Um, Professor.”
“What. Why. Was he badly hurt?”
“No, that’s not it… The result is the opposite.”
The opposite? What did that mean? Han Jiyun blinked, and the clan member continued.
“Park Junwoo lost. Cleanly. Three broken ribs on top of that.”
“…What?”
Both Han Jiyun, who heard the news, and the clan member delivering it, could only stare in complete bewilderment.
Third Eye is active.
◎ Baek Seojin : Silver Gatekeeper
◎ Details : No one may pass without the Gatekeeper’s permission.
◎ Gates Blocked : 1 ( 1 / 10 )
The text displayed by the Third Eye had changed. Until yesterday—no, until just a few minutes ago—he had been nothing more than a low-ranking civil servant.
Gatekeeper? So the Gatekeeper I used to face… is now me?
The description itself felt strangely off. No one could pass? Could that strange feeling from earlier be because of this?
The bizarre sensation still lingered vividly. For an instant, he had seen Park Junwoo’s charging movements with perfect clarity. The man had the maturity of an adult but spoke like a child. Still, his skill had been undeniable.
That tattooed thug’s movements… felt incredibly slow.
It was like… yes. Like those scenes from the Samsa movie. Park Junwoo had been slow, and he had been fast. The thug had been weak, and he had been strong. He had dodged the attack by a hair’s breadth and struck the opening. It hadn’t been luck. It hadn’t been something else fighting in his place. His instincts told him the truth: that movement had been his absolute limit—and he had pushed it to the extreme. The crushing fatigue was proof.
Have I ever been like this before? He thought hard, but the answer was no. If he had possessed this kind of talent, he would have entered the Academy instead of becoming a civil servant. He had an ability, but no talent to use it. That was why Baek Seojin—why he—had chosen a hopeless civil servant’s life with no dreams or hope.
Then there’s only one reason.
The Third Eye. The ability that let him see exactly what his opponent was, granting certainty beyond mere prediction. It was clearly showing him the change that had occurred.
Gatekeeper, huh.
He still didn’t understand what had happened. At the same time, another thought occurred to him. Maybe some things didn’t need to be understood. After all, becoming Baek Seojin instead of himself had never been something he could explain either.
“Examiner Baek Seojin!”
The security guard who had taken Park Junwoo away earlier approached, looking far more urgent than before. Tension filled the air. The guy had been rolling on the floor screaming that he was dying—surely he hadn’t actually died?
“Um, what happened to Park Junwoo?”
“Huh? Ah, Park Junwoo is in the treatment room.”
“His condition…”
“Three broken ribs, apparently.”
…Three broken ribs sounded like a serious injury. So why was the guard talking about it like it was just a scratch?
“By now he should’ve finished treatment, been given a sedative, and be sleeping. When he wakes up, the bones will already be set, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Ah.”
He had forgotten. This was the Ability User Academy. The treatment room here could fully heal even severed limbs. A few broken ribs would be considered minor at best.
“Please follow me. There’s somewhere you need to go.”
Somewhere he needed to go. An ominous feeling crept up, but there was no escaping it. Regardless of the reason, someone had been injured. They were probably going to hold him responsible. Would there be no mitigating circumstances?
“I was really surprised, Examiner.”
“Yes?”
“Park Junwoo. His skill is the real deal. He reached the Academy’s Gold threshold in no time after enrolling. And you took him down in a single blow.”
He had sensed the guy was skilled, but to that extent? What a pathetic thug. Gold rank meant at least C-rank ability user level! What was so lacking that he had to pick on a poor civil servant?
“By the way, where exactly are we going?”
“Oh. Did I not mention it?”
No. You just said to follow you.
“Haha! My apologies for the oversight… Actually, the Dean has summoned you.”
The moment the words “Dean” left the guard’s mouth, Baek Seojin let out an involuntary gasp. White hair, narrow eyes, and an old man. He was about to meet the legendary elder who embodied the “trinity” of those traits.