The Welcomer and the Unwelcomed - 4
“Miss! Miss, are you alright?!”
The urgent shouts from the bodyguards finally snapped Kim Suhyun back to her senses. She had been lying there in a daze, but something seemed to click. She shot upright in a panic.
“E-Examiner! Where’s the Examiner?!”
The last thing she remembered was him suddenly pulling her into his arms. Everything after that was a blur of violent impact and deafening noise.
“Examiner! Examiner!”
Even as the bodyguards tried to hold her back and reassure her, she shook them off.
What if… what if it’s because of me? Did the Examiner get hurt because of me?
No way. He’s an incredible person. He’ll be fine. He has to be.
…But what if he isn’t? What if my worst fears are true?
Is someone getting hurt again because of me? Is he going to leave me too?
No. I can’t stand it anymore. Please, no more. No more…
She staggered forward, desperately searching for the spot where Baek Seojin had vanished, when—
“Watch out!”
Almost at the same moment as the other bodyguards’ warning, another fireball came hurtling toward them.
The bodyguards nearest to her instantly moved to shield her.
BOOM—!
The fireball shattered on impact, scattering into countless embers.
Through the crimson flames and thick black smoke, a figure emerged. Both Kim Suhyun and the bodyguards stared in shock.
“That was cutting it close.”
It was Baek Seojin. Somehow he had torn off the door of the vehicle they had been riding in and was using it as a shield. He must have known how sturdy the car was against magic.
“Examiner! Are you hurt anywhere?!”
“Luckily, I’m perfectly fine. What about you, Suhyun? Are you okay?”
Kim Suhyun nodded. Even in this situation, the fact that he was worrying about her filled her with overwhelming gratitude.
“Miss, we need to get you to safety! Head toward the rear—”
“No. Everyone, please don’t move unnecessarily.”
Baek Seojin quickly stepped in to stop the bodyguards. Kim Suhyun froze in place as well.
“What are you saying? The young lady’s safety is—”
“If we run into the middle of those civilians right now, what happens to them?”
At Baek Seojin’s pointed rebuttal, the bodyguards scanned their surroundings and let out low groans. He was right. The only place to take cover was among the crowd. But doing so would almost certainly result in horrific civilian casualties. Protecting the principal was their priority, but they couldn’t bring themselves to cause such a tragedy.
“It’s better to hold our ground here.”
“But if something goes wrong—!”
“There could be more villains hiding among those civilians, you know?”
“Ah…”
“If you’re confident you can protect her in a place where you can’t even tell friend from foe, then go right ahead.”
After he accurately pointed out the risks, the bodyguards reluctantly agreed to follow his lead. They formed a defensive perimeter around Kim Suhyun and glared at the villains closing in.
“Ugh…”
Only then did Kim Suhyun seem to fully grasp the situation. It was just like the previous Academy attack—villains pouring in from every direction. The memory of those monsters slaughtering students and staff alike while hunting for her must have resurfaced.
“N-No! Nooo! I don’t want this! I hate it!”
The terror of the Elders that she had barely managed to bury came roaring back. It didn’t matter to her whether these people were actual Elders or not. The nightmare from that time flooded her mind, making her once-healed legs throb with phantom pain. The screams echoing from all around tore at her heart.
The bodyguards tried to calm her down, telling her it was okay, that there were so many people here to protect her now. But no matter what they said, Kim Suhyun showed no signs of recovering.
“Hic! Sob… Haaahk!”
Her condition only worsened as hyperventilation set in.
“Suhyun.”
At that moment, Baek Seojin’s voice called out from the front. Kim Suhyun lifted her head.
“Suhyun?”
“Y-Yes… Hic. Yes, Examiner.”
“Don’t worry. Just like last time, the Examiner will block everything again.”
“B-But…”
“Then how about thinking of this as an exam too?”
“An… exam?”
At her puzzled reply, Baek Seojin smiled and nodded.
“The spot right behind me where you’re standing is the Silver rank. And I’m the one blocking students who are trying to reach Silver. How’s that? Doesn’t that make you feel a little safer? Think about it, Suhyun. Has any student ever gotten past me to Silver before?”
“…No. None. Not a single one.”
“Exactly. Today will be the same.”
BOOM—!
He blocked another incoming spell and rolled his shoulders, loosening up his muscles.
These past few days had been suspiciously quiet. I had no idea I’d end up working overtime right after clocking out. What a pathetic life this low-ranking civil servant leads!
He swatted away yet another fireball flying straight at him. The heat and sparks scattered in every direction before vanishing. He was starting to appreciate just how tough that car door really was.
Are they targeting Kim Suhyun again? Yeah, that seems like the most likely scenario right now.
Just in case, he quickly scanned the area. Last time, two Elders had shown up just to capture her. If any Elders appeared this time, he would be completely screwed. Han Jiyun wasn’t here to fight them, and neither was Ma Hakjun to buy even a little time.
Can I even hold out against an Elder in my current state?
He considered it for a moment, but every possible outcome that came to mind was negative. Right now, he could barely hold off an A-rank if he pushed himself to his absolute limit. Even while blocking spells, he kept checking his surroundings until the very end.
And thank goodness, he didn’t feel that skin-prickling sensation like last time. That meant there were no Elders involved in this attack. The one-eyed woman and the dark-skinned man up ahead seemed to be the strongest ones here. From a rough estimate, they were at least B-rank, possibly even A-rank.
No Elders is a silver lining, but this is still far from a good situation.
S-ranks were so absurdly overpowered that people forgot just how dangerous A-ranks could be. Even Ma Hakjun was A-rank. That alone made them a serious threat.
“That axe-obsessed bitch again.”
The man who appeared to be the leader of the bodyguards ground his teeth and stepped forward. A quick glance with the Third Eye confirmed he was the strongest on their side.
“All of you, do not leave the young lady’s side no matter what. I’ll hold that woman off.”
“Are you sure? Shouldn’t we at least provide backup…”
“If she breaks through toward us, we won’t be able to handle it. We have to keep her at a distance no matter what.”
The leader’s words were completely logical. The trait of the one-eyed woman he had checked with the Third Eye was brutally straightforward.
A beast starved for slaughter.
The more enemies around her, the stronger her ability became. Only he could analyze traits with the Third Eye, yet the bodyguard seemed to have some vague sense of how dangerous she was. He was clearly no ordinary man.
“Excuse me.”
The leader approached him slightly and spoke.
“I saw the news the other day. You seem quite skilled.”
“Not at all. I’m just a civil servant drowning in overwork every day.”
“That shield work didn’t look like something a regular civil servant could pull off.”
“I just picked it up somehow.”
Truth is, I just watched the footage a few times and copied it. But there’s no need to mention that.
“I’m grateful for what you did earlier, but I have one more shameful request.”
“You want me to hold the line here while you go fight that one-eyed woman, right?”
The man nodded slowly at his accurate guess.
“Reinforcements will arrive soon if you can hold out just a little longer. I’m counting on you until then.”
“This is overtime, you know. And it’s not like your side is paying my salary.”
“I will definitely repay this debt later. Please.”
When Baek Seojin nodded in understanding, the man smiled. Then he shouted, “Hey, you axe-obsessed psycho!” and charged forward.
The one-eyed woman shot back, “What the hell? I thought you were dead. Muscle-brain much?” It seemed the two already knew each other.
Then the ones the rest of us have to deal with are…
The villains began emerging one by one, advancing toward Kim Suhyun’s group. The dark-skinned man at the very front was especially irritating.
RUMBLE—!
Another massive fireball formed in the man’s hand. He appeared to be a magic user, yet his physique was anything but that of a frail spellcaster. The world really was going to hell. A muscle wizard? Seriously?
“You’re going to have to die for us.”
The man who approached Baek Seojin—now standing protectively in front of Kim Suhyun—spat out those words without hesitation. Since kidnapping her had failed, they probably figured it was better to kill her now before she grew into a powerful threat later.
Not a chance. Kim Suhyun is no longer destined to become a villain.
She would definitely become a huge asset. She would be an indispensable force in the coming cataclysm. After going through hell to save her from the Elders, there was no way he was handing her over to some B-rank thug.
“Shut your mouth, villain.”
He tried provoking the man, but there was no reaction. It seemed he had zero interest in Baek Seojin. As long as he could eliminate Kim Suhyun, nothing else mattered.
Like hell I’ll let that happen. Not while the Gatekeeper is standing right here with his eyes wide open.
Third Eye is activating.
Silver Gatekeeper: Activation conditions met.
The trait is now active.
Overtime: Civil servants are always supposed to suffer from overwork.
When the Gatekeeper conditions are met, examinations can be conducted outside designated areas.
Due to the sub-trait Overtime, location restrictions for examinations have been removed.
The sin of ruining my precious on-time departure will be repaid with a beating.