Have We Met Before? - 3
I steadied my breathing and looked at Kang Minsung. This man was someone trying to surpass me. And I was the one who had to stop him. Once that thought settled in my mind, my trait began to activate almost immediately.
Third Eye is activating.
Sole Exam Examiner is activating.
This individual has not yet been promoted by Baek Seojin.
Recognizing as an examinee.
Still, compared to the time I stood in the way of an Elder or the recent fight against the villains, this felt a little precarious. There was no helping it. This was far removed from my usual gatekeeper duties. It was nothing more than a makeshift workaround to fill in the experience points.
Preparations are complete. Let’s seize the first move.
I chose the style Lee Hyunwoo favored so much. I planted my lower body firmly, gripped the hilt tightly, and focused on a single point before lunging forward. The best option I could offer from the start was a thrust delivered at maximum speed right from the outset. Since my opponent was clearly stronger than me, I didn’t need to worry about accidentally injuring him.
My target was Kang Minsung’s shoulder. I aimed solely for that spot. Striking the chest or abdomen might cause a fatal wound, but those areas were also easier to defend. In that case, it was far better to chip away at the edges first. Of course, I hadn’t expected much since my opponent was who he was…
…Fuck.
Even so, wasn’t this a bit too overwhelming?
Clang—!
I couldn’t even register it properly. It would be more accurate to say I completely missed it. The moment Kang Minsung lightly lifted his foot, he was already right in front of me. With a single casual swing of his sword, my hard-won first move shattered helplessly.
I clicked my tongue. I knew he was incredible, but this was on another level.
“Hup!”
I couldn’t afford to panic. The mistakes my students had made so far flashed through my mind. When their techniques were blocked, they would freeze in shock, their hands and feet tangling, their breathing thrown off. Lee Hyunwoo, however, was different. The moment he was blocked, he immediately prepared the next move. If that was blocked too, he would instantly come up with something else and execute it. That was what made him so troublesome. An opponent who didn’t panic was always the most difficult to handle. There was no one more terrifying than someone who could find their own answers.
“Hmph!”
Instead of retreating, I closed the distance even further. Kang Minsung let out a soft sound of admiration. It seemed that, from his perspective, my movement had been the correct response.
Thank goodness.
Yes, it really was a relief. The fact that I wasn’t wrong meant Lee Hyunwoo hadn’t been wrong either.
I thrust. I slashed. I stepped back once and struck upward. Then I brought the blade down again. I absolutely could not waver. I could not panic. Even until the moment of defeat, I refused to think that I was losing.
I can catch him. I can catch him. He is someone I can stop.
I repeated those words over and over, striving to create an opening in Kang Minsung’s defense. Even the tiniest, most fleeting gap would do. If I could create one and shake him even slightly, that would be enough. From there, I could push further. Once I made contact once, repeating it wouldn’t be difficult.
Just a little more. Just a little more. Just a tiny bit more, and something should reveal itself.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I truly saw an opening in Kang Minsung’s movement. I didn’t hesitate. My body, guided by pure instinct, aimed precisely at that spot.
Thud—!
Suddenly my body floated in the air, followed by a powerful shock that rattled my entire frame. A sharp pain shot through my back. For a moment, breathing became incredibly difficult. When I finally regained my senses, I realized I was sprawled flat on the floor.
It seemed the opening I had seen earlier was a trap Kang Minsung had deliberately shown me.
“Examiner! Examiner! A-are you okay?”
“Ah, yeah. I’m fine. I just fell backward. Don’t worry, Suhyun.”
To be honest, I was a little bit not fine. My back was throbbing; it would probably bother me for the rest of the day. But if I admitted that, I had no idea how Kim Suhyun would react, so I kept quiet.
As I stood up, Kang Minsung—who had already sheathed his sword—approached me.
“Are you all right? I tried to be as gentle as possible. My apologies.”
“Not at all. And if you apologize, I’ll only feel more embarrassed, Chairman.”
In a spar with an ability user, this much was a bargain. Back at the Academy, I had been cut, split open, and bled plenty of times. If it ended with nothing more than a sore back, I would gladly welcome it.
Besides, it wasn’t as if I had gained nothing. The image was still blurry, but I had captured it. Especially the way Kang Minsung had deflected my final attack and even used that force against me—his swordplay. Being able to perceive even a fraction of that was the greatest harvest of all.
The only problem is…
Silver Gatekeeper has failed.
This was the part I had worried about the most. What kind of penalty would I receive if I was incapacitated while my trait was active? What results would it bring? The most important question was whether the benefit I could gain from this spar was worth enduring that penalty.
This examination was conducted outside the Academy.
Physical damage sustained is extremely minor.
Mental damage sustained is extremely minor.
Taking the above into consideration, the penalty gauge will increase.
A strange gauge bar appeared beneath my trait window. A portion of it began to darken to black.
Roughly… about ten percent.
Fortunately, it seemed that getting through once didn’t automatically cause a problem. If this had happened inside the Academy and I had been completely crushed by Jeong Yuhyeon, I was certain the penalty gauge would have shot straight through the roof.
When the penalty gauge reaches its maximum, a portion of the trait may be reset.
If penalties accumulate further, the entire trait may be erased.
In short, it gave and then took away. What a horrifying thing to say. Nothing in the world was more underhanded and dirty than taking back what you had already given.
At least I could breathe a sigh of relief. I wasn’t receiving an immediate penalty. At the same time, however, I had confirmed that even a spar like this filled the penalty gauge. From now on, every single activation of my trait would require me to grit my teeth. Then again, every gatekeeper I had ever met had done exactly that while clenching their jaws. Thinking about it that way, I finally understood both this trait and my current situation.
“Grandfather!”
“Oof. S-Suhyun?”
“That was too much! The examiner almost got hurt!”
“S-Suhyun, your grandfather really did go easy on him.”
“That was you going easy?! That’s too much! If you act like this, what am I supposed to do after inviting the examiner?! If the examiner starts to dislike me because of this…”
No, Suhyun. It’s really not like that. I’m fine. I didn’t take a heavy penalty, and I even managed to capture Kang Minsung’s movements. Even with the slight damage, this was still a profitable trade.
“Suhyun. I was prepared for this much from the start. It’s fine. Stop scolding your grandfather.”
“But…”
When I gently scolded her, Kim Suhyun quickly covered her mouth with both hands. The sight was so adorable that I reached out and stroked her head. She immediately broke into a bright smile, giggling happily.
“In any case, thank you once again for your guidance, Chairman.”
“Hmm.”
“Chairman?”
“Ah, yes. You worked hard. This old man put you through quite a bit. Go wash up and change your clothes. We’ll wash them separately and send them to your home.”
A laundry service from the Kang Minsung family? Now that sounded promising.
*
The meal that followed with the three of us was truly extravagant, just as Kang Minsung had requested. When Baek Seojin let out an awed “Whoa,” Kim Suhyun burst into laughter, saying it was strange to see someone who had never been surprised before suddenly look so shocked.
“Examiner, please try this too.”
“This one as well. Our chef is really amazing, you know.”
“This dish uses incredibly precious ingredients. Grandfather only serves it when a truly honored guest visits…”
Kang Minsung watched in a daze as Kim Suhyun chattered away without pause. When was the last time his granddaughter had looked so bright? When had she spoken so much? It was so long ago that the memory felt hazy. It was almost unfamiliar.
That child… she could smile like that too.
Kang Minsung smiled along with her, then turned his gaze toward Baek Seojin.
What a strange young man. He is impressive, yet at the same time truly mysterious and odd.
At first, he had simply assumed Baek Seojin was a late bloomer. There were people like that. Even Kim Suhyun had only recently begun to display her true power. But right after their spar ended, Kang Minsung began to suspect that perhaps there was more to it. Perhaps it wasn’t simply that he had stepped onto the right path later than others.
He only saw it once, yet in that final moment he tried to apply the principle of Saet-baram.
When Baek Seojin first came in with a thrust, Kang Minsung had inwardly admired him. It was one of the common mistakes novices made—showing an obvious sword path right from the start, thinking they could deliver a fatal blow by aiming for a vital point. That only worked when the opponent was far beneath you.
A person’s vital points were called vital for a reason; most of them were located inward. And the inside was naturally designed to be defended from the outside. Anyone who swung their weapon without understanding that simple principle would lose. One had to read the situation and the opponent to know exactly where to strike.
In that sense, aiming for the shoulder from the beginning was quite sharp.
That was why Kang Minsung had personally dismantled the attack using his own principle. It was a form of repayment to the benefactor who had saved his granddaughter. Saet-baram—the sword technique that delivered the greatest shock to the opponent with the lightest single tremor. Aside from his own children, grandchildren, and the comrades he had fought alongside for many years, he had never shown it so slowly and gently before.
Yet when Kang Minsung was about to finish with Soseul-baram, Baek Seojin had tried—however imperfectly—to use the principle of Saet-baram. Of course, it had been far too brief, and Soseul-baram had already landed, so it failed. But Kang Minsung had clearly seen it. He had seen Baek Seojin’s adaptability and absorption level.
“Thank you so much for tonight’s dinner, Chairman.”
“Grandfather, I’ll escort the examiner back to his house. Is that okay?”
After the meal ended, Baek Seojin returned to his home. Once Kim Suhyun also left the house for a moment, Kang Minsung headed to his study. He quietly picked up the phone and dialed someone.
The grumpy voice on the other end belonged to the current principal of the Academy, Kang Minsung’s old comrade and former hero, Ma Hakjun.
“Hakjun. Are you busy?”
“Don’t ask the obvious. And if you’re going to make another strange request, hang up right now.”
“When have I ever called you just to ask for favors? How cold.”
“The problem is that’s all you’ve called about for the past several months.”
Ma Hakjun let out a light sigh and continued in a slightly calmer voice.
“So. What is it at this hour?”
“A little while ago, that young man Baek Seojin came by our house.”
“…Examiner Baek Seojin? Why?”
“My granddaughter invited him to dinner, apparently.”
“He saved Suhyun twice. That makes sense. But why are you suddenly bringing this up? Ah, are you worried that a public servant visiting your house might cause problems?”
Kang Minsung answered that it wasn’t that.
“Then what is it?”
“While watching that examiner, someone suddenly came to mind.”
“Who came to mind? If you say it was your younger self, I’m hanging up immediately.”
Kang Minsung burst into hearty laughter. But the laughter soon faded.
“Hakjun. Do you still remember that man?”
“Who?”
“Sujin. Hyun Sujin’s fiancé.”