Facing the Worst Nightmare

Being a gatekeeper meant—2.

I was facing the most terrible nightmare imaginable. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd encounter an Elder, not even an A-rank villain. And to make matters worse, it was one who harbored a deeply personal grudge against me, no less!

Not even curses came to mind. All that came out was a hollow laugh. It was just too absurd. How could things possibly go this wrong?

“Why are you laughing?”

If I told him I wasn’t laughing in a bad way, would he believe me? The words nearly surged up my throat. The aura radiating from the Elder standing before me was quite literally the aura of death itself. It might sound cringeworthy, but there was no other phrase that fit. The instant I faced him, the only thought that surfaced was, Ah, I’m dead.

…Get a grip. Standing here dazed like this won’t solve a single thing.

I bit down on my lip hard enough to draw blood, forcing my mind back under control. Right now, the most urgent priority was buying time. The students might not have done it, but any national ability user worth their salt would have already called for backup. Once they realized this was a villain ambush and not a monster attack, reinforcements would come running. Since Academy students were among those ambushed, we might even get lucky and see Han Jiyun herself arrive.

“I didn’t expect to meet you here like this.”

I answered in a deliberately soft voice—just loud enough to be heard. I needed to make the Elder speak at least one more time. Any method was fine as long as it bought time.

“Too damn noisy.”

That crazy bastard countered my plan in a completely different way. Without hesitation, he crushed the head of the villain fighting beside him.

Crack—!

With a gruesome sound, the villain’s body crumpled limply to the side. The national ability user who had been fighting him was now drenched in blood and brain matter.

“Insane…”

The ability users stepped back with expressions that screamed what kind of monster is this? Even the villains halted their attacks, as if thinking, Our Elder is furious. Thanks to that, the battle line that had been slowly collapsing fell into a temporary stalemate.

Is this fortunate? I wondered, but then shook my head inwardly. What did it matter if they retreated? An Elder had appeared. Hundreds of villains couldn’t compare to a single Elder. He was a walking disaster, the kind who would carry out a massacre with a smile on his face.

“Answer. Again.”

Did this crazy son of a bitch really kill another one of his own just to hear my reply? As expected, villains really were on another level. I had no desire to associate with them or listen to their sob stories. No matter what circumstances led them here, they were people who had ultimately abandoned their humanity.

“…I meant that I didn’t expect to see you like this.”

I didn’t want to answer, but I had to buy time. The support team had to be on their way even now. Until they arrived, I needed to hold out. By any means necessary. Even if it meant putting on a damn clown show.

Whirr—

“You probably didn’t expect to die like this either.”

…You son of a bitch.

Couldn’t he act more like a proper villain and drag the conversation out? Other villains loved to blabber on about unnecessary monologues. So why did this bastard thrust his spear at me the moment he saw me and start throwing a fit?

“I have one question, if I may.”

Even in this situation, the fact that I was still speaking politely impressed even myself. It wasn’t like the villain would file a complaint, but still, damn.

“It seems you have business with me. In that case, would you let the people behind me go?”

Hope? Honestly, I knew better than to have any. Yeah, I knew better. But there was always that slim chance. Maybe he would let them go. After all, this was the same guy who had just crushed the head of an ally still in combat. If I negotiated well, perhaps I could at least get the students out.

“I’ll have to kill them all.”

But the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠answer that came back was exactly the one I had expected.

The Third Eye had been firing off warnings nonstop since earlier. This was beyond hopeless. This was impossible. This opponent had far surpassed anything I could handle.

Honestly, I agreed with the assessment. There was no visible path to victory. Even Kang Minsung hadn’t been able to do anything against him. So how was I supposed to stop an Elder who was even stronger than the current Kang Minsung?

No. Absolutely not. Even if I died and came back to life, it’s still impossible. Yeah, it’s impossible, but…

But if I backed down just because it was impossible, could I still call myself the Gatekeeper? No matter who came, no matter what appeared, I had to block them first and think later. There was no need to overcomplicate it.

Behind me were students. I had even taken on the role of a villainous gatekeeper to give them even the slightest chance of survival. If I didn’t stop the bastard who wanted to kill them, how could I call myself a gatekeeper at all?

“Huu.”

I glanced behind me. The students and national ability users who had been fighting desperately just moments ago now stood frozen, their eyes filled with utter despair. They were already struggling against the A-rank villains in front of them. Now an Elder had appeared—one that dozens of A-ranks ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could never overcome. Anyone who didn’t fall into despair at this point would be the crazy one. The only people still clinging to hope were either completely insane or hiding some legendary power.

…Yeah. This is better.

This was preferable. If he had said he would let them go, I might have lost my edge. Yeah. This was how a villain should act. This was what made an Elder among villains truly hopeless. And only by acting this way could I fight with everything I had.

“Thank you.”

“Hm?”

Had those words been unexpected? The Elder tilted his head. His spear remained pointed at me, but the terrifying aura around him faded slightly for a brief moment.

“Are you insane? Thanking me in this situation?”

“I’m thanking you because I am grateful. Thanks to you, everything has become very simple and clear.”

“What are you babbling about?”

“What I mean is—”

I let out a long breath and spoke the final words.

“You shall not pass, you fucking bastard.”

Unmeasurable? Seriously, wasn’t that a bit much? I let out a sigh and stared at the Elder standing before me.

Thankfully, there was no mishap where the trait failed to manifest. Preparations were complete. All that remained was to do my job.

“E-Examiner, sir.”

Kang Hana, frozen in place, spoke in a trembling voice. She had been fighting so well just moments ago, but now it was different. The existence known as an Elder could overpower even Platinum ranks with nothing but a glance. The gap between ranks was simply that vast.

I felt like I should say something to her. At the very least, I wanted to tell her It’s going to be okay. But with nothing certain, I couldn’t even do that.

The only thing I could do right now was offer her a single smile.

At least a somewhat comforting message appeared. Maximum manifestation, huh. Yeah, I guess I wouldn’t die pathetically.

“You fucking bastard,” he repeated.

…Did I provoke him too hard?

The Elder’s eyes had sunk so deep they seemed completely submerged. The sight sent chills down my spine. I unconsciously gripped my sword hilt so tightly it felt like it might shatter. If I didn’t, I was afraid I would lose my mind to fear.

“Of all things.”

Of all things?

“Those were the last words that crazy bitch ever said to me.”

The moment the Elder spoke, the world spun.

How? How do I handle this? How on earth am I supposed to deal with a situation like this…!

Kang Hana clutched her head, completely at a loss. Just moments ago she had looked like a fairly skilled ability user. She hadn’t been intimidated at all while facing a B-rank villain stronger than herself. But the opponent who had just appeared was a monster on a completely different dimension from such small fry.

It’s over. We’re all going to die.

It wasn’t just Kang Hana reacting this way. The other Platinum ranks, all the students who had come for practical training, and even most of the national ability users showed clear signs of despair.

“You shall not pass.”

Except for one person.

“You fucking bastard.”

At the sharp curse, Kang Hana looked at Baek Seojin standing in front of her. He was an A-rank skilled individual. But the opponent was an Elder. They were former S-rank ability users once called demigods. No matter how strong Baek Seojin might be, this was a fight he could never win. Nevertheless, he stood blocking the Elder’s path. With the students behind him, as if declaring that he would never let him pass.

Boom—!

In an instant, Baek Seojin vanished from Kang Hana’s sight. He hadn’t moved or fled. He had simply been struck directly by the Elder’s spear and was spinning through the air.

“Examiner!!”

There was nothing she could do but cry out desperately. In that time, Baek Seojin crashed into the ground with a heavy thud.

“Ah…”

He must be dead. There was no way he could survive. How could anyone live after taking a hit like that? She had heard that even A-rank ability users would have their limbs shattered in a single strike. He wasn’t called the Spear Ghost for nothing. He was literally a man-eating ghost.

“You son of a bitch!”

She didn’t know where such courage had come from. Or perhaps it should be called recklessness. It didn’t matter. Already, along with her scream, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kang Hana’s magic had struck the Elder.

“…”

With a deafening roar, her magic slammed directly into the Elder’s torso. But the damage inflicted was zero. Even though it was a clean hit, he remained completely unharmed.

“Ah…”

Having witnessed the scene, Kang Hana collapsed on the spot. She had gathered every ounce of her mana for that strike. The opponent hadn’t even dodged or blocked it. Yet she couldn’t even scratch him, let alone wound him.

At the Academy she was called a Platinum rank, a promising talent for the future. She had been praised for already possessing strength that surpassed B-rank. But in this moment, none of it meant anything.

“Annoying.”

The Elder approached with a limp, dragging his spear. Before him, Kang Hana couldn’t even flee. She simply sat there, collapsed. After staring at her for a moment, the Elder indifferently swung his spear. Not toward Kang Hana’s heart, but toward the area behind her.

Clang—!

“…You bastard.”

“Where do you think you’re going? The examination has only just begun.”

His body was a bloody mess from countless large and small wounds. Yet the eyes beyond that blood shone with a razor-sharp light, completely unclouded.

Kwak Hyuk unconsciously smiled at the sight. As expected, it was truly fortunate that he hadn’t killed this guy last time.