Academy's Silver Gatekeeper-Chapter 16

Currently, Lee Hyunwoo’s ability falls under the Weaponry category. The sword in his hand was undeniable proof of that.

But in time, through relentless effort, he would gain the Martial Arts category as well.

People referred to cases like his as "Duals."

Duals—individuals who wielded more than one category of ability. A rare and exceptional occurrence.

In this world, being a Dual was practically a prerequisite for the strongest.

And Lee Hyunwoo, through sheer determination, would eventually reach that realm.

‘Of course, that only happened after the Gate Outbreaks and the coordinated attacks from villains left devastating casualties.’

As always, Lee Hyunwoo only realized his potential after someone else had sacrificed themselves. That was the natural flow of a novel’s plot.

But in reality? It was far from ideal.

If he was going to gain that power, it was better to do so before anyone had to die.

Which meant—starting today, Lee Hyunwoo was banned from Silver promotion.

Not forever. But at least until he was strong enough to push me to my limits.

◎ Sub-Trait: No Pain, No Gain

◎ Details:

Each failed promotion attempt accumulates a stack. When the subject finally succeeds, their abilities will be enhanced in proportion to the accumulated stacks.

Even after one read, it was obvious—this was an outright cheat ability.

Blocking promotions built up stacks, and once they finally passed, they grew even stronger?

And the best part? It only applied to people I personally selected.

‘Thank you, Third Eye. I believe in you.’

‘Hyunwoo, don’t get the wrong idea. This is all for your own good.’

Before the evaluation began, I set the target of ‘No Pain, No Gain’ to Lee Hyunwoo.

◎ No Pain, No Gain

Trait is now active.

Target: Lee Hyunwoo.

"I’m ready, Examiner!"

Since my trait was already in play, I unintentionally gave him the first move.

Lee Hyunwoo’s sword came straight at me.

Far superior to the thugs I had tested a few days ago.

The old me wouldn’t have even reacted to an attack at this speed.

But now?

His movements were crystal clear.

I could see exactly how he would move and how I should counter.

Swish—!

I dodged his sword trajectory and instantly closed the distance.

Right as his blade was about to swing again—I cut him off.

No matter how skilled a swordsman was, if their swing was disrupted, their attack lost power.

Predicting an opponent’s moves was nothing short of fatal.

"Urgh!"

The outcome was already decided.

Hyunwoo wasn’t passing today.

The only question was how he would lose and what he would take away from it.

For now, I’d help him unlock his full potential.

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He was too fixated on his sword. It was time to show him the possibility of Dual.

‘If you ever lose your weapon, what will you do then, Hyunwoo?’

I relentlessly targeted his sword.

Not allowing him to swing properly. Not even letting him hold it steady.

That was the weakness of Weaponry abilities.

Lose your weapon, and your combat ability plummets.

For all the advantages they had, there was a corresponding penalty.

‘Guys like Ma Hakjun and Kang Minseong made up for it with overwhelming swordsmanship—or by becoming Duals.’

Han Jiyoon was the same. So was Irina.

And the Elders? They had all made the exact same choice.

Lee Hyunwoo needed to grasp that, and fast.

Bang—!

At last, his sword flew from his grip and crashed onto the ground.

Any other student would have immediately surrendered.

But not him.

As expected of the protagonist, his persistence was on another level.

"Hup—!"

He took advantage of my forward momentum from the last attack.

A precise body blow aimed at my right side.

Sharp, calculated—exactly what I’d expect from someone destined to be a Dual.

Unfortunately for him—

Thud!

My knee struck his chest first.

‘That was close.’

Even knowing he was a guaranteed cheat character, this felt excessive.

Still just a Bronze rank, yet his martial arts were already razor-sharp.

Maybe he was secretly training at some underground gym?

"Haa… haa…"

Hyunwoo lay sprawled on the floor, gasping for air.

Short as the fight had been, the intense movement had drained him.

"I… lost, Examiner. I acknowledge my defeat."

◎ No Pain, No Gain

Trait Activated.

Target’s stack increased by 1.

"You fought well, Hyunwoo. I hope you’re not too disappointed."

He couldn’t be.

He still had a long way to go before his promotions would stop failing.

And in the end, every failure only made him stronger.

As I offered him a hand, he grinned as he took it.

"Not at all! This just makes me want to work even harder! Next time, I’ll definitely pass!"

As expected of the Master of Effort, surpassing even talent itself.

Was it protagonist buffs? Or just his natural personality?

Either way, I was relieved.

He wasn’t discouraged. He wasn’t angry.

That was what mattered most.

"Alright. Next student, step forward."

"Yes! Hello! I’m a second-year—"

And so, I continued evaluating the Bronze-ranked students.

Hoping to find another hidden gem, I watched carefully.

But most of them were ordinary.

‘No one else worthy of No Pain, No Gain.’

I moved on, standing face to face with the next student.

Of course, I had no intention of letting them pass easily.

After blocking the promotion of ten students, my trait had strengthened.

Which meant—if I approved too many promotions, it might weaken my Gatekeeper ability.

Only those who truly deserved it would advance.

I felt a little bad for the students desperate for their promotions, but there was no malice in this.

If anything, I was doing this for them.

Most Superhumans who died in combat fell at C-rank.

And in Academy terms, C-rank was the same as Silver.

If they got even slightly stronger here, they’d have a better shot at survival later.

Fighting monsters. Battling villains. Their chances of getting hurt—or worse, killed—would drop.

Which meant—

‘None of you are getting past me.’

It was all for their own good. Absolutely.

Meanwhile…

"Alright, that’s it for today’s lecture."

The professor, arm still in a cast, gathered his books and dismissed the class.

Kim Suhyeon quickly packed up her notes, moving a little faster than usual.

Normally, she would hesitate—stealing glances at those around her, stiff with anxiety.

And truthfully, that nervousness hadn’t vanished completely.

Even before class, she had heard the whispers.

"She’s Kang Minseong’s granddaughter, yet she did nothing during the attack."

"Everyone else fought, but she stood there like a powerless nobody."

"Is she really related to Kang Dokyung and Kang Jisoo?"

Clench.

She bit her lip, trying to push the words away.

But it wasn’t easy.

It never was.

The weight of her grandfather’s legacy. The brilliance of her uncle. The undeniable talent of her cousins.

Each one suffocated her.

Even those looking down on her were still ahead of her.

She was still stuck at Bronze, while they had all reached Silver.

She was weak.

Too weak.

A disgrace of a superhuman.

Shivering.

She nearly spiraled into that dark place again—

But then…

"I admitted that I wasn’t as good as everyone else."

Baek Seojin’s words echoed in her mind.

How could he say that so easily?

How could he accept it?

‘…Examiner, I want to see you.’

Her feet moved on their own.

She was headed straight for the examination grounds.

Some lectures had been canceled. Others postponed to upcoming weeks.

Which meant students had more free time—and many would be using it for their rank evaluations.

‘He must be exhausted…’

Being thrown back into work right after getting discharged from the hospital? It was ridiculous.

But Baek Seojin had only laughed it off, saying it couldn’t be helped.

He had his own reasons, so she hadn’t asked further.

At least Kang Minseong had given him a recovery potion.

That was some relief.

Step, step.

When she arrived, the evaluations were already in progress.

A student, drenched in sweat, was desperately casting magic.

And on the opposite end—slowly advancing despite the barrage of spells—stood the Examiner.

‘Baek Seojin…’

The outcome was obvious.

The student’s magic was slow, inaccurate. The casting speed alone was an issue, and the accuracy? Worse.

Baek Seojin could have ended it at any moment.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he let the student keep casting—drawing out the fight, giving them as many chances as possible to improve.

"Man, the Examiner’s insane. Isn’t he tired? That’s his twelfth match already."

At the voice beside her, Kim Suhyeon flinched, turning her head.

"You here for an evaluation too?"

"…No."

"No? Huh. Well, I guess that makes sense. Some students were running off to get tested by the assistants instead. Apparently, it's way easier to pass that way. But really, what’s the point of getting Silver like that? They’ll just get stuck later. I’d rather get completely wrecked now and actually improve."

Suhyeon narrowed her eyes slightly, glancing at his name tag.

Lee Hyunwoo.

The boy beside her was named Lee Hyunwoo.

"…Did you lose to Examiner Baek Seojin?"

"Oh. Yeah. It wasn’t even close. He completely put me in my place. That guy’s no joke."

At those words, a tiny smile tugged at Suhyeon’s lips.

She wasn’t the only one who thought highly of Baek Seojin.

It wasn’t a bad feeling.

In fact, she felt a little proud.

"If you’re going to get examined, make sure it’s with him. Ah, wait—are you an upperclassman?"

Suhyeon shook her head.

"Oh, good. Wait—don’t tell me. You’re already Silver?"

"…Bronze."

"Bronze? Nice. That makes us comrades."

"Comrades?"

"Yeah. I’m Bronze too."

For a while—no, for quite a long time—Silver would remain nothing more than a distant dream for these two Bronzes.