Crazy bastard. Really insane. Are you even human after doing this?!
Do you have a conscience or not? You could do this much all along, but you've been taking evaluations this whole time?
Looking at Lee Hyunwoo, who was standing at a distance staring at me.
I was so dumbfounded and speechless that I unconsciously let out a sigh.
Protagonist, effort genius, talent proportional to sweat, and dual types.
Even having just one of these would be overpowered, but Lee Hyunwoo has them all.
So I had long expected that guy to be amazing.
But that expectation was far exceeded by that training maniac.
A body trained thoroughly enough to match each situation.
Magic power flowing abundantly to perfectly support that body.
Finally, he was showing remarkable skills not only in swordsmanship but also in martial arts.
"Hyaaa!"
He continuously mixes martial arts while swinging his sword.
Clearly swordsmanship is his main focus, but his martial arts can't be ignored either.
I guarantee that if you take a proper hit from that, your bones will crack at minimum.
Every movement is without excess, concise, and above all flows like water.
Neither too fast nor too slow - perfect speed.
Even without signs of fatigue, it seems refined to a level that doesn't put much physical burden.
"Wow, damn. What? He's been wearing Bronze all this time after doing that?"
"I expected it long ago. Hey. If he was really Bronze, would he have been hunting A-rank monsters?"
"No... I thought he was getting carried. By being on a good team."
"Nonsense. He doesn't even have backing, so how could he get carried on that team."
I can hear students watching the evaluation nearby chattering.
They're probably greatly stimulated by Lee Hyunwoo's overwhelming growth.
Nothing particularly special - just training, taking evaluations, and training again.
Lee Hyunwoo, who spent only that time, is now showing such an incredible appearance.
There must be his own unique talent within that, but that doesn't matter.
What's important to the students right now is that evidence has emerged that 'effort never betrays.'
The confidence that they too could do it if they grit their teeth and try harder.
"Examiner! I'll really go all out for the last time!"
What you've been doing so far wasn't going all out? Really crazy bastard.
No matter how much it's an evaluation, I did receive S-rank not long ago.
Of course, the ink on my ability user ID hasn't even dried yet.
Either way, being one of the strongest doesn't change.
But Lee Hyunwoo seemed to ignore all that and focus only on the evaluation.
Whooom— Woom!—
Lee Hyunwoo's sword makes an ominous sound as it roughly digs inward.
It would be a big mistake to think the movement looks big.
◎ Details : You can't keep guarding Silver's gate forever. After painstaking effort, it's natural for someone with proper qualifications to emerge. Those judged to have 'qualification' are not included in penalty stats.
- Subordinate trait 'Gatekeeper's Heart' is applied.
- Penalty gauge does not increase.
Is there anything more comforting than that message saying there's no penalty?
Ah, right. Speaking of which, let me check how many stacks of Lee Hyunwoo's "No Pain, No Gain" accumulated.
◎ No Pain, No Gain
Trait is activated.
Target - Lee Hyunwoo : Stack 72
'Wow. Amazing. 72? No, when did this accumulate so much?'
I didn't see him every weekend, and he was hospitalized a lot in between.
Honestly, I thought 50 stacks would already be a lot, but not only did it exceed 50, it went over 60.
I could newly feel just how much Lee Hyunwoo had tormented me all this time.
- The trait target has finally crossed the gate.
- After enduring bitter suffering, he finally obtains sweet results.
- All abilities of trait target 'Lee Hyunwoo' are permanently enhanced.
I guarantee it. Probably by next year, that bastard might rise to S-rank like me.
Even if it takes a bit longer, 2-3 years would be enough. Monster-like bastard.
No matter how much protagonist correction there is, isn't that too overpowered?
Come to think of it, he originally had the overpowered trait of doubling training effects.
Plus "No Pain, No Gain" stacks, and all the experiences gained from fighting with me.
Thinking about it this way, if he doesn't reach S-rank within 3 years, should I beat him up?
"Thank you so much all this time, Examiner!"
"What are you talking about? Student Lee Hyunwoo worked much harder. Now that you're Silver..."
"I'll continue to be in your care! Hahaha!"
...What are you saying? Right now? Why are you saying you'll continue to be in my care?
You're not Bronze anymore. You're Silver. And now that you've reached Silver...
"Even though I reached Silver, sparring with the examiner is always possible, right! I already know everything! Kang Hana senior, and several other students. Even Suhyeon! You've been occasionally making time to see them! Now that I've reached Silver, don't I deserve the qualification to spar too!"
No, that's something I do as after-service.
You don't need such things! Do you know how many "No Pain, No Gain" stacks you've built up!
There's absolutely no reason to manage you further from here? Get lost! Shoo, shoo!
"You look very happy."
For a moment I almost bluntly answered "Does this look like a happy expression?"
I thought I had finally escaped the evaluation-obsessed maniac.
Now instead of evaluations, he'll drive people crazy with sparring.
I wanted to say that, but I just held back with a single sigh.
"My mood is good. An excellent student rose to Silver."
"Silver in name, but more than that in reality. My goodness, a Silver who defeats A-rank monsters."
Han Jiyoon giggles as if finding it absurd.
"Ah, right. I almost forgot to mention that story. We caught him."
"Yes?"
"That rat bastard who leaked Academy information last time. The villain spy."
If it's a spy, yeah. Are you talking about that bastard who leaked each team's information during practicals?
Thanks to that, we almost had big trouble that day. I had a huge fight with Kwak Hyuk.
"Who was it?"
"It was an Academy staff member. Not even a new hire who joined recently, but someone with some seniority."
"But why did they do such a thing?"
At my question, Han Jiyoon asks back "Why would they?"
Actually, I already know the answer. I can feel it all in her voice.
"Money. Enough money to make them forget all their honor, pride, and what would happen if caught."
"It's a reason I can't understand while simultaneously understanding. So what?"
"Yes?"
"There must be someone else who caught the wind. It doesn't seem like the villains approached first."
There's no contact point between villains and the staff member. There's someone else who arranged things between them.
That person gently tempted the staff with money and passed information to the villain side.
"Shockingly, it's an Academy student. No, was a student."
"You mean a graduate did that?"
"No. An expelled student. I think you might know them, Seojin."
The Academy expulsion student I know - there's only one guy.
"Don't tell me, Jung Yuhyeon?"
"Yes. It was that bastard. This was also discovered by coincidence while searching everywhere to chase Hyeon Sujin. Well, thanks to that we could catch that bastard without giving him time to escape."
That fucking superiority complex bastard finally dug his own grave.
The social atmosphere is already turbulent with gates and monsters.
In this situation, a traitor? An internal spy who passed information to villains? His life is ruined.
"Thanks to that, Irina is being reevaluated. She got cursed for dismantling the Jinhan Group, but it turns out that fucking rat bastard's family was eating from there."
Irina's reevaluation. That's quite interesting in its own way...
"Ah."
Damn it. I forgot something that had slipped my mind due to being busy these past few days.
Perhaps a more difficult trial than the battle with that one-eyed S-rank monster.
On one side is the Crimson Witch, on the other side is the crazy blonde.
There are promises those two extracted from me in exchange for staying quiet.
And from what I can see, that D-day seems not far away.
"Seojin? What's wrong?"
"...Nothing. Just... feeling sorry."
For me. I feel sorry for myself.
"Sorry? Hey. It's their own choice. What's there to be sorry about? They need to take responsibility."
That's right. That moron bastard too, and me too.
It's our own choice, so there's nothing to say about it.
Past me. What the hell were you thinking when you readily accepted that promise?