Academy's Silver Gatekeeper-Chapter 59

Most of the students standing in front were wearing slightly surprised expressions.

That's understandable. Not a professor, not even a teaching assistant. Suddenly an examiner appears, claiming to be a substitute professor.

'Honestly, I debated whether to take this on multiple times...'

Filling the evaluation quota is currently most important.

So I thought about refusing. I needed to use that time to meet the evaluation numbers.

But at the same time, meeting opponents with better skills is also important.

I can't keep working only with Bronze and Silver students forever.

Gold-ranked students, Platinum-ranked students. And even Diamond rank, said to be the top talent of the future. I grew increasingly curious about the level of such students.

'Examining those students would give me more benefits. Not just in the number of evaluations, but in countless experiences. To do that, showing my skills directly to those students would be the fastest and most effective way.'

Additionally, I could reverse-engineer their know-how and pass it on to Bronze and Silver students.

Of course, not by kindly explaining with words, but by imprinting it on their bodies through dozens of evaluations. It would require enduring some pain and patience, but that's how it would work.

'Anyway, I'm not taking on everything; I'm just the substitute professor for Team 5. At most, it's about twenty to thirty Gold-ranked students, and about five Platinum-ranked. Diamond rank... well, I'm not sure, but anyway.'

It's not bad. It will definitely be a good experience for me too. So I decided to take on the role of substitute professor for this external support case.

It's just a day trip, twice a week, for a total of four days over two weeks. That shouldn't pose a major problem even if I take a break from examinations.

"I can't go, right?"

...Honestly, when Kim Suhyeon said those words, I flinched a little.

It wasn't an angry look, and certainly not a low, sunken voice. But seeing Kim Suhyeon ask like that made my spine feel chillingly cold.

"I'll have to work harder."

No, Suhyeon. Just keep doing as you are. You need to stay in Bronze a bit longer. Substitute supervising professor? This is really just a temporary role. It's an interim position. I won't be taking this on permanently, so you don't need to shoot those death rays from your eyes.

Fearing Kim Suhyeon might go berserk, I reassured her again: "You're doing well enough as it is!" Going too fast can make you trip, I said. Sometimes going slowly is the right answer. I even patted her shoulder while saying such things, that's how worried I was.

"You'll be away two days a week and won't be able to conduct evaluations."

And another guy made me feel extremely awkward. The protagonist, naturally, was Lee Hyunwoo, who came for evaluations every day.

"Then shouldn't I be allowed to take two more evaluations on other days?"

I was speechless. He wanted more evaluations on other days to make up for the missed ones. I even suspected this guy might know about the "No Pain, No Gain" trait.

"For those students wondering why I'm here, I'll explain that due to many professors not yet returning, I've been dispatched again. This Academy is my assigned post, but now I'm being dispatched from that post. Even I find it a bit strange."

It was a joke I threw out without much expectation, but the students chuckled lightly. I was worried they might look at me with cold stares, but indeed, Gold rank means different character too!

'Let's see. The document with personnel should be here... ah, found it.'

Team 5, which will be going for external support this time, has twenty-one Gold-ranked students and five Platinum-ranked students.

Diamond rank wasn't visible. It seems they were excluded from this external support mission. They're such valuable resources that the state probably manages them separately. I was curious about what Diamond rank would be like, so it's slightly disappointing.

While comparing the attendance list with the actual personnel, I discovered two familiar names. Student Council President, Platinum rank Kang Hana, and Student Council Treasurer, Gold rank Yoo Dasom. These two had been assigned to the external support Team 5 that I would be supervising.

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I slightly raised my head and saw Kang Hana and Yoo Dasom smiling and waving. I returned their greeting with a smile, then informed everyone about the schedule.

"As you all know, this external support will take place twice a week, for a total of four times over the next two weeks. Our Team 5 will be assigned to the Chungcheong area, and our main mission will be to clear a dungeon that hasn't been properly organized yet."

In this context, a "Gate" refers to an entrance from which monsters emerge.

And when a Gate isn't cleared within the designated time, the fixed spawn location becomes what they call a "dungeon."

From that perspective, a dungeon can be considered a double-edged sword. It's a place that continuously supplies much-needed monster byproducts and various loot in the current situation. But if you let your guard down even slightly, you could be overrun by monsters.

"The dungeon you'll be assigned to has been classified as C-rank. It's already been cleared once by state ability users and other clans, but due to the numerous dungeons in the area, we've been requested to provide support."

"How will we travel? Are we going by vehicle?"

Now that I think about it, I heard they used vehicle transport recently because the location was relatively close.

"Given the distance this time, we plan to use a 'portal'."

"Ohh!"

"Finally!"

Portal. A new technological marvel that humanity gained in reverse after the Gate crisis. A device that can take you anywhere with an installed exit point, as long as the magic stone supply is maintained.

Not everyone can use it. Its usage cost is several times that of an airplane. But for an ability user Academy directly supported by the state, that's hardly a concern.

At this time when we're educating future talent who will be responsible for the nation's safety, providing portal support isn't an extravagance but a necessary investment.

Above all, it's convenient. Unlike vehicles or planes, which require travel time, the portal we'll be using simply requires you to be ready, and that's it.

"Are there any other questions from students?"

"Excuse me, I have a question, Examiner."

A male student continues with a rather serious expression.

"You mentioned the dungeon is C-rank, but are there any B-rank or higher as well?"

"Good question. According to what I've been told, there are a few B-rank dungeons. However, since there haven't been any support requests for those yet, we currently don't expect to handle anything B-rank or higher."

In the Academy, Gold rank corresponds roughly to between C-rank and B-rank in the outside world. Which means that even for Gold-ranked standards, clearing a C-rank dungeon requires maintaining vigilance.

"I see. Thank you."

Seeing the slight disappointment in his expression, he's probably Platinum-ranked. By outside standards, he's a confirmed B-rank ability user, so he might not be thrilled about clearing dungeons below his level.

'Don't worry. Later on, such thoughts will completely disappear.'

Various other questions followed.

Where would they rest, how would meals be handled. What backup teams were available in case of emergencies, and which clans were in charge.

These were all basic yet necessary questions.

'The questions are all within a reasonable range. Was I worried for nothing?'

I thought at least one person might pick a fight. After all, a Silver-ranked examiner had suddenly been put in charge of Gold-ranked supervision.

Even though my skills are somewhat known now, 'rank' is an absolute law. I expected at least one student to question this, but that didn't seem to be the case.

"Examiner."

At this point, a female student raised her hand and requested to ask a question.

"Yes. Please go ahead."

"Supervising professors are individuals who have the skills to evacuate students in case of emergencies. By that logic, you standing here means you possess equivalent skills."

Is this what they mean by words becoming seeds? Is she picking a fight, expressing doubt? Or is she questioning my level? I tensed slightly at the moment.

"I'm curious why someone like that would hide their true abilities. Why you remain in the position of a Silver-ranked examiner."

It seems like she tried to phrase it as indirectly as possible, but I could still feel the intent. Probably wanted to ask, "Are you hiding your true power?"

After the female student's question, there were some murmurs suggesting that the question might be disrespectful. It did feel somewhat like that, but I understand. It's certainly something to be curious about.

"To be honest, I wasn't always skilled."

"You mean..."

"I've only reached this level recently. I worked really hard, and I was also lucky. In a way, luck might have been the biggest factor. Anyway, there are things I felt when I was still terrible. That's why I chose a position where I could most easily help students similar to me."

I also brought up the story I had told Ma Hakjun before. The death of a friend who was an ability user, and how I didn't want students to lose their precious lives because of that. A suitable emotional narrative that Koreans can't help but be moved by.

Thinking this should be enough, I looked at the students' faces.

'As expected.'

It seemed they were more affected by the second reason than the first.

Mourning a deceased friend, and ensuring similar students don't experience such sadness! Even to me, it seems like a well-crafted reason.

"I'm, I'm sorry, Examiner! I was just curious... I was rude!"

Did she think she had inadvertently made me recall a past I wanted to forget? The female student who asked the question looked extremely uncomfortable and kept apologizing.

"It's alright. It doesn't bother me anymore. Let's just make sure it doesn't happen again. That's how I carry on, keeping it in a corner of my heart."

I do feel a slight pang of conscience. A friend's death wasn't actually the catalyst. But it's not entirely a lie either. I genuinely don't want students to meet tragic ends. I hope they can endure at least a little in all the incidents that will unfold later.

Initially, this was just a world in a novel, a place I had transmigrated into.

Now it has become a real world for me. A world I have no choice but to live in.

The untimely fading of young souls in this world wasn't something I welcomed.