It was my second time visiting the Headmaster’s Office. I was probably the only dispatch worker who came so frequently.
At least I did not crush a student this time.
Honestly, I treated Jung Yuhyeon similarly, but nothing came of it. He must have been too proud to say anything, so he kept his mouth shut.
“I heard you went through a lot yesterday.”
“Ah… not really, Sir. There were other superhumans there, and the monsters were not as overwhelming as I expected….”
“That is not what I meant.”
Not that, then. So what was he referring to?
“You were with that crazy… ahem, ahem. Irina.”
I could not help but marvel internally. Just how outrageous was that woman for even Ma Hakjun to call her insane?
“Yes, Irina. Until recently, she was a student here. She should have been in her second or third year, normally.”
“I heard she graduated early because she was absurdly powerful.”
“It would have been fine if she were only powerful. The trouble was how unpredictable she was.”
“…Was she really that bad?”
“I am putting it mildly.”
Ma Hakjun let out a long sigh. Watching him made me realize all over again just how extraordinary Irina was.
Villains had their reasons for calling her crazy.
“Anyway, I want more details about yesterday’s incident.”
“I will answer honestly, though there is not much I know.”
“Was it truly a Gate? You are certain no one lured monsters or set them loose alive?”
Sometimes, villains lure monsters into cities or release ones they have captured. Superhumans are forced to respond, and they inevitably leave gaps in security that villains exploit. They rob somewhere or assassinate someone in that window of time.
It made sense for Ma Hakjun to be suspicious. The suppression device had worked just fine until now. It greatly reduced the chance of Gates appearing. For a Gate to suddenly form raised valid doubts.
Yet all that happened yesterday was indeed true. It was a sort of omen. We had passed the opening act and reached the rising action.
“It was definitely a Gate. I saw it right in front of me.”
“So it really was a Gate.”
“They confirmed the suppression device was functioning normally….”
He mumbled while stroking his chin, so it seemed he had already checked it out thoroughly.
“If even you say so, it really is a big problem.”
“By the way, you mentioned Irina….”
“It is hard to trust that girl’s words. You dealt with her, so you must understand.”
He was certain that after one encounter, I would know her unhinged behavior. Once again, I grasped that the crazy blonde was even more demented than her reputation suggested.
“Examiner Baek Seojin.”
“I received a call not long ago. They want to evaluate you for a field position.”
“Me? I already failed the field exam before.”
“Failing once does not make it permanently impossible. They say we are facing a severe shortage of superhumans working for the government these days, so they are desperate for new talent.”
A government-employed superhuman. The same ‘civil servant,’ but the difference was like heaven and earth. The pay, the pension, and social status. All of it was different. Calling it different might be an understatement.
“That is why I ask if you want to stop being a dispatch worker and return to your department. After a while, you can test again for the field position.”
Not bad. It was a good opportunity. It could definitely turn one’s life around.
If you fail to enter the Academy after awakening an ability, your next option is to become a government superhuman. However, I failed that exam too, so I ended up working in a rank 9 administrative post. Thanks to that, I was stuck with a lowly public servant title, pushed around all over the place.
Now they wanted me to take the field exam again? That meant I would almost certainly pass, and from there, redefine my place.
‘Everything sounds great. Except… except it is not that simple.’
I had to remember. Moments that seem too perfect can be the easiest times to stumble.
You always have to check where you step. Is there a stone sticking up that you might miss? If you fail to see it and leap in excitement, you will trip and bust your chin open.
In my case, that stone was none other than the Gatekeeper Trait, my key to turning everything around.
“To be honest, I am not that excited about it.”
No matter how many monsters I fought, or how many invisible game enemies I faced, even if I had reached a near-cheating level of Trait manifestation, the Academy was still the best place to grow even stronger. And my wait time was tied directly to the ‘Academy’s internal’ evaluation scenario.
I had no intention of stopping here. Nor should I. Like Lee Hyunwoo, like Kim Suhyeon, I had to reach further heights.
Even if I ended up exterminating monsters or battling villains later, for now, the Academy was my field and my Gate.
In simpler terms, the ‘lane’ where I could grow best was right here in the Academy’s Silver Evaluation Hall.
“Why not? You look far stronger now compared to before.”
“If you are really hiding nothing, people may suspect your motives if you stay put despite your abilities.”
His concern was valid.
I took the Academy entrance exam and the field exam and failed both. Yet here I was, suddenly strong enough, only to give up without explanation. Anyone would be suspicious and narrow their eyes.
‘There is no helping it. I have to talk my way through this.’
Fortunately, I already knew enough about Ma Hakjun’s nature. He was an old man who placed great value on compassion for others.
He could have lived free of worries like Kang Minseong, yet he had volunteered to take on the headache-inducing position of Academy Headmaster.
“When I first awakened, I thought the world belonged to me. But over time, I realized how many people like me existed. There are also so many far better than me. If I had not pushed myself so hard, I would not have grown .”
In reality, I just repeated going to work and coming home, never really training or working out, only playing games at home.
However, since no one could easily uncover that, I decided to embellish a bit. Like a low-level civil servant secretly sweating blood in private training.
“Then it dawned on me. Perhaps even those without much talent could improve if someone pulled them along at full power. If I could achieve this, maybe people with more potential could too. Even if they seem useless now, they could become great superhumans one day.”
“…Then would becoming an instructor or at least a staff member be more fitting?”
“That is fine too. But I am more interested in the ones who, like me, got shoved aside for not having obvious gifts, yet still want to move forward.”
It seemed like a decent explanation. One of Ma Hakjun’s eyebrows twitched. That reaction always appeared when he got an answer he liked.
“At first, I took on the Silver rank Examiner job almost by force. But then I realized I had found exactly what I wanted. A position where I could push people harder and pull them closer.”
“So that is why you evaluated them so harshly. You knew it would never help those students if you took it lightly. It would not inspire any growth at all.”
Exactly, Headmaster Ma Hakjun. I was beating the drum, and he came in with the cymbals. Nothing could be clearer.
That gave me the perfect excuse to refuse the field job and remain a dispatch worker. It seemed he believed it to be my sincere truth, because he kept nodding as if in agreement.
“Normally, I would say taking the field exam is the right path….”
It was an unwelcome suggestion. If my Trait were to falter, I would be in trouble. It was most reliably activated at the Academy. Even if I left later, I had to maximize my growth here first.
Eventually, I would have to face major battles and dangerous enemies, but for now, it was like the early laning stage. I needed to develop step by step.
“If you are so determined, I can help you.”
“I have many contacts from the old days. A word to them, and it should not be difficult to keep you here as an Examiner.”
Truly the network of a once-famous hero. This was the Ma Hakjun I had heard about. With his help, I would not have to worry about the field exam coming up again.
After all, taking that exam was my choice, under my judgment. Even though they needed more government superhumans, they could not force me to comply.
“If you have nothing more to say, I will return to my station now.”
Truth be told, there was probably nothing waiting for me but swatting flies. Ma Hakjun merely nodded, motioning that I was free to go.
“Examiner Baek Seojin.”
His sudden thanks was odd. I silently asked what he was grateful for, and he continued.
“I heard that yesterday you evacuated citizens and aided your fellow superhumans. It was admirable. This old man can no longer do such things. I am grateful that fine young people like you are getting it done.”
I nearly burst into laughter right then.
He used the word “old bones,” literally “old man,” to refer to himself. It was a term for an elder’s body, which made his comment all the more surprising. Could the old man who stopped an Elder’s spear head-on really be that old?
“Go on, then. Give it your best, just as you promised.”
If he is on your side, he is the most reassuring old hero out there. At his words, I nodded and exited the Headmaster’s Office.
“…You heard everything, I assume.”
After Baek Seojin left, Ma Hakjun slowly parted his lips. Then, from the discreetly hidden phone on his desk, a voice emerged.
[ He is a peculiar fellow, Senior. ]
“He is not peculiar. He is remarkable.”
[ So, you want him to remain here on dispatch? ]
“Yes. It makes me feel more at ease knowing a young man like him is here.”
“Thank you, Association President. This might have been a bit of a stretch.”
[ Not at all. In fact, I got a similar request. ]
At Ma Hakjun’s question, the Association President let out a subdued sigh and spoke.
[ Actually, Senior Kang Minseong also asked me to keep Examiner Baek Seojin at the Academy.]