Academy's Silver Gatekeeper-Chapter 46

“Here’s the target.”

The shady man handed out a photo to his subordinates, who nodded in unison. It was that guy from the recent news broadcasts, right? Baek Seojin.

He had no direct history with them. He wasn’t a renowned hero who’d jailed loads of villains, nor a widely respected figure. Even so, not one of them questioned their orders.

Why kill random people? Why plunge the world into chaos? To a group of villains, such questions were laughable.

Maybe they just found it amusing to watch society crumble further. Or maybe seeing people in agony excited them.

Whatever the reason, if they wanted to do it, they did it. They weren’t bound by law, ethics, or morals. The only things that mattered in their world were power and orders.

“After we finish him, we’ll leave some traces behind so we can pin the blame on someone else.”

In the underworld, villains had far more extensive networks than legitimate superhumans. That’s how they’d found out about a certain plot to target Baek Seojin. They planned to turn that knowledge to their advantage.

The plan: pretend they were a contract-killer group hired by the ones who originally wanted him gone. That plan having failed, they stepped in to finish the job.

So, they picked today to strike. But the situation they encountered was unexpected.

“There are bodyguards. And he’s with a woman.”

“Apparently she’s Kim Suhyeon, a first-year at the Academy, granddaughter of Kang Minseong.”

The dark man felt the plan was getting complicated. He had only prepared for Baek Seojin alone. Now there was an extra party.

He hesitated, considering pulling back and waiting for another chance, but his boss—the one-eyed woman—just laughed at the idea.

“Then we do it today.”

That was all. If that was her command, it meant they’d strike now. The bodyguards wouldn’t matter. They’d handle it.

Sure enough, the man used a magic attack to flip the target’s car, causing chaos. Their hidden subordinates revealed themselves. They had to wrap everything up within ten minutes, before superhuman reinforcements arrived.

‘It’s not too hard.’

Yes, there were bodyguards, but their top priority was protecting the principal. A few might help Baek Seojin, but the rest of the villains were also in play.

Though their top fighter (the woman’s “Boss”) was busy elsewhere, the dark man himself was near A-rank. Even as a magic-type, he had monstrous physical prowess.

‘We’ll quickly corner him, finish him, then get out.’

He openly flaunted his magic in front so they’d see him as a threat that must be neutralized first. Meanwhile, the rest of his group would circle around behind.

All they had to do was corner Baek Seojin. The man was rumored to be around B-rank, well within reason for them.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Grrk!”

But every time his men tried to slip behind, their infiltration got wrecked. The moment they approached from the rear, Baek Seojin flicked his attention that way, taking them out. And each time, it was scarily accurate.

He himself kept up the pressure so Baek Seojin wouldn’t notice the flank. But ironically, Baek Seojin was handling all of it with uncanny precision. Even though the big man threw magic at him, feigning openings, Baek Seojin would suddenly slip away and ambush the guys sneaking around.

‘…I guess Irina didn’t treasure him for nothing.’

He was far from easy prey. His combat sense was extraordinary.

He was fully engaged in the fight yet never forgot to watch his back. Usually, even a skilled fighter’s performance plummets once surrounded. But he managed to shatter every attempt at encirclement with perfect timing.

They might have badly underestimated him by labeling him a B-rank. If he was given time, he could become a big name. Killing him early was definitely a wise move.

So, thinking that, the big man lunged at Baek Seojin once more.

*

‘They’re definitely after Kim Suhyeon, just like I thought.’

Yes, their plan was to finish what the Elder left undone: target Kim Suhyeon. That explained why they kept trying to flank me and break through behind.

Some of the bodyguards had broken formation to cover my blind spots, and their leader was busy with the one-eyed woman. That left a window for them to slip through.

‘Too bad. I won’t give them the chance.’

It’s not like my field of vision is blocked. They can’t force me to leave an opening. If we can’t move to a more favorable location, I’ll just keep smashing their flanking maneuvers.

As soon as I sense them forming a “wing,” I break it. No point letting them set up a “pincer.”

‘Now…!’

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.

After blocking the man’s magic, I grabbed a shard of debris from the surroundings and hurled it at the one about to jump Kim Suhyeon from behind.

Dude, if you’re gonna pretend to be a civilian, at least do it properly. No rational bystander just stands around casually while villains attack.

Crack—!

“Guhk!”

Sounded like a melon or a gourd splitting. I didn’t care about whether his skull was fine—what mattered was that Kim Suhyeon was safe. Let the bodyguards or paramedics handle the rest.

“Impressive,” muttered the big man, stepping closer again.

He was a magic-type but proficient in close combat, too—a muscle wizard, basically. Good grief.

“Time is short. I’ll end this now.”

A polite tone from a villain—how strange. But that’s the gist of it: he planned to finish me quickly, then kill Kim Suhyeon.

It wasn’t going to happen. The Gatekeeper was wide awake, buddy.

Yes, he was obviously an experienced criminal. By normal standards, an A-rank is formidable.

But I felt confident.

Starting with the Elder Kwak Hyuk, then sparring with Ma Hakjun, and facing guys like Lee Hyunwoo, Kim Suhyeon, and even that arrogant Jung Yuhyeon. In each fight, I gleaned lessons from every single one.

With each clash, I memorized how they fought. I took their strengths for myself and learned from their weaknesses, imprinting them so I wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

Perhaps that’s another hidden quirk of the Gatekeeper Trait—learning from each adversary. I couldn’t think of another explanation for my rapid improvement.

“Hup!”

Once again, the big man conjured a massive ball of flame, but this time he actually grabbed it and charged forward?

‘Is he insane? A magic-type user carrying a fireball right into close range…?’

That’s like loading a gun then sprinting into a knife fight. Usually, you want to exploit your advantage from a distance.

Under normal circumstances, I’d dodge. My improvised shield—the car door—was no longer at my side.

But that might be exactly what he wants. The moment I leap aside, he could slip past me to Kim Suhyeon, or coordinate with an ally.

‘If I preserve my piece, I might lose my king. I can’t let that happen.’

So I must not dodge. I have to block. Even if it means my body ends up roasted. But it didn’t feel impossible. If I had survived the Elder’s assault, then…

I locked eyes on the big man’s approach. I watched the flicker of determination in his gaze. Everything about him. I realized this moment would also become part of my ever-expanding experience.

Boom—!

What happened next was a blur. Something flashed before my eyes, and my first coherent thought was:

‘It’s hot!!’

Like splashing myself with scalding water from a cooler. My arms burned, quickly followed by a stinging pain. I recall times when I got mild burns that took days to recover. The memory made me wince.

Glancing around, I saw the big man slump to the ground in the direction he’d been rushing from.

It looked like the bodyguards had successfully handled the other flank. Good. So we survived.

“I’m alive. That’s what matters most.”

Under normal logic, those flames should have inflicted severe burns. But awakened superhumans have boosted physical resilience. Good job, character creation.

And with the immediate threat to Kim Suhyeon gone…

◎ Notification

A seed has been planted.

Planted Seed – Affection`

…Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?

There’s only one person who could trigger a message like that. I looked behind me to where Kim Suhyeon crouched.

◎ Notification

At least three seeds have been planted.

Conditions met.

Changing Kim Suhyeon’s Trait from “Genius Consumed by Inferiority.”`

So her Trait is finally changing, ditching that “inferiority”? Perfect. My heartfelt wish was for Suhyeon to ascend to a level on par with Lee Hyunwoo!

◎ Kim Suhyeon

Crimson Witch

…What the hell?

TN: Maybe it's a lawful good Crimson Witch instead of chaotic evil Crimson Witch hahaha.

Yuyu: Hahaha, We can only hope.