Academy's Silver Gatekeeper
Ch. 125

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"Uugh..."

At the moaning sound heard from beside her, Yoo Dasom quietly opens her eyes.

Could she have made a sound unconsciously from having a nightmare?

But she was sleeping very soundly until just a moment ago. A nightmare is out of the question.

"Uuuugh..."

Listening again, this isn't her own voice.

It's Kang Hana's voice, who fell asleep together yesterday night.

'Huh?'

Kang Hana is struggling while tightly hugged in her arms, almost buried.

It seems like she fell asleep hugging Kang Hana instead of a pillow.

No, to put it nicely, she 'hugged her,' but actually it's more accurate to say she was pressing down on her like she'd burst.

'Ah... S, sorry, unni. I have quite bad sleeping habits.'

She could have woken her up to move away.

It seems she felt sorry about that and endured this state.

The evidence was that she was whimpering but not struggling at all.

When she quietly released Kang Hana, only then did Kang Hana's moaning stop.

Worried she might wake her up too, Yoo Dasom gently covered her with a blanket.

"Eutcha."

Yoo Dasom, who got off the bed, first entered the shower room.

When she came out after showering, Kang Hana was still traveling in dreamland.

'Come to think of it, Hana unni said she sleeps a lot, right?'

Nodding, Yoo Dasom quietly left the room.

Then she happened to run right into Lee Hyunwoo, who had just finished his morning training and was coming in.

"Oh. Junior. You were up?"

"You have to get up early in the morning and sweat a bit. Are you going to exercise too, senior?"

"Ahaha! Not that. Just thought I should get up early and at least eat breakfast?"

"Is that so? Let's go down together. I just saw the examiner and bronze comrade got up together a moment ago!"

"Bronze... comrade?"

When Yoo Dasom questioned, Lee Hyunwoo laughed 'Aha!'

"Kim Suhyeon, Kim Suhyeon."

"Eh? Wait. Kim Suhyeon isn't bronze, is she?"

Then Lee Hyunwoo said 'That's right' and began.

Though she escaped from bronze now, she decided not to forget those bronze days.

She promised herself to never relax and keep getting stronger endlessly.

Making that promise, they formed an eternal bronze comradeship among themselves.

"..."

Hearing Lee Hyunwoo's words, Yoo Dasom nodded. And thought.

What on earth is this junior talking about? I don't understand at all!

"Hello, Examiner! Did you sleep well?"

Going down to the first floor, she could see Baek Seojin sitting at the table.

When Yoo Dasom greeted him, he replied "Yes. Did Dasom sleep well too?"

"Hey. You said it's okay to be more casual outside the academy."

"Maybe it's become a habit, I'm comfortable like this."

"I'm uncomfortable! I'd like you to consider my feelings too!"

"Oh... Then would it be okay to call you Dasom-ssi?"

"What! That level would be fine! Please call me that!"

Saying so, Yoo Dasom sat in front of the table.

Since they'll be a team working together, she can't keep hearing 'student' forever.

It would be really nice if he just called her comfortably like he does Kim Suhyeon.

Thinking this level isn't bad either, she casually looked around.

The servants said they'd prepare breakfast soon, so after a hearty meal, another day...

'Huh?'

Yoo Dasom, sitting in her seat, subtly narrowed her eyes.

Then she rolled her eyes here and there, examining the surroundings.

She noticed a strange atmosphere flowing between the table.

'What is this atmosphere?'

First, she quietly examined Lee Hyunwoo who was right next to her.

"Heup! Hup!"

He was busy wrestling with a grip strengthener.

That side doesn't seem to be it. It would be too strange if it were acting.

'Then?'

This time she turned her head to the opposite side to look at Baek Seojin.

Then she checked Kim Suhyeon sitting next to him.

'...Huh. Oh. Oho?'

Lee Hyunwoo, who was here before her, probably didn't notice at all.

But she's different. Noticing this much is easier than lying down and eating rice cake.

The picture of them sitting so close together while subtly avoiding each other.

But definitely not avoiding because they dislike each other, but feeling something else.

Just seeing that much was enough to explain this strange atmosphere.

'Something happened between the two yesterday! Hehehe!'

If she asked about it, both would probably quickly wave their hands saying no.

But if she made the two face each other and asked 'Really nothing happened at all?'

She was certain both would struggle and be unable to answer.

'What? Could it be, Suhyeon. Did you invite the examiner for this?!'

Yoo Dasom looked at Kim Suhyeon while giggling inside.

Not particularly connected to her, someone she just got to know.

But Kang Hana, who's very close to her, said she cherishes her like a younger sister.

So Yoo Dasom herself also wanted to take care of Kim Suhyeon.

But now it seems there's no particular need for that.

There seems to be someone better than her or Kang Hana.

"Breakfast is ready. Everyone."

Look even now. The very moment servants bring out breakfast.

Kim Suhyeon first takes care of Baek Seojin, and Baek Seojin accepts the favor while feeling awkward.

Really. Usually both show very serious appearances.

At times like this, they seem to show quite a few weaknesses.

Yoo Dasom started breakfast in a very pleasant mood.

*

"Haak, haak...!"

Hyun Sujin, who had been breathing roughly, staggered and collapsed.

Leaning against the wall, struggling as if her breath might stop at any moment.

Hyun Sujin's entire body was covered with terrible wounds.

Cut, stabbed, gouged, and even severed fatal injuries.

If they had gone just a little deeper, her life would have ended long ago.

Even now, it was only because of emergency treatment - if she'd been a little late, she would have stepped on death's threshold.

"Cough, cough."

Hyun Sujin spat dark red blood from her mouth and looked to the side.

There was an Elder who had been clashing with her until recently.

More precisely, with body and head separated.

"Fucking bitch. If you're going to die, at least die nicely."

Though Elders compete for interests, check each other, and sometimes fight.

They don't threaten each other's lives fatally.

That was the only rule Elders had maintained until now.

But that rule no longer exists. As the world changed, Elders changed too.

More precisely, it started when they murdered the British S-rank.

The suspect in the S-rank murder is naturally an Elder. The world couldn't not know that.

Until now, Elders who maintained a line crossed that line themselves.

The moment that happened, all countries and ability users who had been staying silent rose up.

Immediately, large-scale attacks on villains began and Elder territories were trampled.

S-ranks who thought they might be next rushed in without looking back.

No matter how much of an Elder, no matter how much of a demigod, it was beyond the limit they could handle.

"This damn thing! Why did they do unnecessary things and destroy my territory!"

"You guys caused it, so you deal with it. Why should I suffer damage too?"

"Let's cut off all the heads of the related bastards and send them. I'm annoyed by all their ranting."

Since they were people who never had true cooperation, there was no way they'd unite this time either.

On top of that, the gate incident and monster great catastrophe that struck the whole world overlapped.

Elder territories and villain subordinate spheres of influence were all trampled by monsters.

S-rank ability users are coming in with rolled-back eyes from outside.

Inside, all kinds of gates and monsters are pouring out, destroying the kingdoms they'd built.

Naturally, cracks had to occur accordingly.

Elders involved in the British S-rank assassination and those who opposed it.

And even Elders who were weighing options between them - all entered civil war.

If they were normal people, it would be right to say not to fight.

Right now, S-ranks are attacking from outside, so fighting among themselves is foolish.

But Elders are all people with at least one screw loose.

Guys who think and act in ways that can't be understood rationally.

Naturally, they all jumped into that chaos saying 'Fuck it, just all die.'

Even though S-ranks stopped their offensive due to the gate incident and monster great catastrophe.

They continued civil war with the mindset of eliminating annoying competitors using this opportunity.

And Hyun Sujin was also an Elder no different from them.

She sought out an Elder who had been picking fights and finally took his life.

Anyway, they're all killing each other, so there's no one to hold responsible.

It's better to cut the legs of someone who keeps interfering using this opportunity.

'Though I almost died because of it.'

Their skills were almost similar. She could survive only because compatibility was good.

If it had been a style that insisted on frontal combat like Kwak Hyuk, nine out of ten times she would have died.

Hyun Sujin, who was catching her breath, pressed the ground to try to stand up.

Right at that moment, she heard someone approaching from beyond the darkness.

Clang!— Kuung!—

"..."

Hyun Sujin bit her lips and gripped the dagger she had thrown carelessly.

Like all Elders, she's also a target for elimination by other Elders.

Since they provoke, stimulate, and put each other down every time, it's natural to have only enemies.

She fought as quietly as possible, but it seems it was quickly discovered.

'Am I going to die?'

That can't happen. Not yet, I haven't even started revenge yet.

Now I can finally see that path. When the world is chaotic like this, it's perfect timing to step forward.

Just as Hyun Sujin gritted her teeth, pulled herself together, and was about to strike first.

"Hyun Sujin."

"...Kwak Hyuk?"

Unexpectedly, the person who appeared was Kwak Hyuk.

She heard he had withdrawn from this civil war and was just watching the situation.

Since he's someone who obsesses only over Irina, she thought that was reasonable enough.

But that Kwak Hyuk suddenly came looking for her.

"...What. Why are you here?"

"I have a favor to ask."

"A favor?"

Instead of answering, Kwak Hyuk took something from his pocket and held it out to her.

"I'd like you to help me."

"...Finally moving? For real?"

What he offered were several photos of Irina and movement routes.

"I can feel it. This is my best physical condition."

"Well well. Not long ago you even got injured by some strange guy."

"Right. But thanks to that, I became sharper. And I'm certain. If it's now, I'm confident I can properly land a hit on that bitch."

How confident. Do you really have confidence you can beat that crazy woman?

Hyun Sujin grumbled inside while examining the materials Kwak Hyuk offered more closely.

Looking at it, she seems to be in charge of escorting some people...

"...Hey, Kwak Hyuk."

"Speak."

"I'll help you catch Irina, that crazy woman. So."

Hyun Sujin pointed to something in the materials and continued.

"Give me this bastard."

Hyun Sujin's eyes were blazing with madness as she said this.