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One never knew when or where a Gate might open. Citizens who diligently paid their taxes could find themselves in harm’s way at any moment. That was why there were “state superhumans” who worked for the government. Their top priority was public safety.
People would lose faith in their country’s disaster response if they ever doubted its capabilities, which would make the entire system crumble. The government chose superhumans who had a deep sense of duty, or who possessed exceptional skills. They were dispatched first the moment a Gate appeared.
Others were affiliated with organizations rather than the government. They registered with the Superhuman Association and received minimal oversight from the state, yet they belonged to a clan that managed them more closely and paid their salary. Those were called “clan-affiliated superhumans.”
They also followed the fundamental principle of prioritizing public safety, although there was another factor: the clan’s profit.
When a Gate was cleared and monsters were hunted, rewards were distributed to the superhumans who fought. These were usually precious raw materials taken from monsters.
Clans filled their storage with those materials, and that was how each superhuman’s standing was determined within the clan. That was why clan-affiliated superhumans threw themselves into battle more desperately than anyone.
This meant whether they worked for the government or a private clan, superhumans always rushed in whenever a Gate appeared. They also had no choice but to fight with everything they had in any confrontation with monsters.
Nobody had expected a Gate to form in the suppressor zone. Even though it had appeared, not a single superhuman was visible yet.
“Where are they all?!”
Only about three minutes had passed since the Gate emerged.
Three minutes might have been short, but it felt too long in this crisis. Nobody was around, which made him furious. Shouldn’t they have been on standby? They were worse than any civil servant!
Baek Seojin dodged a charging monster while cursing them in his mind.
“Uwooooh—!”
A mid-sized monster that looked like a giant bull but had four eyes: that was the Orox. They were pouring out of the Gate Irina had called an easy appetizer.
From her point of view, it was trivial. There was no denying it. The Orox in sight were classified as C-rank monsters. The one leading the herd might only reach B-rank. Even hundreds of them would be no match for Irina, who could wipe them out with a flick of her finger.
This was a nightmare for regular folks like me. My trait wasn’t activating, so what was I supposed to do here? I hoped she wasn’t toying with those monsters again. This was a living hell.
Luckily, my desperate plea seemed to reach the heavens. A group of superhumans emerged from a nearby building.
“Hey, hurry! Keep them from moving any farther!”
“No one else? Damn it! Hey, don’t use shields! Switch to Plan B!”
“Everyone, please evacuate! If you can’t leave, go inside a building!”
There were only four of them. They weren’t overwhelmingly strong like Irina. They seemed like ordinary types.
Over ten Orox were on the prowl at a glance. Even if these four were also C-rank, it would be a tough battle.
Irina needed to show up soon. She was probably messing around with more nonsense, like figuring out how to beat monsters in a single hit.
I remembered hearing that the Association told her to cut it out, but she kept at it anyway. It reminded me that a crazy woman was still a crazy woman. I shook off those thoughts and focused on my own job.
“Please head that way! Don’t go near the main road or you’ll provoke the monsters!”
I always gave my best when handed a task. It was one of my core beliefs.
I got to work evacuating civilians.
“Hey, you punks! Over here, come on!”
At the same time, some of the superhumans took their positions and sprang into action.
“Hey, punks! Over here!”
“Uwaah! Hyaaa!”
They raised their voices to keep the monsters from targeting citizens. Animals and monsters alike charged whatever made the most noise.
The Orox responded, turning and barreling toward them.
“Damn it, they’re coming!”
“Don’t panic! Take out the ones in the back first!”
The Orox stampeded, and the superhumans scattered. It was close, but fortunately no one got trampled yet.
“Now!”
“Stab it!”
When the Orox sped past, the superhumans unleashed attacks on the one lagging behind, the one knocking into obstacles and slowing down.
“Uwoooh—!”
“Don’t kill it! Maim its legs!”
It was a decent plan. Orox were most frightening because of their bulk and speed. If they couldn’t charge, their strength was halved.
“Got it! Next! Get ready for the next one!”
The one who looked like the leader stared at the Orox’s movements and shouted instructions. They had to pull back from attacking and brace themselves for another stampede.
“Stop! Stop, I said! Watch out!”
“Aagh!”
Someone was knocked aside by an Orox, tumbling onto the asphalt. He must have lost his head after they landed a successful hit on one of them.
He was badly shaken and couldn’t move well. His teammates called out to him, but he just wobbled there in a daze.
“Hey, Minho! Park Minho! Pull yourself together, idiot!”
“Uwoooooh—!”
The alpha Orox howled and charged him. It looked like it wanted payback for the herd mate that had fallen earlier.
A fierce desire to crush that man radiated from the beast. The murderous energy it gave off was frightening. It was determined to crush him.
I couldn’t hold myself back. It might have been a hero complex or something similar, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t just stand by and watch someone die. That simple reason drove me to leap between the monster and its target.
I won’t pretend there wasn’t another motive. The fierce will I sensed from that beast made me feel I couldn’t ignore it.
It was as if I had no choice but to block it.
– Activating The Third Eye
◎ Silver Gatekeeper
Activation conditions met.
Trait is now in effect.
Reassessing the opponent’s rank.
Rank adjusted – recognized as Silver
◎ Sole Examiner
Trait is now in effect
The subject has not been promoted under Baek Seojin
Recognizing subject as an examinee
*
“Grrrkk—!”
A Basilisk. An A-rank monster.
It could injure even A-rank superhumans and sometimes kill B-rank support fighters who intervened. Its hideous looks, hardened scales, and venom-laced fangs were only part of the problem. Even the tail, said to be its weakest point, was potentially lethal.
There were too many dangers to count. Ordinary superhumans viewed it as a walking disaster.
“Grrk—! Grrk—!”
Though that was if the opponent was ordinary.
“Seriously. I shouldn’t have grabbed it with one hand. I should’ve used just a couple of fingers.”
Irina sounded unimpressed and swatted down with her hand. The Basilisk’s rocklike body burst apart and scattered in every direction.
Anyone else would’ve been horrified.
She had grabbed a Basilisk barehanded. It wasn’t just beaten—it was popped like a balloon. Other superhumans would risk their lives to fight one of the worst monsters around, but she squashed it like an ant and laughed.
“Ugh. That wasn’t any fun.”
She brushed off her hands and walked forward.
The area was already piled high with pieces of adolescent Basilisks. The full-grown ones hadn’t fared any better.
They all fell to a woman more fearsome than any monster.
“Hope he’s doing fine.”
She stretched and took another step.
Baek Seojin, a low-ranking civil servant. A Silver examiner dispatched to the Academy. That was all she knew about him.
He also happened to be an orphan.
“You don’t bring up someone’s parents if you have any conscience.”
Irina was headstrong, but she never won against her own parents, who were devoutly old-fashioned. She decided there was no need to mention the orphan detail.
He was fascinating in plenty of other ways. He was weaker than her but survived Elder Kwak Hyuk’s spear attacks twice. He attracted strange companions. She knew he was anything but an average man.
“I have a feeling he’s going to show me something amazing. A good feeling.”
That was what she thought as she reached the second Gate.
“Uwoooh—!”
A heavy roar echoed as a huge Orox zipped past, letting out a sorrowful cry. She guessed it was the alpha leading the herd.
“What?”
There was a sudden gleam in Irina’s eyes.
She looked ahead. A superhuman was sitting on the ground, and a few more stood there dumbfounded.
“Worthless.”
They seemed like the sort who plateaued at C-rank. They probably never put in enough work and blamed their limitations on a lack of talent. Irina couldn’t care less about them.
“They can’t be the ones who sent that alpha Orox flying.”
The alpha had a nastier temper and more vicious strength. It wouldn’t let itself be thrown aside without a fight. Its bulk was at least one and a half times more than a normal Orox. That put it in B-rank.
There was no way a handful of C-rank superhumans had tossed it. Even a B-rank would struggle. Winning was one thing, but tossing it around was another.
“So that means there’s only one answer: our handsome Seojin?”
Irina smiled slyly and turned her gaze on Baek Seojin.
He was too busy helping the fallen superhuman and had no idea Irina was eyeing him like a predator.