“Is being first really that hard? Why can’t you ever get it just once!”
Yeon Ha-yeon, who had always held first place in the entire school, flinched at the words.
Ban Eun-hyeol, who was second in the school, showed a similarly harsh reaction.
“So you’ve reached the point where you’ve given up on studying completely, huh?”
Given up on studying.
Does someone who’s given up even get to be third in the entire school, Father?
The more I listened quietly, the more absurd it seemed.
Even if it wasn’t satisfying by their standards, objectively speaking, being third in the school was quite an achievement.
For me, who barely maintained mid-tier grades, those words were deeply insulting.
But how much would such words wound Eun Bada, who had been studying so hard that he practically coughed up blood?
“I never gave up.”
“A kid like you can’t be first in the school! Am I asking for too much? No one said you had to be first in the whole country like your brother! But you should at least be first in the school!”
Bang!
At the loud voice that followed, our bodies, crouched low on the floor, flinched.
Everyone was hesitating whether to stand or stay put.
“Do you think being first nationwide is easy?”
Unable to hold it in any longer, Yeon Ha-yeon pushed back their hair in frustration.
Then, from the cabinet, they pulled out a yogurt drink, stuck the straw in, and began to drink.
It was the five-line yogurt drink.
Everyone else pretended not to see Yeon Ha-yeon and turned their gaze toward the hospital director’s office door.
If we interrupted, then later at home Eun Bada might hear bad things about us, so we couldn’t afford to act recklessly.
“You, useless one. Get out!”
Finally, the long and grating nagging ended.
The door opened, and Eun Bada, looking exhausted, walked out weakly.
“You’ve been waiting long, haven’t you? Let’s go.”
But then, seeing us, he quickly changed his expression.
There was no day when his faint smile didn’t look like a brave front.
We couldn’t show that we had overheard everything outside, so we just walked quietly.
***
Several days passed since then.
Ever since Eun Bada was dragged into the hospital director’s office and endured all kinds of harsh words, he had poured even more energy into his studies.
“Lately, even the guild hasn’t been calling Eun Bada. The exams are coming up soon.”
On the way to class, each of us eating an ice cream cone, Ban Eun-hyeol spoke with a bitter tone.
Ranked fifth in the country, a Grade 1 Ascendant who hadn’t even been able to go near the Gate because of studying, sitting in front of his desk all day.
This was a national loss of talent.
Of course, right now the dungeon raids didn’t suffer much without Eun Bada, so it was okay.
But if a Grade 5 Gate or something of similar high rank opened again, it would be a serious problem.
“I think he’s pushing himself too hard these days. Does he even sleep?”
“During exam periods, he barely gets two hours a day.”
“What? How can he live on that? That’s enough to make daily life, let alone studying, unbearable.”
“He’s been like that since he was little. He’s probably just used to it.”
I get tired even sleeping five hours a day.
On weekends, I need eight hours to feel refreshed, but two hours is just…
Despite studying so hard, he’d never once been first in the school.
Yet he never lost his smile nor gave up on his studies.
Eun Bada seemed much stronger than I had thought.
Even at lunchtime, he couldn’t put down his notebook.
Reading over his perfectly organized notes, he even brought his tray of food to study while eating.
“Eat slowly.”
Ji Kang-han said this out of concern, but Eun Bada didn’t even flinch.
He planned to finish quickly and get back to studying, his movements sharp and deliberate.
That was when.
The urgent disaster alert sounded shrill.
“Hey! A sudden Gate opened at Eun Ga Hospital!”
“At the hospital? Are you crazy? There are only patients there, what do we do?”
I was just about to check the message.
Nearby students confirmed the message first and began whispering amongst themselves.
Eun Ga Hospital.
Eun Bada’s grandfather was the chairman there, and the hospital director was Eun Bada’s father.
“I’ll go first.”
Eun Bada abruptly stopped eating and dashed out, his face sharp as vinegar.
We hurriedly cleared our trays and followed after him.
***
“Th-this is…”
Eun Bada’s father, Eun Gil-su, looked around at the suddenly changed surroundings and collapsed onto a bench.
“This was definitely a hospital.”
With trembling eyes, Eun Gil-su looked down below.
The bridge that had been severed in the middle dipped into churning seawater.
The black sea beneath the surface inspired fear.
Having been caught in a Gate for the first time, he tried to keep calm.
First, he had to calm the patients.
There were about twenty patients and medical staff caught inside the Gate.
It would have been a disaster if, like last time at Jangnam, the entire hospital building had been swallowed.
Unlike some students, the hospital was full of patients.
“W-we’re going to die…?”
“No, someone will come to save us.”
A child in patient clothes clung to their parent, sobbing.
The parent kept repeating that someone would come to save them.
The child held a figurine toy in their hand—a hooded girl figure in one hand, and a photo signed by Eun Bada in the other.
To the child, they were heroes from a movie.
Heroes who saved people in danger and used their special powers to protect Earth from Gates and monsters.
Eun Gil-su, who clicked his tongue at the photo of his son, searched for a way out.
In the first place, the Gate would only close when the boss monster was killed, and he was confident that once he understood the logic behind the Gate’s opening, he could solve it.
“Isn’t this just a phenomenon?” he thought as he took a step forward.
Crash!
At that moment, a huge monster surfaced from the sea.
“Kraaak!”
“Aaaargh! Help me!”
People panicked and screamed as the monster rose here and there, running wildly toward the intact parts of the bridge.
‘A sea dragon…?’
The monster had a long body and soft fins, like an Eastern dragon.
Eun Gil-su quickly scanned the land at the end of the bridge and the sea.
“The monsters only move in the sea.”
If people ran toward the land and safely reached the shore, they would be safe from the monsters.
These dragons seemed only able to move in water.
Eun Gil-su assessed the situation quickly and tried to move as planned.
But, being out of practice, his stamina was far less than he expected.
Crack!
“Ah!”
On top of that, the monster slammed the bridge down hard between a runner ahead and a trailing runner, snapping the bridge.
Eun Gil-su fell back, staring vacantly as he saw the monster gathering some kind of energy.
It was too late to dodge.
Eun Gil-su tried to stand, but fear weakened his legs.
Watching the monster charge at him, he thought, “This is the end…”
Roar!
“Father!”
Then.
The powerful water jet the monster blew out was blocked right in front of him.
Panting, he saw his youngest son and his friends running to this place.
An incredible speed.
They had never seen such speed before, yet they quickly arrived at his side.
“I’ll put up a shield first. Stay here with the people.”
From then on, it was entirely Eun Bada’s world.
***
I couldn’t help but marvel as I watched Eun Bada summon the water spirit king and the elemental spirits.
Is it because this place is the sea?
Eun Bada freely controlled the seawater, unleashing attacks on the sea dragons.
Massive waves swallowed the sea dragons, and towering water columns pierced through their bodies.
The spirits flew about, performing dazzling combat maneuvers.
“We don’t have to do anything, do we?”
Ban Eun-hyeol, standing guard over the gathered people and watching Eun Bada’s battle, chuckled.
It really looked like everything would be cleaned up at Eun Bada’s line without our interference.
“Brother! Is Bada really driving them all back?”
The child holding the Nad figurine and Eun Bada’s photo tugged on Ban Eun-hyeol’s sleeve and asked.
Ban Eun-hyeol gave a sly smile, having just given a subtle look to Eun Bada’s father.
“Yeah. This much can be handled at Eun Bada’s line. He’s no joke as Korea’s fifth-ranked. He’s insanely strong.”
“Wow!”
The child’s eyes sparkled brightly.
Watching that scene silently, Eun Bada’s father shook his head.
“Still not satisfied after seeing that, huh?”
If it weren’t for Eun Bada, they would have died already.
That was some serious stubbornness.
“What about me? Am I not coming?”
The child asked again.
“You want to see? On the sea, no one’s stronger than Eun Bada, but standing on the water, Seonjae is number one.”
At Ban Eun-hyeol’s words, not just the child but the others behind cheered for Eun Bada.
I focused intently on Eun Bada’s father’s expression amidst the crowd.
Still looking displeased, but his pupils were starting to waver.
After all, they had been on the verge of death, then their son appeared to save them and was even defeating the monsters, so his feelings were naturally shaken.
And with a sight like this, it was understandable.
Honestly, since there aren’t many underwater monster lords, if I had to fight Eun Bada on the sea, I wouldn’t be confident in victory.
“Waaaah!”
“Thanks to you, we survived! Thank you!”
“Eun Bada is awesome! He’s really the best!”
We deliberately stayed out of the way, just watching, and Eun Bada powered up further to bring down even the boss monster.
It was a Grade 0 dungeon, so killing the monster wasn’t that hard.
Of course, for non-Ascendants it was terrifying, but for an Ascendant of Eun Bada’s caliber, it wasn’t a big threat.
With the people cheering, the surrounding scenery slowly began to change.
Returning to the hospital, those caught in the sudden Gate hugged each other tightly, overjoyed to have survived.
“Father, are you hurt anywhere?”
Eun Bada approached his father, who had been standing still, and asked first.