Chapter 38
The next day at Nexus Academy, Suho arrived about an hour earlier than the scheduled meeting to receive an explanation about his future activities with the guild and to get his ID card.
“This is the Black Card, which is issued only to S-rank guild members, the highest rank in Nexus. With this card, you can access all Nexus facilities without any charges. It also functions as a corporate card…”
As expected of Nexus, everything was handled smoothly, even though Suho was at the academy rather than the main office. And the person handling all of this was none other than Kim Soo-ae herself.
After the explanation, Suho spoke up,
“As I mentioned, I’ll be using the academy’s training room for a while.”
“Understood. Since it’s for S-rank members only, you won’t run into anyone else. The guest pass you requested is also prepared.”
“Thank you.”
“Um… Suho-sshi?”
“Yes?”
“This is a bit unrelated, but would it be possible for you to meet Hunter Kang Dae-han? After he found out that you were the one who trained him, he’s been eager to meet you. And now that you’re part of Nexus, I thought I’d ask.”
Ah, Kang Dae-han.
Suho had momentarily forgotten about him, being so focused on himself and the Banshees lately.
Kang Dae-han was known as a prominent tank in the future.
“Of course, it would be an honor. You can let him know that I’ll be in the training room, and he can visit anytime.”
“Thank you, Suho-sshi.”
“Not at all.”
Kang Dae-han, known as ‘The Guardian’ in the future, would be an important ally, so it made sense to build a connection early on.
There was no reason to let talent go to waste, especially when it was nearby.
After finishing the conversation, Suho headed toward the training room.
***
As expected of Nexus, the S-rank exclusive training room was far superior to the Association’s facilities. It was equipped with multiple virtual reality devices, analysis computers, and various simulators, just as Suho had requested.
‘A bit outdated compared to what I remember from the future, but still top-tier for this time.’
The virtual reality device, Infinity, was the most advanced technology currently available. Suho recalled how to operate the equipment and quickly got everything running smoothly.
Naturally, Suho had extensive experience with all kinds of operations during his time at the Korean Hunter Association, having rotated through various departments.
After waiting a short while, the four members of the Banshees finally appeared in the training room. Seeing them, Suho greeted them with a warm smile.
“Welcome, it’s been a while.”
“Yes, well. But why did you call us here?”
Goo Yeon-hwa spoke on behalf of the group, her tone still slightly sharp despite having accepted Suho’s proposal.
‘At least she’s being more polite now. That’s progress.’
Building a deeper bond could come later, so Suho let it slide for now.
“If you’ve decided to accept my proposal, we need to discuss future plans, and I think you could all use some personalized training.”
“Training?”
“First, fill this out.”
Suho handed them a tablet, which displayed fields for their personal information—status windows, skill lists, and the like.
“You want us to write down our status windows?”
“Of course. I need to know your capabilities to design custom training programs for each of you. Be accurate. That’s the only way I can plan effectively.”
“What…?”
“Why are you acting surprised? I told you from the start—I’m joining the Special Division of the Korean Hunter Association. While I’m there, I’ll need people to act as my hands and feet outside, shadows to support me. Did you really think I’d just take anyone for that role?”
“That’s not it, but…”
“Then go ahead and fill it out. No one can access your player information except you, so be as honest as possible. This kind of thing works best with trust. I’ve already opened up my secrets to you, haven’t I?”
Goo Yeon-hwa wanted to argue—how could he talk about trust after only a few meetings? But she held back.
In truth, considering everything Suho had shown so far, he seemed far more trustworthy than they did.
‘Besides, if anyone has more to lose, it’s him now that he’s gaining fame.’
With that thought, the four exchanged glances and began filling in their information honestly.
Soon, Suho received all their details via the app installed on his phone, and as he reviewed the data, he nodded to himself.
‘As expected, they’re all still below level 50.’
That was a relief. This meant that he could still shape their characteristics and abilities according to his plans.
Suho said,
“Alright, I’ve got a good idea now. Let’s start in the training room. You’ve all used the capsules before during the practical tests, right? Pick one and lie down. I’ve already set the destination.”
Following Suho’s instructions, the four members of the Banshees each climbed into a capsule.
***
Soon, Suho and the Banshees found themselves in the virtual reality environment Suho had set up.
They opened their eyes to a mountaintop, surrounded by blue skies and clouds.
As the group marveled at their surroundings, Suho spoke.
“Welcome to Kunlun. You’ll be training here from now on whenever you have time.”
Kunlun. That was the name of this place. It was a custom-made space Suho had designed, modeled after one of the Gates he had conquered in the past.
From now on, it would serve as the grueling training ground where the Banshees would be pushed to their limits.
Goo Yeon-hwa asked,
“What kind of training are we talking about?”
“What do you think? Combat training, of course. Each of you has a specialized role in a small, elite terrorist group, right? But at your current skill level, it won’t be long before the Special Division catches you. Do you really think the Special Division would fall for such flimsy tactics?”
“If the plan is perfect—”
“Perfect? You’re calling it perfect when I already caught on to you? There’s no such thing as a perfect crime, especially not in a world filled with superpowered individuals. So yes, your specialties are important, but each of you also needs to grow strong enough to at least protect yourself. Better yet, you should be able to protect your teammates too.”
Suho snapped his fingers.
At that moment, a variety of swords materialized in front of them.
“Pick one. Your first goal is to master basic weapon skills and to eliminate your innate fear.”
“Why swords?”
“You know what people are calling me these days, right?”
“…The Sword God?”
“Exactly. You’ve got a top-tier swordsmanship instructor right in front of you, so you weren’t planning to learn some other weapon, were you?”
With those words, Suho snapped his fingers again, summoning a practice sword into his hand.
“Also, no skill use here. I’ve already adjusted the system to block all skills, but just so you know. Your goal is simple—do your best to kill me. That’s your first task. Now, let’s begin.”
As he spoke, Suho slowly began walking toward them.
The four members of the Banshees exchanged nervous glances and hurriedly grabbed swords.
The moment they held the weapons, Suho suddenly accelerated, crossing the distance between them in an instant.
And then, he swung his sword.
Shrrk!
A sharp cutting sound echoed.
At the same time, Kim Hyun-min and Gwak Doo-ho’s heads flew into the air, leaving Goo Yeon-hwa and Seo Gyo-won wide-eyed in shock.
Suho spoke.
“Is now really the time to be surprised?”
With those words, he swung his sword again, and the remaining two also had their heads sliced off.
The moment all four were killed, their bodies and blood disappeared, and they were promptly re-summoned in mid-air, landing on their rears.
“Ow…”
Goo Yeon-hwa winced, biting her lip as she felt the pain from her fall.
Then, realizing what had happened, she quickly scrambled to her feet. The others followed suit.
Suho spoke again.
“You’re not completely frozen, I see. I guess that’s because you’ve all experienced death at least once during the practical tests. Let’s go again.”
From that point on, Suho relentlessly cut them down.
Sometimes, he beheaded them. Other times, he split their skulls from top to bottom. Occasionally, he sliced through their torsos or severed their limbs.
But despite all the various ways they were killed, what frustrated the Banshees the most was the taunting.
“Do you really think you’ll get your revenge like this?”
“My grandma’s faster than you.”
“You said you work for a delivery company during the day, right? So why are you moving so slow? Are you sure you weren’t delivering for a retirement home instead?”
“You say you’re a middle school teacher, but you’re slower than the students you teach. What are you trying to do?”
Suho’s trash talk was aimed directly at the Banshees’ pride, deliberately provoking them. He knew that getting under their skin would push them to attack him with everything they had, triggering their instincts.
And, as expected, the Banshees, fueled by anger, charged at him like wild beasts. Suho watched them with satisfaction, nodding to himself.
‘Yes, this is the kind of mental toughness they need if they don’t want to freeze up inside a Gate.’
Suho intended to mold the Banshees into more than just shadows for gathering information or doing covert missions.
They had to become warriors, strong enough to face the Special Division and handle a few Gates on their own without his help.
‘There’s no special method to become a warrior. You just push them until they either break or grow stronger.’
Several hours passed before Suho finally spoke.
“When the time comes, you’ll automatically log out. Keep training until then.”
Though Suho wished he could stay with them until they became proper warriors, he had too many other things to take care of, and there was only one of him.
That’s why he used Infinity.
One of its training functions, Motion Deep Learning, allowed Suho to create a training avatar based on his accumulated movements in the system.
After bidding them farewell and logging out, a training avatar, identical in appearance to Suho, appeared in his place.
The avatar raised its sword and taunted,
“What are you looking at, trash? If you’ve got time to stare, you’ve got time to fight.”
At that moment, the Banshees’ anger exploded once again.
***
‘Alright, the Banshees’s training should be enough for now.’
As soon as Suho logged out and stepped out of the capsule, his phone rang. Perfect timing—it was Kim Soo-ae.
“Yes, Director.”
—Suho, I just wanted to confirm that the official article about your joining the guild went out about an hour ago, just as we discussed.
“Right, through reporter Jo Jin-hwi?”
—Yes, Jo Jin-hwi had the exclusive, and then our PR team started distributing the press release.
“That’s great. Should we start preparing the follow-up release soon?”
—Already?
“By now, I’m sure the backlash is piling up. I said I wanted to become a public servant hunter right after passing the Hunter exam, but now I’ve joined a private guild. I’m sure there’s plenty of hate coming my way.”
—Come on, Suho. By the end of it, public opinion will be completely on your side. Are you really that concerned about people’s reactions?
That was exactly it. Suho hadn’t officially announced that he was still planning to take the fifth-grade public recruitment exam at the end of the year. He had only said that he joined Nexus because their interests aligned.
Why?
The reason was simple: to stir up buzz.
Whether it was good or bad, Suho needed attention, and the timing had to be perfect.
Kim Soo-ae asked,
—If that’s what you want, then what should we prepare for the follow-up?
“It will be a Sealed Gate challenge.”
—Sorry?
“I’m going to challenge my second sealed Gate today.”
