Chapter 9
Suho smiled as he spoke.
“That’s a wise decision. So, while you’re preparing the contract, can I take a look around the academy? I’d like to explore it personally, although you might explain it to me later.”
“Of course, you can. Oh, could you give me your contact information? I’ll contact you as soon as the contract is ready. It won’t take long.”
“Sure, my number is…”
The reason for writing the contract was to prevent any potential double-dealing.
“In the business world, contracts are essential.”
Especially when dealing with a significant amount like 300 million won.
After exchanging contact information, Suho stood up and began to slowly tour Nexus Academy.
“Indeed, being the largest in the country, it’s quite different in scale.”
The size of Nexus Academy was astounding.
It had a physical training center, dormitories, a simulation training ground, self-study rooms and libraries for written exams, dining facilities, and many other amenities.
It was built in Paju specifically to create the country’s first and largest academy.
Hence, Nexus Academy was also known as Nexus Village, as it was almost like a small town.
‘Looking at this academy reminds me of my days as a student.’
Of course, Suho had never been an academy alumnus.
Such boarding-type academies were prohibitively expensive, way beyond Suho’s means.
Nevertheless, he studied diligently on his own and passed the exam on his first attempt. His aptitude test results were excellent.
And back then, he chose the warrior class instead of the healer.
As he continued to look around the academy, Suho entered the personal training ground.
There, many students were training according to their classes, but since it wasn’t a regular class time, the number of students wasn’t very high.
That’s when a group of students caught Suho’s eye.
‘Those must be students on the swordsmanship track.’
The students were practicing with various types of swords, from daggers to longswords.
However, their forms seemed awkward, naturally so, since they had never been on the field and had only been lucky enough to awaken as players.
Then, Suho noticed someone unexpected.
‘Kang Dae-han?’
It wasn’t a mistake. Suho’s newly organized memory through the Library of Memories was more accurate than anyone else’s.
Moreover, how could he easily forget a massive man standing at 190cm and weighing around 120kg with a shaved head?
‘I didn’t know Kang Dae-han was from Nexus.’
Kang Dae-han, the Guardian. He was a renowned hunter in Korea and one of the top-ranked tankers in the country.
Suho had even formed raiding parties with Kang Dae-han a few times.
So, he was certain.
That hairstyle and that massive build were Kang Dae-han’s trademarks.
But something seemed off about the Kang Dae-han in front of him.
He was swinging a massive axe the size of his body, but the Kang Dae-han Suho knew was a shield-bearer.
‘Right, he hasn’t discovered his true aptitude yet.’
At that moment, a good idea came to Suho’s mind.
“Great. I should take this chance to set things up in advance.”
Kang Dae-han would eventually join Nexus. But if Suho could establish a connection and build a rapport now, he might bring him to the Korean Hunter Association instead.
‘No, if it’s Kang Dae-han, the Guardian, I should definitely bring him to the Korean Hunter Association.’
No individual, no matter how strong, could solve all the world’s problems alone. Problems arise in various places and ways.
Hence, Suho planned to secure talented individuals who could act as his hands and feet in advance.
“Anyway, I said I’d look around the academy, so this should be fine.”
Having made up his mind, Suho immediately headed down to the training ground.
Fortunately, the training ground could be accessed without a separate entry card, but when someone in casual clothes, not a school uniform, appeared, people’s eyes briefly focused on Suho.
But soon, their attention dispersed.
This wasn’t a school, and people generally weren’t very interested in others.
Similarly, Suho didn’t care much and approached Kang Dae-han.
“Hello.”
“Huh? H-Hello.”
Kang Dae-han quickly put down his axe and greeted Suho.
Up close, it was clear—it was definitely Kang Dae-han.
His gentle demeanor and soft voice contrasted with his huge build.
Just to be sure, Suho noticed his name embroidered on the chest of his tracksuit-like uniform.
‘No need to ask for his name then.’
Suho said,
“Are you by any chance a warrior class player?”
“Yes, I am… but who are you?”
“I’m just a passing associate, but I noticed something about you that I really wanted to mention.”
Associate. Well, he was connected to the academy, so it wasn’t a lie.
Suho’s words made Kang Dae-han point to himself and ask.
“To me?”
“Yes. How long have you been preparing for the exam?”
Kang Dae-han replied with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“This is my third year.”
“So, you’ll be taking the test tomorrow as well?”
“Yes, I’ve registered again this year.”
“I see. Are you planning to use that battle axe for the practical exam?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“May I ask why you chose the battle axe?”
“Well… I aspire to be a melee dealer, and the academy suggested this to me. They said such weapons aren’t for everyone and have the highest short-term destructive power.”
Suho felt a twinge of frustration at that answer.
No matter how big he was, recommending such a weapon solely based on his size to a player, whose effectiveness depends greatly on their stats, seemed irresponsible.
‘And this is supposed to be the largest academy in the country…’
Suho realized once again how outdated things were compared to the future.
This was a time when humanity had just begun to find stability after the appearance of gates, and many things were still quite rudimentary.
Suho shook his head and said.
“That’s absolutely not true. You should use a weapon you’re comfortable with. All players receive stat boosts anyway.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and most skill proficiencies can be quickly improved with the skill correction effect. Other than that, it depends on personal know-how and experience. From what I’ve observed, the battle axe doesn’t suit you.”
“R-Really? But I’ve been using it for three years…”
That’s the bigger problem.
Suho glanced at the weapon room, encased in glass, on one side of the training ground.
“Do you see that kite shield in the corner?”
“Yes, I see it.”
“Equip that on your left arm and take a one-handed blunt weapon in your right. You’ll get a much better score in the practical exam.”
“So… you’re recommending a hybrid approach?”
A hybrid, meaning a position that combines at least two roles. For the warrior class, this typically meant a combination of sub-dealer and sub-tank, known as a ‘multi-tank’.
“Yes, I’m recommending multi-tank.”
“But… is that necessary? I’ve been using this battle axe for three years. Changing positions now seems…”
He seemed quite attached to it.
However, in Suho’s memory, Kang Dae-han was always carrying a large shield, not a battle axe.
This meant that in the future, Kang Dae-han had realized his limits and had abandoned the battle axe.
Therefore, it was necessary to explain softly and advance that realization to save such a talented individual from wasting time.
“Kang Dae-han, what do you think is the core of a party?”
“Well? A mage?”
“No. Surprisingly, the core of a party is the tank. Because the tank draws aggro and protects the mage and healer, the party can function properly.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to just use a shield?”
It’s not wrong.
There was a dominant opinion that it was better to specialize in one role rather than juggling two awkwardly.
But as time passed and later gates became more difficult, pure tanks lost their standing.
“In the later stages, tanks need to counterattack to handle the increasing difficulty.”
Though Kang Dae-han was one of the top tanks in Korea, he couldn’t become a world-class tank due to this reason.
He switched to a hybrid role too late, unable to adapt easily after building extensive experience as a pure tank.
That’s why Suho recommended the multi-tank role from the start.
Eventually, the era of multi-tanks would come.
Suho answered.
“According to gate research cases published overseas, pure tanks will gradually lose their place. Tanks should be able to handle at least one primary weapon other than the shield to control the fight more effectively.”
“Oh…!”
In that moment, Kang Dae-han began to grasp the situation.
“And although the battle axe has high instantaneous destructive power, the delay after each attack is too long. If you can’t cover that delay, you’ll be easily defeated. Plus, it’s too much to expect another tank to protect you because of your large build, right?”
“…!”
Kang Dae-han’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. This was the most compelling argument, even disregarding all the other reasons.
“Thank you. Now that I think about it, you’re right. In the practical exam, they don’t assess weapon proficiency anyway.”
“Exactly. As a warrior, they evaluate how long you can withstand against monsters. Skill proficiency doesn’t matter much. Plus, one-handed blunt weapons don’t require many techniques, so with a little practice, you’ll get the hang of it quickly.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
Kang Dae-han bowed deeply to express his gratitude.
Suho looked around to see if there were any other notable individuals like Kang Dae-han but found none.
After exploring the academy for a while, he received a call from Director Kim Soo-ae and was able to finalize the contract.
***
The next day.
After finalizing the scholarship contract with Director Kim Soo-ae and visiting his old home, Suho spent the rest of the day resting.
The following day, he returned to the Association.
The area in front of the Association was crowded with people. It was to be expected, as it was the day of the hunter license exam.
“Everyone, please line up according to your examinee numbers! We will proceed with the checks in order!”
Suho felt a sense of nostalgia, taking the hunter exam for the first time in many years.
However, he wasn’t nervous. Even though the average pass rate for the hunter exam was less than 20%, that only applied to ordinary examinees.
After changing into the exam uniform provided by the Association and completing the blood and urine tests, Suho entered the written exam room.
‘They do these tests because of the potential for doping, but…’
These tests were mostly meaningless.
Real doping for the exam was usually done with skill buffs rather than substances.
Nevertheless, these tests continued because doping-related skill buffs hadn’t yet become a widely discussed issue.
‘I should bring this issue to light as well.’
Returning to the past meant there were many things Suho needed to expedite.
While thinking of his other plans, Suho sat in his assigned seat.
Then, a woman sitting in front of him caught his attention.
‘What’s this?’
She looked extremely ordinary at first glance.
However, Suho could sense it. The abnormal magic wave emanating from her body.
He got a feeling.
It was skill doping.
