Suho smiled and said,"You made a good decision. Then, while you prepare the contract, may I take a quick look around the academy? I'll explain later, but I'd like to see the place for myself."
"Of course. Ah, if you give me your contact information, I'll notify you as soon as the contract is ready. It won't take long."
"Yes, my number is…"
The reason they were bothering to draw up the contract was to prevent any possible double contracts.
'Contracts are essential in society.'
Especially when a large sum like 300 million won is at stake.
After exchanging contact information, Suho stood up and began slowly touring Nexus Academy.
'As expected from the largest academy in the country, the size alone is impressive.'
The scale of Nexus Academy was astounding.
It had a full fitness training center, dormitories, mock training grounds, study rooms for written exams, a library, a cafeteria, and countless other facilities. Suho had heard that it was deliberately located in Paju to build the first and largest academy in Korea.
For this reason, Nexus Academy was also nicknamed "Nexus Village," since it was like its own little town.
'Seeing the academy reminds me of my days as a test student.'
Of course, Suho wasn't a graduate of such an academy.
Dormitory-style academies like this usually charged exorbitant monthly tuition, something completely out of Suho's reach at the time.
Still, he had studied diligently on his own and passed the entrance exam on his first attempt. His aptitude test results were excellent.
Back then, he had chosen the Warrior class, not Healer.
As he toured some of the academy facilities, Suho eventually entered the personal training area.
Numerous students were there, practicing their individual routines according to their respective classes. It wasn't peak hours, so there weren't that many.
At that moment, a group of students caught Suho's eye.
'Looks like they're practicing sword techniques.'
The students wielded everything from daggers to longswords, working on their forms.
But no matter how he looked, their stances were awkward.
Of course.
They were lucky students who had achieved Player Awakening but had never actually set foot on the field.
Then, someone unexpected appeared in Suho's line of sight.
'Kang Daehan?'
He wasn't mistaken.
Thanks to the Memories Library, Suho's recollection had been reorganized and refined, more accurate than anyone else's.
Plus, with his enormous size—about 190 cm and 120 kg—and his shaved head, how could he forget him?
'Kang Daehan is from Nexus.'
Suho's eyes fell on Kang Daehan, a future well-known hunter in Korea and one of the top tankers in the country.
Suho had even been in the same raid team with Kang Daehan a few times, so he was certain.
The hairstyle and massive frame were his signature.
But the Kang Daehan in front of him was a little unusual.
He was swinging a massive axe as big as his body, whereas Suho knew Kang Daehan as a shield user.
'I see. He hasn't discovered his aptitude yet.'
At that moment, a good idea came to Suho's mind.
'Perfect. Since this has happened, I should get a head start on him.'
Kang Daehan would eventually join Nexus.
But if Suho befriended him now, he might be able to recruit him to the Great Hunter Association instead.
'No, Kang Daehan is a must-have for the Great Hunter Association.'
No matter how strong someone is individually, they can't handle everything alone.
Problems pop up in various places in different ways, after all.
That's why Suho wanted to secure talented individuals who could act as his hands and feet ahead of time.
'I said I'd just look around the academy, so this should be fine.'
With his decision made, Suho headed down to the training hall.
Luckily, the training hall could be accessed without a special entry card, and as soon as someone in casual clothes appeared, all eyes turned to him.
But they quickly dispersed.
This wasn't a school, and people generally didn't pay much attention to others.
Suho also didn't care much and approached Kang Daehan.
"Hello."
"Uh? Oh, hello?"
Kang Daehan quickly lowered his axe and greeted him.
Up close, Suho confirmed it was indeed Kang Daehan.
Despite his large frame, he had a kind face and a gentle voice. Just to be sure, Suho glanced at his chest and saw the name "Kang Daehan" embroidered on the front of his training uniform, confirming it.
'I guess I don't even need to ask.'
Suho said,"Are you a Warrior class?"
"Yes… I am. But… who are you?"
"I'm just someone passing by with a connection here. I noticed something about you that I thought you should know."
A "connection." Since Suho had ties to the academy, technically it wasn't a lie.
At Suho's words, Kang Daehan pointed to himself with his finger and asked,"To me?"
"Yes. By the way, how long have you been preparing for exams?"
Kang Daehan looked a little embarrassed and said,"This is my third year."
"So you'll be taking the exam tomorrow too?"
"Yes, I applied again this year."
"I see. Will you be using the Battle Axe for the practical exam as well?"
"Yes, that's the plan."
"May I ask why you chose the Battle Axe specifically?"
"Uh… I want to be a melee DPS, and the academy recommended this after consulting with me. They said not just anyone can handle this weapon. And it has the best short-term damage output."
At that, Suho felt a twinge in the back of his neck.
No matter how big someone is, a player's stats affect their performance directly. Recommending a weapon solely because of size?
'And this is supposedly the largest academy in the country…'
It made Suho acutely aware of how old-fashioned this era was.
This was a time shortly after humanity had stabilized post-Gate, so compared to the future, many things were outdated.
Shaking his head, Suho said,"That's not entirely true. You should use a weapon that suits you. All players receive stat bonuses anyway."
"Oh… really?"
"Yes. Plus, you can quickly improve most skills thanks to the skill adjustment bonus. Everything else depends on personal knowledge and experience. From what I've been observing, the Battle Axe doesn't seem to fit you, Kang Daehan."
"R-Really? But I've been using this for three years…"
Which is exactly why it was a problem.
Suho gestured toward the glass-walled weapons storage at the edge of the training hall."Do you see the Kite Shield in the corner?"
"Yes, I see it."
"Use that on your left arm and a one-handed blunt weapon in your right hand. You'll be able to score far higher on the practical exam that way."
"Uh… so you're recommending a hybrid setup?"
A hybrid. A position with at least two roles. For Warriors, this meant combining a sub-DPS and a sub-tank, a so-called "multi-tank."
"Yes, I recommend a multi-tank setup."
"Do I… really need to? I've used the Battle Axe for three years. Changing my role now seems…"
He seemed hesitant.
But in Suho's memory, Kang Daehan held a large shield, not a Battle Axe.
This meant that in the future, Kang Daehan would recognize his limits and abandon the Battle Axe himself.
Suho needed to gently accelerate that realization, so Kang Daehan wouldn't waste time.
"Kang Daehan, who do you think is the core of a party?"
"Hmm… the Mage?"
"No. Surprisingly, the party's core is the Tank. A Tank draws aggro and protects both the Mage and the Healer, keeping the party running smoothly."
"In that case, wouldn't it be better to just use a shield?"
Not wrong. Back then, it was common to specialize in one role rather than splitting focus.
But over time, as late-stage Gates became more dangerous, pure tanks lost their dominance.
'In the late stages, tanks have to counterattack too, or they'll get destroyed.'
Kang Daehan was one of Korea's top tanks but never became world-class for this reason.
Even when he later switched to a hybrid, his long experience as a pure tank made adaptation difficult.
So Suho recommended the multi-tank role from the start.
The age of multi-tanks would eventually come.
"According to overseas studies of Gates, the role of pure tanks will gradually disappear. Even tanks should know how to use at least one main weapon besides the shield for broader crowd control."
"Ah…!"
"And while the Battle Axe has high burst damage, its long post-attack delay makes you vulnerable if you can't compensate. And your size is too big for another tank to protect you."
"…!"
At that, Kang Daehan's eyes widened as if struck by lightning.
Above all, that point hit home the most.
"Thank you… I think you're right. After all, the practical exam isn't about weapon skill."
"Exactly. As a Warrior, what matters is how long you can survive against monsters, not skill proficiency. Plus, a one-handed blunt weapon requires minimal skill, so you'll get the hang of it quickly."
"Yes! Thank you!"
Kang Daehan bowed in gratitude.
Suho looked around to see if there were any other promising individuals like him, but unfortunately, he didn't recognize anyone else.
After touring the academy for a while, he received a call from Director Kim Suae and finalized the scholarship contract.
The next day.
After signing the scholarship contract with Director Kim and revisiting his old home, Suho rested for the day before heading back to the Association.
The area in front of the Association was packed with people.
Naturally. Today was the Hunter License Exam.
"All right, everyone, please line up in order according to your test numbers, and we'll begin the inspections one by one!"
It had been over a decade since Suho had last taken a Hunter exam, so the air itself felt familiar.
But he wasn't nervous.
Even though the average pass rate was below 20%, that only applied to ordinary test-takers.
After changing into the exam uniform provided by the Association and completing blood and urine tests, Suho finally entered the written exam hall.
'These tests are supposedly to prevent doping, huh…'
They were largely meaningless.
For exams, those who truly doped weren't using drugs—they relied on skill buffs.
Still, such tests were ongoing because issues with skill-buff doping hadn't surfaced publicly yet.
'I might as well make it an issue this time.'
Back in the past, there were a lot of things Suho had to expedite.
As he contemplated other plans, a girl sitting in front of him caught his attention.
'What's with her?'
She looked perfectly ordinary, yet Suho sensed it.
Her body was radiating an abnormal magical aura.
He had a hunch.
Skill doping.