It wasn't surprising that they had the best ranked students go first. The guilds were only interested in the top scoring kids, so they could show up for the start and then go home once the bar went below their standards. And it was quite something for them and the other students to see when both Yuna and Sunghyun got up from their seats and went to their assigned arenas.

Sunghyun had only signed up for Advanced Swordsmanship. He had no interest in splitting his attention by taking other classes. Yuna, on the other hand, had signed up for two—Advanced Spearmanship and Advanced Magic.

He glanced over at her, speaking to the referee on the stage beside his. She’d given up on swordsmanship this year. It was a bit of a shame—she definitely was good enough to get into the advanced class. But it probably wasn’t only because she didn't want to see him in that class. Most students decided to focus on one melee specialty once they reached their second year.

Meanwhile, Suho and Kitae were still getting sideways glances from the other students in the stands. It was natural for people to want to gravitate towards the strong, or those with potential to be strong. But they were both hard to approach in different ways. Kitae’s expression always looked icy cold, and Suho was physically intimidating. It was like a hawk and a bear.

“…There aren't many people in the magic classes,” Kitae remarked, watching Yuna get ready.

Suho nodded quietly. He knew next to nothing about magic, and it was the same for a lot of people. Humans were still working on developing it, since it had only been introduced after the gates appeared. So the classes were small and hard to understand.

Yuna was one of the few students that had any talent in the subject. Her S-rank skill, Ice Realm, was famous. But at the same time, she hardly ever used it. This was one of the few chances they would have to see the skill in person.

“Do you know any magic?” Kitae asked.

Suho shook his head. His magic stat was by far the lowest. Even without the status window to tell him, he could tell. He’d never felt a single connection to it in his life.

Kitae nodded in agreement.

“Me neither.”

“I think you might be good at it.”

He tilted his head and glanced at Suho.

“Why?”

“…I don't know.”

He didn't seem like a genius—if he was then he would've awoken magic skills naturally already. But, well…

He had a feeling.

“You seem smart,” was all Suho managed to say.

“Oh… thanks.”

The way Kitae looked at him had changed by the tiniest bit. Like Suho had hit upon something he hadn’t meant to reveal.

Suddenly, a high-pitched whistle rang out through the stadium.

And then there was a huge, grumbling ROAR.

From one of the simulation devices—a small disk placed on the stage no bigger than a frisbee—a magic circle had spread. Above it appeared a giant, armadillo-like beast. It was stocky like a hippo, at least twice the size of an elephant, and covered head to toe in thick, black armor plating.

Sunghyun readied his sword and faced it down with a smile.

“…So that’s an armadon,” Kitae mumbled.

They had been informed of the monsters they’d be facing in each exam ahead of time. Armadons of varying species were going to be used for all the melee tests. And this type was especially difficult for swordsmen—their armor not only thick, but rounded and slippery. Normally, it was hard for blades to find a hold on them at all.

Everyone knew Sunghyun wasn't normal.

He shot forward without hesitation. The armadon instinctively scrunched down, its armor linking perfectly into place, leaving absolutely no chinks for him to pierce through.

He leapt over it and landed at the back end. In the same motion, he swirled around and struck just above its tail.

BOOM. The sound reverberated through the stadium, even as other students started their own tests. Instantly, a crack appeared in its armor.

Without pause, Sunghyun buried the tip of his sword into the fissure.

The armadon shrieked in pain. But before it could unfurl and run off, he drew his sword back and slammed it into the crack again.

It went into the monster’s flesh all the way to the hilt. The armadon collapsed, back legs paralyzed.

Sunghyun tugged the blade out calmly made his way to the armadon’s side. It had unfurled, struggling to crawl away by its front feet.

In a flash, the sword had been buried into its neck. It looked like a toothpick in comparison to the monster’s size, but it immediately froze in place.

Its body went grey like ash, and then it disappeared.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Sunghyun wiped his brow and stepped back. Then he turned glanced over at Suho and Kitae.

He shot them a smile and a peace sign. Suho waved awkwardly back.

“Are you guys friends?” Kitae asked.

“Yes.”

“I see.”

He didn't say anything more than that. Their eyes naturally moved to Yuna, who was partway through her spearmanship test.

The armadon used for her exam had spiky armored plating instead of smooth. It made it difficult to get a proper hit in—for someone inexperienced, a spear could get caught on the ridges or bounce about.

Yuna was navigating it just fine. She had angered her opponent, and when it curled into a ball and rolled towards her, she dug her feet in and threw her spear.

It sailed straight as an arrow, hitting a chink in the beast’s underbelly perfectly.

The armadon rolled limply to a stop, then turned grey and disappeared.

She straightened up and glanced at the referee.

“I will proceed to the next test directly.”

The ref nodded. He tapped a few things on his tablet, and then the summoning device began to glow again.

A high-pitched screech rang out through the stadium, making some students cringe and hold their ears. A wyvern the size of a horse popped out and covered half the distance between it and Yuna in only a second.

She stood her ground, unperturbed, and raised a hand.

“Ice Realm.”

The sound of ice groaning overtook its screams instantly. A huge wave of ice grew out from the ground and devoured the poor wyvern’s body, making it look tiny in comparison. Dragon-type monsters were usually difficult for mages. They moved quickly, had high destructive ability, and had high resistance to magic. But none of that mattered in front of her skill.

A C-rank monster going head to head against an S-rank skill was like a minnow against a crocodile. Silence descended on her stage. Inside the ice, the wyvern turned grey and disappeared.

“Shin Yuna, Advanced Magic exam: pass,” the ref mumbled to himself, tapping a couple buttons on his tablet.

She brushed a speck of frost off of her shoulder and turned to leave her place.

“…She’s good,” Kitae remarked quietly.

Suho nodded in agreement. There were so many interesting students here at school.

Kitae watched her go down the steps. He didn't say any more than that, but he was thinking that it was a bit of a shame. Her best skill and her most powerful arsenal were all in magic. But all she seemed to want to do was become the best in melee, to outdo the perpetual #1 student that seemed to block her at every turn.

His eyes flicked back to that very #1 student, who was coming up the stairs.

“Good work,” Suho said, nodding to Sunghyun.

Sunghyun smiled back.

“Thank you.”

He took the seat beside Suho, his uniform now adorned with the twinkling platinum sword badge that signified he was in the Advanced Swordsmanship class. He looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat, not a single wrinkle in his clothes or hair out of place.

The two of them didn't seem to mind the whispers that came from here and there around them, but Kitae could hear it all. He leaned his chin on his palm, listening to the idle talk that passed through the lips of the other cadets. And all of it seemed to center around the same question.

“…When did those guys become friends?”

He watched the exams going on below with disinterest. Of course people would be confused and intrigued. The valedictorian was suddenly sitting beside two students who hadn't existed the year before. He himself had never had any intention of getting close to Sunghyun, but he wasn't afraid of the prospect either. So somehow they'd ended up this way.

“Shit, Yuna’s coming.”

He glanced up. Yuna was approaching them, on her way up the stands. Unlike Sunghyun, who only made people mildly uncomfortable, Yuna’s presence was like cold water being poured over the atmosphere. As she stalked up the steps, everyone she passed fell silent.

Except, of course, the valedictorian. Sunghyun smiled and waved to her politely.

“Good work,” he said.

“Good work,” Suho added, bowing his head politely.

She stopped for a second, glare landing on Sunghyun. And then she just turned her head away and continued past them.

“…Is she always like that?” Kitae asked, watching her leave.

“Yeah,” Sunghyun answered. “She’s not malicious. Just prideful.”

“Auntie Jang says people who push others away like that are actually the most afraid of being left alone.”

Their heads turned towards Suho. His attention had already gone back to the exams going on below though.

“…Your Auntie Jang seems wise,” Sunghyun commented.

“She is.”

He’d summed up Yuna’s situation pretty well. Her family was powerful, so the pressure on her to succeed was much greater than it was for people like him, who came from nothing and were happy with any amount of success. So she pushed people away before she could be hurt by them. Sunghyun had spent the entire last school year with her psychologically breathing down his neck, trying to get into his head. He knew her better than any of the other students, whether he wanted to or not.

“Don’t think too badly of her attitude,” he said. “She just wants to please her family.”

“Mm.”

Suho nodded with understanding. He’d seen plenty of the elders’ grandkids act like that. When they didn't have the courage to express themselves honestly, they turned up their noses and pretended not to care.

“Kids are like that,” he remarked.

Sunghyun and Kitae stared at him. If Yuna had been here, she absolutely would've been spluttering, taking it as an insult. But they both knew Suho meant it with absolutely no malice in mind.

Sunghyun chuckled.

“Are you sure you're the same age as the rest of us?” he joked.

“I just turned 17.”

“Oh? Me too. In January.”

“I’m February.”

“I’m September.”

They turned to look at Kitae.

“So you’re still 16,” Sunghyun commented. “You’re the youngest.”

Kitae paused for a moment, thinking about it, then just bowed his head slightly.

“Please take care of me.”

There was awkward silence. And then Suho nodded politely back.

“Okay.”

Sunghyun did the same.

“Of course,” he said. “Let’s take care of each other.”

They settled back in, turning to watch the next round of cadets take their exams. They were a strange trio that didn't look like they belonged together. If anyone had had to guess who’d end up near Sunghyun, the names Kitae and Suho would never have come out of their mouths. Yet for some reason, sitting in the stands, there was a strange orphan that used guns next to a strange orphan that came from the countryside next to a strange orphan that somehow beat the richest student in the country in every way, every time.

Hm?

Sunghyun found himself smiling as he thought about it.

Maybe they weren't that different after all?