Suho and Kitae ended up going within the same round of examinees. Although all of the incoming second years were technically the same rank—unranked—the proctors seemed to have put the students who had scored better on the entrance exam together, likely to show them off to the watching guilds en masse.

Suho weighed a standard-issue spear in his hand, the ref for his stage watching him get used to it. In the last month of break, he’d spent as much time as he could getting accustomed to real weapons. He’d never held a true spear in his hand prior to coming to the academy, after all. He needed the practice. And he thought he’d managed to figure it out, if only a little bit.

“Ready?” the ref prompted.

Suho nodded quietly, and the woman looked down to her tablet without pause and tapped a button. She stepped into her referee box, which was was outside the boundary the summoned monsters were able to move within.

Instantly, the magic circle glowed, and the spiked armadon he had seen in Yuna’s test emerged.

It eyed him, then curled up into a ball and began rolling towards him like a giant boulder.

Suho leapt up, letting the creature roll under and past him. He’d never fought any armadons in the mountains before. They were bigger up close. But…

He’d seen bigger, anyway.

He landed and in the same movement, planted his feet and threw his spear.

He only put a little bit of strength into it, afraid the shaft of the weapon might break. Yet it still sailed into the monster’s underbelly so fast that the entire armadon flew backwards, crashing into the barrier that kept the both of them inside the stage and unfurling forcefully with a huge scream.

The spear broke anyway, snapping off in the monster’s body. The armadon turned grey as its corpse sagged to the ground and disappeared.

Suho straightened up and frowned. The broken spear clattered down.

A commotion had broken out among the students at his performance, but he ignored it and glanced over at the ref.

“…How much did that cost?” he asked tentatively.

“Oh, you don’t need to pay for damages,” she replied, catching on quickly. “Didn't they tell you during the introduction?”

“They did.”

“Then don’t worry.”

He had known, but it was hard to get the idea into his head. The weapons all looked so expensive…

“Then, Suho, you have a 5-minute break until your next exam,” she continued. “To confirm: Advanced Swordsmanship.”

Murmurs rose from the stands, but Suho didn't hear them. He just nodded calmly.

The ref put the information into her tablet. He had never lifted a proper sword in his life before coming to the academy. But although he hadn't held a real sword before…

He was confident when it came to blades.

He went to the weapon rack as a stadium worker came to clean up the broken spear and reset the stage. There was a wide array of sword types on display, ready for the students to take their pick. Sunghyun always used the same style—a longsword, similar to a knight’s. In her first year, Yuna had used a rapier. Shortswords were popular in general among the cadets, as they were easy to manage.

Suho reached over all of them and took the handle of the huge, ominous looking blade in the back.

A buster sword. It was so wide and tall that most students didn't even bother trying to lift it. Compared to the downsides it presented—the weight, the size, the general clumsiness of it—there weren’t a lot of pros to wielding a weapon that particular. But it was the type of shape that was the most familiar to Suho.

He weighed it in his hand. It was bigger than what he was used to. But unlike the spear, this was something he used in daily life—often, actually.

He had always been a good butcher, and an even better cook. Holding a meat cleaver was like second nature to him.

“Ma’am,” he called, turning to the ref, “can start the next test now?”

She nodded to him.

“Of course. I’ll start it now.”

He took a step back, keeping an eye on the summoning circle.

It glowed, and out emerged the same kind of armadon that Sunghyun had fought—shell smooth and glinting.

Without moving from its place, the monster curled up and scrunched down, forming a perfectly linked shell.

The people watching in the stands and the Tank seemed to subconsciously hold their breath, interested in how he’d deal with the animal using such an uncommon weapon.

Suho walked up to the armadon calmly. It had its head tucked into its body, the armor on top of it so thick that it was obvious any sword would bounce right off.

He raised his blade and brought it down, directly onto the animal’s forehead.

BOOM. It rang out like some violent drum. A rift had been carved into its out shell, and the armadon instinctively scrunched down tighter and shuffled backwards, trying to make distance.

Suho raised his sword and slammed it into the same place.

The armadon groaned and retreated again. But its rear met the barrier that surrounded the stage, and it could go no further.

He lifted his arms. The beast shrunk back, bracing itself.

SLAM. CRACK. In the same sound, the shell began to truly shatter. This wasn't like Sunghyun’s delicate method—aiming for a chink in the armor and accurately pinpointing it. Suho was forcing his way through in the most brutish way possible. And he was strong enough to actually make it work.

The armadon whimpered in pain and covered its head with its front claws. Suho frowned. He hunted monsters and other animals all the time in the mountains around the village, but they either posed a threat or were used directly for food. Killing just for the sake of killing, even if this was a hologram… it wasn’t comfortable.

He raised his sword. Better to finish it quickly. With his next thrust, the huge blade sliced straight through the armadon’s plating and into its head, ending it instantly.

Its body turned grey as prescribed. Suho stood there awkwardly for a moment, watching it disappear. And then he turned and headed back towards the weapon rack.

“Advanced swordsmanship, pass,” the ref noted. “As mentioned, you have another 5-minute break before your next placement exam.”

He nodded and set the sword back where he’d gotten it.

He glanced over the other stages, where students were still taking their exams. His eyes finally stopped on Kitae, who had ended up on the platform beside him.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The target that had been picked out for the Advanced Marksmanship exam was a weak but swift bat-type beast. They flew so quickly that a non-awakened might not be able to follow them with their eyes—sharp teeth bared, ready to attack. A swarm of at least twenty had been released on Kitae.

He calmly faced them with a single, simple handgun. One shot, one kill. He didn't even need to reload.

BANG. With one last shot, all of the monsters were dead. He let his hands fall to his sides again and wiped his brow.

“Advanced marksmanship, pass,” his ref remarked, inputting the information on his tablet. “Return your gun and then you may go back to your dorm or remain to spectate.”

Kitae nodded. He placed the handgun back on the weapon rack, then glanced up and met Suho’s eyes.

“Finished yet?” he asked.

“I have one more,” Suho responded.

“Swordsmanship?”

“No, I finished that.”

Kitae tilted his head. He hadn't seen him take his exams, focused on his own.

“What do you have left?”

Suho pursed his lips and glanced back towards his weapon rack. It was decorated with spears, swords, axes, bows, everything a hunter could wish for.

He reached forward, skipping over all of those, and grabbed a hunting rifle.

“A gun?”

“Weird…”

“He looks like he might crush it when he pulls the trigger.”

Whispers of confusion circulated around the stadium. Kitae smiled lightly.

Suho took the rifle in both hands. It was a familiar feeling—it was the only real weapon he’d ever touched before coming to the academy.

Kitae turned and made his way towards the stairs.

“I’ll cheer for you,” he said, waving.

Suho nodded to him and looked back over to his referee.

“I’ll start the last test now.”

He took his place at the far end of the stage. And then the summoning circle began to glow again.

High-pitched screeching and clicking pierced through his ears as tens of bat monsters shot out and darted towards him.

He immediately began firing. One, two, three, five—the frontrunners were instantly blown away, heads exploding, turning grey and disappearing. But in only a few seconds, they had already gotten too close for him to snipe. Unlike Kitae’s handgun, Suho’s rifle wasn't fast or maneuverable enough to keep them fully at bay.

One finally made it to his side, lunging at his forearm with his teeth. Keeping his other hand on the trigger, Suho instantly lashed out and grabbed it.

Its body was crushed under his grip like a water balloon while another was taken out by a bullet. One, two, three—he made progress. But not quite fast enough.

Two bats came at him at the same time, jaws full of snapping teeth wide open. And…

Suho let them.

They latched onto his arms, teeth sinking in…

Or not?

They tried to bite him again, but they seemed to bounce right back, unable to break through.

image [https://i.imgur.com/3SlEQLW.png]

75 was the line between a B-rank and A-rank level stat. So Suho was confident in one thing, and that was not getting hurt. He never wanted to make the villagers worry.

The crowds of students watching were whispering among themselves. They were trying to determine Suho’s resistance stat based on how high the bats’ strength stat was. Suho couldn't hear them. His ears rang with the sound of bats squeaking and his own gun firing.

He steadily sniped the bats. Finally, the last one flying fell from the sky.

One was still trying to gnaw away at his shoulder. He shook it off and shot it down.

Suho looked over at the ref.

“Advanced marksmanship, pass,” she said, inputting the information. “Since that was your last exam, you may return your weapon to the rack and go back now.”

He weighed his head awkwardly, then just nodded. The feeling of killing a monster and having nothing to show for it was still unfamiliar. He didn't think he’d ever get used to it.

He set the rifle back on the rack and headed down the steps.

“Congratulations on passing,” Kitae remarked as he finally took his seat again.

“Thanks,” Suho replied.

“Your aim is good,” Sunghyun added. “I was surprised. You look like a melee-type hunter.”

He fidgeted with his fingers. The elders in the village praised him all the time too, but it felt weird hearing it from kids his age.

“…Thanks,” was all he managed to get out.

“Are you interested in swordsmanship?” Sunghyun asked. “I didn't know you signed up for the test.”

“Not interested, just…” He pursed his lips. “I had to use it.”

There certainly had been times where he’d charged straight into the fray of a broken gate with a meat cleaver in one hand and a steak knife in the other. Because he had no choice.

Sunghyun leaned his chin on his palm, glancing over.

“If you're ever interested,” he said, “I could teach you.”

Suho was surprised for a moment.

“But you must be busy,” he replied.

“Never too busy for my friend.”

Sunghyun smiled. He was so strong that even learning a little bit of proper swordsmanship would improve his abilities by leaps and bounds. It was a waste not to teach him. And more than that…

His face fell slightly as he glanced around the stands. People were staring while trying to pretend that they weren't. Up in the Tank too, he knew that Suho was being judged. His every move, every strike, every skill—they were being scrutinized as critically as possible. Sunghyun knew what they were thinking. This kid is strong, but that’s it. He may have qualified for the Advanced Swordsmanship class, but he doesn't actually know how to wield a sword at all. He’ll drop out soon, once he realizes how far behind he is. Just like Yuna.

His eyes were drawn back to Suho as he bowed his head politely.

“Then, I’ll be in your care.”

Sunghyun smiled and nodded back.

“I’ll do my best to teach you,” he said.

He’d prove all those eyes wrong.

He’d never liked the Tank anyway.

⊕

With placements over, Suho could finally relax and review his completed class schedule. He laid down on his dorm’s living room floor, reading through the holographic window that was being projected from his watch. He had homeroom 2-4 with Yuna and Kitae, as he’d seen before. Then there were the advanced classes. Since the number of students that had qualified for them was small, they were all only one section. So somehow, he’d ended up in spearmanship with Yuna, swordsmanship with Sunghyun, and marksmanship with Kitae.

He didn't think too deeply about it. He was just happy he knew people in each of them. Even if the only time he’d ever interacted with Yuna was when she was glaring at Sunghyun on her way up the stands.

He glanced over his electives. The cadets could sign up for and attend as many as they could fit into their schedule, but it usually only ended up being one or two. Because of how many advanced classes Suho was in, he’d be crazy to select even one elective. But there was one that he had to choose. He couldn’t miss out on it. Just seeing the letters listed on his calendar made his heart beat faster.

“Guide to Invasive Species.” It was a class intended for the non-hunter students at National. Few from the hunter department took it, since it was about the ecosystems of plants and animals that came from the gates. Boring textbook stuff.

Suho liked it though. He wanted to learn which ones were useful, which ones were expensive, which ones he could eat…

His stomach grumbled. He had had dinner already, but the food at the academy, although everyone said they were the best school meals in the nation, wasn't as good as what he made himself back in the village. He could already imagine Jun laughing at him if he called the monk to complain.

The sound of heavy footsteps and panting approached him from around the sofa. Pit’s face appeared above his.

He mushed his wet, black nose into Suho’s forehead and wined. It was as if the very thought of food had summoned the gluttonous dog.

“…No treats,” Suho mumbled, pushing his snout away.

Pit whined.

“That won’t work,” he said, steadfast.

He got up from the floor. Pit sat down and tilted his head with a whimper.

“No, no more. You’ve already finished a whole bag since you got here.”

He made his way back towards his room, not falling for the dog’s tricks.

Pit’s head swiveled as he watched Suho go, disappearing down the hall. His whines didn't make him hesitate for even a moment.

When he was gone, the dog huffed in indignation. If only he had been left in the countryside, instead of coming to this loud, cramped apartment with no good food…

Buzz.

His head snapped over at the unfamiliar noise. A tiny, bug-like thing had emerged from one of the vents. It looked like a mix between a housefly and a beetle, and a strange, red energy floated around it. Magic.

The bug hovered in the air and turned around, getting its bearings.

Pit sniffed at it, and it quickly shied away from the dog.

It focused on the hallway Suho had gone down and began buzzing its way over.

Tump tump tump. The sound of heavy footsteps neared. And then, all of a sudden, pitch darkness.

The last thing it saw was the inside of a huge dog’s mouth.