After Kitae, a fire had been lit beneath the prospective students. They thought they had finally broken through, that his success signified theirs. But that wasn't the case. Although some did pass the 1,000 mark, many still failed—even those who tried to use the rifle like he did. It was just a regular hunk of metal in their hands.
“Next is participant #291, Lim Suho,” an automated voice rang out.
The announcer had long ago gone home. After ushering in the beginning of the entrance exam, there wasn't anything else for him to waste his time on.
Suho stood from his seat and headed towards the stage.
Sunghyun’s eyes followed him.
“Woah, that guy’s tall…”
“He’s gotta be at least 190*, right?”
Low murmurs came from around him. Although they were exhausted from the long, boring day, many of the top students had stayed in their seats. The fact that Sunghyun and Yuna hadn’t left yet put pressure on them to remain as well. But although Suho was tall, none of them expected much in particular out of him. Plenty of awakened kids were more well-built than average.
He reached the weapon rack and weighed a spear in his hands. He frowned slightly. It looked the most similar to the kind of weapons he used in the village, but the heft was completely different.
He set it back and took a plain staff instead. After a moment of adjusting to how it felt in his palms, he nodded to himself and turned towards the target.
“…Just a staff?” a student behind Sunghyun murmured.
Rationally, it was a bad choice. The exam was purely a measure of strength. So being able to focus your power into one, sharp point would greatly improve your score. A blunt staff, even if wielded by the same person, would always do worse than a spear. But his eyes didn't move from Suho’s figure. Because he had a feeling whatever was in that student’s hands hardly mattered.
Suho stared at the target for a second. The black padding on its surface was more beat up than it had been when the exam started, having taken the brunt of everyone’s strength. But the fact that it was still intact, and in good condition at that, was proof of just how well-funded the school was. It had to have been crafted out of materials that wouldn't pale against hundreds of hits—some even reaching B-rank.
Suho lowered his stance and put some strength into his hands. There was no fancy incantation or skill, he just felt it out. Like he always did.
A deep blue glow rose from his body. It wasn’t large or gaudy, but the color and quality made both Sunghyun and Yuna sit forward.
“…I’ve never seen aura that dark,” Yuna remarked.
Sunghyun nodded in agreement. Plenty of melee awakened used aura to augment their strength, but it usually glowed brightly. Not that the color had any bearing on its strength.
That was yet to be seen—
BOOM.
…
?
No one even realized he had hit the target until the sound wave crashed over them.
“The hell?!”
“Fuck, my phone!”
Sunghyun shielded his eyes as a flier somebody had lost blew past him. And he watched the numbers on the score board tick up.
It crossed 1,000.
“Finally, another pass, haha.”
“…Maybe he’ll break 2,000? No way, right?”
They kept going up.
.
.
.
The numbers really crossed 2,000.
A hush fell over the students watching.
But instead of anticipation, it almost felt like dread. Because the point value kept going up.
No way this random kid would really outdo them, right?
The numbers finally stopped at 3,214.
“Impossible!” Yuna shouted from beside him.
She shot out of her seat, completely perplexed. No one had been able to break 3,000 aside from her and Sunghyun. But all of a sudden—some kid with a stick had done it. And she wasn't the only one who felt that way.
All the continuing students seemed to have something to say—confusion, shock, denial, admiration. Only Sunghyun kept watching Suho as he stepped back from the target, eyes locked to the spot where his strike had left a dent in the padding. Waiting. Wondering what this new monster might do next.
BOOM.
A couple students recoiled and held their ears. The sound this time was audibly different, the wave of power that emanated from the hit even stronger.
“No way, is he going to…”
“It can’t be, it can’t be. 3,200 is already insane.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
They turned their eyes to the scoreboard again, not willing to accept the possibility that his first grade might not have been his best.
The numbers ticked up no matter what they believed. And as the seconds stretched on, they went dead silent.
Finally—
“This—!”
Yuna was red in the face with shock and rage, her fists clenched so tight that her knuckles had gone white.
“This can’t be possible!”
Everyone knew why she felt that way.
3,889.
He had blasted through her record in a split second. The record of the #2 in the entire school, who had the backing of one of the richest families in the industry behind her, had been shattered without resistance. And he had one more try to go.
“The machine’s got to be bugging out.”
“Who is that kid anyway? I’ve never seen him before.”
“Fuck, if he goes over 4,000… Aren’t the journalists going to have a field day?”
Sunghyun felt himself starting to smile as the crowd behind him exploded with noise at the meteor that had just crashed onto their exam.
Suho backed away from the target and glanced down at the staff in his hands.
He was starting to get a feel for it.
He took a deep breath, gathering his strength. Aura enveloped him—a deep blue like the night sky, so thin over his skin that it could've just been a trick of the harsh stadium lighting.
BOOM.
“What the hell?!”
Exclamations of surprise rang out from around Sunghyun as people held onto their items and covered their ears. Perhaps it was because the weapon he was using was blunt, but the sound was louder than usual. And yet the power behind it was evident even without the noise. Because the shockwave that followed was like a jet passing over their heads.
Suho stepped back, letting out a breath of relief. With this, his exam was over. He could go back and tell Auntie Jang he did his best.
He leaned his head back and looked up towards the scoreboard.
The numbers ticked upwards.
And kept going.
A dead silence came over the students watching again. Not only in anticipation of what he might be capable of, but in dread that they’d somehow be outdone by some stranger that had shown up out of nowhere.
The score finally stopped.
Sunghyun smiled.
4,178.
Just barely under his score.
The entire stadium seemed to explode in a mixture of confusion and anger and admiration. People shouting that it had to be rigged, or the machine wasn't working, then others who hadn't taken in the result yet, mumbling under their breaths in disbelief, and the few who looked at Suho and immediately knew that envy was not the emotion they needed to be feeling.
Sunghyun quickly placed a hand over his mouth, covering his smile. The journalists always made up weird narratives. They’d easily say he had been happy because he hadn’t been beaten, when that wasn't at all the case.
Lim Suho. He put the staff he’d used back on the weapon rack and calmly went down the steps, not paying any heed to the ruckus around him. Sunghyun was glad that he’d gotten a high score. In fact, by the looks of it, Suho could probably have gotten even higher. Each of his three grades had been better than the last—by huge margins.
Beneath his hand, Sunghyun began to smile again.
He was looking forward to how their second year as students would be.
⊕
Suho also thought the number could’ve been higher. While he was headed away from the stage, hundreds of eyes following him as well as the camera flash of some journalist that had snuck in, he was only thinking about why it had stayed around 4,000.
He thought back, remembering the target. Maybe the soft padding had absorbed some of the force. Or…
He glanced over his shoulder at the weapon rack. A blunt staff might not have had the same impact as a blade with a sharp point. Now that he thought about it, the kids in the first year group had all gone at the target with sharp weapons.
He sighed and noted it for the future. He wasn't used to numbers games.
He continued through the exit of the stadium that led outside, not interested in what happened after his exam was done. In fact, he had been planning what to make for dinner all day while waiting for his turn.
“Excuse me, Lim Suho, can you comment on your accomplishment for us?”
He glanced to the side as a mic pack was shoved close to his face. A girl was standing there, smiling wide, eyes glittering.
“…Sorry,” he muttered, turning away. His mind was occupied making a mental grocery list.
“I’m Dam Sohee, the newspaper club president, and your senior,” she pressed on. “Just one word would do. Of course I don't want to hold you up either! Just one thing you’re feeling, please, for the school club’s article.”
He pursed his lips and glanced around. He wanted to quickly leave. But Auntie Jang would scold him for ignoring a senior student if she were here.
“…I’m not good with new weapons,” he finally answered. “I’ll do better next time.”
Sohee’s eyes lit up even more.
“What a stimulating comment!” she said. “Could you—”
“Bye.”
He quickly bowed and left.
“Examinee, could you please comment—”
A professional reporter came up to him this time, mic at the ready.
Suho didn't even stop, blowing past him with a sharp glare.
Dinner now. He’d get all the end of exam paperwork done, and then dinner.
⊕
Within a day, he’d received the official document saying that he’d passed the entrance exam. Effective immediately, he had an assigned dorm on campus, could eat at their world-class cafeteria for free, and had access to all the student facilities. He quickly moved in—there was less than a month left until the school year started. All the incoming students were in a rush.
Even after he finished unpacking his scant belongings, his dorm was strange to him. It felt cramped, even if the informational booklet claimed that the academy’s dorms were the biggest among all the hunter schools in Korea. He was used to the sprawling houses of the village, and the endless green mountains that stretched beyond the town. And although it was filled with brand new, top of the line appliances, he hadn't a clue how to use most of them.
He laid down on the bed, taking it in. Then frowned slightly. It was too soft and cushy. He got up and laid on the floor instead.
He’d already called Auntie Jang about succeeding, and she was sure to pass it to all the elders in the village. He’d told Jun too, and as expected, the monk had responded with a smug “I already knew.” Since he was done moving in, he could leave campus for break and head back to the village for a couple of weeks. But the more he thought about it, the more he felt like the elders would just tell him to stay instead—to take his time and get used to the city of Seoul. Because they were the ones who had wanted him to come here in the first place.
Suho pushed himself to his feet and went towards the sliding glass doors leading to a balcony. He could see over the campus. It was sprawling, modern, manicured. Completely foreign to him. But he’d promised the elders in the village that he’d give school a chance. Despite how little he cared for this place.
He turned away. There was a month left to go until the academic year started. Not long enough to get used to the new atmosphere. But long enough to try.
He opened his door and poked his head out. There was no one around—this floor only had a few dorms anyway, since each one was large.
He stepped out and glanced at a screen beside his door. He tapped it, and a couple buttons popped up on the LED display.
He clicked one. It dialed… then, click.
“Ah, student Suho, how can I help you?” the floor assistant answered, his wrinkled face smiling through the screen.
“I had a question, sir,” Suho replied.
“Of course, ask away! I know everything.”
“Are dogs allowed in the dorms?”