Suho stared him for a second, then just bowed.

“Pleased to meet you,” he said. “I’m Lim Suho.”

Sunghyun didn't seem bothered by the awkward greeting.

“I saw your performance at the entrance exam,” he said. “You did great.”

“Ah… yes, thank you.”

“No need to be so polite.”

Sunghyun chuckled. Their eyes met as Suho straightened back up.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to be friends with you,” he said.

“Friends…?”

“We’re in the same year, right? And both melee fighters.”

He scratched his cheek a little bashfully.

“Frankly, I haven't been able to make many friends here,” he admitted.

Suho tilted his head slightly.

“But you’re the valedictorian.”

“It’s because I’m the valedictorian,” Sunghyun answered, “people avoid me.”

He remembered the murmurs that had been exchanged while he had been looking at the class list. Certainly, no one had wanted to be in the same homeroom as him.

“I don’t want to put any pressure on you,” he continued. “I just thought maybe you might not care as much.”

Suho was quiet for a moment. He didn't care. But he also didn't know what to do. Back in the village, he had never made friends his age either because there were no kids his age around.

“…Are you allergic to dogs?” he asked.

Sunghyun shook his head.

“No.”

“Are you vegetarian?”

“Not at all.”

“Then, maybe, it’s fine,” Suho mumbled. “That—being friends.”

For a moment, silence. And then Sunghyun’s face lit up.

“Please take care of me,” he said.

“Me too.”

“Ah, but if I can ask, why vegetarian…?”

“I hunt and butcher animals pretty often. I thought you might be bothered.”

Sunghyun smiled.

“That doesn't bother me,” he said. “Is that what you did in your hometown?”

Suho nodded.

“A lot.”

“Do you cook?”

Another nod.

“Me too. The food the orphanage provided was always gross.”

Sunghyun motioned towards the dorm entrance.

“You’re in building 6, right?” he asked.

“Yes.”

It was where most of the incoming second years had been put.

“I’m in number 3,” he said, pointing towards another dorm in the distance. “Let’s hang out sometime.”

He glanced at one of the students who was passing by, staring. Many eyes had been trying to discreetly watch the two of them while they spoke, unable to hide their curiosity at what the valedictorian and the top of the incoming students might be doing together.

“Not to bring the mood down,” Sunghyun murmured, leaning slightly closer, “but many of the students here come from rich or powerful families. They’re not necessarily comfortable to see people like us around.”

Suho tilted his head.

“I was told many of the students come from orphanages,” he remarked.

“They do,” Sunghyun said, nodding, “but they don't usually do well. You saw Yuna take her exam.”

She had been powerful, but it was true that her score wouldn't have been as high if it hadn't been for the skills she’d forcefully learned from books—which kids under the top 1% in wealth couldn't even imagine acquiring.

“So if it’s ever hard to adjust, as a friend, I can help out,” he continued.

Suho stared at him for a moment, quiet.

“How did you know I wasn't like them?” he asked.

“Like… rich?”

“Yeah.”

Sunghyun scratched the back of his neck bashfully. He glanced Suho up and down. He was very much dressed like a kid from the countryside—tacky, worn tracksuit, not to mention covered in dog hair. Anyone could've guessed.

“Um, your accent,” he lied. “You don't sound like you’re from Seoul.”

“Jun taught me how to speak like a Seoulite, though…?”

“Aha, I guess I just felt it. Many of the kids at my orphanage were from the countryside.”

“Oh.”

Suho seemed to accept that. Sunghyun quickly changed the subject.

“Have you signed up for placement exams yet?” he asked.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Suho nodded.

“Which ones?”

“Beginner Spearmanship—”

“Beginner?!”

Sunghyun’s eyes flew open. The tests were for the specialized courses, which were taken separate from homeroom. They were made to place students into the class level that their skills matched up with: beginner, intermediate, or advanced. If they couldn’t even pass the beginner test, then they’d be put into the basic class with everyone else. But Suho obviously was underestimating himself. He could easily have blown straight into the advanced class.

“You should go for Advanced Spearmanship,” he said. “You’ll make it. I’m sure of it.”

Suho pursed his lips.

“This is the first official class I’m taking,” he replied. “I should start small.”

“No, but—”

Sunghyun shut his mouth and focused for a second. Suho seemed like a good kid. This was a result of his over-diligence. So just telling him he was good enough wasn't going to convince him of anything.

“If you end up in a class you’re not suited to,” he explained calmly, “you might end up hurting your classmates.”

Suho froze. It was true. Even if he ended up in the beginner class like he wanted, he’d just end up blowing through the other students like a hurricane. None of them could match up to his strength.

“Try the test for the advanced class instead,” he continued. “If the instructors feel like you should be put in intermediate or beginner instead, then they’ll put you there.”

He hesitated for a moment. Then nodded.

Sunghyun let out a sigh of relief inwardly. Imagining a student who had broken the B-rank score barrier ending up in a beginner class… it’d be a waste of even coming to this school.

“What about you?” Suho asked. “What tests did you sign up for.”

“Only Advanced Swordsmanship,” he replied, smiling. “I don't use any other weapons.”

“I see.”

He glanced down. Suho was subconsciously fiddling with the strap of the new watch on his wrist.

“First time?” he asked.

Suho paused for a second, then nodded.

“How did it feel? Seeing the status window.”

He shrugged.

“I don’t know. I don't need it anyway.”

Sunghyun chuckled. He remembered the first time he’d seen his status. Once the orphanage had heard he’d awakened, they’d scrounged up an old, cracked status watch for him to wear so they could see how strong he was. Hunters made a lot of money, after all, and they were always strapped for cash. Even if he was only eleven years old…

He wished he had been as calm and composed as Suho back then. To him, it had been fascinating. And it had taken a long time to shake off his reliance on the numbers that showed up every time he looked at that glowing blue window.

“Did you get any skills?” he asked.

Suho nodded.

“That’s good. Naturally awakening skills means they’re the most compatible with your body.”

“It says ‘Animal Instinct,’” Suho replied. “Passive. Rank SS.”

“Hm?”

“‘Your gut is always right.’ The description is so short.”

“Wait wait wait—”

Sunghyun held his hands up, mind racing. He quickly glanced around, checking if anyone was in earshot. Luckily not.

“Don’t tell me what it is,” he hastily blurted out, even though it was already too late. “Most people keep their skills a secret. Especially the passive ones.”

Not to mention he had just heard something crazy. Rank SS? He doubted his ears. But what mattered more right now was making sure Suho didn't go around campus blabbing to everyone who asked. Because that was the kind of secret skill that kept hunters alive in an emergency.

Suho tilted his head in confusion, but eventually just nodded.

“I see. I didn't know. Sorry.”

“No, no, it’s fine. Just… be careful next time.”

Sunghyun smiled awkwardly, letting the subject hopefully pass. But his mind was still going at a million miles per hour. Suho had an SS-rank skill. According to the description, it sounded like some kind of super intuition. He would have to look it up in the skill encyclopedia to make sure. Did such a skill even exist? But it had to, if it had shown up in his status window. The device could only scan your body for and recognize skills that were already known and registered.

“Do you keep your skills a secret?” Suho asked suddenly, breaking Sunghyun’s train of thought.

“Ah, no, I can’t,” he replied. “I’m the valedictorian. I’ve used all my skills at one time or another, so the cadets have seen and analyzed them.”

He tapped his watch.

“For your information, they’re nothing special,” he said. “Just basic combat skills, the D and C-rank types.”

He didn't even consider them skills—rather, he just moved his body the way he wanted while fighting, and for some reason the device registered them as skills. It was also part of the reason Yuna looked at him as a rival so much. Because she had an S-rank ice magic skill which she’d naturally awakened in her arsenal, and she still couldn't beat him.

“Yuna’s probably going to be at the Advanced Spearmanship placement exam too,” he commented. “She was in the advanced class last year.”

She had attended both the Advanced Spearmanship and Swordsmanship classes, but since Sunghyun dominated in swords, she had slowly started favoring spears.

“Yuna…” Suho mumbled. “She’s in my homeroom.”

“Oh… I guess you’ll be seeing each other anyway.”

“Kitae too.”

Sunghyun was taken off guard for a second. The name was familiar, but it took him some time to place it.

“The sniper?” he finally replied. “Do you know him?”

Suho shook his head.

“No.”

“Oh. I thought I saw you two looking at each other at the entrance exam, though.”

“I don't know him. He was just looking.”

“I guess that happens.”

“You were looking too.”

Sunghyun froze for a second, caught.

“Haha, I was, wasn't I,” he said. “You were so tall. You stuck out from the crowd.”

“Did I?”

Suho thought back, a little doubtful. But it wasn't a full lie. He really was easy to spot.

“You were headed back to your dorm, right?” he asked. “Are you busy?”

Suho hesitated.

“A little.”

“Can I ask why…?”

“I need to feed my dog. Before he eats an appliance.”

Sunghyun was taken aback for a moment. And then he broke out into laughter.

“What’s his name?” he asked once he’d gotten control of himself.

“Pit. Short for Bottomless Pit.”

That made him wheeze again.

“What breed is he?”

“Uh… I don’t know. Hungry and big.”

“Cute.”

He straightened up, regaining his composure.

“I’ll leave you to that then,” he said. “Sorry I held you up for so long.”

Suho shook his head.

“That’s alright. We’re friends now.”

The word caught Sunghyun off guard. Even though he was the one who had suggested it.

He smiled.

“Yeah, we’re friends now,” he replied. “Let’s sit together for placement exams.”

“Okay.”

He waved as Suho turned and headed away. It was as he had thought—he was a spot of innocence among the muck that made up much of the rest of the school. He respected the other cadets for doing their best, but it was hard for him to look at them with genuine care. Because like Suho’s Animal Instinct skill, his eyes were always right.

It was the first thing on his skill window every time he opened it.

Judgement—passive.

Skill rank: S.

It was the only skill he hid from others. It enabled him to see the good or bad karma that a person carried around, quantified by a color above their head. Black was the worst, followed by purple and red. Yellow was roughly the neutral point, then moving into green and blue on the positive side. The kindest people he’d met had had grey or white auras.

But when he saw Suho in the crowd at the exam, the color hadn't been white.

He watched as Suho’s back receded down the dorm hall. It was still there now. An aura like a clear, transparent crystal. Flickering as it reflected the light around it. There was never any sound accompanied with the skill, but if there was, he wondered if it would be wind chimes.

He couldn't see his own judgement in the mirror, no matter how many times he tried. But he knew that there was no way his karma looked nearly that good.

Sunghyun turned and headed away from the dorm building.

He’d gained one amazing friend. He’d never imagined finding someone like that at this school, which he knew was filled with as much resentment and envy as it was with talent. If anyone bothered Lim Suho…

Anyway, he didn't mind if his own karma got worse.