Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 9

Suho spoke with a smile.

“You made a good decision. Then, while you’re preparing the contract, may I take a look around the academy? I know you’ll give me a detailed explanation later, but I’d like to have a personal look first.”

“Of course. Ah, if you could give me your contact information, I’ll get in touch as soon as the contract is ready. It won’t take long.”

“Yes, my number is…”

The reason for drafting a contract was to prevent any potential double contracts.

‘Contracts are essential in society.’

Especially when we’re talking about a sum as significant as three billion won.

After exchanging contact information, Suho stood up and began to slowly tour Nexus Academy.

‘Indeed, it’s huge. It really lives up to its reputation as the largest facility in Korea.’

The scale of Nexus Academy was overwhelming.

Not only did it have a physical training center and dormitories, but it also boasted numerous facilities, from a mock training ground and self-study rooms for written exams to a library and a dining hall.

They had chosen Paju as its location specifically to build the first and largest academy in Korea.

For this reason, Nexus Academy was also known by another nickname—Nexus Village, as it felt like a small town.

‘Looking at this academy reminds me of my student days.’

Of course, Suho hadn’t attended any academy himself.

Residential academies like this were incredibly expensive, with monthly tuition fees that Suho could only dream of affording.

Still, he had studied hard on his own and passed the exam on his first try.

He’d also done well in the aptitude test.

At that time, he hadn’t chosen the healer class but a warrior class instead.

While wandering around the academy’s facilities for a while, Suho eventually entered the individual training area.

There, many examinees were training according to their class, though not in great numbers, as it wasn’t an official class time.

At that moment, a group of students caught Suho’s eye.

‘Those kids must be on the swordsman track.’

They were practicing swordsmanship, wielding various types of swords from daggers to longswords.

But no matter how he looked, their forms were sloppy.

Of course they were.

These were students who had never been in real combat, merely lucky to have awakened as players.

Then, an unexpected figure came into Suho’s view.

‘Kang Dae-han?’

He hadn’t seen it wrong.

The memories Suho had restructured through the Library of Memories were sharper than anyone else’s.

And who could easily forget a giant, bald man standing around 190 cm tall and weighing around 120 kg?

‘So Kang Dae-han is a Nexus alum.’

The Guardian, Kang Dae-han.

In the future, he would become a renowned hunter in Korea, one of the nation’s top-ranked tanks.

Suho had even teamed up with Kang Dae-han on a few raid parties.

That much he was sure of.

The hairstyle, the massive build.

Those were Kang Dae-han’s trademarks.

But something seemed odd about the Kang Dae-han standing before him.

He was swinging a giant axe as big as his own body, even though the Kang Dae-han Suho knew had wielded a shield, not an axe.

‘I see. He hasn’t discovered his true aptitude yet.’

At that moment, a good idea struck Suho’s mind.

‘Perfect. Now that it’s come to this, I might as well get in his good graces.’

Kang Dae-han would eventually join Nexus.

But if Suho could establish a rapport and build a connection with him now, he might be able to bring him to the Korean Hunter Association instead.

‘No, if it’s Guardian Kang Dae-han, I must bring him to the Association.’

No matter how strong an individual was, they couldn’t solve every problem in the world alone.

After all, issues tended to arise in diverse ways and at different places.

That’s why Suho intended to secure talents who could serve as his hands and feet in the future.

‘Anyway, I said I’d take a look around the academy, so it should be fine, right?’

Having made up his mind, Suho immediately descended to the training area.

Fortunately, entry to the training area didn’t require a separate access card, and when a civilian, dressed in casual clothes instead of a school uniform, appeared, people’s eyes briefly turned toward Suho.

But soon enough, their attention dispersed.

This wasn’t a school, after all, and people weren’t particularly interested in others.

Likewise, Suho didn’t pay them any mind as he approached Kang Dae-han.

“Hello?”

“Huh? Ah, hello?”

At Suho’s greeting, Kang Dae-han quickly lowered his axe and returned the greeting.

Up close, there was no doubt it was him.

His gentle demeanor and soft-spoken voice contrasted with his large frame, and just in case, Suho was about to ask for his name—only to notice the name “Kang Dae-han” embroidered boldly on his chest, like a gym uniform.

‘No need to ask, then.’

Suho spoke.

“Are you in the warrior class by any chance?”

“Yes, that’s right… but who are you?”

“I’m just a passing associate, but after observing you, I had something I wanted to say.”

An associate.

Since he had a connection with the academy, that wasn’t a lie.

At Suho’s words, Kang Dae-han pointed at himself, confused.

“To me?”

“Yes. May I ask how long you’ve been studying?”

Kang Dae-han answered, slightly embarrassed.

“This is my third year.”

“Then you’re taking the test tomorrow, too?”

“Yes, I applied again this time.”

“I see. So, are you planning to use that battle axe for the practical test as well?”

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

“May I ask why you chose a battle axe?”

“Well… I’m aiming to be a melee damage dealer, and after consulting with the academy, they recommended this. They said it’s a weapon not just anyone can handle. Oh, and that it has top-notch destructive power.”

Hearing that, Suho felt a pang of frustration.

No matter how big he was, recommending such a weapon based solely on his size was absurd, especially for a player who was so reliant on stats.

‘And this is supposed to be the largest academy in the country…’

Suho was reminded once again of how different the past was from the future he knew.

This was a time when humanity hadn’t found stability yet after the appearance of Gates; compared to the future, many things were outdated.

Shaking his head, Suho spoke.

“That’s absolutely not true. You should use a weapon that feels comfortable to you. After all, every player benefits from stat boosts.”

“Oh… really?”

“Yes, and most skill proficiencies can be quickly developed with skill-enhancing effects. The rest depends on personal know-how and experience. In that sense, I’ve been watching, and the battle axe doesn’t seem to suit you.”

“Oh, really? But I’ve been using it for three years…”

And that’s exactly the problem.

Suho glanced toward the armory set against the glass wall in the corner of the training area.

“Do you see that kite shield over there?”

“Yes, I see it.”

“Try equipping it on your left arm and using a one-handed blunt weapon in your right. You’ll likely score much higher in the practical exam.”

“So… you’re suggesting I go hybrid?”

A hybrid.

A position with at least two roles, often seen in warrior classes as a mix of sub-damage dealer and sub-tank—a multi-tank, so to speak.

“Yes, I’m recommending you go multi-tank.”

“Is that really necessary? I’ve been using this battle axe for three years. Changing my position now feels a bit…”

He seemed reluctant.

However, in Suho’s memory, Kang Dae-han wielded not a battle axe but a massive shield.

Which meant that in the future, Kang Dae-han had felt his limits and eventually abandoned the battle axe on his own.

So Suho saw the need to expedite that realization through a gentle explanation.

That way, a talent like Kang Dae-han wouldn’t waste time.

“Dae-han, what do you think is the core of a party?”

“Uh, the mage?”

“No. Surprisingly, it’s the tank. The tank attracts the enemy’s attention, protects the mage and healer, allowing the party to function properly.”

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to use only a shield?”

It wasn’t a wrong point.

At one time, specializing in just one role was widely considered better than juggling two.

But as time passed and the latter Gates increased in difficulty, pure tanks struggled to maintain relevance.

‘In the late stages, even tanks have to counterattack to survive.’

While Kang Dae-han was one of Korea’s top tanks, he had never made it to the world-class level, precisely for that reason.

He’d tried to switch to a hybrid role later on, but with so much experience as a pure tank, he struggled to adapt.

This time, Suho decided to recommend a multi-tank role from the start.

The age of the multi-tank would eventually come.

Suho replied.

“According to research on Gates published overseas, the role of pure tanks will become increasingly limited over time. A tank should be able to handle a primary weapon other than a shield to have more crowd-control options.”

“Oh…!”

“And while the battle axe may have high burst damage, the delay after each swing is too long. If you don’t account for that, you’ll get taken down quickly. Besides, who would cover you if you’re that big?”

“…!”

At Suho’s words, Kang Dae-han’s eyes lit up as if struck by lightning.

For various reasons, this was the point that resonated the most.

“Thank you. Now that I think about it, that makes sense. The practical test doesn’t measure weapon proficiency anyway.”

“Exactly. For warriors, it’s about how long you can hold out against monsters, so technique proficiency isn’t that crucial. Plus, one-handed blunt weapon techniques don’t require many skills. With a bit of practice, you’ll get the hang of it quickly.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Kang Dae-han bowed deeply in gratitude.

Suho looked around to see if there were any other notable figures like Kang Dae-han, but unfortunately, no one else caught his attention.

After spending a considerable amount of time exploring the academy, Suho finally received a call from Director Kim Suae, and they completed the contract.

***

The next day.

After signing the scholarship contract with Director Kim Suae and visiting his old home, Suho spent the rest of the day resting and returned to the Association.

The front of the Association was bustling with people.

Naturally so.

Today was the day of the Hunter License Exam.

“Alright, everyone! Line up in order of your exam numbers, and we’ll proceed with the check-in one by one!”

Taking the Hunter exam again after over a decade felt nostalgic.

But he wasn’t nervous.

Although the average pass rate for the Hunter Exam was below 20%, that only applied to ordinary examinees.

After changing into the exam uniform provided by the Association and completing blood and urine tests, Suho entered the written exam hall.

‘These tests are to prevent doping, but…’

They didn’t hold much meaning.

Those who truly doped for the exams typically used skill buffs, not drugs.

Still, these checks were in place because doping-related skill buffs hadn’t yet become a major issue.

‘I should bring attention to this issue sometime soon.’

There were countless things he needed to address now that he was back in the past.

As Suho was thinking about various plans and seated in his assigned spot, a woman sitting in front of him caught his eye.

‘What’s this?’

A woman who appeared perfectly ordinary.

However, Suho could feel it.

The strange mana emanating from her body.

He realized immediately.

It was skill doping.