**The Next Day at Nexus Academy**
Suho arrived at Nexus Academy about an hour before the scheduled eting ti. After being greeted by staff, he was briefed on guild activities and handed his official entry card.
“This is a Black Card, given only to S-rank mbers—the highest rank within Nexus. This card grants you access to all Nexus facilities and exempts you from any charges. Additionally, it functions as a corporate card, so feel free to use it as needed.”
As expected of Nexus. Even though this wasn’t the main headquarters, everything was processed with efficiency. Kim Soo-ae, a dedicated mber, personally handled Suho’s onboarding.
After the explanation, Suho nodded in appreciation. “Thank you. As discussed, I’ll use the academy’s training room for a while.”
“Of course. Since the room is reserved exclusively for S-rank mbers, you won’t encounter any interruptions. I’ll also prepare the guest pass you requested.”
“Thank you.”
After a brief pause, Kim Soo-ae looked at Suho with a hopeful expression. “Suho, would you mind eting Hunter Kang Dae-han?”
“Kang Dae-han?” Suho repeated.
“Yes, ever since he learned that you would be joining Nexus, he’s been eager to et his ntor officially. Now that you’re here, we thought it would be a good opportunity.”
Suho nodded. “That sounds great. He can co by the training room while I’m there.”
Kim Soo-ae looked relieved. “Thank you so much, Suho.”
It would be good to et him again. In the future, Kang Dae-han would go on to beco one of the country’s top tank-class Hunters. Building this relationship early, while they were both in the sa guild, would be invaluable.
With their conversation complete, Suho headed toward the training room.
---
**In the Nexus Training Room**
The S-rank training room was unlike anything Suho had seen outside Nexus. It was equipped with the most advanced VR devices, computers for data analysis, and a range of simulators. Even with his knowledge from the future, he was impressed.
‘A bit outdated compared to the future, but it’s still top of the line for now,’ he thought.
Among the equipnt was “Infinity,” the most advanced virtual reality device of this era. Drawing on his mory of the machine’s operation, Suho quickly mastered its controls.
After so ti, the four Banshees arrived at the training room. Suho greeted them with a smile.
“Welco. It’s been a while.”
“Yes, but… why did you call us here?” Gu Yeon-hwa, the leader of the Banshees, asked cautiously. Her tone was respectful, yet there was still an edge to it.
Suho spoke directly. “Since you accepted my offer, we need to discuss our future plans. I also want to start your training.”
“Training?”
“First, fill this out.” Suho handed them a tablet with fields to enter personal information, status windows, and skill details.
“You want us to share our status windows?”
“Yes. To give you proper training, I need to know your capabilities. Fill out everything accurately. Trust is essential if we’re going to work together. I’ve already opened up about my abilities.”
The Banshees exchanged uneasy glances but eventually filled out their information, realizing that Suho had as much to lose as they did if trust was broken.
Once the data was gathered, Suho checked it on his phone and nodded. ‘All under Level 50. Perfect for training them from the ground up.’
“This will do for now. Follow to the training area. You’re familiar with the VR capsules from the Hunter exam, right? Pick one and enter—I’ve already set the simulation.”
The Banshees followed Suho’s instructions and entered their capsules.
---
**Inside the Virtual Reality of Kunlun**
In the simulation, Suho and the Banshees opened their eyes to find themselves standing atop a mountain surrounded by clouds and an endless blue sky. The sight left the Banshees awestruck.
“Welco to Kunlun. This will be your training ground whenever we have ti,” Suho said.
Kunlun. Modeled after a place Suho had once conquered in the past, it was a brutal training ground ant to push the Banshees to their limits.
Gu Yeon-hwa glanced around before asking, “What kind of training?”
“Combat training. Each of you specializes in different roles, but if you stay as you are now, you’ll be caught by the Special Division in no ti. Your skills need to go beyond what they are now.”
“But we’ve managed before—”
“Managed? You call getting caught by ‘managing’? There’s no such thing as a perfect cri, especially in a world of superpowers. While each of you has your strengths, you need to be able to defend yourselves and each other.”
Suho snapped his fingers, and several swords appeared before them.
“Pick a sword. Your first task is to conquer your fear and learn the basics of weapon combat.”
“Why swords?” Gu Yeon-hwa asked, sowhat reluctantly.
Suho smirked. “You know what they call , don’t you?”
“… Sword God?”
“Exactly. You have a swordsmanship master in front of you, so were you planning to learn sothing else?”
With another snap of his fingers, a practice sword appeared in Suho’s hand.
“I’ve disabled all skills in this simulation, so don’t even try. Your first goal is simple: try your hardest to kill .”
With that, Suho advanced slowly.
The Banshees hesitated only briefly before each grabbed a sword and braced themselves.
In an instant, Suho closed the distance and swung his sword with incredible speed.
*Slash!*
A swift slicing sound echoed, and the heads of Kim Hyun-min and Gwak Du-ho flew through the air. Gu Yeon-hwa and Seo Gyo-won froze in shock as they watched their companions fall.
Suho gave them a hard look. “Is this really the ti to stand there in shock?”
Before they could respond, Suho struck again, and their heads hit the ground, joining the others. The scene reset as their bodies vanished, respawning them a short distance away, sitting dazedly on the ground.
Gu Yeon-hwa bit her lip in frustration, but she quickly rose to her feet, and the others followed suit.
“It seems you’ve toughened up a bit since your previous death in the exam,” Suho observed. “Good. Let’s go again.”
From there, the session beca a cycle of relentless training as Suho repeatedly cut them down. He varied his attacks, sotis beheading them, sotis cleaving them down the middle, other tis slicing off limbs. Each ti, he reset their positions, forcing them to endure repeated deaths.
But the Banshees’ biggest challenge wasn’t the continuous defeats—it was Suho’s taunts.
“You think you’ll get revenge with those pathetic swings?”
“My grandma moves faster than you.”
“You’re supposed to be a delivery worker? Are you sure you’re not delivering yourself?”
“Middle school teacher, huh? You’re slower than your own students!”
Suho’s words stoked their anger, pushing them to fight with raw determination. The Banshees responded furiously, attacking him wildly.
Watching them charge at him with fierce resolve, Suho nodded in satisfaction. ‘This level of ntal toughness is essential for survival inside a gate.’
Suho had no intention of limiting the Banshees’ role to intelligence-gathering or espionage. Eventually, they would face the Special Division and other strong opponents. He needed them to be formidable warriors, capable of handling themselves in combat.
‘Becoming a warrior requires being forged in the fire.’
After hours of relentless sparring, Suho finally spoke.
“When the ti’s up, you’ll log out automatically. Keep training until then.”
Ideally, he would’ve liked to guide them until they were true warriors, but he had other tasks to handle.
Fortunately, the Infinity VR device had a “Motion Deep Learning” feature, which allowed him to create a “training avatar” that could continue drilling the Banshees with his fighting techniques after he logged out.
As Suho left the virtual realm, his avatar materialized and continued the training.
“What are you staring at, you slackers? Pick up your swords and get back to it!”
The Banshees, furious once more, charged at the avatar.
---
**anwhile, Outside the Virtual Room**
‘That should keep the Banshees busy for a while,’ Suho thought, erging from the capsule. Just then, his phone rang. It was Kim Soo-ae.
“Yes, Director?”
“Suho, I just wanted to confirm that the article about your official entry into Nexus was released about an hour ago.”
“Through Reporter Jo Jin-hwi?”
“Yes, he got the exclusive, and our PR team has started circulating the release.”
“Good. Let’s start planning the follow-up article.”
“Already?”
“I’m sure there’s backlash building. People rember that I announced my intent to beco a public servant Hunter, and now I’ve joined a private guild. The criticism is probably growing.”
“Oh, Suho, the public will co around to support you. You’re really not worried, are you?”
This was all part of his plan. For now, he hadn’t disclosed his intention to take the civil service exam later in the year. He was using his Nexus entry to draw attention, knowing that controversy, good or bad, would only fuel public interest.
Timing was crucial. He would make the announcent when it would have the biggest impact.
Kim Soo-ae asked, “If that’s the plan, what’s the next article about?”
“The second Se
aled Gate challenge.”
“…Excuse ?”
“I’m challenging another Sealed Gate. Today.”
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